Toshiba Portege Z835-370 Ultrabook, Core i5-2467M, 6GB RAM, 128GB SSD, backlit keyboard, 2.5lbs, $699 at OfficeMax B&M

Quote from amax : 'twas hilarious at first, seeing the chess club squirm, but it's gotten boring and you're all on my ignore lists. So have at it still, I won't notice...

You guys made him cry!

I have one of these and can answer anyone's questions about it.

First of all, NO overheating or fan issues, especially since the last BIOS update (in May).

Intel HD 3000 graphics are totally sufficient for everything you'd want to do on an ultrabook and they can handle light gaming and/or older 3D titles. The quality of the LCD panel on this Toshiba is about 2 notches better than my Acer TimeLineX in terms of brightnes and color reproduction, and has slightly better viewing angles.

Secondly, all of the Z8xx Porteges can handle up to 10Gb RAM. I have the Core i3 Z835 and I have been running it reliabily with an 8Gb DDR3 module installed alongside the onboard 2Gb that's soldered on the mobo. Getting into the unit isn't the easiest thing ever because you need a Torx security bit but it is a fairly easy job if you are patient and have experience. The SSD and wireless cards are also user-replacable, which is very unique in the ulrabook market.

The hinges are not the sturdiest things ever but they are fine for my purposes and the unit is overall free from sqeaks and rattles. I think the price, backlit keyboard, and port selection still trumps EVERY other ultabook on the market. Its' hard enough to find an Ultrabook with 3 USB ports, much less fullsize Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, and Wi-Di along for the ride.

Quote from hkklife : I have one of these and can answer anyone's questions about it. First of all, NO overheating or fan issues, especially since the last BIOS update (in May). Intel HD 3000 graphics are totally sufficient for everything you'd want to do on an ultrabook and they can handle light gaming and/or older 3D titles. The quality of the LCD panel on this Toshiba is about 2 notches better than my Acer TimeLineX in terms of brightnes and color reproduction, and has slightly better viewing angles. Secondly, all of the Z8xx Porteges can handle up to 10Gb RAM. I have the Core i3 Z835 and I have been running it reliabily with an 8Gb DDR3 module installed alongside the onboard 2Gb that's soldered on the mobo. Getting into the unit isn't the easiest thing ever because you need a Torx security bit but it is a fairly easy job if you are patient and have experience. The SSD and wireless cards are also user-replacable, which is very unique in the ulrabook market. The hinges are not the sturdiest things ever but they are fine for my purposes and the unit is overall free from sqeaks and rattles. I think the price, backlit keyboard, and port selection still trumps EVERY other ultabook on the market. Its' hard enough to find an Ultrabook with 3 USB ports, much less fullsize Ethernet, VGA, HDMI, and Wi-Di along for the ride.

Great info, Hkklife, thanks.
BTW,
this is the best/cheapest right angle converter I could find:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270629615709&ssPageName=ADME:LU:US:3160 [ebay.com]

My notebook boots from power on to password in 15 seconds!!! Amazing!!!

Thanks! Been looking for a good laptop around this price.

Quote from AX122 : You guys made him cry!

Oh. Didn't catch "AX122." Blocked now too. Keep swingin', girls, it's kinda funny.

Features:Intel Core i5-2467M Processor, 128GB hard drive, 6GB system memory, and 13.3" HD TruBrite LCD display.

sku - 23260294

link [officemax.com]

Features
Lightweight 2.5lbs
Slim 0.62-in profile
Reinforced Magnesium Alloy Casing
Spill-Resistant, LED-Backlit Keyboard
Extended Battery Life Rating4 (up to 8 hours)
Solid State Drive
USB 3.0 Port
Intel Wireless Display-ready
USB Sleep & Charge
Full-size HDMI Port
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Repost, orig: http://slickdeals.net/f/5165570-T...iceMax-B-M

good price, bad product. several people at work have this same exact notebook and for one, the hinge is flimsy as hell. reliability also appears to be an issue for the 5 people i've seen with this. while very light, i don't have confidence in that this laptop will last a long time.

Very bad product.

Found one in store for the clearance price of $679.88. They would not discount it any further for being the display model. The keyboard is backlit and nice to type on. The i5 is fast. The 128Gb SSD only had 73Gb free.

Quote from z9z91 : Watch out for this model. The cooling fan runs all the time no matter if it's hot, cool, or cold. You can put it in the freezer and the cooling fan is still running. I just don't understand this concept from Toshiba. That's a waste of battery power, acceleration of wear and tear, and a nuisance to your ears. This fan noise is not so pleasant. It's a constant high pitch sound that just doesn't stop. And if you're sensitive like me, you'll get a headache after a while from constant swirling noise. That's the reason why I returned it.

BIOS 1.70 addressed this issue.

I put mine on a very accurate scale and the reading is 2.39 lb. So this thing is exactly the same weight of Macbook Air 11.6". I'd love to have a 11.6" 2nd gen SB ultrabook, but no such a thing except the MBA. So, this Z835 is the only real ultrabook, all other "ultrabooks" are 3 lb and over.

I'm upgrading to this Z835 from a HP dm4. I love the dm4 on each and every aspects, it is quiet and cold, just a liitle too heavy to my taste at 4.4 lb, but I have no complain for $300. The fan on this Z835 is annoying, I never notice it on the dm4. Fortunately it almost never turn on, so I can live with it. Keyboard is slightly too stiff to my like. Other than those two, it is all better than the dm4, especially the screen. The screen on dm4 is a little washed out and it is quite reflective.

This thing is much more relaxing on my laps than the 4.4 lb dm4 while sitting in a sofa watching TV. It is well worth the extra $300 for how easy to put it on my laps or to carry it around. 11.6" could be even better - smaller and lighter; util then, this Z835 is my computer. Coinstantly, my last omputer that served me well for 10 years was also a 2.4 lb Toshiba, hopefully this one will too.

The great things about Toshiba is the continoued support on drivers and system utilities, only IBM was close, Sony and Samsung are no compare. For example, all XP and Win8 drivers and utilities are available on Toshiba's web site, in additiont to Win7. Both XP and Win8 run perfectly on this Z835, all functions and hotkeys work, so is win7 of course.

The screen on the HP dm4 is easy to get dirty and it is quite hard to clean. Cannot use dry or wet clothe, have to use dedicated screen-clean fluds. This Z835 seems not easy to get dirty and a wet wipe gets the clean job done.