Toshiba Satellite C855-S5194 Laptop: Intel Core i3-3120M (2.5GHz), 15.6” (1366 x 768) LED, 6GB DDR3, 640GB HDD, HDMI, USB 3.0, DVDRW, 6-Cell, Win 8 $305 AC/AR + Free Ship @ Staples

repost, btw, it got horible review.

Quote from hzh003 : repost, btw, it got horible review.

Where? I was just thinking of swapping this out for my similarly spec'd Lenovo G580 - which doesn't exactly have stellar reviews either

This seems like a good deal? Can much more be had for around $350?

Agrees this is a pretty decent deal. Only 1 USB 3.0 port but still pretty good for a typical Win8 laptop.

Is this worth the extra $50 from the Toshiba C855-S5350 also at staples. I think the only difference is the processer (Intel B980 vs 3rd Gen Intel Core i3-3120M)?

Make sure to get the 20 off 100 using OD's coupon at Staples

suprised this isn't getting more attention...seems like a decent deal for those of us that can't find the Lenovo at OD to PM due to it being OOS....

I totally agree zipdab, I think for a Toshiba with 3rd Gen i3, 640GB drive, 6GB memory, it's one hell of a deal for $305. I bought 2 of them, and there's a limit of 5 on the $50 EasyRebate. TU & Repped!

Quote from zipdab : suprised this isn't getting more attention...seems like a decent deal for those of us that can't find the Lenovo at OD to PM due to it being OOS....

It's not bad at all. Only negatives (keeping price in mind):

No bluetooth
Thick at 1.31"
Heavy at 5.4lbs.
Plastic shell is pretty cheap looking
Even with a 6 cell, battery life is only 4 hours. In real life, that probably means 2.5 hours with adequate brightness and balanced performance.

But the big plus is the CPU passmark is 3501. That's very solid at this price.

With tax, this comes out to just under $330. I picked up a used Samsung 5 series ultrabook on Cowboom for $20 more with a 2nd gen i5 and previous gen GPU. Love it, but it's not as fast as this, and when a battery dies in an ultrabook, it's either impossible to swap, or will run you $100+. I'd probably still buy the Samsung again because of the thickness, aluminum shell, and build quality.

But if you want something new with a warranty, and you don't need to carry it back and forth daily, this is a definite consideration. Just make sure to demo in store first. Track pad can make or break a laptop, and some of these entry level laptops can't get it right.