CleanMPGs new Toshiba Satellite C55-B5200 Laptop

Discussion in 'Website news & discussions' started by xcel, Sep 1, 2014.

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  1. xcel

    xcel PZEV, there's nothing like it :) Staff Member

    Hi All:

    Finally moved to a new Laptop as the 4 and a half year old e-Machines with a 900 MHz Celeron was getting a little slow.

    Toshiba Satellite C55-B5200

    [​IMG]​

    Found what I believe is a decent deal at $299.99 for a Toshiba Satellite C55-B5200.

    This laptop includes a 15.6" screen with a 4th Gen i3, 6 GB of non-replaceable 1600 MHz DDR3 memory, 750 GB HD, DVD-SuperMulti drive, b, g, and n Wi-Fi, 10/100 LAN, 1 MP Webcam, (1) 3.0 USB, and (2) USB 2.0- ports, HDMI and RGB ports, Memory Card reader, 45 Wh Li-Ion, mic, two speakers, and Windows 8.1 64-bit.

    It came as a bundle deal which also included a PNY 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive, Logitech M185 Wireless Optical Mouse, some useless SW bundle, and a black Targus Trax Laptop Sleeve.

    Had to do some online chicanery to get that price as it was posted at $349 but an i3 with 6 GB, 750 GM HD, 15.6” screen, and all the latest ports seemed like a pretty good deal to me? I hope it lasts as long as the old e-Machines laptop did. My dad is using the e-Machines laptop as I type this up in fact.

    Probably faster than my desktop so I might just transfer all the important stuff over and use the laptop as a desktop and travel laptop once I come up with a good way to back everything up.

    Pick it up from Best-Buy in Kenosha, WI tomorrow. After that, all I have to do is figure out how to work around Windows 8.1 and remove all the bloat ware that will surely be pre-installed.

    Wayne
     
    Last edited: Sep 1, 2014
    xcel, Sep 1, 2014
    #1
  2. 08EscapeHybrid

    08EscapeHybrid Moderator

    I'm sure you will love it. I loved mine until it just got old and the video board died. Cost more than I wanted to spend to repair a 5 year old laptop, so I had to say goodbye. Here's a pic of it working hard for CleanMPG on the Truth In 48 drive...
    Are you getting the backlit keyboard? That's a godsend to older eyes.
    [​IMG]
     
    08EscapeHybrid, Sep 1, 2014
    #2
  3. xcel

    xcel PZEV, there's nothing like it :) Staff Member

    Hi Jay:

    Thanks for the personal experience detail with your Toshiba laptop. I just hope it lasts as long as the e-Machines did. :)

    Wayne
     
    xcel, Sep 1, 2014
    #3
  4. 08EscapeHybrid

    08EscapeHybrid Moderator

    Oh another thing... the Harman Kardon (sp?) speakers on mine were awesome. Best sounding laptop I've ever seen.
     
    08EscapeHybrid, Sep 1, 2014
    #4
  5. RichXKU

    RichXKU Well-Known Member

    RichXKU, Sep 1, 2014
    #5
  6. priusCpilot

    priusCpilot George

    It's still running a 486 DX 2 66mhz with 4mb of ram.
     
    priusCpilot, Sep 1, 2014
    #6
  7. MaxxMPG

    MaxxMPG Hasta Lavista AAA-Vee Von't Be Bach

    +1 +1 +1

    Windows 8 is awful for hardcore Windows users for the Windows 3.1 colors that are hard on the eyes, and the loss of the Start Menu that sends you searching through unsorted tiles that are a mishmash of photos, documents, web links and other nonsense for the programs you always found in the menu. Adding Classic Shell makes Windows 8 feel like the Windows that hundreds of millions of users already use and understand.
     
    MaxxMPG, Sep 1, 2014
    #7
  8. 08EscapeHybrid

    08EscapeHybrid Moderator

    When I get the funds to actually go out and buy a nice new laptop I am seriously considering downgrading Win 8 to Win 7 Pro.
     
    08EscapeHybrid, Sep 1, 2014
    #8
  9. Gord

    Gord Super Moderator Staff Member

    Surely you mean upgrade from Win 8.1 to Win 7 ;)
     
    Gord, Sep 1, 2014
    #9
  10. fishnrib

    fishnrib Christian

    We have been Apple users since 2005 after using Windows for 5 years. We now have 2 iMac's, 2 iPad's and an iTouch which all work seamless together without any extra virus protection. It's kinda like buying a hybrid or electric car by paying up front but enjoying the ride so much more. Upgrade's to the operating system have all been free and an improvement over previous versions.

    The next operating system

    http://youtu.be/w87fOAG8fjk

    [flash]http://www.youtube.com/v/w87fOAG8fjk?version=3[/flash]
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 1, 2014
    fishnrib, Sep 1, 2014
    #10
  11. xcel

    xcel PZEV, there's nothing like it :) Staff Member

    Hi Tom:

    The 15.4" MAcBook Pro starts at $1,999. It is built around the i7 but that doesn't matter. At the starting price, it was simply far too expensive.

    Wayne
     
    xcel, Sep 1, 2014
    #11
  12. brick

    brick Answers to "that guy."

    I've been running Linux as my primary OS something like 6 years now. It feels like punishment every time I boot into the Windows 7 partition for one of the very few applications that I can't replace with something Linux native or run in Wine. (I'm down to my OBD-II diagnostic packages and little else.) My still-decent Core i5 ThinkPad bogs down under Windows yet is buttery-smooth under Linux. I'm currently using Mint and I love it. I've never been a power user. Most features work right off the bat and the few glitches have been easily corrected with a google search.

    My wife is a Mac user. They build nice hardware but the cost a little ridiculous IMO.
     
    brick, Sep 1, 2014
    #12
  13. DaveJ

    DaveJ Well-Known Member

    Wayne,
    I have a similar Toshiba(L55t-A5290) 9 months old. The only problem with mine is a touch pad that is not as reliable as other laptops I have used. Use the touchpad on a display in store if possible to see if it's OK for you.#2, if you are new to Windows 8, the 8.1 updates make it possible to run it a lot like Windows 7 without adding software, and I would suggest using it awhile before adding other stuff.
    Seems to me original works better than add-on, most of the time.
    YMMV
     
    DaveJ, Sep 1, 2014
    #13
  14. xcel

    xcel PZEV, there's nothing like it :) Staff Member

    Hi Rich:

    Thanks for the link. Love the functionality but not a fan of Shells on top of a native OS as it adds more cycles to an already overburdened CPU. Will look to 8.1s built in reconfiguration like Dave suggested to see what can and cannot be completed.

    Dave, read a lot about the Toshiba mouse pad being a mess. Saw a SW update to cure that problem was apparently released in July but this laptop could have been sitting around in a box since well before then? Will have to work with it to find out.

    Wayne
     
    xcel, Sep 1, 2014
    #14
  15. DaveJ

    DaveJ Well-Known Member

    Wayne,
    Did you decide you did not want the touch screen? I really like that feature on mine. Some don't.
     
    DaveJ, Sep 1, 2014
    #15
  16. xcel

    xcel PZEV, there's nothing like it :) Staff Member

    Hi Dave:

    It was a $s thing. Would have loved to have gone to that but i5s, 8 GB RAM, and a touch screen made them impossibly expensive. :(

    Wayne
     
    xcel, Sep 1, 2014
    #16
  17. ALS

    ALS Super Moderator Staff Member

    Hi Wayne,

    I've been running Sony's since 99 and don't know what I'm going to do when this one dies.

    Sony stopped making laptops this year due to a dwindling laptop market. :(

    So I'm interest to see over time how your new laptop holds up over time.

    I like the Apple's but not at a MSRP of $1600-$2000.

    I'm running 64 bit Windows 7 with 6 gigs of Ram, a 680 gig hard drive and quad core 2.50 Gig I5 Intel chip set.

    Al.
     
    Last edited: Sep 2, 2014
    ALS, Sep 1, 2014
    #17
  18. fishnrib

    fishnrib Christian

    When you buy Apple's get their discounted refurbished models that have the same warranty as the new ones from their web site.
     
    fishnrib, Sep 1, 2014
    #18
  19. aca2983

    aca2983 Well-Known Member

    I'm considering Toshiba, but that configuration seems a bit limiting. I tend to keep laptops a very long time, so I buy something with some upgradability. No complaints about Win 8.1 here. I totally "dug in" and adapted. Its odd at first, but I have everything configured to my liking and I think it's increased my overall productivity.
     
    aca2983, Sep 1, 2014
    #19
  20. RoadWarrior222

    RoadWarrior222 rockit serjun

    I just got refurb Gateways, i5 with 8GB, 17", format like a wide ultrabook, sip power for the grunt.... anyway yah, I'm finding win 8.1 just as easy to use as windows 3.1 ... after program manager had crashed... so they'll probably be getting classic shell or something on them. These are quite nice for what I paid, which was probably a third to a quarter of same spec in a Macbook. Apple claims it owns the high end notebook market now, I'm thinking Nope, you're just the only manufacturer that doesn't have i7 models for less than $1500.

    Not sure how you managed to buy a 900 Celly 5 years ago, that sounds real "turn of the century"
     
    RoadWarrior222, Sep 1, 2014
    #20
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