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I was looking for a laptop that would play DVDs, allow me to surf the net, keep my music and photos neatly arranged, and facilitate social networking & video chats without much fuss. My friends and folks advised me to go either for a Dell, an HP or a Sony Vaio. Fair enough. Those are big names, and have an established market. However, I chanced upon this beauty while flipping through Flipkart pages. At 16.6K, this was mouth watering. I am not much into gaming, graphics or rigorous multitasking on the computer, so the configuration and price appeared just right for me. Okay, the Intel T4500 Dual Core Processor isn't exactly brand new and that it may not cook my food or mix a drink or two for me, but what the heck, even the i3 and the i5 couldn't do that either. So Toshiba Satellite it was. Received it spot on time with cash on delivery. Super packing. Got it configured with Windows 7 on a 32 bit platform. The driver CD came with the laptop. No hassles at all. Heartily recommend this model to everyone who wants a laptop for casual use.
Delivery from flipkart is simply fantastic. It was delivered in 2 two days. Neatly packed. Company sealed box with user manual. 5 STARS to flipkart service.nnAbout the laptop:nnConsider these points before you go for this laptop.nn1. Keyboard doesn't give you that good feel. Keys look very delicate. You dont get that feather touch feel as u generally get in Dell laptops; Ofcourse, u have Numpad.nn2. This laptop doesn't come with 'Drivers CD/DVD'. So have to get them from toshiba website.nn3. If you are planning to install Win XP, drivers are really a big problem. I initially installed Win XP sp2, but could not find any drivers for display, ethernet, sound etc.,. Even toshiba customer care people were unsure of the drivers to Win XP. They could not point to right drivers. I could only get couple of drivers. Then I finally went for Windows 7.nn4. This is a 64 bit processor, so you would enjoy better performance with a 64 bit OS. I went for Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit OS.nn5. Even with Windows 7 Ultimate, the display drivers, network controller drivers as obtained from toshiba website will not be sufficient. They do not have HD graphics drivers as required by this system. You got get it from the net after choosing to update the drivers from 'Device Manager'. nn6. You could still see some "?" marks mentioning 'Unknown Device'. You again have to do some research here.... :(nnBut, finally, I could set up my system after spending almost a day.. :)nn7. There are no direct buttons or sliding swtiches to on/off bluetooth and wireless.nn8. No HDMI port. Only 2 USB ports.. But can live with it..!nnNow some good points ... nn1. Tops pattern - Good that you cannot have problems of scratches so easily, though finger prints are slightly visible.nn2. With 64 bit OS, my system is showing a good performance. Am satisfied on that part.nn3. Battery life is impressive. Close to 2.5 to 3 hrs. Good for a 15.6 inch laptop.nn4. Weight of the laptop is something that you can take on a very positive side. It is really lighter for a 15.6 inch laptop. nn5. LED display is really cool...!nn6. Sound is also good. Definitely enuf for a laptop..; but HP's Altec Lansing speakers are always my favourite. (Only this - I like about HP, after having had one for 3 yrs now).nnFinally, here is the windows experience ratings of this laptop:nnProcessor: 5.7nRAM: 5.5nGraphics: 3.9nGaming Graphics: 5.0nDisk transfer rate: 5.9nnPretty good ratings for a laptop in the price range of 19k. So, still worth considering this laptop...!nnThn Q.
This is a good model for 18.5K, but you should be aware that it does not include any OS, AGP card (required for 3D games etc) or laptop bag. Otherwise good enough for any basic user.nI uploaded Linux Mint 11 on it and it worked beautifully, all the drivers worked, so no additions were required.nnInstalling Windows was quite a nightmare for me, Toshiba India website only provided the Windows7 drivers, so I couldn't use any other windows OS (XP or Vista). No driver CDs included. Eventually gave up on trying to install windows and went for linux mint. Ofcourse, you will need a good high bandwidth DSL (2Mbps ) to download the linux OS or the windows drivers, if you're doing it yourself. So it is not a model that can be used off the shelf.nnThe laptop build is quite good, sturdy plastic frame and nice finish. I would have expected some switches for Wi-fi, volume control and blue-tooth, but nothing like that available on this model. You need to use the function-key combinations for everything.nnSurprisingly this model did not have any reviews on non-India websites. the model was probably built for the Indian market.nnOn the whole a good model, if you know how set it up yourself and want something below 20K INR.
Flipkart delivered the product in 48 hours. Brilliant!nnTo start with, the C850-P5010 laptop has been updated, and the photograph you see is no longer reflective of what you'll actually find in the package. So check out the latest product shots from the Toshiba website.nnSecondly, this is a value-for-money ("VFM") machine. Most of us for all of the time, and all of us for most of the time would not require a laptop with a faster processor than this. You could do better with another 2GB of RAM just to ease out any minor speed-traps.nnThirdly, the drivers (to Windows 7 32-Bit) are all available on the Toshiba website. Or you may also try DriverMax to identify missing or outdated drivers and install the same. No problems faced there. Sadly, Ubuntu 12.04 did not recognise the Realtech Wifi card (but otherwise ran blazing fast otherwise from a USB Drive).nnFourth, this laptop comes with a dedicated numeric keypad to the right, and the touchpad is aligned to the left. This will take time to get used to. nnFifth, the Windows experience index (Windows 7 Professional 32-Bit) for this laptop is a 4.4 (Processor 5.9, Memory 5.5, Graphics 4.4, Gaming Graphics 5.5 and Primary Hard Drive 5.9)nnThe laptop is incredibly light, and at times may feel a bit flimsy. The speakers are pathetic if compared to a Compaq F700/ C700 which had Altec Lansing speakers. But the Realtech Audio driver coupled with the Toshiba sound enhancement driver gives better performance on headphones than the Compaq. nnConclusion: I put my money on it. My 5/5 is based on the bang-for-buck scale. Considering that I've had the laptop for about 4-odd days now, it is too early to provide a comprehensive report. With all electronic products these days, it's a gamble you're taking. Some might pay off in the long run, others might not. You choose.
I brought this product. Contains everything needed for an average home user ( not gamers ). Well build , quality plastics ( u will be actually surprised by the quality compared to the price you pay) , Wifi , Bluetooth, Good screen ,multi touch- touchpad, an useful but not so great webcam, a quality backpack, Win7 Driver CD which includes lots of Toshiba's custom software which makes laptop usage much fun and great battery back up. nnHighly Recommended!!!
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