Toshiba S55-A5295 15.6 Discount

Jodie Cressman :There is only so much that can be packed into a notebook. I wish that the USB 2 port had been placed on the right and the two USB 3.0 ports would have been on the left... that way, external drives with their larger cables wouldn't interfere with my mouse as much and the mouse receiver, if it were on the right side instead, would be barely noticeable. The front-side SD card reader is mounted where the front face curves to become the base of the case and is a tad tricky to push in/eject if you have clumsy fingers like mine. I need to lift the front up a half inch to make that operation easier. Perhaps I'll just get used to that.

 W. Meyerriecks (Silverton, CO):On the bottom there is a access lid for memory, but not for the hard drive. The whole bottom of the case must be removed to swap out the hard drive... that is no big deal once you determine that to get it off (after taking out the screws, of course) you have to gently pry at the hinges until it pops free. I have already upgraded this with a Samsung 840 EVO series 1TB SSD and WOW! Boot time dropped from 32-35 seconds to 5-8 seconds! Applications launch like a rocket! The only way to go!

 anonymous:I can't comment on battery life as I pretty much use this on a desk [internal battery, BTW]. That said, there is a nifty "airport mode" key that shuts off wireless. If you don't have a wireless connection, pressing that convenient button will extend your battery life a little more.

This laptop replaced my Intel Q8200 quad core 8GB/640GB desktop that (sniff, sniff) bit the dust. I wouldn't think of going back to a desktop now as fast as this notebook was before I upgraded the HD and especially now that I have.