Toshiba Portege R700-S1310

• Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 6 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

• Sort by: Most helpful Highest rating Lowest rating Most recent

• 7 stars

  My R600 has been replaced with a supercharged net-book

  by morrisdev on July 13, 2010

  Pros: It is pretty fast compared to the R500... but not much. With Win7 at 64bit, it can handle 8g memory. That's nice. If you like media stuff, it's got HDMI an some other stuff that the real porteges didn't.

  Cons: The screen is one giant glare.
  The keyboard is "like" a mac, but not quite.
  The shiny little corners are reflecting overhead light into my eyes right now.

  Summary: since there isn't room enough for the cons, I'm extending it:
  
  CONS:
  It is heavier, fatter and wider than my R600, R500, R400, R200 and my R100.
  The ...

  Read more

  Summary: since there isn't room enough for the cons, I'm extending it:
  
  CONS:
  It is heavier, fatter and wider than my R600, R500, R400, R200 and my R100.
  The screen flops around a bit when you type.
  The mousepad is slightly to the left of center... so the heel of my left hand tends to touch it when typing, Surprise, it is multi-touch, so if you then try to move the mouse, you end up zooming in. Nice.
  
  -------- END CONS ----------
  I've been a loyal customer to Toshiba for years. I am constantly on the road, constantly online, constantly on these ultraportables. I'm rough on them. I go through a Portege every year. By the time I'm done, it is full of cracks, the keyboard is so worn down you can't see the letters, the corners are broken and it starts to BSOD on me. Then I give it to whatever cousin happens to want it and I get a new one. I just swap out the HD.
  
  For me, It is a work machine. I'm not a 12yr old who wants a netbook.
  
  Now... before you decide NOT to get this machine, I have to say, it is still MUCH better than most of the competition. The R500 and R600 were simply in a class of their own. There was nothing as good, as tough, as reliable, as light, and as effective on the market... if you wanted a work machine, not a toy.
  
  Cleary, this new Portege is designed to compete with netbooks. The price stunned me. I was ready to kick up 2k when my toddler destroyed my R500 for entertainment. Wow! A thousand bucks. It was like Christmas was coming early.
  
  Clearly, I'm not very happy with the machine, but I have pretty high standards and very little patience with toys pretending to be work. However, while toshiba may have lost me as a customer, it isn't due to a bad product, it is due to a change in target market.
  
  If you were a student, who wanted to have a reliable machine that could be beaten up a bit and you could be sure to get it fixed by Toshiba ASAP, you're with the right company. Last time I had a problem, they overnighted an empty box to me, which I popped my laptop in while the FexEx guy waited, and I had a new HD in 3 days. Nice service.
  If you are a looking for something that you can use at home for some entertainment, movies, etc.. and work, then it's got all you need. I couldn't care less about a DVD drive - I'd prefer none at all in exchange for losing the weight. I couldn't care less about HDMI out, but if you want a movie at home, you're good to go. I use my wife's laptop for that sort of thing.
  
  My wife hates my little porteges. She has a giant HP that she needs a truck to carry around. However, she likes this one. (I might give it to her). She does all our finances and the corporate tax work. The 12inch of the R500 was too small, but that extra inch makes a big difference. The larger machine was just a pain to carry around.
  The battery life on this machine is pretty good too. (All the porteges have had excellent battery lifes). Her HP is not only heavy, but while her power is good for 4 hours... if you actually use the machine, it's dead in 2, meaning she's got to drag her giant brick with her everywhere. The R700 has a tiny little brick and has a ton of battery power. I've been on it for 4hrs now, running several programs and I'm at 55%.
  
  If you are looking to upgrade from the R500 or R600 to this, get ready for a change. This isn't the same machine at all. Get some extra memory, and a fast SS drive (which I had already done) instead. Maybe someone will come out with something better.
  
  If you are looking for a light, fast, solid, laptop with strong battery life that is going to be both work AND home use (media, movies, etc..) then this is probably your best choice on the market for a machine and the company is very good with service.

  Show less

  3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 10 stars

  At this price, an ultralight that can't be beat

  by MoMedia on June 29, 2010

  Pros: Light Light Light, sturdy, acceptable power, DVD-RW

  Cons: Intel graphics, flimsy keyboard

  Summary: Just bought the R705 version at Best Buy (essentially identical to the Core i3 version of R700), so these are first-day impressions. Gotta give it a 5 for value as ...

  Read more

  Summary: Just bought the R705 version at Best Buy (essentially identical to the Core i3 version of R700), so these are first-day impressions. Gotta give it a 5 for value as there are no comparable units priced even close: Sony Vaio Z @ $2000, MacBook Air @ $1500 are the only similarly powered units weighing in at around 3 pounds. MSI x340 and Averatec n3400 are closer in price but lack the power of the Core i3. Toshiba has more experience making ultralights than anyone and they have really decided to bring this to a reasonable price point (predecessor unit, the R600, had a smaller screen, less power and a $2500 price tag).
  
  The R705 feels very solid; touchpad responsive and functional; very attractive brushed finish that lacks the cheesy (in my opinion) shellac finishes of many other Toshiba models. The deep blue color that is exclusive to this Best Buy unit (vs. the other R700 models sold direct by Toshiba) is distinctive while remaining businesslike. The unit seems quiet and (so far) runs cool, a major plus given that it uses "real" processors and not the crippled low-voltage engines used by most of the competition.
  
  Having said that, there are a few nagging problems. The integrated graphics are not going to be as fast as dedicated graphics modules, so you can?t expect a capable gaming machine. The keyboard is disappointing: the ?chiclet? keys are nicely spaced, so you can type accurately, but they have a loose, imprecise feel by comparison to many other laptops (including some from Toshiba). Almost a little toylike. Toshiba hasn?t helped itself by using a design for the keycaps that seems slightly amateurish (in particular, the script on the ?BACK SPACE? key and the small size of the spacebar).
  
  These are nits, and if you don?t compare the R705 with a unit like the MacBook Air (which is, after all, twice the cost), you won?t really notice the compromises. Again, for the price, you can?t beat the R705.
  
  Updated on Jun 29, 2010

  To clarify: the R705 is the Core i3 version of R700, less docking capability, Bluetooth and ExpressCard slot, and with a shorter warranty (but, with Wireless Display). Sold at Best Buy for $800.

  Show less

  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 1 stars

  piece of junk

  by Karl Gartland on November 27, 2012

  Pros: worked well for 85 days

  Cons: LCD broke after 85 days

  Summary: My daughter bought this computer on 8/6. She is the most careful person I know. She bought a neoprene sleeve for the laptop. She then puts the laptop in ...

  Read more

  Summary: My daughter bought this computer on 8/6. She is the most careful person I know. She bought a neoprene sleeve for the laptop. She then puts the laptop in the sleeve and the both of them in a pdded laptop backpack whenever she travels with it. Keeps it locked up when she is out of the room. Very careful, honor roll, honor society, kid. The LCD starting having distortions in the corner on 10/31. Toshiba sent her to a repair shop outside the city, she is college student, no car, her 76 year old grandparents drove into the city, picked her up, brought her there. The shop had been closed for three weeks. They had to travel over 100 miles. She then contacts Toshiba, they send her a box, She mails the computer to their "repair depot." They say she damaged the LCD and has to pay $459 to get it fixed. I step in since it was on my credit card. After several calls, Toshiba agrees to fix it but says they have to mail it back to her and that she will get email instructions and a new box for her to mail it back to them. She gets the computer, no box, no email. So I call and get instructions. Now they say they will not fix it. No customer support what so ever, say they don't have a record of it. But never go and listen to the recorded conversation (which i have asked them to do). To make it clear, i work in the computer industry have had 4 or 5 laptops and we have 4 in the family. None of them have had a LCD fail. And my work laptops take a beating. Carried miles every day, put in overhead bins in planes. Also when she bought this, we liked the specs, we liked our history with Toshiba laptops (my stepson has one), however I had reservations because my Regza 5-+ inch LCD TV developed vertical lines after two years (and Toshiba would do nothing to help that either). But because my stepsons laptop had been so good, we went with it. NEVER again.

  Show less

• 4 stars

  Returned - too many problems.

  by appleroller on January 11, 2011

  Pros: light weight
  good features

  Cons: noisy disk (7200 RPM disk)
  disk vibration detector constantly activated while using the laptop on my lap (probably disk speed independant)

  Summary: The primary reason I returned the device was because it was advertised to come with BOTH 32 and 64-bit
  Windows Professional. In reality, you have to choose between the two ...

  Read more

  Summary: The primary reason I returned the device was because it was advertised to come with BOTH 32 and 64-bit
  Windows Professional. In reality, you have to choose between the two operating systems when you first boot the laptop.
  
  SUGGESTION: If you are interested in the R700 series I suggest you get the SSD harddrive.
  
  SYSTEM R700-1322

  Show less

• 2 stars

  Laptop malfunctioned right away. Toshiba didn't care.

  by homecomputeruser on November 2, 2010

  Pros: Very light. Great features for the price, if the computer worked.

  Cons: The laptop freezes, and the fan then runs at max speed. It requires a reboot, thus losing all unsaved work. Toshiba won't allow me to return the unit and is charging $25 for Windows 7 disks to wipe the hard drive before sending the unit for repair.

  Summary: I bought this computer based on CNet's rating, but I'll never purchase a Toshiba unit again. I bought the laptop from Toshiba directly, and they started the warranty ...

  Read more

  Summary: I bought this computer based on CNet's rating, but I'll never purchase a Toshiba unit again. I bought the laptop from Toshiba directly, and they started the warranty period from the date of purchase, rather than the date the computer arrived at my house. Thus even though the computer starting malfunctiong regularly in my second week of ownership, that already was past the 14-day return period. Toshiba was willing to do nothing for my inconvenience, other than to send a box in which to ship the computer for repair. And I had to pay for the Windows 7 recovery disks in order to wipe the hard drive before sending it for repair. I guess Toshiba has decided to compete on price rather than customer service, but the customer service (or lack thereof) has been appalling. .

  Show less

• 9 stars

  Excellent choice for both student and home users!

  by Zoofie on August 24, 2010

  Pros: VERY fast for the price and battery life
  Great matte screen
  Big touchpad
  Good battery life
  Light

  Cons: A bit of fan noise. But thats about it!

  Summary: I got this for school starting , and i needed something light with a good battery life.
  I originally got an Eeepc , but my gosh it was painful. The only real ...

  Read more

  Summary: I got this for school starting , and i needed something light with a good battery life.
  I originally got an Eeepc , but my gosh it was painful. The only real pro was its battery life , but it made a mammoth task out of a simple task like opening a document.
  This Toshiba Portege R700 is the totally opposite of the sluggish processing power of my old Eeepc!
  
  I have read many reviews around the web complaining about the R700 and its fan noise and heat.
  I mean look , its a powerful laptop thats under a grand - you can't expect water cooling tempreatures and a silent fan! Wherever i am there is always noise aswell (school , park , etc) making the fan noise completely un-noticable.
  
  So in summary , if your a student that requires portability but doesn't want to sacrifice speed - this is a great choice!

  Show less

See pricing