Is Toshiba Portege R830 a sane choice?

So I've been looking for something to replace my 13" laptop of old, and I toured some retail outlets to see what would be a good match.

The only business laptop I saw on offer to consumers and students that I was able to handle was the Toshiba Portege R830.

The others, from most Macbooks to all the major manufacturers, had glossy screens and, often, dubious keyboards.

The Portege had a readable matte screen (although with poor viewing angles), and a somewhat mushy keyboard that I could get used to.

I have been lurking on Notebookreview for a while now, but I've only seen scattered mention of the R830.

I like that it is adequate in terms of screen and keyboard (unlike every single 'ultrabook' I have ever seen), but it comes with unwanted extras, such as an optical drive.

For basic office-type work in a portable chassis, do you think that the R830 is a safe buy? I have read some warnings about material quality, screen flickering, and poor Toshiba customer service, but it's hard to get an accurate assessment with so few reviews.

I live in Canada, the R830 retails for over $900 (which is a bit steep), but I may be able to find a discount.

(Although better laptops may be available in the future at the same price point, I am really worried given the move towards glossy consumer screens, shallow ultrabook keyboards, Windows 8, etc...)

 

The Portege R-series is a great option for a light weight laptop [UltraBook-ish], while still maintaining the optical drive feature. In my opinion, Toshiba is pretty durable and is comparable to other brands. I prefer Toshiba over "some" brands as they have [imo] better "out of the box" performance.
My sister actually owns a z830 [UltraBook portege], and I'm very impressed by it; similar design and style to the R-Series.

However, the R-830 series is considered an out of date model from 2011 [includes 2nd generation Intel Sandy Bridge CPU]; and is probably why you don't see many recent threads regarding it. While there is nothing wrong with that, if your paying near top dollar for a laptop, I would consider grabbing the 2012 model of the R-930 Portege [includes 3rd generation Intel Ivy Bridge CPU; Ivy Bridge has much improved integrated graphics over Sandy Bridge, and improved battery life]. However, in terms of actual CPU performance, the Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge CPUs are about the same.

Here's the Toshiba Canada website for Portege's : Toshiba Canada - mobile computing - notebooks - portégé notebooks


Another laptop you may want to consider [and I actually prefer over the Portege R-Series] is the SONY VAIO S-series [BestBuy USA has these, although I could not find them on the BestBuy Canada site]. It features a 13" body [there's also a 15" S series variant], matte screen, DVD drive, and a low-end dedicated graphics. I personally know someone who owns a 13" S-series and they love it.
Sony VAIO 13.3" Performance Laptops | VAIO S Series 13 Laptop | Sony Canada


Can't go wrong with either option. Good luck and keep us updated with your decision.

 

Thanks, this is very helpful. The R830 may be a serious contender if I can get it for around $700. My processor needs for office work topped out around the Pentium III

I was able to try a Sony Vaio keyboard, but it didn't quite click for me. Some of the Fujitsu Lifebooks were okay, however.

If I get a new laptop, I'm likely to go for the R830 or an ASUS, I think.

 

R830 is an excellent notebook. It's 1 generation out of date though (the current model, the R930, is pretty much the same, but has a faster CPU/GPU). More about the chassis and stuff can be found by looking for R700 reviews (1st generation with the current basic design).

It's a 12 inch machine, but also consider the Thinkpad X220/X230.
+Best in class keyboard
+Matte display, IPS so excellent viewing angles
-A bit heavier
-No optical drive

 

Hi Brendan,

I don't know if you've made your purchase yet, but I recently bought a Portege R930 after a long decision making period. Mine is the R930-006 (i5 3320M vPro, 4GB RAM, 320GB 7200 RPM hard drive).

I've only had it for a week but I have no regrets. I would say the weakest point of the machine is the viewing angles (which you've already noted). The only feature I feel it's missing is a backlit keyboard. The fan is very quiet, to the point where the hum of the hard drive is noticeable. Not sure if you're looking at an SSD upgrade or not, but it may be something to consider. It has a nice slim profile and is very light. The magnesium alloy casing is very sturdy and has a nice feel to it.

If you have any specific questions about the R930 I'd be happy to help out.

 

I'm glad to hear from other people who are using this. Yes, indeed, I am paying attention!

It's notable that the price of the 2 GB RAM / 5400 RPM HD models have fallen below $600 in Canada, in some cases.

2 GB RAM on Windows 7 is honestly all I need for document processing if it's DDR3 with an i3 and no virtualization.

There is a $915 model being offered at a local retailer (they haven't updated their prices in at least 3 months), I think it is the 4 or 8 GB model of the R830 and may include an SSD.

I am not inclined to spend $915 (except for the benefit that it comes from a physical retailer with likely a better support plan) for a higher-end R830 when I know I can buy the entry-level 930 on-line for that price.

But $600 for the 2 GB R830 is tempting. It would be from an on-line retailer, however.

The Thinkpad x2xx series have very good specs, but I am not used to the Thinkpad design. I really like the x120/x130 idea, however, as it is really a new interpretation of the netbook by Lenovo.

For me, if I buy anything at all, it's the $600 on-line 2 GB R830 vs. the physical retailer $915 4 GB R830 vs. the $915 on-line W7Pro 4 GB R930.

For the entry-level models, what's it like to use a 5400 GB HD on Windows 7 for office work? I have a W7 Starter netbook upgraded to 2 GB, and I have to say the multi-second delay in launching basic applications, and general HDD checking, is a somewhat slower experience than an XP-era netbook.

 

I have had the first gen R700 for the last 2 years or more I think it is now (its technically my lass' laptop now, I have a first gen Z830) and its always been a great machine

the one we have is a core i5 with 4gb and a 320gb 7200rpm drive, or it was when bought, and it was perfectly nippy at that. since then I have sort of got obsessed with SSD drives so it got an upgrade

however in basic trim its been a great machine, sturdy and well built and never skipped a beat, the fan is not really noticeable and the only complaint I have is the battery is suffering a bit now, gets about 3 hours out of it as apposed to 5-6 when I first bought it, but it Is used a lot!