Is this a good deal for a college student?

Satellite M640-BT3N25X for $775

here are the specs
Intel® Core™ i5-2410M processor 2.3 GHz
Integrated Graphics
6GB DDR3 1333MHz SDRAM (4096MB+2048MB)
500GB HDD (7200rpm, Serial-ATA)
DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) drive
* 14.0"' Diagonal Widescreen HD TruBrite® LED Backlit display (1366x768)

also does anybody know if this laptop comes with usb 3.0?
are there any better deals out there? How does this laptop compare with the sony C series?

 

I wouldnt go for it because its to expensive for a integrated GPU solution.
Even a L650 would be a better deal for 500 Euro.
I would go for a SONY then. They have a better build quality and better performance. But you will pay 20% more.
And why do you need as a student 6GB RAM???!!! 4 GB are more than enough if you werent gaming twice BFBC2 at the same time.

 

Do i really need a dedicated graphics card? Also if i order from toshiba direct will i still get the free xbox 360?

 

also i think 15.6 in is too big for me

 

i reconfigured the laptop to have 4 gigs of ram and added NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 525M with NVIDIA® Optimus™ Technology with 1GB GDDR3 memory for 90 bucks. The total is $800 plus tax. is this a good deal?

 

Not bad. Seems fair to me.

I don't think ToshibaDirect taking part in the free Xbox giveaway; I would call first.
As for playing games, your not going to get much with that budget. I would just focus on getting a good laptop and save the game playing to the Xbox.


Good luck

 

i'm not planning to play any games on my laptop. I actually hate playing games on the computer. Will the Video card make a big improvement when it comes to using software like matlab, and photoshop

 

I think for photoshop it will help some. I think if I remember correctly, math lab is more CPU intensive than anything.

Consider this, the new Sandy Bridge integrated GPU is different from previous integrated graphics. The graphics are actually part of the CPU (called a APU Advanced Processing Unit = CPU + GPU). So you can get some gaming out of it and it can do 1080p youtube streaming. It's actually pretty capable for "every day" stuff.

Here's a link to the GPU that is included with the i5-SB chip.
Intel HD Graphics 3000: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-HD-Graphics-3000.37948.0.html

**EDIT**
Here's the link for the GT 525m card: http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-525M.43889.0.html

Good luck

 

alexmew do you own a toshiba computer? How are they in general when it comes to reliability. I keep on changing my mind between the satellite and and equivalent sony c series

 

I own/have experience, with the below:

Toshiba Qosmio (2 months old; $1499). Very sturdy construction and very satisfied. Gaming/Multimedia grade laptop. Plastic chassis. I have seen reviews of the Alienware m18x. Qosmio seems to have superior construction and sturdiness.

9 yr old Toshiba Satellite ($2000+). Very sturdy construction (probably more so than today's models). Still runs great, no problems. Replacement for Compaq (see below), replaced by SONY-S (see below).

SONY-S series (13.3" screen, 4 lbs, Best Buy model; $1000). 2 weeks old. No problems. Bought for my mom. Picked this over the comparable Toshiba Satellite E305 (14", 6 lbs, also at Best Buy;$900), due to size and matte screen.

HP dv4 (sisters; $799 laptop; 3 years old). Screen has problems after 1 yr of ownership (red lines in screen; screen NOT cracked). Other than that works good. Has some heat issues.

Compaq laptop (mothers). Picked up at Costco for $2500 about 10 years ago. Died after 2 yrs. Starting having problems after 1 year. Replaced by 9 yr old Satellite (see above).



As you can see, I'm a stern believer of Toshiba (and SONY; I own several SONY products: TV, cameras, etc...).

The SONY is also a great choice; my first desktop was a VAIO, great computer. My mother's preference is the SONY, but mine is Toshiba (mainly because of the availability of Toshiba's "On-Site" warranty/repair; SONY only offers repair-depot). Dealing with sending a laptop into a repair-depot (Toshiba or SONY), can be nightmarish (take a month or more, could come back with more problems, missing pieces).

The Toshiba On-Site for your laptop should be around $80 for the 1st yr, and around $130 for 2 yrs. If it is for school, definitely get the On-Site warranty upgrade; you'll have very little down time. [Toshiba, HP, Lenovo, Dell, any others?; offer On-Site repair service].


Good luck

 

Also try posting here: What Notebook Should I Buy?

You'll get a lot of help and opinions.

 

Costco has pretty great deals on laptops. Plus there warranty is really good too.