MY Tecra Review

Well, I've held off posting this review for a while because I really wanted to test this baby out before I: a)reviewed it here, and b)kept the laptop over the Fujitsu S7010. I'm going to keep this short and sweet and I'll try to answer as many questions I can, as wuickly as I can.
The Tecra is UNBELIEVABLE. It is by far the most unbelievable combination of portablility and power I've ever encountered. The build is solid and comfortable to use. My unit's specs breakdown like this:
Centrino 1.7gHz
512 RAM (upgradable to 2 gig)
64mb nVidia GeoForce GPU
60gig HD (5400 rpm)
Wireless a/b/g
2 USB/1 FIREWIRE/1 SVIDEO/1 PARALLEL/1 MONITOR out
2 PCI Type II slots (or 1 Type III)
CD-RW/DVD-ROM
Approx. 5 lbs / 14" screen
Touchpad & Point Stick

Graphically, this is one powerful machine. I run Photoshop & After Effects without any lag. Gaming is no problem. I just bought GTA: VICE CITY and it is like playing on a PS2 without any loading time. Sim City 4 & Rise of Nations also have given me no problems whatsoever.
It runs smoothly with virtually every program. The only lag I've ever encountered was running my Windows Media Player listening to mp3's while using Photoshop.
Also, After Effects takes considerably longer to render. However, I will usually set that to render either before I go to sleep.
As compared to the Fujitsu, the only places it comes up lacking is in design and the screen. The Tecra is SOLID, yet it is far form stylish. It is a workhorse and it looks like one. Very similar in design and build to the IBM T40 series, the Tecra was not meant to turn heads with it's looks, but rather with it's performance. The screen, while nice just isn't the top line of screens that one may see in a Mac or Sony. It serves me well for basic design and video principles, yet once those initial elements are completed, I usually burn them to a CD for work on my desktop.
All in all, I am more than happy. I bought one off ebay for $1750 with the 3 year warrenty included. At the same time, I laid down over $2200 for a 30-day trial of the Fujitsu to compare both. While initially, I was sold on the Fujitsu and ready to sell off my Tecra, once I started loading the two computers with applications and using them day in and day out, I realized that the Tecra outperformed the Fujitsu in every way both graphically and powerfully. In addition to the better performance, the Tecra had a greater speed processor and gigbit ethernet. It's battery life also outlasted the Fujitsu in most aspects.
I'm keeping this Tecra M2 and I sent back my Fujitsu already. It's a great machine and I highly recoomend it to anyone who travels often and doesn't want to sacrifice performance for size.
Rob

 

It was an individual seller, however he was highly praised and fully covered with seller/buyer protection. He previously sold a Tecra S1 as well.

 

hey, very cool that you're happy with the M2 and thanks for the synopsis here. The Tecra series is definitely a solid line of performance notebooks. Did you buy it through an established retailer through eBay or was it an individual seller?

 

i am currently also looking at the Fujitsu Lifebook S6 and the S7 vs the M2. so far the only gripe i have about the S7 is that i cant stand the keyboard. I have been looking for a place that sells the M2 so i could see the darn thing in person. Ive been all over the place trying to find it w/ no luck. Even a couple places that i have called lied to me about having it. So finally today i went to this warehouse and they had the M2 and the Fujitsu Lifebook on show. The M2 was basic looking which was fine with me, but when i just began tinkering with it, windows crashed. The salesman said he couldnt do anything about it at that time. So basically i couldnt really test the M2 out besides feeling it. My friend keeps telling me its a sign that i shouldnt get the M2. ahah.. My question is that doesnt the touchpad seem sort of small? and even with all these badluck, should i still get the M2? LOL.. and is there anything else i should know about it since i barely got to test it out..

 

I have had my Tecra M2 for about two months now. This is the most stable computer I have ever had. This thing travels very well. I use it for work, school, and personal. The wifi works beautifully, personally, I need the ability to be 100% connected everywhere I go. I use one of my PC card slots to house my GPRS modem, this computer is smaller and weighs less than any of my textbooks. It's definitely a machine that is easy to live with on a day to day basis. I have never seen the blue screen of death, and I can't think of any freezes that weren't internet related. I can only say that I am falling in love with the idea of tablet PCs, but this machine is so awesome that I am willing to wait it out. There's no way I am parting with it. My only beef with the thing is that Toshiba put absolutely o productivity software on it. No word processor, nothing. I can't do my job without word and excel, being this is a business notebook I would expect there would be some kind of productivity software. The one saving grace is that it comes preloaded with MS Onenote. That is a great program, absolutely one of the best concepts I've had the pleasure to try out. Great for students, teachers, researchers, businessmen, any person who is addicted to "taking notes". There you go.

Toshiba Tecra M2
80 Gig HD
SXGA+ resolution
1.7 processor

 

Thanks so much for the reviews. I've been waiting forever to hear from someone who got the M2 and Fujitsu S7000 side by side. My question is about the difference in size or weight. It seems like the M2 is slightly bigger and a little heavier by the specs I've seen. I have a hard time though seeing specs and conceptualizing difference. What did you see? Was the the difference neglibale or more than that?
I was also wondering how the laptop felt. I need something solid as I will be traveling around for a year and build quality is going to be really important.

thanks so much