New Portege Z830

i've quietened my fan down.................

its definately not a toshiba approved technique

 

What did you do?

 

Has anyone had issues with bright spot/dead pixels on a Toshiba. I read their policy and it seems vague on what they will service.

I just noticed it because usually I'm on an external monitor but started using the display more recently and at first I thought it was a smudge on the screen but it's not.

 

I don't think Toshiba replaces/services displays through their warranty. You can try with support, but don't be surprised if they shoot you down.

I agree it sucks.

 

I just recommended this Z830 (Asia Edition, where Toshiba - the Japanese thinks the sun here in brighter - does not have a keyboard backlight).

I'm not too impressed even with all the hype about this product. MacBook Air is already years doing this, and Asus Zenbook is really more value for money with the Quality and features. Check Asus out. I recommended it Z830 and now I am regretting it very much.

Toshiba should tone down on their bloatware.

 

Well, I stopped by my local Bestbuy tonight on the way home from work to get the just released 14" Samsung Series 5 to replace my dead Asus G60. I fell in love with the Z835. I could not believe how lite this thing is. After only owning this thing for a couple hours, so far, so good. I'm going to be doing a little traveling this spring and look forward to taking this unit w/ me. It's going to be a refreshing change when compared to that heavy old g60. lol. This thread is a great resource; thank you to all those who have contributed.

 

added some sound proofing to the inside of the case around the fan. to be honest after further tests today, its not much quieter, my home environment is noisier than the office so it was bias!

oh well, i tried!lol!

 

Nothing worse than a thread crasher who has no input but to spout opinion without explanation. For example, if I were to speak of the Zenbook, I might speak of the large numbers of problems that owners have reported which seems to have really stalled sales of the unit.

The MacAir on the other hand...where do we start? Oh, yes, lets start with overpricing when compared to the identical hardware found in a PC. We can then move to hardware and discuss how MacAir cannot keep up to many UltraBooks performance wise and can't even remotely be compared to a full grown Z830.

I have NO PROBLEM with you coming and running comparisons because we have been doing that here for months; thats how we established the good and bad of the Z830. I have this odd feeling that you won't though because, other than looking like something young girls like to own because of its nice colors, the Mac hasn't got legs to stand on any further.

 

You tell'em apparition.

For the record, I never understood why people base their purchases on the amount of bloatware... that stuff can easily be removed by various means. That should not be a deal-breaker.

 

as above, bloatware is irrelevent, anyone spending some cash on a top spec laptop must have some kind of knowledge or interest in computers, and as such digging through and eliminating bloatware for an hour after first purchase is hardly a difficult or deal breaking task!

 

I'm still loving my Z835. It absolutely flies for my tasks and with the extra 4GB stick, it handles my craziness of tabs and programs all at once. Plus as a bonus I got to pass the old 2GB stick onto my ancient faithful T400

I remember some guys upgrading their wifi card. What model and where did you purchase it? Was it worth the upgrade? As mentioned before, if we had SATA III speeds and maybe a 256GB HD, it would be purrfect.

 

I have a question for those who own the Z830-S8301 and S8302 as I am considering one of these models.

1. Can you please weigh your machine and advise actual weight ie 2lbs Xoz (instead of 2.47lbs). reason being, I have found variances between the Z835 models).

2. Please comment on fan noise - I remember in the past people have posted that the i5's have no fan noise, but that's not been my experience with the 835 - in fact the noise is worse due to the vibration.

3. Anyone have experience between the 835 gloss screen and the 830 matt screen / pictures?

I've posted my experiences with the Z835 i3 & i5 models below and would really appreciate knowing how the Z830 i5 & i7 models are in real life (Toshiba support don't have this info).

Thanks!

 

We now have 5 people using different Z835's in our office, so far they've all proven to be awesome machines. As others have noted, all these machines really need are a 256GB SSD and a quiet fan and they'd be perfect in my view.

I have noticed slightly different weights / fan issues for each model and thought it worthwhile to shared our findings below and see if it matches other people's experiences.

Z835-ST8305 / P330. i3 4GB 2lb 8oz
The ST8305 direct from Toshiba comes with Best Buy bloatware, so not seen any difference between the two other than price.

There's noticeable fan noise all the time, but not loud / obnoxious & certainly not a deal breaker.

Battery life around 5 hours

I upgraded one of the i3's to 6GB and noticed a difference in speed, so I think the 6GB upgrade is worthwhile & easy to do yourself if you have the correct torx tool. I got mine for $2.49 from drillspot: Irwin 3053019 Torx Tamperproof Insert Bit, T7, 1 In L

Z835-ST6N02 2lb 10oz i5 6GB 2lb 9oz
This fan is much noisier and depending on angle being held, you can hear physical vibration -I'm wondering whether to return this one or just suck it up? I find it annoying, not sure why weight difference from the i3's.

Battery life around 4 1/2 hours.

In all cases, the quality of all components, including screen / keyboard & touch pad have all been fantastic.

Hope this helps

 

Regarding your question- is the wifi upgrade worth it?

I upgraded to the same chip that can be found in the pricier toshiba Z800 models- the Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230. It was a $20 purchase from MacMall.

In terms of day-to-day performance, reliability and range, you probably won't notice a huge difference in most scenarios. Perhaps the range is a bit better on one of the newer intel centrino chips, but that's about it.

The reason I upgraded was simply because the preinstalled intel chip just didn't have the features I wanted. The 6230 has bluetooth, and can operate on a 5 GHz network. The preinstalled chip does neither. I use bluetooth often, and as someone who lives in a large apartment building, the 2.4Ghz bands are congested with about 50 different wireless networks. The 5 GHz band only has one network- mine. So both were important to me.

I believe theres also a 6300 chip that loses the bluetooth, but adds the ability to connect at 450 Mbps, rather than the usual 300. If you have the right wireless router, and don't use bluetooth, maybe that would be worth upgrading to. It cost about the same as the 6230.

 

do you have Z835-P330 from BestBuy?
do you have bluetooth antenna inside?
intel 6230 best wifi+bluetooth card?

 

Yes, i have the best buy model.
I'm not sure if it has a specific bluetooth antenna... it has two plugs available for antenna wires, and my bluetooth works, so I'm going to assume "yes".
"Best"? I don't know. I chose it because it was the same model used in the toshibadirect more expensive models.

 

ordered Intel 6230 card on Ebay usd20
many new model, and new Z835-P360 from BestBuy with bluetooth inside, +usd30

 

Interesting...looks like they are expanding their availability. A P360 is available at Best Buy for $830, Amazon for $850 (which as 1806 mentions, does have bluetooth), a P370 (i5) at Office Depot for $1050. I'm sure there are more out there.

Looking at Best Buy, I'm impressed with the reviews its getting. 4.6/5 stars from 40+ reviews. I guess people like this notebook!

 

makryger, it depends on the user's needs. In my situation, with a large-screen monitor both at home and at work, I was starting to worry just a bit at all the connecting and disconnecting I was doing with the HDMI cables/port. On top of that, while at work, I'm pretty much constantly popping up, taking my z830 with me to a different part of the office. Now I've traded 3 or 4 or more connections with 2 (depending on whether I also had mic, headphones, webcam, external hard drive, iPhone recharger, and HDMI). You get the picture. So for me, yes -- it's worth it. But if the user doesn't do external monitors, a normal USB hub would accomplish much of the same thing.

 

I had to stop by Best Buy today, and I didn't go out of my way to find the z835. But I didn't have to. Our Best Buy here in Louisville had the z835 on an end cap with two other units. I didn't notice what they were, but the z835 definitely looked sleeker, had more ports, and would have been the unit to which I would have been drawn if I'd been shopping. Looks like a winner all right.

 

i weighed mine, mines the Z830 i5 with 6Gb ram, it was precisely 2.382lb

the fan is noisey, i can see why some can't get along with it and frankly its a bit of a letdown. however, when everything else about this ultrabook is taken into account, it leaves the rest standing!

 

Has anyone figured out a way to control the CPU fan yet? I've tried some 3rd party apps, but none have worked. So far the only program I've seen change its speed was the "Diagnostic Tool" by Toshiba.

 

I hope some people will like this. I found a nice little addition for those that want a smoother 2finger scrolling and more multi tap gestures. I've been using this and works MUCH better than the built in Synaptics drivers:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...oll-two-finger-scrolling-done-right-more.html

I also found you need to disable two finger scroll in the Synaptics driver otherwise the touchpad attempts to go back and forth between the different programs. Scrolling is much smoother and more "mac-like" (even though I hate such a description) using just this program.

I didn't like acceleration and turned it off. The double tap for right-click was one thing I did like about Macs and you can do that with this program. IHope this helps!

 

Not sure if this was brought up, but here's the new Best Buy version of the Toshiba Portege z835. New model is P3 60
Looks like the only difference [maybe others?] is that the P360 has Bluetooth finally included.

P360:
Toshiba - Portege Laptop - Silver - Z835-P360

P330:
Toshiba - Portégé Ultrabook Laptop / Intel® Core™ i3 Processor / 13.3" Display / 4GB Memory - Silver - Z835-P330

 

no joy with fan alterations, need to pray for a decent bios update from tosh!

 

Since their diagnostic program can alter fan speed I would guess (purely speculative) it's possible without a bios update.

 

Hello everybody.

I'm from Spain, and I've got a z830 with an i5.

Everything is fine, I love the laptop, but it has one anoying problem and I need to know if is common...

I had the laptop connected with an external HDMI display, and also with bluetooth keyboard and mouse, so when I arrived home I connect it to everything, close the lid, and continue working with the other display...

Well, so my problem is that when I close the lid, even with 100% of signal strenghth, The Wi-Fi is still working but I had no Internet and no network! And if I tried to reconnect with the lid closed, it sais unable to connect...

Is open the lid an everything is solved...

I've tried dissabling the power management on the Wi-Fi, setting the power to maximun, everything, but I'm having the problem all the time... Lid closed, Wi-Fi shows as connected, but no Internet or network...

I tryed with an Internet speed test to see how it works the problem, and with the lid open, you see the bar moving...Is closing the lid and then it stops suddenly...

Does anybody has theese problem?

Thank you for your help!

 

Very useful thread, here's my contribution.

The Z835-P330 (the model Best Buy carries) comes stock with an Intel Centrino Wireless-N 1000. No Bluetooth, no 5GHz. I came across a few people here mentioning replacing it with the Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230 adapter ( $25 on Amazon). Bluetooth 3, 5GHz dual-band, etc.

I ordered it, it came in today. Installing it was a very painless process. 13 Philips screws, and one Torx security screw size 7 (underneath the rubber foot at the center of the laptop), bottom comes off, everything is right there. Wireless card is underneath an orange ribbon, you just need to flip up (they kind of snap) the black clips on either end, then unscrew the one screw holding the wireless card in. Just kind of gently work the antenna wires off, and that's pretty much it.

Hope someone finds this useful.

 

ok, so i'm really new around here...this being my 2nd post...I've done a lot of research and have gone from almost buying the Z835 and then the Zenbook caught my eye...then i heard about all its problems...and went back to wanting the Z835....and now i'm wondering if i should wait for the new Samsung series 9.

I deploy to Afghanistan in a few months and I can't wait to get an ultrabook. I lugged around a giant 17 inch Tosh Satellite that probably weighs 14-15 pounds with a ginormus power brick. It nearly took up all available space in my assault pack. I'm not ever going to do that again. Price isn't really an issue since i just recieved my tax refund and hostile fire pay will kick in once i deploy. I will never by a Mac...i hate fanboys. I want a good high res screen (we watch a lot of movies over there) it needs to be able to take a beating(my bags will likely get tossed around) and I do a lot of video editing/multi-tasking(I take lots of video on patrol in order to capture all converstations i have with combatants and local nationals for my debriefs).

So what do you guys recommend? I know their are a lot of experts on here. I think they both look amazing but i'd give the edge to the Series 9. Not to mention the Series 9 15inch is really appealing to me. I could care less about fan noise or the home/end button issue. I just want something that is reliable...sending a laptop back to the States for repair is not an option. It needs to turn on everytime and it can't lag when i'm multi-tasking. Decisions decisions....help!!

 

Honestly, I'd recommend a Mac. VERY sturdy. I think the Z83* is going to be too fragile for you.

As far as reliability or other options, I have no knowledge, sorry. I just know that the current crop of MacBooks are incredibly solid, physically.

 

The new S9 seems more for you if price isn't an issue.

 

Macs aren't that durable, they just feel solid. If durability is a concern, I would go for business rugged (Thinkpad, EliteBook), or a Toughbook if you can afford it.

 

You may want to try out the Asus Zenbook. It's covered in aluminum, which I would think would be durable, has an excellent battery life and fast hard drive, is relatively light, and a very high resolution screen. I personally wasn't a fan of it because the keyboard and touchpad were difficult to use for me (among other problems you can check out on their thread at this forum), but it could be a decent option for you.

 

Does anybody experienced something similar?

Thanks for your help.

 

I personally wouldn't agree with this. I used to own a Macbook Air 11". Yes it feels solid. Durable? No. You will end up babying it like everyone else, which is why I ended up selling it.

All aluminum sounds nice. But when you have a $1100+ laptop you will be scared about any damage. I take my Z835 everywhere with me and I consider it more durable. At it's price point and easy of opening, I much less worried about damage.

 

It sounds like this is an issue with power settings, although I'm not sure which ones, as it sounds like you've already fiddled with them a bit. I'm not sure what to tell you!

 

Does anyone use this laptop as their main laptop?

I'm about to pull the trigger on this laptop but I am worried about the laptop being plugged in most the time since the battery is not removable.

 

Im looking for good compact sleeve for Z835...
"Hi-Speed Start" use hidden partition? I remove all partition(3pc), clean install W7 x86, and after start "Hi-Speed Start" laptop dont start...

 

Im looking for good compact sleeve for Z835...
"Hi-Speed Start" use hidden partition? I remove all partition(3pc), clean install W7 x86, and after start "Hi-Speed Start" laptop dont start...

 

I use mine for about 7-8 hours a day plugged in.

I realize that's bad for the battery but I'll be moving on to a new ubook in a year anyways.

 

@dirtyndiesel - I was looking at the UX31 as well, but ultimately decided that the keyboard is not comfortable at all. Plus, there have been numerous problems reported by users here.

The z380 has a flexible screen but it is suppose to survive a 30 ft. drop. So although it may not feel as solid as the UX31; its suppose to be solid. However, you pointed out that you will be watching movies and some video editing - the z380 only has a resolution display of 1366 X 768. For a 13" screen, you'll want a 1600 x 900 resolution.

With those 2 notebooks crossed off my list, I am waiting for the new Samsung Series 9, which should be released in less than 3 weeks.

 

@dirtyndiesel -- "Trust the force." I've carried my z830 on planes and across the miles with no problems whatsoever. It is plenty tough enough to take the knocks. I'd trust it over a Mac Book Pro in part because the hard drive is solid state. Besides -- Toshibas are repaired the world over anyway.

 

Toshiba released a new BIOS for the z830/z835. Looks like they actually released 2 BIOS within a matter of a couple days. You only have to download the latest version to receive all the updates.

Supposedly it addresses "fan control" issues and some other things.

Here's a link to a "generic" z830/z835 model page. You'll have to select your specific model using by selecting the "Product Support" button at the top-left of the page. [actually the BIOS will be the same regardless of the specific model].
Model Content Page


Good luck and let us know how the new BIOS pans out.

 

Well they have done something with the 1.60 BIOS and Fan control for sure. After the update the fan was not even spinning anymore when I got to the Windows Desktop. I assume it will come on when needed or be less agressive.

 

Sounds good so far. Keep us posted with further results

 

Although I don't really hear mine this would be nice for the owners with bionic hearing... or for those worried about wear and tear on the fan and battery life.

 

yeah it only comes on after the system heats up and then throttles up and down depending on what you are doing. Way better this way then it was before.

 

Do you hear that?












That is the sound of silence

 

I'll try it out... hopefully I don't end up UX31'ing my Z835 (oh yes... I went there).

 

It was extremely painless. I'm not sure about all the other bios changes, but the computer is working as good as it did before the update, only without the noise. The sound whirls up for a short time (~10 seconds) occasionally while I'm doing light surfing, but otherwise, its inaudible.

Gotta feel sorry for all those people who based their entire decision on the sound of the fan... they could have gotten this laptop for a cool $700!