Satellite A70-TSI

I am looking to purchase a laptop and the upper end of my budget is $2000.00.
I would like to have a Wide screen display and will be using the laptop for storing digital pictures when on vacation,watching dvd movies in the car and during the evening while camping for my son. Also playing games (educational)(fun), mostly for my 5 year old son. Would also like Wifi to connect to internet when on vacation.
I have been looking at the Toshiba Satelite A70-TSi $1899.99 at Future shop. I have heard that Toshiba in general is a good laptop.

I have not been able to find any reviews of this laptop and would like your opinion if this is a good choice for me or if there are any better choices to consider prior to purchasing it. Your advice would be appreciated as I am not very computer savy.
Thankyou

 

The Toshiba unit is OK, but I wouldn't recommend getting the A70. You mentioned that you're going to want to use it while camping and being on the go, well, a P4 based CPU will drain battery life really fast. You'd want to go for a Pentium M based notebook. I know they're a bit more in Canada, but I'm sure it'll provide you the battery life you're gonna need. Also, because it's a Pentium M, it'll be lighter, thinner/smaller & run cooler.

Here's a link to Futureshop's site for the Compaq X1360. It's $2000CDN.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&dept=1&WLBS=fsweb14&sku_id=0665000FS10042627&catid=&newdeptid=1

Here's a few other notebooks that may come close to your budget.
Toshiba A2
Toshiba M30
HP ZT3000 Series
Acer Aspire 2012 Series

-Vb-

 

Thankyou Venombite for that information.

Weight and battery life should not be a factor for my use as I do have a inverter 400 watt that I use in the car when travelling so my son can watch video's on a 13 inch TV/VCR. I do not want to buy anymore VCR movies and the laptop would solve this. The camper has hydro so battery life will not be an issue.

I was looking at the Toshiba M30 and was ready to buy it but was concerned about some posts regarding high heat build up and don't think this is good for long life and reliability of electronic components. I was partial to the Toshiba's as most people seem to say it is a good laptop robust and with few problems. I still like the M30 and just may be over-reacting to the heat issue?

So having said this, Do you still recomend the laptops you listed for me and if so could you please indicate which one you would recomend the most and why. I know I am asking alot do very much appreciate your time and input.

Thankyou.

 

Hey Trillium,

I haven't heard of any issues regarding heat in any Pentium M notebooks in the market. I think the only one I heard of was possibly the Dell 600m's, but that wasn't the CPU, possibly the HDD or another component of the system. Out of any system in the market, Pentium M's will run the coolest. Is it possible you're thinking of the Pentium 4 models rather than Pentium M?

From the list of systems, I'd probably recommend the Acer. The reason is because you get a lot of bang for the buck. They have a Pentium M CPU for long battery life and cooler running as well as an excellent video card to play current games. The price is approx the same as the Toshiba M30, but in total, you get more. Also, if you're located in the Toronto area, Acer has a service center here that offers a 2hr depot repair service.

If there's anything else you need to know, don't be afraid to ask.

-Vb-

 

Hi Venombite;

Thankyou for your recomendation of the Acer Aspire 2012. I checked it out and you were right on the money as it comes highly recommended.

I think I am going to go over my budget a little to get this notebook as some of the prices I have researhed on the net are over the $2000.00 price point. Digital Spyders has it the cheapest I could find at $2044.95 for the Aspire AS2012WLMI.

I really do not want to buy on line (just cautious or old fashioned) so am still looking for a retailer in the Toronto area that will sell this notebook for a good price. I may drop by Acer tommorrow to get a list of retailers to price shop and pick up some point of purchase literature on the notebook.

You would not believe how much time I have spent researching and then sitting on the fence second guessing myself on what and when to purchase. You've helped me make my decision or should I say you've made it for me.

Thanks again and I will keep you updated on my progress.

Ps: The heat issue that I mentioned with regard to the Toshiba M30 was found on the forum hear and on other sites I did a search on. It seems to be concentrated to the left of and encompassing the part of the mouse screen. One reviewer said it got so hot that he could not keep his hand in that area and had to use an external mouse.

 

Update on my search for a notebook.
I came home from camping at the Pinery Sunday night and checked the posts on Redflagdeals.com and found that Best Buy had made an error in their recent flyer for the Toshiba M30-YSJ. Tonight I went to the new Best Buy store located at the Bramalea City Centre and purchased the Toshiba M30-YSJ for $1999.00 before taxes.

I did not get the extended warrenty as they said I had to purchase this warrenty at the same time as I purchased the notebook. The price for the 3 year warrenty would have added another $400.00 to the tab plus 15% taxes. I asked for time to think about it but was told no - have to purchase it with laptop. So I will check out the Toshiba mfg. extended warrenty.

Venombite, I tried to get the Acer you recomended but did not have any success at the retailers that I called. So when this deal came up and I was able to get it I am very happy as normally this would have been beyond my budget.

Well I gotta go now and open the box and check it out.

 

Trillium,

This is a pretty damn good deal! You're lucky you got it at $1999.99, especially since it was an error in price and regular price sold everywhere else is $2599.99. I'd assumed it would have all been sold out the first couple days. This is a very nice unit and overall specs pretty much rival the 2012WLMi. The main thing is, it's WAY cheaper than the Acer. I was contemplating getting this unit as well, especially with this kind of deal, but that's just something I don't really need at the moment. Also with limited cash flow, I gotta watch every penny.

Again, congrats on the purchase and after you've used it for a while, post your thoughts on the unit.

-Vb-