Toshiba M645

I am very interested in this new Toshiba M645 that is coming out June 20th.

Any idea (since it is customizable) what configuration Best Buy will have?
I know the processor has an option of an I3, I5, I7, or AMD.....Any chance Best Buy sells this with the I5 instead of the I3 or the AMD?

Also, any chance Best Buy has this model with the optional 7200rpm hard drive?

The Nvidia Optimus comes standard with this model, correct? What about lighted keyboard, is that a standard feature?

 

No clue... I just recently found out about this laptop. I like it, but I am leaning toward the M640 (14"). If it has decent battery life, I may have found a winner. But I can't find any specs on these yet.

 

I was looking for a new laptop and found the a660
Toshiba Satellite A660-047 w/ Core i5-450M, 4GB, 640GB, DVD+/-RW, 16in HD LED, GeForce GT 330M, Win 7 Home Premium at Memory Express Computers
this is a canadian website so im not sure if there are any major differences
im hoping the m640 or 645 come out in canada but they're no where to be found on the website

 

What are the differences between the M640 and M645 exactly? What I can tell so far is they're actually the same product being sold in different regions with different model names.

 

I could be wrong, but it looks like the m645 is pre configured and the m640 is customizable? I have been looking for awhile, and that is really all I can tell. I saw the Best Buy model for $800 online (although it says backordered). It looks like a great deal. The only knock on this laptop is the weight... 6lbs. Also, I looked at the detailed spec sheet on the toshiba website. They said it had a 5 hour life on 6 cell and 10 hours with a 12 cell.

 

M645 Is the model available at retailers and 640 is the version direct from Toshiba. Also some BBs have the M645 in stock.

 

I just purchased my M645-S4050 from best buy. It's nicely set up for the money. Battery is bigger than I need, but if I end up keeping it I will purchase a 6 cell battery for general usage. Wish it had the backlit keyboard and bluetooth, but for the money the same setup with toshiba is over 1000.00. It's a very nice unit. I just got it so I have much to get to know, but overall a very nice piece and quick.

 

Any pictures that you could post up? As I am thinking about this unit as well.

 

Here are some pics i just took. So far I really do like this laptop. Solid feel and build. Nice and quick. Well laid out. Battery life is really good considering it comes with such a large battery. Any questions or specific pic you want let me know...

 

How does the weight feel? I know its heavier, but is it still relatively portable? Any heat issues? Are you getting 10hrs on the large battery?

Can you take a pic of the lid? Is it finger print resistant? Thanks.

 

The weight of the unit is 8.2 pounds with 12 cell battery. Without battery around 6. It is portable enough, but battery will make it stick out in a case. Just have to take the battery off for certain kinds of travel. Not a big issue I suppose. Battery life for me has been good. Thus far using it in a power mode it got around 6 with strong usage. When in eco mode it said around 10. Depends on usage I'm sure. I would have to test it more, but that is what I have at this time. The lid is not finger print prone at all. It does have some heat, but nothing out of norms. Feels good overall. It's a quality piece. Very solid compared to several laptops I have had in the past. Bottom line is I recommend it! At this price Best Buy hit a homerun on this unit. I can only assume they will move. Select stores have them in at this time. Make them look...

 

Forgot the pics. There is a texture feel all over the laptop.

 

Thanks Bigd... That laptop is crazy heavy for a 14". I am going to take a look at them this weekend. I am torn between this laptop and the Acer 4820tg, which has yet to be released. Keep us posted on anything else you find.

 

Bigd, I just read your review on BB... I live in Houston too, and I was going to go to that BB to see it. What a coincidence.

 

I read your listing on BB as well. I know you stated that if you kept this laptop that you would purchase the 6cell to use for everyday and keep the 12cell for travel. Have you priced out how much the OEM Toshiba 6 cell version would cost?

How much do you think it would weigh with the 6 cell battery in place?

Also, does the word "Satellite" light up on the palm rest area?

How is the audio sound quality? I am not an audiophile, but I was looking a few months back at the Toshiba Blue Label model through Best Buy and the audio was horrible, it was so low you couldnt hear a thing even at max volume level. Is the audio loud and clear on this model?

 

This computer is $933 on toshibadirect.com and $799 at Best Buy. I don't see any differences in specs. Can someone help me with that?

 

I actually had the blue label Toshiba from BB the e205 I believe. It was a nice unit but the sound was bad bottom line. The sound on this unit is better and loudness was good. It has a dolby sound processing that further cleans up the sound. By default the feature is not on. You will find it under control panel. The satellite logo light under the left palm is a soft suttle blue white. I think I have a pic on my cell phone I will see if It will upload. Now the unit without the battery is lite. I believe with the 6 cell it will be around 6 pounds.

 

here are a couple pics of the Satellite logo. A bit over saturated, but you will get the idea...

 

This looks like a great laptop but it is obscenely heavy. 8 pounds is just ridiculous for a 14 inch. Would much rather it came with a standard 6 cell battery.

 

I would have to agree with you in that I would have also preferred the 6 cell extended life battery. I have no idea why BB chose of all things such a large battery. This weight matches I believe the 16 inch laptop Toshiba is coming out with. Regardless, this is a very nice unit. The 12 cell makes for a nice backup battery when the power goes out etc... It's the little things.

 

How much does the 6 cell cost? I am thinking of buying it and using the 6 cell and just keeping the 12 as a back up. Anything to get back down to 5-6lbs.

How is Optimus working?
How is the webcam?

 

I am pretty sure it is a pre built model for BB only, hence the price break. I don't think you will find that model anywhere, but Toshiba and BB.

BB has been getting certain configs of different laptops, which can only be sold at BB. I saw this with the Sony CW, Dell 15z, Blue Label laptops, and a few more.

 

I talked to the sales person at Toshiba and they told me that BB had bundle deals that made some of these deals possible. When configuring these units there are other details that can be overlooked so be careful in the details. BB setup the unit they have with the updated intel wifi card. I don't think some of the toshiba units are setup the same way. The person I spoke worked to set it up exactly the same way as BB and came up with just over 1000.00 at this time until specials help with the price. Toshiba also only has a 14 day return period which is the same with BB unless your a Silver member as I am and get 45 days. Great period of time to kick the tires.

 

Can you check for me on that 500gb 7200rpm hard drive, can you check the brand and model that came stock with your Toshiba?

 

I have seen Toshiba use different hard drives on their machines. I have seen Toshiba, Hitachi and Seagate. The one I have seems like a good one.

Seagate Momentus 7200.4 500 GB Internal hard drive - 300 MBps - 7200 rpm
Device Hard Drive #st9500420as

 

Hey Aram150 I just noticed that you also live in the Houston area. Did you have a chance to go by the Galleria BB and test drive the laptop?

I don't have a cost figure on the 6 cell battery yet. The webcam seems on par with most laptop cameras of this caliber. My previous toshiba webcam on the e205 was horrible. So, I was glad to see they didn't use the same one. Could have been a hardware problem.

I have not used the graphics much, but so far it has been smooth and responsive. I am not a big gamer anymore, but look forward to pulling out a couple intensive games for testing.

 

That is true with Toshiba in general. But, correct me if I am wrong. If yours comes with the Seagate Momentus 7200.4 then all the Toshiba M645 that is at Best buy will come with that same hard drive?

 

Honestly, I think it will depend on the batch of computers you get your hands on. When I first bought my e205 it came with a Toshiba hard drive. I exchanged that unit as it had issues and my second one was a hitachi. The down side to that was it had 30 less gigs of space. hardly right.

I have no idea if everyone will get a seagate drive. Luck of the draw I suppose.

 

Here is the price for a replacement Toshiba 6 cell battery for this model:

Toshiba Batteries

For everyone that wanted to know.

 

I have not been to BB yet, but I plan to make it there today. Probably after watching the US soccer game.

 

If this thing didn't weigh as much as the HP that I am absolutely dying to replace, I'd be all over it! $800 for those specs is a pretty solid deal, though.

 

this or the samsung np-r580???? help please

 

Did your laptop come with the I5-450m or the I5-430m?

 

The BB model - m645-s4050 has the 450. I just bought m645 from the BB in Daytona Beach on my way back to jacksonville. I love the KB. Minimal KB flex. The laptop feels solid. BB now carries the model without optimus - has just intel hd. The 4050 is the one with optimus and the 12 cell. The 4049 is the other with 6 cell and intel hd. Both however are the same price. The laptop is a great bargain with similiar specs to the envy 14 but a good bit less.

 

I liked the samsung you were looking at as well. For me the m645 had more to offer. Processor and hard drive etc. I have had the unit for a few days now and overall the price point to features is bar none features ahead of all others that i have come across at this time. It is a solid unit. It's a bit heavy from the 12 cell battery, but the trade off is much longer usage. Both are nice units. Seems like you will do well either way

 

I'm torn! Do I buy this toshiba or the samsung q430? The laptops are virtually identical except the toshiba has the switchable graphics, which the samsung has a very slick all aluminum case....What would you recommend?

 

The other differrence is that this toshiba has a 7200 rpm HD while the samsung has the 5400rpm hard drive.

Samsung is a full pound lighter and made of better physical material.
Toshiba has a faster hard drive and switchable graphics (same nvidia card)

It's definitely a hard choice i am also struggling with it. They made a huge error packaging the 12 cell with the Nvidia Toshiba. If it came with a 6 cell the weight would not be nearly as big an issue and the Toshiba would most likely win.

 

I'm going to be a college student in the fall and I really don't game which is why the graphics card in the Toshiba is not all that important for me. This may be a stupid question but is the speed of the hd really going to be that noticeable if I'm going to be using the laptop for school work?

 

In the end that is up to you. There is a performance boost having a laptop with a 7200 rpm hard drive. Now, with laptops today with i3 i5 and i7 type chips you are all ready seeing nice performance even with 5400 rpm. If you can get a laptop for a good price and it's there than I wouldn't turn it down. If you will be using this laptop for your whole college life than I would think get the best performance your buck can pay for to hold you through. For me personally I don't really play much games either so the graphics card is there for the times I do use video intense programming. Enjoy your college years. It goes by quick!

 

Well I spent three hours at best buy today, and I have to be honest...I was really disappointed with the quality of the case. The "texture" feels pretty cheap. On the other hand the Portege really blew me away, it felt solid while still being very light weight and compact. I guess it's between the Q430-11 and the Portege now.

 

Good luck with your choices. I have to disagree with your view on the new Toshiba laptop. I think they are very study and have a nice feel. In the end it's personal choice.

 

I'm sorry I didn't mean to say it had a cheap build, the quality of the construction was great. I just personally don't like the industrial looking texture they put by the mouse. The M645 is a GREAT computer, I just wish I liked the feel of the casing more.

 

I think if they gone the metal casing toshiba would have had a home run with this laptop.

 

I completely agree with Isudvm the specs of this laptop are great, I'm going to head back to best buy one more time and see if I can get over the casing. How do you all feel about the portege 705?

 

I guess ask yourself if you need thin and light over the power of the m645. I assume you are referring to the 705 with core i3 cpu? Its a very solidly made laptop despite it being plastic chassis. Battery life with the 12 cell is great - i can get ~8 hrs on a full charge so far - thats wifi, email, web i.e posting on notebookreview. Havent yet seen what battery life is when watching a movie.

 

BigD...are you still loving the laptop?? Did you test any games on it? I'm thinking about making the purchase...anything new to share? Thanks

 

Attached is a ZIPPED PDF file with as many specs as I could throw into it in a short afternoon. I was looking for a local Retail solution for a new laptop, and it was a toss-up between this one and the Asus UL80J-BBK5. The Asus and the Toshiba weren't too far apart on price (check you local stores). After an afternoon of cleaning both machines of their junk (kudos to Asus, shame on you Toshiba) I benched them both, and the Toshiba is the superior machine by far.

You can find the equivalent Asus UL80J info over in this thread:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/asus/450197-asus-ul80jt-info-18.html#post6432445

If you were an everyday notebook user, email, Office apps, and needed something more mobile, and can deal with a slightly crippled processor, then the Asus is your machine. If you're a power user, and still need to be mobile, then the Toshiba is your pick (especially if you're planning to do any video work). Someone else mentioned earlier in the thread, my plan will be to purchase the smaller battery, and use it for the majority of the notebook life, with the larger 12 cell battery in tow (in the notebook bag) for longer life situations. I actually thought it was pretty slick of Best Buy to provide the more expensive battery in the initial retail package.

I should mention, the Asus had no problems with any of the (very large) HD video files that I threw at it, even in some of it's power saving scenarios. Still a very impressive machine, and fairly thin and light.

Although both machines were able to handle 3D with the nVidia 310M, if you're looking to do some medium to heavy gaming over the next couple years, you'll need to look elsewhere for a more powerful GPU.

If you can deal with a machine that doesn't have a discrete video processor, then maybe keep an eye on the Acer Timeline X series recently released.

Seriously, you folks at Toshiba, could you possibly think of any more redundant junk to load onto a machine?

Little sidenote - you can switch off the lighted "Toshiba" logo, and the lighted media buttons with a switch in the system bios.

 

Looks like I'm getting this laptop I went back to best buy and realized the case really isnt that bad...I'm looking forward to getting it in the next couple weeks!

 

Have any1 bought a laptop in the US and brought it across the border to Canada, do u hav to pay both the 5%(Washington) and 12%(HST) tax?

 

I decided to go with this Toshiba over the Samsung Q430. The main reason was that typing on the Toshiba felt SO much better. While Samsung's metal chassis was nicer, I found the keys and ESPECIALLY the trackpad to be small and clumsy. Both of them have bad stiff clicky track-buttons. The keyboard on this Toshiba is just very satisfying to type on.

I am encouraged that with the 12 cell battery the laptop doesn't feel as heavy as I expected it to. It has some heft but is pretty solid. The extra juice comes in handy.

Feel is much better than most plastic laptops, but a small step below the Macbook style aluminum/metal chassis.

Optimus looks cool but I haven't tried it. You can set it to have a right-click CONTEXT MENU OPTION (!) for every program. You can actually choose which graphics card you want to use to launch it? Waayyy cool!

A fair amount of bloat, but not super excessive. I turned off stuff at startup and that helped a lot with system boot screen. I also got rid of Norton and disabled Defender and went straight for MSE (security essentials).