Toshiba Satellite U845T Ultrabooks

Hi all,

I was hoping someone can sort out this matter for me.
I've been researching the U845T models: U845T-S4165, U845T-S4150, U845T-S4168.
Basically, the middle one has a regular 2.5mm 500GB HDD with an ExpressCache drive, the others have a 128GB SSD. The 128GB SSD is an mSATA (not a 7mm SSD).

Would it be safe to assume that they all have similar internals? I want to be able to use a higher capacity 7mm SSD (256GB of Higher) instead of the mSATA or the 500GB non-ssd (in either models).
Would I be able to switch them out without much trouble?

Please chime in.

Thanks,
cchhat01

 

I would assume you are correct, but if an owner of the above notebook can chime in that would be the most credible answer.

Although, you may want to give Toshiba a ring [they even have an online chat] to verify if the above is the case.
Toshiba Direct | Buy Laptop Computer Systems and Accessories

Good luck

 

Thanks for the input.
I took your advice and asked a live chat representative. They said the drives should be compatible on all the U845T models: mechanical vs msata vs ssd.

I would still be better off if I knew for a fact that someone has looked under the hood and can confirm this for a fact.
Anyone out there that can help me out?

Thanks,
cchhat01

 

bit the bullet and ordered it directly from miscrosoft store.
worst case, they have a 30day return policy.

 

I just bought the same U845t from MS and it should deliver tomorrow. I'm not sure about the swapping out although I'm curious as well.

I'm nervous about the keyboard and monitor but if they aren't to my satisfaction I'll take up MS on the 30 day return. For the price though the unit should work pretty well for what I'll throw at it.

 

I bought this laptop and it should arrive tomorrow. Like you, I gave the MS Store a shot as well. For the price and what I'll use it for it seemed ideal. Worse case, I hate the keyboard and/or screen quality and I exercise the return policy.

 

Let us know what you think of the U845 after you've given it a thorough test run. I hope it works out for you.

Good luck

 

Bad news. The item arrived and it worked perfectly except there was no external sound. I did have sound through the headphone jack though. After about an hour with the tech from MS I decided to send it back and am currently waiting on my return tag to arrive.

I had about an hours use on it and was quite pleased though. The touchscreen was extremely responsive and both apps and web pages loaded quickly. It was quiet and never got hot. It was fairly thin and the weight was fine as well. It was not too heavy and I could easily maneuver it with one hand. The hinge was smooth and the screen moved perfectly back and forth with just the right amount of tension.

The viewing angle on the screen was fairly poor and I had to have it tilted at the perfect angle to get a clear view of the screen. I played a video or two while working on the sound and the videos looked very good though. The keys didn't go down very deep when you typed on the keyboard but I was still able to type pretty quickly although I did struggle when I wasn't right over the keyboard. I knew about both of these shortcomings when I bought the unit from reviews so I was prepared for them. Neither of these issues should keep anyone from buying the unit though.

I'm going to return the unit but I'm not sure if I'm going to swap it out or not for another at this point.

 

Wow. I should have looked at this thread earlier... (and maybe update my account to subscribe to my own threads so I know there have been replies). Lots of traction since my last post.

@redrover: my unit is not going to be delivered until Tuesday. I hope the case with no sound is just a simple defect which can be rectified by another unit.
If you can spare some time, would you be able to play around with the notebook and possibly answer some questions I posted on the thread?

I intend to gut the internals and place 8GB RAM, 7mm 500GB SSD and replace the bgn with an Intel 6235 abgn, and then load ubuntu (if I don't quite like windows 8). Ofcourse only if the ultrabook can actually be opened and the slots and locations are easily accessible.

I'll appreciate all your input...

Thanks,
cchhat01

 

hat01,

I'm sorry but I've packaged up the system and it is sitting in a box at my office waiting on the return shipping label. I didn't take a close look at the bottom of the unit to see how accessible it was.

 

Sorry you had issues with your U845T laptop, Redrover. However, thank you for keeping us informed with your initial impressions regarding the unit.

Keep us informed with whatever model you decide to go with.
Good luck

 

UPS came when I wasn't available. Had to pick it up last night.
So far so good.
I opened up the ultrabook using a spudger. Originally I missed two screws which hid under the rubber feet towards the back of the ultrabook, causing a slight panic as to why it wasn't opening. Once I noticed them (DUH!), I was able to get the ultrabook open no problem.

One thing bothers me. They do not have any enclosure for the hard drive I want to install. Usually there is a thin and bendable shielding material which screws on to keep the hard drive in place, however I've got nothing of that sort. They do have a normal 2.5 in HDD/SSD cable. I plugged in my Samsung SSD and it is recognized.
Now I want to simply enter the BIOS to disable UEFI mode for me to go ahead and install Windows 7 and Linux. I might keep a backup of the 128GB SSD and use it as a spare disk (what do you guys think).

At this point I have no idea how to enter the BIOS. ESC and DEL keys don't work.
Any ideas?

EDIT: So far i switched out the built in wifi card with an Intel 6235 abgn, swapped out the 6GB ram and installed 8GB of 1.35 low voltage ram, and installed my Samsung 512GB Pro SSD.

Thanks,
cchhat01