Toshiba Tecra M9 user experience requested

Hi,

Currently I'm using a Toshiba M30 and I'm thinking of buying the Toshiba Tecra M9. The reviews aren't completely positive, they're especially negative about the screen, creaky noise, build quality and the speakers.
The reviews are contradictory however about the noise and temperature, maybe because there exists an integrated graphics version (Intel X3100) and a discrete graphics version (Nvidia Quadro NVS 130M).
I would like to hear from a Tecra M9 user how the (fan) noise is, and how warm the laptop gets during usage. Please state which type you have, and positive and negative points of the laptop.

(Why for me the Tecra M9? I'm looking for a business laptop having lots of security features, a SD card slot, excellent WiFi reception, price and I'm a loyal Toshiba customer)

Thanks in advance!

charlieMOGUL

 

it's very quiet , at my school we use it .

I did not buy since it is out of my budget but I like the build and feel of it.

but you should also try a HP business 6510b with T7500 , it is very cheap and fast , lots of security features too.

oh as for the Tecra speakers , they are not so good , but I think all business lappies 've got horrible speakers.

 

Thanks for your reply. Do you know whether the model you use has Intel graphics (X3100) or nVidia graphics (Quadro NVS 130M) ?
And does it get warm during usage ?

I looked at the Lenovo T61 and the HP 6910p. I read a lot of complaints about the HP fan and harddisk noise. Supposedly the fan stays always on when the laptop is running on AC.

 

mine has the intel , for a business laptop , I dont like to have a discrete Graphics card becasuse it uses up lot of power.

My company's Tecra is very very cool , never gets very hot.

As for these HP business and Thinkpads , I dont like thinkpads cause I hate to pay premium for just a name of them.

These HPs are noisy and get hot quite often, you are right on this , but they are still not as bad as thinkpads with the Nividia GPU.

Thinkpads , especialy T series with the Nividia( as far as I can recall it ) get very very hot............

I think if thinkpads were not branded as "thinkpads" , nobody 'd care for it , but they are named thinkpads, so many people rave about them.........

If they are not Thinkpads, who cares?

I like Lenovo non-thinkpads 300V or 3000Y series much better than these Thinkpads.

If your budget is limited like mine , you should choose a non-thinkpad lenovo, with these non-thinkpad Lenovos you can get a bit better configuration than with Thinkpad T or R.

Plus , I dont beleive in thinkpad build quality(even in the time of IBM) , it is just the same cheap plastic as other lenovos or anything else.

I 'd say Dell Latitude D630 has much better build than any of Thinkpads or HP business series models , but I think it is my preference..

Oh the Tecra has an ok build , not so fantastic.

 

Thanks for your reply,

I personally would like the nVidia, just because it has a higher resolution screen (WXGA+ , 1440x900 instead of the WXGA 1280x800). Unfortunately it looks that that (Tecra M9) model generates more heat and noise.

Dell is a non-option for me, since I have a lot of bad Dell support experiences business-wise. They're better in serving consumers than serving companies.

An okay build is okay for me, as long as the keyboard doesn't have too much flex.

charlieMOGUL

 

Why bother with the Tecra M9 when better business notebooks from HP and Dell are offered with better specs, build quality and support. Take a look at HP's 6910p and Dell's Latitude D630 and you can feel the difference in build quality, size and weight.
The 6910p's fans really aren't noisy at all. Those who consider it noisy will find other notebooks just as noisy.

 

yeah the Dell is a great option.
Lititude is better than all others in its category, if Dell is available here, I will get it too or I might buy a Vostro1400.

Dont get the Thinkpad ,it is over priced and a quite bit of your money is going for the Name of Thinkpad.

The Thinkpad build hype is not true , my father or old guys love it because they believe anything relating to IBM is somehting special , was so maybe but it's no longer like that............

 

Do you seriously think the HP business build is better than the DELL Lititude?

I strongly disagree , these HPs feel very cheap ,especially tehir lids are bad looking.

Even built worse than Pavilions. I think PAvilions are well built.

Wow, I think everybody feels very differently about all laptops.

I think even Tecra or even Satellite built much better than these HP business notebooks.......it is just my opinion any way, though I just can not get it people rave about the HP business notebooks , they are ntohing special , just so boring design with just boring specs, no high res screens are available for them and their screens are horribly dim.

Also, the HP business series does not support WIFI-N at least in Asia.

 

You must be joking. Please don't post ignorant comments if you don't know better.

The Tecra is thicker and much heavier than the HP 6910p. From my experience, the HP has a more solid build too.

HP's 6910p is offered with a WXGA+ resolution screen and comes with ABGN wireless connectivity in most Asian markets. The Tecra and 6910p have a grainy problem with their WXGA+ screens.

HP's have lids which are no different in design to your regular Tecras or Latitudes. It's just a plain gray lid (Tecras are silver) with the logo on it. You can't possibly like the lid of one over the other. On top of that, HP has a durable coating so it doesn't scratch or fade as easily (look at my Tecra's palm rest and lid after a year and you'll know what it's like).

My Tecra has cracked lids and plam rest after a year. The HP is still going strong with greater abuse. Tecras are built with lower quality materials throughout. It uses normal plastic, not reinforced like the other brands so it is flexible enough to allow greater stress without cracking the thing.

The Tecra's keyboard is also hollow sounding as it lacks support underneath the chassis and doesn't feel as good as the 6910p's. The trackpoint is also hard, not really rubberised. It has a shorter battery life.

The only reason to get the Tecra over Dell, HP or Lenovo's business notebooks is the inclusion of a legacy serial port. There is no advantage in choosing the Toshiba unless you have excellent enterprise discount.

Read the reviews for further reference:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3976
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Toshiba-Tecra-M9-office-notebook.7809.0.html