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General discussion

2.1GHz versus 2.26GHz Processing Speed?

by Techmom08 Jul 13, 2009 11:00AM PDT

I found a Toshiba laptop that my son likes for college. The only drawback is that the processing speed is less than what UMass is recommending. Is this an important difference? Can he get away with 2.1? The laptop in question is a Toshiba #A505-S6960 Best Buy SKU 9371547. Thanks!

Discussion is locked

6 Posts
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Didn't Umass have the Dell deal?
by r. proffitt Former Forum moderator Jul 13, 2009 11:57AM PDT

The 4 year dell with 4 year warranty and support on campus? Ask about that.

And no, the 0.16 GHz is not a deal breaker.

Links about this model.
http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/toshiba-portege-a505-s6960/4505-3121_7-33695843.html

I like:

16 inch display.
4500 GMA (yes, but it does well here on a lesser Toshiba.)
ExpressCard (Great to have!)
Toshiba Recovery DiskCreator but let me share I backed up a disk image even before we booted it for the first time. BEST BUY could screw that up so get a SEALED BOX and pick from http://lifehacker.com/5303067/five-best-free-system-restore-tools

After the clone we used Toshiba Recovery DiskCreator then duplicated those DVDs so we have no less than 4 recovery sets.
Bob

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Follow up to 2.1 vs. 2.26 Question and UMass Dell Deal
by Techmom08 Jul 14, 2009 10:32AM PDT

Thank you very much for your detailed reply. I did check out the UMass pricing but found they led you to a more expensive Dell than I think we need. I believe it was the Latitude. We are considering an Inspiron (which is what I have). I did see a good price on one I could build through an account I already have with them. UMass's deal didn't seem better, but I didn't see the 4 year warranty option. I will look again!
I also found a $150 coupon on Techbargains.com which really sweetened the deal. My son just happened to like the way the pointing device and keyboard felt on the Toshiba. The touchpad is integrated into the area below the keyboard and is very responsive. $650. beat the Dell price @ $772 (but this is not an apples to apples comparison, the Dell had a P8600 2.4 GHz processer and other differences). Thanks again!

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Glad it helped.
by r. proffitt Former Forum moderator Jul 14, 2009 10:47AM PDT

The 4 year warranty and support pays off in years 3 and 4 but you don't have to "go long" with your choice.

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Another thing to look at.
by orlbuckeye Jul 14, 2009 10:15PM PDT

My nephew will be attending John Carrol University in the fall and I was checking their website for information about laptops. I discovered that the campus is fully wireless but they warned that their wireless system doesn't work with Atheros wireless cards which are used in some HP, Dell and lenova laptops. I would check UMass's wireless specs and make sure the laptop you get will work on their wireless system.

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I'm in the Mass area.
by r. proffitt Former Forum moderator Jul 15, 2009 12:02AM PDT

There is no issue with that card. There are some issues where people reinstalled the OS and couldn't find a driver. Next thing you know is that "__________ cards do not work with our system." Yet I can find a laptop with that card and connect fine.

Very odd.
Bob

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Another thing to look at
by Techmom08 Jul 15, 2009 10:27AM PDT

Thank you, I will. I'm sure my new student will have enough challenges as a Freshman without having to deal with computer problems!

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