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View Full Version : Toshiba Portégé R830: Arguably Better Than an Ultrabook


Michael Knutson
11-23-2011, 07:00 AM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.maximumpc.com/article/reviews/toshiba_portégé_r830_review' target='_blank'>http://www.maximumpc.com/article/re...égé_r830_review</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"There was a time when Toshiba's line of Port&eacute;g&eacute; business ultraportables was the epitome of sleek utility, particularly in the days of the R500 and R600. Samsung stole some of that show when it released the Series 9 (reviewed here)-the closest a PC has come to a MacBook Air to date. But while the Port&eacute;g&eacute; R830, much like the R700 before it, won't win any design contests, it offers many useful amenities in a very-portable package."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/lpt/auto/1322026925.usr17748.jpg" style="border: 0;" /></p><p>At slightly over 3-pounds and about an inch thick, the R830 (at $1,650) has a faster processor than the Samsung Series 9 and is better performing at most benchmarks. It ships with 4GB RAM, and is upgradable, but the 128GB SSD has a proprietary connector, so it isn't upgradable (yet). One odd configuration blip is that the R830 ships with a 32-bit version of Windows 7 Professional, losing 1GB of memory. The 64-bit version (upgrade) is recommended. The R830 ships with USB 3.0, eSata, and an optical drive, with 7-hour battery runtime. A great road warrior laptop!</p>