Saturday, July 6, 2013
Toshiba Satellite R830 Review
The R830-143 sports a magnesium chassis, which makes it far lighter than rivals using aluminium. Combined with an understated yet attractive design, a matt screen, powerful Sandy Bridge Core i5 internals backed by 6GB of RAM and a 640GB hard drive plus generous connectivity – in a package that weighs a mere 1.47kg with integrated optical drive - it has all the elements in place to be a winner.First off, lets talk about design. From a distance, you might mistake it for a budget business machine, but once you get close the subtly brushed metal lid and keyboard surround show otherwise. Thankfully, Toshiba has resisted the temptation of glossy black here - which we have seen rather too much of on its consumer laptops throughout the years, including the recent Satellite p750. The only exception to the lack of shininess is the chrome finish on the R830s touchpad buttons, and being as theyre the bits youre likely to be touching most, regular maintenance may be required. However, this is a minor niggle and overall, we love the laptops understated ethos.
The R830 feels deceptively flimsy due to its lightweight construction, but actually build quality is flawless. Our only possible niggle is some mild flex in the keyboard. Apart from that, every aspect of this machine feels premium. Its also worth keeping in mind that the magnesium lid isnt quite as scratch-proof as aluminium ones tend to be, but with a little care this is not an issue.
Connectivity is another area where the R830 has few rivals in its size/price class. VGA and HDMI are around for video, 3.5mm headphone and microphone jacks deal with audio, while data is taken care of by USB 3.0, USB 2.0 and a combined USB 2.0/eSATA port. The memory card reader accepts high-capacity SDXC cards, and the Ethernet port is of the Gigabit variety. However, what really stands out for an ultraportable this light is the presence of an optical drive - in this case a tray-loading DVD-rewriter. All connections are found around the sides, leaving the front and back free in keeping with its minimalist styling. Naturally, the wireless front is covered by both Wi-Fi N and Bluetooth 3.0 HS.
The R830s isolation keyboard certainly looks the part and offers a selection of well-spaced keys. Unfortunately, its still one of the weaker areas of Toshibas premium ultraportable. Though feedback is good as far as it goes, its shallower than Barbie; simply too shallow for long-term, confident typing comfort. Mind you, its perfectly usable, but we would hesitate to recommend this as anyones primary word-processing machine.
Thankfully we have no complaints whatsoever regarding the multi-touch trackpad. We never found it to interfere with typing, yet theres still a dedicated de-activation button between it and the keyboard in case you need or want it. The pad itself is large and responsive, and features a pleasant matt finish that makes for smooth movements. Its distinct shiny buttons, meanwhile, are well-placed and offer a reassuring click.
Were used to superlative audio from Toshiba portables. Even its NB550 netbook managed better sound than many larger laptops. Unfortunately, as is apparent from their lack of harmon/kardan branding, on the R830 its speakers were not a priority. They lack volume, clarity and bass, so headphones or external models are definitely recommended for any kind of serious entertainment.
A mediocre screen was less of a surprise, as this doesnt tend to be a forte of the Japanese companys laptops in general. The 13.3in display found here offers a standard resolution of 1,366 x 768. Viewing angles were slightly below-par, and after the Samsung Series 9 900X3A showing us how good laptop TN panels can be, its even more difficult to put up with. Contrast also wasnt the best, with the R830 unable to distinguish between the darkest greyshades, meaning you may miss out on fine details in gloomy movies or games.
Colours also dont come across quite as brightly as on a screen with a glossy finish, though to be honest this is a sacrifice were happy to make. Aside from loving its matt finish, we also like the screens backlighting, which was very even with only the merest hint of bleed in one of the corners. Excellent sharpness and a lack of artefacts, combined with the previous benefits, makes this a great display for work rather than play.
Above the screen resides a webcam which is not of the HD variety, a surprising omission when every other major manufacturer seems to be including 720p webcams on their high-end models.
specification
The R830s isolation keyboard certainly looks the part and offers a selection of well-spaced keys. Unfortunately, its still one of the weaker areas of Toshibas premium ultraportable. Though feedback is good as far as it goes, its shallower than Barbie; simply too shallow for long-term, confident typing comfort. Mind you, its perfectly usable, but we would hesitate to recommend this as anyones primary word-processing machine.
Thankfully we have no complaints whatsoever regarding the multi-touch trackpad. We never found it to interfere with typing, yet theres still a dedicated de-activation button between it and the keyboard in case you need or want it. The pad itself is large and responsive, and features a pleasant matt finish that makes for smooth movements. Its distinct shiny buttons, meanwhile, are well-placed and offer a reassuring click.
Were used to superlative audio from Toshiba portables. Even its NB550 netbook managed better sound than many larger laptops. Unfortunately, as is apparent from their lack of harmon/kardan branding, on the R830 its speakers were not a priority. They lack volume, clarity and bass, so headphones or external models are definitely recommended for any kind of serious entertainment.
A mediocre screen was less of a surprise, as this doesnt tend to be a forte of the Japanese companys laptops in general. The 13.3in display found here offers a standard resolution of 1,366 x 768. Viewing angles were slightly below-par, and after the Samsung Series 9 900X3A showing us how good laptop TN panels can be, its even more difficult to put up with. Contrast also wasnt the best, with the R830 unable to distinguish between the darkest greyshades, meaning you may miss out on fine details in gloomy movies or games.
Colours also dont come across quite as brightly as on a screen with a glossy finish, though to be honest this is a sacrifice were happy to make. Aside from loving its matt finish, we also like the screens backlighting, which was very even with only the merest hint of bleed in one of the corners. Excellent sharpness and a lack of artefacts, combined with the previous benefits, makes this a great display for work rather than play.
Above the screen resides a webcam which is not of the HD variety, a surprising omission when every other major manufacturer seems to be including 720p webcams on their high-end models.
specification
- 13.3in, 1366 x 768, matt-finish screen
- Superb build quality, matt brushed metal finish
- Magnesium chassis keeps weight below 1.5kg
- Dual-core Core i5-2410M, 6GB RAM, 640GB HDD
- DVD rewriter, USB 3.0, eSATA, Bluetooth 3.0
