Toshiba L840/020 (14” / i5-3210M / Radeon HD 7670M / 4GB RAM) $674 @ DickSmith

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opt on 01/10/2012 - 15:30 dicksmith.com.au (337 clicks)
Last edited 01/10/2012 - 17:54 by 1 other user

Cheapest 14" (2.1Kg) notebook I could find with a 3rd Gen i5 CPU and a decent dedicated graphics card. There are better spec 15.6" (heavier, bulkier) notebooks out there in the same price range, but hard to find a reasonably portable, light weight mid-range gaming laptop under $700.

Sale ends today.

Specs

• Intel® Core™ i5 processor 3210M (2.5 GHz - 3.1 GHz, 1600MHz FSB, 3MB L3 Cache)
• 14.0" Widescreen HD LED Backlit Display (1366 x 768)
• 4GB DDR3 (1600Mhz) [One slot used, one slot available. Total memory expandable to 16GB]
• 500GB (5400rpm) SATA
• AMD Radeon™ HD7670M 1GB (2801MB Total: 1GB discrete memory + 1777MB shared memory)
• DVD SuperMulti Double/Dual Layer drive
• 3x USB Ports (2x USB 3.0 + 1x USB 2.0) + Sleep & Charge
• 1Gbps LAN
• 802.11(b/g/n) Wireless
• Bluetooth V4.0
• Weight: 2.10kg
• 6 Cell Battery

P.S: Benchmark lists for comparison:
Mobile Processor benchmarks
Laptop Video Graphics Card benchmarks

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  bentan77 on 01/10/2012 - 15:53

  +3

  http://www.harveynorman.com.au/toshiba-satellite-l840-04e-la…

  Save $200 and the only difference I see is the i3 2350.

  • 

    Gaz1 on 01/10/2012 - 16:10

    Isn't that quite a difference?

  • 

    [Deactivated] on 01/10/2012 - 16:10

    Damn, has that been posted as a deal? If not, you should.

  • 

    opt on 01/10/2012 - 16:20

    True, but that i3 CPU is about 25% slower, and it uses slightly slower RAM (that could further impact graphics performance when shared memory is used). But if you consider pure performance / money, then that i3 Toshiba pulls ahead slightly (674 x 0.75 = 505 > 470) ;).

    P.S when I was searching, I only looked at i5 (mostly 3rd gen) and above. Must be why I missed that. A good find bentan77 !

    • 

      [Deactivated] on 01/10/2012 - 16:31

      The CPU makes bugger all difference in normal internet/documents/media playing etc. operation and gaming. Barely measurable. I'd say 1-3% in this case.

      The CPU would provide an advantage in specific number crunching tasks like CAD and media production (Video/Photo/Music editing/mixing). And if either of those were one of the main reasons you were buying either of these notebooks then I'd suggest you reconsider and look towards the i7 range.

      • 

        raziel on 01/10/2012 - 16:49

        While I agree with the case you make in general, the previous consensus that CPU performance hardly affects gaming seems to be under revision:
        http://techreport.com/review/23246/inside-the-second-gaming-…

      • 

        bentan77 on 01/10/2012 - 17:13

        Discrete graphics XFX Radeon HD 7950 Double Dissipation 3GB

      • 

        opt on 01/10/2012 - 18:25

        I do lot of number crunching on my computer, but at the same time I need decent graphics performance (for playing the occasional game) and portability at a budget. An i7 quad core is ideal , but so far I haven't come across an i7 QM processor with a decent (mid-range) GPU in a 14" or smaller chassis for under $1000 .

      • 

        [Deactivated] on 01/10/2012 - 21:12

        Fair enough then opt, it's a good option for you.

        You've got to admit though, you're a very small minority. Someone with ~$675 who can't save up an extra ~$150 for an i7 but who doesn't want to save ~$205 for the sake of a ~20% increase in processing time for number crunchingtasks, who also wants a 1366x768 14" screen(ie probably not for video/photo/CAD work) but not an ultrabook…

        I'm just sayin'. The HN deal is pretty good.

      • 

        raziel on 01/10/2012 - 21:44

        You make a good point Tantryl, but I think the problem the OP had was that an extra $150 for an i7 doesn't get him a comparable discrete graphics card. He actually has to spend $400. Any suggestions/alternatives?

      • 

        opt on 02/10/2012 - 16:42

        Price is not the only issue. I want a balance between portability AND performance as well. All core i7 QM notebooks I have seen so far with midrange/high-end graphics cards are 15.6 or larger ones. Those are too bulky for my liking. My ideal machine would be a 13” with a standard voltage 3rd gen i7 QM, with something like a HD 7730M weighing at 2kg or less. But I don't think anyone has managed to cram in such high powered high TDP components into a such a small chassis yet.

        My computing requirements are mostly for signal processing and scientific experiments (not related to 3D modeling or imaging). Besides, I always use external monitors (at work and at home) so resolution or screen size doesn't matter. but portability does. Perhaps my requirements are little too specific. But I thought there might be others who are looking for a good balance between portability, performance (CPU + GPU) and price.

      • 

        [Deactivated] on 02/10/2012 - 17:20

        Indeed. As I said, it looks like it suits you. But I think you'll a fairly small minority (hence the lack of interest/upvotes).

      • 

        bentan77 on 02/10/2012 - 22:29

        My ideal machine would be a 13” with a standard voltage 3rd gen i7 QM, with something like a HD 7730M weighing at 2kg or less. But I don't think anyone has managed to cram in such high powered high TDP components into a such a small chassis yet.

        http://www.logicalblueone.com.au/store/523-horize-w110er-not…

        There are more but they all cost >1000

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  Gaz1 on 01/10/2012 - 16:41

  +1

  I beleive the Harvey Norman deal finishes today.

  • 

    bentan77 on 01/10/2012 - 17:14

    Yeah I didn't look when the sale finishes when I posted

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  Coops1 on 01/10/2012 - 18:18

  Interested in what people think when comparing the above to this for $800 at HN - Toshiba L840/027, 14" HD Led, i7 3612QM, Intel® HD 4000 gpu, 8GB RAM, 1TB hdd, dvd burner etc ??

  • 

    opt on 01/10/2012 - 18:39

    +2

    Intel HD 4000 is pretty good for an integrated card, but graphics performance is about 1/2 of a 7670M. Since games are more GPU intensive, having an i7 won’t help much in terms of gaming. It all depends on what you do, if you don’t play games then a faster GPU is a waste. You’ll benefit more from a quad core CPU.