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Reviews from around the WebPowered by alaTest
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alaTest.com
Editors' rating: 91
Summary: alaTest has collected and analyzed 218 reviews of TOSHIBA Portégé R500-12P 12.1I from international magazines and websites. Experts rate this product 79/100 and users 69/100. Comparing these reviews to 171452 other Laptops reviews gives this product an overall alaScore™ 91/100 = Excellent.
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maximumpc.com
Editors' rating: 90
Summary: Toshiba filled the R500 with loads of features. We love its full-size keyboard, 120GB hard disk (a 64GB solid-state drive is optional), and 12.1-inch 1280x800 widescreen display. But the best feature is the sunlight-friendly transflective nature of ...
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computershopper.com
Editors' rating: 82
Summary: Toshiba's Portégé R500 is an amazing ultraportable laptop with only a couple of minor shortcomings keeping it from perfection.
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stuff.tv
Editors' rating: 80
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whatlaptop.co.uk
Editors' rating: 100
Summary: A thin and light laptop with an excellent battery life and a great screen
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techradar.com
Editors' rating: 80
Summary: The combination of great mobility and a comfortable interface, as well as its comprehensive software and warranty, make the Portégé R500 easy to recommend. While cheaper rivals can be bought, this is still one of the best ultraportables around
CNET editors' buying advice
We have not reviewed this product but here is CNET's buying advice on Laptops. This content was chosen based on the features included with this model of laptop.
Ultraportable laptop computer
The smallest, most lightweight laptops are called ultraportables. Their compact form factor is crucial for people who need to have their PC with them all the time, especially frequent business travelers. What you gain in portability, however, you usually give up in terms of weaker performance, smaller keyboards and displays, and fewer features. And what's more, ultraportable laptops almost always carry a premium price tag. Still, a compact, lightweight profile can make all the difference if you spend a lot of time on the road.
Read more in the Laptop Buying Guide
See more Ultraportable laptop computer products
The Frequent Flier notebook computer
If you spend a lot of time on the road, size and weight are the two most critical factors in choosing a new notebook computer--even if it means sacrificing a little on performance and features. The smallest and lightest notebooks, ultraportables, weigh less than four pounds and are no thicker than a spiral-bound notebook.
Read more in the Laptop Buying Guide
Microsoft Windows 7 system requirements
Ready for Windows 7?
If you want to run Windows 7 on your PC, here's what it takes:
- -1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
- -1 gigabyte (GB) RAM (32-bit) or 2 GB RAM (64-bit)
- -16 GB available hard disk space (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
- -DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
Additional requirements to use certain features:
- -Internet access (fees may apply)
- -Depending on resolution, video playback may require additional memory and advanced graphics hardware
- -For some Windows Media Center functionality a TV tuner and additional hardware may be required
- -Windows Touch and Tablet PCs require specific hardware
- -HomeGroup requires a network and PCs running Windows 7
- -DVD/CD authoring requires a compatible optical drive
- -BitLocker requires Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2
- -BitLocker To Go requires a USB flash drive
- -Windows XP Mode requires an additional 1 GB of RAM, an additional 15 GB of available hard disk space, and a processor capable of hardware virtualization with Intel VT or AMD-V turned on
- -Music and sound require audio output
from windows.microsoft.com
See more Microsoft Windows 7 system requirements products
Home user laptop computer
Home users are increasingly turning to notebook computers as their primary PCs, as they like that laptops can offer similar performance and features to those of a desktop PC, and can be easily moved from room to room. Though of course almost any notebook computer will do for typical home use, there are two types of laptops most suitable for home users: mid-size notebooks, which tend to be budget-friendly, and desktop replacements, which are usually packed with features.
Read more in the Laptop Buying Guide
Student laptop computer
Students and others on a tight budget should look for a cheap laptop computer that delivers the most bang for the buck. In particular, students need a notebook that is small and light enough to lug back and forth across campus but rugged enough to withstand bouncing around in a backpack.
Read more in the Laptop Buying Guide
CNET product brief
Description: The Toshiba Portege R500-S5008x is a 2.4-pound, thin-and-light notebook computer.Compared to other thin-and-light notebooks on the market, it is midpriced at around $1,480.The 12.1 inch widescreen has a native resolution of 1280 x 800, which is fairly standard among notebooks.Powered by the Intel Core 2 Duo processor.This notebook has a 160GB hard disk and 2 GB of memory.
Pros: Has a 5.9 Greenpeace 'Guide to Greener Electronics' manufacturer rating (Nov 2008), which is considerably more favorable than some similarly priced notebooks.The built in Bluetooth connectivity will let you pair headphones or sync your mobile contacts.The built-in fingerprint reader will speed up the log in process while adding a strong layer of data protection.
Cons: Has only a Intel GMA 950 graphics chip, which is considerably less desirable than some similarly priced notebooks.Also, this notebook has a modest 1.33 GHz CPU speed, which is considerably slower than some similarly priced notebooks.For example, the Lenovo ThinkPad X61, a 3.5-pound notebook at around $1, 625, has a 2.4 GHz CPU speed.The fair battery performance of this notebook means it has to be recharged more frequently than other notebooks in its class.This notebook's Intel GMA 950 graphics chip uses system RAM, which sometimes results in slower performance.
Suitability: A thin-and-light notebook, suited for business computing.If you have a wireless network at home, wirelessly browse the Internet from any room in your house with this Wi-Fi enabled laptop.An anti-theft security tether can be fastened into the built-in lock slot.
Value: Overall, this notebook's features seem a bit weak for its price, compared to most other notebooks.
Suggestions: (1) Given this device's Wi-Fi capability, you may want to get a wireless access point for your home, so that you can browse the Web more conveniently from any room.(2) To get the most out of this laptop's Bluetooth capability, you could have a Bluetooth-enabled headset, handheld or other device, and be able to link it wirelessly to your computer within a range of 20-or-so feet inside the same room.
CNET's Product Briefs are generated by a software tool that combines product specifications with knowledge of our editorial experts. They do not reflect hands-on assessment or labs testing. For more information about how we create Product Briefs, contact us.
Toshiba Portege R500-S5008x - Core 2 Duo U7700 1.33 GHz - 12.1" TFT:
