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Refurb Toshiba Portege M930 i3 13.3" 4GB 128GB SSD $299 [Sunshine & Bundoora VIC Store] @ Centrecom

910

Got this one when browsing their Mega Stock Clearance. Probably it's a good price for Convertible laptop with i3, SSD and stylus. However you might have to replace old Win 7 with Win 8.

Spec
CPU Intel Core I3-2330m

Operating System Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 32bit with Service Pack 1 (OEM)
Chipset Intel® HM65 Express Chipset
Screen Size 13.3" Widescreen High Definition XGA TFT Active Matrix CSV 300NIT (1280x800) resolution LED backlight indoor/outdoor wide view with Digitizer & Touchpanel
Screen Aspect Ratio 16:10
Memory 4GB DDR3 (1333Mhz)
RAM slot allocation Total memory expandable to 8GB
Storage 128GB (SSD) mSATA
Graphics Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator HM65
Audio Intel® High Definition Audio Sound
Speakers Stereo speakers
Sound High quality stereo speakers
Webcam Integrated 1.3M Web Camera
Buttons and Pointing device Windows keyboard and Accupoint™ pointing device, Active Digitizer (pen and ink) / Touchpanel
BIOS ACPI, PnP, VESA, DPMS, DDC, SM BIOS, PCI BIOS Support, Boot Device, TSETUP
Compliance ENERGY STAR® 5.0 qualified, ROHS Compliant
Warranty 3 Months Return to Base
Power Supply 65W Worldwide AC Adaptor
Security Hard Disk password prevents unauthorised access to the Hard Drive and can be synchronised with the user password, Kensington® cable lock slot for optional theft protection devices, Toshiba EasyGuard, User and supervisor password prevents unauthorised access to startup the Notebook at the BIOS level
Software Adobe® Acrobat Reader® 9.0, Microsoft® Office Home and Student (Trial Version), Norton Internet Security™ 2010 (Trial Version), Toshiba User's Manual, Toshiba Value Added Package (inc Toshiba Assist, Toshiba Zooming Utility, Toshiba Console, Toshiba Recovery)

Expansion
TV-Out Port HDMI
USB Ports 2x USB 2.0 Ports
Bridge Media Adaptor Bridge Media slot
HDMI Yes

Communication
LAN Intel® 1Gbit TX Ethernet
Wireless Communication 802.11(a/g/n)
Integrated Bluetooth™ V3.0 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate)

Physical Description
Weight (from) 1.90kg
Battery 12 Cell 4400mAh Lithium-Ion battery (up to 8 hours)
Dimensions (W x D x H(front/back)) 329mm x 234mm x 27.7mm
Colour Variation Metallic Red

Related Stores

Centre Com
Centre Com

closed Comments

  • +6

    "However you might have to replace old Win 7 with Win 8."
    Why would you downgrade?

    • +6

      What do you mean downgrade?

      • +25

        @dhie20: Sarcasm never translates well on the Internet.
        IMO Windows 8 actually an exceptional product, especially when the Start Screen is replaced with something like Classic Start.

        • +14

          IMO Windows 8 actually an exceptional product…

          Could you please tell us, what exactly is it about Win8, that you feel makes it exceptional?

          [edit] Before the bitch neg squad kicks into top gear, this is a sincere question…I am really interested to find out why some people consider Win8 superior.

        • +6

          Chuck Windows 10 preview on it and have the best of both worlds.

        • +5

          Windows 8 is terrible, Windows 8.1 however was great. There's a big difference. Also Windows 7 is made for Administrative more so than Windows 8/8.1. It's just how it was built. But they're even skipping Windows 9 going straight onto Windows 10 which is FREE for ALL Windows 8/8.1 Users.

        • +13

          @StewBalls: Even on the same hardware it outperforms Windows 7, specifically in terms of performance and boot times. For myself, comparatively, it feels more stable with less crashes, smoother UI with less hesitation and more robust with features like File History and the ability to perform many types of restore functions.
          I highly disagree with enforced touch/metro interface, especially on non-touch devices, hence my Classic Start suggestion. The 8.1 update addressed many of those issues and it appears Windows 10 will expand on this in the future.

        • Thanks guys, so when you say faster boot, are we talking cold boot or resuming from that special Win8 hibernate/shutdown thing?

          I must confess, my experiences with 8 were purely with the later RCs & RTMs, so I didn't find it too appealing, especially with the Metro UI. I haven't had a real chance to play with 8.1, hence my interest.

          We actually considered ourselves lucky to even get Win7 deployed at work, it wasn't so long ago we were still using XP! ;)

        • +3

          @StewBalls: For a business, Windows 8/8.1 should be avoided at all costs. The IT admin of it is terrible.. Still no way to mass update to 8.1, so there's ~4gb for every system!

        • +1

          @StewBalls: uses less resources, it's faster, cold boots in about 5 seconds on a tablet despite using a ulv processor, secure UEFI boot up, task manager is much more detailed, transferring files can be paused

          Win 8 got massive hate due to the metro interface. On a desktop, it feels disjointed and goes against the decades of muscle memory you've built up using a start button. It didn't bother me personally since launching an app was the same - hit win key and start typing the program - works the same both versions. Live tiles are nice to look at, but still not enough to make me want to use any metro app

          The charm bar is nice for touch, but not so much for pointer use.

        • +1

          Cool, it's sounding more & more like it's worth revisiting from my perspective…especially now that I'm a Windows Phone 8.1 user! :)

        • +1

          @StewBalls: Well, for starters, the Toshiba Portege is a convertible with touchscreen and digitizer. Windows 7 is not designed with touch devices in mind and is horrible compared to Windows 7.

          And to name a few new features: Windows 8 has fast startup, automatic maintenance, improved task manager, improved file explorer for touch, PC settings & themes sync, improved multi-monitor support, continuous file protection with File History, native USB 3.0 support, Wi-Fi direct printing, file copy pause/resume & interruption resilience, secure boot, etc.

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Features_new_to_Windows_8
          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_8.1

        • What's the cheapest way to upgrade to windows 8?

        • +2

          @StewBalls: Windows 8 provides alot of under the hood improvements e.g. fast boot, pc reset, improved memory management etc… even though the interface is very experimental for microsoft, there are alot of programs that allow you customise the experience to your liking. Microsoft will never put these under the hood improvements in windows 7.

        • @ryang: Didn't realise they jumped to 10

        • +2

          @Forgot69:

          More stable?

          0 crashes in the 2 years since i built this pc using windows 7…

        • +1

          @tonyamazing: Yeh, was a bit of a shock.. Here's the DL if anyone wants it;

          http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/preview-iso

        • +1

          @mmd: Buy the w7 to w8 upgrade. It used to be $15 and can be used to install full w8 even without a previous version of windows. I think there are still groups on reddit that bulk buy/enterprise these for close to $20

        • +1

          @DAOtmc: I can not find any sources that Windows 10 is free for all Windows 8/8.1 users. Do you mind providing a source for that claim?

        • +1

          @StewBalls:

          Easily.

          Stability is amazing.
          Speed is blitzing.
          Hardware support is stupidly broad.
          Install is simple and fast.

          basically they took every thing that was good about windows 7 and improved it in 8.1.

          In 8.0 they removed profiles; which broke a lot of network users; but that was addressed in 8.1

          People get really up in arms that windows made the 'start menu' full screen…..
          At least they took the time to put all the admin tools in the right click menu; which is super hady for an admin like myself :)

        • @The Land of Smeg:
          Windows 10 is in Alpha, and has keyloggers built in (but as long as you trust microsoft, thats fine; they hopfully wont 'lose' the logs).
          Its currently free; but not for ever.

        • +1

          @MasterScythe:

          What I disliked most was the 'need' for the OS to link to a Hotmail/Outlook/Microsoft account when I want the PC as a free for all for anyone who came into my living room.

          It seemed against the idea of multiple different people all using the same login account, which is what I wanted. I didn't want it linked to any one persons account, yet the demand was for signing in to buy their apps, or I'd have other people's Hotmail e-mails then downloading to my PC when they left.

          That is what I disliked about Windows 8 most, the metro interface worked well for my media player PC.

        • +1

          @FabMan: You can actually skip that part, it's hidden..

        • @ryang:

          Doesn't it keep asking you though, as in, you cannot not permanently disable it? Someone signs in to check their mail and suddenly that account is linked.

        • +1

          @FabMan: Not sure. We use GMail at home, so no additional MS accounts. My main login is associated with my Live account, but only because I thought it required one as well.

          The rest of the family are just regular local accounts. I have however setup many other Windows 8/8.1 systems with just local accounts and no reported issues (yet).

    • +4

      Let the Win 7/Win 8 fan upvote/downvote battle begin.

      • +4

        What I would rather happen is for some people who have experience with the actual unit post their views and comments. I am looking to replace an aging Acer laptop that my wife has. She likes the look of this as its smaller, lighter and has a better battery life than what she has today.

        She only surfs the web, writes some emails ect so the smaller keyboard isn't a concern.

        Any views for usage of this sort? Oh and she likes the fact that it has a keyboard, usb etc.

        • +2

          Well,, given the smaller and lighter part I would say go for it at this price. Surfing the web tablet style is great on pc. Adblock is heaven, and Chrome recently integrated touch select even on the desktop. I would recommend win 8 if you want to read pdf/ebook/comics via tablet, otherwise I personally don't use the win 8 metro interface for much else.

      • +1

        Linux master race.

      • +1

        I don't understand why this upvote/downvote battle exists. It's simple, Windows 8 is superior to Windows 7. No surprises there, it's more modern, newer, has a whole suite of extra features. But if you prefer Windows 7, use Windows 7. No need to make a big deal out of nothing.

    • +7

      Yes, the metro interface sucks … get over it. It's dead easy to set up so that you don't ever have to use it. The rest of windows 8 is pretty good. I use win 7 & 8 on a daily basis and prefer 8.

      As for the M930, that's a good price IF the refurbish has been done properly, and keeping in mind it's fairly old tech. Only major downside IMO is only 2 x 2.0 USB. It would be perfect as a "holiday" laptop or for light office/study work.

      • I use win 7 & 8 on a daily basis and prefer 8.

        Why, exactly?

        I'm genuinely interested to hear the reasons from you guys why Win8 is superior.

        • +6

          win 8.1 simply much faster loading and desktop screen look exactly like win 7 except it is faster

    • +2

      Windows 7 is a product that is already around 5 years old, well past the lifespan of an operating system. Most people who complain about Windows 8 have never actually used Windows 8. They complain about the "Metro" interface. How often do you even see Metro when using Windows 8? Not that regularly, fortunately.

      There are lots of benefits to Windows 8, including better performance (don't deny it, go run the benchmarks yourself and see), better resource handling, support for 16GB+ RAM (not present with W7 Home Premium, which most people use), better file handling, copying dialog as well as superior task manager. Windows 8 boots faster, especially with an SSD, it integrates better with modern UEFI BIOSes, integration with Microsoft account means all your settings are synced between your multiple PCs running Windows 8, Windows 8 is also less resource hungry with regards to RAM and idle CPU usage and GPU horsepower as it doesn't waste time with all the "Aero" stuff. Windows 8 has better multi-monitor support, more nifty features (e.g. you don't need 3rd party tools to mount an ISO), better networking tools, far superior touchscreen support (which is relevant here) and is, generally, just a more modern OS with more modern features.

      You hate "Metro"? That's fine, you use Windows 7 then. But you cannot say that W7 > W8 based on your own subjective opinion. Objectively, W8 is a newer, superior OS that's got more modern features and benefits and just performs better than W7. The list I gave above are just a small number of those benefits and features.

      Sure, some people might never like W8, some might never even give it a try, that's fine, but unless you've used W8 and W7 both extensively, you're in no position to say any is superior to the other.

      • +9

        For me, as IT support, I hate how much they've hidden everything I need to use to fix things.. 8.1 made some of it a bit easier, but meh…

        • +1

          IT support worker with 13 years experience here;
          It was ALL added to the right click of the start button.

          and of course, the RUN menu still exists, so why you're IT support and using a mouse to launch your tools, is a little confusing.

        • +1

          @MasterScythe: … because it's not always you that is sitting in front of the machine.

    • +2

      8 has much better touch support than 7, too. But it won't like the sub-1366 horizontal resolution much.

      • Be aware if its not a 5 point touch screen it might not work well with win8

  • -1

    My cusion have this around 4 years ago, nice little machine.
    During that time

    • +13

      I had to get my cusion removed.

      • +3

        Time to upgrade my mattress

  • +2

    I have this at work. Nice little laptop but they have a really "squidgy" keyboard which I think most Toshibas had at the time this model was released.

  • How does this compares to ASUS T100?

  • Anyone know if the screen is stable flipped to face the back of the laptop? I'm wondering if you can get a flatter screen angle if used elevated on a stand with an external keyboard. Thanks!

    • +1

      Nope.

      • Thanks!

    • +2

      mirin01's comment from an older deal has some info on this laptop's usability quirks.

    • I don't think the construction is sturdy. I prefer swivel or backflip construction laptop

  • The size of the keyboard seems to be compromised because of the design. Looks like it is specifically for people with small hands

  • Out of stock when you add it to shopping cart for online sale.

    Available in store only…

    Sunshine In Stock
    Bundoora Low Stock

    • Ozbargain effects. When I put it, all branches still had stock

      • Good post anyways dhie20…

  • In store only?

  • Expandable to 8 Meg - that'd need 64 bit Win or Linux folks. Grays are asking $880 and report the screen resolution as 1366x768. At that price, I'd think of it as a heavy tablet with touch screen and stylus, plus `real' usb ports. Nice find.

    • +2

      64bit just means a reinstall. The license keys work for all.

      Best to install 64bit anyway, very few negatives.

  • Out of stock.

    • Sunshine store still has some apparently.

      It seems like stock levels were questionable from the beginning though :/

  • +1

    This is the best laptop deal (arguably better with SSD and better screen) since the Big W $200 i3 laptops. I would jump on this if I didn't already have enough laptops thanks to Big W.

    • Well said. Me too. I also like new with 12 months+ warranty.

  • +3

    Warranty 3 Months Return to Base

    Deal killer…

    • +3

      Not really - solid state electronic failure is a `U' curve - things fail in the first few weeks, or after a few years. In some ways I prefer a re-furb, as it has been well soak-tested. The only possible downside is if there is a bit of dodgy flux in a solder joint that doesn't start corrossion till autumn when the humidity rises and the temp falls, but I doubt anyone had been poking around with the old 40Watt inside these babies.

      • +1

        Hey, I don't mind refurbs either, but I expect an equitable warranty; however, if you're happy with 3mths RTB warranty, good for you…but it's a big red flag for me.

  • 1.90 Kg

    Dats heavy, can't carry this around to UNI honestly. Other than that seems pretty worth it.

    • +10

      people have it easy nowadays with ultrabooks and tablets… I used a dell xps throughout uni. Weighs 3kgs, has a 90min battery life and as loud and hot as a jet taking off.

      • Yeah I do have it easy I admit that, but I mean I just can't lugg this thing around personally.

    • +1

      Blame it on the 12 cell battery!

      Decent screen time though.

  • So this in store only?

  • Instore only = Victoria only would be nice in the headline

    • +1

      When the OP posted this it WASN'T instore only but it changed soon after.
      Someone will update the title to reflect the change eventually I'm sure.

      • Sorry I was busy with the kid. Someone has updated it.

      • It was changed in the Centrecom website from delivery to instore only. Can't believe they work on Sunday morning as well.

  • +1

    I can't believe people still have the W7 vs W8 debate.

    • +2

      You can't? different things suit different people i guess so it really shouldn't be surprising.
      Even when windows 10 is released, which looks like it might go a long way towards appeasing both camps there will be people who aren't happy and continue to debate the merits of both… and other operating systems as well…

    • +2

      I can't tell which side you're on?

      • Team Edward I reckon… ;)

      • he's a mac

    • And I still can't believe it's not butter.

    • I'm not for or against any OS, in my opinion they all do pretty much the same thing (even android and IOS). The only difference is what YOU need from it i.e. windows apps, portability, reliability, intuitiveness, speed, ease of use, etc.

  • I work at a school where these laptops were rolled out to an entire year group a few years ago. They are a pain to use without a trackpad, simply put.

  • Did they change it from delivery to in store only this morning?

  • Would like to get one but pretty much out of stock

  • Went into the Bundoora store today around 1pm, nobody home. Door locked, phone not answered but business hours are inclusive of Saturday? Boooo…

    • +5

      Today is Sunday. You got your days mixed up

      • +4

        Damn thought I still had Sunday to go for the weekend.

      • +1

        He turned the clock back 1 day for daylight savings

        • Well played :-)

  • only 3 months warranty, others like ASUS do 12 months for their refurbish units.

    • i bought mine yesterday from Sunshine store then i asked about the warranty. its 1 year warranty. not 3 months

  • great find OP

  • +2

    more importantly, based on the many, many reviews about Centrecom dodgy business practice (http://www.productreview.com.au/p/centre-com.html) stay away from their second hand 'refurb' items as you will not get replacements or any customer assistance. They will take your money and that's the last that you will hear from them. Read the recent reviews for yourself.

    • +1

      That's precisely why alarm bells started ringing with me warranty wise!

      I've also had issues with Centrecom in the distant past, sure they all ended up getting resolved eventually, but man it was a battle for quite a while there…

    • seriously dunno what ppl are complaining about. i went to sunshine store yesterday to get it and everything went well. it was the last one they had so it was on display and they had to do a factory reset. had to wait for about half an hr or so and after that they cleaned it and packaged it.

      no more at sunshine store.

      also theres a 2% surcharge if you choose to use your credit card

      • +1

        of course it went well, you gave them money. Just wait till the 3 months is up and things start failing. Of course I will be happy to hear back from you in 6 or 12 months time with an update.

        • I will remember you've told us so. : )

  • Does this come with a windows install cd and drivers cd or is it on a separate partition?

  • Looks like it has been OZbargained, page no longer exists. Good job people, what's next?

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