A friend of mine recently got something similar to this, a refurbed Asus with AMD A-series for $399. It didn't have the Blu-Ray drive, but it did have a dedicated video card (crossfired with the integrated card).

He bought a Blu-Ray drive for it separately and uses it as an HTPC and an auxiliary gaming PC when friends come over. It only draws like 25 watts when watching a Blu-ray!

This Toshiba would definitely work well as a multipurpose HTPC. It'll do as an el-cheapo gaming system too, but don't expect to play many games on anything other than "Low" settings.

As long as you don't mind a refurb, that BD drive makes this a pretty decent deal.

Manufacturers info page:

http://us.toshiba.com/computers/laptops/satellite/L770/L775D-S7340/

rtbaird wrote:I recently bought a VERY similar model (refurb, off woot) and that thing was a piece of dung. It lasted two weeks before the display went out. Toshiba initially refused to fix it under warranty (2 wks old!). I finally got them to agree to fix it if I paid for shipping(!?!?) No deal. I sold it for parts. Bottom line is that you can see Toshiba's quality is at a low point right now if you google it.

Thank you for your extreme negative claims. There isn't a single product buyer review set that doesn't have at least three or four extreme "its junk" buyer reviews. It is so common I am nervous if I do not find them as their absence is an indicator the review set is fake. Of course, we have no way of knowing if you have a personal agenda of some sort or if you even bought or own a Toshiba or if what you claim happened, actually happened. Even if there is a online "report" that Toshiba quality is dropping, you can find anything online. I can post several links here to sites that say aliens live among us. Others that claim they know aliens and still others who say there are no aliens.

[quote postid="5075338" user="Ultraglyd"you can live with the pre-installed crapware.[/quote]

Crapware can be uninstalled and few laptops have usb 3.0 at this point and certainly not for this price.

ckeilah wrote:This is one of the best keyboard layouts on a laptop, ever! Alas, it's still not a typist's dream, but we'll probably never get a true mechanical keyboard in a laptop, so this is about as good as it gets. And at this price, I think it's time to kick Apple (and their iOSification of OSX) to the curb. This little box with Linux on it is amazing at this price.

seriously the touchpad is so offset, i've never understood this. I buy a laptop to sit in the center of the laptop, with the touchpad being so far left you end up sitting off center from the screen. I will never buy a laptop like this.

Two questions: what's the warranty and can I play Diablo III on it? Id be the only PC game played on it!

beekermartin wrote:I've been watching laptops for awhile and this seems like the best deal I've seen in months. Considering the bluray drive and the screen resolution that is. I know it no tower gaming replacement but it seems to fit my wife's needs perfectly. I really want to buy this but I really hate HP. I am going to bed. If it is still available in the morning I will read the comments and decide then.

We have this same model sans blu-ray. Our business uses nothing but Toshiba laptops as they've proved to be the most reliable by far. Not a hiccup from any of them over the past 6 years. We're a small biz so reliability is what we need.

srchibimn01 wrote:Two questions: what's the warranty and can I play Diablo III on it? Id be the only PC game played on it!

Hmmm, just saw warranty answer, what about DIII? Bueller?

rtbaird wrote:I recently bought a VERY similar model (refurb, off woot) and that thing was a piece of dung. It lasted two weeks before the display went out. Toshiba initially refused to fix it under warranty (2 wks old!). I finally got them to agree to fix it if I paid for shipping(!?!?) No deal. I sold it for parts. Bottom line is that you can see Toshiba's quality is at a low point right now if you google it. Be careful out there, people!

I don't believe a word of this. Contrary to my experience with many Toshiba computers over the years. Bogus!

ctviggen wrote:Anyone know what these actually mean? I have a computer I built using an i3-2125 at 3.3GHz, which scores about 1,000 points higher on that scale than the processor in this laptop. How do I interpret that, considering my i3 is a dual core but does everything I need it to do?

Anyone know how easily the drive can be replaced to a SSD?

And 6GB of RAM is plenty. I have 8GB in the computer I'm typing this on, and I have 6 GB free right now (using 2GB).

Excellent point. Buyers really need to know more about how corporations work than they do. They are big bureaucracies. The right says this all the time about government but almost never about large corporations. They talk so much about corporations as if they are dieties, instead of private versions of the large faceless organizations they are.

Just as different departments (such as the FBI and the NSA) put up barriers against each other as if they served different countries, similar things happen within large cororations. Two such politiking and infighting departments are engineering and marketing. Too often, marketing wins out over engineering and manufacturing departments. Marketing LOVES numbers.

What you need to know is this. All computers are SYSTEMS. Think of a system as a Special Forces team. The team is only as good as its weakest member (something the Army just could not get Bill Clinton to comprehend). Just because a laptop has a very powerful, fast processor that does not mean the computer is either powerful or fast. A laptop with an I 7 dual core and a 4800 RPM hard drive and a cheap motherboard and slow RAM memory cannot keep up with a dual core I3 that has a fast motherboard, fast RAM and Flash Drive.

Futhermore, a older computer running a small and fast version of Linux, running a top Linux Office Suite can run circles around a new tech computer running huge Windows 7 and a resource hogging anti-virus security suite and huge Microsoft Office.

CowboyDann wrote:I'll be honest I don't quite know a lot about computers but I know people like having the Processor Benchmarks

Hope this information is helpful.

The most important thing you need to understand when comparing computers with intent to buy is this. DO NOT BE A SUCKER of MARKETING DEPARTMENT SALES HYPE. THEY Love to push numbers and "NEW". New is not automatically better. Older is not necessarily inferior and COMPUTERS ARE SYSTEMS.

IT is not the processor alone, or the size of the Hard Drive, or How much RAM. No, these are just individual parts of a SYSTEM. A SYSTEM like an Army Combat Team is only as good as its WEAKEST MEMBER.

A Big slow Hard Drive will slow down any system. You can have lots of RAM, an expensive powerful dual core processor and a high throughput motherboard but if the hard drive is slow, you will have a slow computer. You can take a slower, cheaper processor and have a faster computer by having a 72000 RPM Hard Drive or better yet by having a Solid State Flash Drive.

nanaejt wrote:Rceived my notification of yesterday's festivities at 5:12 this morning!!! My feelings are hurt big time :-(

LOL - mine was 3:12 AM this morning...sounds like it was okay to missit. Could have sworn I had set a reminder regarding the B'day!!

Ultraglyd wrote:Battery life not so hot, and no usb 3.0 support. 6GB means that memory performance is not optimal as it would be with the full 8 GB, but for the price, not a bad deal assuming you can live with the pre-installed crapware.

"It’s always important to begin your search for a computer by understanding precisely what you want to do with it. That’s especially true with the Toshiba Satellite L775D-S7340, which is available for $679.99 (list) at Staples. In some areas of components and performance, this laptop is downright disappointing. But if you don’t have serious concerns on your mind, you might find it right up your alley, with a few eye entertainment features and hardware elements aimed at making you better appreciate the fun side of life. If games and movies are on your computing agenda (and if you’re always going to be near a source of power), it’s worth a look; otherwise, you’re probably going to want to cast your gaze elsewhere."

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/b/0,2817,2394997,00.asp

blackflag486 wrote:http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2394997,00.asp

They're saying it's decent at gaming on lower settings.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/b/0,2817,2394997,00.asp

For those wondering about the performance of this laptop:

I can play GTA-3 at full settings, rip a blueray disc, running SETI@home, and still have 2 cores left to use.

The battery last about 43 days while doing the above in addition to charging the fuel cells of the Space shuttle, jump starting my 1977 Monte Carlo landau coupe and supplying the city of Fort Wayne with power. It's amazing what you can do with USB outputs (even though its only USB 2.0).

I think it's a fair deal.

dougpaw57 wrote:A vacuum isn't much of a celebration where I come from...

That just means you're using it wrong.

epyzero wrote:Can anybody that has this tell me how long the battery life is like on a full use/charge?

"Poor productivity performance. Abysmal battery life. Screen is not 1080p. Slippery keys. No USB 3.0 support."
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/b/0,2817,2394997,00.asp

bruisedquasar wrote:Thank you for your extreme negative claims. There isn't a single product buyer review set that doesn't have at least three or four extreme "its junk" buyer reviews. It is so common I am nervous if I do not find them as their absence is an indicator the review set is fake. Of course, we have no way of knowing if you have a personal agenda of some sort or if you even bought or own a Toshiba or if what you claim happened, actually happened. Even if there is a online "report" that Toshiba quality is dropping, you can find anything online. I can post several links here to sites that say aliens live among us. Others that claim they know aliens and still others who say there are no aliens.

I logged on to Woot today hoping to find a laptop as mine just pooped out on me just this morning (I saw it coming). I was so excited to see a laptop - until I saw it was a Toshiba. I bought a Toshiba netbook from Woot a while back and when I couldn't even get it to turn on, I had to pay to ship it to Toshiba for repair. They sent it back "fixed" and it still wouldn't turn on. I had a LOT of trouble with their customer service. That's why I'll be taking a pass on this one. Walmart, here I come!

How big a deal is it that Microsoft is offering an upgrade to Windows 8 for $14.99 with the purchase of a NEW PC? It looks like the offer will not be extended to buyers of refurbished PCs. Is Windows 8 going to be a huge deal? Should this put me in the market for a new PC instead? I really need the 17.3" display, and I like the blu-ray feature.

We love our Toshiba's. We've got them going back to 2002 and as new as 2 yrs old - none of them have died - they all still work. We've also got HP's - but now avoid them after a friend who services them said they had a design a few years ago that overheated.

Number one rule for laptop longevity: never use them on soft surfaces like beds, carpet, sofas unless you have them on boards (with or without built-in cooling fans) and can assure the cooling ports on the bottom & sides are unblocked. Ignore this rule at your laptop's peril. Heat is their enemy.

Number two rule: (even tho many laptop chargers claim to have built-in surge protection) always plug into a surge protector. There are evil electrical spikes lurking at the coffee shop. Get one of those nice compact Belkins or whatever for your laptop bag. Your laptop will thank you.

Number three rule: never put your laptop to sleep when stowing it in your laptop bag - Shut It Down. Heat is the enemy and your laptop can fry itself if it wakes up in your bag.

P.S. Rule Two applies to ALL electronics including your phone, countertop microwave, tv, etc...

Charitwo wrote:>AMD
>usb2.0
>lack of imagery for the back and sides

no deal

Everything I've read says this AMD processor is better than some of the Intel Core i7. Also, their integrated graphics are comparable to a stand alone graphics card. If you do any gaming, it's worth the bucks. It's a good deal.

beekermartin wrote:I've been watching laptops for awhile and this seems like the best deal I've seen in months. Considering the bluray drive and the screen resolution that is. I know it no tower gaming replacement but it seems to fit my wife's needs perfectly. I really want to buy this but I really hate HP. I am going to bed. If it is still available in the morning I will read the comments and decide then.

I'm assuming you meant to post your comment in the Moofi thread, since that IS an HP today...

blacknight595 wrote:Anyone know the battery life? Also does anyone know if its an integrated graphics card, and if not how many MB it is?

As for Battery life, I saw a few reviews saying 3 1/2-4 hours, that's at the lower end of the spectrum for 6 cell batteries. I have been eying this laptop ever since 1saleaday had this refurb at $379 a couple of months ago, and Staples had it new for $449 or so. Then the prices rocketed back up.
I'm about to press the button on this deal before it sells out on me. The keyboard with its flat buttons and no spaces in between the letters is making me think twice.

Does anyone know if this laptop has wifi?

dheagler wrote:For those sad sacks of us that are a day behind, any review on teh fun stuff we missed please...

24 hours of people whining about how great woot! *used* to be.

I'm in fur one..
need a lappy.

Charitwo wrote:>AMD
>usb2.0
>lack of imagery for the back and sides

no deal

Nothing wrong with AMD unless you absolutely insist on paying more to get less.

schouty wrote:Does anyone know if this laptop has wifi?

Yes, per the specs:

Wireless: 802.11b/g/n

schouty wrote:Does anyone know if this laptop has wifi?

802.11b/g/n

drgarrett wrote:The "features" makes it sound like it has a touch screen. Trying to reel in people looking for a tablet maybe?

"Enjoy the ability to pinch, swipe, rotate or scroll through images on the display screen with a simple brush of your fingers"
...Yes, a brush of your fingers on the TOUCHPAD.

I'll admit, I wondered if it had a touch screen based upon the description. Thanks for the comment.

RWoodward wrote:Nothing wrong with AMD unless you absolutely insist on paying more to get less.

This makes no sense. The processors are priced based on performance niche. Generally the AMD processors are priced less when comparing equivalent benchmarks than their Intel counterparts. Both companies make great chips- Intel has a bigger name and can generally get more money because of it. Intel has the edge on high performance chips, AMD has the edge in general laptop use, because the APUs provide a great combination of processing and video power in one low cost chip. Both manufacturers have their strong points and neither one really has any weak points, they just seem to be stronger in different areas than each other.

doc362 wrote:5400rpm hard drive (super slow), AMD processor (lightyears slower than even Intel's last generation of chipsets), a video card that is under even the intel i5 2500k's CPU integrated chipset video (which is important considering the giant size of the screen), and a cheap (seemingly expensive) Blu-Ray "reader" as opposed to burner.. At 17.3" it's certainly clunky and the battery life must be impossibly short..let's also not forget the limited USB ports and lack of USB 3.0. Dollar store computer if I ever saw one..

What's not to love?

I bought an Acer laptop that wasn't on sale over a year and a half ago for slightly more with an i5 processor and a 1GB video card.

edit: thought it was 4gb of ram, not 6gb. still, I'd rather have 8.

Go look and see what other kind of laptops you can get for this price. You're comparing it to systems that cost a great deal more and it's extremely unfair. This is a budget laptop and for the price it's not bad.

rtbaird wrote:I recently bought a VERY similar model (refurb, off woot) and that thing was a piece of dung. It lasted two weeks before the display went out. Toshiba initially refused to fix it under warranty (2 wks old!). I finally got them to agree to fix it if I paid for shipping(!?!?) No deal. I sold it for parts. Bottom line is that you can see Toshiba's quality is at a low point right now if you google it. Be careful out there, people!

i disagree. I have a Toshiba laptop I bought at BB for 300, runs like a champ. THey are one of the few that have full layout kb with 10-key. Anyone that just needs email, web, light work, get a 300 lappy. This? THis is a steal for what you get. If I needed one I would be in for 3!

stuffhog wrote:What WAS that email telling us other than Woot has a birthday? What marathon???

[MOD: Uhm, you're a day late, dude. Sorry you missed the party. ]

Haha, I got that email last night too. Arrived in my inbox at 2:30, about 2 hours and 30 minutes after woot!'s birthday was over.

One Measly Freaking Gadget ! Just when I got permission from my girlfriend to buy this,it gets sold out. Life Sucks!

jwspiker wrote:seriously the touchpad is so offset, i've never understood this. I buy a laptop to sit in the center of the laptop, with the touchpad being so far left you end up sitting off center from the screen. I will never buy a laptop like this.

It's really quite simple. This keyboard has a separate numeric keypad area, just like on a desktop computer. If you were to center the touchpad in the middle of the keyboard as you say, it would basically be sitting under your right wrist as you type. FAR more sensible to center the touchpad in the center of the TYPING area, just like this one is.

Never mind - it's sold out now anyway.

gak0090 wrote:For those wondering about the performance of this laptop:

I can play GTA-3 at full settings, rip a blueray disc, running SETI@home, and still have 2 cores left to use.

The battery last about 43 days while doing the above in addition to charging the fuel cells of the Space shuttle, jump starting my 1977 Monte Carlo landau coupe and supplying the city of Fort Wayne with power. It's amazing what you can do with USB outputs (even though its only USB 2.0).

I think it's a fair deal.

Thanks,very helpful.

I have a feeling I am going to regret not pressing the buy it button before the sellout. I have been trying to decide if I "need" to upgrade or just "want". The current machine is 6-7 years old but still running good. It has had a few hiccups, likely user error.

I am using a nearly idential keyboard on my current laptop. I have no problems with the touchpad centered on the letters. The touchpad did take some practice when I first got it, though. Now, my main complaint is the cat strolling across and changing all sorts of nifty things. Her paws activate the touchpad and she is also very good at finding new keyboard shortcuts for me!

Ultraglyd wrote:Battery life not so hot, and no usb 3.0 support. 6GB means that memory performance is not optimal as it would be with the full 8 GB, but for the price, not a bad deal assuming you can live with the pre-installed crapware.

Isn't the crapware removable?

SanchoPanza wrote:How big a deal is it that Microsoft is offering an upgrade to Windows 8 for $14.99 with the purchase of a NEW PC? It looks like the offer will not be extended to buyers of refurbished PCs. Is Windows 8 going to be a huge deal? Should this put me in the market for a new PC instead? I really need the 17.3" display, and I like the blu-ray feature.

Windows 8 is only a deal If you have a touch screen computer. I'm running it right now on a desktop computer and it is rather annoying for normal desktop use. The "Metro" touch screen interface is ok, but makes normal Windows desktop tasks more difficult. I am going back to W7 in a couple of days.