Beautiful Ultrabook Toshiba Portege R930 Review

If you want the portability of an Ultrabook, but don't want to forsake features such as an optical drive and expansion ports, Toshiba's Portege R930 may just be your ticket to portable computing nirvana.

Toshiba has been a long time player in the ultraportable market with their Portege product line.ASUS K53E-B1 Ultrabook, Once thought of as executive jewelry, the Portage has come down in price and has added features making it an ultraportable that can supplant Ultrabooks in many use cases.ASUS K53E-B1 Ultrabook, However, Ultrabooks and Ultraportables differ in several areas, first of which being the inclusion of an optical drive, at least in Toshiba's case with the R930, which incorporates an integrated DVD-RW drive. Other differences include thickness and battery life; the R930 is thicker than the ultra-slim Ultrabooks and consumes the battery more quickly when used for high performance computing.

Throughout its history, Toshiba's Portege line has had the distinction of cramming an impressive array of computing capabilities into a diminutive package. However, the ultraportable market has become much more crowded thanks to the addition of Ultrabook computers. ASUS K53E-B1 Ultrabook, What sets the R930 apart from typical Ultrabooks is the inclusion of advanced features such as an optical drive and a plethora of ports. In short, the 13-inch R930 fits the bill of an Ultraportable, much like a traditional notebook,ASUS K53E-B1 Ultrabook, but scaled down in size, and should not be confused with an Ultrabook.

The R930 shares the same chassis as its predecessor, the R830. However, the R930 has been updated to work with Intel's third generation Ivy Bridge processors and incorporates the latest Intel graphics, the HD 4000 chipset,ASUS K53E-B1 Ultrabook, which boasts performance levels that approach discrete graphics processors. All of that is crammed into a Magnesium alloy casing that weighs a little more than 3.3 pounds and measures 1.05 inches thick, 8.93 inches deep and 12.44 inches wide.

The screen is housed in a magnesium alloy lid which helps to keep it safe and is attached to the main chassis via two metal hinges that hint at durability. ASUS K53E-B1 Ultrabook, We wouldn't call the Portege R930 as rugged as an HP Elitebook or Dell Latitude but the magnesium alloy construction should hold up to typical use and abuse around the office as long as the road warrior using it doesn't get carried away.

As previously mentioned, one of the biggest differences between an Ultrabook and a business ultrabortable like the Toshiba Portege R930 is the array of ports. First of all, you get a standard DVD-RW optical drive (something few Ultrabooks have). ASUS K53E-B1 Ultrabook, If that isn't enough, Toshiba also includes a full-size ExpressCard/54 expansion slot (which helps make this laptop more "future proof" since you can add new ports later) as well as a dedicated docking station port located on the bottom of the notebook in case you need to use the R930 as a desktop replacement.

The 13.3-inch display is bright and sharp, but with a resolution of 1366 x 768 there is a shortage of screen real-estate.ASUS K53E-B1 Ultrabook, The limited resolution makes it difficult to multitask with multiple document windows open at the same time.

Two small stereo speakers located at the top of the keyboard provide adequate sound, but won't win any praise from audiophiles. The R930 is whisper quiet, with only a barely perceivable hum coming from a small cooling fan located inside the unit.ASUS K53E-B1 Ultrabook, Thanks to the SSD, there is no drive noise as well. When plugged in on AC power and performing processor intensive tasks, the bottom of the R930 gets warm, but not so warm that it is uncomfortable on your lap. ASUS K53E-B1 Ultrabook, We used a thermometer to measure the hottest spot (near the processor heat sink) at a temperature of 114 degrees Fahrenheit (45.5 degrees Celsius).

The chiclet-style or island-style keyboard is responsive and easy to use, with good key travel and adequate spacing. Business users will be happy to see there are dedicated keys for Home, End, Page Up and Page Down all located in a row above the arrow keys. ASUS K53E-B1 Ultrabook, You'll also find dedicated buttons for Toshiba's eco mode (for extending battery life) HP EliteBook 8560p , and switching the display output from the built-in screen to an external monitor or projector.

The touchpad on the R930 is big with a smooth, matte surface providing good traction for fingertips. ASUS K53E-B1 Ultrabook, The two dedicated touchpad buttons have a metallic finish and a smooth texture. A dedicated touchpad on/off switch is located right above the touchpad, allowing heavy typers to shut off the touch pad so they don't move the pointer around unintentionally with their palms. ASUS K53E-B1 Ultrabook, That touchpad switch is also handy for people who want to use an external mouse.

As configured, the R930 proved to be an excellent performer, much of that performance can be attributed to the inclusion of an Intel Core i7 processor, SSD hard disk and Intel's Ivy Bridge architecture. As tested, the R930-S9330 proved to offer some pretty decent benchmark stores.ASUS K53E-B1 Ultrabook, Keep in mind that Toshiba offers the R930 in a number of different configurations ... including less expensive versions with weaker processors and fewer ports.

Using our older battery run-down test for Windows 7 ("Balanced" power profile,ASUS K53E-B1 Ultrabook, 70% screen brightness, wireless active and refreshing a web page every 60 seconds), we measured a respectable 6 hours and 49 minutes of battery life from the R930. Lowering the screen brightness further and enabling the vast array of Toshiba's power saving features added another 40 minutes of usable battery life to the unit.ASUS K53E-B1 Ultrabook, However, most users will choose to balance performance against power savings and never see the claimed 8 hours of life that Toshiba purports the R930 to have.

The Toshiba Portege R930 proves to be an excellent ultraportable computer, however many of the latest ultrabooks hitting the market offer better resolution, lighter travel weight and longer battery life. ASUS K53E-B1 Ultrabook, That said, those very same Ultrabooks lack the performance and flexability that Toshiba has been come to known for in the company's Portege product line.

Power users may want to strongly consider what the Portege R930 has to offer, before jumping on the Ultrabook bandwagon. Toshiba's excellent three-year warranty, great build quality and powerful performance is sure to keep the ultraportable market alive for some time, ASUS K53E-B1 Ultrabook, especially for those jobs where an Ultrabook just won't do!