Toshiba Tecra A11 Notebook: Business Class
Often, when targeting business professionals, laptop PC makers seem to focus so much on getting their products perceived as reliable or cost-effective that performance seems to become a secondary consideration. But the best business–class systems strike just the right balance, offering both solid performance and peace of mind. And with the Tecra A11, Toshiba is looking to show us that they've got that balance down to a Toshiba laptop for business class.
The Tecra A11 is a desktop replacement that's a little more portable than many of the breed, thanks to a 15.6- instead of 17-inch or larger screen -- but a high-resolution screen, rest assured, at 1,440 by 900 with native 720p HD support. Weighing in at as little as 5.6 pounds depending on configuration options, it measures 9.9 by 14.7 by 1.5 inches. So it's not the slimmest 15-inch-class laptop you're going to come across, but it's not the bulkiest, either.
And at a price of $1,349 for the top-of-the-line Tecra A11-S3540 model tested, Toshiba certainly packs a lot into the package. That starts with the Intel Core i7-620M, a 2.66GHz dual-core CPU that is paired with the Intel Mobile QM57 Express chipset, has 4MB of Smart Cache, accelerates to 3.33GHz for single-threaded workloads thanks to Turbo Boost Technology, and pretends to be a quad-core for multithreaded workloads thanks to Hyper-Threading.
The S3540 also comes configured with 4GB of DDR3-1066 memory (upgradable to 8GB, though you'll have to replace the included DIMMs to max out the memory). As far as storage goes, our Tecra came with a 7,200-rpm 320GB SATA hard drive that skimped neither on space nor performance. The included optical drive is a DVD Super Multi drive that supports any format you can think of short of Blue-ray.
We ran the daily battery test strain using a constant stream of audio files and video files as well as basic word documents and internet browsing. It stayed alive for a respectable 3 hours and 50 minutes, but dropped to just under 2 hours when playing a DVD. This isn't terribly impressive for normal usage, or compared to the competition, but do keep in mind the Toshiba Tecra A11 has almost a full pound advantage in weight over models like the Lenovo ThinkPad T400.
The Tecra A11 is a desktop replacement that's a little more portable than many of the breed, thanks to a 15.6- instead of 17-inch or larger screen -- but a high-resolution screen, rest assured, at 1,440 by 900 with native 720p HD support. Weighing in at as little as 5.6 pounds depending on configuration options, it measures 9.9 by 14.7 by 1.5 inches. So it's not the slimmest 15-inch-class laptop you're going to come across, but it's not the bulkiest, either.
And at a price of $1,349 for the top-of-the-line Tecra A11-S3540 model tested, Toshiba certainly packs a lot into the package. That starts with the Intel Core i7-620M, a 2.66GHz dual-core CPU that is paired with the Intel Mobile QM57 Express chipset, has 4MB of Smart Cache, accelerates to 3.33GHz for single-threaded workloads thanks to Turbo Boost Technology, and pretends to be a quad-core for multithreaded workloads thanks to Hyper-Threading.
The S3540 also comes configured with 4GB of DDR3-1066 memory (upgradable to 8GB, though you'll have to replace the included DIMMs to max out the memory). As far as storage goes, our Tecra came with a 7,200-rpm 320GB SATA hard drive that skimped neither on space nor performance. The included optical drive is a DVD Super Multi drive that supports any format you can think of short of Blue-ray.
We ran the daily battery test strain using a constant stream of audio files and video files as well as basic word documents and internet browsing. It stayed alive for a respectable 3 hours and 50 minutes, but dropped to just under 2 hours when playing a DVD. This isn't terribly impressive for normal usage, or compared to the competition, but do keep in mind the Toshiba Tecra A11 has almost a full pound advantage in weight over models like the Lenovo ThinkPad T400.
Conclusion
At a price tickling the $1500 mark, the Tecra A11 is a bit more spending than a close competitor like the Lenovo ThinkPad T400. It packs business class looks and comes loaded with almost everything you might need. While it may not be a lean and mean 12 or 13.3 inch form factor, the A11 is a very competitive with its 4.3 lb, 14.1 inch frame. Is it a bit more expensive than others hitting the mark? Yes - but I feel it's a very good contender to the Sony's and Mac books out there to carry a good brand following from Toshiba.
It plays fairly well on the road, has business casual looks, and performs like an rock star at the super bowl halftime show. I'm not sold on the hard drive space, and it could do justice for a slightly better resolution to match it's dedicated GPU. I suppose just make sure to keep a spare battery or power outlet nearby and I'd be safe to guess you'll stay productive - and if you planned on purchasing this unit for playing DVD's...you better tell your boss that before complaining to me about it.
At a price tickling the $1500 mark, the Tecra A11 is a bit more spending than a close competitor like the Lenovo ThinkPad T400. It packs business class looks and comes loaded with almost everything you might need. While it may not be a lean and mean 12 or 13.3 inch form factor, the A11 is a very competitive with its 4.3 lb, 14.1 inch frame. Is it a bit more expensive than others hitting the mark? Yes - but I feel it's a very good contender to the Sony's and Mac books out there to carry a good brand following from Toshiba.
It plays fairly well on the road, has business casual looks, and performs like an rock star at the super bowl halftime show. I'm not sold on the hard drive space, and it could do justice for a slightly better resolution to match it's dedicated GPU. I suppose just make sure to keep a spare battery or power outlet nearby and I'd be safe to guess you'll stay productive - and if you planned on purchasing this unit for playing DVD's...you better tell your boss that before complaining to me about it.
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