Toshiba Tecra A6 Review

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The Toshiba Tecra A6 is one of the first of Toshiba's Core Duo based laptops available on the Australian market. Toshiba describes this as being a "desktop replacement" due to its high specs however the light weight of this laptop (approximately 2.3kg/5lb) and compact 14.1 inch screen makes it fit comfortably at the upper end of the thin and light spectrum.

The notebook offers the following specs:

Intel Core Duo T2300 (Dual core, 1.66GHz, 667MHz FSB, 2MB L2 Cache)

Intel Mobile 945PM Chipset

512MB DDR2 533 RAM (two slots, one free)

60GB 2.5inch SATA HDD (5400 RPM)

14.1" WXGA Widescreen (1280x800)

Dual layer DVD+/-RW, DVD-RAM drive.

ATi Mobility Radeon X1400 (128MB Dedicated video memory) PCI-E

Built in Intel 802.11A/B/G wireless and Bluetooth

4xUSB, 1xFirewire, 1xTV-out, 1xVGA out, 1xSD/MMC/Memory Stick Card Reader, 1xGigabit LAN, 1xInternal Modem, 1xDocking adapter, 1xHeadphone Jack, 1xMicrophone Jack

Integrated Fingerprint Reader

Intel High Definition Audio

Trusted Platform Module (disabled in BIOS)

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343mm(W) x242mm(D) x29.8/38.0mm(H) | 13.5"(W)x9.5"(D)x1.17/1.5"(H)

2.3kg (4.98lb)

Reasons for Buying

I was after a new laptop due to the fact that I was starting at University and that I wanted a more portable computer for everyday use. I also wanted something that would outperform my Pentium 4 desktop system.

Also I wanted a laptop that would last at least a few years and be Windows Vista capable while not being too expensive up front. With Intel's much under-hyped launch of its next generation processors only a few notebooks sold currently possess the new chip. In Australia, at the time of writing the only notebooks offering Core Duo processors are several ASUS and Acer models, and Toshiba's Tecra A6 and A7 range.

The Tecra A7 is very similar in specs to the A6; however it offers a 15.1 inch widescreen and has the Radeon X1600 graphics card along with several other advantages over its cheaper cousin. I decided against the A7 as the 15.1 inch screen is not as compact as the A6 and I also do not game very often, meaning the extra expense wouldn't be worthwhile for me. I decided to buy the cheapest configuration model of the A6.

Where and How Purchased

I bought this laptop for $2150AUD at a local computer store. It comes with a 1 year return to Toshiba warranty. This was one of the cheapest Core Duo laptops currently available in Australia and given the extreme specs it was an absolute bargain.

Build & Design

The Toshiba Tecra A6 has a silver painted lid and inner surfaces. The bottom, back, sides, screen and keyboard are coloured a flat black. The Toshiba logo on the lid is reflective and surrounded by a square of brushed metal. All in all, it looks quite modern and stylish.

The 5 system status LEDs on the front left are all a pleasing green colour and not too bright. However, the "Wireless On" LED is located separately on the front of the laptop and is orange and extremely bright. I find this quite annoying, especially in a dark room. I would have preferred it if Toshiba just used another system LED for showing the wireless status.

The laptop is quite light and fairly solid, I couldn't notice any flexing of the screen though the screen tends to "wobble" a tiny bit if the screen is pressed, but despite that the hinges feel very solid. The Toshiba Tecra A6 isn't quite as solidly built as some iBooks and IBM Thinkpads I've used in the past but is all in all quite acceptable and much better then some older Toshiba laptops I've used.