[etaf]

It is my belief it is standard spacing ...if not key crowding would be a few millimeters at best.

I agree - My Sony - which does not have the keypad and is only 16.5 display - has the keys quite spaced out - with a big gap between each key
And i didnt notice on th etoshiba the keys difficult to use or any different to my toshiba and HP keyboard - just I kept going to the end of the keyboard for the return key

Thanks for the clarification aka brett on the CPU - that was i all I could think it was a much higher spec CPU to warrant the $400 ...

[aka Brett]

Originally Posted by etaf

I agree - My Sony - which does not have the keypad and is only 16.5 display - has the keys quite spaced out - with a big gap between each key
And i didnt notice on th etoshiba the keys difficult to use or any different to my toshiba and HP keyboard - just I kept going to the end of the keyboard for the return key

Thanks for the clarification aka brett on the CPU - that was i all I could think it was a much higher spec CPU to warrant the $400 ...

I think its standard spacing as well....my keys although spaced the same,dont have that good dip and sharp edge on them as some keys,making referance a little more difficult without having to look at the keyboard.....common on a laptop
The cpu is nicer..but not 400 worth..thats alot of money..at most i would give it about a 100 dollar extra value.
As long as a person has dual cores of any kind they will have a good experience with basic needs...when 7 hit the market...single core started coming back,as it runs better than vista..so it seems we have to pay for dual core...when a few months ago it was the norm for a basic laptop.
A dual core intel 17 inch laptop is a steal at less than 600...especially a Toshiba

[redoak]

Thank you, thank you. I could not discern the number pad in the photo. It is not mentioned in the specs list, as some other manufacturers do.

I went back to the photos and zoomed the one that shows the keyboard. I spotted four rows of vertical keys which I must say are where a # pad would be. I took a screen shot with my "FastStone Capture" and it is attached.

Your other observations all make very good sense, esp. the saving of $400 for a very good computer for my purposes.

Finally, it looks like on Monday morning I will call the sales rep I dealt with at Toshiba, Kyle, a very helpful person located in AZ but originally from WI, and place the order!

"Patience is a virtue!" You sure have had plenty with me!

{redoak}

[aka Brett]

How long does the toshiba special last?

[redoak]

I am not aware that it is a "special." I found the computer routinely at their site and placed a request for a sales person to help me. Kyle said he could expedite the order rather than for me to go thru the regular ordering procedure.

On second thought, Kyle did mention that his $# was different from mine (actually a little less) because I was using the url for "yesterday" and he was on "today's." So, perhaps, this is some kind of a special.

{redoak}

[redoak]

"aka- - ": I just opened an unsolicited e-mail from Toshiba calling attention to "sales" thru the 8th, tomorrow! My selected computer is among the items under "Satellite."

Here is the link:
http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/...us_ecat-_-ECIQ

[aka Brett]

It is 170 dollars off at the moment...a pretty decent discount

[redoak]

This morning I revised my specs- options- and sent an e-mail to Kyle, the sales rep at Toshiba. I expect he will call me tomorrow morning.

Attached is what I ended up with. I removed the 12 cell battery. I went with 3 GB RAM. Otherwise my selections from Friday remained. The price now is $614.00, plus NYS sales tax. Shipping is free.

If anyone sees something that doesn't look right, please post ASAP. I will be here taking a look before I talk with Kyle.

{redoak}

[aka Brett]

Thata a pretty nice set up
one thing I would change though is bump the ram up to 4 gigs....the performance will not be extreme but it will exist due to a couple reasons....with a 2 gig stick and a 1 gig stick...you do not have full ddr2...the sticks run in parallel to give ddr2..the new mother boards can make 3 gigs run in ddr2...but only for the parallel information in ram..in other words most of the info in ram will be full ddr2 and the remaining wont...when the ram loads up it ...it loads the info on each stick{2 sticks} true ddr2.
now with 3 gigs we have a odd number...there is nothing to match the odd number so to say.
the performance difference is small as most of the ram is still running parallel its just a few percentage points .
you will still always have your 3 gigs to use dont get me wrong,,,but i always have been one for fast ram.....dependent upon what you are doing ram speed is as much a factor as cpu speed as they both work together to do a scan etc...with some applications ram speed dont matter but with many it does.
so therefore the extra 26 bucks to go to a full 4 gigs is something I would do personally..especially since the price is right for a factory install.
Also you will be able to use the 4 gigs fully as it is a 64 bit os........the unit is fine in the stock configuration IMO,but i see now that you are willing to spend extra on it....you dont need 4 gigs,,it will run fine either way,but if you are willing to spend over 600 then 26 more is very minor IMO.
Personally I have 2 gigs and mine runs just fine....I am running 32 bit at the moment..if i go back to 64 I will go to 4 gigs just for grins.....The extra ram comes into play when we use many different apps etc...some of the actual users files can be stored in ram as well...example i have several pdf files i go through...opening them is snap...just like that..as most of these regular files must be stored in ram,as when i open them there is one brief flash of the light for hdd activity....the more ram one has,,the more these common files can be ready for fast usage....windows fetches the files i use regularity and has them ready to go...it does work...regardless of the many arguments as to how it works exist.

Your activity may not be noticeable with 2 gigs verses 4 gigs as far as performance wise....I get to editing a photo with many corrections etc,that I end up losing some of what was fetched,as i dont have that ultra fast launching time until the common files have been used again......as the fetched files had to be let go for my prior task.

4 gigs can come in handy even for basic tasks if a person has a habit of not closing apps{I am guilty} especially with 7 as the task bar doesnt get cluttered.....it is common for me to have media player open,a couple pdf files,20 firefox,3 internet explorer,2 notepads,resource monitor.yahoo messenger,windows mail, and sometimes some photo apps.....I could use 4 gigs...as I wouldnt be pushing out fetched files due to my user habit of many tasks running at once there by using ram

[redoak]

"aka- - -": That sure was "ASAP." I am up my usual time- 0100 to 0200 USA EST - and found your reply of late yesterday made shortly after I posted the "final" specs. In life, nothing is "final" but death and taxes, so I will revise my specs to 4 GB RAM when I talk to Kyle.

I understand your tech explanation about 3 vs. 4 "sticks," although that was something I previously had no knowledge about. I am so fortunate to have friends here at TSG who can advise re such matters.

Your lengthy posts of info and advice have been very much appreciated, as is true for all the others, too!

{redoak}

[aka Brett]

We are glad to help

[etaf]

thats was the same addition change i would make - go with the 4GB

[redoak]

I only wish it were possible to treat all of you to "a pint" at a "pub!"

The Toshiba is on its way to me, with 4 GB RAM!

In closing, many, many thanks.

{redoak}

[etaf]

enjoy
Dont forget to make a restore copy of the OS onto DVD when you get the machine.

[redoak]

"Etaf": Thanks for that reminder. I was told of that "feature" when I asked the Toshiba sales person about a CD or a special partition.

{redoak}