Toshiba Tecra M8 Review

The Toshiba Tecra M8, like the Toshiba Satellite U300/U305 series, is a new 13.3" widescreen business notebook packing solid Intel Core 2 Duo performance in a relatively thin and light form factor. Add to that a thin integrated DVD SuperMulti drive, webcam, and fingerprint reader and this notebook starts looking even better. Toshiba calls the new M8 "a feature-rich fusion of mobility, performance and value" ... but is the M8 worthy of such praise?

The Toshiba Tecra M8 is available with various configurable options starting at $1,249.00 for a system with Windows XP. Our Windows Vista Business review unit (Tecra M8-S8011) features the following specs:

• Windows Vista Business (32-bit)
• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7100 (1.80GHz, 2MB L2, 800MHz FSB)
• Mobile Intel GM965 Express Chipset
• Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (802.11a/g/n)
• 1GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM (maximum capacity 4GB)
• 120GB Serial ATA hard disk drive (5400RPM)
• 8x DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) drive
• 13.3" diagonal widescreen TruBrite TFT LCD display at 1280x800 (WXGA)
• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 with 64MB-251MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory
• 1.3 megapixel webcam
• Bluetooth version 2.0 plus Enhanced Data Rate (EDR)
• PCMCIA Card slot
• 5-in-1 media card reader
• RGB out
• Microphone input port
• Headphone output port
• IEEE-1394 (FireWire)
• Three USB 2.0 ports
• Fingerprint reader
• Dimensions (WxDxH Front/H Rear): 12.2" x 8.9" x 1.19" /1.33" without feet
• Weight: 4.5 lbs
• 75W (19V x 3.95A) 100-240V AC Adapter (5.04" x 1.20" x 2.01" and weighs 0.77 lb)
• 6-cell (5200mAh) Lithium Ion battery (0.75 lbs)
• 1-Year Standard Limited Warranty

You may notice that the Toshiba website indicates that the Tecra M8 has a maximum memory capacity of 2GB. However, we confirmed that the maximum RAM capacity is in fact 4GB. While 1GB is plenty for Windows XP, any notebook running Vista will perform better with a minimum of 2GB of RA