TOSHIBA Satellite C855-S5233 Notebook Intel Celeron B820(1.7GHz) 15.6" 4GB Memory DDR3 1333 320GB HDD 5400rpm DVD Super Multi Intel HD Graphics

Pros: It's a laptop, and it's cheap. The processor can be upgraded to make a decent box: any 35W Core i5-M processor should work: known to work - i5-3210M Ivy Bridge. It has a DVD writer, and even though Toshiba's specs show the screen at 200 nits, it's reasonably bright and readable (has the typical shiny "mirror" screen). The stock configuration runs Ubuntu 12.04, though the Realtek 8808 (or whatever it was) has flaky performance at best.

Cons: The case is junk. I've never owned a laptop made of such flimsy and weak material. The display cover flexes at least 1/4 in if the notebook is picked up between the hand and the thumb. This thing feels like the case won't last 6 months of light duty use. My previous Toshiba laptops (it's been a while) felt much sturdier; and the numerous HP's I've owned have all had tough shells on them. The drive, at 5400 RPMs, coupled with an Intel Celery processor, make for a painfully slow experience. (Intel somehow manages to cripple their processors to create a bottom-of-the-barrel performance point that feels slower than a Pentium 4.) The WiFi chip (a Realtek unit) doesn't work well under Ubuntu 12.04 Precise.

Other Thoughts: If you're short on cash and handy with plastic epoxy (available at Lowes and other fine retailers), this could be the right laptop for you.

Pros: Excellent bang for the buck. Toshiba quality, inexpensive, USB3, optical disk, stays very cool even after hours of use. The textured surface is nice because on a hot day your palms/wrists don't stick to the surface if you're sweating a bit. Good keyboard layout and feel for fast touch typing.

For everyday use - writing, surfing the web, this thing is fantastic.

Also if you're looking to use it with one of the less expensive stand-up desks, the C855 is small enough that it will fit easily and light enough that it doesn't make them wobble.

Same keyboard as my Toshiba L675, just in a smaller frame. Full sized keys with the best keyboard layout for a laptop that I'm aware of (i.e. still a minor pain to adapt to but well thought out)

I currently use a corporate Dell laptop and a couple of other personal laptops. They all have good points but overall the C855 is the easiest one to live with and it's far and away the best value.

Cons: A fair degree of bloatware but nothing that 10 minutes of uninstalling can't fix.

Not actually a con since it's clearly listed in the specs, but it is a Celeron CPU. It's not going to be brilliant at CPU intensive tasks, but neither are any of the other laptop in this price range. The Celeron runs so cool that your thighs won't get melt from a warm/hot computer sitting on them so consider that in your decision.

Geek note: according to Passmark the Celeron B820 scores 1659 on their benchmark while the i3 350M (in my L675) scores 2086. So it's a 20% hit on synthetic benchmark scores but it's a big win on the Thigh Temperature Benchmark. I'd guess that it's at least a 10-15F difference in temperatures, possibly more. It's really noticeable, every day, every single time you use it in your lap. Throw in the price difference and the B820 CPU belongs in the "Pros"section.

Other Thoughts: I'm a software engineer, I use my L675 when I'm traveling and it works very well for that. It has been a great computer. The wife needed a laptop so we grabbed this C855 (they had a *screaming* price on it at the time - though still an excellent deal now) and it's equally as good.

Side note: My L675 is 17.3" and barely fits in the panniers on my motorcycle. I like this C855 enough that before my next long trip I'm going to buy another one to take with me. I trust the Toshiba brand because my L675 traveled over 3,000 miles so far in that pannier, without any special precautions. I just put it into a regular Targus shoulder bag and drop it in. It's a dual-sport motorcycle so about 500 of those miles were on dirt/gravel roads with lots of stutter bumps and small ditches. It has taken all the shaking and it still works perfectly. The C855 seems to be at least as well built and will take up much less room.

Pros: Cheap, nice screen

Cons: Piece of junk, tons of bloatware

Other Thoughts: The wireless turns itself off when the laptop goes into sleep mode, and will not turn back on until the laptop is rebooted. Updating the driver did not fix the problem.

The trackpad stopped working after 2 weeks.