<p>I would never buy a laptop like that. It's all because of that 3.33 Ghz processor. The fact that the clockspeed is so high means that it's a pentium 4, which sucks for laptops. The reason the processors on IBMs/Dells/Sonys don't approach your 3.33 Ghz P4 is because they use the Pentium M processor, which is a whole lot more efficient. A 2.0 Ghz pentium M will run as fast as your 3.33 Ghz P4, and that assumes the P4 is running at peak performance. (which it won't, due to heat/energy) What's more, that processor is going to eat away at your battery like no other. That's why the Pentium M is replacing P4s all across the market. It's just a better processor.</p>
<p>Personally, I've never liked the build quality of Toshibas. Dells/Sony/Apple/IBM all have better screens, and the keyboard can't compare to thinkpads/powerbooks. Thinkpads are also a lot more resilient. It seems with Toshibas that there's a 50-50 chance that you'll either get a high quality machine that'll serve you well, or a piece of junk that'll keep breaking on you until you get a new one. Then again, I'm a huge thinkpad/powerbook fan.</p>
<p>The good news is that you saved ~$500 by going with Toshiba. Even with 30% off for IBM or the student discount at apple, I'll be spending at least 2k.</p>