First, if you're looking for a laptop with all the bells and whistles, this version of Toshiba's Satellite isn't it. Still, it's a great unit. The screen is amazing. Crystal clear and sharp. Not overly glossy to the point where you can see who's standing behind you. Movies look amazing on it.You can get by with the 1 gig of ram it comes with, but be prepared for it to be a little sluggish. Still perfectly usable, but if you really want to take advantage of the nature of dual core (i.e. multi-tasking) then you'll want 2 gig. I put 2GB of Kingston, (2 x 1GB) 200-Pin DDR2 667 (PC2 5300), in the system and it has run flawless.
Very nice touch-pad on this unit and the left-right buttons under the touch pad are just right not too mushy to cause an accidental click and not to stiff that they are annoying. Keyboard is laid out nicely with the "delete" key in the top right corner. Just the way I like it. Movies played perfectly and I was able to burn CD's right out of the box. Vista has a very cool drag and drop CD burning utility built into the OS. Sound system very nice, though speakers not adequate for movies too quiet. But the simulated Dolby Surround for headphones works very well.
Other nice features that other laptops fail to include is a latching mechanism when you close the "lid" and a switch that let's you instantly turn off WiFi. This works very well by the way and stretches battery power when you don't need to be "connected."
The quibbles. If you are going to use this laptop for typing your next novel, you might want to try out the keyboard in your local PC store to make sure you are comfortable typing on it for extended periods. It's a little on the stiff side compared to some others. Another minor grip is no TV out. It does have a VGA out, but if you want to throw the image onto a TV you'll need a converter a simple VGA to S-Video cable for example won't cut it. Also, it only has 2 USB ports. If you plan to use it as your desktop unit as well, you might need a USB hub.
These gripes are minor in my opinion because I don't really NEED them, but to me, it was worth the sacrifice to get this unit at so low a price point.
I'm very happy with the system. Nice to have a Toshiba. Great brand. Everything worked, right out of the box. This one is replacing a Toshiba that I've had for years without issue.
As usual on Toshiba come with recovery cd (other brand not include this anymore, you have to burn it from the HD), quick install guide, and documents about warranty and toshiba accesories.
The finished look very well, except for the BIG BIG brand name on the lid, maybe somebody like that, not me. The keyboard is white color, the screen is pretty bright so you don't have any problem reading with sunlight. The weight is the normal for a 15.4" notebook, like 6 pounds.
This unit don't come with Card reader, you can see the space for it, but not coming with this model. I thought that thing about just two USB ports was a lie but is true, this notebook just have two USB port on the left side, doesn't have TV out.
PROs
Price
Dual Core 1.6ghz Processors
Bright Screen
Good Wireless reception
Good Finished
CONs
Windows Vista and Just 1GB of ram
Not card reader
Just 2 USB PortsThis laptop is a decent choice for those looking for a budget computer. Hard core gamers, enthusiasts, or anyone else looking for high-performance should look elsewhere. But for surfing the internet, office programs, and other basic applications this is a great choice. The dual-core Intel processor is more than enough to run those basic applications smoothly and quickly. The 120GB hard drive is plenty to keep all your music, videos, etc.
You will definitely want to upgrade the RAM to 2GB (the max) from the 1GB it came with. New memory should cost less than $50 at many online computer retailers and it provides a *very* noticeable improvement in performance. Upgrading is very simple, you open the hatch on the bottom of the laptop, remove the 2 memory modules there (2 x 512mb) and install the new modules (2 x 1GB). For those interested, the type of RAM you're looking for is DDR2 667 (PC2 5300) 200-pin SO-DIMM. Although many of those retailers let you enter the model# and it shows you compatible memory you can buy.
The weight listed here at amazon is 9lbs, but the actual weight is much less. This laptop replaces a 4 year old Dell Inspiron that was really over 9lbs and this laptop is significantly less. I'd say probably closer to 6lbs.
This doesn't come with any of the extras you see on more expensive laptops such as memory card readers, media buttons (like play/pause, forward, rewind, etc), extra USB ports (there are only 2), or things like bluetooth or N-wireless (it does come with B/G-wireless). The battery is also rather short, lasting only about 2 hours, a little more or less depending on the selected power profile.
The DVD drive reads and burns CDs and DVDs effortlessy. I don't use iTunes, so I can't comment on other's troubles with it, I'm sure it will influence your choice if that is a program you use frequently.
The screen is very very nice. Very clear and bright, and has a smooth anti-glare glass(?) covering. The build quality is overall very nice and feels solidly built.
For those interested, the Vista Experience scores are as follows:
Procesor=4.7
Memory (RAM)=4.2 (note that changing to 2GB did not affect this score)
Graphics=3.1 (poor due to Intel XMA graphics. this is why gamers should look elsewhere)
Gaming Graphics=3.3
Primary HardDisk=4.9I recently purchased this laptop at Best Buy and I am incredibly satisfied with it thus far. The one thing I made sure to do right away was to purchase 2GB of RAM when I got the laptop as mine only came with 1GB total (it had 2 512MB modules in it). This allows me to do more multitasking and have overall better performance (since Vista alone needs nearly 1GB of RAM just to work). I was able to install the new 1GB modules myself without any problem, the owners manual that accompanies the laptop shows you exactly how to do it in an easy-to-understand manner. The screen is brilliant and the keyboard is easy on the hands. I will mainly be using this computer for word processing and internet research (I am currently a full-time graduate student). However, this laptop is also compatible with iTunes and other popular media programs so I can listen to music, move songs to and from my iPod with the laptop, and also watch DVDs and streaming videos online with no problems. It is also equipped with a wireless internet card so you can go wireless with it right out of the box without any hassle.
I've noticed some people here have given this product bum reviews, and I think they must either have too high of standards for a basic model laptop or that they don't really know much about computers and their performance in the first place. One thing I found right off the bat was the multitude of unnecessary software that comes preinstalled with this laptop (as with pretty much all Windows-based computers today). The first thing you should do after turning your laptop on is to uninstall all the software you know you won't be using. This will free up space and increase performance as you eliminate programs you won't need. People interested in buying this laptop should also purchase additional RAM, as my model only came with 1GB. I bought 2GB RAM at Best Buy for $60, and the investment was well worth it. I have no issues with having multiple webpages up, iTunes playing music, and word processing all at the same time.
The people who have bashed this computer seem to not understand that certain steps need to be taken to improve overall performance, especially on base models like the Satellite A205. Toshiba is a great company, and this laptop is no disappointment by any means. I would highly recommend this laptop to any student who is on a budget and needs a computer for school. I would not recommend this laptop to hardcore gamers (the video card isn't built for those as it's a basic model), video editors (if you're doing video editing you should be using a Mac laptop), or those who demand incredibly high performance for complicated programs that need a higher performing machine to run them.
I hope this review helps some people, espeically students who need a quality laptop at a fair price. For people who want a higher performing laptop for gaming or other reasons, I would look to a higher model Toshiba with more featuers. But for basic everyday use (internet browsing, music, word processing, etc.) this laptop is perfect. The only reason this didn't get 5 stars was the lack of a higher performing video card if I do decide to do some gaming at some point in the future. However, since this is a basic model it's acceptable and I'm completely happy with it!A pretty decent powerhouse laptop for the price, but because of the low price point if has very little software. It's loaded with 'samples' and 'trials' that I deleted pretty much immediately. Loading itunes was difficult for some reason. I had to load it three times, and finally got it load after uninstalling quicktime. Now it appears to be fine. I have heard that toshiba laptops have this problem. I will say that I had heard both good and bad about vista before purchasing, and wasn't really concerned and I've gone through this several times before with everyone running around saying "windows 95 sucks, windows 98 sucks, windows xp sucks". If I had to do over, I would custom order a laptop without vista. Vista actually does appear to suck. It is not intuitive, and I cannot do the most simple task such as "save as" without jumping through hoops and much cursing. I just opened an excell spreadsheet I carry with me on a usb drive and it would not allow me to save it to the computer. I suppose as I learn it my opinion may change about Vista, but for jumping in and working with it immediately, it is a bit tough. Heck, they even hid the shut-down button in a most inconspicuous place.
The one real negative besides the OS, which is not toshiba's fault, is the horrendously short battery life. Carry your power cables with you, you'll need them. You get maybe...just maybe two hours of life at what I would call low level usage. It's on and I'm surfing. Heaven forbid I actually use the dvd drive and really shorten that battery life.
Screen display and size is fine, built in pointing is okay, but Acer's little scroll button is way better than the toshiba's nothing, you'll need a mouse for anything beyond basic goofing off.
I'm not really too disappointed in it, but it didn't impress me as much as I thought it would, even with the pretty decent price.
New add on 5-3-08: I've had this for a whle now and while I've gotten used to vista (used to and liking it are not the same..but it actually does appear to be incredibly stable) but the ONLY thing that I would really change is the pointing device. But to be honest, I carry the power cables and a mouse with it at all times, and the mouse comes out for anything I deem 'serious' computer usage.
New add on 9-26-08: dvd player/burner is toast, and I hardly ever used it. I don't watch movies on this thing, so the inconvenience factor is low, but I occasionally burn stuff so I bought a dual layer external with lightscribe.
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