Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Howdy!
Well, so far it's been a week with my new toy, and I've come to appreciate its' strengths and weaknesses so far. First, I'll let you know why I got it. I plan on going back to school, and I needed a fairly mobile notebook to use in class and for my schoolwork, as well as light gaming and occasional DVD movies. (...) So, here are the bad points first:
Built-in memory/Hard drive - 256MB with XP doesn't cut the mustard, and with 32MB taken out of the main system memory for your video card leaves you with a paltry 224MB RAM available. This hurts performance, since the swap file is constantly used, and with a 4,200 RPM drive, it can bog the system down. I recommend an immediate upgrade to at least 512MB RAM on top of the included 256MB. Also, I know that this is a basic system, so 40GB HD space is limited, but 60GB would have been really nice. Wishful thinking, though. ;)
Power adapter - A true brick, over a pound. Yuck.
No WiFi - This is somewhat bad and somewhat good, since I was able to get a WiFi PC card that works with my D-Link router to give me double 802.11g speeds, which is cool. I wouldn't be able to do that with built-in WiFi. The antennae sticking out of the PC Card is sometimes a eyesore, though.
The good:
Display - 15" display is very nice, although viewing angle isn't all that great. Still, considering that I'll want to do some private work on this, that's probably a good thing.
Keyboard - Not too mushy, and the keys are placed a bit oddly, but nothing you can't get over after a few days of intense use.
Processor - For what I do, the 2.8 GHz Celeron is fine, and with the RAM upgrade, it rarely runs at 100%.
So, that's it. Overall, if you want a student-level or really basic notebook, go ahead and get this one, it's pretty decent. If you're even a medium-level gamer or someone that needs more than the basics, go elsewhere. =)
Click Here to see more reviews about: Toshiba Satellite A45-S120 Notebook PC (2.6 GHz Celeron, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive, CD-RW, 15-inch Display)
The Toshiba Satellite A45-S120 is an entry level notebook that will appeal to students, families, and small businesses who crave mobility. The A45-S120 resides at the low end of Toshiba's Satellite A45 lineup, and it features a 40 GB hard drive, 256 MB installed RAM, a 15-inch TFT display, and a DVD player/CD writer combo drive. Stepping up to the next level with the A45-S150 adds a faster Mobile Intel Pentium 4 processor, integrated wireless card, and larger RAM and hard drive, while the A45-S250 adds an even faster Pentium 4 processor and a DVD writer.
The Basics
Hard Drive: The 40 GB enhanced IDE hard drive (4200 RPM) will suffice for storing the majority of your software applications and document files, but it is on the low side compared with other models in this Toshiba Satellite line.
Processor: While not as powerful as a Pentium 4, the 2.6 GHz Intel Celeron processor is speedy enough for everyday computing tasks and CD burning. It also has 1 128 KB L2 cache and a 400 MHz FSB (front-side bus).
Memory: The installed 256 MB of DDR SDRAM is serviceable, but you should think of it as a starting point--especially if you plan on working with processor-intensive spreadsheets or PC games. It has two slots that can be expanded to 2 GB (2048 MB).
CD/DVD Drive: It comes equipped with a combo DVD/CD-RW drive, which enables you to play DVD-ROM discs and DVD movies as well as burn data and record music to CD discs. The CD writer has the following speeds: 24x write/10x rewrite/24x read.
Keyboard & Mouse: The A45-S120 has an 85-key keyboard with 12 function keys and a two-button touchpad.
Sound and Graphics It features an integrated Intel 852GME graphics controller with 32 MB of shared video memory. The 15-inch TFT active matrix display has a native resolution of 1024 x 768 and supports up to 16 million colors. The integrated audio card provides good sound while keeping the cost of this package down; the A45-S120 has two internal speakers.
Connectivity and Expansion Slots The A45-S120 offers a basic amount of connectivity options:
4 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
1 parallel port for connecting older printers and scanners
1 RGB monitor port
1 PCMCIA (or PC Card) slot (Type II)
1 headphone jack and 1 microphone jack
It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.92), and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems).
Preloaded System and Software The A45-S120 comes with the Windows XP Home Edition operating system, and it also features Microsoft Works (for working with word processing and spreadsheet documents). Other preloaded software includes Norton Antivirus 2003 (with 90 days of complimentary live updates), Quicken New User Edition 2004, and ArcSoft ShowBiz DVD 1.3.
Dimensions and Weight Definitely not the smallest on the block, the A45-S120 notebook measures 13.2 x 11.7 x 1.9 inches (L x W x H) and weighs a comfortable 7.7 pounds.
Power The included rechargeable lithium-ion battery has 12 cells (which refers to the number of charge-storing components within the battery) and offers a standard amount of power for a notebook PC (around 2.9 hours of typical use).
What's in the Box This package includes the Toshiba Satellite A45-S120 notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions.
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