Toshiba Satellite 5105-S607 Laptop (1.7-GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, 40 GB hard drive)
(3.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
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(5 out of 5)The best and true desktop replacement ever!!
This is the best laptop ever. This laptop is for replaceing your
desktop, so the price is a little deep. Toshiba puts all the best hardware in this laptop.
Pro:
CPU: The new P4 1.7GHz. Not just it is faster than PIII, it also has 512KB L2 cache (fast memory) with Intel SpeedStep Tech to save ur battery's life. 400hz front size bus, faster than most of the desktop. (eg AMD's 1800XP has only 266hz front size bus)
Memory: Oh my god. It has 512MB DDR Ram (PC2100), compare to normal SDRAM. This is so much much faster. Performance almost double.
Harddrive: 40GB hard drive, and IT IS 5400RPM!!! Compare to normal 4200RPM, it is a 20% faster.
DVD/CDRW: A must...
GRAPHIC CARD: WOW ! NVIDIA Geforce 4 440 Go with 32 DDR ram. Geforce 4 just came out a month a ago for desktop. Even the Go version is a water down version of desktop, it still provides a good frame rate to make hardcore gamer happy.
Sound card: Only a 16 bit sound card, but it comes with S/P DIF optical output, which you can record music to your Mini Disc player or hook up to some nice speaker.
Speakers: Harman/Kardon (w/sub woofer) speakers are great, i played some classical music on it and i can actually hear the 3D sound coming from left and right. Great for gamer too, you can hear where the bullet coming from.
Screen : 15" UXGA, very bright screen.
A lot of extra features you can't get on desktop: Smart media drive/SD drive for your digital camera pic downloa.
A small LCD in front with Play/FF/Rew button, so you can close your laptop ,still play music and knowing what song is it playing. New touch pad (C-pad), a great idea. IEE394, USB port.
Con:
Weight: with battery, it is almost 7.8lb.
Style: It looks like a toy, too colorful.
Short battery life: around 1hr and 10 mins.
SOftware: Not very useful software package.
(5 out of 5)Make Your Desktop PC a Paperweight
Once again Toshiba has proven that they're the leader in the portable computing market. The 5105-S607 exceeded all of my expectations the minute I took the product out of the box. Start with the mobile P4 1.7GHz SpeedStep-enabled processor and a 400MHz front-side bus. This model is one of a very select few laptops available (at the time of writing) with this next-generation processor.
As for memory, the system ships standard with 512 MB of PC2100 DDR RAM, enough to make Windows XP Home scream and your games come to life.
The hard drive is impressive: 40GB at 5400 RPM. This feature alone is enough to turn your current desktop into a paperweight.
For the techno-savvy, the 5105-S607 features a built-in DVD/CD-RW combination drive, perfect for burning CDs on the road. In addition, digital audio and video outputs allow the unit to connect to any television or home audio equipment for watching DVD movies and more. In addition, the unit is one of very few to feature an integrated IEEE-1394 DV connector for your digital video camera and built-in SmartMedia and SD card slots for quick downloading of digital photos.
The unit also features Synaptic's new CPad pointing device... The touchpad features a small backlit LCD screen that allows you to use a calculator, capture signatures/small drawings, etc. Unfortunately this new touchpad failed on my first 5105-S607 but Toshiba was quick to offer a replacement.
For the multimedia buff the system has yet another LCD display on the front allowing you to play, pause, stop, fast forward and rewind playing media. Disappointing, however, is that these hotkeys can only support certain applications: a severe limitation in the endless world of DVD and audio playback software.
As for the screen: a 15" Ultra XGA (UXGA) LCD that is crisp, clear and bright. Coupled with the new NVidia GeForce 440 Go and 32MB of dedicated video RAM, the machine offers impressive 3D performance and resolution up to 1600x1200.
Sound is provided by an onboard Yamaha AC-XG 16-bit sound card... enough to make most users happy. The Harman/Kardon speakers and a small subwoofer round off the package, making it ideal for listening to music, gaming and more. The 3D sound support is good, but too airy in certain situations.
Included software is minimal: Windows XP Home Edition (what was Toshiba thinking?), Toshiba's entourage of management utilities, Toshiba DVD player and simplified CD-burning software. Toshiba's unique Software Updates feature automatically downloads new software when it becomes available--but then again, so does Windows Update. I've had two circumstances where Windows Update and Toshiba's utility would both select drivers, with one outdating the other. For a seasoned PC pro, this shouldn't be a problem.
Now the cons: Weight... 7.8 pounds with battery. Enough to make the last minute airport terminal to terminal dash a hassle. But, with advanced power management features, the battery lasts about 1:45, which I consider poor for such a high-end machine. If you're flying, consider purchasing an in-flight charger adapter.
My only additonal rant is Toshiba's abandoning legacy ports on this model. You'll find USB, monitor, IEEE-1394, audio, ethernet (Intel 10/100 Pro) and modem ports only. If you need to connect a PS/2 keyboard, mouse or a serial device, your out of luck. In addition, the two removable media drives only support SmartMedia and SD cards--no CompactFlash, which is by far the most popular. I was strongly disappointed by this, but can live with my external USB card reader.
Overall, I'd recommend this machine to anyone looking for an ideal desktop replacement. The powerful processor, graphics, memory and the arsenal of connectivity options make this a perfect contender for that spot where you monitor now sits.
(2 out of 5)Too Expensive, there are better deals at Amazn
The battery life on this machine is disgusting. 1.67 hours? That is half the average life span of just about any other machine. However, by looking at the stats it is easy to see where all the power is going. The 1.7 GHz P4 processor is far from average. It also has only 32megs video card.
Laptop gets very hot! And after a while it freezes sometimes.
I made immediately exchange for Sony, which I am very happy now!
No stability problems and no heat issues!
Sony VAIO FXA53 Notebook (1.3 GHz Athlon XP1500) makes better deal, also battery life with Sony is up to 3hours.
I recomad Sony VAIO FXA53 Notbeook from Amazon!! 5 stars!
(2 out of 5)Not so happy!
Compaq makes better Notebooks, also Compaq Presario 725US Notebook (Athlon-4 1600+) is faster and cheaper right now. I recommend Compaq Notebook for extreme performance. I have been running Compaq for 2 weeks now, and did not find anything wrong with Compaq Athlon-4.
You will not be disappointed!
Thank you Amazon for great product and fast delivery!
(1 out of 5)From a Computer Pro in NYC
This laptop sucks. Can you believe they are using a software modem that can not connect even at 14.4 kbps. The machine heats up like a fireball. Battery life is non existant. It is over-sized, won't fit in a bag. This computer combines the worst of desktop and laptop computers. As far Toshiba customer support is concerned, it is non-existant. Shame on you Toshiba for selling this piece of junk at $3,000 ( the original price ). I know that I will NEVER EVER buy anything Toshiba again.