Toshiba 2415-S205 notebook
Written: Aug 26 '03 (Updated Aug 26 '03)
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Pros: Good desktop replacement, reliable, compatible, feature-rich, low price
Cons: Short battery life, heavy, XP Home not XP Pro operating system
The Bottom Line: Worth buying (although it appears to be discontinued now). It is a good desktop replacement machine at a competitive price.
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| chiral's Full Review: Toshiba Satellite 2415-S205 (PS241U-85143V) PC Not... |
I've had this notebook for about 7 months. It's a good desktop replacement computer, but maybe not so good for a road warrior.
I got a good deal on it after factoring in the various rebates and freebies -- $100 rebate, free notebook battery (worth another $200), free 256 MB PC2100 DDR memory module, free Norton AV/Norton Utilities, free Epson inkjet printer, free 30 pack CD-R spindle, free 1.3 MB digital camera, and free Encyclopedia Britannica CD.
The computer is feature rich: 2.0 GHz Pentium 4-M CPU, 256 MB DDR PC2100 RAM, 15" active LCD screen, 40 GB hard disk, combination DVD-CD-RW drive, 1.44 MB floppy drive, nVidia 16 MB video, sound card and speakers, headphone jack, microphone jack, speaker volume dial, front panel CD button controls (e.g., play/pause, stop, eject, next, skip), three USB 1.1 ports, parallel port, computer monitor out port, NTSC TV out jack, 10/100 network card, v.92 fax/modem, mini-PCI slot for an 802.11b Wi-Fi adapter, two Type II/III Cardbus slots, WinDVD software decoder, Microsoft Works, Quicken Basic 2001, and Norton Anti-virus 2002 (3 month subscription).
Unfortunately, the operating system is XP Home instead of XP Pro.
You can even play music CDs with the computer off by using the front-mounted CD buttons. However, if you have to log into the computer with a password, then the computer will turn on and you will have to log in first (which basically defeats the advantage of this CD playing feature).
The computer has been compatible with all of the hardware and software that I've installed: PNY 256 MB DDR PC2100 memory module, Orange Micro USB 2.0/Firewire Cardbus adapter, SMC 2835W 802.11g Cardbus network adapter, Lexar Media 256 MB JumpDrive keychain drive, MS Office 97, MS Publisher 97, Microsoft Streets & Trips 2003, Norton Antivirus 2003, and various freeware apps (e.g., Ad-Aware, Spybot Search & Destroy, and Webwasher).
There is also a security slot to lock down the computer. I installed an APC/Kryptonite cable lock and the metal "lock stud" attached to the security slot perfectly.
Computer setup was easy. Basically, I unpacked the machine and turned it on. The battery was low but had enough power to run the system for a few minutes. Then it went into sleep mode automatically. All I had to do was connect the AC adapter to keep the computer running and to recharge the battery.
I've successfully connected several devices to the USB 1.1 ports (and to the USB 2.0 Cardbus adapter later on): the Lexar Media JumpDrive keychain drive, a Lexar Media Multi-Card Reader (reads CompactFlash, MemoryStick, SD, xD, and SmartMedia) a 100 MB external Iomega ZIP drive, and a Canon S230 digital camera. The first three didn't require any drivers. True plug and play. The only glitch was that both Lexar products are USB 2.0 devices and XP Home pops up a little bubble message saying that these fast devices are plugged into a slow USB 1.1 port (that's why I got the Orange Micro USB 2.0/Firewire card). The Canon driver and image software installation was easy.
Connecting to my cable Internet service was easy. I simply plugged in the Ethernet cable from my home router to the notebook's built-in 10/100 jack and I was online. I recently switched to an 802.11g wireless connection, and the notebook network card and driver installation was straightforward.
I've played DVD movies (e.g., The Matrix) on the notebook and video quality is good. I can't get the movies to play through the NTSC TV out port (a standard limitation).
Speed is good and scales closely with the CPU clock speed. I made dozens of modeling and simulation number crunching runs and the Toshiba compared favorably to my desktop Dell Dimension 4400 Pentium 4 1.8 GHz system.
The screen quality is very high. The only downside is that the maximum resolution is 1024x768. However, you can drive an external monitor to a higher resolution (at least 1280x1024).
Battery life is poor - only about 2 hrs when running in high power mode, longer (but not quantified) in the battery saver mode (or whatever Toshiba calls it). The problem with the battery saver mode is that it basically puts the computer to sleep after only a few minutes (the settings are user adjustable, I just haven't done so yet). This sometimes messes up my wireless LAN connection and I have to re-connect using the Microsoft Wireless Zero Configuration utility. On rarer occasions, I have to reboot because I can't re-establish my wireless connection (this usually happens if I leave the computer unattended for say an hour vs. 5-10 minutes). The additional power drain from the SMC 2835W network card doesn't help battery life.
I got a spare Toshiba battery for the computer. Removing the installed battery is easy. Then you take out the battery from its plastic holder, drop in the new battery, and re-install the ensemble into the computer.
If you don't want to keep the battery installed in the computer, you can remove the battery and run the Toshiba on AC power (I've tried this and it works fine; however, I haven't tried a hot swap removal of the battery while the computer is running under AC power). That way, you won't be constantly recharging an already-charged battery, which can extend the life of the battery. The negative is that you will lose your data if a blackout hits (unless you connect the AC adapter to a UPS).
The bottom of the computer has never gotten too hot for direct contact with my lap.
The computer weight is high (7.5 lbs) and it's a bit thick (1.7") but that's expected for this class of machine.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1300
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Other
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 15 inches
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 31-40
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Epinions.com ID:
chiral
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Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 0 members
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