A powerful machine but short on features
Written: Aug 31 '03 (Updated Sep 19 '03)
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Pros: Powerful: 2.2GHZ cpu, 512MB ram, 40GB hard drive, Built-in Wi-fi
Cons: Very basic feature set, limited ports, Windows XP Home.
The Bottom Line: As long as you know what you are getting and are prepared to seek out a deal, this powerful laptop can represent good value for money.
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| zimberto's Full Review: Toshiba Satellite A15-S157 (PSA10U-01C8WV) PC Note... |
I bought this laptop only recently but I have had quite a few laptops and can give you a feature overview beyond what you will get from the spec sheet or the salesman. And indeed, this computer is a "laptop" as it could not be considered to be the size of a notebook. It is larger than most laptops with a 15" screen but is not heavy, weighing in at just over 6lbs.
Although the machine is powerful, Toshiba has stripped it down to a minimum feature set, no doubt to save money and allow them to sell the machine sub $1000. This is fair enough because they have spent money where it's most needed. What you get is a 40GB hard drive, DVD/CDRW drive, 512MB RAM, 2.2GHz Mobile Celeron, built-in 802.11b wi-fi, and a 15" screen. The list ends there. You might expect that when you get a more powerful model that you will also get lots of other nice features too, but in this case you don't. Here is a list of what you do not get:
No TV-out port.
No built-in microphone.
No separate scroll facility on the touch pad.
Only 2 USB ports, albeit USB 2.0.
No floppy disk drive.
No PS/2 port.
No serial port.
No free memory slot.
No dedicated DVD/CD controls.
Admittedly, I never had much use for some of the above features, but some I did use. For starters, I had to go out and buy a USB to PS/2 converter for my "natural" keyboard; there's $15 and a USB port gone. The lack of a TV-out port is sure to disappoint those people who, like me, like to watch their DVDs and AVIs on a TV. The fact that there's a blank hole for this at the back of the laptop serves to remind me what I'm missing. The fact that there are so many missing (some may argue legacy) ports makes the inclusion of only 2 USB ports all the more lamentable. There really should be one more positioned near the front.
One of the main selling points of this machine for me was its built-in 802.11b wi-fi. This is installed as a mini-PCI card and should be able to be upgradeable to 54g, antenna permitting. 802.11b is starting to look slow now so you may well want to upgrade sooner rather than later and a PCMCIA card will always be cheaper than a mini-PCI. So do you really want the integrated Wi-Fi in this laptop?
Many people wonder how the Mobile Celeron processor compares to a Pentium or an Athlon. The mobile Celeron in this machine should not be underestimated. My research suggests that a 2.2GHz mobile Celeron would account well for itself against a similarly clocked mobile Pentium 4 or Athlon. You should not expect to use this machine for gaming (shared video memory.... yeuch!) or video processing, so this CPU will not be a performance bottleneck for virtually everything else.
I bought this machine at Best Buy for $1000 + tax - $200 in rebates, and I think that represents very good value for money. Without those rebates I wouldn't be so sure. Had I known beforehand how limited a feature set it had I may have opted for a HP model instead.
Finally a word about extended warranty plans, and in particular the one pushed by Best Buy. This provides limited protection against "normal wear and tear" and battery replacement. The cost is $250 for 3 years and they push the point that this is the price of one battery. It is not. A battery for this model is $150. Also notable is the fact that the extended warranty does not cover accidental damage, the source of most problems in my experience. I do not recommend this or similar store warranties. Keep your money for something more useful. If you want protection for your new laptop, consider an insurance policy.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 800 (& tax)
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Celeron
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:
zimberto
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Reviews written: 11
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