Toshiba Satellite A75-S211 Notebook PC The Satellite A75 Series combines a host of multimedia features with a series of productivity applications to create a complete mobile computing experience perfect for PC digital media enthusiasts, young adults, and families. Select models (A75-S231, A75-S2311) come standard with a 5-in-1 bridge media adapter which accepts various digital media including Secure Digital, Memory Stick, Stick Pro, SmartMedia, Multi Media Card, and xD-Picture cards to quickly transfer digital files. Rounding out the media transfer sources, an onboard i.Link (IEEE 1394) port is also included. Get the productivity edge: CPU power, memory for multitasking, unlimited storage, and a TruBrite, wide-screen display for viewing documents side-by-side! Enhanced high speed Wi-Fi (802.11g) for improved throughput.
Ideal for CPU intensive programs, the Toshibe Satellite A75-S211 features a hyper-threaded Intel Pentium 538 processor, which offers a blazing fast 3.20 GHz clock speed. You also get Toshiba's DVD Super-Multi drive, which offers compatibility for both DVD+ and DVD- disc formats. It features a 15.4-inch TruBrite screen, offering high brightness, high contrast, wide viewing angle. It also is loaded with hyper-threaded Intel Pentium 4 532 processor, 512 MB of installed RAM, 80 GB hard drive, and integrated 54g wireless LAN. It's perfect for digital media enthusiasts, young adults, and families.
The Basics
- Hard Drive: The spacious 80 GB hard drive (4200 RPM) offers more than enough storage for both your work and home files as well as a multimedia library.
- Processor: The Intel Pentium 4 538 processor features a fast 3.20 GHz speed. It also offers Hyper-Threading technology, which allows a single CPU system to behave in some aspects like a dual-CPU system. This results in more efficient software performance (such as faster reaction times in gaming applications) and enhanced multitasking. It is well suited for professional-quality image, audio, and video editing. It also has A 1 MB L2 cache and an 533 MHz front-side bus (FSB).
- Memory: The 512 MB of built-in memory (1 DIMM, PC-2700 DDR333) is a good start for power users. It can be expanded to a toal of 1.5 GB.
- CD/DVD Drive: The DVD Super-Multi drive is compatible with both DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW discs (as well as DVD-ROM and DVD-RAM). It offers a 4x DVD read speed, and writes at 2.4x for DVD+R/RW and 2x for DVD-R/RW. You can also burn CDs at 16x and read them at 24x.
- Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a standard 85-key keyboard and electro-static two-button touchpad.
Sound and Graphics The A75-S211 comes installed with an ATI Mobility 9000 IGP video/graphics card, featuring 64 MB of shared memory. It will deliver relatively strong 3D graphics rendering and it can can drive an external display. The 15.4-inch TFT WXGA display supports up to 16 million colors at a 1280 x 800-pixel resolution. It also features an integrated Realteck ALC250 sound chip and built-in stereo speakers.
Connectivity and Expansion Slots
The A75-S211 offers a basic set of expansion and connectivity options, including a PCMCIA slot for one Type II PC card and the following:
- 3 USB 1.1 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 TV-out (S-Video)
- 1 headphone jack and 1 microphone jack
It also has an Integrated Atheros 802.11g wireless LAN supporting Atheros SuperG technology (which is compatible with the more widespread 802.11b and offers faster data transmission rates), 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 A75-S211 comes with the Windows XP Home Edition operating system, and it also includes Microsoft Works (for working with word processing and spreadsheet documents). Other preloaded software includes Norton Antivirus 2004 (with 90 days of complimentary live updates), Quicken New User Edition, Napster online digital service (30-day trial), Adobe Acrobat Reader, InterVideo WinDVD (for playing DVD movies), ArcSoft ShowBiz DVD, and Sonic Solutions RecordNow Basic.
Dimensions and Weight
At 8 pounds, the A75-S211 is on par in weight with other notebooks in its class. It measures 1.8 x 14.4 x 10.8 inches (H x W x D), which is a little wider than other notebooks in its class.
Power
The included 12-cell rechargeable lithium-ion battery has an approximate 2-hour battery life (during normal use). It also comes with a 120W AC adapter.
What's in the Box
This package contains the Toshiba A75-S211 notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. It's backed by a 1-year warranty for parts and labor.
1 Full featured Laptop with Excellent Display
This is a fantastic laptop with a amazing screen. It comes with just about everything one would need. The build quality seems to be much better than Gateway, HP, Compaq on a side to side comparison, and about the same as Dell and Sony laptops. The computer runs fairly cool (much cooler than my old Sony P3 750) and also very quiet (much quieter than old Sony). So far, there are no problems. I have left it on for a week with no problems. The computer is well configured and runs very smoothly.
Now the negatives... The fixed 512mb memory is really annoying. This limits you to 1.5 gig instead of 2 gig of memory. Then, there is the mouse pad... the buttons are extremely small, and feel the same as its surrounding plastic (small, no height difference, no texture difference). This makes it hard to locate, even for an experienced mouse pad user. The mouse pad buttons are also not sensitive around the sides and feel really cheaply made on top of being tiny. For a well designed computer, this is inexcusable. I have never seen a laptop with a less ergonomic mouse pad! My third complaint with this laptop is that the chip seem to have a hard time hitting 100% performance no matter what I throw at it. This is rather different from a desktop computer where the chip seem to reach 100% performance easily.
The negatives are annoying quirks rather than performance issues. All in all, this is a nice computer at a competitive price.
