Laptops Arena

Toshiba focuses on the creation of digital products to make everyday life more pleasant. It has a wide range of products, from cell phones, DVD recorders, LCD's, notebooks, PC servers and so forth. Having 199,000 employees worldwide, Toshiba operates a global network with highly capable and motivated local staff that is committed to the company.
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Toshiba introduced the first laptop personal computer in 1985 and they have been developing high quality notebooks ever since. This is company that has spent billions of dollars every year in advertising campaigns, research, testing and development. Toshiba laptops are elegant and classy. They come in all sorts of models that have different features. Most Toshiba reviews give a rating of 4.2 (on the average) for different notebook models. Let's go over some of the most popular (and better sold) Toshiba notebooks available on the market.

For about 4000 dollars you can buy one of the best gaming laptops on the market. Toshiba Qosmio X305-Q708 is bit pricy but it comes with 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme QX9300 and dual nVidia GeForce 9800M GTS 512MB SLI GPUs. That's double the performance of your regular laptop. This 17 inches long notebook also comes with 4GB DDR3 1066MHz SDRAM, and a 128GB SSD as well as a 320GB HDD.

The Toshiba Satellite A105-S4014 was designed for multimedia purposes and it can strongly compete with the famous Sony VAIO. The 1.83 GHz Core Duo MT2400 processor should be no problem for running multiple tasks. Battery lasts about 3 hours, which is more than enough for chatting on Facebook while you enjoy a good coffee.

Since most people are now buying notebooks for their desktop replacement features, Toshiba has come up with something sure to knock us out. For the average amount of 1300 dollars, the Toshiba Satellite M65-S809 is equipped with a 17 inch display, a good processor and wireless connectivity. You get a DVD-RW drive, Intel Pentium M 740 processor, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 GM graphics card, 1GB of RAM and 100of storage capacity.

Just as many other known companies, Toshiba has encountered great problems with one of their notebook models, the M35X. These are this models features: Mobile Intel Celeron M processor 330 (1.40 GHz), 256MB 333 MHz RAM, 40GB 4200 RPM hard drive (31.74 actual format), 15" XGA screen, DVD/CD-RW Combination drive w/ Silencer (program controlled), Special "Music on Demand" buttons next to keyboard, SRS TruSurround XT stereo speakers and a built-in-microphone. People have complained about this model because of frequent freezing and reboots. There have been cases of system reboot or lock up when touching the palm rest around the speakers. The explanation for this problem is that static electricity discharges when you touch the speakers and since the top cover assembly is improperly grounded, these problems occur. The Toshiba M35X also has a power jack and battery charge problem. Your laptop may shut down without any warning, the power LED and battery charge LED will start flickering when you move the power cord or the AC adaptor tip on the back of your laptop, your battery might not charge and you plug the AC adapter, the laptops' LED will not turn on. These are all signs that you are having some problems with your power jack. On the internet, you will find different manuals and guides that help you remove the system board and solder the affected parts properly.

Other models that have some typical problems are Toshiba Satellite A60 and A65. Overheating is one of these problems and it is usually causes by running application that require lots of random access memory and full use of the CPU. Be sure to check your laptop for dust, as this is the main factor that generates this heating. To solve this problem by yourself, you will need to find an air compressor to blow off the dust that is slowing down your fan or remove the keyboard to reveal the fan and clean it manually. It has also come to our attention that the A60 and A65 have had defective onboard memory. This means that upon start up, these notebooks will display lines of dots on the screen. There are programs than can help you test the onboard memory and if the test fails, you may have to buy another motherboard.

Back in 2004, over 27 Toshiba models had a serious problem that affected the memory modules. Toshiba became aware of this problem only after selling 650,000 notebooks with defections. As Toshiba evolved around the client and has always been customer oriented, they began a component exchange program, for all those who purchased the affected notebooks. They were supplied with the replacing components for free and there were no charges for shipping the notebooks to Toshiba for service. The notebooks that had this problem were: TECRA S1; TECRA 9100; TECRA M1; TECRA M2; Satellite 2400; Satellite 2405; Satellite 1110; Satellite 1115; Satellite Pro M10; Satellite Pro M15; Satellite M30; Satellite M35; Portege R100; Portege M200; Portege M205; Dynabook T5; Dynabook E6; Dynabook V7; Dynabook Satellite M10; Dynabook SS S7; Dynabook SS 2100; Dynabook E7; Dynabook V8; Dynabook V9; Dynabook VX1 and Dynabook SS M200.

Out of 763 people, 204 of them said that they absolutely love their Toshiba notebook and they think everyone should but a Toshiba. Another 285 are happy with these notebooks and 140 are satisfied and think Toshiba is O.K. Only 134 people (17.56%) said they hate these machines and Toshiba was their worst choice ever.

The thing is, whatever you need a notebook for, Toshiba probably has one already designed for your needs. The warranty period is nothing to complain about either, as they have some great promo offers. From really cheap to slightly expensive, from netbook to desktop replacement, from black to pink, from light to heavy, this company offers extremely competitive prices and a wide range of laptops to choose from. And since they are constantly researching and developing all sorts of new machines, who knows what they will come up next, after the great success of the gaming laptop, Toshiba Qosmio.

Why buying a laptop? Why buying a small one? Who makes the smallest laptop computer? Those are the most common questions when deciding in buying a laptop.
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The selection of a laptop  should be made depending on our necessities. Do we need mobility? Yes, we do! We probably  use a computer at home , one at work, but , why not, having one somewhere on our long way from home to work? A small laptop gives you the posibily to carry it all over with you, at work, at home and even on your trips . Those small laptops are like a combination between a regular size one, and some smaller devices like Palmtops or PDA'S.

But who makes the smallest laptop computer? In order to help you choose the laptop that fits you better , we decided to take a look, at some of the best small laptops on the market.:

Acer Aspire One AOA150-1553 Netbook PC:

It's one of the best-selling small laptops being also  the best choice for those who travel the majority of the time. It has a weight of 2 pounds and is packed with a 160 GB hard drive and Windows XP operating system. It's monitor has  a vibrant 8.9-inch CrystalBrite WSVGA LED backlit display having an integrated webcam for those who preffer chatting on internet.

Details:Full-function laptop in onyx black with 8.9-inch display, integrated webcam, and 6-cell battery with up to 5.5-hours of use / 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor, 160 GB hard disk drive, 1 GB RAM (2 GB max) / 54g Wi-Fi LAN (802.11b/g); 10/100 Ethernet; Intel GMA 950 graphics /Connectivity: 3 USB, 1 headphone, 1 microphone, Secure Digital slot, multi-format memory card slot, VGA monitor output.

Asus EEE PC 901:


A small but very efficient laptop, Asus EEE PC 901 is an impovement of its ancesters form Asus small laptops. It also has the procesor Intel ATOM N270 , CPU usage : 1600 MHz Cache : 512 Kb FSB: 533 MHz Display,Display: WSVGA: 8.9". Details: Easy to learn, work and play / Excellent mobile Internet device /Exciting multimedia enjoyment / Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 8.9 x 0.8 inches ; 4.6 pounds.

Toshiba NB100:


Toshiba is one of the most powerfull manufacturers of the market. Toshiba NB100 has the same properties  as the rest of the notebooks , and it's a little bit higher than Asus Eee PC 901. It has in about  2 pounds and has a Procesor Intel® Atom^TM N270

Details: Toshiba NB100 Mini Notebook
Processor: Intel Atom N270 1.60 GHz,
533MHz FSB, 512KB L2 cache
OS: Genuine Windows XP Home Edition
Chipset: Mobile Intel 82945GSE Chipset
RAM: 1GB DDR2 533
HDD: 120GB 5400 rpm 2.5" SATA
Display: 22.5cm (8.9") WSVGA TFT
Active Matrix, 1024 x 600 pixel resolution 180 NIT .

Fujitsu  Siemens 6120:


A very well built netbook with  exemplary mainstream performance.It has a display of 13.3 inches and a 40GB hard disk. It has an attractive, lightweight design and a good raange of modular bay options:

Processor manufacturer: Intel
Processor model:Pentium M
Clock speed: 1.6 GHz
RAM installed: 256 MB
Wireless LAN: Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 Mini-PCI card (802.11b)
Hard drive size: 40 GB
Graphics processor: Intel Extreme Graphics 2
Graphics RAM: 96 MB
Display diagonal size: 13.3 in
Dimensions (W x H x D): 29.3x3.4x23.6 cm
Weight: 1.7 kg
Operating system: Windows XP Professional


Gigabyte Gstyle M912 N270:


Like all the netbooks manufacturers,Gigabyte's M912 is very easy to handle with. It's very lite  but with a  monitor with a higher resolution: 1280x768

Details: True mobility, 1.3 Kg with 8.9" TFT LCD display
Sophisticated and fashionable appearance
Swivel display by convertible design
2.5" SATA hard disk with the max capability of 250GB
Built-in Express Card slots, with option for HSDPA expansion
1.3M pixels web camera

Easy upgrade for memory and HDD extension.

With all the excellent laptops on the market you have to wonder which of them can actually slide into your budget range. With all the manufacturers competing either between them or even with their selves (just to impress the potential buyers, of course) you can easily hope to find the perfect balanced every day laptop within different available configurations (including the display size) at a good price tag. By know you probably read about the excellent Toshiba Satellite laptops already reviewed, the Satellite U500, Satellite M500 and the impressive (in any possible departments - the $1099.99 configuration) Satellite A500.
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The Toshiba Satellite L500 is part of the affordable yet performance deliverer laptop with various screen sizes. It is not a direct competitor of the MacBook Pro line, but it certainly sports the same marketing campaign. If you are looking for a great laptop yet affordable you probably found it, the L500 can correspond the needs of every customer with more than ten available configurations. Even do, the L500 is offered in three different display sizes (14 inches, 16 inches, and 17.3 inches), the design is kept the same for all of them. Also, you might find some resemblance between the L500's design and the A500's design.

First of all, the design sports a pattern very similar with the one found on the A500, named Fusion Finish with Breeze Pattern in Graphite Gray. As a difference to the A500 design, the L500 lacks the stainless steel frame and hinge of the LCD cover. Also the lid seems very familiar to the lid on the A500. The Toshiba logo offered in silver bright makes a nice contrast with the Dark Grey - Light Black Pattern lid. Once you open the L500, you get to see some important differences. The L500 sports a white interior, opposed to the semi glossy black interior of the A500. By introducing the white color, Toshiba also removed all the metallic finishes found on board of the A500.

Therefore, if you know how an A500 looks like you might get the feeling that L500 is cheap. Even so, if you are not familiar with the A500 or don't really care about design details, you are probably going to enjoy L500 design since it sports excellent materials and a flawless build quality construction. On the sides and the bottom the L500 sports a black matte plastic which feels nice at touch, and feels by far cheaply. Because the overall design is borrowed from A500, the L500's display cover works just like a hinge making impossible for L500 to sustain any ports or slots on the back side. Even so, Toshiba successfully added all the necessary ports and slots on the left, right and front side of the L500. However keep in mind that the L500 is a laptop line itself.

Therefore the first available L500 (L500 / L505) sports on the front side you can find the five System Indicator Lights, the Wireless Indicator Light, the volume control scroll, and the Bridge Media Adapter Slot (compatible with Secure Digital, Multi Media Card, Secure Digital High Capacity, Memory Stick Pro memory card, and Memory Stock memory card. On the left side Toshiba only added the bare minimum, the cooling vent, the RGB monitor port, and the RJ 45 LAN port, microphone jack, headphone jack. On the right side you can find the security lock slot, the input AC power jack, two USB 2.0 ports, the modem port, and the optical drive (Super Multi DVD drive with 11 formats compatible, DVD - RAM, DVD + R double layer, DVD + R single layer, DVD + RW, DVD - RW, DVD - R double layer, DVD - R single layer, CD - ROM, CD - R, CD - RW, and the DVD - ROM). As you can notice the ports and slots available represent the minimum necessary connectivity for any modern laptop.

Toshiba is probably trying too hard to reduce the price, and for an extra $30 they should have included at least a HDMI port and one eSATA / USB combo port with sleep and charge function. The second available L500 (L510 / L515) boasts the same front side layout. However on the left side you can find beside the normal layout from the L500 / L505 the security lock slot and one eSATA / USB combo port with sleep and charge function. On the other side the Satellite L510 / L515 sports the exact same layout with the L500 / L505. The last available Satellite L500 in terms of layout is the L550 / L555. This model also sports the same front layout (System Indicator Status Lights, Wireless Indicator Light, Volume Control scroll, and Bridge Media Adapter Slot), while the left side includes beside the cooling vent, the RGB monitor port, the network port, the microphone output jack, and the headphone input jack.

On the right side you get the optical drive (Super Multi DVD with 11 compatible formats), two 2.0 USB ports, the modem port, the input power jack, and the security lock slot). In terms of dimensions, the L500 / L505 sport a varying height from front to rear 1.4 inches to 1.51 inches, wide of 15.1 inches and deep of 10.2 inches. The L510 / L515 brings smaller dimensions to the game  with a varying height from front to rear 1.32 inches to 1.5 inches, wide of 13.4 inches, and deep of 9.13 inches. The biggest in terms of dimensions is the L550 / L555 with a varying height from front to rear 1.43 inches to 1.58 inches, wide of 16.4 inches, and deep of 10.7 inches for the 17.3 inches widescreen diagonal Satellite L500. Overall the design offered by all available models of L500 is not only stylish (for an everyday use) but also impeccable build, offering an excellent user experience.

As you may imagine a constant value for the L500's weight is impossible to offer since it has more than 10 available configurations. However the L500 weight varies depending on the configuration chosen from 5.5 lbs to 6.98 lbs (as I said these values are only approximate). Once opened the L500 you will observe the same keyboard found on the A500. This is excellent news, since the A500 boasted a full keyboard layout with good sized keys that offer excellent feedback when pressed.

This keyboard is well build and you get no flex when pressing any keys. Above the keyboard you get the two stereo speakers (unfortunately the not the same quality speakers found on A500) that offers loud rendering but lacks good bass or surrounding sounds. Centered between the two speakers are five buttons, power on and off, play and pause, mute, and the CD control button, and DVD control button. Under the keyboard you get the touch pad, which is almost invisible since the texture from the case continues over the touch pad making the usability extremely good. Also, this touch pad brings excellent multi touch experience (which will be improved thanks to the Windows 7). Under the touch pad you get two buttons which are the only slippery buttons found on the L500. However, you can handle them well if you are not in a hurry. The keyboard and touch pad add solid in the excellent quality build formula.

In the display department the L500 comes within three possible configurations, with 15.6 inches diagonal widescreen TruBrite LCD display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, 16 inches diagonal widescreen TruBrite TFT LCD display with a 1366 x 768 pixels resolution, 14 inches diagonal widescreen TruBrite TFT LCD display with 1366 x 768 pixels resolution, and 17.3 inches diagonal widescreen TruBrite TFT LCD display with 1600 x 900 pixels resolution including the LED backlight technology. All the offered displays provide excellent performances, great image rendering, vibrant colors, excellent brightness in any environmental conditions, and great viewing angles.

The connectivity department is ensured by several connections (depending on the configuration chosen), Intel Wi-Fi Link 5100 AGN (802.11 a/g/n) - or Realtek 802.11 b/g/n wireless LAN, depending on the configuration Express card slot with 34 mm and Express card slot with 54 mm, Memory card reader (secure digital, multi media card, secure digital high capacity, memory stick, memory stick pro), RGB monitor output port, two 2.0 USB (or three, with two 2.0 USB, one eSATA / USB combo port with sleep and charge feature), 10 / 100 Ethernet, and modem. Toshiba offer 13 configurations for the L500, and the 14^th possible configuration is fully customizable by potential customers starting from $545 price tag. The first standard configuration for L500, L505D S5965 sports a $504.99 price tag, which is also the L500 best seller.

The L505D S5965 includes the AMD M780V Chipset, the AMD Athlon X2 Dual Core Processors QL 65 with 2.1 GHz, 1 MB L2 cache (running Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1, the 32 bit version)m 3 GB DDR2 800 MHz (expandable with a maximum value of 8 GB DDR2), 250 GB hard drive with 5400 rotations per minute, 15.6 inches TFT LCD with 1366 x 768 pixels resolution, and ATI Radeon 3100 Graphics with 256 MB dedicated and 1406 MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory.

The second available configuration, L505 S5966 has a price tag of $549.99 and includes Mobile Intel GL 40 Express Chipset with Intel Pentium processor T4200 (2.0 GHz, 1 MB L2 cache 800MHz FSB) running Windows Vista Home Premium Service Pack 1, the 32 bit version with 3GB DDR2 800 MHz, 320 GB hard drive with 5400 rotations per minute, 15.6 inches TFT LCD with 1366 x 768 pixels resolution, and Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M with 128 MB dedicated and 1341 MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory. The third available configuration, L500D ST5501 includes the same Vista Home Premium operating system, with AMD M780V Chipset, AMD Turion X2 Dual Core Mobile Processor RM 74, 3 GB DDR2 800 MHz FSB memory, 320 GB hard drive with 5400 rotations per minute, and ATI Radeon 3100 Graphics with 256 MB dedicated and a 16 inches TFT LCD display sporting TruBrite technology. Both L505D S6947 and L500D ST5600 include the same AMD Turion X2 Dual Core Mobile Processor RM 74 and Windows Vista Home Premium Service Pack 1 the 32 bit version.

The L505D S6947 also includes 3 GB DDR2 800 MHz , 320 GB hard drive with 5400 rotations per minute, 16 inches TFT LCD with 1366 x 768 pixels resolution, ATI Radeon 3100 Graphics with 256 MB dedicated and 1406 dynamically allocated shared graphics memory, and a 4000 mAh six cell Lithium Ion battery. This forth configuration is available for $599.99 price tag. The fifth configuration, L500D ST5600 also includes 2 GB DDR2 800 MHz, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570, a 16 inches TruBrite TFT LCD display, and a 250 GB hard drive with 5400 rotations per minute. The L500D ST5600 has a listing price of $629.

The L555D S7910 offered for $649.99 sports an AMD Turion X2 Dual Core Mobile Processor RM 74 with 2.2 GHz, 1 MB L2 cache, with AMD M780V Chipset running Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1, the 32 bit version, 4 GB DDR 2 800 MHz, 250 GB hard drive with 5400 rotations per minute, ATI Radeon 3100 Graphics with dynamically allocated shared graphics memory, and a 17.3 inches TryBrite TFT LCD display with 1600 x 900 pixels resolution, including the LED backlight technology. The L515 S4925 is much too expensive at $649.99 price tag for what it has to offer, Intel Pentium processor T4300 2.10 GHz, 1 MB L2 cache, 800 MHz FSB, with Mobile Intel GL 40 Express Chipset running the 64 bit version of Windows Vista Home Premium, 4 GB DDR2 800 MHz, 320 GB hard drive with 5400 rotations per minute, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500M with 128 MB dedicated, and the 14 inches TruBrite TFT LCD display with 1366 x 768 pixels resolution with LED backlight.

A better purchase than L515 S4925 is L505 S6946 for $659.99 sporting Intel Core 2 Duo processor T6400 with 2.0 GHz, 2 MB L2 cache 800 MHz FSB, the Mobile Intel GM 45 Express Chipset with 3 GB DDR2 800 MHz, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500 MHD with 128 MB dedicated memory, and the 16 inches diagonal widescreen TruBrite TFT LCD display. The next configuration is available for $669.99, L555D S7912 and sports beside the 64 bit version of Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1, the AMD Turion X2 Dual Core Mobile Processor RM 74 with AMD M780V Chipset, 4 GB DDR2 800 MHz, 250 GB hard drive with 5400 rotations per minute, an excellent 12 cell Lithium Ion battery with 9000 mAh, ATI Radeon 3100 Graphics and 17.3 inches TruBrite TFT LCD display with a High Definition + resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels, also sporting the LED backlight technology. The next three configurations are all offered at the same price tag, $699.99.

The first one, L550 ST5701 includes the Intel Core 2 Duo processot T6500 with 2.10 GHz, 2 MB L2 cache, 800 MHz FSB, with Mobile Intel GM 45 Express Chipset, 3 GB DDR2 800 MHz, 320 GB hard drive 5400 rotations per minute, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500 MHD with 128 MB dedicated, and the 17.3 inches TFT LCD with HD+ resolution 1600 x 900 pixels including LED backlight. The L505 S6959 sports the 64 bit version (not the 32 bit version like L550 ST5701) Windows Vista Home Premium Service Pack 1, the same chipset, hard drive, and processor like L550 ST5701. But it sports a bigger RAM memory, 4 GB DDR2 800 Mhz, and the 16 inches TFT LCD display with 1366 x 768 pixels, HD resolution, and the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500 MHD with 128 MB. The last configuration at $699.99 price tag, sports the same configuration like the L550 ST5701 with a 6 cell 400 mAh Lithium Ion battery that should provide about 4 hours of autonomy.

And we are at the final available configuration for the L500, L550 ST5702 offered for $799 price tag. As you can see the most expensive standard configuration available is by far as expensive as the entry level MacBook ($999). The L550 ST5702 includes the Intel Core 2 Duo processor P7350 with 2.0 GHz, 3 MB L2 cache, 1066 MHz FSB, with Mobile Intel GM 45 Express Chipset running the Windows Vista Home Premium Service Pack 1 (the 64 bit version), 4 GB DDR2 800 MHz, 320 GB hard drive with 5400 rotations per minute, ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570 with 512 MB DDR3 discrete graphics (also available are 1262 MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory using the ATI Hyper Memory technology), and the excellent 17.3 inches TruBrite TFT LCD with HD+ resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels with LED backlight.

With all the possible available configurations for the Satellite L500 anyone can find what it is looking for without any doubt. By also adding its own branded Toshiba software, 3^rd party application software, and some free trial software, Toshiba successfully created an excellent product for less money. If you are interested in any L500 configuration then you should now that the only possible drawback is the rather small autonomy value for the 3700 mAh and 4000 mAh Lithium Ion battery models. However, if you are interested in high autonomy you must configure or chose a configuration that includes the 9000 mAh 12 cell Lithium Ion battery. Overall, Satellite L500 is a solid investment for at least five years.

If you have read the last two articles then you already know that today's article is about Toshiba S300. Basically, this laptop is a Satellite Pro model, but somewhat merges more Tecra features than Satellite features. However, this is a good thing for anyone that wants a business oriented laptop model, with a Satellite price tag. This is the third installment in the Satellite Pro line. Basically it will bring the same looks sported by Satellite Pro S300M, but will include a bigger display, 15.4 inches.
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Even more, the S300 will definitely bring improvements in terms of specs. So, we could name S300 the S300M's big brother, but what about the Satellite Pro L300? Basically at this point in the rebranding process, Toshiba made out of L300 the entry level model within the Satellite Pro line. Although it boasts a 15.4 inches widescreen, the L300 is offered for price tag of $499, smaller then both S300M and S300. Basically, S300 is marketed as the perfect desktop replacement laptop with a brilliant display.

This laptop has a various height from front to rear, 1.46 inches to 1.54 inches, wide of 14.2 inches, deep of 10.4 inches, the S300 weight about 6.2 lbs depending on the configuration chosen. As I said before, the design is somewhat inspired from the S300M. Basically, S300 looks like a conservative 2004 business laptop. Its design is not really modern or stylish but it is nice to look at thanks to the titanium silver LCD cover. The same titanium silver can be found once opened, surrounding the black keyboard. Otherwise, the case is made out of black matte plastic.

Overall, this design will keep away not only fingerprints and scratches but also admiring looks. Because the S300 display doesn't function like a lid when opened, the ports are also distributed on the back side as well. Therefore, on the back side of S300 you can find the RGH monitor output port, the modem port, and the input power jack. On the front of the S300 you can surely find the LED status indicators, the microphone input port, the headphone output port, and the Bridge Media Adapter, with the following compatible memory cards, Secure Digital, Multi Media Card, xD card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, and SDHC.

On the right side you get three 2.0 USB ports, the Ethernet RJ 45 port (10 / 100 / 100 Ethernet), the sound volume control dial, and the Super Multi drive compatible with 11 formats (+ / - R double layer), such as, DVD - RAM 5x, DVD - ROM 8x, CD - ROM 24x, CD - R 24x, CD - RW 10x, DVD - R with both single layer at 8x and double layer at 6x, DVD - RW 6x, DVD + R with both single layer 2x, and double layer at 6x, and also the DVD + RW at 6x. On the left side you can find the serial port, the dock connector, the cooling vent, one eSATA / USB combo port with sleep and charge function, and the PCMCIA Type II Card slot.


The build quality is good, everything is in its place, and you don't get any flex of the lid. Once opened, you can easily see the black keyboard which looks nice. The keys should have been more matte than glossy, but beside this small inconvenient everything looks and works excellent. The keys don't have any flex when pressed and the feedback is over average. Under the black keyboard you get the touch pad and other two buttons. These three elements are however made out of a glossy silver plastic making them a little hard to handle. Even so, once you understand how to manage with them they will provide sufficient feedback.

Overall, Toshiba successfully included in S300 an excellent build quality. The integrated stereo speakers deliver a powerful sound but without any real bass to improve the sound quality. The 15.4 inches diagonal widescreen display sports the TruBrite TFT LCD technology with a WXGA resolution (also known as 1280 x 800 pixels).This is an excellent display and it certainly an improvement over S300M display. The brightness is excellent, the viewing angles are sufficient and the colors are vibrant. Overall you really get a good display package. In terms of specs, Toshiba offers more than one configurations available for the S300. Even so, some of their specs are common. The Mobile Intel GM 45 Express Chipset is available for all four preset configurations.

Also available, for all these configurations (S300 EZ1513, S300 EZ1514, S300 EZ2511, S300 S2504) is the Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500 MHD with 128 MB to 284 MB dynamically allocated graphic memory, and for the first three configuration S300 EZ1513, S300 EZ1514, S300 EZ2511 the 160 GB serial ATA hard disk with 5400 rotations per minute. Otherwise, the rest of the specs differ depending on the price you are prepared to pay. The best seller, S300 EZ1513 sports an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T6400 with 2.0 GHz, 2 MB L2, 800 MHz FSB, with only 1 GB PC2 6400 DDR2 SDRAM and Windows Vista Business Service Pack 1 (either the 32 bit version or the 64 bit version).


This configuration sports a $649 price tag. The second available configuration, with a $699 price tag, S300 EZ1514 includes the Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T6570 with 2.1 GHz, 2 MB L2, with 800 MHz FSB, 2 GB PC2 6400 DDR2 SDRAM, with the same operating system options. The third installment of S300, EZ2511, sports an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T660 with 2.2 GHz, 2 MB L2, 800 MHz FSB, and 2 GB PC2 6400 DDR2 SDRAM, still providing Vista Business for operating system.

This model is offered for about $829 price list. The last configuration has a price tag of $1.199 and sports an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P8600 with 2.4 GHz, 3 MB L2, 1066 MHz FSB, 3072 MB (displayed as 2048 MB and 1024 MB) PC2 6400 DDR2, and 160 GB serial ATA hard disk with 7200 rotations per minute. For all these configurations the connectivity is ensured by the Intel Wi-Fi Link 5100 AGN with 802.11 a/g/n profile, modem slot, Intel 82567V Gigabit Network Connection, three 2.0 USB ports, one eSATA / USB combo port with sleep and charge function, RGB monitor output port, memory card slot, and Bluetooth version 2.1 with enhanced data rate.

In the most expensive models Toshiba also added the Easy Guard protection, offering shock absorbing design, hard disk drive protection, multiple level password utilities, fingerprint reader (located between the two buttons below the touch pad), and other safety element. Therefore, when talking about S300 we talk about at least two different models, the ones that offer the Easy Guard features, and the ones that lack this part of specs.

The extra software included is common by now for all the Toshiba laptops on sale, such as Toshiba Config Free, Sun java Runtime Environment, Google Desktop, Google Picasa, and the trial software like Microsoft Office Professional 2007, and Norton Internet Security 2008. Overall, the S300 is an interesting product, because it is by itself a sub line in the Satellite Pro line. You might just find it interesting enough to buy it. However, for $1.199 you can easily find something much better, and the $649 model lacks too many specs and sports an old design. I am guessing the future costumers of Toshiba Satellite Pro S300 are older customers of Satellite Pro products that are renewing their laptops.

The laptop market is very similar to mobile phone market. You might not believe it, but similarities are not only in divisions but also in marketing. Because some laptop manufacturers are also mobile phone developers the marketing process is not news for them, but for all the other manufacturers knowledge's came with time. Have you discovered the similarities? First of all, similarities are logic and intuitive to exist. Just think that the same people that buy a laptop will also buy a phone eventually. Therefore, it's all about range and lines.
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For a better sale number, manufacturers provide solutions for all possible types of clients. This way, for both laptops and mobile phones, manufacturers created an everyday range, ultraportable range, business range and of course the high end range (for laptops this range being the ultimate portable gaming machine, while for mobile phones this range is represented by phones like Samsung Omnia II, Nokia N97, and Apple iPhone 3GS).

Nowadays, all manufacturers try to deliver excellent gaming laptops in response to the extraordinary products released by Alienware.  Toshiba is one of this manufacturers that tries and success to deliver an ultraportable gaming machine. With a good storage memory, excellent graphics and processor delivered in an exquisite design, Toshiba Qosmio X305 is one of the best gaming laptop on the market, which easily can be considered an Alienware competitor. The design is one of the best features of the Qosmio X305. Its body is made out of tough plastic.

However, its basic color is red and has fire flames as a finish. The only part of the Qosmio X305 that it is not fire red is the keyboard and the bottom cover. Unfortunately, the lid is a fingerprint magnet, but the built quality is still exceptional (Toshiba quality) not letting room for any flex or weird noises when you open or close the lid or when you press the lid. The finishes, however, make the design even more attractive. On the lid you get an oversized silver Qosmio logo.

Once you open the laptop, you easily see the black glossy frame around the display, incorporating at the bottom of the display another Qosmio silver logo. Under the keyboard in the bottom left corner you get the metallic Toshiba logo. If you look at the left and right side of the laptop you will see that Qosmio X305 sports a fluid design. The bottom of the Qosmio X305 sports a matte black plastic and includes three additional fans, the hard drive cover and the battery cover. On the back side the Qosmio X305 sports the cooling vent i.LINK IEEE 1394 data port, the power input slot, RBG monitor output port, REGZA LINK HDMI CEC, Display Port, and 1080p support. On the left side you get an eSATA USB 2.0 with sleep and charge combo port, another 2.0 USB port, 5 in 1 Bridge Media Adapter (compatible with xD picture card, Multi Media Card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Secure Digital card). On the other side you get two 2.0 USB ports, microphone input port, headphone output port and volume scroll.

The fixed optical disk drive can be found on the front side of the Qosmio X305. It is a Super Multi DVD drive with Label flash supporting 11 formats, such as DVDRAM, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD+R double layer, DVD+R single layer, DVD-R single layer, DVD-R double layer, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and others. The overall build quality is good. The laptop doesn't just look stunning (thanks to the Fusion Finish with Rogue pattern) but it also feels solid. The Toshiba gaming laptop has a height from front to rear 1.7 inches to 2.5 inches, wide of 16.2 inches, deep of 12 inches, Qosmio X305 weights about 9 lbs depending on the customizable configuration.

Once opened, the first thing you will see is the full keyboard (104 key US keyboard). Also you get touch control buttons such as media button, mute button, play / pause button, stop button, next track button, previous track button, panel lights, Dolby settings, camera button. The Fn keys are the only small size keys on the Qosmio X305 keyboard. X305 sports a nice keyboard with keys that provide only good feedback and no flex when pressed. Under the keyboard, positioned to the left, you get the touch pad pointing device. The touch pad found on the Qosmio X305 is precise and it has a matte surface providing good grip. The two buttons found under the touch pad feel a little slippery, but they should be easy to use.

Overall, you get a great user experience while using both keyboard and touch pad. Toshiba included in Qosmio X305 a 17 inches TruBrite TFT active matrix LCD display with a WXGA+ resolution (1440 x 900 pixels). The display provides excellent brightness, contrast and color saturation. This display will make all the games feel as real as they can get. The connectivity is ensured by Intel Wi-Fi Link 5100 AGN with 802.11 a/g/n profile, 10 / 100 / 1000 Ethernet, 34 mm Express Card, 54 mm Express Card, HDMI, RGB output port, three 2.0 USB, one eSATA / USB combo port, RJ 45 LAN port, Regza Link with 1080p support, and a display port. However, you don't get Bluetooth, because X305 lacks an internal antenna.

Because Qosmio X305 is a gaming laptop, Toshiba included beside (common by now for Toshiba laptops) Mobile Intel PM 45 Express Chipset, an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, P7350 model, with 2.0 GHz, 3 MB L2 cache, 1066 MHz FSB. You also get a total of 4 GB DDR3 1066 MHz SDRAM (2 x 2048 MB). The internal storage capacity is about 320 GB serial ATA hard drive with 7200 rotation per minute. This is a good value, although a 500 GB unit would have been more suitable for this kind of laptop. Probably the most important feature for a gaming machine is the graphic chipset.

Toshiba Qosmio X305 sports a NVIDIA GeForce 9700 GTS, with 512 MB GDDR3 discrete graphics memory. Also you get 1791 MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory using NVIDIA Turbo Cache. A nice detail for the ultimate gaming experience is the four built in harman / Karson speakers with sub woofer. The stereo speakers are offer great audio quality, while the sub woofer is powerful enough to provide the most real experience while playing games or watching horror movies. Toshiba ships the Qosmio X305 with an eight cell Lithium Ion battery with 4000 mAh. The 4000 mAh value will not offer more than two (maximum three) hours of battery life. Qosmio X305 comes with Windows Vista Home Premium Service Pack 1 (either the 32 bit version or the 64 bit version).

Other software preinstalled in the Qosmio X305 are Toshiba Config Free, Toshiba DVD Creator, Toshiba Speech System, Toshiba DVD Player, Toshiba Face Recognition, Toshiba Recovery Disk Creator, Wild Tangent Games Console, Google Desktop, Sun Java 2 Runtime Environment, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Power Cinema for Toshiba. You also get two trial softwares, Norton 360 all in one security and Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007. Overall, Toshiba delivers a good product. However, Qosmio X305 still can't arise at the Alienware laptops value. Even so, Toshiba offers Qosmio X305 for only $1.399,99 price tag, a much smaller price than the price of an Alienware ultraportable gaming laptop.