"Use the force..." Toshiba's 2805-S402 listened!
Written: Apr 17 '01 (Updated Apr 19 '01)
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Pros: Sleek compact design, fast processor, stellar 3D graphics and video!
Cons: no removable drives, battery only lasts 2 hours a full power.
The Bottom Line: Powered by the awesome GeForce2 Go and paired with an 850Mhz Intel Pentium III, this is simply as fast as it gets!
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| 1GQ's Full Review: Toshiba Satellite 2805 |
Overall I am very impressed with my Toshiba 2805-S402, which btw is my second laptop purchase in the last three years. Its undoubtly a very capable computer with many useful features like a 20 GB HD, SmartMedia card slot, FireWire port, built-in Intel 10/100 ethernet adapter, 56K modem, DVD/CDROM/CD-R/CD-RW combo drive, and ofcourse the force...GeForce2 that is.
What I like best about my new S402 is the large 15" active matrix TFT screen which is controlled by the awesome new Nvidia GeForce2 GO mobile 3D GPU graphics controller. The GeForce2 GO truly delivers its promise of unmatched ground breaking performance in the laptop arena and while it's still a far cry from the performance of it's big (desktop) brother the GeForce2 Ultra; make no mistake, this kid rocks! In my own benchmarking I've gotten ~52FPS in Ureal Tournament GOTY at 1024x768@16bit color.
The LCD screen is bright and the colors are well saturated. DVD playback is flawless, albeit thanks to the GeForce2 Go's hardware assist. The Geforce2 GO also has a special feature called Twin View which allows you to attach an external monitor and use it as a second display; not a newcomer to multi-display workstations, I can say from experience the S402 does it well. My only gripe is Toshiba only put one external monitor output so one display will be 15" (LCD screen) and the other the external monitor...mine is 19". I would have really have appreciated two monitor outs so I could use two 19s. Yes I'm a spoiled baby!
My second favorite thing is its visually stunning! Dressed in a sleek hi-tech two tone light matte silver and dark grayish blue case, the S402 really stands out sitting next to the competition. Yes I'm pretentious :-)
In a world dominated by Dell and Compaq, one may ask why not the popular Dell Inspiron 8000. Well the primary factor was at the time Dell didn't have the GeForce2 GO, and second even now that they do...the S402 has highlights that just set it apart not to mention its almost a pound lighter. Toshiba's new bad boy sports an all-in-one DVD-ROM/CD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive; talk about saving space and weight! The S402 also has an Intel 10/100 Ethernet LAN adapter built-in and a 56K modem. An undocumented, albeit useless, feature is an SmartMedia slot. It works...but besides of my friends 2yr old digital camera...who the heck uses SmartMedia? Now if Toshiba releases an SD (successor to SmartMedia) driver for the slot that would be intresting.
Although it was not initially Windows 2000 ready when I bought it; Toshiba finally released Windows 2000 support (less than a month, kudos)! Lets just say I converted quickly; make no mistake, Windows ME was fast and stable with the 850Mhz Intel Pentium III; but Windows 2000 rocks! If you can get a copy of Win2K, do a fresh install!
I know some have stated Toshiba's Customer Service is less than average, and maybe its because I'm an IT professional and require less hand holding (actually probably none)..but I was impressed by the agents knowledge and professionalism (when I called for Win2000 drivers and warranty information). The website is good too, although a little slow to load...its well organized and easy to navigate.
Don't buy any third party warranties, don't succumb to the computer store warranties...Toshiba offers a great set of extended warranties themselves...which I'm ticked off CompUSA didn't tell me about as they pushed they're own brand warranties. I purchased the 3yr No-Fault warranty which entitles me to 1 screen replacement each year (if damaged) amongst other things...its an excellent investment, you can find the order form in the box.
On the downside the software bundle is crap; unless ofcourse you think Lotus SmartSuite is worth something :-) Fortunately I already own Office 2000 and PowerDVD 3.0! The S402 does not have removable bays so you can't swap the DVD for an extra battery...this can be limiting since the included battery on average only lasts me 2hours at full power. Intel's SpeedStep technology can extend the battery life, but it drops the speed of the Pentium 3 to do it.
I highly recommend this laptop to anyone in the high-performance laptop market. You'll have to shell out $2600, plus $300 for the No-Fault warranty which in my opinion is a must have; but the S402 won't disappoint.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 2600
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium III
Processor speed: 701-800
Screen Size: 15
RAM: 128
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 21-30
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Epinions.com ID:
1GQ
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Location: Miami
Reviews written: 60
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