Good start!
Written: Mar 01 '02 (Updated Mar 01 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Nice Display, RAM, DVD, Light Weight, Price.
Cons: Drive juggling, No NIC, Battery Life, Not for gamers or high-end graphic use.
The Bottom Line: Good value for minimal usage.
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| jumperless's Full Review: Toshiba Satellite 1005-S157 (PS100U-0012HX) PC Not... |
Last I checked, after rebates, the Toshiba Satellite 1005 S157 was going for about $900. A great deal for anyone that needs a basic laptop. I have been looking into low-cost notebooks for my sister who does not want anything fancy, just DVD and a good price. So far, it seems that this is the best candidate for that purpose. This is not a top-of-the-line model, but can be perfect for budgeted students or anyone that is not planning to do a lot of graphics or gaming. Here’s the run down of features and how they can affect performance.
CPU
(CON for gamers) The 1005 S157 has an Intel Celeron processor at 1.06 GHz (1066 MHz), a good CPU for some games and graphics, but recommended for text oriented uses, such as word processing, e-mail, web surfing, etc. It has a bus speed of 100 MHz, where a Pentium III CPU would have a bus speed of 133 MHz giving it more of a performance edge over a Celeron.
Also, the Celeron only has 128 KB if level 2 cache and the Pentium III has 512 KB of level 2 cache making it better for gaming and graphics.
Those are the main differences between the Intel Celeron CPU and the more expensive Pentium III. The 1005 S157 is such a good value because it has a Celeron CPU, but gaming and graphics will slow it down painfully due to the lack of cache and slower bus speed. This is not necessarily a con because there are many users that will not need the extra power from a Pentium III.
RAM
(PRO) The 1005 S157 has 256MB of PC133 SDRAM that can be upgraded to 512MB. A good amount to start with, especially for the price.
Storage
The 1005 S157 has a 15GB UltraDMA hard drive. A decent size, not the largest, but fine for it’s price class. As I stress in all my notebook reviews, it’s important to back up important data on all notebook hard drives. Because they’re not as reliable as desktop hard drives due to smaller space and cooling problems, but they’re a lot better than they used to be.
(PRO) It has a DVD-ROM drive that also works as a CD-ROM drive. It’s important for new notebooks to have a DVD drive and good battery life because it allows you to watch DVD movies on it for traveling or anything that involves a long wait. Just be sure to pack earphones. (Could be a CON) This model does not have a CD-RW drive, but that’s okay considering the price. If you should need one, you still have the option of using an external USB CD-RW drive.
(Could be a CON) The 1005 S157 has a 1.44 MB floppy drive, but it shares a modular drive with the DVD-ROM drive. So you can either have the floppy or the DVD-ROM drive in, not both at the same time. This is fine if you don’t need the floppy in at all times, but can be a drive juggling problem if you need both drives.
Operating System
The 1005 S157 only comes with Windows XP Home Edition, which is fine for home use and students. But may be a problem for businesses that require the higher security and administration, they would need Windows XP Professional that’s not available on this model.
Software
There is not too much software preinstalled, just enough to get you started. It includes WinDVD, Lotus SmartSuite (like MS Office), Quicken, Acrobat Reader, Norton AntiVirus and of course ISP software.
Connections
The 1005 S157 has a parallel port (printer), monitor (VGA) connection, (PRO) 3 USB ports and an RJ-11 jack for the modem. There is also a microphone, headphone and audio line-in port.
There is no external mouse or keyboard connections, but you can always use a USB mouse and/or keyboard. Also there is not S-Video or firewire (IEEE 1394) connections for video use.
Input
The 1005 S157 has an 85-key keyboard with a hotkey function for quick launch of an application. There is also a touchpad for a pointing device. My favorite notebook pointing device of all because it easier to get used to and the buttons are at closer reach.
Communications
The 1005 S157 only comes with a built-in V.90 56K modem for dial-up connections. (CON) There is no built-in network card, you will need to purchase one separately if needed for a network or broadband internet connections. This can cost $50+, depending on the model. There are two Type II PCMCIA slots to upgrade with.
Display and Video
The 1005 S157 has a 14.1” TFT active-matrix color display that is very nice and bright, there are no color distortions and it’s viewable from most angles. The Max resolution is 1024 x 768, which is great for the size.
It also has and Intel 830MG video controller with 8MB of RAM that is not shared with the system memory. This is a decent card, but not for extreme gaming or graphics use because the lack of memory can slow it down and cause texture problems. But it will be fine for most other uses.
Sound and Speakers
The 1005 S157 has a Crystal CS4299-A Codec sound chip, a 16-bit stereo card with built in speakers. Like most notebooks, the speakers are weak because of weight and size restrictions. They are not good for hearing over background noise, surround sound or gaming. I don’t consider this a con because most notebooks have this problem, but I recommend keeping headphones with it.
Size and looks
The 1005 S157 is 12.2” in length, 10.6” wide and 1.4” deep, smaller than average. (PRO) It only weighs only 6.17 lbs. This is also lower than average, many are around 7.5 to 8 lbs. The outside is dark gray/black plastic, not too fancy.
Battery
(CON) The 1005 S157 has a Ni-MH battery pack. This can be a problem because the life-span is not as good as a Lithium Ion battery. The battery life is only a max of 2 hours and the recharge time is 3 hours, many Lithium Ion batteries will last a max of 3.5 hours. Also, usually with Ni-MH batteries, you have to completely drain them before you can start to recharge or it can reduce the overall life span.
Warranty
The 1005 S157 has a 1-year parts and labor warranty. It would be worth it to purchase an extended warranty to add 2 to 3 years to it because you could easily get 3 years of use from this model and would want it protected under a warranty. Laptop parts are usually too expensive to replace when it’s out of warranty. For this model, an extended warranty will add somewhere between $150 to $300 depending on where it’s purchased and what it covers.
Parting Shots
Despite the cons, this is still a good buy and will be good for my sisters needs. But it’s not good for someone who needs long battery life, is into gaming and/or needs a CD-RW drive. My only real complaints are not having a network card, no firewire and the battery, so it gets a 3 star rating.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 900
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Celeron
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 14
RAM: 256
Internal Storage: DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 13-20
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jumperless
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