Toshiba Satellite X205 S9349 Review

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Toshiba Satellite X205-S9349 17-inch Laptop (Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7100, 2 GB RAM, 240 GB Hard DRive, HD SuperMulti DVD Drive, Vista Premium)

Toshiba Satellite X205 S9349 Features and Technical Details
Toshiba Satellite X205 S9349 Features

    * Portable multimedia powerhouse for HD video enthusiasts and PC gamers; includes HD DVD-ROM drive
    * 4 GHz, Pentium 4, 240 GB hard drive capacity (dual drives), 4 GB RAM (4 GB max), multi-format/dual-layer DVD burner.
    * Quad-band Wi-Fi LAN (802.11a/b/g/n); Bluetooth 2.0+EDR; Gigabit Ethernet; Nvidia GeForce 8700M video card with 256 MB of discrete memory
    * Connectivity: 6 USB, 1 FireWire, 1 HDMI, 1 VGA, 1 S-Video, 1 ExpressCard 34/54. 5-in-1 memory card reader
    * Pre-installed with Windows Vista Home Premium (with Media Center capabilities)

Processor, Memory, and Motherboard

    * Hardware Platform: PC
    * Processor: 1.8 GHz Intel Core Duo
    * System Bus Speed: 800
    * Number of Processors: 2
    * RAM: 2000 MB
    * RAM Type: DDR2 SDRAM

Hard Drive

    * Size: 240 GB
    * Manufacturer: Portable
    * Type: Serial ATA

Graphics and Display

    * Graphics RAM: 256 MB

Ports and Connectivity

    * Modem: Fax / modem

Cases and Expandability

    * Size (LWH): 15.7 inches, 1.42 inches, 11.3 inches
    * Weight: 20 pounds

Toshiba Satellite X205 S9349 Description
Offering top-of-the-line multimedia functionality for HD video enthusiasts and PC gamers, the stylishly appointed Toshiba Satellite X205-S9349 notebook PC is highlighted by its widescreen 17-inch LCD with a 1440 x 900-pixel resolution for true 720p high-def video playback. You'll enjoy smooth video rendering from DVDs and games, thanks to the high-end Nvidia GeForce 8700M graphics card, with 256 MB of discrete video memory. And the integrated Dolby Home Theater feature set will envelope any room in surround sound via the four Harman Kardon speakers. It also incorporates an HD DVD drive that's compatible with the new high-definition DVD disc format. Enjoy amazingly crisp and vibrantly colorful imagery from this new format. You'll also be able to burn a wide range of disc formats with the integrated DVD/CD burner.

This notebook is powered by the 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 processor from the newest "Santa Rosa" chipset. Providing an optimized, multithreaded architecture for improved gaming and multitasking performance, as well as excellent battery management, it also offers a speedy 800 MHz front-side bus and 2 MB L2 cache. It also includes Intel's 4965 AGN wireless LAN, which will connect to draft 802.11n routers and offers compatibility with 802.11a/b/g networks as well. Other features include dual 120 GB hard drives (for a 240 GB total capacity), 2 GB of installed RAM (4 GB maximum), 1 GB of Intel Turbo Memory, biometric fingerprint scanner, 5-in-1 memory card reader, and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR wireless connectivity.

This PC also comes preinstalled with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, which includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center. In addition to easily playing your DVD movies and managing your digital audio library, you'll be able to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV). Vista also integrates new search tools throughout the operating system, includes new parental control features, and offers new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures.

The Basics

    * Processor: The Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 processor has a 1.8 GHz processor speed, super-fast 800 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and a 2 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)

      The Intel Core 2 Duo processor has two computational execution cores in a single processor, providing greater system response when running multi-threaded applications simultaneously with no significant increase in power consumption. It's optimized for multitasking and is ready to support the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system. It can simultaneously run multiple demanding applications--such as graphics-intensive games or serious number-crunching business productivity applications--while downloading music or running virus-scanning security programs in the background. Some of the advanced Intel innovations of the Core 2 Duo processor include:
          o Smart Memory Access: Improves system performance by hiding memory latency, thus optimizing the use of available computer data bandwidth to provide data to the processor when and where it is needed.

          o Advanced Digital Media Boost: Effectively doubles the execution speed for instructions used widely in multimedia and graphics applications.
          o Dynamic Power Coordination: Coordinates Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology and idle power-management state (C-states) transitions independently per core to help save power.
          o Deeper Sleep with Dynamic Cache Sizing: Saves power by flushing cache data to system memory during periods of inactivity to lower CPU voltage.

    * Hard Drive: This system offers a total of 240 GB of hard disk drive space from two 120 GB drives (5400 RPM). These Serial ATA (SATA) hard drives also quicken the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin to FireWire and USB 2.0.

    * Memory: The 2 GB of installed RAM (2 x 1 GB DDR2, PC5300) is an excellent start, but you'll want to add more RAM to handle today's demanding multimedia and productivity suites. It provides two DIMM slots and has a large 4 GB maximum RAM capacity. It also offers a top-of-class 667 MHz speed.

      It also includes 1 GB of Intel Turbo Memory, which stores frequently used information near the processor, where it's more quickly available, enabling your notebook to actually learn your habits and thus provide better system response. This entirely new system innovation for Windows Vista PCs is based on Performance Intel NAND Flash Memory (like the memory used in an iPod or USB thumb drive), together with supporting software.

    * DVD/CD Drive: This Satellite notebook offers the next generation of DVD entertainment with the HD DVD ROM optical drive, which provides the superior image and sound quality of high-definition images and multichannel surround sound as well as backward compatibility with standard DVD movie discs and content burned onto DVD-R/RW, DVD-RAM. It also incorporates a multi-format DVD/CD burner, which is compatible with dual-layer (DL) discs that can hold up to 8.5 GB of data. It features the following speeds: 4x DVD+R DL, 4x DVD-R DL, 8x for both single-layer DVD+R/-R, 4x DVD+RW, 4x DVD-RW, 5x DVD-RAM, and 24x/16x for CD-R/RW. It reads DVD-ROM discs at 8x and CD-ROMs at 24x.

    * Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a 104-key keyboard--with 10-keypad on the side--and electro-static two-button touchpad. It also offers CD/DVD media player and control buttons (play, stop, next, previous) as well as a volume control dial.

Screen, Video & Audio
This notebook has a 17-inch TFT display with a resolution of 1680 x 1050 pixels (native 720p for high-definition viewing). It also provides TruBrite technology, which makes images brighter and more vivid thanks to its anti-glare feature. Video is powered by the Nvidia GeForce 8700M graphics card, which provides up to 767 MB of available RAM/video memory (256 MB dedicated DDR3 RAM) for unmatched HD video performance on a notebook PC. (GDDR3 (Graphics Double Data Rate, version 3) is a graphics card-specific memory technology that's better able to deliver fluid frame rates for even the most advanced games and applications.) With support for Microsoft DirectX 10 Shader Model 4.0 and High Dynamic-Range Lighting (HDR), it lets you rip through all of today's most advanced and cutting-edge games and applications. Experience real-time photo editing, or immerse yourself in the most complex, true-to-life gaming environments.

It includes the Dolby Home Theater set of features, which provide up to 5.1 discrete channels of crystal-clear digital surround sound as well as virtual 5.1-channel surround sound experience from any pair of stereo speakers. It also features four stylishly incorporated Harman Kardon stereo speakers with a built-in subwoofer.

Networking, Connectivity & Expansion
Be ready for the next platform in wireless connectivity with this notebook's integrated quad-mode Wi-Fi chip. Based on the draft 802.11n Wi-Fi specification, it offers up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range as existing 802.11g wireless. It's also backward compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found in home routers and Wi-Fi hotspots) as well as 802.11a networks (which has a higher throughput, but more limited range--great for closed office environments). You'll enjoy wireless connectivity to a wide range of peripherals with the built-in Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR (enhanced data rate), which offers up to three times the bandwidth of standard Bluetooth.

It also includes a next-generation ExpressCard 54/34 card slot (as well as a standard PCMCIA slot), which lets you take advantage of thinner, faster, and lighter expansion cards for even more advanced wireless, networking, storage, and security features. You get a good offering of connectivity options:

    * 6 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
    * 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
    * 1 HDMI output (for connecting to a compatible HDTV or home theater receiver for uncompressed digital audio and video via a single cable)
    * Standard video output: VGA and S-Video
    * 1 ExpressCard 54/34

    * 1 headphone jack (1 with S/PDIF digital audio compatibility) and 1 microphone jack
    * 5-in-1 memory card reader (Secure Digital, MultiMedia, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, xD Picture Card)

It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.90) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems).

Operating System
Windows Vista Home Premium is the operating system for users with advanced computer needs, and it includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center for watching DVD movies and accessing your digital audio library. You can also use Windows Media Center to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV) and to access new kinds of online entertainment content. Computers that include Windows Vista Home Premium and an auxiliary Windows SideShow display will also allow you to access key data even when your computer is off. It is also easier than ever to share files between other PCs in your household and to manage your laptop computer settings to more securely connect via Wi-Fi.

Every edition of Windows Vista provides the essential tools and technologies to help protect you whether you are browsing the Internet, connecting to a wireless network, or just reading e-mail. All editions of Windows Vista include new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures long before you have lost any important personal data. And, all Windows Vista editions include parental control features that allow you to manage and monitor your family's use of games, the Internet, instant messaging, and other activities.

Preloaded Software
Microsoft Works 8.5, InterVideo WinDVD 8, Google Desktop and Picasa, Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5, McAfee Internet Security Suite (30-day trial), and Microsoft Office Home and Student Edition (60-day trial).

Dimensions & Weight
This notebook measures 15.7 x 11.3 x 2.05 inches and weighs 9.37 pounds.

Power
It comes with a 6000 mAh lithium-ion battery pack for extra-long battery life.

What's in the Box
This package contains the X205-S9349 notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. It is backed by a one-year limited hardware warranty.

Helpful Customer Reviews for Toshiba Satellite X205 S9349

By Chris Cubley
I've been using this machine for a week or two now and can honestly say it lives up to it's billing. There are a couple of things that I think could be improved:

The hard drives are 5400 rpm and you can definitely tell when the machine boots up. This could be improved by installing 7200 rpm drives or by not including so much bloatware. This leads me to point number two:

Don't include so much bloatware. I realize this is an off the shelf machine and I'm going to have to put up with this as such... but this machine could be SO much faster if it didn't have so much extra software installed. I'm still learning my way around Vista or I would've probably wiped it and started over straight out of the box.

Of course, I have to mention the size and weight of this thing. It's really a desktop replacement, as I can't see anyone carrying it every day. I would strongly suggest that if you're buying one, to get it first and get an idea of how big it is before you go buy a bag for it. I have one of the Targus messenger bags and while the laptop fits fine, there isn't much room for other things. (Gaming mouse, headphones, etc etc) Buying a large laptop means you need large everything else too.. ha!

With those things out of the way, let me talk about what I enjoy about this laptop.

The screen is REALLY nice. Having 1680x1050 in a 17" may be a bit taxing on some people's eyes but I really enjoy it. Watching an HD DVD is very clean and crisp.

The graphics board (8700m GT w/512mb dedicated) is very fast and is more than adequate for the games I play. I'm able to run World of Warcraft with everything but AA maxed at ~100fps in towns and ~40-60fps around the world. Shattrath City, which is a constant source of pain for those of us who play this game runs at around 30fps during peak hours. I've also played Lord of the Rings Online, which seems to run very well at high/ultra detail levels. Warhammer 40k Dawn of War (and all expansions) runs buttery smooth with all details maxed.

The speakers sound amazing, especially given the fact that they're in a laptop. While it's a bit off topic, I also highly recommend the Razer surround headphones that Amazon also sells. Very comfortable and they sound even better than the Toshiba's speakers.

All in all, I'm pleased with this laptop. The only things that I feel could be remedied are somewhat par for the course for this class of machine (retail prebuilt).

If I happen into anyone looking for a laptop and this class of machine, I will definitely recommend it.

By William R. Stockstill
I have owned 4 laptops, all Dell. My current laptop is a Dell Inspiron 8600 with the then revolutionary Pentium M processor. After three years the HD is acting funny, writing occasionally corrupt files, batch processing (processor intensive) of large RAW format photo files is taking forever (even with 1.25 GB of RAM) and my 80GB hard drive which seemed so huge back then is full. So it was time for a change.

I play my games on a Play Station 3, so although this laptop is marketed as a gaming laptop its not a selling point for me. (It even has a large, removable sticker promoting a game on the keyboard) I am into digital photography and have to process larger numbers of RAW format files into JPEGs. I also am into HD video. I have Blu-Ray covered with my PS3, so getting a laptop with an HD-DVD player that had HDMI out to play on my HD TV would cover all HD DVD formats. BTW, Netflix now ships both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD formats of movies if they are available. Lastly, I like to surf the Net and listen to MP3s. The large screen makes surfing sweet and this laptop has FIVE harmon/kardon speakers so MP3s sound GREAT.

So based on what I use my laptop for, my buying criteria was:

-HD DVD player (preferably a SuperMulti)to watch HD DVDs and burn mps and photo and video DVDs
-Minimum 2 GB of Ram which helps speed up processing times
-HD drive of at least 120 GB for large amounts of photo and mp3 files
-Duo processor with at least 1.8 GHZ to speed up batch processing of photo files
-SD card reader for easy transfer of my photos files from my camera.

I looked first, of course, at Dell, then looked here at Amazon. For the same features, the x205 beats the price of comparable Dell models by a couple hundred. It also was in the same price range as 15" laptops with the features I wanted and since this was not a laptop I was traveling with, size was not an issue. And yes, in this case, bigger is better! Also, Toshiba has a good name and there were several good reviews here so I took the plunge.

This is my first computer with Vista and I was a little leary since all my programs are for XP. This is similar to my hesitation to jump to XP from ME and from Windows 98 to ME, but I have not had any serious problems yet. Many programs have Vista driver updates and Vista has the Windows Compatibility program that helps older programs that aren't working right on Vista to run correctly. Vista has a much more advanced look then XP, its like going from Star Trek to Star Trek The Next Generation. This is especially evident with the x205's biometic reader where you can setup locking the computer as well as logging into your secure websites with only a swipe of a finger.

This computer is blazing fast for everything I am using it for. Vista ranks system components performance from 1 to 5.9 with 5.9 being the highest. The rank shows how well a component works with Vista and is called the Windows Experience Index. The x205 overall Index is 4.8, which is computed by the LOWEST component score. The graphics card on the x205 scored a 5.9.

The screen is the best laptop screen I have ever seen, by far the brightest. It does have the shiny screen cover, not the dull covers that all the previous laptops I have owned had. So, it does suffer from glare, but it is brighter and has higher contrast then any screen I have seen. HD content on it is GORGEOUS! Going through the Windows Media Center setup you use an HD movie to set the screen up and your jaw will drop at how good it looks.

The biometric reader is a little fussy but I would rather swipe my finger a couple of times then try and remember a password and type it in.

I have watched a regular DVD on the player and it looks great. I have burned a DVD with the player and it worked fine, but it is not the fastest DVD burner available. I guess being able to read and write in so many formats (DVD+,DVD-,DVD-RAM and both formats of dual layer DVDs and CDs) you have to sacrifice speed.

The speakers sound great with little or no distortion. They are moderately loud, but a review I saw recently made it sound like they were much louder.

There is an issue with keyboard. The keys can be easily popped off. I have not done it yet, I have read about it and I can see where that can happen. I am ordering the Toshiba PA3611U-1ETC Silicone Keyboard Protector available on Amazon in hopes it will prevent that from happening. (Works great! Only thing is that hair clings to it like steel to a magnet)

The touch pad is unique in that it has buttons on it for the sound, mail, and programmable areas for starting up programs. You touch an area in the upper right of the pad to turn on the functions and when you do the pad illuminates blue. You have to get used to not hitting it while using it. The whole pad also feels a little off centered too far to the left. But, this laptop is so big you probably with be using a mouse anyway. It has 4 USB 2.0 ports on the right side so adding a mouse is no problem.

Pros:
Price vs Features (although it has gone up since I bought it), Processor Speed, HD Display Screen, HD Size, SuperMulti DVD player, Biometric reader, 6 USB 2.0!!!, all ports are on front and sides for easy access, attractive case, numeric pad on keyboard, rich sounding speakers, runs cooler on the bottom then my Dell laptops (heat is vented to the sides)

Cons:

Weight, AC Adapter converter is the size of a brick!, price of buying a second adapter is expensive.

UPDATE: A couple of things. First, the AC adapter is working intermittently. I contacted support and they are shipping another out, about 6 business days. Kinda surprised it is going to take that long when it only took 2 days to get the computer.

Next. I bought Transformers in HD DVD. I searched several stores before finding it so I could not wait to watch it. I put it in the laptop, and the software (Toshiba HD DVD Player) would not play it! I called support and they directed me to this laptops download page on the Toshiba Support website. I upgraded to the latest Toshiba HD DVD player listed. Well it still did not work so they opened a case file on it. The laptop is supposed to ship with Intervideo WinDVD 8. I think I deleted it when I was deleting the bloatware when I first got the laptop since I found an incomplete folder on the computer. Support told me I need to RESTORE my computer, ie delete everything, to get to the original state and have WinDVD 8 installed. Well I continued to search for an alternative. First, I put the restore disc in and while you can chose to restore programs, the long list did not include WinDVD 8. Then I found not listed on my models support page, but on the overall Toshiba support download homepage is a later model of the Toshiba HD DVD Player software that states you need to use it to play some HD DVDs made after Sept 17. I loaded it and found that while I can watch movies hitting the play icon on the player, I cant use the mouse on any of the screen icons. So, I can watch a movie WITHOUT all the extras HD DVD has! I decided to not restore my computer because if I do and this early version of WinDVD 8 does not play newer HD DVDs either, I will have to call someone to replace the window I will throw this laptop through. I am going to have to bite the bullet and cough up $70-$100 for HD DVD software. Really sucks.

Also, when I did get the HD DVD player to play a movie, I used the HDMI out to connect to my big screen TV and got an error message about external monitors were not supported. I dont know if this is software or not.

Because of this I am lowering this to 4 stars. Also I have not tried copying from an SD card yet and dont know if the reader supports SD HC cards of 2GB and bigger. Hopefully it does or if not, that is another strike against it as large capacity cards are dropping in price everyday.

UPDATE #2: I ended up getting Nero's HD DVD/Blu-Ray plug-in since I already had Nero 7. At $25 it was the cheapest, and since its a download (although its like 188MB!) the fastest solution. However, I still can't click onto the on screen icons. But, Nero allows me to go through the chapters so I have "blind" access to the extras. I also tried the HDMI out and it doesn't work with Nero either. sigh. Real bummer that I can't find a way to watch on my big screen TV.

UPDATE #3 Tosiba's newest version of its HD DVD player software does work with the DVD onscreen menus. You have to use key commands, however, to get it to work. Only the play icon seems to work on the player control panel. The Esc key brings up the DVD's menu and you navigate using the arrow keys and hit Enter to execute menu commands. Also, Toshiba shipped my replacement power cord (only the half with the converter box) overnight, not ground as I was told on the phone. Now the only thing I have to tackle is getting HD DVDs to play via the HDMI out.

UPDATE #4 (most likely the last) I got the HDMI out to work and play an HD DVD movie on my TV. I used the latest software version of the Toshiba HD DVD player. It wasn't working before because for whatever reason it won't let you display the movie on both the laptop and the TV so you have to either right click the desktop and go into the NVIDIA controls and choose only one display and pick your TV from the pulldown list or use FN F5 which brings the same thing up. The picture (Transformers) looked great so I am pleased. I have an older TV with DVI so I have to use a DVI-HDMI adapter and the headphone out for sound, but it works. I imagine the digital out on the front of the laptop could be used with a surround system, although I am not sure and its a mini plug out, not an RCA or optical out like I am used to seeing.

By K. Comer
I've had this for about 2 weeks and I have to say it is the best "new laptop" experience I've ever had. It has not locked up or shut down once and has taken everything I've thrown at it. Vista seems to be compatible with all of my old programs so far...even the old game Forsaken that I had problems with on XP runs fine on Vista.

Cons -

The bloatware was rediculous, but once I got all of that off I was satisfied.

It could use faster hard drives and at some point I'll probably replace them with 7200 rpm drives, but for now it is working fine for me.

The HD DVD player software could use some work because the menu items only respond to the cursor keys and not the mouse so you can't sit back with your wireless mouse and make menu selections.

The shiny cover is very impressive, but you better keep a cloth handy to wipe the fingerprints. I imagine once it is scratched up it will look pretty pitiful. It is packed inside a white cloth slipcover so I kept that rather than throwing it away to protect it when inside a case.

PROS -

I LOVE the fingerprint reader since you can "register" all the internet places you go to and log on with just a fingerprint swipe!

For a desktop replacement the battery life is good (comparing it to the battery life of my old Dell 9100). I was able to play about an hour of an HD DVD while hooked up to my Sony LCD TV on battery power without a glitch.

It is big and heavy, BUT the weight is well distributed so it feels much lighter than many laptops this big.

The screen is bright and the perfect contrast (for me).

All in all I love it and I'm not easy to please!

Source:Toshiba Satellite X205 S9349 Review
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