 [Larger view] | Toshiba A45-S121 Notebook PC (2.8 GHz Celeron, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Combo)
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Average user rating:  | |
 Well made and good performance, but with a few glitches. | |
| Purchased the A45-S121 yesterday(Memorial Day Weekend) to check it out and compare to the CPQ 2199US, and here are my 2 cents. Pro: - Well built and different design from the rest. - Intel 852/855GME chipset, this could ensure future support for next generation and other Operating Systems, unlike the ATI/VIA chipset on the 2199US which may be drop by CPQ/HP once they come out with a new line of notebooks. Example, Intel released a driver for the 852 on 3/04, while the ATI driver is dated 6/03 and can only be optained from Compaq since ATI won't support their IGP 320M. - 4 x USB 2.0, this is the standard and every notebook should have at least 3 ports. USB 1.1 is more than 3 years old and notebook makers like CPQ/HP should keep up with the rest of the industry instead of pushing an outdated technology. - Intel Celeron 2.8Ghz, 256MB RAM & 40GB 4200RPM HD, "diehard" fan of AMD may be suprise of this CPU with 128Kb cache and 240MB of system memory performs as well as the AMD XP-M. Boot up time and overall usage of the system is a little slower than the 2199US, but with 240MB left(16MB for Video) it does a good job even when playing games or opening several applications at once, probably will give credit to the Intel chipset here again. - Battery seems to last around 3Hrs with normal usage like surfing and word processing. - Video card has good performance, with only 16MB got an 1700 score with 3DMark01 @ 1024x768x32 almost the same as the ATI IGP on the 2199US. - Most people claim that the support and service from Toshiba is far superior than HP/CPQ, can't account for that since I only had these systems for a few hours. - Audio, volume control is on the right hand side and adjustable by hand, unlike the 2199US that is dificult to reach and works only under Windows. The built-in speakers are very good indeed and well located. - The CPU fan is somehow more silent specially when controlled by the Toshiba Power Saving Modes. - Haven't tested the rest of the peripherals like DVD/CDRW but they seem to be of standard quality. Cons: Well this is my opinion and my overall reaction to the few hours of usage, in the end is you(or myself) that have to choose between this Toshiba, the HP/CPQ or any other low budget notebook out there. | |
 Incredible Notebook! | |
| I received this notebook as a present from my mother and it is also my first notebook, and let me tell you---this is a great buy. Compared to other notebooks on the market, this one is truly cost-efficient and works PERFECTLY! Not recommended if you like to play complicated games on the computer. But otherwise, buy it, you won't regret it! |
