Sep 19, 2005 02:41 PM
12525 Views
(Updated Sep 19, 2005 02:41 PM)
I have owned a Toshiba Satellite 2450-A741 laptop for more than an year now. My previous laptop was a Compaq Presario . The difference between the two laptops is vast - you cant compare a P4 2.8 ghz cpu with a AMD Duron 900 mhz cpu which is like comparing a Ferrari with a fiat!!
When I decided that I had outgrown my Presario, I decided to go in for a Toshiba. I had seen a few laptops made by Toshiba and was suitably impressed. One of the main reasons to buy the 2450 was the geforce graphics adaptor + dedicated video memory - not many laptops were available with this feature (an year ago). I was particularly interested in this feature because I play lots of 3D games on my laptop. Informatively, Toshiba tends to sell laptops are a higher price than its competitors for the same configuration.
The Toshiba 2450 Satellite has the following features:
P4 2.8 Ghz Mobile Pentium4 cpu (desktop cpu)
256 mb ram (I upgraded to 512)
15'' screen
32 mb Geforce4 420 graphics
DVD ROM + CD-RW
40 gb hard drive
Windows XP Home Edition
Battery life - 1.5 to 2 hrs.
Warranty 3 yrs
3 USB ports
LAN
Integrated card slot
Infra red
Harmon Kardon speakers
The laptop is very nice to look at with a blue / black design. It is on the heavier side being a desktop replacement. The finish is excellent and the performance flawless.
It is very sturdy and it takes my rough handling in its stride. Compaq laptops tend to look a bit flimsy in comparison.
The P4 2.8 Ghz cpu coupled with 512 ram crunches through everything I throw at it.....spreadsheets.....3D games.....word processing...movies ...you name it. Booting up is fast (it has slowed down a little after I applied the XP SP2 patch). The 15'' screen is a delight to work on.....crystal clear picture....with a native resolution of 1024 x 768. I have increased my hard drive capacity by using 60 gb/80 gb external USB2 hard drives. The laptop has no trouble running both these external USB drives without requiring an extra power source. I have seen Compaq laptops unable to run external USB hard drives and demanding external power. The DVD-CDRW drive works fine and is no slouch when burning CDs. DVD playback is very good and the sound quality is excellent.
One point to note is that it runs hot. Even the AC adaptor gets seriously hot. You cant use it on a bed or a similar soft surface as the the fan for the cpu is on the bottom. Tiny ''feet'' keep the laptop off the surface it is placed on allowing room for the fan exhaust. I dont move my laptop around too much so this is not a problem for me.
Technical support is provided by HCL. They sent a technician home to upgrade the ram and when I couldnt get the modem to connect , their call centre executive gave me precise instructions in a matter of minutes.
The local warranty is for 3 yrs and the company gave me an International warranty free for 1 year.
So what dont I like about this laptop? Two things - cost and weight. It was quite expensive an year ago (prices have dropped now). When you add the weight of the laptop and its AC adaptor , you are talking about a heavy load. Travelling with it is a pain. On the other hand....I dont need dumb bells to work out with.....I just move my laptop around!
I think the Toshiba Satellite 2450 is obsolete now. But my review will give you an idea of Toshiba laptops in general. You cant go wrong with Toshiba - they know how to make laptops.
