One size never fits all. The Toshiba Satellite m45-S351, however, comes remarkably close to satisfying two diametrically opposed needs: work and play. This impressive notebook boasts enough power to glide through most business applications, yet it sports enough entertainment-oriented features to keep very busy on weekends.
At 6.2-pounds, the m45 is a relatively lightweight system, especially considering that it's a full 14.2 inches wide, necessitated by a spacious 15.4-inch wide-aspect-ratio display. The abundant width makes for a roomy keyboard arrangement, which is enhanced by a set of control buttons on the left side that enable you to play CDs or DVDs without having to start up Windows.
The keyboard has a good feel and the keys are well placed. The same goes for the Synaptics V5.9 touchpad. We would have preferred it if the designers had taken advantage of the extra space and designed the right portion of the keyboard to be more like a desktop's.
The big display is perfect for large Excel worksheets, but let's face it: The main point of such a screen is to show DVD movies. We were particularly impressed with the wide viewing angle for this LCD screen technology, perfect for sharing a movie with a close friend.
You'll find just about any port you need here, including three USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire connector, and an S-video-out jack. A Bridge Media Adaptor assembly on the front panel accepts all five of the major memory card formats, and PC Cards are handled by a single Type II slot. The only ports lacking are DVI video and a video-in jack.
With a Pentium M processor running at 1.73 GHz, coupled with 512MB of RAM via a 533-MHz bus, we expected impressive if not quite record-breaking performance. Although not as speedy as a desktop replacement, this laptop attained a MobileMark score of 189, above average for a thin-and-light notebook. Likewise, its 3D graphics performance was above the norm.
The m45 is equipped with Toshiba's SuperMulti drive, which supports just about all the CD and DVD reading and writing formats available.
Despite its relatively hot performance, the m45 manages to stay cool to the touch. Thanks to a well-designed heat-management system, its bottom panel barely gets warm, and is thus well-suited for laptop work.
The biggest disappointment with this laptop was that Toshiba did not match its standout display screen with an equally impressive video accelerator. Instead, the m45 uses an Intel video chipset coupled with shared video memory. The result is sub-optimal video performance. During our grueling DVD movie-watching tests, we noticed a curious artifact: Images would pulse slightly brighter about once per second. Video motion was relatively good, but we spotted some occasional jerkiness.
For entertainment-oriented laptops, our unwritten rule is that batteries should last long enough for us to watch a DVD. The m45 meets this requirement, but don't plan on watching too many of the bonus features. Our battery test shows an endurance of roughly 2 hours and 30 minutes, which is a bit below average for this weight class.
With a large LCD, fast processor, DVD burner, 100GB hard drive and 512MB of memory, the Toshiba Satellite m45-S351 is one of the better bargains on the market. Of course, you get what you pay for. The warranty bundled with the notebook is only a year long. If you want extended warranties of 2 and 3 years, you'll have to shell out extra cash. Still, the m45 is a great laptop for both work and entertainment.
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|
| Processor |
| Processor Type |
Intel Pentium M Processor |
| Data Bus Speed |
533 MHz |
Cache Memory |
| Installed Size |
2 MB |
RAM |
| Installed Size |
512 MB |
| Technology |
DDR-SDRAM (DDRRAM) |
Storage |
| Hard Drive |
100 GB |
| Drive Controllers |
IDE (ATA/EIDE/ATAPI) |
Optical Storage |
| Type |
DVD+-RW/CD-RW Combo,
Hard Drive |
Display |
| Type |
LCD Display w/ TruBrite Technology |
| Aspect Ratio |
16:10 |
| Graphics Processor / Vendor |
Intel GMA900 Graphics |
| Max. Resolution |
1280 x 800 |
Audio |
| Sound Support |
Audio Codec '97 |
Networking |
| Data Link Protocol |
Ethernet (10/100 Mbps),
Wireless Ethernet - 11 Mbps IEEE802.11b,
Wireless Ethernet - 54 Mbps IEEE802.11g |
Expansion |
| Expansion |
Memory Stick PRO,
MultiMedia Card (MMC),
SD Card,
SmartMedia,
Sony Memory Stick,
Type II PC Card,
xD-Picture Card |
Miscellaneous |
| Chipset Type |
Intel 915GM Express |
| Input Devices |
Keyboard,
Touchpad |
| Included Devices |
Modem |
Operating System |
| Operating System |
Microsoft Windows XP |
Dimensions (W x D x H) |
| Unit |
14.17 in x 10.55 in x 1.71 in |
Weight |
| Unit |
6.2 lbs |
Warranty |
| Warranty |
1 Year Limited Warranty |
|
|
= Comment
= Outstanding
= Good
= Poor
= Bad
