For a little over a grand, Toshiba's Tecra A3 wraps up a reasonably fast Pentium M processor, DVD/CD-RW combo drive, and value-added perks like a FireWire port in a portable six-pound package. Unfortunately, the A3's mediocre multitasking performance, lack of memory, and very limited wireless range drag it down a few notches.
Under the silver-colored lid, you'll find a nice 15-inch XGA display that works well for any kind of application. We watched a couple of hours of DVD movies on the system and they looked great, with crisp detail and smooth playback. Additionally, while the A3's embedded stereo speakers offer average output, we were glad to find a real volume control wheel on the front panel of the system.
We also like the look and feel of the A3, starting with the full-size and comfortable keyboard, and solid touchpad buttons. Each button has a slightly raised bump that makes it easier to click without looking. Above the keyboard is a system control panel featuring a power button, Toshiba assist button, and presentation button.
Powering the system is Intel's 1.6-GHz Pentium M 730 processor that features a healthy 533-MHz system bus for fast data transfers with the rest of the system, as well as a 2MB integrated cache memory buffer. Unfortunately, Toshiba has completely hobbled the Tecra A3's performance by fitting it with just 256MB of DDR memory-RAM that's also shared by the integrated graphics adapter.
While the Toshiba A3's RAM is lackluster, the company does offer you the chance to upgrade your memory. An extra 256MB of RAM will cost you $79, 512MB more will run you $165, and an extra 1GB costs $419.
Because of its low memory complement, the Tecra A3 scored a ho-hum 159 in our MobileMark benchmark. Applications ran sluggishly and multitasking was simply out of the question. We've seen Celeron-based laptops provide better performance. The meager 4,200-rpm 40GB hard drive certainly didn't help.
Although the system uses the Intel 900 core logic chipset's integrated video adapter, it's far more capable than most embedded graphics chips. We were able to play Far Cry in low detail at passable frame rates.
While it wasn't designed for gaming, the Tecra A3 was built for connectivity. You have your choice of three USB 2.0 ports, FireWire, S-Video, VGA, a fast infrared port, and even parallel and serial ports for older peripherals. When you want to network your system or get online, you have a modem, Ethernet adapter, and 802.11b/g adapter.
The Wi-Fi adapter doesn't offer much range. While its performance was decent 5 feet away from our access point (10.9 Mbps), it dropped all the way to 2 Mbps at 50 feet. We've seen 802.11b adapters offer better range than that.
On the upside, the system offers a hard-wired on/off switch for the Wi-Fi radio on the front of the notebook (right next to the mic and headphone jacks), which is an easy way for you to add a few minutes of battery life. With Wi-Fi off, expect to see a respectable three hours of endurance.
One item you won't find on the Tecra A3 is a memory card slot. If you'd like to copy photos from your digital camera, you'll need to use either a USB cable or spring for a memory card adapter.
Toshiba includes the very useful Microsoft Office OneNote 2003 application, but that's it in terms of extras. While the price is right, the Tecra A3 is only recommended for those who are willing to deal with limited performance.
|
|
| Processor |
| Processor Type |
Intel Pentium M Processor (Centrino) |
| Data Bus Speed |
533 MHz |
Cache Memory |
| Installed Size |
2 MB |
RAM |
| Installed Size |
256 MB |
| Technology |
DDR-SDRAM (DDRRAM) |
Storage |
| Hard Drive |
40 GB |
| Drive Controllers |
IDE (ATA/EIDE/ATAPI) |
Optical Storage |
| Type |
DVD/CD-RW Combo,
Hard Drive |
Display |
| Type |
Active Matrix LCD (TFT) |
| Aspect Ratio |
4:3 (Standard) |
| Graphics Processor / Vendor |
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 |
| Max. Resolution |
1024 x 768 (XGA) |
Audio |
| Sound Support |
AC '97, DirectMusic, DirectSound, DirectSound3D |
Networking |
| Data Link Protocol |
Ethernet (10/100 Mbps),
Wireless Ethernet - 11 Mbps IEEE802.11b,
Wireless Ethernet - 54 Mbps IEEE802.11g |
Expansion |
| Expansion |
Type II CardBus |
Miscellaneous |
| Chipset Type |
Intel 915GM Express |
| Input Devices |
Keyboard,
Touchpad |
| Included Devices |
Modem,
Power Cord,
Speakers,
Wireless LAN Antenna |
Operating System |
| Operating System |
Microsoft Windows XP Pro |
Battery |
| Average Run Time |
3.8 hour(s) |
Dimensions (W x D x H) |
| Unit |
13.3 in x 11 in x 1.5 in |
Weight |
| Unit |
6 lbs |
Warranty |
| Warranty |
1 Year Limited Warranty |
|
|
= Comment
= Outstanding
= Good
= Poor
= Bad
