***Toshiba Satellite L305-S5921 for $399 (reg. $599)

Newegg has the Toshiba Satellite L305-S5921 on sale for $399.99 ($200 off)! - LINK

The specs are:
2.16GHz Intel Pentium Dual-Core T3400
Windows Vista Home Premium
15.4" WXGA (1280x800) TruBrite display
2GB DDR2-800 RAM
160GB Hard Drive
DVD-RW
Intel GMA 4500M graphics
Atheros b/g wireless card
6-cell Battery
Glossy Black with Onyx Blue lid

 

I've been eying up this deal for a few days now, and have passed the word to a few friends who are in the market for a new laptop. I noticed u've posted quite a bit about Toshiba's in general in some of your other threads. Do u have any hands on experience with this particular model? Im mainly concerned with build quality. I havent been able to find a review on this specific model, as notebookreviews' database only lists this guy:

http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4460

Outside of the build quality, i was wondering about the platform. Is it Santa Rosa based? or the newer Montevina?

The wikipedia page for the centrino platforms groups Merom chips with the older santa rosa (and even napa) platforms. The Montevina platform, running the GL40 chipset with gma 4500 (like this toshiba) is paired with Penryn chips. Can u run older Merom chips on the new platform? Any ideas? Are there different revision of the Merom?

Anyway, sorry for the overload of questions, im just kinda pumped about this model, and wanna find as much info as possible.

It seems like such a steal @ 399 - i wanna make sure i get my facts straight before i continue to hard sell my buddies.

 

I tend to post good Toshiba deals when I run across good ones. I have a 'soft spot' for the brand because my first laptop (in 1999) was a Toshiba...and it still works, 333MHz Pentium II and all! I purchased a Satellite L305 configurable model for my little sister last month and I'm impressed with the build quality and overall value.

[QUOTEI havent been able to find a review on this specific model[/QUOTE]

Computer Shopper has a review of a very similar model, the one they reviewed had a slightly slower 2.0GHz T3200 processor, but otherwise the same- LINK

It is based on the newer Intel platform (the GL40/GM45/PM45/GS45 are the most current Intel chipsets). Any system with Intel 4500M (or 4500MHD) integrated graphics is based on the newer Intel platform, so that's a quick and easy way to tell.

The newer chipsets work with all Socket P processors- which includes most Merom and all Penryn models. The GL40 chipset is the 'budget' model and has a few drawbacks compared to the mainstream GM45. The GL40 has a 667MHz FSB, so DDR2-800 RAM is downclocked to 667MHz. The GM45 supports up to a 1066MHz FSB. The GL40 maxes out at 4GB of RAM, but the GM45 can accomdate up to 8GB. The more significant difference is the GMA 4500M integrated graphics processor- it maxes out at 380MHz paired with the GL40 compared to 533MHz with the GM45.

Although it's $50 more, I'd recommend taking a look at the configurable L300 on the ToshibaDirect website. It is currently on sale starting at $449 and has the following ugprades compared to the S5921:

-Uses the GM45 chipset instead of GL40, despite having the same T3400 processsor (if it had the T4200, it'd be an even better deal)
-Includes an integrated webcam
-Upgrades to from b/g wireless to the Intel 5100AGN wireless card
Here's the LINK

The $449 configuration only has 1GB of RAM, but it's a single 1GB module so there's an open slot. For under $25, you can buy a single 2GB module and upgrade it to 3GB total. The configurable model also has options for upgrading the processor, hard drive and other specs...but the value quotient quickly drops if you aren't careful!

 

Thanks for the info. Your post was very helpful.