Toshiba Satellite T115D-S1125 Mini review

Here is a short review on the T115D-S1125. When I was looking for info on this little laptop there was very little out there.

 

Excellent review!

I like that you also point out the disadvantages of the reviewed laptop.
Most private buyers are very biased and tend to only mention the good things and are blind to some of the bad points because they've just spent so much money on a new toy and are therefore forcing themselves to love it.

+rep

 

Nice review. Would you mind doing a test on how this unit plays 480p Hulu in full screen? From what I've heard, Atom N450 or 330 with nVidia ION can handle that in a 720p screen, but they are also at the same price range with T115, which has a HD 3200 that should blow ION out of water easily if GPU capability is being utilized appropriately, but I am not sure how the Flash takes advantage HD 3200 and this AMD ULV dual core. Thanks in advance for any feedback.

 

Thanks lastrebelstanding
I try to be as objective as possible...

 

Unfortunately it's choppy playing Hulu 480p in full screen. Isn't there going to be a new version of Flash coming soon that is supposed to correct that?

 

I think 10.1 when it's full released, yes, they should take advantage of GPU. I think one of the beta of 10 already has that function and is in circulation. The funny thing is even in Anandtech they mention some dropped frames with the tested Atom 330 + nVidia Ion, yet somehow in a comparison to Intel 3150 they say Ion is perfect for 480p playing at 720p full screen -- better than Intel is considered perfect...

Oh well, I guess my quest to find a cheap Hulu book continues. May have to go with a cheap CULV like Acer's 1410. Thanks a lot for testing out for me.

 

Great review. Do you think you could add a picture showing its size relative to something recognizable? Thanks!

 

Here are some picks next/on top of my alu MacBook:








If you prefer I can take pictures next to my 14" ThinkPad R61 as well...

 

Those help. How 'bout one just holding it or with a hand in the picture.

Thanks!

 

Here you go:

 

OK I downloaded the 10.1 public beta and it makes a huge difference. It plays much smother and if there are any dropped frames I didn't notice them on a couple of movie trailers I looked at.

 

Wow, cool. Thanks a lot. This is great news, now I am seriously considering this for my Hulu book.

 

Steve,
I noticed in your review (and others) that it runs hot. How big of a concern do you consider this. It would be for casual use (web, email, video) mostly. But I would like to use it as a "lap"top while sitting.

Thanks.

 

For casual use its O.K. I noticed it getting hot while benchmarking...

 

Agreed! This is a very nice review.

I own the T115 - S110 myself, and am very satisfied with it thus far. Nice to see Toshiba using a model that apparently has "worked" for them and giving more options in it....

 

Is that a 13" Macbook or 15"?

Thanks!

 

It's the 13"...

 

Thanks for the solid review. I am really thinking hard about this one. Cheap Dual Core, light netbook that can handle 720P Flash video content and still able to pull 5+ hours of use.

 

I am 99.9% sure I am getting this netbook. I have to wait on income tax returns at the end of this month. Then I'll be taking the plunge! Thanks for the review!

 

Uh...it definitely can't do that. Flash 10.1 helps with CPU load but sites like Youtube and Hulu are still demanding.

(that is if you were saying 5 hours of flash video, reading it a second time it doesn't seem like that's what you were saying =P)

 

I bought this laptop on the net without seeing it first. I have to say I can't STAND the glossiness of this thing. Also the screen seems to have faded colors. Red is not quite red, blue not quite blue. When I put it next to other laptops (glossy screen also) and LCD monitors it just doesn't look vibrant. Anyone else notice this? The only reason I haven't returned it yet is because I can't find another 11" netbook in this price range with a dual-core process. I am definitely eyeing the Lenovo X100 but that one has a single core.

 

For anyone who is interested in Linux I just installed Linux Mint on this laptop with no apparent issues at all.



Wi Fi worked out of the box, ATI proprietary drivers work, sound is OK and the trackpad is actually much smoother than in Windows... I have not tested the webcam yet...

 

Awesome, thanks for the update on Linux Does S3/S4 work properly? That always seems to be the biggest crapshoot with laptops these days...

 

It seems to sleep/wake as I open/close the screen without a problem... the webcam works BUT I haven't been able to get the microphone working yet...

 

Did you install from an external DVD drive or a flash drive? If you installed it from a DVD drive did the BIOS have any problems recognizing a non-Toshiba drive?

 

I have 2 USB drives. One (HP slim USB powered) was recognized without a problem. The other (full size Samsung) was not... so there may be a problem as I never had a problem on the past with that drive...

 

I have a slim externally-powered Sony USB DVD drive. I guess it will be a roll of the dice on whether or not it's recognized at boot. Thanks for the reply.

Anyone adventurous enough to crack the case and check the wireless card? Is it a mini pci-e? I'd love to upgrade it to an N for better streaming.

 

I answered my own question! Hopefully the BIOS will allow me to swap out the wireless NIC for an N model. The current one is Realtek and I'm looking at an Atheros, anyone think this may cause issues? The LAN card is Atheros so I'm hoping it won't

 

How where you able to install Catalyst 10.3? Ati wont even let me download them, It downloads a check program and it tells me I have to get the drivers from toshiba and wont let me download the catalyst drivers.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by karmasore
Can someone please link to the ATI Catalyst drivers they use on the T115D? I just can't seem to find the right ones...
Toshiba's being weird about letting ATI update their drivers.

I found this on gamingheaven's forums. These 10.4 drivers installed on my t115d without a hitch

https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/674/9206..._64_dd_ccc.exe

https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/674/9206..._32_dd_ccc.exe

 

Has the resolution of the webcam improved after you have installed Linux?

 

Actually yes... Take a look at this:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/lin...123-toshiba-t115d-mic-not-working-9-10-a.html

I am sorry I did not follow it up here... I have updated to Ubuntu 10.04 and everything seems to be working as it should. Even the touchpad is smooth in Linux (a big complain in Windows)...

 

Hey, I absolutely love my T115D-S1125 (I had a Asus netbook), and I've upgraded the RAM to 4G and hard drive to 500G.

Do you provide any input on tearing it down to get to the mini PCI-E card? I want to swap it out as well!

Thanks...

Doug

 

I just got one also. Amazon dropped the price to $413, so I pounced. Its pretty quick, and once you remove all the Toshiba trashware, its just terrific for the money. Built like a tank also.

I have to do the memory, as well as a larger disk that spins at 7200. Then I'm all good!!!

 

Yea I just picked one up last week for about $450 after shipping/handling and tax. So far loving it, using it for a lightweight school and travel laptop.

 

So did anyone try to upgrade to wireless n yet?