what toshiba should i get?

im a student so i need a toshiba to work my school notes and papers, but what i want i a mobile 15" screen, not too expensive but quick enuff to do some fun, watching movies, games, and others. also need dvd rw, wireless, blutooth, and card readers, oh and last lots o ports for usb, hedphone, mic, printer wtv... help here!! from what i herd toshiba offers cool style good performance and good pictures. my budget is bout $1500 - 1600. oh and i think im going with the satellite series, dont really like qosmio and portege, or the other crappy one

 

Why do you need a Toshiba? There are other brands that are as good, if not better than Toshiba.






I know things, things that could get me killed


Thinkpad T41:
* 1.6Ghz Pentium M * 768Mb Memory * 40Gb Hitachi 7200RPM * Panasonic UJ-845-B DVD+RW *

 

Have you looked over at the Fujitsu discussion on this website? Based on what they are saying, you should take a look at the FUJITSU LifeBook N3510 notebook Pentium M 1.73GHz, 512MB, 80GB, Dual Layer DVD+/-RW, 15.4" WXGA TFT, WinXP HOME. Do a search on techbargains or similar search site for best prices for the fujitsu. At least one of the online resellers listed on this website is selling the notebook with a $150 instant rebate. I found several within your posted budget.

The N3510 appears to have most of options you listed, except for bluetooth [I am not sure what the printer wtv is] (including, 4 USB 2.0, IEEE 1394, Memory Stick®/SD slot, PC Card slot, ExpressCard™ slot). You could add a Belkin or similar usb bluetooth adapter for about $50 (probably for less with some sale) to add bluetooth -- of course the problem will be having the adapter sticking out.

What is nice about the notebook is that it has an ATI Mobility RADEON X300 (but with only 64 MB of dedicated video memory; this should still beat an integrated graphics card with shared memory; I assume, but may be wrong, that since it uses a pci X300 that you could upgrade it at a later date but do not have confirmation on this point -- maybe this will be addressed in the upcoming review on this site). I have noted that many individuals on this site, as well as other sites, list the Fujitsu and Acer and Sony as having the best lcd screens. The Toshiba m45 uses an integrated graphics card with shared memory. The N3510 also has Dual Layer DVD+/-RW and, according to an individual who made a posting on the Fujitsu discussion page, apparently uses PC4200 DDR2, which is 533MHz, unlike the Toshiba.

There does appear to be some issue with heat build up. As there are some health/reproductive considerations associated with males using notebooks on their lap, you might consider limiting your usage of any notebook on your lap -- if that is an option or choice for you, then heat buildup may be less of a problem. The M45-S351 does get warm on the left side of the pad after it runs for awhile. However, when I was checking out notebooks, it appeared that notebooks with Pentium IV's and Athlons had much greater issues with heat build up around the pad than the M45. I found some notebooks rediculously hot around the pad. Last point -- I noticed one individual had issues with wi-fi connectivity -- while others did not have this problem.

It appears that this site will be posting a review of the N3510 soon. I didn't see it listed today but maybe I overlooked it.

I just bought a Toshiba M45-S351 last month. I even got it on sale, which was great. I am very pleased with the notebook. I really like the Tru-Brite screen. [After using it for several weeks, I find the Dell screens on the various notebooks at work -- late model inspirons -- unsatisfactory. Before getting the Tru-Brite screen, the Dells were OK. Now, I find them to be really washed out.]

I have not had any complaints with the M45. It is very fast. (Nonetheless, if the Fujitsu N3510 had been available when I was looking and could have been purchased for less than $1600 which it now is, I would definitely have checked it out).

Other points: I did double the ram and have ordered the higher capacity battery (which is supposed to be delivered in the next week; I have been waiting for almost a month). I keep the LCD brightness setting at maximum and it shoots through the battery pretty fast [However, it recharges very quickly even when you are using the notebook and it is recharging at the same time]. If you plan on using your notebook in class, library etc. and relying on the battery, I strongly recommend upgrading the battery. In my opinion, the standard battery just is not going to make it with that type of usage.

Good luck. ROG