A Product Review of the 17" Toshiba Satellite P205D-S8806 Laptop

Desktop replacements are as popular as ever and the Toshiba Satellite P205D-S8806 is selling as well as any of them. Desktop replacements are really starting to move off the shelves now that parents are beginning to buy computers for their children who are heading off to college in the fall. In this review I'm going to take a look at its performance versus its impact on the wallet and what kind of consumer will get the most out of this 17" behemoth. Let me get started first with some of the basics.

Hardware

Optical: Integrated Webcam

Processor: 2.2 GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-64

Storage Space: 200 GB hard drive

RAM: 2GB (with expandability up to a 4GB maximum)

Optical Drive: a CD R/RW with integrated dual-layer DVD +/- burner

Graphics Card: ATI Radeon XPress 1200 (with 319 MB of dedicated video ram)

Dimensions: 15.7" x 11.3" x 1.8" weighing 7.2lbs

The first thing that catches your attention with this Toshiba is its pure size. It certainly isn't the dainty little notebook you may be accustomed to. It weighs over 7lbs and is nearly 2" thick at its thinnest point. The screen is 17" and is the best part of this laptop. The resolution is 1440x900 and comes complete with Toshiba's TruBrite technology which adds a great reflective surface. Now because of its large screen and weight this unfortunately means that this isn't a very mobile notebook.

The processor is great and I've experienced very little lag on this Toshiba. It multitasks fine and performs all of the basic computing tasks (Office, movie watching, music listening etc) without any noticeable difficulty. The only problem is the integrated video card isn't the best, so don't expect t o play too many graphically intensive games or do much in the way of professional video editing. Otherwise it is a very solid notebook.

Connectivity

Integrated Wireless (so you can connect to hot spots everywhere)

1 Ethernet port (to connect to wired LANs)

6 2.0 USB ports (use these to connect to things like printers, MP3 players, and digital cameras)

1 FireWire port (for high speed data transfer between things like digital camcorders and other PCs)

1 ExpressCard slot (for inserting additional peripherals like a Bluetooth adapter)

1 VGA output (a typical monitor connection)

1 S-Video out (this is used to connect with projectors and some televisions)

1 audio out / 1 mic in

1 56K modem port (so you can use dialup)

5 in 1 memory card reader (so you can insert the solid state memory card from your wireless devices)

I think the connectivity is great, I would like to see a Bluetooth adapter however for a desktop replacement notebook it may not be totally necessary. The price on this notebook is currently around $1000, and it is a reasonable price. I would like to see a few more options at that price like a more powerful video card (especially since this is a desktop replacement), and a tuner would obviously be very nice. I don't foresee any drastic price drops however look for some fluctuations around the prime computer sales season (around august and late summer).