Toshiba Satellite 2405-S201 Laptop (1.6-GHz Pentium 4, 256 MB RAM, 30 GB hard drive)

by Toshiba

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 12.2 x 1.4 inches ; 7.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 10 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000069BJJ
• Item model number: Satellite 2405-S201
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 11, 2002

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Designed to offer a good balance of performance, portability, and price, Toshiba's Satellite 2405-S201 notebook is one more reason why the Satellite series is such a mainstay of Toshiba's extensive notebook lineup.

The 2405-S201 is a powerful computer, but not so powerful that you're forced to pay extra for state-of-the-art components. Driven by a fast 1.6 GHz Pentium 4 processor, with 256 MB of SDRAM (expandable to 512 MB), a fast front-side bus speed of 400 MHz, and a 16 MB TriStar 64C+ graphics chip, the unit will efficiently handle anything but the most technologically advanced 3-D rendering applications and games. Its large 40 GB hard drive offers plenty of storage space, and its combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive allows you to archive vast quantities of data, play and burn audio CDs, and enjoy the latest Hollywood blockbusters. Toshiba has even included an internal 3.5-inch floppy disk drive for older applications and smaller backup requirements.

Featuring a positional 3-D sound card, an integrated set of stereo speakers, and a generous 14.1-inch XGA TFT active-matrix display capable of 1,024 x 768 resolution and 16 million colors, the 2405-S201 looks and sounds as good as it runs. The unit is not particularly small at 12.8 by 11.2 by 1.7 inches and 7.54 pounds, nor is it so cumbersome that you won't want to take it with you across town or across the country.

Wherever you go, the 2405-S201 makes it easy to stay in touch. The system features a wealth of input and output options, including an integrated 56K modem for on-the-road Internet and e-mail access, a 10/100 Ethernet LAN for network connectivity and high-speed surfing, three USB ports for plug-and-play peripherals, a headphone and microphone jack, and a PC Card slot. The system's control center features an 85-key keyboard, convenient two-button touch pad, a scroll pad, and hot keys.

Toshiba has equipped the 2405-S201 with a bevy of applications, including the Home Edition of Windows XP, Lotus SmartSuite Millennium Edition, Intuit Quicken Basic 2001, and Norton AntiVirus 2002.

Product Description

The 2405-S201 is a powerful computer, but not so powerful that you're forced to pay extra for state-of-the-art components. Driven by a fast 1.6 GHz Pentium 4 processor, with 256 MB of SDRAM (expandable to 512 MB), a fast front-side bus speed of 400 MHz, and a 16 MB TriStar 64C+ graphics chip, the unit will efficiently handle anything but the most technologically advanced 3-D rendering applications and games. Its large 40 GB hard drive offers plenty of storage space, and its combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive allows you to archive vast quantities of data, play and burn audio CDs, and enjoy the latest Hollywood blockbusters. Toshiba has even included an internal 3.5-inch floppy disk drive for older applications and smaller backup requirements. Featuring a positional 3-D sound card, an integrated set of stereo speakers, and a generous 14.1-inch XGA TFT active-matrix display capable of 1,024 x 768 resolution and 16 million colors, the 2405-S201 looks and sounds as good as it runs. The unit is not particularly small at 12.8 by 11.2 by 1.7 inches and 7.54 pounds, nor is it so cumbersome that you won't want to take it with you across town or across the country. Wherever you go, the 2405-S201 makes it easy to stay in touch. The system features a wealth of input and output options, including an integrated 56K modem for on-the-road Internet and e-mail access, a 10/100 Ethernet LAN for network connectivity and high-speed surfing, three USB ports for plug-and-play peripherals, a headphone and microphone jack, and a PC Card slot. The system's control center features an 85-key keyboard, convenient two-button touch pad, a scroll pad, and hot keys.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great notebook, July 23, 2002

By 

Dave (Portland) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Toshiba Satellite 2405-S201 Laptop (1.6-GHz Pentium 4, 256 MB RAM, 30 GB hard drive) (Personal Computers)

The Amazon review did not get the memory information right but everything else is right on target. Here's the quick scoop on the memory:

This system has 256M of 266MHz DDR-SDRAM (AKA PC-2100 when referring to bandwidth rather than frequency). This means it is 2x faster than regular 133MHz SDRAM. This is very important on the P4, which requires very fast memory (it can handle a lot of data). Sadly some vendors do bundle 133MHz SDRAM with the P4 - avoid this combination! Your fast CPU will sit idle while it waits on the memory. Fortunately this computer doesn't have that problem. (Note: PC-133 is fine with slower PIII and Athlon systems that can't really take advantage of the faster memory.)

I should also note that this system uses a P4 desktop CPU not a true "mobile" (P4-M) CPU. Why does Toshiba do this?

A P4-M CPU cost more than a desktop P4 CPU. The main reasons are the packaging is more expensive (to dissipate heat better) and the voltage of the CPU is lower to save power and reduce heat (low voltage parts must meet stricter manufacturing standards).

Toshiba is using the desktop P4 in notebooks so they can sell a fast laptop for less money. The plus is you save money too. The down side is your battery life is shorter and the laptop will be larger and heavier to support the extra cooling requirements.

If you are someone who needs long battery life or has the laptop sitting on their lap for long periods of time (the bottom can get hot) then I suggest getting a P4-M system. If you have your laptop plugged in most of the time on a table then a desktop CPU is probably fine for you.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, value-priced machine, October 9, 2002

By 

"nu9293" (MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Toshiba Satellite 2405-S201 Laptop (1.6-GHz Pentium 4, 256 MB RAM, 30 GB hard drive) (Personal Computers)

I bought this machine for both work and school. I'm running RedHat Linux (7.3) on one partition and XP on the other. First of all, anyone buying this machine should bear in mind that it does _not_ have a mobile processor. Therefore, as the other reviewers pointed out, it gets very hot. However, Toshiba corrected earlier problems with the processor overheating so the new cooling system works very well.

The extras on this machine are great: three USB ports, a firewire port, and the SD slot. For the money you will _not_ find a better configuration. I checked Dell, IBM, Sony, and Gateway, all of which barely came close to what the Toshiba has. The 15" monitor is fantastic as are the speakers.

Drawbacks? Of course. Again, it's not really a "laptop" because of the heat it generates. Also, the function buttons on the front of the machine are not intuitive or well-designed so you really have to squint to see what's on each of them. The ~ key is poorly placed (I'm a Linux geek and the ~ key is important--more of a personal gripe than anything else). Lastly, the battery life is mediocore.

However, if you do your homework you'll see that there's no other machine on the market that comes close to the config of this machine.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars So your thinking about the Toshiba 2405-S201 laptop...., October 3, 2002

By 

Avid laptop user... (Eastcoast USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Toshiba Satellite 2405-S201 Laptop (1.6-GHz Pentium 4, 256 MB RAM, 30 GB hard drive) (Personal Computers)

I've use many different brands of laptops, but if you are looking for a laptop that has power as well as performance, then this one is a pretty good choice for a reasonable price.

It comes with:
1)A P4 1.6GHZ processor (not the mobile version - which runs cooler)

2)256MB of memory (however, it is PC2100 DDR RAM, which is basically much faster memory than your conventional SODIMM memory you will find on a lot of other manufacturer's laptops.) However, I increased the amount of memory to 512MB, which is the maximum amount that this laptop can handle.

3)30GB HDD, which is a pretty good size hard drive - as oppose to some other laptops you see at similar prices with only a 20GB HDD.

4)8X DVD/ 8X CDRW drive/ 24X CD ROM reader

5)16MB Integrated S3 Controller Video adapter which is pretty decent, but some 3D games do not function as well compared to ATI or NVIDIA chips.

6)And of course your typical 56K modem and built in 10/100 NIC.

Those are the basic specs.

The positives are:
Features included and Price especially the built in DVD and CDRW player; PC2100 DDR memory; 30GB HDD; 3 USB Ports; 14.1" monitor; haven't had to call, but 24/7 tech support; volume control and extra one touch buttons are convenient; RCA video output port; can replace your desktop PC - or at least a replacement for your older desktop PC.

The negatives are:
Slightly heavy - but still manageable; Runs hot if you have on your lap but O.K.; Battery life is about average at about 1:30-2HRS.; No PS/2 ports; Trackpad is finicky; software included is weak - need MS Office, or at least MS Word; XP Home (instead of XP Pro - which you have to pay more for and hard to find); No built in microphone; SD memory slot reader - but more useful if it was a Smartmedia or CompactFlash instead.