Toshiba Satellite 5105-S607 Laptop (1.7-GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, 40 GB hard drive)

by Toshiba

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 13 x 11.6 x 1.8 inches ; 7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 7 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000646PQ
• Item model number: 5105-S607
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 18, 2002

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Designed for uncompromising individuals who feel the need to explore the absolute cutting edge of portable computing technology, the Toshiba Satellite 5105-S607 notebook brings high-end desktop performance to your mobile environment. It may be a bit bigger than a typical notebook at 11.6 by 13 by 1.8 inches and 7.04 pounds, but demanding users and multimedia fans should find the extra size a workable tradeoff for all that power.

Unlike many notebooks, the 5105-S607 cuts no corners. The fun begins right at the heart of the machine, where Toshiba has positioned a massive 512 MB of PC2100 DDR SDRAM alongside Intel's potent 1.7 GHz Pentium 4 processor (400 MHz bus speed, 512 KB of Level 2 cache). To help ensure your fast-moving data doesn't bog down on its way to the jumbo 15-inch Toshiba Personal Theatre UXGA active-matrix viewing screen, the 5105-S607 also packs one of today's most capable mobile video cards, the nVidia GeForce4 440 Go. Sporting 32 MB of DDR video RAM, the 440 Go will make short work of virtually any multimedia source. A high-powered Harman Kardon three-way stereo/subwoofer system capably broadcasts both 2-D and 3-D audio.

With the 5105-S607, the movement and storage of data is never a concern. An accommodating 40 GB hard drive offers oodles of space for even the most software-intensive applications. A convenient DVD-ROM/CD-RW combination drive allows users to play and record their favorite music, back up valuable data, and watch the latest and greatest Hollywood flicks, and a 3.5-inch disk drive handles smaller programs or files you might still store on a floppy disk.

The unit's keyboard section is second to none, featuring 85 full-size keys, 12 one-touch Internet and multimedia buttons, and a monochrome LCD cPad touchpad that graphically displays important functions and houses several convenient secondary applications of its own. The roster of ports includes three USB ports for plug-and-play peripherals, a FireWire port for high-speed data transfer, an infrared and NTSC/PAL port, and two multipurpose PC card slots. A 10/100 Mbps Ethernet network connection and integrated 56K modem ensure connectivity in any situation.

Toshiba has fitted the 5105-S607 with a surplus of popular software, including Lotus SmartSuite Millennium Edition, Intuit's Quicken Basic 2001, and Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows XP. All in all, this is a top-level system that not only mimics the finest desktop computers but may very well replace them.

Product Description

With all the power that is packed in this Toshiba 5105S607, youM-^Rll find yourself forgetting that this is a notebook computer. Not only does it come equipped with a combo CD-RW/DVD drive and 10/100 Ethernet port, it also features a 40GB hard drive, 512MB memory and ultra-fast 1.7GHz Intel® Pentium® 4 processor. A 15M-^T UXGA display helps you keep an eye on your work. With features like these you can rely on this laptop to complete your work just as fast (or faster)as the desktop in your office.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best and true desktop replacement ever!!, March 27, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Toshiba Satellite 5105-S607 Laptop (1.7-GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, 40 GB hard drive) (Personal Computers)

This is the best laptop ever. This laptop is for replaceing your
desktop, so the price is a little deep. Toshiba puts all the best hardware in this laptop.

Pro:
CPU: The new P4 1.7GHz. Not just it is faster than PIII, it also has 512KB L2 cache (fast memory) with Intel SpeedStep Tech to save ur battery's life. 400hz front size bus, faster than most of the desktop. (eg AMD's 1800XP has only 266hz front size bus)

Memory: Oh my god. It has 512MB DDR Ram (PC2100), compare to normal SDRAM. This is so much much faster. Performance almost double.

Harddrive: 40GB hard drive, and IT IS 5400RPM!!! Compare to normal 4200RPM, it is a 20% faster.

DVD/CDRW: A must...

GRAPHIC CARD: WOW ! NVIDIA Geforce 4 440 Go with 32 DDR ram. Geforce 4 just came out a month a ago for desktop. Even the Go version is a water down version of desktop, it still provides a good frame rate to make hardcore gamer happy.

Sound card: Only a 16 bit sound card, but it comes with S/P DIF optical output, which you can record music to your Mini Disc player or hook up to some nice speaker.

Speakers: Harman/Kardon (w/sub woofer) speakers are great, i played some classical music on it and i can actually hear the 3D sound coming from left and right. Great for gamer too, you can hear where the bullet coming from.

Screen : 15" UXGA, very bright screen.

A lot of extra features you can't get on desktop: Smart media drive/SD drive for your digital camera pic downloa.
A small LCD in front with Play/FF/Rew button, so you can close your laptop ,still play music and knowing what song is it playing. New touch pad (C-pad), a great idea. IEE394, USB port.

Con:
Weight: with battery, it is almost 7.8lb.

Style: It looks like a toy, too colorful.

Short battery life: around 1hr and 10 mins.

SOftware: Not very useful software package.

45 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Make Your Desktop PC a Paperweight, April 29, 2002

By 

"hyperactivenewmedia" (Aventura, Florida United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Toshiba Satellite 5105-S607 Laptop (1.7-GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, 40 GB hard drive) (Personal Computers)

Once again Toshiba has proven that they're the leader in the portable computing market. The 5105-S607 exceeded all of my expectations the minute I took the product out of the box. Start with the mobile P4 1.7GHz SpeedStep-enabled processor and a 400MHz front-side bus. This model is one of a very select few laptops available (at the time of writing) with this next-generation processor.

As for memory, the system ships standard with 512 MB of PC2100 DDR RAM, enough to make Windows XP Home scream and your games come to life.

The hard drive is impressive: 40GB at 5400 RPM. This feature alone is enough to turn your current desktop into a paperweight.

For the techno-savvy, the 5105-S607 features a built-in DVD/CD-RW combination drive, perfect for burning CDs on the road. In addition, digital audio and video outputs allow the unit to connect to any television or home audio equipment for watching DVD movies and more. In addition, the unit is one of very few to feature an integrated IEEE-1394 DV connector for your digital video camera and built-in SmartMedia and SD card slots for quick downloading of digital photos.

The unit also features Synaptic's new CPad pointing device... The touchpad features a small backlit LCD screen that allows you to use a calculator, capture signatures/small drawings, etc. Unfortunately this new touchpad failed on my first 5105-S607 but Toshiba was quick to offer a replacement.

For the multimedia buff the system has yet another LCD display on the front allowing you to play, pause, stop, fast forward and rewind playing media. Disappointing, however, is that these hotkeys can only support certain applications: a severe limitation in the endless world of DVD and audio playback software.

As for the screen: a 15" Ultra XGA (UXGA) LCD that is crisp, clear and bright. Coupled with the new NVidia GeForce 440 Go and 32MB of dedicated video RAM, the machine offers impressive 3D performance and resolution up to 1600x1200.

Sound is provided by an onboard Yamaha AC-XG 16-bit sound card... enough to make most users happy. The Harman/Kardon speakers and a small subwoofer round off the package, making it ideal for listening to music, gaming and more. The 3D sound support is good, but too airy in certain situations.

Included software is minimal: Windows XP Home Edition (what was Toshiba thinking?), Toshiba's entourage of management utilities, Toshiba DVD player and simplified CD-burning software. Toshiba's unique Software Updates feature automatically downloads new software when it becomes available--but then again, so does Windows Update. I've had two circumstances where Windows Update and Toshiba's utility would both select drivers, with one outdating the other. For a seasoned PC pro, this shouldn't be a problem.

Now the cons: Weight... 7.8 pounds with battery. Enough to make the last minute airport terminal to terminal dash a hassle. But, with advanced power management features, the battery lasts about 1:45, which I consider poor for such a high-end machine. If you're flying, consider purchasing an in-flight charger adapter.

My only additonal rant is Toshiba's abandoning legacy ports on this model. You'll find USB, monitor, IEEE-1394, audio, ethernet (Intel 10/100 Pro) and modem ports only. If you need to connect a PS/2 keyboard, mouse or a serial device, your out of luck. In addition, the two removable media drives only support SmartMedia and SD cards--no CompactFlash, which is by far the most popular. I was strongly disappointed by this, but can live with my external USB card reader.

Overall, I'd recommend this machine to anyone looking for an ideal desktop replacement. The powerful processor, graphics, memory and the arsenal of connectivity options make this a perfect contender for that spot where you monitor now sits.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Value, A Couple Gotchas, June 1, 2002

By 

Bill Meade (Eagle, ID USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Toshiba Satellite 5105-S607 Laptop (1.7-GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, 40 GB hard drive) (Personal Computers)

Have had my 5105 for 2 months and have the following observations:

- Wake up Apple! The resolution of the screen (1600 x 1200) blows away the PowerBook I have and all current models. It is time to put an LCD and keyboard on your rack mount computers because that is what it will take to keep up with this machine's number crunching power.

- The Wi-Fi capabilities might as well not be there. The bottom of the computer has a slot for some kind of 802.11/Bluetooth card. But I can't find the card(s) for sale at Toshiba.com or anywhere else. I'll probably end up buying an Orinoco card when I go wireless.

- Only having XP Home on the machine is a drag. When I started installing Visual Basic .Net I didn't have a bunch of stuff I needed. Toshiba HELLO!, this is a power user machine!

- The synaptics LCD touch pad is amusing but not well supported and will take some time to begin to use. Amazingly the only place I could find information on how to work it (tap twice when you think you need to tap once) was in the manual. Not on the Toshiba or Synaptics web sites. The calculator has been useful 5 or so times in 2 months.

- Windows XP update has done a good job of updating the drivers for this machine. The only manual driver installs I've have done are the BIOS updates (installable from windows with 1.6 and later).

- Working with an external monitor is annoying because:
(a) Windows XP does not automatically identify the monitor and remember your desktop settings (MicroSoft's fault).
(b) So when you plug in the monitor you have to manually click on "extend my desktop" (MicroSoft's fault)
(c) With the Combo drive ejecting to the right of the unit and the video connector on the left, the monitor "wants" to sit on the left. The XP dialog (of course) assumes the monitor sits on the right, so you have to drag the icon EVERY TIME you connect your external monitor. (Toshiba are your enginerds actually USING the products they design?)

- The sound is unbalanced on my unit. I think because the "sub woofer" on the bottom is closer to the right speaker, the sound feels unbalanced to the right. Not a big deal for me as I plug in to Boston Acoustics, but curious that Toshiba didn't catch this. Or, is it just me?

I bought this model because it already had the add-ons I needed for a number crunching contract job. The value is commendable as even 2 months later the price has not fallen and the specs remain competitive. Usually I buy the week before the new models are announced. :-(

The warmth of the 5105 however, can't compare to the G3 500 mhz PowerBook it is replacing. There is something cold about the design, like the process was driven by cranking out a checklist rather than incorporating enthusiasm and community.

Speaking of community, to date I haven't been able to find a site to support the Toshiba like [website] or [website] have supported my PowerBook. The Toshiba forum on CompuServe is a purgatory of whining about startup problems. Problems, problems, problems, without any Toshibish interjections of answers.