Toshiba Satellite A25-S307 Laptop (2.80-GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive)

by Toshiba

Product Details

Product Manual [1.03mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 13.5 x 11.7 x 2 inches ; 7.9 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 14 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00009XYEV
• Item model number: PSA20U-07FX4V
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,042 in Computers & Accessories (See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 23, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Marketed primarily as an ideal tool for business power users, Toshiba's A20 and A25 series of Satellite notebooks blend high-end processors with solid battery life, average 3-D performance and integrated wireless communication. The midrange model of the A25 lineup is the Toshiba Satellite A25-307, a muscular unit that shares almost all of the upscale traits of the top-of-the-line A25-308, but utilizes the Windows XP Home Edition operating system rather than Windows XP Professional. This system does, however, offer something the pricier A25-308 does not -- a DVD burner. And for many, that'll be more than a fair trade-off.

Driven by a powerful 2.8 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor (512 KB Level 2 cache) and 512 MB of DDR SDRAM memory, the Satellite A25-307 is no slouch when it comes to raw speed. In fact, you'd be hard-pressed to find any 2-D application it couldn't easily handle. As for games and other demanding 3-D tasks, the forecast isn't quite as rosy. With 32 MB of shared (not dedicated) video memory, the system's integrated Trident CyberBlade XP2 graphics chipset simply isn't fast enough to guarantee smooth frame rates during ultra-complex 3-D rendering.

Measuring 13.4 by 11.6 by 1.9 inches and 7.9 pounds, the unit is substantially smaller than most notebooks manufactured before the turn of the millennium but slightly above average when compared to today's ultra-compact models. It does, however, feature a large 15-inch XGA TFT display and a variety of welcome amenities, including a full size 85-key keyboard with 12 function keys and a TouchPad pointing device, three high-speed USB 2.0 ports for plug and play peripherals, and a trio of communication options -- wireless 802.11b LAN, 10/100 wired LAN, and a low-speed 56K modem. In its stock form, the Satellite A25-307 does not incorporate a FireWire port (often used for digital camcorder connectivity).

A large 60 GB hard disk efficiently handles data storage duties, and a combination DVD-R/RW drive facilitates file archiving, audio CD listening and burning, DVD movies and video recording. According to independent testing, estimated battery life is a commendable 3 hours, 18 minutes.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this computer, September 26, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Toshiba Satellite A25-S307 Laptop (2.80-GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive) (Personal Computers)

Well, I just bought the A25-307 and absolutely love this computer. I have installed Windows Office 2000 and many other business programs, and the machine runs beautifully and quickly. In addition, I've also installed video editing and DVD burning programs, and everything functions smoothly. I'm not a gamer, so I can't comment on that facet of the computer's performance. And when I view a DVD, it is displayed with clarity on the screen (no shadows, either). And the DVD burner is a great plus! The wireless function is really wonderful, too, and 60 GB on the hard disk is plenty of memory!

The Karmon speakers emphasise the treble more than the bass, but when I hook up external portable speakers (Phillips, in my case) the sound is, of course, wonderful. My only wish is that the screen, while of good resolution, would have yet a higher resolution for extra crispness. However, this is just a small suggestion. The current resolution is perfectly fine. The A25-307 is a marvelous computer that I would instantly recommend to anyone!

16 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's okay, September 10, 2003

By 

Matthew Hess "If you can return it, buy it. U... (Berlin, NJ, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Toshiba Satellite A25-S307 Laptop (2.80-GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive) (Personal Computers)

I just got this last night. It was at no cost to me and I am glad of that fact, because the video/graphics card alone would deter me from buying this computer. For everyday applications ( surfing, e-mailing...) I can safely bet it's about the same as any other computer on the market. The speed is an improvement over my desktop (800mhz PIII), but that's not saying much.

I am pretty impressed with how comfortable the full size keys are. I have used an Acer in school and it makes me feel like I am typing with Italian sausages. I have no problem with double-keying on this. The layout took a little getting used to since I have grown accustomed to having the Windows shortcut keys at the bottom as opposed to up in the right corner.

The display is decent as well.

I have yet to try any DVD burning, but since it only comes with one drive any hopes of copying DVD's are squashed unless I buy an additional external drive. Same goes for the lack of a floppy drive, which, while getting phased out, still has a use and therefore should be left in until they have gone the way of the 5" floppy drive.

The sound is weak... but I haven't seen a laptop with sound comparable to regular speakers... yet.

I do like the scroll touch pad software that comes with the system, as it's very customizable and fairly easy to figure out.
Same goes for the Toshiba Console software, which helped a lot when establishing my Wi-Fi connection.

Overall it's a decent laptop computer, but if you are looking for a mobile gaming platform stay far away from this and look to Sager. Would I have paid money for this... No. I'd put toss away the additional $1,000+ for a mobile gaming system, because it'll take that much longer to be outdated. (which I intend to do)

2.0 out of 5 stars Still mostly tickin', September 15, 2007

By 

LM (Lalaland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Toshiba Satellite A25-S307 Laptop (2.80-GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive) (Personal Computers)

I use only laptops and I got this one as an emergency replacement when the motherboard failed in my old one during a big job. It did the job through very hard use for a year or so, but it didn't survive nearly nicely as my others.

The CD drive quit burning CDs right just after the warranty was up though for some reason it still burns DVDs okay. The keyboard didn't hold up well at all, even beyond my usual problems with scratching off all the letters with my fingernails. (Seems no one can make a laptop keyboard that can survive my talons.) But several keys broke completely which was never a problem on any other laptops I've had from other manufacturers. I already knew better than to call Toshiba support. For quite a while I laid a cheap usb silicon keyboard over the existing keyboard (with a piece of thin cardboard underneath). Fortunately it's only about $25 for a new keyboard if you can do it yourself.

I also outgrew it. I needed more disc space and a better processor for some heavy duty programs and have now replaced it as my main computer. Regarding the previous review, when push comes to shove, the Core Duo is much faster. I still use it for some projects as beat up as it is, but I would not pay this price again for a new one. It should be a few hundred dollars less, especially with the Home edition of XP.