Toshiba Satellite M45-S355 Laptop (Intel Pentium M Processor 750, (Centrino), 1024 MB RAM, 100 GB Hard Drive, DVD SuperMulti Dbl Layer Driver)

by Toshiba

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 14.2 x 1.1 inches ; 6 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 11 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0009XNNPM
• Item model number: M45-S355
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 14, 2005

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Easily mobile at just 6.2 pounds, the Toshiba Satellite M45-S355 makes it easy to get your work done with a large, bright 15.4-inch screen (which is also great for watching DVD movies when you need a break). This affordable notebook PC also features a battery-sipping 1.86 GHz Pentium M processor, 100 GB hard drive, 1 GB of installed RAM (2 GB maximum), dual-layer, multi-format DVD burner, integrated 54g wireless connectivity, and Windows XP Home edition.

The Basics

• Hard Drive: The 100 GB hard drive (5400 RPM) is a above average in size for notebook PCs, and its capacity is a welcome size for road warriors.
• Processor: The 1.86 GHz Pentium M 750 (Centrino) processor is in the upper two-thirds of the speed spectrum for this processor class (June 2005). It is well equipped for office productivity software tasks, from complex spreadsheets to databases. The Pentium M processor is designed specifically for low-power mobile usage, and it features the latest in power-saving technologies--ensuring you push your battery and productivity to the max. It also has a large 2 MB L2 cache--which will help speed up your system's performance--and a 533 MHz front-side bus (FSB).
• Memory: The 1 GB of built-in memory (2 x 512 MB, PC2700, 333 MHz DDR SDRAM) will help you power through multimedia presentation and heavy-duty spreadsheets. It has two memory slots in total, with a maximum memory expansion up to 2 GB (2 x 1024 MB).
• CD/DVD Drive: The double-layer DVD drive is compatible with a wide range of formats, including both DVD+RW and DVD-RW discs, CD-RW discs, and dual-layer DVD+R discs, which can hold up to 8.5 GB of data--great for backing up your MP3 collection. It features the following speeds: 2.4x DVD+R-DL, 8x/4x for both DVD+R/RW and DVD-R/RW, and 24x/10x for CD-R/RW.
• Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a standard 86-key keyboard and electro-static two-button touchpad.

Screen, Graphics and Sound
The M45-S265 has a 15.4-inch XGA display w with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. It also provides TruBrite technology, which makes images brighter and more vivid thanks to its anti-glare feature. Video and graphics are powered by the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900, which uses Intel Dynamic Video Memory Technology (DVMT) and provides up to 128 MB of shared video memory. The integrated audio card (Realtek ALC250) provides 16-bit stereo sound via the built-in stereo speakers.

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
The M45-S355 has an integrated Intel Pro/Wireless 2200BG 802.11b/g LAN. You get a basic offering of connectivity options:

• 3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
• 1 VGA monitor port
• 1 S-Video out
• 1 PCMCIA (or PC Card) slot (Type I/II, 32-bit)
• 1 headphone jack
• 1 microphone jack

It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.90) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Fast Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems).

Preloaded System and Software
This system comes with the Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2 operating system with Advanced Security Technologies, which helps to reduce unwanted downloads and pop-ups while surfing the Web. It also comes preloaded with Microsoft Works, Microsoft Office OneNote, McAfee VirusScan, ArcSoft ShowBiz DVD Version 1.3, and Sonic Solutions RecordNow! Basic.

Dimensions and Weight
This notebook measures 14.17 x 10.6 x 1.45 (WxDxH) and weighs 6.2 pounds

Power
It's powered by a 4-cell rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which has a battery life of up to 2 hours (depending on usage).

What's in the Box
This package contains the M45-S355 notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. It is backed by a one-year limiited hardware warranty.

Product Description

At about 6.2 lbs., the Satellite M45 is highly mobile, outperforming many desktops with technology designed specifically for mobile PCs. Integrated 802.11b and g Wireless and WiFi connectivity help make this notebook PC an effective mobile solution for virtually any task. Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900, 10-128MB Internal (UMA) shared video memory 1 PC Card slot support 1 Type II, PCMCIA R2.01, PC Card16, CardBus Bridge Media Adapter (Secure Digital SD, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Multi Media Card, SmartMedia, xD Picture Card [shared slots]) Sound -16-bit stereo; Built-in stereo speakers / Direct 3D Sound; DirectSound, Direct Music, MIDI (playback) Support / Audio Ports - External Microphone (monoaural), Headphone (stereo), Sound Volume (by dial) Communications - Integrated V.92 modem / Marvell 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX Ethernet / Integrated Intel Pro/Wireless LAN 2200BG 802.11B and 802.11g compatible Ports and Slots - RGB (monitor out port) / 3 Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports / TV-Out (S-Video) / RJ11 modem port / RJ45 LAN port / i.LINK IEEE1394 Unit Dimensions (WxDxH[front/back]) - 14.17 (360mm)x10.57 (269mm)x1.14 (29mm)/1.43 (36.2mm) without feet / Weight - starting at 6.0 lbs. (2.72kg) - 6.7 lbs (3.0kg) 6-cell (4300mAh) rechargeable, removable Lithium Ion rechargeable battery, dual-volt power supply, AC adapter/charger with USA plug PreInstalled - Microsoft Windows XP Home, Assorted Toshiba Utilities, Microsoft Office OneNote 2003, Microsoft Works Version 8.0 with Office 2003 Trial - Student/Teacher Edition, Sun Java 2 Runtime Environment, Adobe Acrobat Reader version 5.0, Sonic Solutions RecordNow! Basic for TOSHIBA, and more

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars impressive specs for the price, August 5, 2005

By 

J. Murphy - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Toshiba Satellite M45-S355 Laptop (Intel Pentium M Processor 750, (Centrino), 1024 MB RAM, 100 GB Hard Drive, DVD SuperMulti Dbl Layer Driver) (Personal Computers)

This machine had some problems with freeze-ups when it was first introduced earlier this year, but it appears that Toshiba has finally worked out most of those issues. in addition, the new 100gb 5400rpm hard drive is impressive!

Pros:

- Attractive design - thinner and more eye-pleasing than M35/M35X predecessor

- Exceptional sound from built-in speakers, though deeper bass is lacking

- Quiet keyboard with easy-to-depress keys, though see issues below

- TruBrite display produced excellent images

- Touchpad is smooth and has good tactile feel

- Sonoma platform with 533MHz FSB

- Solid WiFi performance

- Wide array of connectivity options: 3 USB 2.0 ports, FireWire, SD/MMC/xD/MS/MS Pro Media Card slot

- Very quiet and cool to the touch - fan came on rarely and made a pleasant sound when running

- Toshiba power management and system management software: Touch and Launch, Acoustic Silencer, graphical WiFi utility

- S-Video (TV Out) for connection to projectors and TVs

Cons:

- TruBrite display exhibits lots of glare, though this is common on nearly all glossy LCD's

- Lacks DVI output and Express Card

- Display exhibits too much flex and seems fragile

- Poor 3D performance due to integrated graphics and shared memory

- Below Average Battery life

- Slower 333MHz DDR memory rather than newer 533MHz DDR2 memory, though lower latency (CL 2.5) generally compensates for slower speed

- Keyboard seems slightly cramped and is shifted to the right rather than centered; dedicated Windows® key is inconveniently located in upper-right area of keyboard

- Relatively low-resolution 1280 x 800 display (98 PPI), though TruBrite has good color & contrast

23 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Notebook!, September 6, 2005

By 

D. J. Parsons (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Toshiba Satellite M45-S355 Laptop (Intel Pentium M Processor 750, (Centrino), 1024 MB RAM, 100 GB Hard Drive, DVD SuperMulti Dbl Layer Driver) (Personal Computers)

I always do a lot of research when I buy a new computer. Toshiba (and Apple) got the best rating for quality with the least amount of major repair problems. Beyond that though, I have owned a number of Toshiba notebooks and have had almost no problems. I considered Sony, but for the same power, I would have had to pay much more. Beside, why would I want to pay for something with less of a quality rating?

As for this notebook. This is simply one of the most powerful notebooks for the money. The resolution is great, fast and quiet Centrino processor, the 1 Gig of RAM makes a significant difference, the video driver is powerful, the hard drive is maybe too big, the Super DVD drive is a great bonus too.

If you are look for the best bang for the buck, buy this machine.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent - except for the blue screen !, October 13, 2005

By 

Rupal Srivastava "rups" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Toshiba Satellite M45-S355 Laptop (Intel Pentium M Processor 750, (Centrino), 1024 MB RAM, 100 GB Hard Drive, DVD SuperMulti Dbl Layer Driver) (Personal Computers)

I wrote the review below a month after I bought this laptop. But i am back here after 7 months to edit it.

The blue screen is GONE! It doesn't appear anymore. I contacted the Toshiba guys but they said I would have to take it to the nearest dealer. I never bothered but fortunately it doesn't show up anymore.

One thing that I want to add now is the keys being cheap. THe keypad is not very nice and few days ago, one of the keys got stuck to the pad and I tried taking it out. Guess what, the key jumped out ! So now I am living without the 'control' key because the WARRANTY DOESN'T ALLOW FOR COSMETIC CHANGES.

MY REVIEW A MONTH AFTER I BOUGHT IT ----

I bought Toshiba Satellite M45 more than a month ago from amazon. Its a beauty. Everyone's who's seen it says it looks great with wide screen and fantastic wireless card.

But there's one glitch. Its looks like an MS-DOS blue screen which comes on from nowhere. It asks me to uninstall any new software that I might have installed or contact the manufacturer. Its scary ! I did contact amazon guys (coz I bought it from them) and they said that I should reinstall the softwares. I did that and it helped for like a week but the 'blues' are back again.
I generally reboot the notebook but obviously it doesn't eliminate the problem.

I suggested a friend of mine to buy the same laptop before I ever saw the blue screen but she's is also experiencing the same problem.

Now when I look at the reviews this machine has got, nobody has mentioned this problem so perhaps its with few machines only. So in case you decide to buy it, inform Toshiba / Amazon immediately when you face this problem for the first time.

Rest of it absolutely fabulous. Great buy that way.