Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

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

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.

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.

Im a student at UT and I had bought an A75-S206 from amazon last year. That thing made the most loud noise, heated up until it almost caught fire and froze a lot. M45-S355 is exactly the opposite of it. It works perfectly silent, doesnt heat up at all and its much faster. Better software, better design. It has everything that I ever need. The additional memory card slot for camera memory cards really rock and comes in handy. It is thin, not heavy and it has a long battery life. I couldnt find any bad sides to it yet and I dont think there are any. I absolutely recommend this to everyone out there looking for a laptop.

Hope it helps.

ladies and gentleman...this system will take ur world by storm...

nuthing in the market comes anywhere close to what this system offers...100 gb hard drive, double layer dvd burner, surround speakers, 15 inch screen, 1 gb ram - this beauty is out of this world!!

i use it for university...and its absolutely great...it comes with onenote, which is great to take notes with...and the computer is super fast...for those concerned with battery life - rest assured, ive used this baby for 4 hours flat on batteries and thats well above industry standards!!

the wireless connects with ease...

i havent tried the memory card readers but it seems pretty good....downside is that it dusnt support sony memory stick/pro/duo or even compact flash...but thats not a big issue to me cuz i can connect my cam via usb anyway

all this for such a low price is awesome...this is the talk of my school...not one other person has beat my purchase interms of value for the buck....the features and the price have virtually no correlation whatsoever...take this baby home while it lasts!!!

also, my pc dint get heated up or anything...so its not an issue...also, regarding the screen glare, its a trubrite screen, so the glare is normal...but otherwise the resolution on this screen is comparable with sony's vaio and the qosmio and apple screens...its beautiful...the black border around the screen makes images bright and crisp

trust me...this is one purchase u will NOT regret!!

I would not recommend to buy this laptop. Here are the problems I got right after I bought my Toshiba Satellite M45-S355:


1. Built-in network card freezes for 10-15 seconds every 5 seconds. Very difficult to download big files or listen to on-line radio. Techsupport recommended downloading and installing different network card driver. Did not help.
2. CD/DVD drive does not read burned on HP Laptop TDK and some other brands disks. Any other old and new computers I tried could read those disks without any problems. Techsupport recommended using only SONY blank media. This is a bad advice.
3. Sometimes, after staying idle for more than 30 minutes my laptop won't shut down normally. The only way to shut it down is just to unplug it.

Hello all,
This is an O.K. notebook. Nothing special for the price. I made a couple of mistakes I would like to share with you.
I purchased this notebook through ToshibaDirect along with a NetGear router(Please see my review on the NetGear 54mbps VRG router). First of all, if you are going to buy this notebook or any other notebook PLEASE do not bother visiting any other website but make the purchase through Amazon. Amazon backs up what they sell. Trust me...if its a few dollars more it is money well spent. Secondly, after my experience with both Toshiba and NetGear customer service I would strongly urge you to look to different manufacturers for a notebook, router, or computer. I(...)

im a student and i think this is a fantastic machine, easily the best you can get for the money. the screen is amazing, theres ample disk space and the ram is amazing. i dont think ou will find a 100GB 1024MB combo for any cheaper than this and most pricier models dont even come with those specs. on the downside, the speakers are terrible and i suggest you buy some external ones. i would also suggest getting a USB mouse because the touchpad one isnt too great. the graphics are ok but nothing special... overall its an excellent buy.

The best among other computers at the same price.
I've seen nobody having minuscule problems with Toshiba

I've been using mine for a year and have found no particular difficulties, except for the glare from the screen. On the other hand, I've received comments from other users admiring the quality of the display and its size. Perfectly acceptable system for office work and software development. When I get ready to retire this laptop, I'll almost certainly buy another. Have had no problems with it at all.