Toshiba Satellite P15-S479 Media Center Laptop (2.80-GHz Pentium 4 (Hyper-Threading), 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive)

by Toshiba

Product Details

Data Sheet [221kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 14.2 x 10.8 x 1.7 inches ; 8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 15 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000DAKAA
• Item model number: PSP10U-0DXPGR
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #17,636 in Computers & Accessories (See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 30, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

In many respects similar to Toshiba's stunning P25 series of desktop replacement notebooks but sporting a lighter, more portable chassis, slightly downgraded components and a more affordable price point, the Satellite P10 series is a good solution for power-hungry business and personal users and multimedia fans who can't financially justify absolute top-of-the-line gear. This model, the Satellite P15-S479, is the current high-end unit in the P10 series.

Those who can't live without the benefits of a full-featured stationary PC will find plenty to like in the Satellite P15-S479. For starters, Toshiba has fitted the unit with a sizeable 15.4-inch widescreen display screen capable of dazzling 1280 by 800 resolutions. It has added a spacious 60 GB hard disk spinning at a snappy 4200 RPM and enclosed a versatile DVD Multi Drive through which you can not only watch the latest Hollywood releases, but also burn your own home movies to DVD media.

Moreover, the unit is fast. Driving the Satellite P15-S479 is a potent 2.8 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor with a scorching 800 MHz system bus clock speed and Hyper-Threading Technology for more efficient CPU usage. Working in conjunction with this CPU are a generous 512 MB alloent of PC2100 DDR SDRAM memory (expandable to a full 2048 MB) and an NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200 graphics chipset with 64 MB of dedicated video memory. Thusly, the system will handle most anything you can throw at it, including most 3-D games.

Other critical features include an IEEE 1394 Fire Wire port for fast interaction with devices such as digital camcorders, a trio of high-speed USB 2.0 ports for plug and play peripherals such as scanners or external drives, one PC Card slot supporting the Type II card format, and an impressive variety of interior and exterior one-touch controls. Communication facilities include 802.11a/g wireless networking, 10/100 Ethernet LAN and an integrated 56K modem.

Measuring 14.2 by 10.8 by 1.7 inches and tipping the scales at 8 pounds, the Satellite P15-S479 is substantially smaller and two pounds lighter than notebooks in the more powerful, more expensive P25 series. The estimated battery life is better too at 2.28 hours. Bundled software includes Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition, Intuit Quicken New User's Edition 2003, and InterVideo's WinDVD Creator Plus.

More About Microsoft Windows XP Media Center

What sets this PC apart is that it is powered by Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004, which offers the features, reliability, and power of Windows XP Professional, plus advanced digital entertainment capabilities. The Media Center interface offers you more types of entertainment to enjoy: TV, Personal Video Recording (PVR), Movies, Music, Photos, Videos, Radio, and DVD. Use the remote control to enjoy from anywhere in your room.

TV & Movies
Watch TV when and how you want, and never miss a moment of your favorite programs. Pause and rewind live TV. Record a TV episode, series, or category. Automatically record a personalized selection of TV programs using Keyword Record. Media Center downloads the latest program listings for you and even wakes up from power-saving standby mode to record programs, so you can watch shows on your schedule.
	Photos & Video
	Easily edit your digital pictures and digital videos, and then launch a dynamic slideshow complete with animated transitions and your favorite soundtrack. While viewing a picture, zoom in to see more detail. You can rotate, correct red-eye, and print your pictures using the remote. Play slide-shows straight from digital storage devices.
Music & Radio
All your music is stored in one digital jukebox and using the remote, shuffle your entire music collection according to artist or genre or listen to your tunes through playlists that learn what you like. Tune in FM stations and pause live radio. Full-screen visualizations pulse to the beat of the music. Cool on-screen effects show music information, such as track title, track time, and artist.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Actually I would give it 4.5 stars given the option!, February 9, 2004

By 

Robert W (Blairstown, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Toshiba Satellite P15-S479 Media Center Laptop (2.80-GHz Pentium 4 (Hyper-Threading), 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive) (Personal Computers)

This is a very solid machine. Bought this a few days ago as I have been looking for a while. After review of several other machines Dell 8600, Gateway 17", IBM Thinkpad, and Apple Powerbook 17" this and the Apple really stood out. As I chose to go Windows it was this. I also looked at the 17" version of this but it is REAL big, as are all the other 17" machines. This is almost too big as it is to be really portable anyway. IE....I wouldn't want to travel too much with the 17" of any of them. If you're an apple fan, get the Powerbook.

I am also impressed with the overall build quality. Very good in a world of cheap crap. The Dell is garbage in comparison and to get anywhere near the same Video, HDD, P4 etc on the Dell is several hundred more. Everything is very sturdy. Even the power cord is above average.

...

My only complaint is the keyboard. The top of this thing is PLENTY big enough that Toshiba could have fit a full sized board. Instead there are some idiot lights that let you know the HDD is spinning and wireless is working etc. I could easily do with out that for a full sized board. Few keys in some funky places too. It also has a remote and TV tuner that are external but I will never use them Could be a good idea for a college dorm or similar though.

I'm using it for portable video editing and so far so good. Ripping and burning a full (4.38 gigs) DVD takes a bit over an hour. Streaming from camera over firewire no problem. HT technology on the P4 2.8 with the included 512 ram seems to handle video processing better than my desktop AMD 2.8 w/ a Gig of memory. Haven't done any 3D gaming or such but it wasn't bought for that.

Had a question before I bought it so I tried tech support. They shipped some of them with "32 meg video" stickers (removeable) but they all have 64. Just a typo. A quick check of the system confirmed that it really did indeed have 64 as the specs say. Got through in literally 90 seconds, answered my question right away. Maybe a fluke but hey, when was the last time you got a tech support question answered in under 3 minutes?

So Toshiba if you're reading this....BIGGER KEYBOARD would have gotten you 5 stars!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly a Desktop Replacement, February 9, 2004

By 

Matt (Rockford, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Toshiba Satellite P15-S479 Media Center Laptop (2.80-GHz Pentium 4 (Hyper-Threading), 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive) (Personal Computers)

I spent about 8 hours online and another 4 hours in stores comparing all the available laptops and features. For the price, you won't find a better combination. I've had this machine since Christmas, and it's been GREAT so far! I almost went with the 17" model of this very same computer, but chose the 15.4" to have some sense of portability. Even so, this IS fairly large for a laptop.
That said, it's worth it. The only drawback I can really make any mention of is the keyboard. It's not a true full-size (no number pad), and some of its keys are somewhat oddly placed. It can be disconcerting if you accidentally hit the keys directly to the right of the Enter key, or hitting the touchpad, which can easily be turned 'off' (which still allows for maneuvering the cursor) so it doesn't interfere with typing (default setting on mine was to have the 'tapping' feature on, so I turned it off).
The screen on the Toshiba was the best of any model I was able to use in any of the stores-bright, easily adjustable, and crisp. Excellent DVD playback, and games run without any hesitation. For those who require excellent sound, external speakers are necessary. For a laptop, the sound is decent. Photo editing is a snap (I wondered if the 512MB RAM would be enough, and haven't had to wait long yet while editing even VERY large photos).

With this computer and broadband, my home page is up and readable before my old computer would've recognized that I had clicked on the IE icon...COOL!
SUGGESTION: get a firewall! Zone Alarm PRO is excellent. The ease of using the Media Center is a treat. Also, any 'store-bought' computer will be out of date with updates/patches, etc. First thing to do is visit windows update. A pain for dialup users, a 15 minute process on broadband. If you don't yet have broadband, take advantage of your cable company's free trial just to do your updates!
I got this machine because of the built-in wi-fi, and the fact that the computer now goes in the living room on the coffee table (only one wire to plug in (power cord) with the wifi and no peripherals....even print wirelessly with a router).
All in all, once you've seen this laptop in action, if you don't need a super-portable machine, this is the one to pick unless you need a full-size keyboard.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great notebook and excellent value!, June 28, 2004

By 

K. Jahnke "KJ" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Toshiba Satellite P15-S479 Media Center Laptop (2.80-GHz Pentium 4 (Hyper-Threading), 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive) (Personal Computers)

This was my first notebook and only my second computer so I put a lot of research into it. Bottom line was this Toshiba was the most bang for the buck. I've had it now for about 2 months and haven't had a single problem with it. Media center is great. What did I do with out it? Most anything with music or video can be controlled via the included remote control. you can even put the noteboook into standby mode with it. The tv tuner is great and the ability to record to HD is icing. Media center does use a lot of memory and processor power though. It's also a little buggy. Nothing closing and reopening wouldn't fix. After hearing the built in speakers in the store I was a little worried, but once I got it home, they did the job better than expected. Of course ext. speakers most of the time, but in a pinch the built in speakers aren't that bad. Maybe another 20G on the HD would be nice but now I'm just getting greedy. All in all I have no regrets, it is everything I expected.