Toshiba Satellite U205-S5044 12.1" Widescreen Notebook PC (Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7200, 2048 MB RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive, DVD SuperMulti Drive)

by Toshiba

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 1.3 x 11.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000IXD8HQ
• Item model number: PLUA0U-06702U
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,233 in Computers & Accessories (See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Weighing just over 4 pounds, the ultra-portable Toshiba Satellite U205-S5044 notebook PC packs in an extraordinary amount of power and productivity into its elegant, compact package. The 12.1-inch widescreen display offers TruBrite technology for optimal image clarity and a 1280 x 800 resolution for extra desktop working space and a widescreen aspect ratio for watching letterboxed DVDs. And you can use this laptop as a media center without turning on the system, thanks to Toshiba's unique Express Media Player, which provides control buttons for accessing CD and DVD playback.

Designed for road warriors, it's packed with Toshiba's exclusive LifeSmart Technology, a set of features that elevate system performance, durability and security with shock-absorbing technologies to protect the hard drive, a spill-resistant keyboard, fingerprint security, and a magnesium alloy case.

It's powered by the new Intel Core 2 Duo processor, which offers a 20 percent performance boost over its predecessor while using 28 percent less power--so you get the benefit of a powerful dual-core PC plus all the benefits of mobility. The dual-execution core T7200 Core 2 Duo processor provides an optimized, multithreaded architecture for improved gaming and multitasking performance, and it features a 2.0 GHz speed, lightning quick 667 MHz system bus, and massive 4 MB L2 cache. Other features include a 100 GB hard drive, 1 GB of installed RAM (4 GB maximum), tri-mode 802.11a/b/g wireless connectivity, an ultra-fast 10/100 Ethernet port, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 with up to 128 MB of shared video RAM, 5-in-1 memory card reader, Windows XP Media Center operating system, and a long-lasting battery life of up to 4.5 hours. This is a Windows Vista capable PC, and it's also Windows Vista Premium ready.

The Basics

• Hard Drive: The 120 GB hard drive (5400 RPM) is above average in size for notebook PCs, and it's befitting of such an entertainment-centric PC. It offers more than enough capacity for storing documents and productivity software for road warriors. You'll also be able to store a good-sized digital audio library.
  
• Processor: The Intel Core 2 Duo T7200 processor has a 2.0 GHz processor speed, super-fast 667 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and an enormous 4 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)

  The Intel Core 2 Duo processor has two computational execution cores in a single processor, providing greater system response when running multi-threaded applications simultaneously with no significant increase in power consumption. It's optimized for multitasking and is ready to support the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system. It can simultaneously run multiple demanding applications--such as graphics-intensive games or serious number-crunching business productivity applications--while downloading music or running virus-scanning security programs in the background. Some of the advanced Intel innovations of the Core 2 Duo processor include:

  • Smart Memory Access: Improves system performance by hiding memory latency, thus optimizing the use of available computer data bandwidth to provide data to the processor when and where it is needed.
  • Advanced Digital Media Boost: Effectively doubles the execution speed for instructions used widely in multimedia and graphics applications.
  • Dynamic Power Coordination: Coordinates Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology and idle power-management state (C-states) transitions independently per core to help save power.
  • Deeper Sleep with Dynamic Cache Sizing: Saves power by flushing cache data to system memory during periods of inactivity to lower CPU voltage.
  
  
• Memory: The 2 GB of built-in memory (PC4200, DDR2 SDRAM) is a great start for power users, and it offers a very fast 533 MHz speed. It has two memory slots, enabling you to add up to 4 GB of RAM for worry-free handling graphics-intensive presentations and multiple open business productivity applications.
  
• 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 (DL) DVD+/-R discs, which can hold up to 8.5 GB of data--great for backing up your MP3 collection or your most important documents. It features the following speeds: 2.4x DVD+R DL, 2x DVD-R DL, 8x for both single-layer DVD+R/-R, 4x DVD+RW, 2x DVD-RW, 3x DVD-RAM, and 24x/10x for CD-R/RW. It reads DVD-ROM discs at 8x and CD-ROMs at 24x.
  
• Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a standard keyboard and electro-static two-button touchpad. It also offers a launch button for the Express CD/DVD media player and control buttons (play, stop, next, previous). With Toshiba's unique Express Media Player, you can won't have to wait for Windows to boot up before you can start a DVD movie or CD. Just a simple press of the button bypasses the system and starts your media playing.

Screen, Graphics and Sound
This Toshiba Satellite U205 has a 12.1-inch TFT display 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 is powered by the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, which uses Intel Dynamic Video Memory Technology (DVMT) and provides up to 128 MB of shared video memory. It also features an integrated audio card with headphone and microphone jacks as well as a built-in microphone--handy for VoIP communication on the road.

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
This laptop has an integrated tri-mode Intel 3945ABG wireless LAN, which is compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found in home routers and Wi-Fi hotspots) as well as 802.11a networks (which has a higher throughput, but more limited range--great for closed office environments). You get a fairly basic offering of connectivity options:

• 3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
• 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
• 1 VGA monitor port
• 1 S-Video out
• 1 PCMCIA (or PC Card) slot (Type II, PCMCIA R2.01, PC Card16, CardBus)
• 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack
• 5-in-1 memory card reader (Secure Digital, MultiMedia, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, xD Picture Card)

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

Preloaded System and Software
The pre-installed Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 is essentially Windows XP Professional Edition with a variety of tools to help you to create, organize, and enjoy digital media ranging from music to home movies to photo slide shows. Additionally, it enables you to control your television with the included remote and record and pause programs (much like a DVR--or digital video recorder--such as Tivo or ReplayTV). It also comes preloaded with Microsoft Works, Microsoft Office OneNote 2003, McAfee Internet Security Suite and VirusScan (with 30-day trials), InterVideo WinDVD and WinDVD Creator, and Sonic Solutions RecordNow.

Dimensions and Weight
This notebook measures 11.8 x 8.9 x 1.4 inches and weighs 4.1 pounds.

Power
It's powered by a 6-cell rechargeable lithium-ion battery (4700 mAh), which has a battery life of up to 4.5 hours (depending on usage). It has a recharge time of approximately 3 hours.

What's in the Box
This package contains the U205-S5044 notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. It is backed by a one-year limited hardware warranty.

Product Description

Notebooks don't get much more portable than the Toshiba Satellite U205-S5044. Starting at just 4.1 lbs, it offers a brilliant 12.1" screen for stunning visuals, advanced protection features and special cushioning to defend it from the knocks and bumps of life on the road. It's the truly portable optical media tool, for busy travellers. DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) drive supporting 11 formats 12.1 widescreen TruBrite TFT LCD display; 1280 x 800 (WXGA) native resolution Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 with 8MB-128MB dynamically-allocated shared graphics memory RGB (monitor) output, Microphone in, headphone out, USB 2.0 (3 ports), iLINK, RJ-45 and RJ-11 outputs Intel RGB (monitor) out, microphone in, headphone in, USB 2.0 (3 ports), iLINK, Operating Systems - Windows XP Media Center 2005 (Windows Vista capable) Unit Dimensions - 11.8 x 8.86 x 1.37 Weight - Approx. 4.1 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Impressive Specs. Good competitor against the Lenovo X60 and Sony SZ., October 19, 2006

By 

Adam L. Safianow "Kiddo" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Toshiba Satellite U205-S5044 12.1" Widescreen Notebook PC (Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7200, 2048 MB RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive, DVD SuperMulti Drive) (Personal Computers)

PROS:
-Small/compact
-Fast processor - 2.0GHz - Core 2 Duo is brand new
-2GB!! of RAM - impressive
-Gorgeous screen
-Massive 120GB hard drive
-DVD burner
-5-in-1 memory card reader
-Multimedia controls
-Comfortable keyboard
-Bluetooth
-Plenty of ports and connects

CONS:
-Above average weight - 4lbs is pushing the ultracompact weight
-Integrated graphics - for some, a deal breaker, especially with the SZ running a hybrid PCI/integrated carding system
-Battery life - Great, but not compared to its competition. I got roughly 4.5 hours from it, but got almost double that from the Lenovo, and about an hour more from Sony.
-Small trackpad - Really small, to some not a problem - with 3 usb ports, you can find room for a mouse
-No webcam - not a dealbreaker, just a good add-on Sony, and other competitors, have

BOTTOM LINE: GREAT for college students. The price may be a concern for a computer with integrated graphics, but multitasking is a breeze with 2GB or RAM. Not the best in it's class, but surely a great deal. This is one of the better of the Toshiba family. This upgraded Tecra M6 sure show's its potential!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great portable..., November 13, 2006

By 

Daniel A. Robinson "darobin" (Rockville, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Toshiba Satellite U205-S5044 12.1" Widescreen Notebook PC (Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7200, 2048 MB RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive, DVD SuperMulti Drive) (Personal Computers)

Although it's not quite as thin or light as some
other competitors, this is a solid, great looking
performer -- it's just what I was looking for in
a 12.1 inch screen for business and travel.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Laptop for People Who Travel, January 18, 2007

By 

Fire Effects Designer - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Toshiba Satellite U205-S5044 12.1" Widescreen Notebook PC (Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7200, 2048 MB RAM, 120 GB Hard Drive, DVD SuperMulti Drive) (Personal Computers)

I travel extensively, both domestic and overseas. I use a laptop in the course of doing business - I am a special effects designer. I selected this particular laptop because it had a duel-core fast processor, lots of RAM, WiFi, built in CD/DVD player-burner, a decent size hard disk, screen and keyboard - all in a package that weighed only a bit over 4 lbs. Of course, this is my fourth Toshiba laptop. The last three all were reliable and exceeded my expectations regarding performance.

I have already taken this laptop for a couple of weeks around Europe. It is a great package to carry, small enough to fit in a backpack, and convenient to remove for that airport security trip through the X-ray machine. WiFi worked great when I could find a hotspot.

I would recommend this laptop for anybody who needs a lightweight laptop at the higher end of the performance curve and can justify the price. If you do not require quite as much performance, but like the portability, you can get the same size and weight package for $400 to $500 less in the Toshiba U205-S5034 laptop - seen on sale for $999.00. If you do not wish to pay the premium for the small package and light weight, there are numerous laptops in the $450 to $700 range advertised every weekend.