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Is The Toshiba Satellite P100 The Perfect Desktop Replacement?

The Toshiba Satellite Pro P100 is an excellent multi-media desktop replacement laptop. It sports many innovative features which will immediately convert many users into admiring fans. However, like any object of our affections, the Satellite P100 does have some flaws. A close examination of all the features and flaws of the Toshiba Pro100 will give you some indication if this is the laptop for you, especially if you're in the market for a PC desktop replacement.

The Satellite Pro100 laptop was recently introduced by Toshiba to compete in the lucrative PC marketplace. If you can fit all the performance and features of a full size PC into a laptop, why not go for a smaller sexier package? Has Toshiba succeeded in producing a better desktop PC? Inquiring minds want to know!

Lets give the Toshiba P100 a closer look and point out all the pluses and minuses, the pros and cons of this new multi-media desktop replacement powerhouse. Lets consider the Pluses first.

This laptop looks great.

There's no denying it, the Toshiba Satellite P100 looks good. This laptop has style. It lives up to its name - Professional. The Toshiba Satellite P100 is black with a matte silver interior off-set with a black keyboard. The design is sleek, simple and clean. Everything fits. Quite frankly, in the looks department, it has to be rated a 10 or very close to it.

Now everyone knows a laptop's looks should not be your first consideration when buying a laptop, but from a marketing angle this factor may play a bigger role than all the impressive specs and technical performance this laptop possesses. In today's world, looks and style does count; don't let anyone try to convince you otherwise. Besides, this classy laptop package will be displayed prominently in your home or office - its impressive looks will turn a lot more heads than your run-of-the-mill PC.

This laptop is fast.

Sporting the new Intel Core Duo T2400 1.83GHz processor on a 100GB SATA (5400 RPM) hard drive with a 667MHz FSB or System Bus. The Satellite P100 is pre-loaded with 1 Gig of RAM (expandable to 4 Gigs). You probably already know RAM is the main factor in determining the speed of your computer.

Plus, with a 128MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300 graphics card this laptop will easily handle all business applications and will even handle many of the older games... but please note you may need to upgrade to a 'gamer-centric' model, such as the Toshiba Satellite P105-S921 with NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900 GS for playing all the latest games.

The NVIDIA's GeForce Go 7300 video processor has 128 MB of dedicated memory and can 'borrow' extra memory from the system's RAM with Turbo Cache. Up to 512 MB of total video memory.

This laptop offers top performance.

The new Intel dual core processor makes simultaneous multi-tasking quick and painless. Double your power. It can process multiple applications, and carry out some of the most demanding multi-threaded programs. It is also Windows Vista compatible for those who are thinking ahead.

The Toshiba P100 does offer more than enough performance to easily handle all the chores and tasks of a regular PC. In many cases, it will out perform many current PCs.

This laptop runs cool and quiet.

The Satellite P100 runs very cool - for the first week or so I placed this laptop on a thin plastec tablecloth, just to check if there would be any overheating. None. Good underbody ventilation.

This laptop is also very quiet - there is only the occasional whir from the fans. Like a high price auto gearing up - well not really, but you won't mind the sound.

This laptop offers great viewing pleasure.

Featuring a 17 inch LCD Widescreen TruBrite display that's crisp and clear, the visuals on this Toshiba laptop holds up against many higher priced laptops. Toshiba is known for its high quality screens and this laptop's display is no different. The images are sharp and the colors are brilliant. Native resolution for the display is 1440 x 900 pixels. And the screen is clear and viewable from all angles.

Watching DVDs and Videos on this laptop may become addictive. I was frankly surprised at the excellent viewing graphics and sound. The widescreen makes watching 16:9 ratio aspect movies more enjoyable and because you're sitting close to the laptop, you get surprising good visuals.

The 100 Gig hard drive and the DVD Super-Multi Drive for burning DVDs will come in handy for fully enjoying all those movie downloads. The dual layer DVD burner which burns DVD-R or DVD+R discs at a maximum of 8x. The Toshiba P100 also comes pre-loaded with the InterVideo WinDVD Creator 2 Platinum and Sonic Record Now.

This laptop has perfect sound.

Perhaps, what makes the viewing experience so enjoyable are the built-in Harman/Kardon stereo speakers. On most laptops you get horrible sound, this is not the case here. This P100 has Intel High Definition Audio sound chip and Toshiba has boosted this system with integrated speakers, using top-of-line Harmon/Kardon speakers.

You also have headphone jack for private viewing. If you enjoy using your laptop or computer for watching videos/movies than the great sound on the Satellite P100 should play a major factor in your buying decision.

This laptop has a nice touch and feel to it.

That might sound frivolous, but after using the Toshiba Satellite for two or three weeks you really do appreciate how comfortable and how effective the overall design of this laptop truly is. Typing is a breeze and the touchpad is responsive. The three programmable shortcuts on the touchpad is a unique feature that will save you a lot of time.

The full size number keypad is convenient for many business applications and almost justifies the rather cramped keyboard, some of the other keys have been downsized. Especially the small right shift key and a slightly smaller enter key. However, it must be added, after one uses this laptop for a week or so - these smaller keys are not a factor. You quickly adjust your typing and the differences become insignificant.

This laptop comes pre-loaded. Toshiba pre-loads their laptop with a config-free system. This model had Windows Microsoft Windows XP Home edition. And includes Toshiba Configfree, Toshiba Express Media Player, WinDVD, Sonic Record Now, Intervideo WinDVD Creator 2 Platinum, Microsoft Office OneNote 2003, Norton Antivirus 2006

Other features of the Toshiba P100 include 10/100/1000 Integrated Ethernet LAN and Intel Wireless LAN 802.11abg for networking. Card slots include 1 PC Card Slot Supports One Type II PC Cards, 1 Express Card Slot Supports CardBus. Ports include 4 x USB 2.0, RJ11, RJ45, Headphone Port, External Microphone Port, S-Video Out, RGB, DVI, and S/P DIF.

Now, lets consider some of the minuses.

This laptop is not portable. At little under 8 pounds you won't be lugging this laptop around on many trips. It really is not designed as a lightweight portable notebook but as far as desktop replacements go - the Toshiba P100 is easy to carry around the house. It does not feel or look bulky.

This Laptop has poor battery life.

It has to be realized, in most big powerful multi-media desktop replacement you will get poor battery life. The battery life on the Satellite P100 is around 2 hrs with the 6 cell battery. Since most owners use this laptop for a desktop replacement, long battery life is not that important. They will mainly be using this laptop plugged in to AC power.

After you have used this media-media laptop for three or four weeks many of its high performance and powerful features will surprise you. I have not had a crash or freeze-up yet. And I do a lot of multi-tasking - it is not common for me to have 10 or 15 browser windows open, downloading files, graphics, answering emails... all the while burning off a DVD or deleting files with 35 over-writes, with countless programs running in the background. The Intel Duo Processor does the trick. It lets you handle much more work than an ordinary PC.

Keep in mind, the Toshiba Satellite does have some flaws, there is poor battery life and at around 8 pounds this is not a portable laptop. A truncated keyboard. It also has no built-in web cam which would have been a nice addition in a laptop of this caliber.

However, the major selling point must be the great crisp 17 inch screen with superb visuals and excellent sound from the Harman/Kardon speakers. Forget all the specs and techno features, this laptop is a pleasure to use and enjoy. Whether you buy the Satelitte P100 for your home or office - this laptop won't disappoint. It has a comfortable keyboard, more than enough performance for great multi-tasking chores and a display that won't put a strain on your eyes no matter what you're watching.

The Satellite Pro is a powerful PC replacement that offers great visuals and sound. The Intel Duo Processor will easily handle almost any applications that you can throw at it. The Toshiba P100 does make a great desktop replacement for your old PC. It is worth your consideration.

Did we mention it also looks great!

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