Buy Toshiba Satellite A15-S157 Laptop (2.20-GHz Celeron, 512 MB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive)Toshiba Satellite A15-S157 Laptop (2.20-GHz Celeron, 512 MB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive) Product Description:
- Perfect for home use or students on the go, the Satellite A15 Series offers up to 3hrs battery time
- Easy connection to Internet or network, and a DVD/CD-RW for watching movies and burning CDs
- Completing this value package is an Intel Celeron Processor 2.20GHz or 2.00GHz and Microsoft Works
- Choose A15-S157 system for greater processing power, integrated Wireless LAN (802.11b), and unlimited storage capacity
- Microsoft Works and Windows XP Home Edition included
Product Description
With this Toshiba Satellite 40 GB Notebook Computer you enjoy great resolution and ample power whether you're getting work done or watching a DVD. Plenty of connection options and a 15" screen add value and versatility to a notebook that weighs in at just over 6 lbs. Features: 2.20 GHz Intel Celeron Processor; 400 MHz system speed; 512 MB RAM; Windows XP Home Edition Operating Software; Integrated 802.11b wireless LAN; full-size keyboard; touch pad; Intel 852GM Integrated graphics controller; 1024-by-768 LCD Native Resolution; 32 MB graphics RAM; 1 PC card slot; 2 USB ports; 1 parallel port; 10-/100-Mbps Ethernet connection; 1 VGA video out port; and Microsoft Works, Toshiba Notebook Maximizer, Intuit Quicken Basic 2001, and Norton AntiVirus 2002 software. Order now for a manufacturer's mail-in rebate. View larger image for complete rebate details and printable coupon. Rebate requires coupon; packing slip receipt; and product packaging UPC, part number & serial number.
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
56 of 56 people found the following review helpful.
Awesome laptop!
By A Customer
This Toshiba laptop is built very nice with superb features. 15" screen is very good for watching DVD or computing work, resolution is great. 40GB hard disk is big enough for most people considering that it has a fast CD-RW built-in.
All the usual connectivity features like USB 2.0, ethernet, modem, 802.11b wireless built in. 512MB is excellent for Win XP and possibly future OS. If you don't need extra RAM and wireless you can get S127 model for somewhat lower price.
2.2GHz Celeron is more than enough for 99% of people. The battery life is adequate and weight is a very reasonable 6 lbs for 15" screen laptop. Keyboard is very good and touchpad is excellent once you get used to it.
It will get hot since it uses a desktop Celeron and there will be some fan noise. Get a Centrino/Pentium-M based laptop if you want cooler, more portable and smaller laptop. But it might cost you twice the money.
Much better built than a Dell or HP. Dell has too many tricks on their website to get a decent price for similar configuration. HP uses third party chipsets on their low end laptops. Athlon laptops are also equipped with poor quality SiS chipsets. The chipset used in this is Intel 852GM with 32MB shared video memory. Intel chipsets are solid and stable.
All in all a superb laptop for students, home users and small business use. Perfect PC replacement with easy portability. Toshiba rocks!
35 of 35 people found the following review helpful.Toshiba S157 AND S127 owner.
By Sev
As an owner of a Toshiba S127 and this S157, I can tell you that this thing is pure quality. Dell's laptops have gotten almost pitiful in quality, while IBM are insanely priced. Where's the quality, inexpensive laptops? Toshiba is your answer.
Trust me guys. Get this model. I bought the S127 and ended up giving it to my mom. This model comes with the built in wireless Internet (which is awesome), 40GB of storage, 512MB DDR (XP uses MUCH more than 256MB even doing the simplest tasks), and 2.2Ghz Celeron (you can't tell the difference between 2Ghz & 2.2 Ghz,trust me).
I scored my S157 in brand new condition for $825 off some really nice guy off eBay I struck a deal with. (I picked it up locally)
I'm going to review every single thing about this laptop, sequentally. Please note that this is an unbiased review:
1.) Keyboard: Probably the best keyboard i've ever used in over 18 years of computers. I loved these soft key laptop keyboard. Doesn't have that annoying cursor thing in the middle of the keyboard that some people like to use. (Most despise it, though)
2.) TouchPaD: Works great. Two basic buttons, silver color, and work perfectly.
3.) 15" XGA screen. The screen is nice, bright, and vivid, but I definately could use SXGA (1280x....) XGA is only 1024x768 and is just enough for basic tasks
4.) Speakers: Silver titinium stereo speakers. They work adequately for basic needs. What can I say? They're laptop speakers. Go pickup some Logitech Z-340s for $30 at Best Buy. They will compliment these nicely.
5.) Design: Design is superb. The laptop is suprisingly thin (1 inch) and the colors are perfect. Really great job.
6.) Weight: 6.15 lbs, according to my measurements.
7.) LEDs: The LEDs are great. 5 basic small LEDs that tell you what's going on. Nothing fancy.
8.) 802.11b Wireless (S157 only). This is great. You can save your PCCard slot; you can also disable/enable the device whenever you want. Someone mentioned somewhere that the built-in wireless card means it uses the notebook as an antenna. I don't believe that though.
9.) CD-RW/DVD ROM: Works perfectly. I would've perferred a trayless drive (like the Pioneer 16x DVD drives) but hell, this is great. They both work great.
8.) Battery Life: Battery life is not as good as I would like it to be. I get 2 1/2 hours max out of this computer on a full battery charge, assuming light working conditions. Extra battery costs $150+tax at Best Buy or Circuit City. I'm using my mother's S127 batter. ;)
9.) Noise Level: Both computers are dead silent. There is a fan that turns on once in a while to cool the computers. The fan isn't loud at all.
10.) PC Card Slot: It only has 1 PC Card slot, but that's not an issue anymore now that I have built in wireless internet
11.) Ports:Serial: Great but I don't use it.Parallel: Ok, I still don't use it.2x USB 2.0: Now, this is beautiful. I have several USB devices, some even USB 2.0, that I use with this computer.Neither models come with S-Video, DESPITE what some specifications say. The model also comes with external VGA for connecting to a projector or external monitor.RJ45 (Ethernet) AND Modem already installed. What a great value.
12.) Performance:Hard drive: Works decently. Only 4200 RPM, so don't expect mind-blistering performance, but it's fast enough even for an end user.
Processor: 2.2Ghz Celeron is like a crippled P4; nevertheless, it performs almost all basic functions with ease. Gamers apply elsewhere.
Sound: No comments. Sound works. :)
Video: This is my biggest complaint (besides the microphone) about this model. Comes with 32MB Intel Extreme Graphics (Shared). Because it's shared with system memory, people tend to think it's 64MB Intel graphics; believe me, it's NOT. It's 32MB Intel extreme graphics that will let you do only the basic video or gaming. Don't expect any kind of performance from this. I really wish Toshiba had put an ATi Radeon mobility in here, but for the price I'm not complaining. :-)
* Software: I don't use the software that comes with this bundle, but make sure to check the personal cons below for additional details.
* Toshiba Utilities: As with most utilities, I don't like running manufacturer's utility files, but Toshiba's aren't _that_ bad. (I still don't run them, though). They allow you to control most of the function buttons at the topic and assign them different functions.
Build Quality: This is where the laptop truly shines. Putting IBM's insanely high quality and price tag, this is the best laptop you can get for budget-price quality. Toshiba rules.
Personal Cons:
* No built in Microphone. The thing has a port for a microphone, but I really, really wish Toshiba had put one in. I know this isn't an issue for most people, but I use microphones on a daily basis. They're cheap, granted, but that's another thing to lug around.
* Rebates: Ugh, I hate rebates. I got my S127 for $760 (after 8.5% tax) and after $250 rebates. I got my S157 for $825 cash from some guy on eBay.
* One thing that annoys me is that Toshiba has loaded this comp with plenty of useless junk like AOL, Special offers, etc. This is an easy fix. I just wiped the drive and put XP Professional on there and boom, it's done. :) The S157, IIRC, comes with Microsoft Works, which I don't use.
If you want more detailed pictures of this laptop, search on www.newegg.com. They have both models and detailed pictures on it.I hope I haven't missed anything. :)
30 of 30 people found the following review helpful.Geat all-round notebook.
By Stephen Nothnagel
I am a student (14yrs) and I was shopping around for a laptop for [a certain price range]. I tried dell and hp, but there was no way to get this kind of configuration for this price. Then I found this laptop, and I immediately knew I had to get it. It arrived less than a week after I ordered it on amazon.com. Here are the pros and cons of this laptop:
PROS:
*Performance:The laptop comes with a 2.2ghzs celron processor, which is more than enough for the average student. It is even very fast at ripping MP3s, which uses a lot of processing power.
*Graphics Card:The graphics card that comes with this is a 64MB Intel video card. I was blown away by its performance. I turn all the graphics settings in Flight Simulator 2002 to full, and the video still moved smoothly. This graphics card is certainly good enough for the casual gamer, but serious gamers should look elsewhere. (The battery life stinks when playing games though - I only got about one hour when playing NFS III)
*Screen Size:The screen is huge - almost as big as a 17" CRT monitor. It is also very crisp and clear. I will never go back to those bug bloated blurry CRT screens.
*Weight:This isn't really a pro or a con - at 6.2lbs, it is neither heavy nor light. A 2.2ghzs Pentium 4 laptop would be about 8lbs (very heavy), but compared to a 4lbs Apple Power Book, this laptop is quite heavy.
*802.11b:This laptop has an integrated WiFi card. When I bought this laptop, I also bought a USB 802.11b Wireless network adapter for [a price], and in 20 minutes I was surfing the net with no wires attached. Also you can turn of the wireless card to save batteries if you're not using it. Great for surfing the net anywhere in your house.
*Combo Drive:The integrated CD burner / DVD drive means that you can watch DVDs or burn Cds right from your laptop. This is a great plus for people who want to do everything from there laptop. Now I almost never use my desktop PC.
*Dual Monitor Support:This is great for people who want to make power point presentations from there laptop. You get a lot more control over the presentation.
CONS:
*Battery Life:They say you get more than 3 hrs battery life, but don't expect more that 2 and a half hrs of word processing, and even less when watching a DVD or gaming.
*Heat:The bottom left hand side of the laptop gets very hot . After a about 15mins, it gets too hot to use on your lap. I did find a position where I didn't touch the hot part, so that solved the problem.
CONCLUSION:This is the best laptop out there for the average student, casual gamer or someone on a budget, but serious gamers, and persons who want a light weight laptop, or lots of battery life should look elsewhere.
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