Toshiba L505-GS5037 is good computer for the price ($589.99). It will be good for work and casual video viewing, but do not plan on playing games or using it for watching high quality video.
Toshiba L505 GS5037 features a stunning 15.6-inch display with 720p native high-definition resolution.This is great for watching movies in true 16:9 ratio. The screen is also really bright so you won’t miss any details.
It has a number pad,You will like being able to use 10-key typing to enter numbers in documents and web sites. Having a number pad is surprisingly necessary.
Stylish — This computer looks sleek and sophisticated. It is a real joy to look at.
Generous system resources — This computer has 4GB of RAM and 500GB of hard disk capacity. It also has those new Intel processors that feature “hyper-threading” technology. Since Windows 7 is a system hog, a new laptop should at least have 6GB of RAM, but 4GB seems to be just fine for this machine. I can switch quickly between programs, start programs quickly, and end them quickly, too. A 500GB hard disk is just an astoundingly huge amount of storage space. There is more than enough space for photos and movies.
The mouse-pad — I don’t know how Toshiba did it, but the mouse-pad is the coolest feature of the laptop. The mouse-pad looks like it was spray-painted on top of the plastic shell. It also works really well AND it offers multi-touch functionality. If you need to increase the size of the font on a web page, all you do is spread two fingers on the mouse-pad. It is actually pretty damn cool.
The battery life is quite good. On one charge the battery lasts around 2 hours and 45 minutes. This laptop also has en “eco” mode which finagles the internal power so you can get a few extra minutes of power from one charge.
On the minus side, the speakers are a bit tinny sounding. The video output is adequate for casual movie viewing, but will not satisfy someone looking for HD like video. This notebook has integrated graphics without a discrete video card and would not support high end games with 3D graphics. I also could not get an older game like diablo 2 to work. Additionally, Toshiba does note recommend trying to upgrade the video card (although it’s possible), and doing so would void the warranty.
(2 USB ports and power DC-in on the right side)
For the amount of hardware specs this computer has, Toshiba only included 2 USB ports. The laptop shell is spacious enough to include 4 USB ports without any problems. Also, the USB ports and power DC-in locations are really inconvenient: They are located on the right side of the machine. Most people are right-handed BUT protruding cords interferes with desk space which, in turn, limits the space that most people might have because of the locations of the ports.
Overall, two very enthusiastic thumbs up and a great buy for a busy mom, college student or anyone just looking for a functional computer that is relatively inexpensive.
Toshiba Satellite L505-GS5037 TruBrite 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) $589.99+Free shipping
