Toshiba satallite A105 is an inexpensive 15.4-inch media center with enough performance for Internet browsing, document writing and disc playback and burning. At its rock-bottom price point, this notebook makes an ideal choice for students and other budget shoppers. In CNET Labs benchmark tests conducted by us, our Satellite A105 held up well against notebooks with faster processors; outpacing Lenovo 3000 N100 and Dell Inspiron E1505 both boasting top components; outpacing even higher priced Micro Express EL80 which boasts more advanced features!
The Satellite A105 features a 1.60GHz Intel Centrino Duo Core Duo T2050 processor and 512MB of average 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM that provide more than enough performance for most common tasks. Its 120GB hard drive offers plenty of storage, while the DVD SuperMulti double-layer drive lets you record onto blank discs using different formats. Connectivity options range from modem, Ethernet, and wireless LAN - giving it versatility for everyday life.
The Satellite A105 stands out as an outstanding value, thanks to its affordable price, widescreen display and Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 operating system. Its speakers can easily accommodate one or two people at once but lack low-end depth and bass. Media Center software lets you use its controls to browse your multimedia library as well as access various TV-related media functions.
However, the Satellite A105's subpar 1.3-megapixel webcam falls far short of expectations; video quality is subpar and grainy when using its accompanying software and during Skype calls with colleagues. Additionally, when used alone it often produces poorly focused images.
The Satellite A105 includes an assortment of useful software programs, such as Microsoft Works 8.5 for productivity tasks and backup, backup utility Sonic RecordNow CD burning program for CDs and InterVideo WinDVD Creator 2 Platinum video playback software for DVD videos - along with a 45-day trial version of Norton AntiVirus 2006 security application bundled into one package. Windows Vista Home Premium boots up in just 58 seconds on this machine compared with an average thin-and-light boot time of 70 seconds for thin and light computers.
The Satellite A105 may have some minor drawbacks, including short battery life and subpar graphics performance; but overall it offers enough power and affordability for most users' needs. You can upgrade memory up to 4.0GB if desired for additional horsepower.
