Affordable Desktop Replacement - Toshiba SatelliteM65-S809
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This Satellite laptop from Toshiba doesn't boast the bells and whistles of a cutting edge core duo gaming machine. However, it certainly ticks all the right boxes for those looking for an affordable desktop replacement equipped with a competitive processor, and wi-fi connectivity.
At a retailstarting price of $1299.99, the new Toshiba Satellite M65-S809may be the last piece of evidence that this old adage needs:Bigger is better. The screen on this laptop is a wide 17 inchesand bright as TruBrite, and all fit into a body that weighs onlya hair over 7 pounds and looks as slick as anything Apple can put out.The rest of the hardware will probably have youdouble-checking the price tag as well. There's the double-layerDVD burner, 100 GB of hard drive, Harmon Kardon speakers, aFireWire port, three USBs, an S-Video, ExpressCard, a PC Cardslot, and a 5-in-1 memory card reader. And to power all that, theSatellite has a 1.73-GHz Intel Pentium M740 microprocessor and520 GB of RAM (expandable to 2 GB). Granted the specs of theSatellite M65 S809 aren't cutting edge, but you're looking here ata solid desktop replacement laptop at an affordable price, not the notebook equivalent of Seabiscuit.
The software that comes with the M65-S809 isn't shabby. You'llget WinDVD Creator 2 Platinum Software from InterVideo forvideo-editing, plus Express Media Player software from Toshiba,which allows you to listen to CDs and play DVDs without openingup Windows. For burning on discs, there's RecordNow! by Sonix.And for wireless simplicity, Toshiba has its ConfigFree tool thatallows you to tap into a Wi-Fi without tapping out infrustration.
Put all of this together, and you have a notebook that runs far faster and longer than it should for its price.Rigorous (Laptopmag) testing on the Satellite M65 S809 came upwith performance scores that outlapped its peers (203 on aMobileMark test), and battery life that was surprising (more than4 hours, and not much less with Wi-Fion).
For those pessimists and nitpickers out there, the oldadage may come to mind: it's too good to be true. And, yes, theToshibaM65 S809 has its weak spots. Its keyboard could be consideredcramped, its mouse button design awkward. You might even say thatit's wireless capabilities are middle of the pack.
But for what you're getting at less than $1,500, a simple testdrive before you buy will tell you whether those aredeal-breakers. Otherwise, nitpickers and pessimists need notapply.
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