Toshiba Satellite A215-S7433

Description: The Toshiba Satellite A215-S7433 is a 5.7-pound, general-purpose notebook computer.Compared to other general-purpose notebooks on the market, it is very inexpensive at around $640.The 15.4 inch widescreen has a native resolution of 1280 x 800, which is fairly standard among laptops.Runs on the AMD Athlon 64 X2 processor.This unit has a 160GB hard disk and 2 GB of memory.

Pros: Comes with Microsoft Windows Vista Home premium and Microsoft Windows Vista OS, which is considerably more favorable than some similarly priced notebooks.The EPA has classified this laptop as Energy Star compliant because it has built-in power management features.

Cons: Has only a ATI Radeon X1200 graphics chip, which is less desirable than some similarly priced notebooks.Also, this notebook has a modest 1.8 GHz CPU speed.This is not out of line with the product's price, but is slower than the average notebook on the market today.The poor battery performance of this laptop means it has to be recharged more frequently than other notebooks in its class.

Suitability: Suited for those who just need a basic notebook.If you have a wireless network at home, wirelessly browse the Internet from any room in your house with this Wi-Fi enabled notebook.Archive your digital videos using this computer's DVD burner.An anti-theft security tether can be fastened into the built-in lock slot.

Value: Given its very inexpensive price, this notebook has great features for the money.Generally, it should be considered by serious bargain hunters.

Suggestions: (1) Given this device's Wi-Fi capability, you may want to get a wireless access point for your home, so that you can browse the Internet more conveniently from any room.(2) The integrated camera, while it does not have the resolution of most digital cameras, can be handy if you want to video conference over the Web.

CNET's Product Briefs are generated by a software tool that combines product specifications with knowledge of our editorial experts. They do not reflect hands-on assessment or labs testing. For more information about how we create Product Briefs, contact us.

• Manufacturer: Toshiba
• Part Number: PSAFGU-01X002

• General

• Built-in Devices Stereo speakers, Wireless LAN antenna
• Width 14.3 in
• Depth 10.6 in
• Height 1.5 in
• Weight 5.7 lbs
• Localization United States
• Notebook type Budget, Thin-and-light (4-6 lbs.)
• Screen type Widescreen
• Wireless capabilities IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11b

• Processor

• Processor AMD Athlon 64 X2 TK-55 / 1.8 GHz
• Multi-Core processor technology Dual-Core
• 64-bit processor Yes
• Chipset type AMD M690V

• Cache Memory

• Type L2 cache
• Cache size 1 MB

• RAM

• Installed Size 2 GB / 4 GB (max)
• Technology DDR2 SDRAM - 667 MHz
• Memory specification compliance PC2-5300

• Environmental Parameters

• Environmental standards EPA Energy Star
• Min Operating Temperature 41 °F
• Max Operating Temperature 95 °F
• Humidity Range Operating 20 - 80%

• Storage Controller

• Storage controller type Serial ATA/IDE
• Storage Controller / Serial ATA Interface Serial ATA-150

• Storage

• Floppy Drive None
• Hard Drive 160 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm
• Hard drive type Portable

• Optical Storage

• Type DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM - Integrated
• CD / DVD read speed 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD)
• CD / DVD write speed 24x (CD) / 8x (DVD±R) / 4x (DVD±R DL)
• CD / DVD rewrite speed 10x (CD) / 4x (DVD±RW) / 5x (DVD-RAM)

• Optical Storage (2nd)

• 2nd optical storage type None

• Card Reader

• Card reader type 5 in 1 card reader
• Supported flash memory cards Memory Stick, MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card, xD-Picture Card, Memory Stick Pro

• Display

• Display Type 15.4 in TFT active matrix
• Max Resolution 1280 x 800 ( WXGA )
• Widescreen Display Yes
• Color Support 24-bit (16.7 million colors)
• Features TruBrite

• Video

• Graphics Processor / Vendor ATI Radeon X1200
• Max Allocated RAM Size 319 MB

• Audio

• Audio output type Sound card
• Audio output compliant standards High Definition Audio
• Audio Input Microphone

• Notebook Camera

• Camera Type Integrated

• Input Device(s)

• Input device type Keyboard, Touchpad, Multimedia control panel

• Telecom

• Modem Fax / modem

• Networking

• Networking Network adapter
• Networking / Wireless LAN Supported Yes
• Data link protocol Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, Fast Ethernet
• Networking standards IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g

• Expansion / Connectivity

• Expansion Slots Total (Free) 2 Memory, 1 ( 1 ) x ExpressCard
• Interfaces 1 x Display / video - VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15), 1 x Modem - Phone line - RJ-11, 1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX - RJ-45, 1 x Display / video - S-video output, 1 x Microphone - Input - Mini-phone 3.5 mm, 1 x Headphones - Output - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire), 4 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A

• Miscellaneous

• Features System password, Administrator password, Security lock slot (cable lock sold separately)
• Compliant Standards CE, UL, cUL, R&TTE, DDC/CI, TUV GS, UL 1950, ACPI 1.0b, VESA DPMS, FCC Part 68, FCC Part 15 B, Plug and Play, CSA 22.2 No. 950

• Power

• Power device form factor External
• Voltage Required AC 120/230 V

• Battery

• Technology Lithium ion
• Installed Qty 1
• Battery capacity 4000 mAh

• Operating System / Software

• OS Provided Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
• Software Google Picasa, Google Desktop, Google Toolbar, Toshiba ConfigFree, InterVideo WinDVD 8, Microsoft Works 8.5, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Toshiba Disc Creator, Toshiba Game Console, Yahoo! Music Jukebox, Toshiba Speech System, Toshiba Value Added Package, Sun Java 2 Runtime Environment, Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5 for Toshiba, McAfee Internet Security Suite (Trial), Toshiba Extended Tiles for Windows Mobility Center, Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition (Trial)

• Manufacturer Warranty

• Service & Support 1 year warranty
• Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year

• Sustainability

• EPA Energy Star Compliant Yes
• Greenpeace policy rating (Sept 2009) 5.7

Toshiba

Manufacturer profile

• Website: http://www.toshiba.com
• Address: 1251 Avenue of the Americas, Irvine, CA. 92618
• Phone: 1-800-316-0920