15.6-inch Toshiba Satellite C55-A5105
via Amazon
Toshiba Satellite C55-A5105 is a 15.6 inch entry level laptop that offers decent specs and features for everyday computing with the Intel Celeron processor at 2.17 GHz speed, 4GB memory, 500GB hard drive, really nice and clear visuals on its HD display with TruBrite technology, a DVD drive, a USB 3.0 port and the right amount of useful connectivity options at a very low price.
Toshiba Satellite has the Intel dual core Celeron N2820 processor (2MB Cache) with Intel Burst so the speed varies between 2.17 and 2.39GHz, 4GB DDR3L SDRAM memory, 500GB Serial ATA hard drive at 5400 rpm rotating speed and the 64-bit version of Windows 8.1 operating system pre-installed. Even though the storage and RAM size may appear standard, both are more than enough for a computer at this level: Spacious storage and good amount of RAM for easy and smooth multitasking. There aren’t too many fans of the Windows 8 OS but it still offers a stable platform for most computing stuff: Internet, multimedia, word processing etc. and the upgrade to the newer 8.1 version for free should keep you more satisfied.
15.6 inch LED-backlit TFT high-definition widescreen display (16:9 cinematic aspect ratio) with TruBrite technology, 1366 x 768 pixel resolution (supports 720p content) and Intel HD graphics so you get to watch your videos in clarity and picture detail. The HDMI connection will allow you to connect your laptop to your large screen HDTV. Speaker quality is above average and loud for a computer at this price level and you have the HD quality webcam with built-in microphone to make things easy to chat with friends and family.
Trax Horizon finish in satin black Toshiba Satellite has the measurements of 1.3 x 15 x 9.5 inches and weighs 5.3 lbs so it is fairly slim, light and portable with also the standard 15.6 inch screen. Its 6-cell lithium ion battery gives you about 5-6 hours in average use. Having a 10-key numeric keypad makes data entry easier and the keyboard itself is ergonomic with nicely shaped keys with a responsive and useful trackpad with separate left and right click keys.
For a laptop in the budget range you have the right amount of connectivity options covered: A Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW with double-layer support, HD Webcam and Microphone, WLAN 802.11b/g/n wireless, 10/100 Ethernet LAN with RJ-45 connector, a Multiformat media reader that supports Secure Digital, SDXC, miniSD, Secure Digital High Capacity, MultiMediaCard and microSD formats, 1 x USB 3.0 port for faster digital data transfer and 2 x USB 2.0 ports. There is no Bluetooth on this model but just have a look at Bluetooth USB dongles when you’re ordering this machine- they cost only a few bucks.
Conclusion: Toshiba Satellite C55-A5105 is a low priced budget computer with higher specs and features you’d expect: Great 15.6 inch LED backlit display, loud stereo speakers with decent sound quality, easy to set-up, runs most daily stuff quickly and smoothly, a nice responsive touchpad, fast Intel processor, good amounts of memory and hard drive, very long battery life for such a low cost system, comfortable keyboard.. Cons would be having a single RAM slot rather than two, Windows 8 operating system for some, not having Bluetooth but these wouldn’t even be considered as negatives for how much you’re paying (Windows 8 problem is nothing more than a learning curve, 4GB RAM is already big enough), you can’t go wrong really and this is a Toshiba!
Click here for a closer look on Amazon