Toshiba Satellite M45 review

Based on appearance alone, everything about the mainstream Toshiba Satellite M45 seems fine: it has a good-looking case and plenty of perks, such as a broad screen and a built-in, double-layer DVD burner. Once you turn it on, however, it doesn't take long to detect an inexcusable defect: an extremely small battery that lasts less than half as long as most mainstream laptop cells. The Satellite M45's economical price offers some compensation for its puny battery, but if you're shopping for a basic laptop, consider spending a few hundred more on the Dell Latitude D510 instead.

The Toshiba Satellite M45's silver-and-black case measures 14.2 inches wide, 10.6 inches deep, and 1.1 inches thick, making it wider but thinner than its mainstream competitors, including the Latitude D510 and the ThinkPad R52. Both the Satellite M45 and the ThinkPad R52 weigh 5.9 pounds, and the Latitude D510 is a couple of ounces heavier. The Satellite M45's two-prong AC adapter tips the scales at a typical 0.7 pound.

Designwise, the Satellite M45 more than meets the needs of the typical SOHO user. Its sweeping 15.4-inch display features a 1,280x800 native resolution that allows for sharp graphics without making text too small to read. The system's keyboard is generously wide, as well. A large touch pad and two corresponding mouse buttons lie below the keyboard. The front edge contains two handy extras: a volume wheel and a Wi-Fi on/off switch, for turning off the wireless radio (when unneeded) to conserve battery life. Though the model we tested, the Toshiba Satellite M45-S165, doesn't incorporate any CD controls or programmable buttons, other Satellite M45 configurations offer both. We should also note that the Satellite M45 lacks the security measures found on some higher-end business notebooks.

The Satellite M45 features a standard assortment of ports and slots for a mainstream notebook: S-Video out, VGA, and three USB 2.0 ports; modem, Ethernet, headphone, and microphone jacks; and one Type II PC Card slot. Curiously, higher-end configurations of the laptop (which cost $200 to $530 more than the Satellite M45-S165) also include a FireWire port; one ExpressCard/54 slot; and a 5-in-1 flash media slot that reads all of the major types of tiny flash memory cards: Secure Digital, Memory Stick Pro, MultiMediaCard, Smart Media, and xD.

The Microsoft Windows XP Home operating system comes preloaded on the Toshiba Satellite M45, along with a few standard productivity applications: the pared-down Microsoft Works 8.0 productivity suite; InterVideo WinDVD 5.0 for disc viewing; and Sonic RecordNow 7.0 for disc burning. The Satellite M45 also ships with Toshiba's useful ConfigFree utility, which lends a hand with wireless networking, hardware protection, and other essential system functions.

A variety of online resellers and local computer stores sell several preconfigured versions of the Satellite M45. We tested the Satellite M45-S165, which costs a very reasonable $1,049 (as of July 2005) in light of its configuration. The system features an inexpensive 1.5GHz Celeron M 370 processor; a standard 512MB of slower 333MHz SDRAM; a big and quick, 80GB, 5,400rpm hard drive; an ATI Radeon Xpress 200 graphics chip that borrows up to 64MB of VRAM from main memory; a sweet, double-layer multiformat DVD burner; and a standard Atheros 802.11b/g wireless card. In comparison, you can configure a Dell Latitude D510 that costs about $40 less than the Satellite M45, but the former includes a slower 1.3GHz Celeron M processor and a slightly smaller, 15-inch display with a lower 1,024x768 native resolution. A similarly configured ThinkPad R-series laptop costs hundreds more than both the Toshiba and the Dell, though the ThinkPad's Embedded Security Subsystem adds a level of data security that the other two lack.

The Satellite M45 kept its head well above water in Labs' mobile benchmarks. It ran 19 percent faster than its bulkier sibling, the Toshiba Satellite M35X, which carries a slightly slower 1.4GHz Celeron M and a 4,200rpm hard drive but includes more ports and multimedia controls for a lower price. Though the Satellite M45 finished behind the Latitude D510 and ThinkPad R52 configurations we reviewed, both the Dell and the ThinkPad had much faster (and more expensive) parts, including the latest-generation Pentium M processors and more video memory. Despite its respectable performance, the Satellite M45 drowned in our battery-drain tests, lasting a meager 1 hour, 31 minutes. Most mainstream laptops, including the Latitude D510 and the ThinkPad R52, last at least 2 hours or longer.

The Satellite M45's warranty coverage includes the typical one year of free parts and labor via return-to-depot service, as well as toll-free, 24/7 phone support. Toshiba also offers a number of fairly priced warranty extension plans, which include benefits such as four-year service terms, onsite service, and accidental damage protection. Toshiba's support Web site contains the usual FAQs and downloads, along with a link to the Windows Users Group Network (WUGNET) laptop forum, where you can ping other portable users for advice.

POWER of TOSHIBA Satellite M45-S165

TOSHIBA Satellite M45 battery ,battery code part#
,PA3239
,toshiba PA3250 , PA3250u,PA3250U-1BAS
, PA3250U-1BRS.

A new TOSHIBA battery Satellite M45-S165 usually comes in a discharged condition and with a very low capacity. It is generally recommended to fully charge new battery packs before use refer to the user guide of your electronic device for charging instructions. If you have a spare lithium-ion PA3250U-1BRS battery, use one to the fullest and keep the other cool by placing it in the refrigerator. Do not freeze the battery. For best results, store the battery at 40% state-of-charge.