Posted to Notebooks 2009-11-03
17inch laptops have quickly become an adequate option for a portable desktop computer replacement, so the Toshiba Satellite L355D-S7829 looks to compete in that pocket. Whilst it does lack some graphics punch to be a fully capable desktop replacement for your entire home gaming needs, it is sufficiently equipped in most other areas to handle whatever you feel like throwing at it. For starters the L355D has a widescreen aspect ratio and is capable of resolutions up to 1440x900, while also supporting 720p content. Out of the box the notebook comes with 4gb of DDR2 800mhz RAM giving the system that added memory that is required to allow it to keep up with its larger desktop cousins. Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit is pre-installed on the system, though you would expect to see that soon replaced by Windows 7 which is due out in October 2009.
FeaturesPacked with a relatively small 250gb hard drive compared to competitors models probably leaves the L355D a little behind the pack, though it seems Toshiba have tried to make up for the lack of storage space with features in other areas. The DVD Supermulti drive has disc burning covered and with Labelflash you can also print straight to the disk. It supports 802.11n Wi-Fi which sets you for the future if you are looking at upgrading to the faster Wi-Fi tech soon. The Dual-Core AMD X2 Mobile processor is a good choice for this system and helps keep the price down as opposed to its Intel equivalent. PerformanceProcessing power in this notebook is not a problem, with the AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core working well with the 4gb of 800mhz RAM that is included. The hard drive is not the top of the line in terms of speed as it only provides 5400rpm to go with its 250gb storage capacity, but it still is not something that would be noticeable unless you were into some serious benchmark testing. Graphics performance slots into the 'ok' range with the ATI Radeon 3100 graphics engine and its shared memory operation. You will be able to run some games if you want this to be your desktop replacement, but there will be some limitations. SummaryToshiba Satellite L355D-S7829 is probably a perfect 17inch laptop if you have been putting off upgrading your old desktop computer for some years. You get the added benefit of a new system that is relatively portable as well, allowing you to move around the house freely. Providing you are not looking to do any serious computer gaming on the latest releases or any intense graphic design, it is hard to look past the L355D Notebook. Pros
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