Our Take: AMD users are loyal to the brand, and this loyalty is based on time tested value-for-money experience. Toshiba introduced the first laptop personal computer back in 1985, and since then has been leading the field with constant succession of highly advanced, infinitely mobile and super-reliable notebooks; and is in fact the 4th largest laptop brand based on laptop sales<click here>. Combine AMD and Toshiba and you get the the Satellite A215 series, a new line of consumer notebooks with AMD's premium mobile processor in the Turion64(X2). The A215 is positioned as a multimedia notebook and offers a cinematic 15.4” Wide screen Trubrite display, large hard drive, card reader and a DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) drive supporting 11 formats. What makes this laptop a value-for-money proposition is because despite the entry level price, the A215 is offered with Genuine Vista operating system to allow YOU to enjoy worry free computing direct from the box and also to upgrade to the latest Service Pack-1. If you like AMD and give importance to quality and reliability; we had you in mind when we decided to offer the Toshiba A215.



The case on the A215 is made of smooth plastic in Onyx Blue color. Inside it has rounded edges and a dark tone except for the keyboard which is white/silver. It is interesting that a single long hinge that runs almost the entire length of the display, instead of the the typical two-hinge setup on most laptops. The one large hinge in the center between base and the screen provides the effect like the bottom of the screen sits behind the base. We don't know that it helps make the screen more sturdy long term, but it certainly looks cool.


The AMD Turion™64(X2) is AMD's premier dual-core processor made for mobility. A dual-core TL-58 Processor offers a1.9GHz Processor, 512KB+512KB L2 Cache and HyperTransport™ technology up to 1600MHz front side bus. The AMD Turion™64(X2) features 3 important engineering marvels: (1)integrated memory controller, (2)the two processor cores, and (3)HyperTransport technology.

The memory controller supports dual-channel operation and the use of fast, power-saving DDR2 memory, resulting in a theoretical maximum memory bandwidth of 10.7 GB/s. The advantages of having two processor cores or execution units in one CPU are widely known by now. Suppose you want to convert an audio file to the MP3 format, burn a video DVD, retrieve your e-mail, and edit a text file at the same time. As a laptop user, you will notice that switching between the individual applications takes several seconds or even longer. Sometimes, one of the applications may pause, or "hang" - in the worst case, the DVD burning program. The reason for this is that a single-core processor quickly runs out of capacity when concurrently executing many bread-and-butter applications or a few CPU-intensive jobs. The situation is quite different in a dual-core system, where the operating system can automatically distribute individual applications and the resulting "computing load" to two cores. As a consequence, the response time of the system is improved substantially, allowing you to switch between individual programs almost without delay, as if only one application were active. Moreover, programs such as video and image processing applications that are optimized for dual-core processors often provide considerably more speed, so the image processing or rendering is completed much more quickly.

In additional HyperTransport technology is an important feature which works like a fully-integrated frontside bus that increases bandwidth, reduces bottlenecks and enables processors to work more efficiently. Using the Satellite A215 for multitasking, including Web surfing, basic productivity use, and media playback, it performed well, with no obvious slowdown or stuttering.



Toshiba continues to couple the AMD-based Satellite A215 series with the ATI Radeon™ X1200 graphics, designed to deliver a heightened level of multimedia functionality and smooth video playback. The ATI X1200 is an onboard video chip and according AMD optimized for a good price/value. It is based on a X700 design with two pixel-pipelines and two vertex-shaders, with the GPU-core clocked at 400 MHz. Importantly, the graphic chip supports Windows Vista Aero surface and all 3D effects run fluently. thanks to the Hyper-Memory Aero is supported with high resolutions (tested with 1280x800 + 1920x1200). <click here>

The brilliant views of the 15.4" diagonal WXGA display with TruBrite technology bring games and movies to life. TruBrite™ Screen Technology allows notebook PC users to enjoy a brighter, more vivid visual experience whether watching home movies, viewing DVDs or playing games. This technology also extends the viewable range of the Toshiba notebook's display, allowing images to be seen clearly from a wider angle than most personal notebook computer screens. To complete the multi-media experience the A215 features Dolby Sound Room technology, which is a form of virtual surround sound, and the output was reasonably clear and crisp.



The keyboard layout is first-rate. In the black accent panel topping the keyboard are seven handy buttons for turning on the notebook, launching your favorite browser, and controlling CDs and DVDs. Toshiba's 5-in-1 Bridge Media Adapter simplifies transferring pictures and other digital data. As a multi-media notebook you will be glad to know there is plenty of storage for all your MP3s, work, picture and video files with its 160GB(5400RPM) hard drive. A Firewire and Four(4) USB ports, conveniently placed, add easy support of even the largest peripheral devices.For the ultimate in media versatility, Toshiba's DVD Super Multi drive reads and writes up to 11 formats.



Toshiba's latest mainstream laptop occupies the sweet spot between price and features. There is a mentality that Intel powered laptops outperform AMD in the current generation of processors. This can easily be tested false using Windows® Experience Index which is a new feature built into Windows Vista™. It is designed to help consumers understand how well Windows Vista and the software running on it will perform on a specific PC. The index achieves this by assessing the capability of the PC and assigning a score to it. Higher scores indicate a better Vista experience on your PC. This AMD TurionX2 TL-58(1.9) was tested to provide a score of 4.7 for the calculation per second of the processor. In comparison a laptop powered with a T7300(2.0/4mb) processor had a score of 4.9 which is only 4% better as expected because of the higher Gigahertz.. It is very difficult to find a laptop at this price range packed with a generous 160GB hard drive, and importantly Genuine Vista Home Premium Operating system. The Satellite A215 is great! It's a great media center and it's great for doing your daily work on.

Our Buying Tips:
1. Select Three(3) Laptop that fits the requirement and the budget
2. Visit the store
3. Sit Down and compare the laptops side-by-side. Nothing like actual comparison.
4. View if the Display meets expectations... check dead pixels also
5. Check if Audio is Acceptable.
6. Check Battery Life
7. Inquire about the Warranty Policy
8. Take a Deep Breath and decide.

"Paying for what you can Experience and Buying from a Shop is for Your Peace of Mind... Units available for immediate purchase".