Worth buying? Toshiba AMD Athlon 64 X2, 2.1GHz Laptop, $399AR

[whatseeds]

Hi all,

It's tax-free shopping weekend in my state, so I'm trying to find a good deal on a laptop, quickly. Unfortunately, some of the best deals I've seen are sold out already! Bells and whistles (graphics, webcam, etc) don't really matter to me, as a student on a budget who does't do any gaming. I'm really just looking for a system that is not too heavy (6lb or less, if possible) and can multitask well (I often am simultaneously working with word, excel, powerpoint, many open tabs of ie or firefox, and sometimes an evil, memory-eating data-crunching statistical package, SAS).

Do you think this laptop is worth buying for $399 after rebate, or am I likely to find a deal that's at least $30 better in the next few weeks/months (since deciding to buy this weekend is saving me $30 in taxes).

Thanks so much for any advice!!!



http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0312715

Toshiba Satellite L305D-S5959

Product Specifications
Operating System Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
Processor AMD® Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor QL-65
Processor Speed 2.10GHz
Level 2 Cache 1MB Level 2 Cache
Data Bus Speed 2000MHz Frontside Bus
RAM Installed / Max RAM Supported 2GB DDR2-800 RAM (Expandable to 4GB)
Memory Configuration (2) 1GB SO-DIMM Memory Modules
Memory Slots Available (0) Available 200-pin SO-DIMM Slots
Hard Drive 250GB 5,400RPM Serial ATA Hard Drive
Multimedia Drive SuperMulti Double Layer DVD±RW Drive
Display Type 15.4" Widescreen XGA TruBrite Display
Video Card ATI Radeon 3100 Video Chipset
Internal Max Resolution 1280 x 800
Sound Card High Definition Audio Chipset
Modem/Communications Device Modem
Network Features 10/100 Fast Ethernet Network
Wireless Network Features Atheros 802.11 b/g Wireless
Ports and Connectors (1) VGA 15-pin Port; (3) USB 2.0 Ports; (1) RJ-45 Network Port; (1) RJ-11 Modem Port; (1) Microphone Port; (1) Headphone Port
Memory Card Reader Memory Card Reader
Supported Flash Media Secure Digital, Memory Stick(tm), Memory Stick PRO(tm), MultiMedia Card (shared slot)
Expansion Slots (1) Express Card/54 Slot (supports Express Card/34)
Built-In Devices Stereo Speakers
Input Device Keyboard, Touchpad Pointing Device
Included Power Supply 75 Watt AC Adapter
Included Battery 6 Cell Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery
Included Software Microsoft® Works, Microsoft® Office Home and Student 2007 Edition 60-Day Trial, Norton 360(tm) All-In-One Security Trial Version,
Dimensions (WxDxH) 14.3" x 10.6" x 1.51"
Weight Starting at 5.49 lbs
Manufacturer Warranty 1 Year Limited Warranty

[STi]

My recommendation would be stay away from Toshiba. get one of those recent deals with T3400 or T4300 intel cpus.

[whatseeds]

My recommendation would be stay away from Toshiba. get one of those recent deals with T3400 or T4300 intel cpus.

Can you elaborate on why you don't like Toshiba? I've always been a desktop-owner (and have had good luck with dell and gateway, for the most part), but I have very little knowledge about the different laptop brands!


Also, can anyone comment on Intel T3400 or T4300 vs. AMD Athlon 64 X2, 2.1 Ghz? Some websites I've read seem to list the Athlon as better than the dual core Intel (but they rank the Athlon much worse than the Intel Core 2 Duo). Which do you think performs better? Or in this budget range, does it not really matter all that much?


Do you think it's worth it to pay an extra $100 or more for the Core 2 Duo?


Thanks!!

[Lucky1962]

My recommendation would be stay away from Toshiba. get one of those recent deals with T3400 or T4300 intel cpus.

Totally agree, i am so disappointed at the durability of Toshiba in these recent years.