Toshiba Satellite U505-S2930
Specifications

Price comparison
Average of 2 scores (from 2 reviews)
Reviews for the Toshiba Satellite U505-S2930
Source: Laptop Mag

This 13-inch notebook delivers a striking design and good performance for a reasonable price. The Toshiba Satellite U505 combines style with good performance for those on a budget. In this price range, we prefer the $899 Acer Aspire 3935, which delivers 40 minutes of extra battery life and a higher-res screen in a lighter 4.2-pound brushed metal design. Nevertheless, for $799, the U505 provides good power and portability, and Toshiba includes features that enhance the computing experience.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 07/16/2009
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: Computer Shopper

Toshiba has launched the all-new Satellite U505-S2930 into the teeth of one of the most competitive laptop segments. This 13.3-inch thin-and-light is up against the likes of the Apple MacBook Pro, Dell Studio XPS 13, and HP Pavilion dv3z. The Satellite U505-S2930 distinguishes itself among the many 13.3-inch laptops on the market with a pleasingly subtle design and decent performance. A few details expose that it’s a budget entry, but you certainly get a lot for the money.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 07/01/2009
Rating: Total score: 82%
Comment
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 4500M: The graphics core of the Intel GL40 and GS40 chipset features a slower clocked GMA 4500MHD (400 versus 533 MHz). Because of the slower core speed, full Blu-Ray Logo support is not given and the gaming performance is a bit worse.
Only some 3D games with very low demands are playable with these cards.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
Intel Core 2 Duo: This is the Core Duo and Core Solo successor with a longer pipeline and 5-20% more speed without more power consumption. As an addition to the Core Duo design there exists a fourth decoder, an amplified SSE-unit and an additional arithmetical logical unit (ALU).
The Core 2 Duo for laptops is identical to the desktop Core 2 Duo processors but the notebook-processors work with lower voltages (0.95 to 1188 Volt) and a lower Frontside bus clock (1066 vs 667 MHz). The performance of equally clocked notebooks is 20-25% lower than Desktop PCs because of the lower Frontside bus clock and the slower hard disks.
T6500:
Entry level Penryn based dual-core CPU with a small 2MB level 2 cache and FSB800. Similar to the T6570 but without VT-x.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.
13.30":
There are hardly any tablets in this display size range anymore. For subnotebooks, on the other hand, it is the standard format.
The advantage of subnotebooks is that the entire laptop can be small and therefore easily portable. The smaller display also has the advantage of requiring less power, which further improves battery life and thus mobility. The disadvantage is that reading texts is more strenuous on the eyes. High resolutions are more likely to be found in standard laptops.
» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.Toshiba: Toshiba Corporation is a Japanese conglomerate or technology group. The company was established in 1939 and in 1978 Toshiba became the official company name. The company's products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, elevators and escalators, electronic components, semiconductors, hard drives, printers, batteries, lighting, logistics and information technology. Toshiba was one of the largest manufacturers of personal computers, consumer electronics, home appliances and medical equipment.
76%: This rating is not earth-shattering. This rating must actually be seen as average, since there are about as many devices with worse ratings as better ones. A purchase recommendation can only be seen with a lot of goodwill, unless it is about websites that generally rate strictly.
» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.