Quantcast
PCWorld.com is upgrading some back-end systems. Some site features, such as user registration, may be temporarily unavailable.
Subscribe to magazine

NEW Reviews Beta Feedback

Get Laptops updates
  • Print

Toshiba Satellite P15-S420 Notebook

thumb 1
  • Satellite P15-S420 Notebook
-

Pending

Toshiba Satellite P15-S420 Review

by Carla Thornton

- We wouldn't want to be caught on a coast-to-coast flight with the Toshiba Satellite P15-S420 and a big presentation to finish before landing. This large, 3-GHz Pentium 4-equipped notebook had a battery life of just an hour and a half on one charge--not a ringing endorsement of its survival skills away from an outlet.

Read Complete Review »

User Reviews for Toshiba Satellite P15-S420 Notebook

  • Reviewed by: jw1

    Duration of ownership:

    Strengths: Speed

    Weaknesses: Speakers, widescreen format

    Overall Evaluation: I've had many laptops over the years, but this is my first with the 15.4 widescreen, and I hate it. You're stuck with 3 resolutions - the native which provides screen fonts so small that they are barely readable (even with large fonts turned on), 1024x768 and 600x800, both of which stretch and distort the screen images. I don't use it for watching movies - I have a large screen TV - so the screen is a real minus for me. I wish it had a regular 15" screen. I'm coming off a 15" Toshiba which had Harmon Kardon speakers with a subwoofer, and this one sounds puny compared to that. For me, this whole widescreen and inferior sound is a big step backwards.

  • Reviewed by: phaasit

    Duration of ownership:

    Strengths: Wide screen, P4 with Hyperthreading, DVD +- R(w) drive, analog volume knob, 802.11g built in, Secure Digital Card reader, 80 gig HD

    Weaknesses: Battery Life

    Overall Evaluation: I just came from my third E-Machine Laptop. Each one flattered me with problems. Its nice to come to a Toshiba. This is what I have always recommended to friends, but never had the money to buy one. Now that I did, I am happy I bought it. It runs smoothly, great performance. No problems at all. The only thing that is not much better than emachines is the battery life. It lasts about 2.5 to 3 hours. a little less than emachine, but it sports a P4, which takes more than an athlon processor. I just purchased a spare battery, so I have nothing to complain about. Runs anything imaginable like a charm! smooth, clear graphics. wonderful for college life.

See all user reviews

People who looked at the Toshiba Satellite P15-S420 Notebook also looked at:

Latest Laptops Playing in PCW Video

More Latest Laptops Playing in PCW Video »

Latest Laptops News, Reviews, How-To's

  • Kaspersky Unveils Antivirus for Mac It is wrong to think that a Mac operating system is safe from malware.
  • Apple Wins Court Victory Over Mac Clone Maker Psystar Mac clone maker Psystar was dealt a crushing blow by a federal judge that ruled the Florida company violated Apple's copyright as well as the DMCA.
  • Classy Dell Latitude Z600 Laptop Charges Wirelessly The Latitude Z600 ultraslim laptop opens a window on the future of notebook computing.
  • Nokia Booklet 3G Netbook The Booklet 3G netbook is rugged and solidly built--but some quirks make it a slightly too-pricey portable.
  • Dell Inspiron 14z The Inspiron 14z is aimed squarely at students, with a stylish look and great battery life; its overly polished screen is hard to see, however.
 

Best Prices on Notebook Accessories

See all Notebook Accessories

Best Prices on Wireless Networking

See all Wireless Networking