Toshiba Satellite L505D-ES5025

The entry-level Toshiba Satellite L505D-ES5025 ($829.98 list), sold at Staples, evolves from its predecessor, the Satellite L505D-S5996 ($580.00 list, ), by bringing another 1GB of memory to the party, stepping up the AMD Turion II CPU and accompanying integrated ATI graphics chip a notch (albeit for an extra $250). It packages these parts, however, in the same clunky chassis. The Satellite L505D-ES5025's performance and battery life are marginally better than the preceding model, but that's not saying much. The system's weak audio doesn't do it any favors, nor does its weak keyboard. There are better entry-level options, such the Acer Aspire AS5740-6378, which features a Core i5 CPU for only $10 more, and the Dell Inspiron i1545-4583JBK, which features better build quality and battery life.

Toshiba America Inc

http://www.toshiba.com

• Price as Tested: $629.98 List
• Type: General Purpose
• Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
• Processor Name: AMD Turion II Dual-Core Mobile M520
• Processor Speed: 2.3 GHz
• RAM: 4 GB
• Weight: 6 lb
• Screen Size: 15.6 inches
• Screen Size Type: widescreen
• Graphics Card: ATI Radeon HD 4200
• Storage Capacity: 320 GB
• Networking Options: 802.11n
• Primary Optical Drive: Dual-Layer DVD+/-RW