Toshiba Satellite Pro U400

The Satellite Pro U400 it is 13.3" notebook gives business users or standard consumers another notebook option if they really like the size and features of the Satellite U405, but don't want the "Look at Me!" glossy finish.

Toshiba U400 had the following specifications:

• Windows XP Professional (SP2)
• Intel T8100 Penryn (2.1GHz) Processor
• 13.3" WXGA 1280x800 TruBrite Display (Glossy)
• Intel X3100 Integrated Graphics
• Intel Pro 3945ABG (802.11a/b/g) and Bluetooth V2.1 +EDR
• 1GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM (maximum capacity 4GB)
• 160GB 5400rpm Toshiba Hard Drive
• DVD SuperMulti (+/-R double layer) drive
• 1.3 megapixel webcam
• Stereo speakers
• Fingerprint reader
• Dimensions (WxDxH Front/H Rear): 12.4" x 9.02" x 1.08" /1.38" with feet
• Weight: 4.61lbs with six-cell battery
• 75W (19V x 3.95A) 100-240V AC Adapter
• 6-cell (4800mAh) Lithium Ion battery
• 1-Year Standard Limited Warranty
• Price as configured: $1,049.99

The U400's stylish design features a 2-tone color scheme of matte silver on black. Many of the traditionally-square notebook features have been softened with round edges. The overall style is carried onto the keyboard and touchpad areas with both reflecting the shape of the notebook itself. Once the factory stickers are removed from the palmrest areas, the notebook's design blends into a cohesive whole.

The 13.3" WXGA screen found on the Toshiba Satellite Pro U400 rates average, and came with no problems or defects. The screen was dead/stuck pixel free during our review period, and was sealed well enough to prevent any major backlight leakage. The screen backlight was powerful enough to allow comfortable viewing in an office setting with as low as 40-50% backlight brightness level. The backlight levels were even throughout the screen, without any backlight bleed showing through, even on the lower edge of the taskbar.

he keyboard found on the Satellite Pro U400 was very good for a notebook of this size. The keyboard stayed in place while typing, even under heavy pressure. Very little sagging was present during our testing, although the left side did have a smidgen more movement than the right side.

The touchpad rated average with accurate finger tracking use, but lacked many customization features. Although the touchpad was a Synaptics model, the menus did not allow for any adjustment for sensitivity, scrolling, or additional functions. The lack of scrolling was my biggest complaint, since no notebook on the market right now lacks that ability. The touchpad buttons were smooth and easy to trigger, with a shallow and soft click when pressed.

Speaker performance on the little Satellite Pro U400 is rather weak, with really dinky speakers located in front of the screen hinges. They work well for mild music listening or system notifications, but lack all low and midrange audio. The better alternative choice is using a nice pair of headphones and the headphone jack.

Port selection was about average for a notebook of this size, although it would have been nice to see S-Video or HDMI. Toshiba teased us with a blank HDMI port location, possibly hinting at a future model that offers it, perhaps with dedicated graphics as well.

• ExpressCard slot (ExpressCard/34 and Express Card/54)
• 10/100 Ethernet
• 56k Modem
• 5-in-1 media card reader
• VGA out
• Microphone input port
• Headphone output port
• IEEE-1394 (FireWire)
• Three USB 2.0 ports

Left: VGA, CPU Exhaust, 2 USB, Firewire, ExpressCard/54, Headphone/Mic








Right: Optical Drive, 1 USB, Modem, LAN, Kensington Lock Slot








Front: 5-1 Media Reader, Volume Control Knob, Wireless On/Off






Thermal performance was above average, with the notebook running cool and quiet the majority of the time. During normal activity the only part of the system you could hear was the hard drive. When the notebook got hot enough to turn on the fan, noise was minimal, and around whisper levels.

The Toshiba Satellite U400 gives business users a solid feature list and moderate performance.

Dell Precision M6300

The M6300 offers a wide range of hardware configurations, as well as a 64GB Samsung SSD for the businesses that require extreme ruggedness and extreme performance. Processors range from the T7250 all the way up to the X9000, RAM from 1GB to 4GB, display resolutions starting at WXGA+ up to WUXGA, and either NVIDIA Quadro FX 1600M or NVIDIA Quadro FX 3600M discrete graphics.

Bringing the price of $1,849 up to $2,738, this spesification:

• Windows XP SP2
• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7250 (2.00GHz)
• Mobile Intel P965 Express Chipset
• Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN (802.11a/g/n)
• 2GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM (maximum capacity 4GB)
• 64GB Samsung SSD
• 8x DVD (+/-R double layer) drive
• 17.0" diagonal widescreen matte TFT LCD display at 1440x 900 (WXGA+, matte)
• 256MB nVidia Quadro FX 1600M (512MB dedicated and shared memory)
• Dimensions: 1.6"(H) x 15.5(W) x 11.3"(D)
• Weight: 8.5 lbs
• 130W 100-240V AC adapter
• 9-cell (85Wh) Lithium Ion battery (1lb 1oz)
• 3-Year Basic Limited Warranty and 3-Year NBD On-Site Service

SSD Performance

Unlike traditional Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) with moving parts that are prone to failure and data loss when they receive an impact, Solid State Drives (SSDs) are flash-based storage drives with no moving parts. Notebooks tend to get "torture tested" in most corporate environments when the sales force tosses their laptops inside their cars or staff drop their notebooks off the edge of a table during a crowded meeting. The Samsung 64GB SSD in our test configuration (an $849 upgrade) helps eliminate the risk of data loss due to rugged treatment.

The other benefit of these SSDs is the extreme level of performance and reduced heat output compared to traditional HDDs.

Nootebook Alienware Unveils m17x

Alienware introduced its most powerful notebook to date, the Area-51 m17x. The Area-51 m17x is for professionals and hardcore enthusiasts who want pure, unbridled performance with the added benefit of portability.

The Area-51 m17x has the following specifications:

• Intel Core 2 Duo Processors (6MB Cache, 800MHz FSB)
• Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme Processors (6MB Cache, 800MHz FSB)
• 17" Wide Screen WUXGA 1920 x 1200 with Clearview (1200p HDTV resolution support)
• Up to 4GB Dual Channel DDR2 at 667MHz
• Dual graphics cards:
  • 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8800M GTX
  • 512MB NVIDIA GeForce 8700M GT
  • 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT
• Up to two hard drives in RAID 0
• Smart Bay accepts third modular hard drive or modular DVD burner
• Two speakers with SubWoofer
• 12-Cell Lithium-ION Battery
• Full Size Keyboard with Separate Numeric Keypad - optional AlienFX backlighting
• Height: 2.1"
• Width: 16.1"
• Depth: 11.5"
• Weight: 10.5 lbs
• Rear-Exhaust Cooling

The m17x is available with a backlit keyboard courtesy of AlienFX system lighting. The Alienware Area-51 m17x currently starts at $2,199 with a Core 2 Duo T8100 (2.1GHz) processor and dual 8600M-GT graphics cards.