Toshiba Satellite Pro 4600 Review

It's getting harder to tell Toshiba notebooks apart. Not long ago, the difference between the vendor's Satellite and Satellite Pro brands was that the latter were multimedia machines and the former lacked CD-ROM drives. Today, Satellites are mass-market consumer or mobile-gamer systems, while the Satellite Pro is aimed at businesses who want a value-priced, all-in-one notebook without the modular options of Toshiba's corporate Tecra series -- you might say, those who don't mind carrying a little more and paying a little less.

You'll definitely be carrying more if you tote the Satellite Pro 4600 we tested: Though not quite a notebook Moby Dick like Dell's Inspiron 8000, it weighs a hefty 7.4 pounds (8.5 pounds if you pack its AC adapter). Like many other laptops with spacious 15-inch screens, it's too big for the "laptop compartment" of many briefcases or tote bags -- the unit measures 10.8 by 12.9 inches by nearly 2 inches thick. Call it an anti-slimline.

But if the 4600 is no fun when running to make an airport connection, it's a great choice if you need to make a network connection at the office: Both a 10/100Mbps wired Ethernet port and 11Mbps WiFi or wireless Ethernet (802.11b) adapter are built right in, as is a 56Kbps modem -- three valuable connectivity options with no need to use either of the portable's two PC Card slots. (If anyone ever starts actually using Bluetooth, Toshiba sells a Bluetooth PC Card for $169.)

And WiFi and a big display aren't the Satellite Pro's only perks: An 850MHz Pentium III gives swift performance, while the standard 128MB of SDRAM and 20GB hard drive are enough to accommodate the preloaded Windows 2000 Professional. VGA and TV-out ports handle any external monitor or presentation needs.

And instead of having to choose or swap between a DVD-ROM and CD-RW drive, you get both, with a combo 4X write/24X read CD-RW and 6X DVD-ROM drive. Add it up, and the Toshiba is a first-class desktop PC alternative and a solid value at $2,709 ($2,609 if you opt for Windows Me instead of Win 2000, but we'd stick with the latter's superior network savvy).

Skip To Page • 1 A Business-Class Lapful 2 Everything in Its Place 3 A Performance Pro (But Not a Player) 4 The Bottom Line and Sibling Rivalry

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