I have owned 3 Satellites over the years--in fact, I'm typing on a fabulous one now (the C655). I bought the E305 for my husband thinking it would be a great computer like my C655. Boy was I wrong. First, it is terribly slow and crashes frequently. This is likely due to the paltry 4GB RAM on the unit, which I attempted to upgrade to 8GB yesterday--only to discover there's no RAM access panel on the back, and opening the unit up still didn't reveal the RAM location (since you can't actually pull apart the laptop once you've removed the back and the keyboard, as it's welded right smack in the middle of the motherboard in two places). So not being able to upgrade hardware makes this a crapper.
Adding insult to injury, the fan has been grinding loudly after a few months of excessively hot usage. Again, you can't pull apart the unit after unscrewing the laptop back and taking out the keyboard, which is normally how you do it. But with those two welded plugs keeping the unit together in 2 spots, you can't change the fan to a better one simply because you can't open it.
Normally, having a slow laptop and a bad fan isn't a kiss of death and wouldn't make this a terrible computer---IF you could open the stupid thing to repair them. Toshiba shot themselves in the foot with this one, simply by not making this a computer you can repair--so now I won't venture into buying another, for fear that when it has problems I won't be able to fix them. Won't buy another.
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I have had this laptop for almost two years now, and I can tell you that it was worth every penny.
I bought this as a Black Friday deal for only $600, which was a steal considering the feature set of this laptop. I heard of a lot of reviewers complaining of keyboard malfunctions and the sort, but I have not experienced anything so far.
PERFORMANCE:
The i5 processor is great and fast. 1080p video is streamed flawlessly for the most part. I have tons of third-party software on this laptop and the 6GB RAM helps in maintaining the speed. Compared to a year ago, I have noticed that start-up is significantly slower, but that is normal with any laptop.
The laptop does heat up, especially when you are doing graphic-intensive work, or downloading a large, high quality video file. And the fan is somewhat noisy too.
KEYBOARD:
I love the keyboard. It has a back-lit functionality which is useful and I use it often. The keys are spaced out well and I don't need to press too hard to get a response. The keys are swift and responsive. It is a glossy keyboard, however, so, after some time, the oil from your fingers will make some impressions on the keys, but you can easily clean this with a slightly damp napkin.
TOUCHPAD:
It's not multi-touch, which is one of the few drawbacks of this laptop, but the touchpad is still responsive and sturdy. It feels a bit rough at first, but I got used to it quickly.
SPEAKERS:
The biggest flaw. The speakers are at the front, bottom portion of the laptop, so most of the noise is directed downwards, instead of upwards. This is frustrating sometimes, with certain low-volume videos. I was particularly annoyed at Toshiba for missing something that could have been an easy fix. If the speakers were placed above the keyboard and retained the quality they have now, I would have definitely have given this laptop five stars.
BLURAY:
A great feature. I used it once with no issues. The quality was great and the player streamed the video flawlessly. The drive, however, does become rather noisy and warm, but not loud enough to really disrupt the movie.
Some reviewers say the laptop is fragile, but I have dropped this laptop from about 3 feet onto a hard floor, which only caused a minor dent on lower right hand side and a minor dent on the screen. This happened several months ago and the computer is still working fine. I was surprised that the laptop took so little damage!
Overall, I would recommend this laptop. It works great for students who want more than just an academic laptop. You can do your homework but at the same time watch high quality videos. This laptop can handle all of it.
UPDATE JULY 2013:
Well, it has been almost two years since I purchased this laptop. For the first time, I am seeing some "wear and tear". The touchpad can be scratched off to reveal its undercoat. Not a big deal, really, because the damage is minimal.
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It works well and is reasonably priced, buut the screen broke twice in 10 month and isn't covered by warranty.
Honest reviews on Toshiba Satellite E305-S1995 14" Laptop (Intel Core i5-2410M
Lots of nice extras, good battery life. This computer has a Blu-ray player, back-lit keyboard, a Hybrid Drive (part ssd part standard 7200 rpm HDD), great sounding Dolby speakers, WiMax, push2TV, and the Toshiba Eco Utility is really nice. With the click of a button I can go into a power efficient mode without having to sift through menus.
and oh yeah...
WINDOWS 7 FOR LIFE!!!!
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This is a very fragile laptop. The keyboard is marginally responsive. The touchpad is extremely buggy. Even when three feet away the WiDi loses the connection. Worst of all, it comes with a two year warranty, but when you call Toshiba they say your one year phone service has come to an end. I'm not sure how to use the remainder of the warranty. I will never purchase a Toshiba again.
