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Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology - Black Onyx

Model number: A505-S6960 | SKU: 9371547

This laptop features a webcam and microphone built into the LCD bezel, so you can enjoy face-to-face conversations with family and friends. The Intel® Centrino® processor technology provides advanced connected mobility — go farther, stay longer, experience more.Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit with SP1 preloaded Which Windows Vista edition is right for you? Compare. Free Windows 7 upgrade.Learn more.Learn more about Intel® processors. Information provided by Intel.

Average Customer Rating:

4.6 out of 5 (85 Reviews)

79 of 85 (93%) customers would recommend this product to a friend.

Customer Reviews for Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology - Black Onyx

Review 1 for Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology - Black Onyx

Customer Rating

5.0 5

This is a great computer at a great price! 10/10/2009
By Anonymous from Cleveland, OH

Value for Price

5.0 5

Display

5.0 5

Performance

5.0 5

Convenience

5.0 5

What's great about it: Appearance, great battery life, 4GB RAM, 320GB HD, the HDMI-out port, 3 USB 2.0 and 1 USB 2.0/eSATA combo port.
What's not so great: Nothing of consequence in my opinion - see my thoughts below for more.

"Hello everyone,

I hope this review will be helpful to all who read it.

This is a very impressive computer at a great price from a company that has a reputation for making quality laptops. I have a Toshiba A75-S213 laptop that I got exactly 4 years to the day that I got this one, and that one's still going strong.

Regarding the A505-S6960, this laptop is very fast, has a good-sized hard drive, and gets great battery life. The first time I ran through the battery, it lasted approximate 7 hours, and that was on Normal mode (Balanced power plan), NOT Eco-Mode. Granted, I didn't have that many applications running, but I was surfing the Web and was checking out different utilities on the laptop. It's very likely you could get 8-9 hours on Eco mode if you are doing light online work (surfing, etc.) like I was doing. This computer also gets great ventilation - the laptop's fan barely came on on low for about 15-20 seconds, then turned off again. It also looks great too - a very impressive, sleek-looking laptop.

Regarding what's not so great about it, I think there are very few negatives, and all of them VERY minor in my opinion. I know some have mentioned about the fingerprints - my room is not that well-illuminated, though certainly not dark either, but I have to really look to see fingerprints on the laptop - they're not THAT noticeable, so only if you really look for them and really are bothered by them will you likely even spot them. And, as others have mentioned, you can take a Microfiber cloth (can get like 4 of them for around $10 or so) and wipe them off if they really bother you.

Regarding the battery, yes, it creates a bit of a bulge to the laptop, but as some have mentioned, this is actually good in a way because it provides more airflow under the laptop, which is critical to keeping your computer functioning well. I personally do not have a problem with it, though I do not do much travelling. For someone who travels frequently, it could pose as a noticeable negative, but I think a manageable one, as you can still use it in your lap with some practice or purchase a 6-cell battery that will not make the laptop bulge and save the 12-cell battery for extra power away from an outlet.

Regarding the flat keys, they're a bit different from my previous Toshiba, but I think over time, I will get used to them - it takes time to get acquainted and used to a new laptop, so I feel most people will adapt over time if they work with it.

As for the Vista operating system, it's a little different from Win XP, but personally, I don't think it's AS bad as some have suggested - again, I think it just takes some getting used to. Still, I'll apply for and get Windows 7, but in the meantime, I'll utilize the Vista operating system. I've only had the computer for about 4-5 days, but so far, Vista has not been a problem for me. I know others do not agree - it's really a personal preference, but I think you can adapt to Vista over time, and as mentioned, you can get Windows 7, so you wouldn't have to adapt to Vista for long or at all if you choose not to.

Again, I hope this review proves helpful to those who are considering this laptop - I think it's a great buy and that you should seriously consider it before you can no longer purchase it.

Take care and have a great day!"

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 2 for Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology - Black Onyx

Customer Rating

4.0 5

Great computer for the price!! 10/08/2009
By timbo23 from Kalamazoo, MI

Value for Price

5.0 5

Display

4.0 5

Performance

5.0 5

Convenience

4.0 5

What's great about it: Fast and efficient. A great screen display. Eco mode that allows you to save battery life!!!
What's not so great: Outside material is a fingerprint magnet. Downside to great battery life is a large battery that pops out of the bottom

"So far, I have had this computer a little over two months. The battery is as good as advertised. The 4gb of RAM allows you to multi-task with numerous applications. And the Intel Core 2 Duo processor is a great upgrade from the AMD's equivalent.

The outside casing is a fingerprint magnet. It looks great brand new out of the box, but after a few uses it becomes cluttered with numerous prints. If this doesn't bother you then it is no big deal. Another downside is the humongous battery. I guess you have to sacrifice something for the 7 hour battery life, and this is it. Most of the time I take out the battery and just run the computer on the provided AC adapter. This also saves the long term life of the battery as well.

Overall, for $650 you can't go wrong. I have had many Toshiba computers and have dealt with their customer service. They're great!!!! They are the main reason that I stay with the Toshiba brand. I absolutely recommend this laptop for mainstreamers."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 3 for Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology - Black Onyx

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Great Laptop, especially for the price. 10/08/2009
By Anonymous from Dayton, OH

Value for Price

5.0 5

Display

5.0 5

Performance

5.0 5

Convenience

5.0 5

What's great about it: Easy set up, great display, great price.
What's not so great: Some may not like the fingerprints, but I could care less.

"If you're in the market for a reliable, fast laptop upgrade, this would definitely be the one. I researched laptops for 6 months before buying this one, which went on sale in October just because many people are waiting for Windows 7 to come out. It comes with a free upgrade so I can do it myself. Toshiba is sending it out on the 22nd when it comes out. Unless you're a hard core cpu gamer, I see no reason why you would not want to get this laptop. Very satisfied and have already set up my new, wireless printer with it as well.

The battery life is unreal and my wife can even charge her bluetooth on this while it's in sleep mode."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 4 for Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology - Black Onyx

Customer Rating

4.0 5

Pretty decent 10/07/2009
By NFB from SC

Value for Price

4.0 5

Display

5.0 5

Performance

4.0 5

Convenience

5.0 5

What's great about it: The full keyboard, the sound and the great picture
What's not so great: My battery life doesn't meet the expectations as quoted. Windows Vista---but that's not Toshiba's problem.

"I had bought a cheaper Toshiba which was HORRIBLE and I replaced it a week after buying it! Because I found out first hand how great the customer support was, I decided to replace it---with Toshiba. This laptop has been MUCH better. As stated, I 'm not getting the battery life expected and since I got a Geek Squad contract, I'll probably get them to replace it. I have been pretty happy with this laptop. It's Windows Vistas that is driving me crazy! This computer however is available for the upgrade to Win 7."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Review 5 for Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology - Black Onyx

Customer Rating

5.0 5

AWSOME LAPTOP!!!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!!! 10/05/2009
By DNash from New York

Value for Price

5.0 5

Display

5.0 5

Performance

5.0 5

Convenience

5.0 5

What's great about it: EVERYTHING!!!!!
What's not so great: FInger print magnet...but not a big deal....other than that nothing yet

"VERY NICE!!! def would recommend it to everyone!!! i love this laptop!"

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 6 for Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology - Black Onyx

Customer Rating

4.0 5

Awesome Notebook PC 10/04/2009
By edowave from Princeton, NJ

Value for Price

5.0 5

Display

5.0 5

Performance

4.0 5

Convenience

3.0 5

What's great about it: Great Battery Life. Faster than others in same class. Basically a small desktop.
What's not so great: Keyboard a little wimpy. No graphics processor.

"My last Toshiba laptop was 7 years old and still going strong, but wanted something with more RAM and DVD burner. After doing a little research, decided on this one. So far, it has been living up to what all the reviews have said about it. For under $700, you can't really do wrong. I also like how the RAM is upgradeable to 8 gigs.

My only wish is that it had an ATI or NVIDIA graphics processor, for hi-res 3-D, but that would have been about a $1000 laptop. I'm not thrilled with the feel of the keyboard either.

This thing has a 12-cell battery!! With "eco mode" (a feature on the laptop) this thing lasts me about 9 hours. However, this battery will be expen$ive to replace when it wears out, so I highly recommend getting the 2 year standard Geek Squad or better plan with it. It will cover for a new one."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 7 for Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology - Black Onyx

Customer Rating

4.0 5

very good cumputer laptop 10/03/2009
By David7 from lake arrowhead

Value for Price

5.0 5

Display

5.0 5

Performance

4.0 5

Convenience

4.0 5

What's great about it: very fast games lots of space
What's not so great: speakers suck harman karsuck speakers

"the computer is great just cant get over how suckie the speakers are and they are harman kardon speakers"

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 8 for Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology - Black Onyx

Customer Rating

5.0 5

I love this computer 10/02/2009
By Bug from MIssissippi

Value for Price

5.0 5

Display

5.0 5

Performance

5.0 5

Convenience

5.0 5

What's great about it: IT HAS IT ALL....
What's not so great: no complants

"This is my 2nd Toshiba and my 3rd laptop ,Toshiba has the best laptops of all the name brands, It has a 8 hour battary life ,it is fast and has alot of cool features ..it looks great ,and it is just easy to work with everything works fast, you don't have to wate on anything."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 9 for Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology - Black Onyx

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Great Laptop!! 09/30/2009
By Richm from Firestone, CO

Value for Price

5.0 5

Display

4.0 5

Performance

5.0 5

Convenience

5.0 5

What's great about it: Speakers and battery very good
What's not so great: Glare on screen, no keylight and finger prints

"Overall an excellent laptop for the money. I got it on sale for 600 and Love the speakers the speed and the battery. Would definity recommend this to others."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 10 for Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology - Black Onyx

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Very nice Laptop!! 09/29/2009
By Hardworkingman from louisville,Ky

Value for Price

5.0 5

Display

5.0 5

Performance

5.0 5

Convenience

5.0 5

What's great about it: Very fast, nice hard drive and long lasting battery and great 16in wide screen display!
What's not so great: Nothing...for the money this laptop is a great buy with the Intel Centrino processor!

"This is my 1st laptop and for the money it's hard to beat..period! The last person that gave this toshiba a bad review about freezing up and bad battery life and 20min to get online is wrong. When i got mine out of the box and turn it on..it was fast loading and showed that i had 4hrs on the battery before recharging it. After recharging ..it lasted 61/2 hrs ...I looked at sony,dell,hp,and none of them could come close to this toshiba with the Intel
Centrino processor and by the way is very fast....320 Hard Drive.. 4 GB memory..16 widescreen display is great watching DVD's..
Very pleased with my Toshiba..nice laptop...period!!!"

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Review 11 for Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology - Black Onyx

Customer Rating

1.0 5

Don't Buy Toshiba Laptop!!! NON-STOP problems!!! 09/27/2009
By Anonymous from New York City

Value for Price

2.0 5

Display

3.0 5

Performance

1.0 5

Convenience

1.0 5

"Trust me... if you are shopping around for a laptop, stay clear of this option. I purchased my first (and last) Toshiba a couple years ago, along with a friend who purchased the exact same computer. We both have experienced the same NON-STOP issues, including: 1) a 1-HOUR (!!!) battery!!! This alone makes this machine completely useless as a wireless laptop. You can't take your laptop and go work in a remote location if you only have 1 HOUR of availability!! I also tried using it on a plane, and the battery runs out before the plane even gets into the air! Shockingly bad decision by their product management team. 2) non-stop issues logging on: oftentimes it takes 10-15 minutes... after inexplicably "freezing." This has been happening 3-4 times per week for the past 2 years. 3) a myriad of other issues, too many to describe (plus it's about time for my computer to FREEZE so I gotta get moving!) AWFUL AWFUL AWFUL... do not waste your time with this. The 1-hour battery alone makes this a horrible buy... but the other non-stop issues make it test your sanity. RUN! Run from Toshiba laptops or you'll experience what I have had to endure!"

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: No

0 of 3 people found this review helpful.

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Review 12 for Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology - Black Onyx

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Bast Laptop Ever!!! 09/26/2009
By VistaAndToshiba from Paterson, NJ

Value for Price

5.0 5

Display

5.0 5

Performance

5.0 5

Convenience

5.0 5

What's great about it: Good price, Long Battery life including the eco program (Battery lasts over 8 1/2)!!!!
What's not so great: So far, It has never been slow!!

"I bought this laptop in the ending of August 2009'!! So I decided to come back and commenyIt is the best laptop ever!! The Battery lasts long (Dies over 8 1/2 hours) including the eco program!! Don't install Windows update because the laptop stay the same exact performance and battery life!! Keep Windows Vista, If you want Windows 7, let me know cause I can Dual Boot (Windows Vista and Windows 7 on any computer)!!!! Don't mess it up!! I would say the laptop will lasts till 4 years or longer!!"

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Review 13 for Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology - Black Onyx

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Best Laptop if you are in a budget. 09/24/2009
By Chisupo from Phoenix, AZ

Value for Price

5.0 5

Display

5.0 5

Performance

5.0 5

Convenience

5.0 5

What's great about it: Fast, lots of memory, great sound, great image, and lots more.
What's not so great: Fingerprint, scratch magnet.

"It is my first laptop and it sure met my expectations, you won't get anything better for the price, it's perfect for school and personal use. I do a lot of multitasking on it and it doesn't slow down a bit."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Review 14 for Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology - Black Onyx

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Not bad for the price 09/23/2009
By Jenn1981 from Boston, MA

Value for Price

5.0 5

Display

5.0 5

Performance

5.0 5

Convenience

4.0 5

What's great about it: Great price
What's not so great: Touch pad mouse is sensitive

"I purchased this laptop when my Acer died. For the price, it is not a bad laptop! I use it primarily for entertainment and it works fast enough to keep up with me. The touch pad mouse is a wee bit too sensitive but I disabled it and use a wireless mouse. I would highly recommend this laptop to others for personal use."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 15 for Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology - Black Onyx

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Awesome Laptop for the Money! 09/22/2009
By JOgle84 from Wooster, OH

Value for Price

5.0 5

Display

5.0 5

Performance

4.0 5

Convenience

5.0 5

What's great about it: Fast, Good Price, Reliable
What's not so great: Nothing so far

"Great Laptop for the money! Fast Processor, Sleek look, many extras!"

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 16 for Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology - Black Onyx

Customer Rating

5.0 5

I'm in love with my laptop! 09/21/2009
By nobleseed from Chicago, IL

Value for Price

5.0 5

Display

5.0 5

Performance

5.0 5

Convenience

5.0 5

What's great about it: A BESTBUY EXCLUSIVE!! GREAT PRICE...
What's not so great: Should've bought yesterday! but I own it today!!

"speeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeechless; is the word for sucha great item ; beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeestbuy for me thus far this year. Toshiba makes some of the best products for todays market dont miss this exclusive only at Bestbuy; for the [bestbuy] of my year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 17 for Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology - Black Onyx

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Great computer 09/19/2009
By SJ from Iowa

Value for Price

5.0 5

Display

4.0 5

Performance

5.0 5

Convenience

4.0 5

What's great about it: 10 key pad, battery life,
What's not so great: fingerprints

"This computer is great. We bought one for my husband about two months ago and we've had no problems. We recently decided to get a new computer for me as well and after reading many reviews decided this one was still right for the budget and what you get for the money.
The computer runs fast, is easy to work with. Toshiba is one of the best reviewed brands out there these days and we have had no complaints. The battery life is great. The battery is a bit bulky, thus making finding a good case a little difficult, but that's not a huge issue for either of us.
The touchpad mouse was a bit of an issue until we figured out that if you go to mouse settings under control panel, you can deselect the pinch feature which is what does that zooming thing others have referred to. Also under mouse settings you can change the sensitivity to stop the mouse from moving the cursor when you are typing. There is a setting to which you set to maximum and then it will only notice movement on the touchpad from a finger vs the palm of your hand.
Generally no problems. Fingerprints are kind of annoying, but that's also a pretty minor thing. We are average computer users, mostly for school related things or leisure. Would definitely recommend."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 18 for Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology - Black Onyx

Customer Rating

5.0 5

I Am Having Great Results With It 09/18/2009
By thamilton1954

Value for Price

5.0 5

Display

5.0 5

Performance

5.0 5

Convenience

5.0 5

What's great about it: Pretty much everything, but I like the speed, the great battery life, and it does not seem to ever get hot.
What's not so great: I miss the little scrolling button between the left and right mouse buttons, and the finish is prone to fingerprints,

"Overall, I love this shiny new computer. I do not like how easily it marks, but I can live with that. I also miss the little scrolling button between the right and left mouse buttons. The computer is very fast, and starts up in just seconds. Not too much junkware on it and that makes me happy. The battery life is marvelous! Unfortunately the battery can get in the way of finding a suitable case for it. It is HUGE! The other thing that I like is that, despite hours of use on my lap, it never seems to ever get hot. Speakers are the best I have had on a laptop yet.

For the price this is a great little computer, and I would most certainly recommend it to other potential users."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 19 for Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology - Black Onyx

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Very good laptop 09/12/2009
By Reneernc from Tuscaloosa, Al

Value for Price

5.0 5

Display

5.0 5

Performance

5.0 5

Convenience

5.0 5

What's great about it: Fast, quality construction, ease of use
What's not so great: so far I haven't found any problems

"My laptop died and I replaced it with an HP G60 and realized within a few hours what a horrible mistake that I made so rather than exchange online I drove an hour to the nearest best buy and exchanged it with this laptop. After just a few hours I know this was the right purchase! After being loyal to HP for years and numerous computers I do feel like a traitor, but this laptop loads pages very fast, nice feel to keyboard and touchpad, nice screen..so far so good, I am pleased."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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Review 20 for Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology - Black Onyx

Customer Rating

5.0 5

Great Labtop! 09/09/2009
By Rich267 from Las Vegas, NV

Value for Price

5.0 5

Display

5.0 5

Performance

5.0 5

Convenience

5.0 5

What's great about it: Great battery life, easy to setup.
What's not so great: None!

"For my first Labtop, I have to agree with the reviews that I have read about this labtop. It's a great labtop for the money. And the battery life seems to be better then others at the same price. I sure glad that I bought this Toshiba."

Would you recommend this product to a friend?: Yes

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