Original Price: $1,999.99 Toshiba Qosmio F45-AV423 Refurbished Notebook PC - Intel Core 2 Duo T5450 1.66GHz, 802.11a/g/n WLAN, 2GB DDR2, 250GB HDD, DL DVDRW, 15.4" WXGA, Fingerprint Reader, Webcam, Windows Vista Home Premium Now Just $729.97
Toshiba Qosmio F45-AV423 Refurbished Notebook PC
Starting at 6.6 pounds, the Toshiba Qosmio F45-AV423 is your luxe mobile digital entertainment notebook with a 15.4" diagonal widescreen for you high definition movies, high fidelity audio and high impact gaming. Now with a SuperMulti drive (HD DVD playback supported), you have a variety of media at your fingertips. Intel Centrino processor technology increases system responsiveness, makes multi-tasking faster, and extends battery life. Wireless 802.11ag and draft “n” Wi-Fi provides reliable connections that won’t slow you down. Stay connected with friends and family using the integrated webcam and microphone built into the LCD bezel. A biometric fingerprint reader option provides one-swipe security protecting your computer and the information on it.
Satisfy all your multimedia cravings wherever you roam with the Toshiba Qosmio F45-AV423 notebook PC, which features a widescreen 15.4-inch screen, crisp audio from the Harman Kardon speakers with subwoofer, and integrated media control buttons on either side of the keyboard. A 1.3 megapixel digital web camera built into the LCD’s bezel lets you quickly snap photos and participate in live video chats. It also incorporates an HD DVD drive that’s compatible with the new high-definition DVD disc format. Enjoy amazingly crisp and vibrantly colorful imagery from this new format. You’ll also be able to burn a wide range of disc formats with the integrated DVD/CD burner.
This notebook is powered by the 1.66 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T5450 processor, which provides an optimized, multithreaded architecture for improved gaming and multitasking performance. It also includes Intel’s 4965 AGN wireless LAN, which will connect to draft 802.11n routers and offers compatibility with 802.11a/b/g networks as well. Other features include a 250 GB hard drive, 2 GB of installed RAM (4 GB maximum), 1 GB of Intel Turbo Memory, Intel GMA X3100 video card with up to 256 MB of shared video RAM, 5-in-1 memory card reader, and a biometric fingerprint scanner for added security. Additionally, this Toshiba notebook is RoHS-compatible, effectively reducing the environmental impact by restricting the use of lead, mercury and certain other hazardous substances.
This PC also comes preinstalled with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, which includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center. In addition to easily playing your DVD movies and managing your digital audio library, you’ll be able to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV). Vista also integrates new search tools throughout the operating system, includes new parental control features, and offers new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures.
Toshiba Qosmio F45-AV423 Specifications
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Toshiba Qosmio F45-AV423 Review From Amazon.com
First of all Amazon sent me this laptop priority overnight (arrived the next morning, two hours after the e-mail notifying me it had been shipped) after I signed with a free trial of Prime. They also gave me a $100 discount toward the Qosmio purchase because I purchased two HD-DVD players from them back in late 2007 (when HD-DVD and Blu-ray were battling it out). What can I say? Amazon rocks! 
When my five-year old Medeon laptop died a few weeks ago I agonized whether to get a new laptop with HD-DVD or Blu-ray for under $1,000 as a replacement. I love high-def movies and own more HD-DVD’s than Blu-ray now, but plan to get more Blu movies in the future. The Toshiba Qosmio F45-AV423 is the ideal laptop for my high-def viewing needs right now. If you value CPU horsepower, hard drive space, speedy performance, 3D-intensive computer gaming or anything not involving HD-DVD viewing (or prefer Blu-ray) there are better deals/laptops elsewhere. For road warriors that want some HD-DVD love on the go this Qosmio delivers the goods.
When hooked to my HDTV with an HDMI cable the F45-AV423 recognized it as a 1920×1080 LCD and filled the screen properly (at 1080p/60Hz). I had to turn off the laptop display on the Qosmio to see HD-DVD movies on my HDTV (regular computing applications can have both screens on). Except for some sparkles (visible only when I was really close to my HDTV) my HD-DVD movies looked as good on my TV set as my XBox 360 HD-DVD add-on (component) or Toshiba HD-A20 player (HDMI). I changed the laptop’s sound output from 5.1 to 2.0 stereo and 2.1 surround, and that was reflected in the HDTV’s speakers. Don’t have a surround system but SPDIF is supported for surround systems without HDMI inputs). If you want to use a laptop as a primary or back-up HD-DVD player connected to an HDTV (surround system notwithstanding) the F45-AV423 passes muster.
Using the default Toshiba HD-DVD player software 18 of 20 HD-DVD’s I tried on this laptop (including notoriously unreliable Universal combos like "Children of Men" and "Hollywoodland") played without a hitch. Downloading the newest/latest WinVideo program (which also supports Blu-ray) might do the trick for the few HD-DVD movies (like "American Gangster") that won’t play. Even at 1280×800 on a 15.4" screen (which isn’t true widescreen and has black bars) HD-DVD movies were much sharper than regular DVD’s. My "Hot Fuzz" HD-DVD looked incredible (slight glare from a brightly lit room notwithstanding) and the sound was no slouch either. The Harman Kardon speakers and small subwoofer in this Qosmio are a step above the crap-for-sound audio from most laptops. The drive loads, plays and ejects discs (DVD or HD-DVD) silently, an improvement over the vacuum cleaner sound of my old laptop’s drive spinning furiously when playing a disc. Other regular computer applications (computer games, web surfing, webcam, etc.) worked fine while an HD-DVD disc played, neither blazingly fast or agonizingly slow. And from a stylish point of view the black & white colors, combined with the button interface (love the wheel volume control) give this Qosmio an attractive look.
Its not all roses though. A battery that lasted 75 minutes after turning off all unnecessary applications (and a full recharge) hinders the F45-AV423’s ability to function as a truly portable HD-DVD player. Even when not in use this laptop’s battery loses power when the unit’s unplugged. I knew when I bought this model that Qosmio laptops in general have poor battery life but this is ridiculous. Also having to settle for the 1280×800 rez of the F45-AV423 screen might not be easier for perfectionists used to the ultra-sharpness of 1080p. The amount of bloatware Toshiba shoves into the hard drive is a nuisance to get rid off. I don’t use bluetooth but its exclusion in this supposedly advanced multimedia Toshiba model is puzzling (especially since its included in lesser brands/models). The laptop/keyboard looks great but the ergonomics feel a little bit flimsy and made of cheap plastic, like an expensive toy that you don’t want to abuse for fear its going to break. The all-white keyboard and black exterior are just begging to get dirty and/or fingerprint ravaged. Depending on extensive usage you might also want to note that the F45-AV423 overheats a little around the portion that connects the screen to the keyboard (the plasticky construction material doesn’t help). Did I mention the battery charge lasts less than the length of an average Disney feature-length movie?
In conclusion, if you’re reading this you’re either bargain shopping or want an HD-DVD laptop because you’ve invested (or were burned, take your pick) in HD-DVD movies. Everything else the F45-AV423 can do besides HD-DVD a lot of other computer brands/models can do just as good or better for less money. What the F45-AV423 offers is the most affordable path to portable HD-DVD entertainment from the company that created the now-defunct format. You’re expecting reliability you’re not sure you’ll get from the few Acer or HP HD-DVD laptops still floating around. Whether HD-DVD is important enough for you to invest on this Qosmio model depends entirely on your portable computing needs and how many high-def movies you own (or plan to keep). Me? I love HD-DVD, plan to keep it (and buy cheap HD-DVD movies whenever I can find them) and want a laptop I can take with me to play some of that high-def goodness. For my particular needs (which might or might not mirror yours) the Qosmio F45-AV423 delivers the goods at an attractive price. Highly recommended, and will update is something happens (good or bad) over the next few weeks/months.
The Basics
- Processor: The Intel Core 2 Duo T5450 processor has a 1.66 GHz processor speed, super-fast 667 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and 2 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system’s performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)
With two computational execution cores in a single processor, it provides greater system response when running multi-threaded applications simultaneously with no significant increase in power consumption. It’s optimized for multitasking and is ready to support the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system. It can simultaneously run multiple demanding applications–such as graphics-intensive games or serious number-crunching business productivity applications–while downloading music or running virus-scanning security programs in the background. Some of the advanced Intel innovations of the Core 2 Duo processor include:
- Smart Memory Access: Improves system performance by hiding memory latency, thus optimizing the use of available computer data bandwidth to provide data to the processor when and where it is needed.
- Advanced Digital Media Boost: Effectively doubles the execution speed for instructions used widely in multimedia and graphics applications.
- Dynamic Power Coordination: Coordinates Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology and idle power-management state (C-states) transitions independently per core to help save power.
- Deeper Sleep with Dynamic Cache Sizing: Saves power by flushing cache data to system memory during periods of inactivity to lower CPU voltage.
- Hard Drive: The 250 GB Serial ATA hard drive is about double the average size for notebook PCs, however its 4200 RPM speed is a bit slower than current standard hard drives. It provides more than enough capacity for storing a large audio and video library, as well as extra space required for video editing. This SATA hard drive also quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data–akin to FireWire and USB 2.0.
- Memory: The 2 GB of installed RAM (2 x 1 GB DDR2, PC5300) is an excellent start, but you’ll want to add more RAM to handle today’s demanding multimedia and productivity suites. It provides two DIMM slots and has a large 4 GB maximum RAM capacity. It also offers a top-of-class 667 MHz speed.
- DVD/CD Drive: This Qosmio notebook offers the next generation of DVD entertainment with the HD DVD ROM optical drive, which provides the superior image and sound quality of high-definition images and multichannel surround sound as well as backward compatibility with standard DVD movie discs and content burned onto DVD-R/RW, DVD-RAM. It also incorporates a multi-format DVD/CD burner, which is compatible with dual-layer (DL) discs that can hold up to 8.5 GB of data. It features the following speeds: 2.4x DVD+R DL, 2x DVD-R DL, 4x for both single-layer DVD+R/-R, 4x DVD+RW, 4x DVD-RW, 3x DVD-RAM, and 24x/10x for CD-R/RW. It reads DVD-ROM discs at 8x and CD-ROMs at 24x.
- Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a standard 86-key keyboard and electro-static two-button touchpad. It also offers CD/DVD media player and control buttons (play, stop, next, previous) as well as a volume control dial.
Screen, Video & Audio
This notebook has a 15.4-inch TFT display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels (native 720p for high-definition viewing). It also provides TruBrite technology, which makes images brighter and more vivid thanks to its anti-glare feature. Video is powered by the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100, which uses shared video memory (up to 256 MB allocated from the system memory) and provides Windows Vista Aero interface support and enhanced 3-D graphics performance–delivering over 2x scores on 3-DMark 06. Intel Clear Video Technology provides outstanding video playback with sharper image quality, increased clarity, and customizable color controls. It also enables enhanced visual quality of interlaced content on progressive displays. You’ll enjoy booming sound from the built-in Harman Kardon speakers with integrated bass reflex subwoofer.
Networking, Connectivity & Expansion
Be ready for the next platform in wireless connectivity with this notebook’s integrated quad-mode Wi-Fi chip. Based on the draft 802.11n Wi-Fi specification, it offers up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range as existing 802.11g wireless. It’s also backward compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found in home routers and Wi-Fi hotspots) as well as 802.11a networks (which has a higher throughput, but more limited range–great for closed office environments). It also includes a next-generation ExpressCard 54/34 card slot (though no standard PCMCIA slot), which lets you take advantage of thinner, faster, and lighter expansion cards for even more advanced wireless, networking, storage, and security features. You get a good offering of connectivity options:
- 4 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals–from digital cameras to MP3 players
- 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
- 1 HDMI output (for connecting to a compatible HDTV or home theater receiver for uncompressed digital audio and video via a single cable)
- Analog video out: 1 S-Video and 1 VGA
- 1 ExpressCard 54/34
- 1 headphone jack (1 with S/PDIF digital audio compatibility) and 1 microphone jack
- 5-in-1 memory card reader (Secure Digital, MultiMedia, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, xD Picture Card)
It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.90) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems).
Operating System
Windows Vista Home Premium is the operating system for users with advanced computer needs, and it includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center for watching DVD movies and accessing your digital audio library. You can also use Windows Media Center to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV) and to access new kinds of online entertainment content. Computers that include Windows Vista Home Premium and an auxiliary Windows SideShow display will also allow you to access key data even when your computer is off. It is also easier than ever to share files between other PCs in your household and to manage your laptop computer settings to more securely connect via Wi-Fi.
Every edition of Windows Vista provides the essential tools and technologies to help protect you whether you are browsing the Internet, connecting to a wireless network, or just reading e-mail. All editions of Windows Vista include new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures long before you have lost any important personal data. And, all Windows Vista editions include parental control features that allow you to manage and monitor your family’s use of games, the Internet, instant messaging, and other activities.
Preloaded Software
Microsoft Works 8.5, InterVideo WinDVD 8, Google Desktop and Picasa, Ulead DVD MovieFactory 5, McAfee Internet Security Suite (30-day trial), and Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition (60-day trial).
Dimensions & Weight
This notebook measures 14.9 x 11 x 1.77 inches (WxDxH, and it weighs 6.6 pounds.
Power
It comes with a 4000 mAH lithium-ion battery pack for extra-long battery life.
What’s in the Box
This package contains the F45-AV423 notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. It is backed by a one-year limited hardware warranty.
Buy It Toshiba Qosmio F45-AV423 Refurbished Notebook PC - Intel Core 2 Duo T5450 1.66GHz, 802.11a/g/n WLAN, 2GB DDR2, 250GB HDD, DL DVDRW, 15.4" WXGA, Fingerprint Reader, Webcam, Windows Vista Home Premium Now Just $729.97
The Qosmio F45 is your mobile digital entertainment notebook. Aesthetically stylish, it boasts the stunning 15.4" diagonal widescreen TruBrite display. With a chassis in Cosmic Black with white keyboard and central placement of the Fingerprint Reader, the F45 navigates function with deluxe design. With the DVD SuperMulti drive with Labelflash technology, you can burn high-quality images directly onto Lableflash media. Two high-fidelity Harman Kardon speakers and one subwoofer maximize your audio experience in 5.1 surround sound using Dolby Home Theater digital audio. Intel Centrino Duo processor technology with the Intel chipset and Intel Turbo Memory boosts system performance, application responsiveness and power savings for enhanced gaming, music, pictures and video multimedia files. The hard drive provides reliable and solid performance. Browse the Internet with wireless 802.11ag and draft "n" Wi-Fi connectivity. Create and send messages with the built-in Webcam and microphone for photos and online chats.
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