Toshiba Satellite Pro 410CDT - Revision history

Andrei.boiu at 07:39, 11 February 2022

2022-02-11T07:39:26Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:39, 11 February 2022
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	The FDD drive was a very poor choice, since the belt driven disk rotation fails after many years, compatible belts being harder to find unreliable. The removable disk bay is very good for a laptop of its generation and the rechargeable battery can be easily removed or replaced. There were many Toshiba laptops that used the same battery and working with a removed battery does not affect stability or aesthetics. There are two more internal rechargeable NimH batteries inside the laptop that may leak and are somewhat harder to replace (not the typical, compact CR2032 3V button cell). They are used for Bios settings and memory suspension features.		The FDD drive was a very poor choice, since the belt driven disk rotation fails after many years, compatible belts being harder to find unreliable. The removable disk bay is very good for a laptop of its generation and the rechargeable battery can be easily removed or replaced. There were many Toshiba laptops that used the same battery and working with a removed battery does not affect stability or aesthetics. There are two more internal rechargeable NimH batteries inside the laptop that may leak and are somewhat harder to replace (not the typical, compact CR2032 3V button cell). They are used for Bios settings and memory suspension features.

			<youtube width="500" height="281">FQmGHbBa-Ew</youtube>

	The integrated speaker is quite good, even if it is mono. The front placement and size make it sound reasonable well, much better than speakers placed below the top side of the chassis but far from late Pentium era Toshiba laptops. Actually, the sound output is one strong point of Toshiba Satellite laptop throughout many generations. The microphone quality and positioning is mediocre, with chassis noise (hard-drive) being picked up easily as in most laptops of this era.		The integrated speaker is quite good, even if it is mono. The front placement and size make it sound reasonable well, much better than speakers placed below the top side of the chassis but far from late Pentium era Toshiba laptops. Actually, the sound output is one strong point of Toshiba Satellite laptop throughout many generations. The microphone quality and positioning is mediocre, with chassis noise (hard-drive) being picked up easily as in most laptops of this era.

Andrei.boiu: /* Durability and Repair-ability */

2022-02-09T08:41:01Z

Durability and Repair-ability

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:41, 9 February 2022
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	== Durability and Repair-ability ==		== Durability and Repair-ability ==
	The durability of this laptop is average. The chassis ~~plastic~~ can crack ~~sometimes~~, although the laptop is well built and also has reasonably durable internal circuitry. Typical shortcomings are on the Acupoint system cap that degrades and disintegrates with age, as well as the trackpoint buttons rubberized coating. Fortunately, the rubberized coating can be completely removed by scrubbing with iso-propyl alcohol leaving the buttons quite comfortable eve in this state.		The durability of this laptop is above average. The plastic chassis can crack when used in sunlight areas , although the laptop is well built and also has reasonably durable internal circuitry. Typical shortcomings are on the Acupoint system cap that degrades and disintegrates with age, as well as the trackpoint buttons rubberized coating. Fortunately, the rubberized coating can be completely removed by scrubbing with iso-propyl alcohol leaving the buttons quite comfortable eve in this state.

	The laptop's screen is easy to service, meaning that LCD backlight lamp removal and replacement ~~is quite easy~~. This is possible due to the generous and forgiving lamp mounting space which means that repairs are quite easy to carry out with moderate patience and care. This is actually one of the easiest repairs of this type that can be done for beginner users, keeping in mind the usual care of dismounting and unclipping. Thus, replacing an old or damaged LCD fluorescent lamp is quite simple as it requires only disassembly of the display's case and removal of some screws and a top plate.		The laptop's screen is easy to service, meaning that LCD backlight lamp removal and replacement can be done. This is possible due to the generous and forgiving lamp mounting space which means that repairs are quite easy to carry out with moderate patience and care. This is actually one of the easiest repairs of this type that can be done for beginner users, keeping in mind the usual care of dismounting and unclipping. Thus, replacing an old or damaged LCD fluorescent lamp is quite simple as it requires only disassembly of the display's case and removal of some screws and a top plate.

	Overall, despite the poor reliability of Toshiba harddrives, the configuration itself seems very well designed, meaning that laptops have quite a long life and the system itself survives quite well ~~due to low~~ internal heat ~~dissipation in a roomy~~ case.		Overall, despite the poor reliability of Toshiba harddrives, the configuration itself seems very well designed, meaning that laptops have quite a long life and the system itself survives quite well despite internal heat buildup that may happen inside the case.

	== Greatest features & flaws ==		== Greatest features & flaws ==

Andrei.boiu: /* Features */

2022-02-09T08:35:49Z

Features

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:35, 9 February 2022
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	*Intel Mobile Pentium 90Mhz CPU (soldered to the mainboard, not replaceable)		*Intel Mobile Pentium 90Mhz CPU (soldered to the mainboard, not replaceable)
	*11.3-inch TFT color LCD (800x600 resolution, 100:1 contrast ratio)		*11.3-inch TFT color LCD (800x600 resolution, 100:1 contrast ratio)
	*Chips&Tech CT65548 video controller (1MB VRAM, ~~16bit colour capable on external SVGA screen~~)		*Chips&Tech CT65548 video controller (1MB VRAM, VESA Local Bus or VLB)
	*ESS 688 Audio Card, SoundBlaster 2.0/Adlib capable emulation		*ESS 688 Audio Card, SoundBlaster 2.0/Adlib capable emulation

Andrei.boiu: /* Greatest features & flaws */

2022-02-09T08:33:57Z

Greatest features & flaws

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:33, 9 February 2022
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	! Features !! Flaws		! Features !! Flaws
	\|-		\|-
	\| Great Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS gaming, good Windows 95 support \|\| ~~Poor~~ CPU cooling system, hot running		\| Great Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS gaming, good Windows 95 support \|\| Mediocre CPU cooling system, sometimes hot running
	\|-		\|-
	\| Great SoundBlaster compatible support \|\| Mono speaker, proprietary RAM modules		\| Great SoundBlaster compatible support \|\| Mono speaker, proprietary RAM modules
	\|-		\|-
	\| Good keyboard and trackpoint, ergonomic case design \|\| Soldered CPU~~, somewhat fragile case plastics~~		\| Good keyboard and trackpoint, ergonomic case design \|\| Soldered CPU
	\|-		\|-
	\| Removable bay for floppy and CD-ROM drive, integrated power supply \|\| Poor reliability harddrive and floppy drive		\| Removable bay for floppy and CD-ROM drive, integrated power supply \|\| Poor reliability harddrive and floppy drive

Andrei.boiu: /* Other */

2022-02-08T08:22:07Z

Other

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:22, 8 February 2022
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	*VGA Output		*VGA Output
	*Proprietary Docking port and docking station		*Proprietary Docking port and docking station
	*NimH ~~rechargable~~ battery		*NimH rechargeable battery
	*Single PS/2, Serial, Parallel ports		*Single PS/2, Serial, Parallel ports
	*Built-in 110-240V power supply		*Built-in 110-240V power supply

Andrei.boiu: /* Features */

2022-02-08T08:21:42Z

Features

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:21, 8 February 2022
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	*8 MB EDO RAM (standard) up to 40 MB Max (32MB on Toshiba proprietary format RAM module)		*8 MB EDO RAM (standard) up to 40 MB Max (32MB on Toshiba proprietary format RAM module)
	*810 MB Toshiba HDD		*810 MB Toshiba HDD
	*~~3.5 inch FDD~~ (~~unreliable~~, ~~belt driven platter rotation system) placed~~ in a removable bay		*CD-ROM Drive (standard, can replace the FDD in the removable bay)
	or		or
	*~~CD-ROM Drive~~ (optional, ~~can replace the FDD~~ in ~~the~~ removable bay)		*3.5 inch FDD (optional, unreliable, belt driven platter rotation system) placed in a removable bay

	=== Other ===		=== Other ===

Andrei.boiu: Created page with "NOTOC {| width="100%" |style="vertical-align:top" |
Toshiba Satellite 410CDT Overview == Features == Intel Mobile Pentium 90Mhz CPU (soldered to the mainboard, not replaceable) 11.3-inch TFT color LCD (800x600 resolution, 100:1 contrast ratio) *Chips&Tech CT65548 video controller (1MB VRAM, 16bit colour capable on external SVGA sc..."

2022-02-08T07:00:39Z

Created page with "__NOTOC__ {| width="100%" |style="vertical-align:top" | <div style="margin: 0; margin-right:10px; border: 1px solid #dfdfdf; padding: 0em 1em 1em 1em; background-color:#F8F8FF; align:right;"> Toshiba Satellite 410CDT Overview == Features == *Intel Mobile Pentium 90Mhz CPU (soldered to the mainboard, not replaceable) *11.3-inch TFT color LCD (800x600 resolution, 100:1 contrast ratio) *Chips&Tech CT65548 video controller (1MB VRAM, 16bit colour capable on external SVGA sc..."

New page

__NOTOC__
{| width="100%"
|style="vertical-align:top" |
<div style="margin: 0; margin-right:10px; border: 1px solid #dfdfdf; padding: 0em 1em 1em 1em; background-color:#F8F8FF; align:right;">
Toshiba Satellite 410CDT Overview

== Features ==
*Intel Mobile Pentium 90Mhz CPU (soldered to the mainboard, not replaceable)
*11.3-inch TFT color LCD (800x600 resolution, 100:1 contrast ratio)
*Chips&Tech CT65548 video controller (1MB VRAM, 16bit colour capable on external SVGA screen)
*ESS 688 Audio Card, SoundBlaster 2.0/Adlib capable emulation

*8 MB EDO RAM (standard) up to 40 MB Max (32MB on Toshiba proprietary format RAM module)
*810 MB Toshiba HDD
*3.5 inch FDD (unreliable, belt driven platter rotation system) placed in a removable bay
or
*CD-ROM Drive (optional, can replace the FDD in the removable bay)

=== Other ===
*Mono speaker with analogue volume knob
*Integrated microphone
*Audio input and headphone output on jack
*2xPCMCIA Slots
*VGA Output
*Proprietary Docking port and docking station
*NimH rechargable battery
*Single PS/2, Serial, Parallel ports
*Built-in 110-240V power supply

*Windows 3.1 and Windows 95 support, MS-DOS Sound Blaster Pro emulation
</div>
|style="vertical-align:top" |
[[Image:Toshiba_Satellite_110CS.jpg|Toshiba Satellite 110CS 11.3"]]
|}

== Best retro purpose ==
Early Windows 95 era gaming released before 1997 or as office computer. While the video chipset is reasonably fast, the highlight of this laptop is the ESS 688 audio chip, a model with a very good SoundBlaster emulation capability along with good MIDI capability. All these features are available out of the box, with no configuration. The video chipset is well compatible with MS-DOS and Windows 95 games, offering well rounded performance. The only slight drawback is due to the CPU speed, making the laptop suited for most classic DOS games, including Quake, avoiding any resolution that is higher than 400x300 resolutions if 3D acceleration is required. 2D games run perfect in 640x480 resolutions.

== Benchmarks ==

== Durability and Repair-ability ==
The durability of this laptop is average. The chassis plastic can crack sometimes, although the laptop is well built and also has reasonably durable internal circuitry. Typical shortcomings are on the Acupoint system cap that degrades and disintegrates with age, as well as the trackpoint buttons rubberized coating. Fortunately, the rubberized coating can be completely removed by scrubbing with iso-propyl alcohol leaving the buttons quite comfortable eve in this state.

The laptop's screen is easy to service, meaning that LCD backlight lamp removal and replacement is quite easy. This is possible due to the generous and forgiving lamp mounting space which means that repairs are quite easy to carry out with moderate patience and care. This is actually one of the easiest repairs of this type that can be done for beginner users, keeping in mind the usual care of dismounting and unclipping. Thus, replacing an old or damaged LCD fluorescent lamp is quite simple as it requires only disassembly of the display's case and removal of some screws and a top plate.

Overall, despite the poor reliability of Toshiba harddrives, the configuration itself seems very well designed, meaning that laptops have quite a long life and the system itself survives quite well due to low internal heat dissipation in a roomy case.

== Greatest features & flaws ==
{| border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=2
|- style="background:#efefef;"
! Features !! Flaws
|-
| Great Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS gaming, good Windows 95 support || Poor CPU cooling system, hot running
|-
| Great SoundBlaster compatible support || Mono speaker, proprietary RAM modules
|-
| Good keyboard and trackpoint, ergonomic case design || Soldered CPU, somewhat fragile case plastics
|-
| Removable bay for floppy and CD-ROM drive, integrated power supply || Poor reliability harddrive and floppy drive
|}

== Review ==
A mid-range laptop, features wise, with a good LCD screen. The display has only two brightness levels, being somewhat inadequate in use. Response time is allright, making the laptop suited for office use as well as vintage games.

The laptop feels quite fast due to the specified CPU, with a reasonably fast video controller. The CPU does get warm and the cooling system is not that great, with a small and noisy single-speed fan, but the laptop handles constant heat quite well with no fan spin. The keyboard has reasonable tactile feedback but it is far from being the best, with quite a long key travel and a mushy feel. The Acupoint cursor system (mouse compatible) is reasonably accurate but the cap disintegrates and the click buttons rubbery face fails similarly, in time, becoming sticky. The laptop's plastic case is quite durable but not the best.

The FDD drive was a very poor choice, since the belt driven disk rotation fails after many years, compatible belts being harder to find unreliable. The removable disk bay is very good for a laptop of its generation and the rechargeable battery can be easily removed or replaced. There were many Toshiba laptops that used the same battery and working with a removed battery does not affect stability or aesthetics. There are two more internal rechargeable NimH batteries inside the laptop that may leak and are somewhat harder to replace (not the typical, compact CR2032 3V button cell). They are used for Bios settings and memory suspension features.

The integrated speaker is quite good, even if it is mono. The front placement and size make it sound reasonable well, much better than speakers placed below the top side of the chassis but far from late Pentium era Toshiba laptops. Actually, the sound output is one strong point of Toshiba Satellite laptop throughout many generations. The microphone quality and positioning is mediocre, with chassis noise (hard-drive) being picked up easily as in most laptops of this era.

The standard HDDs supplied by Toshiba have a known tendency to have their heads stick to the parking position limiter when old, making the drive fail to start. Careful internal dissassembly is required to unstick the heads from the parking position. Use care and touch only the drive arm near the center pin to slowly unstick it. Overall, the hard-drive offers medium performance while having quite a pleasant sound in operation.

Software support is great in DOS and Windows 3.1, making the system feel snappy. DOS sound capability is great, with good Adlib compatibility and Sound Blaster Pro emulation. It does not require any TSR or configuration to enable DOS support. In Windows 95 you start to feel the sluggishness of the system as the video controller has insufficient acceleration and low screen scrolling performance. Basically Toshiba used roughly the same platform on 486 and Pentium laptops which kept RAM and Video performance from being as high as it could. Although the video controller is faster than some Trident models, it is far from late Pentium 1 era Neomagic 128 chipsets.

{{footnotes|
# Only the screen is different between 110CS and CT models, all specifications and the potential performance is the same. The CS version was marketed as a low cost option of the CT model due to the cheaper screen. On the other side, the next model in the line, the 110CS is completely different in terms of chassis and only some parts are interchangeable.
}}

[[Category:Toshiba laptops]]