Anyone have a Toshiba Satellite T135D-S1325? Versus my old Laptop?

[GTaudiophile]

I currently have an ANCIENT HP ZT3000 with the following specs:

Intel(R) Pentium(R) M Processor 715 (1.5 GHz)
15.4" WXGA Widescreen (1280x800)
32MB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) 9200
RAM: 1GB?
HD: 120GB (5400 rpm)?
802.11 b/g, Bluetooth, etc.
Windows XP
Weight: 5 lbs. or so
Battery life: 2 hours?

(Don't laugh but this machine has served me VERY well.)

I want something smaller and lighter with better battery life that doesn't cost an arm and a leg but will still be an upgrade from this thing. (A netbook is not an upgrade IMO.)

I recently stumbled upon the Satellite T135D-S1325. I really like the size and form factor. It has a 13.3" screen which I feel is not too small; a nice compromise.

It also has the following specs:

AMD Turion™ Neo X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor L625
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
4GB DDR2 800MHz memory
13.3" widescreen / 1366x768 (HD), 16:9 aspect ratio, Supports 720p content
ATI® Radeon™ HD 3200 (256MB-1919MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory)
320GB HDD (5400rpm)
Webcam and microphone built into LCD bezel
Wi-Fi® Wireless networking (802.11b/g/n)
Battery Life: Up to 6 hours
Weight: Starting at 3.88lbs.
Price: $550.00


I guess my questions are as follows:

1) Does anyone have this laptop? Opinions? Is the 6-hour battery life claim accurate?
2) How does the AMD Turion™ Neo X2 compare to my ancient Pentium(R) M Processor 715? Could I expect improvement?
3) How does the ATI® Radeon™ HD 3200 compare to my ancient 32MB ATI Mobility Radeon(TM) 9200? Could I expect improvement?



The machine will be used for word processing, surfing (flash), and sometimes even PhotoShop/InDesign work (never fun on a small screen but whatever).

 

[TimeKeeper]

My wife had a Toshiba T135D-S1325 for about 3 weeks, before she exchanged for S1310 model. For starter, the AMD model wouldn't last more than 4.5 hours, with lowest backlight and wifi on. Both L625 and HD3200 are also "bit" slower than SU4100 and 4500MHD.

I don't know how it compares to P715, but Penryn SU4100 perform little faster than old Core2Duo T5500, yet run much cooler.

Assuming Passmark's collective data is correct, then, HD3200 and 4500MHD is only slightly faster than your 9200. ( other than HDMI support )

Personally, I own DM3-1040US and quite happy with the performance and build quality, except it is kinda heavy~. ( now I am selling it for Vostro V13)

There is also one major complain my wife have for the Toshiba. Its casing is EXTREMELY finger-print magnet - though quite beautiful. As soon as you lay your finger on it, there goes the print. ( I have put 3M Scotchguard Auto Protective Film, that help out a lot )

I also have an older Acer AS3810T-4880, (SU2700) it has lower performance spec, but I like its finger-print resistent casing and much lighter weight w/ 8 hours battery hours.

*Both acer and Hp has quick touchpad on/off button, you will be surprise how convenience it can be when doing word processing.

Most people will recommend Asus UL30a, but since I never tried it, I can't comment on it.

My Vostro V13 will be here on Monday, I will try both Intel X25 and OCZ vertex on it. ( hoping to increase its battery life ) After couple days of battery test, then perhaps, I can provide better suggestion on 13"-category laptop.