The Toshiba Satellite P205 series was launched in 2007. There are a few varieties of them around, but they all are fairly similar:
Types
P205 (Intel)
- Low-end: Intel 943GML chipset, Socket M (e.g. P205-S6237)
- High-end, older: Intel 945GM chipset, Socket M (most other P205-S6xxx)
- High-end, newer: Intel GM965 chipset, Socket P (most, if not all P205-S7xxx/S8xxx)
P205D (AMD)
- Mid-grade: AMD M690V, Socket S1g1 (all P205D-Sxxxx)
Common Problems
I don’t know of any as of yet, they seem like pretty solid systems.
Solutions
N/A. Now that’s a good sign!
Upgrades
Low-end Intel systems
These systems using the crippled 943GML chipset seem to be limited at a maximum to the slow Core 2 Duo T5200 (533MHz FSB) and 2GB of PC2-4200. A crying shame indeed! I have limited experience with this type of P205, so I do not know for certain if this is the limit, or if the limit is even worse (or better) than this.
Older, high-end Intel systems
These systems are without question far better off than the low-end ones, for they feature the full-fledged 945GM chipset, which allows them to run up to a Core 2 Duo T7600 (or the T7600G if you’re even crazier) processor.
However, unfortunately, due to an odd hardware bug, they can only take up to 3GB of RAM maximum. Although 2x2GB (4GB) functions and the system will boot, on my P205-S6267, I was only able to see 3GB in the BIOS, a very strange issue indeed. Even then, the 945 can only do 32-bit memory addressing, so even if it weren’t for the bug, you’d only get about half a gig more RAM at most.
Newer, high-end Intel systems
These are, by far, the best-off systems of the bunch. They can take up to a Core 2 Duo T9500 (a Penryn 45nm processor) and no less than 4GB of RAM maximum. Unless they have an unforeseen BIOS bug, they should take 8GB with no issue. I know the 965 chipset can do it, since I saw a Latitude D630 do it.
Mid-grade AMD systems
I haven’t yet laid my hands on one of these, but I know enough about them that I can say they’re very likely to work with anything up to an AMD Turion 64 X2 TL-66 processor, and at least 4GB of RAM maximum, if not 8GB of RAM maximum.
