Big Screen Feeling with Toshiba Qosmio X505

Aimed at both media enthusiasts and gamers, the Qosmio X505 is Toshiba’s largest and most powerful desktop replacement machine featuring a quad core processor and a mid-range nVidia GPU. Does the X505 live up to expectations? Read our review to find out.

Our Toshiba Qosmio X505 review unit has the following specifications:

• Intel Core i7 720QM (1.6GHz, 6MB L2 Cache)
• Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit
• 18.4-inch WUXGA glossy screen (1920x1080)
• 6GB DDR3 1066MHz RAM
• 64GB Toshiba SSD
• 500GB Hitachi HDD
• nVidia GTS 360M, 1GB VRAM
• Internal fixed Blu-Ray optical drive.
• Realtek 802.11n Wi-Fi, Atheros Gigabit Ethernet
• LED Backlit Keyboard
• 12-cell 8000mAh battery
• One-year warranty
• Dimensions: 17.4 x 11.6 x 1.63 inches
• Weight: 10.5 pounds, not including the 2 pound power adapter
• Price as configured: $1,899

Build and Design
Our first impression of the Toshiba Qosmio X505 is that it is big, heavy and is a champion when it comes to build quality. When it comes to design, the X505 has a very sophisticated look. The piano black finish with metallic red highlights could appeal to people who never would have considered a “flashy” notebook. The glossy surface is a fingerprint magnet though. Even the LEDs on the notebook match with the black and red theme.

Despite the X505's all-plastic design, build quality is superb. The base of the notebook uses high quality plastic that should brush off bumps and bruises easily. The palm rest and other areas of the notebook are satisfyingly firm and gives us the impression that the internal design and structure of the notebook was carefully planned. The LCD housing does a good job of protecting the screen as well. We were not able to produce distortions on the screen with poking or prodding on the back side of the LCD housing, and it also resisted twisting motions well.

A notebook this large has to have a solid screen hinge to support the weight of the LCD, and Toshiba delivers in that respect. The hinge is firm enough to keep the notebook closed and open when needed, but the screen wobbles a little when bumped and the hinge occasionally squeaks. It also takes some effort to open the notebook.

Screen and Speakers
The Toshiba Qosmio X505 comes with a glossy 18.4-inch CCFL backlit screen with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 (the 16:9 equivalent of WUXGA). Colors are bright and vibrant, text is crisp and sharp and videos are smooth and clear. With a maximum measured brightness of about 141 nits, it is a little dim compared to LED backlit screens and will be unsuitable for outdoor use, but indoors (like on the desk that this notebook will rarely leave) the screen is stunning.

The X505 has eight distinct levels of screen brightness that can be adjusted by using Fn+F6 and Fn+F7 key combinations. The brightest settings on the notebook won't wash out colors or strain the eyes, and the dimmer settings for the screen are great for darkroom entertainment. During normal use, we would usually have to leave the screen at one of the four highest brightness levels for comfortable use.

Notebook screens tend to have poor vertical viewing angles, and the X505 is no exception. Colors and text fade fast when viewing the notebook screen from above or below. Horizontal viewing angles are much better and are quite impressive. Even at the far left or right field, the screen is still easily readable and the visual quality of text, images and videos were consistent throughout.

When we typically see that a notebook with Harman/Kardon speakers, there are high hopes that we are going to have a great listening experience. The two very large front speakers live up to our expectations with excellent audio in the treble range, but the bass range is non-existent. Music fades when there is low volume in the treble range. For a notebook this large, the lack of perceptible bass is a big disappointment.

Keyboard and Touchpad
The X505 has a comfortable keyboard that easily outperforms many other notebooks. The LED backlit keyboard uses a fairly standard layout and design that has a great amount of feedback but is just a hair too springy. The spacing and feel of the keyboard is just about right and we think many people will like it.

At first, the glossy finish on the keyboard was a drawback; the keys seemed to grab our fingers a little bit. After a day or two, with a sufficient amount of oil building up on the keys, that problem was resolved. The only unresolved problem that is that we cannot find a way to turn the LED backlight off on the keyboard...

The large amount of palm rest real estate on an 18.4-inch notebook means that the X505 has a full size keyboard, a number pad and a few inches to spare. Toshiba uses that space by including eight capacitive touch special function buttons to control media playback, volume and power settings on the notebook. It's a nice feature but there are two big problems with these buttons: they are easy to accidentally trigger and they always beep at you when you hit them. Even the mute button beeps at you when you hit it.

Like the keyboard, the touchpad requires a little bit of oil to build up for optimal use. At first we found ourselves running off of the flush touchpad, but we adapted quickly. The tactile feedback provided by the touchpad was excellent and its responsiveness was equally satisfying after we updated the touchpad drivers. The touchpad also has an on/off button (and a giant red LED indicating if that the pad is on or off) that you can deactivate if needed. The two large touchpad buttons are red and hard to miss, but they are also difficult to work with since they require a lot of force to get them to register a click.

The Synaptics touchpad on the X505 also has a few other productivity features like circular scrolling, multi-touch zoom and multi-touch rotation motions, and even two-finger scrolling, which required us to space our fingers uncomfortably far apart for the touchpad to acknowledge the gesture. The rest of the features worked well.

Ports and Features

Let us be real – this is an 18.4-inch desktop replacement machine. Toshiba has the room to put any type of port on this computer that they want, and they did a good job of including the essentials. With three USB ports, one combo eSATA/USB port, audio ports, a Firewire 400 port, SD card slot, Ethernet port, VGA out and HDMI outputs, the notebook has almost everything a user needs. The X505 also has an ExpressCard/54 slot above the optical drive so you can expand upon the notebook as you see fit. There is even space for a DisplayPort connector on the notebook, but we are unsure why Toshiba chose to omit that feature. Our only complaint is that we wish there were more USB ports. The VGA port might baffle you a little, but Toshiba smartly figured that a lot of HDTVs have VGA ports dedicated for computer connections (and not all HDTVs have enough HDMI inputs). Let’s have a quick look around the notebook.

Left: Ethernet, combo eSATA/USB, another USB port, HDMI out, Firewire 400, Blu-Ray optical drive and ExpressCard/54.

Right: Audio in/out, 2x USB ports, a VGA out port, AC power and a security lock slot.

Front: Wireless on/off switch, SD card slot.

Back: Nothing.

Performance and Benchmarks
The Toshiba Qosmio X505 is among the largest notebooks we've seen, and it packs an equally large punch in the performance sector thanks to a powerful quad core mobile i7 processor, 6GB of DDR3 RAM, a strong nVidia GPU and a fast solid state hard drive.

A quick look at these performance numbers reveals that the Toshiba OEM SSD keeps up with the aftermarket competition fairly well. The critical figure, 4K reads and writes, is still 10-15 times faster than a traditional hard drive and as a result, the notebook feels much more responsive. Given our experiences with current aftermarket SSDs, it's difficult to differentiate the performance between the Toshiba OEM SSD and the competition.

wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):

PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):

3DMark06 comparison results against notebooks @ 1280 x 800 resolution (higher scores mean better performance):

The Toshiba Qosmio X505 also scored 9250 PCMarks in PCMark Vantage, and 5766 3DMarks in 3DMark Vantage.

CrystalDiskMark hard drive performance test:

Heat and Noise
During light and medium workloads, the X505 is nearly silent. While we can sometimes hear the LCD inverter buzzing and the fans gently running in the background, for all intents and purposes, the machine produces very little noise during normal use. It also produces almost no extra heat, except around the rear center of the notebook. Considering that it comes with a powerful dedicated GPU and a quad core CPU, it is impressive that the notebook is this cool and quiet.

During gaming or benchmarking runs, it was a slightly different story. The hot spot of the notebook got little bit hotter, but the fans were much more noticeable. They were not high-pitched, whiny or obnoxious, but the fans make their presence known. Users playing games or running power hungry applications might want to turn up the volume a little.

Battery Life and Bundled Software
The X505 is stocked with high performance components to help reduce power consumption. Toshiba included the "eco Utility," which is a custom power management suite. Does it affect anything? Aside from altering your display brightness settings, Windows 7 power configuration settings and turning off a few LEDs … not really. When enabled, a little green LED turns on, so you get a warm, fuzzy feeling that you are helping to save the planet.

However, the "eco Utility" is useful for reliable power consumptions readings and shows a graph of how much power the computer is using. Even when the display is down to half brightness and Windows 7 running on a "balanced" power setting, the computer still manages to pull between 35-45W.

With that power draw, the notebook manages to run for one hour and 35 minutes before the battery drops out. It's not great, but it's also not bad for a desktop replacement, either.

But what is bad is the amount of bundled software that came with the X505. Trial bloatware for backup tools, office tools, anti-virus software, financial management software, online/social gaming applications and much more was found on this system. By the time we installed a few of our own benchmarking tools and one game, only 5GB of space was left on the primary hard drive. Between the Toshiba restoration partition, the OS and bloatware, more than 40 GB of the 64 GB SSD was used up. As a point of reference, Windows 7 installation with Microsoft Office included would use about 20 GB of space.

Conclusion
The Toshiba Qosmio X505 is a gigantic notebook that is more than capable of handling many things thrown its way. Designed for both gamers and computing enthusiasts, the notebook offers a great screen, decent keyboard, above average build quality and a high performance platform that stays cool and quiet.

It is not without flaws though. The most pronounced negatives on the notebook is a lack of audio capabilities in the bass ranges and the amount of bloatware that came pre-installed on our test system.

Ultimately, it's a nice machine, but is it worth $1,899? That is a question best left to you, but for the performance and quality that the X505 delivers, it could be.

Pros:

• Massive, beautiful, 18.4-inch screen
• A ton of power, yet little heat or noise
• Nice build quality

Cons:

• Poor speaker performance (no bass)
• Mouse buttons are difficult
• Bloatware and spammed advertisements

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Review Toshiba Satellite T135D

The Toshiba Satellite T135 series is a popular 13-inch thin-and-light notebook available in a variety of configurations. We previously reviewed the T135 with Intel inside, but what about the T135D with the latest AMD dual-core processors and ATI graphics? Does the AMD-based T135D offer more than the Intel-based T135 for $100 less? We took a closer look to find out.

Toshiba Satellite T135 (T135D-S1324) Specifications:

• 1.6GHz AMD Turion Neo X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor L625
• 4GB PC3-8500 DDR3 (2 x 2GB)
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
• 13.3" WXGA HD TruBrite LED Backlit display (1366x768)
• 320GB 5400RPM Toshiba SATA Hard Drive
• ATI Radeon 3200 Graphics
• 802.11b/g/n, 10/100 LAN
• 6-in-1 card reader
• 6-Cell Li-ion 61WH battery, 65W Power Supply
• Dimensions: (W x L x H) 12.7" x 8.78" x 0.87"/1.35"
• Weight: 3lbs 12.9oz (with 6-cell battery)
• Price as configured: $599.99

Build and Design
The Toshiba Satellite T135-series notebooks are stylish ultraportables that look like previous 13-inch Toshiba notebooks, but in a much thinner and lighter chassis. Toshiba keeps the profile only a fraction of an inch thicker than the USB ports on the side of the notebook, though this is done in large part by cutting out things like an ExpressCard slot and optical drive. For the average user this notebook has all the advantages of a standard computer--a high resolution display, a full-size keyboard and a dual-core processor--but none of the bulk. The black color scheme on our T135D looks nice, although the red exterior of the Intel-based T135 was a nice change of pace. Toshiba offers multiple color schemes for this notebook, so if you don't think black is beautiful then there are other options available for you to purchase.

Build quality for both the Intel and AMD versions of the T135-series notebooks is very nice despite the very thin chassis. In fact, the exterior of the T135D is identical to the exerior of the T135 except for the AMD sticker on the palmrest. Unlike some of the thin-and-light notebooks we've reviewed from other companies, flex and plastic squeaks are kept to a minimum on the T135D, and a metal plate over the hard drive helps keep the vital components safe. The screen cover feels durable as well, although it the screen lid does suffer from some minor flex next to the hinges. In any case, the glossy exterior of the T135D should hold up to typical use and abuse inside a school backpack or an office briefcase. The glossy finish on the body withstands most scratches, but you'll need to constantly clean off fingerprints and smudges if you want to keep your laptop looking new. The imprinted pattern on the lid and palmrests does a good job of hiding small fingerprints, but sooner or later you will need to find a microfiber cloth.

If you're interested in upgrading the internal components on your T135D you'll be happy to learn that the system memory and hard drive are easy to locate beneath a pair of cover plates on the bottom of the notebook. Unfortunately, Toshiba has once again decided to secure the hard drive bay with Torx screws rather than standard Phillips head screws. This means that you'll need to use a set of precision screwdriver bits with Torx adapters if you want to remove the hard drive. This isn't a major problem, but it is something of an inconvenience for do-it-yourself PC owners. The cover panel for the memory slots uses standard Phillips screws, so that will be an easier upgrade. No warranty void if removed stickers were found anywhere, so it should be safe to swap out basic components without risking your warranty coverage.

Screen and Speakers
The 13.3" LED-backlit screen on the T135D appears to be identical to the display panel used on the T135. Colors appear overly saturated (not always a bad thing, but a matter of personal preference) and the contrast ratio looks below average with fairly light black levels. Horizontal viewing angles are good out to at least 45 degrees to either side before you start to notice color distortion. Vertical viewing angles are below average as the display becomes over exposed or colors begin inverting after moving the screen 15 degrees forward or back. Overall screen brightness is good enough for indoor usage under bright office lights or in the shade outdoors. The glossy screen makes reflections something of a problem if you try to use the screen outdoors under direct sunlight.

Speaker quality is below average as the maximum volume output isn't loud enough to fill a large meeting room withn clear sound. The maximum volume setting on this notebook sounds more like what we expect when we set multimedia notebooks to 50 percent volume. Part of the problem is the speaker location on the bottom front edge of the notebook ... which means sound is directed down and away from you rather than up toward your ears. The other issue is the small size of the speaker drivers themselves. Toshiba simply didn't put impressive speakers into this notebook. If this is your only PC for listening to your music library then I suggest purchasing a good set of headphones.

Keyboard and Touchpad
Once again, the full-size keyboard on the T135D is identical to the T135 and we don't have much new information to share with you. The keyboard is comfortable for typing and offers excellent support even under very strong typing pressure. The palmrests are just about perfect for average adult male hands as they support the wrists without causing additional stress points while typing. The individual keys have a springy, responsive action and each key has a flat surface similar to a Chiclet-style keyboard without the additional space between each key. Typing noise is minimal, with no loud "click clack" noises while typing. Consumers who are thinking about buying this notebook for typing long documents or notes during class should have no problems with this keyboard

The Synaptics touchpad was once again a slight disappointment in that it had a very slow refresh rate. Replacing the drivers with the latest ones offered on the Synaptics website didn't improve this issue, so our best guess is that the slow refresh issue has something to do with the touchpad surface/hardware itself. That said, when we uninstalled the drivers the touchpad felt a bit more responsive, so this may indeed be a bug in the Synaptics drivers. We still recommend using the Synaptics drivers since they allow you to use those helpful touchpad features like scrolling or correcting the position of your touchpad/scroll zones. Regardless of the slow refresh issue on the touchpad, the touchpad surface itself is a joy to use. Most of our lab testers agreed that you can easily glide your fingertip across the touchpad surface. The touchpad buttons are made of a reflective silver plastic and don't offer much in the way of comfort. The individual key press is rather shallow and you have to press the left and right buttons along the outside edge ... since the touchpad buttons don't always work if you press near the middle.

Ports and Features
Port selection is fairly good when compared to ultraportable notebooks, but we're starting to get worried about the lack of either an ExpressCard slot or eSATA port on 13-inch and larger notebooks. USB is fine for smaller notebooks, but larger notebooks need to offer a few more options in terms of ports. The T135D includes three USB ports, VGA and HDMI-out, LAN, audio jacks, and a Kensington Lock slot. Expansion slots include just the 6-in-1 SDHC-compatible card reader.

Front: Indicator lights

Rear: Battery

Left: Kensington Lock slot, VGA, HDMI, one USB

Right: 6-in-1 card slot, audio jacks, two USB, LAN, AC power

Performance and Benchmarks
We found the Intel SU4100 CULV processor and Intel integrated graphics in the T135 to offer reasonable performance, but we were particularly excited to see how the T135D would perform with an AMD dual-core processor and ATI integrated graphics. The short answer is that the 1.6GHz AMD Turion Neo X2 processor performs a little faster than the Intel offering, and the ATI graphics clearly perform better when it comes to basic gaming such as World of Warcraft or older first-person shooter games.

In terms of day-to-day activities it's fair to say that most consumers won't notice much (if any) performance difference between the T135 and T135D. That fact alone probably means most consumers should consider the AMD-based T135D since it's $100 cheaper than the Intel-based T135. However, we did stumble onto some issues in terms of battery life (more on that later in the review). HD video playback for both 720P and 1080P content was flawless, but unlike the Intel CULV solution, the T135D with AMD processor and ATI graphics didn't stress the CPU as much when playing HD video. The only test that we ran in our lab that suggested the AMD processorm might not perform as well or better than the Intel processor was the PCMark05 synthetic benchmark, but we've found that this benchmark doesn't always reflect real-world experience. Bottom line, the AMD-based T135D should offer every bit as much performance as the Intel-based T135 ... for $100 less.

wPrime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):

PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):

3DMark06 measures overall graphics performance for gaming (higher scores mean better performance):

HDTune storage drive performance test:

Heat and Noise
Noise levels were great for normal daily use. The default fan speed is always on at a low setting, pushing hot air away from the CPU and out of the notebook. The fan doesn't get much louder even if you stress the system with a game or video encoding. Unfortunately, the quiet fan means you get higher than normal case temperatures when the notebook is left on for more than 30 minutes. The external case temperatures on the T135D are roughly 10+ degrees hotter than what we saw on the T135 next to the CPU and the RAM. This makes the T135D less "lap friendly" than the T135 and you'll probably want to keep it on an airline tray table or a hotel desk when working on the road. All temperatures shown below are listed in degrees Fahrenheit.

Battery Life
Although the AMD-based T135D offered as much (or more) performance than the Intel-based T135 in day-to-day tasks, the AMD processor simply didn't deliver as much in the way of battery life. In our battery test with the screen brightness set to 70%, wireless active, and Windows 7 set to the "balanced" profile the system managed 5 hours and 48 minutes before shutdown. This is more than enough battery life for most consumers who just need a laptop for a few hours of web browsing at a coffee shop, but it is obviously less than the 8 hours and 18 minutes of battery life we saw with the Intel-based Satellite T135.

Granted, it wasn't too long ago that we used to praise any notebook that delivered more than 3 hours of battery life. However, 5+ hours just isn't quite as impressive in a world with notebooks and netbooks that can run for 8 or more hour on one battery charge.

Conclusion
At the end of the day Toshiba left consumers with an interesting pair of options for a thin-and-light notebook with a 13-inch display. The Intel-based Satellite T135 offers good performance, a nice notebook design, and great battery life for $700. On the other hand, the AMD-based T135D delivers better performance with day-to-day tasks and an identical design for only $600. Sure, you "only" get five and a half hours of battery life with the T135D and there's a hot spot next to the RAM and CPU, but $100 goes a long way when you're trying to save money.

The Toshiba Satellite T135D is a solid notebook that offers a lot for a modest price. It's not perfect, but if you can learn to live with its flaws then you can save $100.

Pros:

• Excellent performance
• Great price
• Good keyboard

Cons:

• Exterior gets hot
• Average battery life
• Glossy plastics

Individual Ratings: *
Software & Support
Upgrade Capabilities
Usability
Design
Performance
Features
* Ratings averaged to produce final score

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Laptop Computer Toshiba Satellite E205 Review

Satellite E205 is the latest "Blue Label" Toshiba notebook computer for Best Buy. Package 14-inch WXGA display, Intel Core processor to I5, and the latest Intel GMA High-definition graphics, this notebook is a feature that no other model provides Intel Wireless Display. Intel Wi - Tue enables high-definition notebook-quality video streaming to a compatible receiver to your HDTV, so you do not have any cable needed to share the video. The test we have to note that carried the Toshiba Satellite E205-depth understanding, if the Intel wireless card change is the way we use computers to home theater.

Toshiba Satellite E205 Specifications:

• 14-inch WXGA (1366x678) LED Backlit (Glossy finish)
• Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
• Processor: Intel Core i5-430M (2.26GHz, 3MB Cache)
• 4GB DDR3 RAM (2GB + 2GB)
• 500GB Hitachi HDD (5400rpm)
• Slot loading DVD+/-RW
• Intel 6200 802.11AGN, Intel Wireless Display
• Mobile Intel HD Graphics
• Netgear Push 2 TV Adapter
• 5800mAh 6-cell, 75W 19V AC adapter
• Dimensions: 13.7" x 9.57" x 1.22" without feet
• Weight: 5lbs 2.4oz
• Retail Price: $899
• Warranty: 2 Year

Build and Design
Toshiba Satellite E205 is the first 14 "consumer notebook PCs, which succeeded in maintaining the shape, modern design, thin, while maintaining the look and feel. E205 rounded edges, respectively, including the exhaust port of the CPU I think it's cool . The only part of the proceedings in the wrong, so I was the size of the battery back is exaggerated, because it also depends on the reverse side of the screen and includes port. color looks great blue diamonds, the screen covers the changes in the structure of black and metallic blue diamond pattern decoration. even with their peer-mounted touchpad design, with the same model palm rest and an overview of the special treatment of matt surface inside.

The establishment of quality higher than the average consumer of ultra-thin notebook design, but the structural strength of the screen and include a number of weaknesses. Curved screen for the medium-pressure, but still not subject to distortion, unless your screen wrapped difficult. The current global notebook computer screen inside the frame seems ugly, but found only for the glass like an exact opposite. The keyboard and palm rest show only a very slight bend under pressure. Best Buy exclusive notebook than the previous year, as we recall Satellite E105 - E205 is a significant improvement in quality and design.

Screen and Speakers
Toshiba Satellite E205 is based on an integrated 14-inch screen, rather than 13.3 "- Best Buy since research has shown that most of their customers prefer to remain that size. It offers a 1366x768 WXGA display resolution 720p HD video capacity . screen than the average rate, similar to the screen, light bleeding visible black screen with backlight and a limited vision. to watching movies, viewing photos, or visit the website, we found that the color saturation and contrast when on closer thanks to the smooth surface, while the peak. brightness, problems we see a clear duty on the screen. vertical viewing angles are distorted and colors tend to have started in 15 to 20 degrees average.

And horizontal viewing angle good to about 60 degrees, the former single reflective mirror display.
The Toshiba Satellite E205 is one of the most interesting features to show or Intel Wireless Wi - Tue This technology enables the transmission of high-definition content that you have connected to high-definition TV receivers. Recipient of Netgear, and connect to TV with HDMI connection and streaming video and audio from your notebooks. What we've been using this technology include the fact that there is no performance penalty, depends on the source is considered. USB 2.0 and Wireless USB docking station, I support DVI output is on two-dimensional finite bandwidth. Intel Wireless display the other hand, the full 3D-accelerated video stream, including games, not video quality. Another big advantage of Wi - 2 surface compared to the wireless USB is its scope. We take the case of a break is not connected to our office. Only left our house and closed the metal door down enough for the signal to make a connection. For an average family is not a problem that the wireless display technology from Intel, unless you try to use in your trunk in your garage use.

Intel Wi - in technology have at this time, some limitations. Wi - Not currently only supports 1280x720 video streaming and set limits, such as the wireless display. They are usually limited to only clones, which are lagging behind the number of interfaces can show is a good thing. In tests we have found the video and audio displays, wi - two aspects of one or two short of what is being shown on the notebook computer with the local seconds. This does not mean that the video or audio sync, but Wi - receiver with a larger buffer. Watch from your computer or stream high-definition video performances, it's no problem ... But remember to use this game. Even completed, as surfing the wireless network, the main task, and in this context is intolerable, unless you look at the laptop screen.

E205 speakers in various kinds of shots a round as a rule to determine if you are listening to streaming audio or video, but had a lot to be desired program, if you want to enjoy the film. Because it really is a different problem is that their voices low, when the laptop on your lap or sit very soft surfaces directly. Enjoy music and video while on the road is actually the preferred alternative to headphones. If you watch films at home plan, Intel's Wi - line interface or via the HDMI port directly is the best choice.

Keyboard and Touchpad
Satellite-E205 keyboard, spacious and very comfortable typing. Typing is much shorter than the average laptop keyboard, but as ... do not feel like a chiclet layout of keypad buttons island. Threw a short letter, it seems more likely, it seems that my input speed of normal speed. The keyboard itself has a good layout, I found that almost touch-sensitive buttons are a problem. My finger continues to press a single button and triggered one of the functions. It depends on the size of your hand, you may not have this problem. A handy feature of the E205 keyboard is fully backlit so readily into the lights as you type.

The E205 includes a spacious multitouch-enabled Synaptics touchpad. We found the touchpad to be a breeze to use in our testing with a responsive surface with no discernible lag. The lightly-texture matte surface was easy to slide your finger across when damp and had no hard boundaries around the touchpad zone. The only complaint I could come up with was regarding the stiff touchpad buttons which were hard to press with the edge of your thumb. Even though the buttons are wrapped around the leading edge of the palmrest, to activate a button from the front requires a ludicrous amount of force.

Ports and Features
Port selection was average with two USB ports, one USB/eSATA combo port, VGA-out, HDMI-out, audio jacks, and LAN. The E205 also offered a slot-loading optical drive and flush-mount SDHC-card reader. The biggest feature by far though is the Intel Wireless Display.

Front: Wireless On/Off and activity lights

Rear: Kensington Lock slot, AC-power, LAN, and VGA-out

Left: Heat vent, one USB, and audio jacks

Right: Optical drive, one USB, USB/eSATA, HDMI-out, and SDHC-card reader

Performance and Benchmarks
System performance was very good even with integrated graphics. The newer Intel HD Mobile graphics performed like a champ in light gaming or playing HD video. We had no trouble playing 720P or 1080P movies from this notebook through HDMI or the Wi-Di interface to watch them on an HDTV. The Intel Core i5-430M processor had no trouble handling our battery of system tasks, including typing documents, surfing the web, watching 1080P HD Flash off YouTube, or just compressing movies in iTunes. For its intended market of media-oriented consumers the Toshiba Satellite E205 is more than capable as long as you have no intention of playing many of the latest games.

Wprime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):

PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):

3DMark06 measures overall graphics performance for gaming (higher scores mean better performance):

HDTune storage drive performance test:

Heat and Noise
The Toshiba Satellite E205 is a very quiet notebook while running in balanced mode. During our tests the fan rarely came on if the notebook wasn't under a significant load. The loudest part about the entire notebook was its hard drive and even that was quiet. If you upgraded this notebook to make use of a SSD you would probably forget it was even turned on. With such a lax cooling system the E205 did run a bit on the warm side which may be a problem for some users. During our battery test where the system is only browsing the web, and not under any significant load, we measured a peak temperature of 96 degrees Fahrenheit on the bottom of the case.

Battery Life
For a recent-generation notebook with integrated graphics I have to say that I was not especially impressed by the power consumption of the E205 running on battery. While operating near idle the E205 consumed between 11 to 13 watts of power. In our test with the screen brightness set to 70%, wireless active, and Windows 7 set to the Balanced profile the Toshiba Satellite E205 stayed on for 4 hours and 45 minutes.

Conclusion
The Toshiba Satellite E205 is one of the nicest 14-inch consumer notebooks we have reviewed in a while. It offers an excellent modern design, a great color scheme, and very useful features. Wireless technology has come a long way in the past few years with Wireless USB usually being mentioned the most. Unlike Wireless USB, Intel Wireless Display actually works very well. We had no trouble pressing a single button and automatically connecting with a nearby Wi-Di receiver. Once connected the interface streamed 1280x720 resolution video without any audio/video sync issues and handled 3D-accelerated software as well as HD video. Wi-Di is one feature that I really want to be included in more notebooks and I am glad to see Toshiba bringing it to the market with the E205.

Pros:

• Streams HD video wirelessly
• Excellent design
• Good build quality

Cons:

• Touchpad buttons feel stiff
• Case gets hot during use

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