Toshiba Satellite C655D-S5134 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)
Toshiba Satellite C655D-S5134 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)
- AMD E-Series Processor E-240 1.5 GHz, 512KB L2 Cache
- 2GB DDR3 (max 8GB)
- 320GB (5400 RPM); Serial ATA hard disk drive, 8x SuperMulti DVD drive
- 15.6” diagonal widescreen TruBrite TFT display at 1366 x 768, AMD Radeon HD 6520G
- Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, Battery Life (measured by MobileMark 2007): 3 hours
Get things done and stay connected with the Satellite C655 laptop, a very affordable, easy-to-use PC for basic productivity at home or in the office. Featuring a 15.6″ diagonal TruBrite HD display, plus new AMD E240 processor technology and ample graphics horsepower, this laptop gives families, students or small and home-based businesses the essential power and workspace to study, tackle budgets with a handy 10-key pad, keep up on Facebook and Twitter , or simply do more at their desk. An attrac
List Price: $ 449.99
Price: $ 397.99
We tested a variety of Toshibas – we recommend the Satellite *except* this model has the slowest chip,
We tested a variety of Toshiba Satellites – and it’s very confusing, because there are so many model numbers that are so similar.
We highly recommend the Toshiba Satellite, just not this model (C655-S5134). The problem is, it’s using one of the SLOWEST processors on the market today. It’s speed is comparable to 10-year-old technology (processor speed is as slow as my 2002 Satellite laptop). In other words, the advertised speed (1.5 GHz) is almost meaningless.
To make matters even more confusing, after testing a dozen different Toshibas, we actually bought another Satellite C655 model (the C655-S5048) for the same price. It’s almost identical in every respect, except the processor on our model (AMD P320) has a clocked speed (independent testing) of 1,261. The clocked speed on the C655-S5143 is (get this)… 350! That’s nearly 1/4th the speed!
This was all very confusing to us, but here’s the “short cut” – when you’re shopping around for laptops, write down the name of the processor, and look it up at: CPUbenchmark-net
You will see some ridiculous inconsistencies, and you will be an informed consumer. Just poke around on Amazon for a few minutes – you will find plenty of Toshiba laptops for under $400, with processor speeds over 800-1,000 (independent testing on the above-mentioned web site – this should be considered the bare minimum). Obviously there are a lot of factors which go into computer speed, just like engine size is not the only factor in the speed of your car (weight, fuel type, tires, aerodynamics, etc). But the above web site is a simple way that anyone can get an independent report of the processor speed before you buy.
Don’t think that a faster processor will cost more. We also reviewed some of the more expensive Satellites ($599-$699) and found slow processors in that price class as well! And this is consistent with pretty much all computer manufacturers – the problem is that Intel, AMD, etc., invest a lot of money in marketing, and consumers demand chips they don’t know anything about. But you can be a more informed consumer, and feel really good about your purchase.
Here are some *general* comments about the C655-series Toshiba Satellites:
PRO:
-Keyboard is an excellent size, and numeric keypad on the side is excellent for us. We use it all the time.
-Screen is fantastic – love it, no complaints. (I would not recommend the Toshiba models with the Trubrite screen – models with the TruBrite cost a minimum of $100 more & it picks up lots of glare/reflections.)
-Stays very cool (even when playing videos), and the fan rarely kicks on.
-It’s light weight & durable. My 12-month old will pound on the keys occasionally, and it holds up just fine.
-Comes with built-in antivirus software. I recommend also installing Avira, and every computer/laptop you own should be running Hostsman.
-The battery isn’t shabby, although this model has a slightly cheaper battery than the model I bought.
CON:
-No built-in camera or mic.
-Sound is not great. Most people assume it’s cheap speakers, but it’s not. Speakers are fine – but the sound driver itself is the problem for some reason. The “fix” only takes about 30 seconds – uninstall the sound card driver & have Windows install a generic driver that will boost your sound levels by 50%.
-We have some general complaints against Windows 7, not Toshiba’s fault (a discussion for another day). The biggest problem is, with the 64-bit version of Windows 7, we could not port any of our software from our previous Satellite to our new one.
Bottom Line: (1) Don’t buy this model – it’s a very nice laptop, but the speed is too slow. (2) You don’t have to be a techie to be an informed consumer. It only takes 5 seconds to look up the speed on the site provided above (again, 800-1,000 should be considered the absolute minimum). (3) Unless you need a super-computer for specialized programming, you should be able to find a Toshiba Satellite with a great processor & all the amenities you need for under $400, right here on Amazon.
Please don’t get frustrated in your search – I give this laptop 5-stars except for the speed. This is a good brand (Satellite) and a good price (under $400). But there are at least 5 other models that are 3-4x faster for the same price. If you’re looking at this product, reading this review, you are definitely on the right track. Hope this helps, and enjoy your new laptop!
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|Very solid laptop for everyday tasks with good graphics and low power,
I think the previous review: “We tested a variety of Toshibas” misrepresented this laptop and it’s processor (well, Accelerated Processing unit or APU as AMD likes to call it since it includes both the CPU and a graphics chip in one package).
E-240 is not some 10-year technology, it is actually the latest generation of *low power* and graphically very capable processors (for its class). Amazon/Toshiba correctly described it as “offering good power for computing basics” as it offers everything a casual user or a student might nees (except for the camera which should have been included for this price). The real advantage of this processor is the fact that it combines the CPU and a “discrete” GPU on a single die and hence improves power efficiency while providing great graphics, solid cpu speed for a very affordable price.
This processor/laptop is intended for: word processing, internet browsing, movie watching, and similar applications (so no, don’t try to run the latest games on it or anything that will require high computing power) while allowing for a very long battery life.
I don’t think any of celeron laptops (atom especially) are anywhere close to the graphics capability of E-240 which you are getting here. Also, your battery will last much more than those other similar laptops (up to 6 hours).
Here are more details on the processor itself:
[...]
which (among other things) says:
“The AMD E-240 (codename Zacate) is a single core processor for small notebooks and netbooks. It offers a relatively powerful integrated graphics card and a single channel DDR3-1066 memory controller.
Inside the E-240 one Bobcat core (the second one is deactivated) can access 512KB level 2 cache. In comparison to the Atom processors, the Bobcat architecture uses an “out-of-order” execution and is therefore faster at the same clock speed. However, the performance is far worse than similar clocked Penryn (Celeron) or Danube (AMD V-Series) cores. On average the cpu performance of the E-240 should be between a 2 GHz Atom and a Celeron single core with 1.1 GHz.
The integrated Radeon HD 6310 graphics card offers 80 shaders and an UVD3 video processor. Compared to the slow GMA 3150 in the Atom processors, the HD6310 offers a lot more performance and is about as fast as the Nvidia ION graphics solution”
I myself decided to go with AMD C-50 (in a Gateway NV laptop for $350) which has two CPU cores and is extremely quiet and stays as cold as my iphone.
Thank you and good luck on your laptop search!
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|Amazing,
I have had this computer for the past week, and just love it. I got it to replace my PC and needed it for school. I wanted something with a large screen, a full keyboard and powerful. I wasn’t looking for a beautiful laptop, but I got one, with the black and red accents it is a gorgeouse device.
I didn’t have any problems with getting it set up on my network, or having programs that I didn’t need pop up all over the place like I have read on other reviews. It has been smooth to work with and just an excellent laptop.
As you may have read with other reviews, this laptop is very large, and yes even knowing this it did surprise me when I got it. Because of its size it is heavier then your average laptop or notebook, but not manegeable. So if you are looking for something to carry out with you, you need to be aware of that. I don’t carry it around it will sit in my bedroom on my desk, but I do like the option that I can take it with me anywhere if I need to.
The picture for movies is prime…as good or better then my LCD TV. The sound is off the charts, just love that it has the Harman/Kardon speakers and they truly are crisp clear and loud.
I have not had any problems with the power connecter as some of the other reviews have suggested, possibly Toshiba could have fixed that problem, because the connector fits nice and snug and has never been loose or fallen out.
I did get a stand with a cooling system for it, because it does heat up and the fans keep it cool. I got the Cooler Master NotePal Ergostand Notebook Cooler R9-NBS-4UAK got it here on amazon as well. It is perfect for this size laptop and it includes 4 USB ports, I usually have it on while I’m working and I don’t even hear any of the fans not the Laptops or the stand’s.
So far I haven’t found any con’s just love the product and hope to enjoy it for a long time.
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