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Review Toshiba Satellite C70D-A-10L Notebook

Quiet, frugal, cool. You have to pay around 450 Euros (~$617) for the 17.3-inch notebook with a Kabini quad-core processor. Our in-depth review shows if you get a good device in return.

For the original German review, see here.

Toshiba's Satellite C70D is a 17.3-inch office notebook for simple tasks like typing, web browsing, Skype and movie playback. The device is not completely unfamiliar since we already reviewed the 15.6-inch sibling Satellite C50D-A-10E (AMD A4-5000Radeon 8330) with the same components a couple of months ago. This notebook got a good rating (75%) and our review shows if the C70D can keep up with the C50D or if it is even better.

We use the rivals Asus F75A (Pentium B980HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge)) and Lenovo G700 (Pentium 2020MHD Graphics (Ivy Bridge)) for the comparison. Lenovo already offers the refreshed G710-series that is based on Intel's current Haswell architecture. 

The Satellite C70D and Satellite C50D share many components, so we won't have a closer look at the input devices, the connectivity and the speakers in this review.

Case

The case, the design and the materials of the Satellite C70D are also similar to the C50D, but the C70D is obviously bigger. The notebook is completely made of plastic and that also applies for the F75A as well as the G700. All surfaces of the Satellite are matte black and both the palm rest and the display cover have a textured surface

The stability of the case is still okay but you can dent it in the area above the DVD burner. The torsion resistance is also pretty standard but you can easily twist the display. The display cover, however, is pretty sturdy and there are only a few spots where applied force is visible on the display. Both hinges keep the display well in position but there is some bouncing. It is only possible to open the lid with one hand when you shake the display a bit. 

All components are surrounded by a plastic case.
All components are surrounded by a plastic case.
Grooves on the display cover
Grooves on the display cover
A maintenance cover on the bottom
A maintenance cover on the bottom

Connectivity

All three devices within our comparison offer the standard ports, including at least one USB 3.0 port. Both the Satellite and the G700 are not up to date in regard to the Ethernet since they only have Fast-Ethernet ports while the F75A has a Gigabit-Ethernet port. We do not really like the port layout of the Toshiba; most of the ports are at the right side next to the palm rest. The C70D and C50D offer the same ports and the same port layout; only the position of the Kensington lock has been changed.  

Left side: Power, USB 2.0, DVD burner
Left side: Power, USB 2.0, DVD burner
Right side: Headphones, microphone, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, HDMI, VGA, Ethernet, Kensington Lock
Right side: Headphones, microphone, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, HDMI, VGA, Ethernet, Kensington Lock
The card reader is at the front.
The card reader is at the front.

Operating System

The Satellite comes with a preloaded version of Windows 8 (64-bit), but there is no Windows DVD. You should therefore use the provided Windows Toshiba Recovery Media Creator to create recovery disks after you get the device. 

Toshiba only provides drivers for Windows 8 and 8.1 respectively, but it is still possible to use Windows 7 since all necessary drivers are available. Ethernet and WLAN work with the according drivers from the Toshiba homepage. According to the drivers list on the website it is also possible that the Satellite uses a WLAN module from Atheros, so you can use the according driver from the website Atheros.cz if the counterpart from Toshiba does not work.

The APU/GPU is another story, neither the driver from Toshiba nor the current driver from AMD's website worked. Only the latest Beta driver (Catalyst 13.11) from AMD solved the problem. You will also need the according chipset driver from this website because it includes the necessary USB 3.0 driver; Windows 7 does not support USB 3.0 out of the box. 

Maintenance

The maintainability of the C70D is identical to the C50D. Both notebooks have two memory slots and one slot is occupied with a 4 GB module. Replacing the hard drive is no problem, however, the C70D can only accommodate 2.5-inch hard drives with a height of 7 mm. There is also a sticker in the hard drive bay with this notice.

Display

Toshiba equips the Satellite with a glossy 17.3-inch screen with a native resolution of 1600x900 pixels. The average brightness of the panel is decent with 239.8 cd/m², neither the F75A (219.9 cd/m²) nor the G700 (214.6 cd/m²) can keep up with that.

214
cd/m²
235
cd/m²
261
cd/m²
232
cd/m²
261
cd/m²
258
cd/m²
206
cd/m²
229
cd/m²
262
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
LG Display LP173WD1-TLE1 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 262 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 239.8 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 79 %
Center on Battery: 261 cd/m²
Contrast: 483:1 (Black: 0.54 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 10.72 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 11.81 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
44.7% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
50.9% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
69.2% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
52.5% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.1
Satellite C70D vs. sRGB
Satellite C70D vs. sRGB
Satellite C70D vs. AdobeRGB
Satellite C70D vs. AdobeRGB

Contrast ratio (483:1) and black value (0.54 cd/m²) of the display are not overwhelming but they are certainly reasonable. The C70D can once again surpass both the G700 (271:1, 0.89 cd/m²) and the F75A (291:1, 0.86 cd/m²). We can determine coverage of 60.2% for the sRGB color space and 44.7% for the AdobeRGB color space. They are important for professional picture editing, for instance.  

We measure an average DeltaE 2000 deviation of 11 ex-works, while the target value (DeltaE smaller than 3) is only managed by the color yellow. The display has a distinct blue cast

CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - Grayscale
CalMAN - Grayscale
CalMAN - Saturation Sweeps
CalMAN - Saturation Sweeps

You can actually use the notebook outdoors, but you will have to adjust the display to avoid annoying reflections. 

There are no surprises in terms of viewing angle stability. It is pretty standard with a comparatively wide horizontal viewing angle. You can still see the display content from the side, but the picture gets darker the wider the angle gets. The situation is worse with vertical angles and colors will quickly start to invert. 

Viewing angles Toshiba Satellite C70D-A-10L
Viewing angles Toshiba Satellite C70D-A-10L
The Satellite outdoors
The Satellite outdoors

Performance

Toshiba offers 17.3-inch office notebooks with the Satellite C70D-series. They are primarily designed for everyday tasks like web browsing, Skype and movie playback, but the gaming capabilities are very limited. Our review unit is currently available for around 450 Euros (~$617). Toshiba also offers other configurations, starting with APUs like the E1-2100 up to the A6-5200. The identical C70-series uses Intel processors instead. 

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
GPU-Z
HWInfo
System information Toshiba Satellite C70D-A-10L

Processor

The heart of the Satellite is a Kabini APU with the designation A4-5000. The CPU part of the APU is a quad-core processor with a nominal clock of 1.5 GHz, but there is no Turbo. This APU belongs to the frugal versions with a specified TDP of just 15 Watts. More information and many benchmark results can be found in our short review of the A4-5000 APU

We can see the full performance of 1.5 GHz during our Cinebench CPU benchmarks and the results are on an expected level. AMD's processor cannot keep up with the Intel processors inside the F75A (Pentium B980HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge)) and G700 (Pentium 2020MHD Graphics (Ivy Bridge)), but the difference in multi-thread applications is much smaller compared to single-thread scenarios. The two Intel CPUs heavily benefit from their higher clocks, but we would see a similar or even slightly better performance if the AMD processor would run at the same frequency - at least in multi-thread applications. The Satellite is the best device in the GL Test. 

Cinebench R10 Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
1496 Points
Cinebench R10 Shading 64Bit
2301 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
5158 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
1213
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
4191
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
2320
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
0.39 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
11.96 fps
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
1.39 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
11.26 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
98 %
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
120 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
33 Points
Help
Cinebench R11.5 - OpenGL 64Bit (sort by value)
Toshiba Satellite C70D-A-10L
Radeon HD 8330, A4-5000, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
11.96 fps
Lenovo G700
HD Graphics (Ivy Bridge), 2020M, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142
6.62 fps -45%
Asus F75A-TY089H
HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge), B980, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
7.02 fps -41%
Acer TravelMate P273-M-32344G50Mnk
HD Graphics 3000, 2348M, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142
8.97 fps -25%
Asus F75VC-TY088H
GeForce GT 720M, 2370M, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
21.45 fps +79%
Lenovo G710 59397112
GeForce GT 720M, 4702MQ, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB
29.09 fps +143%
HP Pavilion 17-e054sg
Radeon HD 8650G + HD 8670M Dual Graphics, A10-5750M, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
30.23 fps +153%
Cinebench R11.5 - CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Toshiba Satellite C70D-A-10L
Radeon HD 8330, A4-5000, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
1.39 Points
Asus F75A-TY089H
HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge), B980, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
1.79 Points +29%
Lenovo G700
HD Graphics (Ivy Bridge), 2020M, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142
1.92 Points +38%
Acer TravelMate P273-M-32344G50Mnk
HD Graphics 3000, 2348M, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142
2.18 Points +57%
HP Pavilion 17-e054sg
Radeon HD 8650G + HD 8670M Dual Graphics, A10-5750M, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
2.25 Points +62%
Asus F75VC-TY088H
GeForce GT 720M, 2370M, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
2.29 Points +65%
Lenovo G710 59397112
GeForce GT 720M, 4702MQ, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB
6.35 Points +357%

System Performance

We won't see any performance records, but the notebook does not cause any criticism either. The overall system works well and the PCMark results are similar to other devices with the AMD APU: Not overwhelming but acceptable. Both the F75A (Pentium B980HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge)) and the G700 (Pentium 2020MHD Graphics (Ivy Bridge)) have much higher scores due to their more powerful CPUs. 

You can increase the system performance with a Solid State Drive: Applications start quicker, the system is more responsive and the PCMark scores are higher. We tried it: Our SSD (Crucial RealSSD C300 - 64 GB) improves the PCMark 7 result of the Satellite by almost 72% (2,459 points). 

4.4
Windows 8 Experience Index
Processor
Calculations per second
5.1
Memory (RAM)
Memory operations per second
5.9
Graphics
Desktop performance for Windows Aero
4.4
Gaming graphics
3D business and gaming graphics
5.9
Primary hard disk
Disk data transfer rate
5.9
PCMark Vantage Result
2914 points
PCMark 7 Score
1431 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated
1490 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated
1419 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated
2510 points
Help
PCMark 7 - Score (sort by value)
Toshiba Satellite C70D-A-10L
Radeon HD 8330, A4-5000, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
1431 Points
Asus F75A-TY089H
HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge), B980, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
2072 Points +45%
Acer TravelMate P273-M-32344G50Mnk
HD Graphics 3000, 2348M, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142
2105 Points +47%
HP Pavilion 17-e054sg
Radeon HD 8650G + HD 8670M Dual Graphics, A10-5750M, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
2122 Points +48%
Asus F75VC-TY088H
GeForce GT 720M, 2370M, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
2130 Points +49%
Lenovo G700
HD Graphics (Ivy Bridge), 2020M, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142
2269 Points +59%
Lenovo G710 59397112
GeForce GT 720M, 4702MQ, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB
3310 Points +131%

Storage Solution

HD Tune
HD Tune
CrystalDiskMark
CrystalDiskMark

Toshiba uses one of its own hard drives for the Satellite. It has a capacity of 500 GB and works with 5,400 revolutions per minute. CrystalDiskMark determines a read performance of 99.59 MB/s while HD Tune measures an average transfer rate of 84.6 MB/s. These results are reasonable for a 5,400 rpm hard drive. 

Toshiba MQ01ABF050
Transfer Rate Minimum: 48.5 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 112.2 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 84.6 MB/s
Access Time: 18.2 ms
Burst Rate: 122.7 MB/s
CPU Usage: 3.4 %

Graphics

Graphics are handled by the Radeon HD 8330 GPU. It supports DirectX 11.1 and runs with 500 MHz, but there is once again no Turbo. The Satellite can beat the rivals G700 (Pentium 2020MHD Graphics (Ivy Bridge)) and F75A (Pentium B980HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge)) in all 3DMark benchmarks. This is, however, not really surprising since the C70D has the most powerful GPU and is roughly on a level with the Intel HD Graphics 4000.

3DMark 06 Standard Score
3104 points
3DMark Vantage P Result
1788 points
3DMark 11 Performance
576 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
24550 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
2079 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
307 points
Help
3DMark 06 - 1280x1024 Standard Score AA:0x AF:0x (sort by value)
Toshiba Satellite C70D-A-10L
Radeon HD 8330, A4-5000, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
3104 Points
Lenovo G700
HD Graphics (Ivy Bridge), 2020M, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142
2186 Points -30%
Asus F75A-TY089H
HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge), B980, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
2459 Points -21%
Asus F75VC-TY088H
GeForce GT 720M, 2370M, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
6822 Points +120%
Lenovo G710 59397112
GeForce GT 720M, 4702MQ, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB
8243 Points +166%

Gaming Performance

The hardware of the Satellite is sufficient to run some games in low resolutions and with low details - for example Grid 2. Reviews of other notebooks with the A4-5000 APU also showed that even Anno 2070 and Dirt 3 should run smoothly. Less demanding titles like FIFA should be playable in higher resolutions and with higher settings. 

You can upgrade the G700 and the F75A with another memory module to enable a dual-channel memory configuration. The integrated GPUs benefit from that and you can get up to 20% more frames per second. This is, however, not possible for the Satellite, the integrated memory controller only supports single-channel configurations.  

If you want to play games on a regular basis you should get the Asus notebook or the G700 - just make sure you get a configuration with a dedicated GPU. Both devices are available with a GeForce GT 720M GPU. We already reviewed an according model from Asus with the F75VC-TY088H (Core i3-2370MGeForce GT 720M), but our review configuration is not available anymore. Instead of a Sandy Bridge CPU (Core i3-2370M), the notebook is now equipped with an Ivy Bridge CPU (Core i3-3110M, designation F75VC-TY142H). The current retail price is around 500 Euros (~$686). 

The G700 with a Core i5-3230M and a GeForce GT 720M starts at 550 Euros (~$755, without Windows) or you can get the Haswell based successor G710 with a Core i5-4200M processor for around 600 Euros (~$824). We already reviewed the current top version from Lenovo's G710-series.

low med. high ultra
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) 14 10.6 7.7
Tomb Raider (2013) 25.3 13
GRID 2 (2013) 41.3 21.8 14.1
F1 2013 (2013) 29 22 20
Toshiba Satellite C70D-A-10L
Radeon HD 8330, A4-5000, Toshiba MQ01ABF050
Asus F75A-TY089H
HD Graphics (Sandy Bridge), B980, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
Lenovo G700
HD Graphics (Ivy Bridge), 2020M, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142
Asus F75VC-TY088H
GeForce GT 720M, 2370M, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
Lenovo G710 59397112
GeForce GT 720M, 4702MQ, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
-9%
-27%
147%
222%
1280x720 Low Preset
14
15.2
9%
12.65
-10%
36.5
161%
49.2
251%
1366x768 Medium Preset AA:4x
10.6
7.7
-27%
7.28
-31%
26.7
152%
33.6
217%
1366x768 High Preset AA:8x AF:8x
7.7
4.55
-41%
17.6
129%
23
199%

Emissions

System Noise

We measured up to 30.8 dB(A) during idle. You can sometimes hear a noise from the hard drive, which increases the noise to 31.8 dB(A). The G700 (30.6 up to 30.7 dB(A)) and the F75A (30.8 up to 31.8 dB(A)) are on the same level. Medium workloads (3DMark06 running) and maximum load (stress test, Prime95 and Furmark simultaneously) only result in 30.8 and 34.5 dB(A) respectively. The increase is very moderate for the G700 (32.1 and 32.1 dB(A)) and the F75A (32.6 and 38.6 dB(A)) as well. 

Noise Level

Idle
30.8 / 30.8 / 30.8 dB(A)
HDD
31.8 dB(A)
DVD
34.5 / dB(A)
Load
30.8 / 34.5 dB(A)
  red to green bar
 
 
30 dB
silent
40 dB(A)
audible
50 dB(A)
loud
 
min: dark, med: mid, max: light   Voltcraft sl-320 (15 cm distance)

Temperature

Stress test Satellite C70D-A-10L
Stress test Satellite C70D-A-10L

We did not expect any problems in this section and the surface temperatures of the Satellite are always very low. This basically applies for the G700 and F75A as well, but the area around the fan gets quite warm under load. You should not forget that both notebooks use a standard voltage mobile processor. 

Our stress test (Prime95 and Furmark simultaneously for at least one hour) does not result in any throttling, the CPU always runs with the full speed (1.5 GHz), both with the attached PSU and on battery power. The GPU runs with 500 MHz during the stress test, but we can see repeated drops to 267 MHz. Battery power reduces the GPU clock to 400 MHz, but it also throttles to 267 MHz from time to time. The CPU temperature leveled off at around 57 °C (with the PSU). 

 24.2 °C
76 F
26.3 °C
79 F
26.1 °C
79 F
 
 23.8 °C
75 F
26.6 °C
80 F
26.6 °C
80 F
 
 23.6 °C
74 F
25.9 °C
79 F
27.1 °C
81 F
 
Maximum: 27.1 °C = 81 F
Average: 25.6 °C = 78 F
27 °C
81 F
28 °C
82 F
25.6 °C
78 F
27.4 °C
81 F
27.8 °C
82 F
25.2 °C
77 F
26.2 °C
79 F
28.3 °C
83 F
25.5 °C
78 F
Maximum: 28.3 °C = 83 F
Average: 26.8 °C = 80 F
Power Supply (max.)  30.7 °C = 87 F | Room Temperature 22.3 °C = 72 F | Voltcraft IR-360
(+) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 25.3 °C / 78 F, compared to the average of 29.5 °C / 85 F for the devices in the class Office.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 28.4 °C / 83 F, compared to the average of 34.2 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 31.5 °C / 89 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.6 °C / 78 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are cooler than skin temperature with a maximum of 27.1 °C / 80.8 F and are therefore cool to the touch.
(±) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (+0.6 °C / 1.1 F).

Energy Management

Power Consumption

The Satellite consumes between 6.7 and 13 Watts during idle and Lenovo's G700 (6.6 up to 12 Watts) shows a similar behavior. However, the F75A (10.4 up to 16.6 Watts) needs more energy. Medium load (3DMark06 running) and maximum load (stress test, Prime95 and Furmark) result in a consumption of 22.3 and 27.5 Watts respectively. The G700 (27.9 and 35.7 Watts) and F75A (27.6 and 47.3 Watts) need more power.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.4 / 0.7 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 6.7 / 11.5 / 13 Watt
Load midlight 22.3 / 27.5 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Voltcraft VC 940
Currently we use the Metrahit Energy, a professional single phase power quality and energy measurement digital multimeter, for our measurements. Find out more about it here. All of our test methods can be found here.

Battery Runtime

The Satellite manages an idle runtime of 6:55 hours. The F75A (5:25 h) has to be recharged earlier, but the G700 (13:13 h) has significantly more stamina. The idle runtime is determined with the Battery Eater Reader's Test. The display brightness is set to minimum, all energy-saving features are activated and the wireless modules are turned off. We determine a load runtime of 2:26 hours for the Satellite, neither the G700 (1:12 h) nor the F75A (1:05 h) can keep up with that. The Battery Eater Classic Test simulates the load runtime with maximum display brightness, high-performance energy profile and activated wireless modules.

Our WLAN test is finished after 3:58 hours, the C70D is therefore right in the middle between the F75A (3:29 h) and G700 (5:16 h). This test uses a script to refresh websites every 40 seconds. All energy-saving features are active and the display brightness is adjusted to around 150 cd/m². DVD playback on the Satellite is possible for 2:39 hours; the F75A is on a similar level (2:45 h) and the G700 (2:58 h) is superior once again. The DVD test uses the energy-saving profile (or a higher energy profile if the playback is not smooth), maximum display brightness and deactivated wireless modules. 

We are somewhat disappointed by the DVD and WLAN runtimes of the Satellite and we certainly expected more from a notebook with a ULV CPU. The almost identical Satellite C50D-A-10E manages significantly longer runtimes - with the same battery capacity. The larger, brighter and higher resolution display of the C70D should be the reason for the differences. 

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
6h 55min
WiFi Surfing
3h 58min
DVD
2h 39min
Load (maximum brightness)
2h 26min

Verdict

The Satellite C70D-A-10L
The Satellite C70D-A-10L

Toshiba's Satellite C70D-A-10L is a simple office notebook with a 17.3-inch screen that offers sufficient performance for everyday tasks  - for instance text editing, web browsing or video playback. You should look for another device if you need more performance. The C70D hardly gets warm, is always quiet and does not consume a lot of energy. Unfortunately, the good consumption does not result in good battery runtimes. The display is decent if you consider the price of the notebook, but it has a distinct blue cast.

The Asus F75A and Lenovo G700 are interesting alternatives if you need more performance. The G700 also has the longest battery runtimes within our competition.

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In Review: The Toshiba Satellite C70D-A-10L
In Review: The Toshiba Satellite C70D-A-10L

Specifications

Toshiba Satellite C70D-A-10L (Satellite C70D Series)
Processor
AMD A4-5000 4 x 1.5 GHz, Kabini
Graphics adapter
AMD Radeon HD 8330, Core: 500 MHz, Catalyst 13.9
Memory
4 GB 
, DDR3, two memory slots (one slot occupied)
Display
17.30 inch 16:9, 1600 x 900 pixel, LG Display LP173WD1-TLE1, TN LED, glossy: yes
Mainboard
AMD Yangtze
Storage
Toshiba MQ01ABF050, 500 GB 
, 430 GB free
Soundcard
AMD Kabini - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
2 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 VGA, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: Headphones, Microphone, Card Reader: SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro
Networking
Atheros AR8162/8166/8168 PCI-E Fast Ethernet (10/100MBit/s), Realtek RTL8188EE (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/)
Optical drive
TSSTcorp CDDVDW SU-208DB
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 33.7 x 413 x 268 ( = 1.33 x 16.26 x 10.55 in)
Battery
48 Wh Lithium-Ion, 10.8 V, 4200 mAh
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 8 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD-Webcam (up to 1280x720 pixels)
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo, Keyboard: 102 keys with numeric keypad, Keyboard Light: no, McAfee Internet Security (trial), MS Office 365 (trial), Toshiba Video Player, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
2.7 kg ( = 95.24 oz / 5.95 pounds), Power Supply: 179 g ( = 6.31 oz / 0.39 pounds)
Price
499 Euro

 

The DVD burner reads and writes every kind of CD or DVD.
The DVD burner reads and writes every kind of CD or DVD.
The hinges...
The hinges...
...keep the display well in position.
...keep the display well in position.
Removed maintenance cover.
Removed maintenance cover.
Two memory slots are available.
Two memory slots are available.
Replacing the hard drive is no problem.
Replacing the hard drive is no problem.
You can only use a hard drive with a height of 7 mm.
You can only use a hard drive with a height of 7 mm.
You can also replace the BIOS battery.
You can also replace the BIOS battery.
The DVD burner can be removed.
The DVD burner can be removed.
The battery has a weight of around 306 grams...
The battery has a weight of around 306 grams...
...and a capacity of 48 Wh.
...and a capacity of 48 Wh.
The power supply unit weighs almost 179 grams and...
The power supply unit weighs almost 179 grams and...
...provides 45 Watts.
...provides 45 Watts.
The speakers are above the keyboard.
The speakers are above the keyboard.

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Compare Prices

Pros

+Quiet operation
+Frugal
+Does not get really warm
+Usable keyboard
 

Cons

-Display has a blue cast
-Only Fast-Ethernet
-Poor battery runtimes

Shortcut

What we like

The quiet operation and the low energy consumption.

What we miss

Longer battery runtimes.

What surprises us

Toshiba cannot provide good battery runtimes, despite the low energy consumption.

The competition

Asus F75A, Lenovo G700, Lenovo G710 59397112, HP Pavilion 17-e054sg, HP ProBook 470 G0 (H6P56EA), Packard Bell EasyNote LE69KB-45004G50Mnsk, Asus F75VCAcer TravelMate P273-M, Acer Aspire E1-771G, Acer Aspire E1-772G.

Rating

Toshiba Satellite C70D-A-10L - 04/14/2014 v4(old)
Sascha Mölck

Chassis
57 / 98 → 58%
Keyboard
80%
Pointing Device
60%
Connectivity
60 / 80 → 75%
Weight
58 / 20-67 → 81%
Battery
82%
Display
68%
Games Performance
53 / 68 → 78%
Application Performance
48 / 92 → 52%
Temperature
94%
Noise
93%
Audio
20%
Camera
42 / 85 → 49%
Average
63%
71%
Office - Weighted Average
Sascha Mölck, 2013-12-13 (Update: 2018-05-15)