At first glance, the Satellite L650-10H's "Panther Black" case with a fine texture makes a very high-end and elegant impression. The stylish high-gloss finish that coats most of the plastic surfaces has one major drawback: its extreme sensitivity. Within the shortest time, fingerprints and dirt particles compile. Thus, you should take the greatest care during transportation or cleaning to avoid scratches.

The workmanship is overall good. However, our test device partly had uneven gaps between the display bezel and notebook lid. As to the stability, there is considerable need of improvement. Whilst the bottom doesn't give reason for complaint, the upper side yields noticeably especially in the optical drive's area. The notebook lid is also anything but solid. It can be twisted and depressed alarmingly. Pressure on the display bezel also provokes image distortions.

The basically solid and reliably working hinges are set quite tight. The base unit lifts when the notebook is opened. By the way, mobility isn't a foreign word for the Satellite L650-10H. With a size of 380 x 250 x 40 millimeters and a weight of about 2.5 kilograms, it can be carried around easily.

Connectivity

As usual for an inexpensive multimedia notebook, the connectivity is good but not overwhelming. Starting on the left, where Toshiba has accommodated a Kensington Lock, a VGA - respectively HDMI-out, a RJ-45 Fast Ethernet LAN port (no Gigabit LAN!), an eSATA/USB 2.0 combo and two audio sockets (headphone & microphone). On the right, you'll find a multi-in-1 cardreader and two more USB 2.0 ports.

The user will have to live without an ExpressCard slot just like a Firewire port or a cutting edge USB 3.0 port. In our opinion, the unfavorable interface distribution is much graver. Toshiba has placed most connections extremely far in the front. When many external devices (monitor, router, hard disk, etc.) are connected, especially lefties will be confronted with limited space on the notebook's side. The use of a mouse could be difficult. Wireless communication is only possible via WLAN. There is no Bluetooth.

The buyer is given standard fare for the display. A resolution of 1366x768 is typical for a 15 inch device. It requires a lot of scrolling with several, adjacently opened windows. This is less than ideal for excessive multi-taskers or seasoned office veterans. In return, movie fans will be delighted about an aspect ratio of 16:9 since it reduces black bars in movies.

Processor: AMD Turion II P520

Time to dedicate ourselves to the inner values. AMD's fairly new Turion II P520 is used as the processor. The dual core CPU is manufactured in a 45nm structure with (Intel partly 32 nm) and clocks with 2.30 GHz. In opposition to the latest Intel processors, the Turion II P520 doesn't have a fast L3 cache, but still has to be satisfied with a 2048 KB sized L2 cache.

You'll also search for performance enhancing features, like Intel's "Turbo Boost" and Hyper-Threading", in the Turion II P520 in vain. One of the dual core processor's strengths is the quite low power consumption. Whilst comparable Intel CPUs, like the Core i3-330M treat themselves to up to 35 watts (incl. GMA HD), the AMD CPU remains relatively frugal with 25 watts.

CPU Performance

It quickly becomes evident that the AMD currently can't at all keep up in the mobile processor division with Intel's strong Core iX range in the application benchmarks. This circumstance not last becomes evident in Cinebench R10 (64 bit). We have selected the popular dual core processor, Core i5-430M, for comparison purposes. It's found in many multimedia notebooks and also has a very similar clock rate with 2.26 GHz. Due to it efficient architecture and the automatic overclocking function up to 2.53 GHz, the Core i5-420M can set itself apart from the Turion II P520 by a whole 31% in single core rendering (3357 to 2570 points).

The advantage is even bigger in multi core rendering. The Core i5-430M has two additional (virtual) CPU cores due to Hyper-Threading Technology and can thus process up to four threads at the same time. It remarkably overtakes the Turion II P520 with 7569 to 5020 points. In normal Windows routine, the performance deficits are naturally not as crucial. The processor works pleasantly fast.

Graphics Card: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650

A very successful midrange model from ATI, the Mobility Radeon HD 5650, takes care of the graphics processing. The DirectX 11 capable successor of the Radeon HD 4650 is currently manufactured in a cutting edge 40nm process. It can serve with a moderate power consumption of 15-19 watts. Unfortunately, Toshiba doesn't clock the Radeon HD 5650's core with the standard 550 MHz, but only with 450 MHz. In return, the DDR3 video memory with a capacity of 1024 is clocked standardly.

However, a major problem of the Radeon HD 5650 is that the memory is only tethered to 128 bits, which becomes a bottleneck especially in higher resolutions. In this case, the 400 unified shaders and the 627 million transistors don't help much either.

GPU Performance

We tested the Satellite L650D-10H's graphics performance with various versions of the established benchmark program, 3DMark. The Radeon HD 5650 looks quite good here. For example, the Satellite L650D-10H is on par with Sony's Vaio VPC-F11Z1/E with 2756 points. The Vaio is equipped with a GeForce GT 330M and the significantly stronger quad core processor, Core i7-740QM and achieves 2743 points. Sony's Vaio VPC-EB1S1E/BJ, which also has a throttled Radeon HD 5650 but relies on the Core i5-430M, a dual core processor, is also on a comparable level with 2786 points.

But enough of synthetic application benchmarks. The practical gaming tests will likely be more interesting for many readers. Especially one thing interested us in this context. How will the throttled Radeon HD 5650 and the weak Turion II P520 manage against a configuration of a standardly clocked Radeon HD 5650 and a midrange CPU from Intel? For this reason, we opted for the 17 inch Acer TravelMate 7740G which represents a rare blend of office and multimedia notebook with its matt display.

Mafia 2

We admit: Remote from the main story, the gangster epic, Mafia 2, is disappointingly empty. Not least for this reason, the publisher, Take 2, has turned on the money taking machine without delay. The first downloadable content (DLC) called "Jimmy's Vendetta" has been released for a fee. Meanwhile, we are happy with the incorporated benchmark of the free demo version. Mafia 2 can be played adequately in the native resolution of 1366x768 even in high details and 16x AF (anisotropic filtering) due to an average frame rate of 31.9 fps. It runs even a bit faster on the TravelMate 7740G in the same settings. 36.8 fps represent a 15% higher performance.

Starcraft 2

A few months, if not years will likely pass until the development legend, Blizzard, will delight its fans with the Zerg campaign for the strategy heavy weight "Starcraft 2". Since the main game's performance varies strongly from one mission to the next, we opted for the demanding intro of the challenge "For the Swarm" as benchmark basis. If Starcraft 2 runs smoothly here, the rest of the game should run smoothly, too. In any case, the Satellite L650D-10H is at the verge of playability in a resolution of 1366x768 and high details. As already Mafia 2, the TravelMate 7740G places itself in front of the Satellite L650D-10H by a whole 15% with 28.0 fps.

Fifa 11

After years of insipid remakes, Electronic Arts is finally back with a playable, visually attractive football simulation again. The graphics are still far behind the technological possibilities, but owners of weaker systems will be delighted about the moderate hardware requirements. Thus, the Satellite L650D-10H can conjure the ball sport very smoothly onto the screen with 64.0 fps in a resolution of 1366x768, high details and 2x AA (antialiasing). The TravelMate 7740G even adds to that with 80.1 fps and outshines the Satellite L650D-10H by a respectable 25%.

Gaming Performance Verdict

Overall, we would classify the Satellite L650D-10H's gaming performance as fairly good. The notebook is usually strong enough to present new tracks in medium to high details smoothly. There is even sometimes still elbowroom for quality enhancements when medium resolutions are used. Thus, the 15 incher is almost unbeatably fast in the price range of around 600 euro. Whilst, the majority of less expensive multimedia notebooks aren't suitable for gaming due to their rather slow graphics units (e.g. Radeon HD 5470), the Satellite L650D-10H is an interesting alternative for price conscious casual gamers.

System Noise

The Satellite L650D-10H barely has to accept reproach in terms of emissions. Merely a slight noise is heard when the notebook is only put under low load. In return, the hard disk attracts attention with a constant, but not (yet) disturbing clacking. In demanding 3D applications, the case fan turns up to a very audible level, but the notebook is never really loud. Beyond that the 15 incher has to be praised for the homogeneous fan noise. Whilst other notebooks frequently alter the speed abruptly during steady load situations, the Satellite L650D-10H's soundscape stays pleasantly constant.

Loudspeakers

The poor sound quality is one of the multimedia notebook's few weaknesses. Both speakers, located above the keyboard, disappoint with a quite muffled sound. It lacks precision, high pitches tend to fray easily. Because there is no subwoofer, the bass is very weak. The moderate maximum volume is another point of criticism. Therefore, you shouldn't forgo on an external sound system if possible. Even cheap stereo loudspeakers have a better sound.

The power consumption doesn't show any irregularities. 14.4 - 22.8 watts in idle mode and 55.4 - 69.2 watts under load are normal for a multimedia notebook of the 15 inch category. Comparably equipped devices, such as Sony's Vaio VPC-EB1S1E/BJ, show similar consumption rates.

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