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Review Toshiba Satellite L70-A-10T Notebook

Haswell allrounder. The Satellite L70-A-10T is another offer for those looking for a general-purpose laptop with 17.3 inch size. The customer gets a Haswell CPU, a GeForce graphics card, a big memory capacity and a full HD screen for about 900 Euro. Our review reveals whether the offer from Toshiba is recommendable.

For the original German review, see here.

With the Satellite L70-A series, Toshiba offers a number of multimedia notebooks for the mainstream market. Our test model features a full HD display. The other components also meet our expectations: the models come with fast processors, gaming capable graphics chips and big storage capacities. We already reviewed the identically equipped 15.6 inch Toshiba Satellite L50-A-10Q (Core i7-4700MQ, GeForce GT 740M). Our review reveals, whether the Satellite L70-A can also convince in practice.

We compared the laptop to MSI's CX70-i740M281W7H (Core i7-4702MQ, GeForce GT 740M) and Acer's Aspire V3-772G (Core i7-4702MQ, GeForce GTX 760M).

Case

Toshiba Satellite L70-A-10T.
Toshiba Satellite L70-A-10T.

The case of the Satellite is completely made from plastics. Apart from the bottom tray and the keys, all surfaces are glossy. Toshiba uses two colors. Palm rests and lid are silver gray with fine, dark gray lines, while the other parts of the case are black. If you appreciate high-end materials, you should consider the Satellite S70-A series. It has nearly the same design as the L70-A series, but the case features metal elements. The latter is also true for the Aspire V3-772G. Alike the Satellite L70-A the MSI is also completely made from plastics.

The base unit is rather stable. Only the part in front of the touchpad can be slightly depressed when finger pressure is applied. The base unit slightly bends from side-to-side twisting. In contrast, the lid can be twisted too easily. But, the pressure resistance of the lid is better. You need to apply strong pressure to produce image distortions. The hinges hold the lid safely in place, but they also slightly wobble after adjusting the opening angle. It is possible to open the notebook with one hand.

Connectivity

All three competitors are on par in connectivity and feature the interfaces usual today including two USB 3.0 ports. As a results copying files from an external hard drive was done quickly. The interface layout of the Satellite is not ideal. On the right side all slots are at the height of the palm rest. The left side houses the optical drive. If many ports are occupied, cables might be in the way of righties using a mouse.

left side: power-in, USB 2.0, DVD burner
left side: power-in, USB 2.0, DVD burner
right side: headphones-out, mic-in, 2x USB 3.0, HDMI, VGA out, Gigabit Ethernet, Kensington security lock slot
right side: headphones-out, mic-in, 2x USB 3.0, HDMI, VGA out, Gigabit Ethernet, Kensington security lock slot
front side: card reader
front side: card reader

Communication

WLAN is provided by a Centrino Wireless-N 2230 from Intel supporting the 802.11 b/g/n standards. We ran into no connectivity issues or random drops during our time with the Satellite. The Windows Wifi status shows full connectivity in the vicinity of the router (3 m distance) and two floors away from it. The Gigabit Ethernet chip stems from Atheros (AR8161/8165). A Bluetooth 4.0 module is also built-in. Images from the web cam (2 MP) look muddy  and have a maximum resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.

Accessories

Other than a quick start poster, a handbook about working securely and comfortably and information about limited warranty, no further accessories are included.

Operating System and Recovery

Windows 8 (64 Bit) is used as operating system. A Windows DVD is not included. So, it is recommended to create recovery DVDs by means of the pre-installed Toshiba Recovery Media Creator. This would allow restoring the system after a hard drive swap. Windows 8 can be replaced by Windows 7 without problems if desired. Toshiba provides drivers for both Windows versions.

It is easy to get to RAM and hard drive.
It is easy to get to RAM and hard drive.

Maintenance

RAM and hard drive are hidden beneath the maintenance hatch. In order to get to the rest of the components, the laptop has to be dismantled. The Satellite features two RAM slots, which are both occupied by a 4 GB module enabling them to work in dual channel mode. The hard drive could be quickly replaced. 2.5 inch hard drives with a height of 7 or 9.5 mm fit in the notebook.

Warranty

The Satellite includes a 12 month warranty - including pick-up service. If you register the laptop with Toshiba, the warranty can be extended to two years free of charge. The CX70 and the Aspire come with two years standard warranty. The warranty of the Satellite can be extended. E. g., three or four years on-site service cost 100 or 150 Euro, respectively.

Input Devices

Keyboard

Toshiba equips the Satellite with a Chiclet keyboard without backlight. The main keys have an effective size of about 15 x 15 mm. The flat, roughened keys have a medium key travel and a clear pressure point. The key resistance could be slightly firmer. The keyboard bounces as you type; this is clearest in the middle of the keyboard. But, it not disturbing. We appreciate the indicator LEDs on caps lock key and num lock key.

Touchpad

The clickpad has a size of 10.7 x 6.7 cm and supports multi-touch gestures. Its smooth surface and  big size make using multi-touch gestures convenient. Each gesture can be separately enabled or disables in the settings. Not all of them are enable ex factory. A clickpad does not have separate mouse buttons as the whole pad is a button. The position of the finger determines, whether a left or a right click is triggered. The clickpad has a short travel and a clearly audible and tactile feedback. The pad can be disabled by clicking the left upper corner. The integrated LED indicates whether the touchpad is active.

The keyboard does not have a light.
The keyboard does not have a light.
The touchpad supports multi-touch gestures.
The touchpad supports multi-touch gestures.

Display

Toshiba equipped the Satellite with a glossy full HD display (1920 x 1080 pixels) with a size of 17.3 inch. The Aspire also comes with a full HD display, while the CX70 features a HD+ display (1600 x 900 pixels). The Satellite has a very good average brightness of 296.7 cd/m². The Aspire (293.7 cd/m²) is on par. The brightness of the MSI (238 cd/m²) is lower, yet still acceptable.

290
cd/m²
282
cd/m²
274
cd/m²
307
cd/m²
317
cd/m²
289
cd/m²
304
cd/m²
315
cd/m²
292
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
AU Optronics B173HW02 V0 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 317 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 296.7 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 86 %
Center on Battery: 317 cd/m²
Contrast: 587:1 (Black: 0.54 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 10.52 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 11.17 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
65.1% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
63.8% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
87.2% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
66.7% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.22
Satellite L70-A-10T vs. sRGB
Satellite L70-A-10T vs. sRGB
Satellite L70-A-10T vs. AdobeRGB
Satellite L70-A-10T vs. AdobeRGB

Contrast (587:1) and black value (0.54 cd/m²) are not outstanding, yet good. The Aspire (837:1, 0.38 cd/m²) performs better, while the CX70 (301:1, 0.84 cd/m²) performs significantly worse than the competitors. The display can neither completely cover sRGB nor AdobeRGB, but it is close to sRGB. These color spaces are e. g. important for professional image editing.

The average DeltaE-2000 deviation of the display is 10.52, which is exceeded in blue and gray levels. This explains why the display is bluish. Only green and yellow green reach the target range (DeltaE smaller than 5).

CalMan - Color Checker
CalMan - Color Checker
CalMan - Gray levels
CalMan - Gray levels
CalMan - Color precision
CalMan - Color precision

Brightness and contrast are sufficient for outdoors. But, you should avoid very bright environments. In addition, you should make sure that the environment is not reflected by the highly reflective screen.

The viewing angles of the TN LED display are significantly wider than most cheap displays'. When viewed from above, the image is still largely readable. The image is only slightly distorted. The distortions are slightly bigger when viewed from below. Moving in horizontal direction does not pose a problem. You can also read the image from the sides, but the image gets darker when the angle increases.

Satellite L70-A: outdoors
Satellite L70-A: outdoors
Satellite L70-A: viewing angles
Satellite L70-A: viewing angles

Performance

With the L70-A-10T Toshiba offers a mid-priced general-purpose 17.3 inch laptop. The computer can run current computer games and its performance is e. g. sufficient for video editing and certainly also low demanding tasks like office, Skype, and watching videos. Our test model currently costs 900 Euro. At the time of testing, two further models of the L70-A series, which both feature an Core i5-3230M processor, were available. The remaining differences to our test model are quickly identified: The L70-A-11Q (about 800 Euro) comes with a 1 TB hard drive, while the L70-A-11M (about 700 Euro) features a 500 GB hard drive and an HD+ display (1600 x 900 pixels).

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
GPU-Z
GPU-Z
HWInfo
System information: Toshiba Satellite L70-A-10T

Processor

The Satellite is powered by a quad core Intel Core i7-4700MQ processor of the Haswell generation. It features a base clock of 2.4 GHz. Thanks to its Turbo technology, the clock rate can be increased to 3.2 GHz (four cores), 3.3 GHz (2 cores) and 3.4 GHz (only one core). The CPU should for example be about 10% faster than its Ivy Bridge predecessor, the Core i7-3630QM. According to Intel, the TDP of the processor is 47 Watt and so 2 Watt higher than the predecessor's.

During the single thread tests of Cinebench, the processors clocks between 3.2 to 3.3 GHz, while the clock rate of all four cores is 3.2 GHz in the multi threading tests. So, the results are as expected. As the Satellite is equipped with the fastest CPU, it performs best. But, the Aspire (Core i7-4702MQ, GeForce GTX 760M) and the CX70 (Core i7-4702MQ, GeForce GT 740M) are only slightly slower than the Toshiba. However, Aspire takes the lead in the GL test of Cinebench R11.5, as it features the fastest graphics card.

Cinebench R10 Rendering Single 32Bit
4983
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 32Bit
18413
Cinebench R10 Shading 32Bit
6828
Cinebench R10 Rendering Single CPUs 64Bit
6594 Points
Cinebench R10 Rendering Multiple CPUs 64Bit
24358 Points
Cinebench R10 Shading 64Bit
6850 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.54 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
6.5 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
41.55 fps
Help
Cinebench R11.5 - OpenGL 64Bit (sort by value)
Toshiba Satellite L70-A-10T
GeForce GT 740M, 4700MQ, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680
41.55 fps
Asus K75DE-TY068H
Radeon HD 7640G + HD 7670M Dual Graphics, A8-4500M, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
17.26 fps -58%
Asus F75VC-TY088H
GeForce GT 720M, 2370M, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
21.45 fps -48%
Toshiba Satellite Pro L870-16P
Radeon HD 7670M, 3210M, Toshiba MK5061GSYN
35.42 fps -15%
MSI CX70-i740M281W7H
GeForce GT 740M, 4702MQ, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0
41.66 fps 0%
Acer Aspire V3-771G
GeForce GT 650M, 3610QM, Intel SSD 320 Series SSDSA2CW120G3
42.37 fps +2%
Acer Aspire V3-771G-736B161TMaii
GeForce GT 650M, 3630QM, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
42.51 fps +2%
Asus N750JV-T4110H
GeForce GT 750M, 4700HQ, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
46.39 fps +12%
Acer Aspire V3-772G-747A321
GeForce GTX 760M, 4702MQ, Toshiba HG5d THNSNH256GMCT
56.5 fps +36%
Cinebench R11.5 - CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Toshiba Satellite L70-A-10T
GeForce GT 740M, 4700MQ, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680
6.5 Points
Asus K75DE-TY068H
Radeon HD 7640G + HD 7670M Dual Graphics, A8-4500M, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
1.7 Points -74%
Asus F75VC-TY088H
GeForce GT 720M, 2370M, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
2.29 Points -65%
Toshiba Satellite Pro L870-16P
Radeon HD 7670M, 3210M, Toshiba MK5061GSYN
2.83 Points -56%
Acer Aspire V3-771G
GeForce GT 650M, 3610QM, Intel SSD 320 Series SSDSA2CW120G3
6.19 Points -5%
MSI CX70-i740M281W7H
GeForce GT 740M, 4702MQ, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0
6.19 Points -5%
Acer Aspire V3-771G-736B161TMaii
GeForce GT 650M, 3630QM, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
6.26 Points -4%
Acer Aspire V3-772G-747A321
GeForce GTX 760M, 4702MQ, Toshiba HG5d THNSNH256GMCT
6.36 Points -2%
Asus N750JV-T4110H
GeForce GT 750M, 4700HQ, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
6.47 Points 0%

System Performance

In general, the system works smoothly. But, it cannot break performance records, because of its only moderately fast hard drive. We would have expected it to use an SSD cache, which supports the hard drive, at least. Nevertheless, the results of the PC Mark tests are very good. The CX70 performs significantly worse than the Toshiba (Core i7-4702MQ, GeForce GT 740M). The Aspire (Core i7-4702MQ, GeForce GTX 760M) takes the lead as it is equipped with a fast SSD.

A general purpose computer like the Satellite indeed requires an SSD. We put one (Crucial RealSSD C300 - 64 GB) in our test model and installed Windows 8 on it. The system boots significantly faster and applications start quicker. In addition, the results of the PCMark benchmarks vastly increased. The PCark 7 rose by about 69 percent to 5572 points, the PCMark Vantage result increased by 130 percent to 18241 points.

5.9
Windows 8 Experience Index
Processor
Calculations per second
7.9
Memory (RAM)
Memory operations per second
7.9
Graphics
Desktop performance for Windows Aero
5.9
Gaming graphics
3D business and gaming graphics
6.6
Primary hard disk
Disk data transfer rate
5.9
PCMark Vantage Result
7939 points
PCMark 7 Score
3294 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated
3540 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated
3407 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated
4386 points
Help
PCMark 7 - Score (sort by value)
Toshiba Satellite L70-A-10T
GeForce GT 740M, 4700MQ, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680
3294 Points
Asus K75DE-TY068H
Radeon HD 7640G + HD 7670M Dual Graphics, A8-4500M, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
1730 Points -47%
Asus F75VC-TY088H
GeForce GT 720M, 2370M, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
2130 Points -35%
Toshiba Satellite Pro L870-16P
Radeon HD 7670M, 3210M, Toshiba MK5061GSYN
2231 Points -32%
MSI CX70-i740M281W7H
GeForce GT 740M, 4702MQ, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0
2491 Points -24%
Acer Aspire V3-771G-736B161TMaii
GeForce GT 650M, 3630QM, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
2770 Points -16%
Asus N750JV-T4110H
GeForce GT 750M, 4700HQ, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
3211 Points -3%
Acer Aspire V3-771G
GeForce GT 650M, 3610QM, Intel SSD 320 Series SSDSA2CW120G3
4160 Points +26%
Acer Aspire V3-772G-747A321
GeForce GTX 760M, 4702MQ, Toshiba HG5d THNSNH256GMCT
5650 Points +72%

Storage Devices

HD Tune
HD Tune
CrystalDiskMark
CrystalDiskMark

Our test model comes with a Travelstar 5K1000 series hard drive from HGST with a capacity of 750 GB and a revolution speed of 5400 rpm. The benchmark results are a mixed bag. CrystalDiskMark reports a sequential read rate of 86.98 MB/s, while HD Tune displays an average transfer rate of 66.5 MB/s. Both are poor values for a 5400 rpm hard drive in 2013. But, the access time of 16.4 ms is good and the results of the 4k read and write tests are above average for a conventional hard drive. Many comparable hard drives perform worse. The 4k read and write rates are important, because most data is stored blocks of 4 kb size.

HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680
Transfer Rate Minimum: 37.4 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 88.1 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 66.5 MB/s
Access Time: 16.4 ms
Burst Rate: 181.3 MB/s
CPU Usage: 0.9 %
CrystalDiskMark 3.0 - Write 4k (sort by value)
Toshiba Satellite L70-A-10T
GeForce GT 740M, 4700MQ, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680
1.2 MB/s
Asus F75VC-TY088H
GeForce GT 720M, 2370M, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
0.513 MB/s -57%
Asus K75DE-TY068H
Radeon HD 7640G + HD 7670M Dual Graphics, A8-4500M, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
0.745 MB/s -38%
Asus N750JV-T4110H
GeForce GT 750M, 4700HQ, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
0.815 MB/s -32%
Acer Aspire V3-771G-736B161TMaii
GeForce GT 650M, 3630QM, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
0.836 MB/s -30%
Toshiba Satellite Pro L870-16P
Radeon HD 7670M, 3210M, Toshiba MK5061GSYN
0.85 MB/s -29%
CrystalDiskMark 3.0 - Read 4k (sort by value)
Toshiba Satellite L70-A-10T
GeForce GT 740M, 4700MQ, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680
0.43 MB/s
Asus F75VC-TY088H
GeForce GT 720M, 2370M, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
0.296 MB/s -31%
Acer Aspire V3-771G-736B161TMaii
GeForce GT 650M, 3630QM, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
0.351 MB/s -18%
Toshiba Satellite Pro L870-16P
Radeon HD 7670M, 3210M, Toshiba MK5061GSYN
0.374 MB/s -13%
Asus K75DE-TY068H
Radeon HD 7640G + HD 7670M Dual Graphics, A8-4500M, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E380
0.435 MB/s +1%
Asus N750JV-T4110H
GeForce GT 750M, 4700HQ, Seagate Momentus ST750LM022 HN-M750MB
0.458 MB/s +7%

Graphics Card

The Satellite features a HD Graphics 4600 graphics core from Intel and Nvidia's GeForce GT 740M GPU. The GeForce graphics chip is used during demanding tasks, while Intel's GPU is used for everyday tasks and on battery. Both GPUs support DirectX 11.1. The GeForce is a mid-range graphics card and its base clock is 980 MHz. The Turbo can increase the clock rate to a maximum of 1058 MHz. The Satellite indeed uses the Turbo. Unfortunately, the GeForce chip cannot use its full potential, because the connection to the video memory is only 64 Bit. The same is true for the MSI CX70.

The Satellite and the CX70 (Core i7-4702MQ, GeForce GT 740M) use the same GPU and achieve about the same results. The results of both computers are within the GPU's usual performance range. As the Aspire (Core i7-4702MQ, GeForce GTX 760M) has a significantly faster graphics core, it delivers the best results.

3DMark 06 Standard Score
10215 points
3DMark Vantage P Result
6669 points
3DMark 11 Performance
1969 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
52421 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
6951 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
1076 points
Help
Toshiba Satellite L70-A-10T
GeForce GT 740M, 4700MQ, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680
MSI CX70-i740M281W7H
GeForce GT 740M, 4702MQ, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0
Acer Aspire V3-772G-747A321
GeForce GTX 760M, 4702MQ, Toshiba HG5d THNSNH256GMCT
3DMark
-1%
65%
1280x720 Ice Storm Standard Score
52421
51473
-2%
79494
52%
1280x720 Cloud Gate Standard Score
6951
6916
-1%
11171
61%
1920x1080 Fire Strike Score
1076
1066
-1%
1971
83%

Gaming Performance

Core i7 processor and GeForce GPU allow to smoothly play current computer games in HD resolution (1366 x 768 pixels) with medium graphics quality. Several relatively undemanding games should also run smoothly with high quality settings. As already mentioned above, the Satellite cannot use its full potential, as the video memory only has a 64 bit connection. In addition, the CPU clock rate fluctuates if the GPU is used simultaneously, which partly decreases the results. E. g. the frame rate of the Satellite is about 11 lower than the very similarly equipped CX70's in Anno 2070.

If gaming capability is important, the Aspire V3-772G is the better choice. It delivers significantly higher frame rates and games often run in full HD. Currently, the model we reviewed costs about 1500 Euro. If you are not satisfied with a conventional 1 TB hard drive and 8 GB RAM, the computer is already available for 999 Euro. If you also spare the Windows OS and the GeForce GTX 760M GPU (GeForce GT 750M is used instead), the Aspire is already available for about 830 Euro.

low med. high ultra
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) 52 35.9 25.1
Anno 2070 (2011) 84.4 46.8 29.6
Tomb Raider (2013) 88.5 43.8 23.3
Toshiba Satellite L70-A-10T
GeForce GT 740M, 4700MQ, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680
MSI CX70-i740M281W7H
GeForce GT 740M, 4702MQ, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0
Acer Aspire V3-772G-747A321
GeForce GTX 760M, 4702MQ, Toshiba HG5d THNSNH256GMCT
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
11%
122%
1280x720 Low Preset
52
57.9
11%
1366x768 Medium Preset AA:4x
35.9
38.8
8%
78
117%
1366x768 High Preset AA:8x AF:8x
25.1
28.7
14%
57
127%

Emissions

System Noise

We measured a noise between 32.1 and 32.2 dB while idle. These values are alright. The Aspire (31.7 to 33.4 dB) is about on par, the CX70 (33.1 to 33.4 dB) is slightly louder. Under medium (3D Mark 06) and full load (stress test: Prime95 and Furmark) the noise of the Satellite only increases to moderate 32.5 and 36.6 dB, respectively. The Aspire (39.4 and 40.6 dB) and especially the CX70 (38.3 and 44.4 dB) are significantly louder.

Noise Level

Idle
32.1 / 32.1 / 32.2 dB(A)
HDD
33.9 dB(A)
DVD
36.6 / dB(A)
Load
32.5 / 36.6 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

The Satellite L70-A-10T during the stress test.
The Satellite L70-A-10T during the stress test.

The surface temperatures of the Satellite are very low while idle. The values of the Aspire and CX70 are slightly higher, yet still alright. The temperatures of the Toshiba only moderately increase under load. 50  °C are only exceeded below the fan. On average the competitors get warmer.

The processor cores run with a clock rate between 2.8 to 3.2 GHz  during the stress test on mains. Again and again, the clock rates of all four cores suddenly fall to 800 MHz. This happens as soon as the processor reaches a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius and it quickly reaches this level, when the cores run with the clock rates mentioned above. The same is true for battery mode. However, the CPU only reaches clock rates between 2.8 to 2.9 GHz here. So, it takes longer until the 100 degrees Celsius level is reached. The graphics core always runs at its full Turbo clock (1058 MHz) in mains operation and on battery.

We reran the 3D Mark 2006 benchmark immediately after the stress test and the Toshiba only achieved about half the result with 5545 points. So, performance drops in games with simultaneous high CPU and GPU load cannot be excluded. The hardware is indeed slightly slower than potentially possible in the tested games.

Max. Load
 26.6 °C
80 F
32.1 °C
90 F
41.3 °C
106 F
 
 26 °C
79 F
35 °C
95 F
40.2 °C
104 F
 
 25.8 °C
78 F
26.2 °C
79 F
36.4 °C
98 F
 
Maximum: 41.3 °C = 106 F
Average: 32.2 °C = 90 F
51.7 °C
125 F
29.1 °C
84 F
26 °C
79 F
38.1 °C
101 F
30.6 °C
87 F
26 °C
79 F
30.1 °C
86 F
30.3 °C
87 F
26.5 °C
80 F
Maximum: 51.7 °C = 125 F
Average: 32 °C = 90 F
Power Supply (max.)  46.7 °C = 116 F | Room Temperature 22.4 °C = 72 F | Voltcraft IR-360
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 32.2 °C / 90 F, compared to the average of 31.2 °C / 88 F for the devices in the class Multimedia.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 41.3 °C / 106 F, compared to the average of 36.9 °C / 98 F, ranging from 21.1 to 71 °C for the class Multimedia.
(-) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 51.7 °C / 125 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.9 °C / 77 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(±) The palmrests and touchpad can get very hot to the touch with a maximum of 36.4 °C / 97.5 F.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-7.6 °C / -13.7 F).

Speakers

The stereo speakers are above the keyboard beneath a perforated grille. Their sound is rich, but it lacks bass. If you place value on a better sound experience, you should use external speakers or headphones.

Energy Management

Power Consumption

We measured a power consumption of 5.5 to 15 Watt while idle, which is alright for the hardware. The Aspire (7.8 to 16.4 Watt) and the CX70 (10 to 16 Watt) demand slightly more energy. Under medium load (3D Mark 06) and full load (stress test: Prime95 and Furmark) the power consumption of the Satellite is only 38.3 and 50 Watt, respectively. These values are significantly lower as the CX70's (63.2 and 81.5 Watt) with nearly identical components. It gets apparent here that the Satellite cannot use its CPU Turbo completely and permanently, while GPU load is high. The energy consumption of the Aspire (82.4 and 85.6 Watt) is also relatively low under full load, as its CPU is also not used to capacity in this scenario.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.1 / 0.2 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 5.5 / 12.1 / 15 Watt
Load midlight 38.3 / 50 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 Life

While idle the Satellite achieves a battery runtime of 8:02 h, which is significantly longer than the Aspire's (5:46 h) and the MSI CX70's (6:49 h). The idle runtime was recorded by the Battery Eater Reader's test with minimum display brightness, energy saving profile and disabled radio modules. Under load the Satellite runs 0:43 h on a single charge. In this scenario, the CX70 (0:56 h) and the Aspire (1:11 h) achieve slightly longer battery runtimes. The load scenario is tested with the Battery Eater Classic test with maximum display brightness, profile "maximum performance" and enabled radio modules.

The WLAN test keeps running for 3:30 h on a single charge. The battery life of the Aspire (3:23 h) and CX70 (3:48 h) only slightly differ from the Satellite's. In this test a script automatically loads web sites every 40 seconds, the energy saving profile is active and the display brightness is set to about 150 cd/m². DVD playback ends after 2:29 h on the Satellite. The CX70 (2:50 h) and the Aspire (2:44 h) perform slightly better. The DVD test is run with energy saving profile (or higher, if the DVD does not play smoothly), maximum display brightness, and disabled radio modules.

The battery life of the three devices can be easily compared, as they have similar battery capacities (Toshiba and Acer: 48 Wh, MSI: 49 Wh).

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
8h 02min
WiFi Surfing
3h 30min
DVD
2h 29min
Load (maximum brightness)
0h 43min

Verdict

Toshiba Satellite L70-A-10T.
Toshiba Satellite L70-A-10T.

The Toshiba Satellite L70-A-10T delivers a very good system performance and an acceptable gaming performance. In addition, it comes with a big storage capacity. The notebook works relatively quietly and its power consumption is comparatively low under load because of temporary CPU throttling. The display belongs to the better TN LED models. Its brightness is good, but it is bluish.

The Acer Aspire V3-772G is better for users demanding more gaming performance. The MSI CX70-i740M281W7H is attractive for users attaching importance to a matte display. In addition, the CX70's maintainability is better. Its processor could be easily replaced.

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In Review: The Toshiba Satellite L70-A-10T, courtesy of:
In Review: The Toshiba Satellite L70-A-10T, courtesy of:

Specifications

Toshiba Satellite L70-A-10T (Satellite L70 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-4700MQ 4 x 2.4 - 3.4 GHz (Intel Core i7)
Graphics adapter
NVIDIA GeForce GT 740M - 2048 MB VRAM, Core: 1058 MHz, Memory: 900 MHz, ForceWare 327.23, Optimus
Memory
8 GB 
, DDR3, dual channel, two RAM slots (both occupied)
Display
17.30 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel, AU Optronics B173HW02 V0, TN LED, glossy: yes
Mainboard
Intel HM86 (Lynx Point)
Storage
HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680, 750 GB 
, 5400 rpm, 655 GB free
Soundcard
Intel Lynx Point PCH - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
1 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 VGA, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: headphones, microphone, Card Reader: SD, MMC
Networking
Atheros AR8161/8165 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Centrino Wireless-N 2230 (b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.0
Optical drive
TSSTcorp CDDVDW SU-208DB
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 31.3 x 413 x 268 ( = 1.23 x 16.26 x 10.55 in)
Battery
48 Wh Lithium-Ion, 10.8 V, 4200 mAh, Battery runtime (according to manufacturer): 240 h
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 8 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: 2 MP (max. 1920 x 1080 pixels)
Additional features
Speakers: stereo, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: no, McAfee Internet Security (trial version), Microsoft Office 365 (trial version), Toshiba Video Player, 12 Months Warranty
Weight
2.8 kg ( = 98.77 oz / 6.17 pounds), Power Supply: 631 g ( = 22.26 oz / 1.39 pounds)
Price
999 Euro

 

The DVD burner reads and writes any kind of DVD and CD.
The DVD burner reads and writes any kind of DVD and CD.
A number pad is available.
A number pad is available.
The hinges...
The hinges...
...hold the lid safely in place.
...hold the lid safely in place.
Opened maintenance hatch.
Opened maintenance hatch.
Two RAM slots are available.
Two RAM slots are available.
It is easy to replace the hard drive.
It is easy to replace the hard drive.
You can get to the BIOS battery.
You can get to the BIOS battery.
The DVD burner can be replaced.
The DVD burner can be replaced.
The power adapter weighs about 631 gram...
The power adapter weighs about 631 gram...
...and delivers a maximum of 120 Watt.
...and delivers a maximum of 120 Watt.
The battery weighs about 296 gram...
The battery weighs about 296 gram...
...and has a capacity of 48 Wh.
...and has a capacity of 48 Wh.
The key travel is medium.
The key travel is medium.
The speakers are above the keyboard.
The speakers are above the keyboard.
The performance of the notebook is high.
The performance of the notebook is high.
The power button is surrounded by an illuminated ring.
The power button is surrounded by an illuminated ring.
Outdoors
Outdoors
Toshiba includes several apps.
Toshiba includes several apps.
Recovery DVDs can be created with the Recovery Media Creator.
Recovery DVDs can be created with the Recovery Media Creator.
The Health Monitor shows whether the notebook works flawlessly.
The Health Monitor shows whether the notebook works flawlessly.
If you register the notebook with Toshiba, you can extend the warranty to two years.
If you register the notebook with Toshiba, you can extend the warranty to two years.

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Links

Compare Prices

Pros

+good system performance
+gaming capable
+big storage capacity
+bright fullHD screen
+low energy consumption
+relatively quietly
 

Cons

-temporary CPU throttling under load
-bluish screen
-64 bit connection of video memory

Shortcut

What we like

the decent system performance and the bright full HD display.

What we would like to see

a faster hard drive or an SSD cache would be great.

What surprises us

Toshiba only connects the video memory via 64 bit interface, which slightly decreases the graphics performance. We expected more from a 900 Euro notebook.

The competition

MSI CX70-i740M281W7H, Acer Aspire V3-772G, Asus N750JV-T4110H, Acer Aspire V3-771G, Asus F75VC-TY088H, Asus K75DE, Fujitsu Lifebook N532-0M3501DE, Toshiba Satellite Pro L870-16P

Rating

Toshiba Satellite L70-A-10T - 04/15/2014 v4(old)
Sascha Mölck

Chassis
59 / 98 → 60%
Keyboard
62%
Pointing Device
56%
Connectivity
64 / 81 → 79%
Weight
58 / 20-67 → 81%
Battery
72%
Display
72%
Games Performance
76 / 85 → 89%
Application Performance
67 / 92 → 73%
Temperature
78%
Noise
90 / 95 → 95%
Audio
50%
Camera
42 / 85 → 49%
Average
65%
71%
Multimedia - Weighted Average
Sascha Mölck, 2013-10- 4 (Update: 2021-05-18)