Review Toshiba Satellite M50D-A-10K Notebook

We criticized the sharp edges on the top side of the Satellite M50-A-11L's base unit. It seemed the test device had slipped through quality control. The M50D-A-10K has this flaw to a lesser extent. So, it got a slightly better case sub-rating. However, the edges of the M50D are also not completely rounded.

Although the Satellite M50D-A-10K features the same panel as the M50-A-11L, the measurement values are slightly different. This is normal. Two identical displays never bring completely the same measurements. Furthermore, there are measurement errors. Overall, the displays of the two Satellite models cannot really convince. They are not especially bright and have a low contrast.

The Satellite is a slim 15.6-inch office notebook. Its CPU performance is sufficient for everyday tasks like office, surfing, Skype, and watching videos. Currently, our test model costs about 500 Euros (~$677). In addition, we found two further models. The M50D-A-103 comes with a 500 GB hard drive and costs 500 Euros (~$677) too. The M50D-A10D features an A4-5000 APU, 4 GB of RAM and a 500 GB hard drive for about 450 Euros (~$609).

If you require a higher CPU performance, you should select a model of the M50-A series. They use Haswell CPUs and GeForce GT 740M graphics cores. The cheapest model of this series is the Satellite M50-A-113 with Core i3-4010U, 4 GB of RAM and a 750 GB hard drive for currently about 600 Euros (~$812).

With the A6-5200M APU, Toshiba equipped the Satellite with a model of the current Kabini generation. The CPU part of the APU is a quad-core CPU with a clock rate of 2 GHz. It does not feature a Turbo. With a TDP of 25 Watt, it comes in between standard mobile APUs (about 35 Watt) and ULV APUs (about 15 Watt).

On battery as well as in mains operation, the processor always runs at maximum clock rate (2 GHz) during the CPU tests of the Cinebench benchmarks. In the multi-thread tests, the Satellite can keep up with the Aspire (AMD A8-5557M, Radeon HD 8550G + HD 8750M Dual Graphics). But, the processor of the Aspire could have achieved better results if its four cores had clocked with 2.8 GHz. However, the cooling system of the Aspire was not sufficient. So, the cores only clocked at between 2.1 to 2.4 GHz. Neither competitor can keep up with the Pavilion (Core i5-4200U, HD Graphics 4400). The Haswell Core i5 processor is significantly better. The Aspire took the lead in the GL tests. On battery, the result is slightly lower, as the GPU only clocks at 400 MHz.

The AMD is about on par with the Core i3-4010U (1.7 GHz, ULV, Haswell) in multi-threaded tasks. The big weakness of the AMD CPU is its single thread performance. It cannot keep up with the mentioned Core i3 in this scenario and is only about on par with the Pentium 967 (1.3 GHz, ULV, Sandy Bridge).

The Satellite is not really gaming-capable. Several games run smoothly in low resolution and low quality. Undemanding games including Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and various representatives of the FIFA series also run smoothly in native resolution and with higher quality settings.

If you generally like the M50D-A, but want to regularly play games, you could select one of the M50-A models. Haswell processor and GeForce GT 740M GPU ensure that most of the games can be played. The cheapest model of the M50-A series is available for 600 Euros (~$812). If 500 Euros (~$677) should not be exceeded, the Aspire V5-552G is another alternative. If you want an Intel CPU, the Acer Aspire E1-572G (Core i5-4200U, Radeon HD 8750M) is a good choice. It also only costs 500 Euros (~$677).

System Noise

While idle, the computer works quietly most of the time. Only a permanent fan noise is audible and the noise level is between 33.8 and 35.1 dB. However, these values are too high for a simple office notebook. The Aspire (29.8 to 32.8 dB) and the Pavilion (31.2 to 31.7 dB) are quieter. Under medium (3DMark06) and full load (stress test: Prime95 and Furmark) the Satellite gets really loud and the noise increases to 42.1 and 43.4 dB. The Pavilion (34.1 and 35.8 dB) and the Aspire (39.8 and 42.6 dB) perform better again.

In particular, the fan of the Satellite sticks out negatively. It permanently whistles at higher revolution speeds and the user will get annoyed quickly. This whistling is also audible during everyday tasks and gaming.

While idle, the battery of the Satellite is empty after 9:23 h and comes in slightly below the Pavilion (10:04 h) and the Aspire (10:15 h). We test the idle runtime with the Battery Eater Reader's test with minimum display brightness, energy saving profile and disabled radio modules. Under load the M50D shuts down after 1:35 h. The Aspire (1:36 h) and the Pavilion (1:38 h) are about on par. We test the load scenario with the Battery Eater Classic test with maximum display brightness, profile "maximum performance" and enabled radio modules,

The Wi-Fi test ends after 4:16 h on the Satellite. The Pavilion (4:50 h) and the Aspire (5:09 h) have a longer battery life here. During this test an automatic script loads websites in 40 second intervals. The energy saving profile is selected and the display brightness is set to about 150 cd/m². We tested how long a video keeps running on battery by playing the short film Big Buck Bunny (H.264 coding, 1920x1080 pixels) in a loop. The energy saving profile is selected, the radio modules are deactivated, and the display brightness is set to 150 cd/m². The Satellite lasts 4:24 h. The Aspire (4:21 h) is on par again. We did not run this test on the Pavilion.

The CPU performance of the Toshiba Satellite M50D-A-10K is sufficient for simple tasks like surfing, Skype, writing, and watching videos. The big hard drive offers a lot of space for personal data and works quite fast. Furthermore, the buyer gets a decent keyboard and might appreciate the warranty of two years. But, there are also points of critique. The M50D only features a rather dark, low-contrast display. That the fan whistles under load is almost a knock-out criterion. Furthermore, we feel that the price is slightly too high. The Satellite performs worse than the two equally expensive competitors. Both of them deliver a higher processing performance.

The Acer Aspire V5-552G is a good choice if a slim, affordable, and gaming-capable notebook is required. Despite its higher processing performance, the Aspire also performs slightly better than the Satellite in battery life. Furthermore, the Aspire's case is partly made from metal. If you like the Aspire, but need even more CPU performance, you could select the identical Aspire V5-573G with Core i5-4200U, GeForce GT 750M, and matte full HD display for 600 Euros (~$812). However, a Windows OS is not included.

Among our three comparison devices, the Hewlett Packard Pavilion 15-n005sg has the best CPU performance. If this is a criterion, the Pavilion is the best choice. In addition, it is the only one of the three notebooks with an optical drive.