Toshiba Satellite A500 Series
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo P7350, Intel Core 2 Duo P7450, Intel Core 2 Duo P8700, Intel Core 2 Duo T6600Graphics Adapter: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650, NVIDIA GeForce G210M, NVIDIA GeForce GT 230M
Display: 16.00 inch, 16.40 inch
Weight: 2.8kg, 3kg, 3.15kg, 3.17kg
Price: 700, 750, 800, 1000, 1200, 1300 euro
Average of 20 scores (from 21 reviews)
Toshiba Satellite A500-11U
Specifications
Notebook: Toshiba Satellite A500-11UProcessor: Intel Core 2 Duo P8700
Graphics Adapter: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650
Display: 16.00 inch, 16:9, 1366 x 768 pixels
Weight: 3kg
Price: 1300 euro
Links: Toshiba homepage Toshiba notebook section Satellite A500-11U (Model)
Pricecompare
Average Score:
Reviews
Source: CNet Archive.org version
The Toshiba Satellite A500 is a budget laptop aimed at those who don't earn a banker's salary but still want a machine that will let them watch movies, listen to music and play the odd game. There are two versions available: the A500-17X and the A500-19X. There's not a great deal wrong with the Toshiba Satellite A500. It's pretty fast, relatively affordable and very solidly built. Give it a gander if you're looking for a decent multimedia machine with plenty of features
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 11/12/2009
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: Trusted Reviews Archive.org version
Minor fit and finish issues aside, the Toshiba Satellite A500-11U is a cracking desktop replacement laptop. It'll gobble up CPU intensive tasks and games with aplomb, while the addition of a TV tuner and ample storage space makes it perfect for people short on space. We'd like to have had a 64-bit OS to go with the prodigious processing power, but it's still a system well worth recommending.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 10/16/2009
Rating: Total score: 90% price: 90% performance: 90% features: 90% mobility: 50%
Source: Tech Advisor Archive.org version
It's a 16in notebook and weighs 3kg, so the Toshiba Satellite A500 will be a little awkward to lug to and from work or the classroom, and it will only just fit into a modest-sized backpack. However, that's to be expected from a notebook designed to reside on a desk. The Toshiba Satellite A500 is a fully featured notebook that's perfect as a desktop replacement, and even as a media hub for your lounge room. It's big, so you won't want to lug it around with you, but it's stylish, so you will want to show it to your friends.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 09/08/2009
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Pocket Lint Archive.org version
Toshiba’s Satellite A500 marks a new direction for the brand, with excellent multimedia capabilities more in line with the company’s Qosmio range than regular Satellite models. Along with raw power, it’s also stylish, comfortable and well made. It’s a shame that the Satellite A500 centre doesn’t provide a higher resolution screen, but overall it’s an excellent choice, offering great performance and impressive value for money. The backlit keyboard makes it a comfortable proposition, and good quality means it’s also a machine you’ll be able to use on a daily basis. If you’re looking for a mid-sized media centre, and this is within your budget, then it comes highly recommended.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/27/2009
Rating: Total score: 80%
Foreign Reviews
Source: PC Magazin - 2/2010
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 01/01/2010
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: PC Welt DE→EN Archive.org version
User Review, online available, Medium, Date: 12/17/2009
Rating: Total score: 73% price: 80% performance: 89% features: 100% mobility: 22% ergonomy: 44%
Source: c't - 21/09
Comparison, , Very Long, Date: 10/01/2009
Rating: performance: 80% features: 80% display: 80% mobility: 40% ergonomy: 70% emissions: 80%
Source: PC Welt DE→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 09/22/2009
Rating: Total score: 66% price: 80% performance: 82% features: 89% mobility: 10% ergonomy: 31%
Toshiba Satellite A500-15H
Specifications
Notebook: Toshiba Satellite A500-15HProcessor: Intel Core 2 Duo P7350
Graphics Adapter: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650 1024 MB
Display: 16.00 inch, 16:9, 1366 x 768 pixels
Weight: 3.17kg
Price: 1000 euro
Links: Toshiba homepage Toshiba notebook section
Pricecompare
Average Score:
Reviews
Multimedia Notebook with Gaming Ambitions. The Toshiba A500-15H is especially aiming at movie fans with its 165 inch HD-display in a cinematic-friendly 16:9 format and its over dimensional Harman/Kardon loudspeakers. The A500-15H promises a good gaming performance at the same time, as it's been fitted with an ATI Mobility Radeon HD4650. Read in this comprehensive review if this straddle can be achieved.
Source: Good Gear Guide Archive.org version
Toshiba's Satellite A500 (PSAM3A-03P00E) is packed with features that not only make it a suitable desktop replacement notebook but also a credible home entertainment hub. The Toshiba Satellite A500 (PSAM3A-03P00E) is a fully featured notebook that's perfect as a desktop replacement, and even as a media hub for your lounge room. It's big, so you won't want to lug it around with you, but it's stylish, so you will want to show it to your friends.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 09/03/2009
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Good Gear Guide Archive.org version
Toshiba's Satellite A500 (PSAM3A-03P00E) is packed with features that not only make it a suitable desktop replacement notebook but also a credible home entertainment hub. The Toshiba Satellite A500 (PSAM3A-03P00E) is a fully featured notebook that's perfect as a desktop replacement, and even as a media hub for your lounge room. It's big, so you won't want to lug it around with you, but it's stylish, so you will want to show it to your friends.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 09/03/2009
Rating: Total score: 80%
Foreign Reviews
Source: T-Online DE→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 09/28/2009
Rating: Total score: 66% price: 80% performance: 82% features: 89% mobility: 10% ergonomy: 31%
Source: T-Online DE→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 09/28/2009
Rating: Total score: 66% price: 80% performance: 82% features: 89% mobility: 10% ergonomy: 31%
Source: Notebookcheck DE→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 09/27/2009
Rating: Total score: 81% performance: 86% display: 70% mobility: 64% workmanship: 90% ergonomy: 85% emissions: 81%
Source: Notebookcheck DE→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 09/27/2009
Rating: Total score: 81% performance: 86% display: 70% mobility: 64% workmanship: 90% ergonomy: 85% emissions: 81%
Toshiba Satellite A500-14H
Specifications
Notebook: Toshiba Satellite A500-14HProcessor: Intel Core 2 Duo P8700
Graphics Adapter: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650
Display: 16.40 inch, 16:9, 1366 x 768 pixels
Weight: 3.15kg
Price: 1200 euro
Links: Toshiba homepage Toshiba notebook section
Pricecompare
Average Score:
Reviews
Source: PC Pro Archive.org version
With budget laptops offering more and more for ever-diminishing prices, mid-priced models are having to work pretty hard to justify their existence. After all, when you can get a perfectly capable portable for under £400 exc VAT, then there seems little reason to spend more on the likes of the new Toshiba Satellite A500. Toshiba's latest portable boasts all-new design and a keen price, but it's when playing movies and games that it shines.
Single Review, online available, Length Unknown, Date: 09/17/2009
Rating: Total score: 67% price: 83% performance: 67%
Foreign Reviews
Source: Notebookjournal DE→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 09/08/2009
Rating: Total score: 80% price: 70% performance: 60% features: 70% display: 40% mobility: 30% workmanship: 70% ergonomy: 70%
Source: Computer Totaal NL→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 12/17/2009
Rating: Total score: 78% price: 80% performance: 89% features: 100% mobility: 22% ergonomy: 44%
Toshiba Satellite A500-19X
Specifications
Notebook: Toshiba Satellite A500-19XProcessor: Intel Core 2 Duo T6600
Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce G210M
Display: 16.00 inch, 16:9, 1366 x 768 pixels
Weight: 2.8kg
Price: 700 euro
Links: Toshiba homepage Toshiba notebook section
Pricecompare
Average Score:
Reviews
Source: Pocket Lint Archive.org version
Where the last Satellite A500 we reviewed - the A500-11U - lost out due to the same 1366 x 768 pixel resolution, at around £400 cheaper it’s no longer such a consideration for the A500-19X. Sure, the A500 would still benefit from a higher pixel count, but if you're on the lookout for a semi-portable media centre with enough power to play the latest games, then the excellent quality and decent specification make this a difficult machine to ignore.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 12/14/2009
Rating: Total score: 80%
Toshiba Satellite A500-12W
Specifications
Notebook: Toshiba Satellite A500-12WProcessor: Intel Core 2 Duo P8700
Graphics Adapter: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650
Display: 16.00 inch, 16:9, 1366 x 768 pixels
Weight: 3kg
Price: 800 euro
Links: Toshiba homepage Toshiba notebook section
Pricecompare
Average Score:
Foreign Reviews
Source: Notebook.cz CZ→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 04/06/2010
Rating: emissions: 40%
Source: HwT DA→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 12/12/2009
Rating: Total score: 70% price: 60% performance: 80% features: 70%
Toshiba Satellite A500-17X
Specifications
Notebook: Toshiba Satellite A500-17XProcessor: Intel Core 2 Duo P7450
Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce GT 230M
Display: 16.00 inch, 16:9, 1366 x 768 pixels
Weight: 2.8kg
Price: 750 euro
Links: Toshiba homepage Toshiba notebook section Satellite A500-17X (Model)
Pricecompare
Average Score:
Reviews
Source: Techradar Archive.org version
An affordable media laptop, offering a great blend of performance and HD features. Toshiba's Satellite A500-17X is the company's mid-level multimedia machine, offering similar features and performance to its high-end Qosmio range at a more affordable price. 3D and office performance is excellent, and there's also a good range of features on offer. You should look elsewhere if HD playback is a priority, however.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/25/2010
Rating: Total score: 80%
Comment
Toshiba: Toshiba Corporation is a Japanese conglomerate or technology group. The company was established in 1939 and in 1978 Toshiba became the official company name. The company's products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, elevators and escalators, electronic components, semiconductors, hard drives, printers, batteries, lighting, logistics and information technology. Toshiba was one of the largest manufacturers of personal computers, consumer electronics, home appliances and medical equipment.
Non demanding games should be playable with these graphics cards.
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4650: The Mobility HD 4650 is based on the Desktop 4650 architecture, but features a lower clock rate of memory and core. Depending on the core clock (450-550MHz possible) and the used memory (DDR2, DDR3, GDDR3 with 600-800 MHz possible) the mobile 4650 can show a different performance. The current consumption of the chip alone ranges from 15-25W. Features Avivo HD video features.
NVIDIA GeForce GT 230M: The GeForce GT 230M features 48 shader cores as the 9700M GTS but only a 64 bit memory bus. Because of the 40nm process the power consumption is in the region of the GT 130M.
Only some 3D games with very low demands are playable with these cards.
NVIDIA GeForce G210M: The GeForce G210M is the successor of the G110M and also possesses 16 shader cores. Because of the 40nm process, the chip is clocked much higher but is still staying in the same power envelope.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
Intel Core 2 Duo: This is the Core Duo and Core Solo successor with a longer pipeline and 5-20% more speed without more power consumption. As an addition to the Core Duo design there exists a fourth decoder, an amplified SSE-unit and an additional arithmetical logical unit (ALU).
The Core 2 Duo for laptops is identical to the desktop Core 2 Duo processors but the notebook-processors work with lower voltages (0.95 to 1188 Volt) and a lower Frontside bus clock (1066 vs 667 MHz). The performance of equally clocked notebooks is 20-25% lower than Desktop PCs because of the lower Frontside bus clock and the slower hard disks.
P8700:
Mid-range dual core processor with 3 MB level 3 cache and a TDP of 25 Watt.
P7350:
Entry level Core 2 Duo processor with 3 MB Level 2 Cache and due to the 25 Watt TDP also suited for 13" laptops.
T6600: Entry level Core 2 Duo dual core processor with a small 2MB level 2 cache and without virtualization functions.
P7450: Entry level Core 2 Duo processor with 3 MB Level 2 Cache and due to the 25 Watt TDP also suited for 13" laptops.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.
16.00:
This range for display formats was and is a rarity. It is larger than the general standard of 15 inches, but not yet in the range of large workstations. One usually has higher screen resolutions available, but portability suffers from that.
» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.
2.8 kg:
With this weight, a laptop is rather heavier than average. Devices in this range shine more with screen size and performance than with mobility.
3.17 kg:
A laptop with this weight is comparatively heavy and less designed for mobility than for use at the desk. Therefore, the devices tend to shine less with battery life than with a large screen and higher performance.
76.1%: This rating is not earth-shattering. This rating must actually be seen as average, since there are about as many devices with worse ratings as better ones. A purchase recommendation can only be seen with a lot of goodwill, unless it is about websites that generally rate strictly.
» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.