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MagyarToshiba Satellite C50D-B-125 Notebook Review
For the original German review, see here.
We've already reviewed two notebooks from Toshiba's C50 line, the Satellite C50-A-1JU and the Satellite C50D-A-10E. Now we have a third model in our hands: The Satellite C50D-B-125. The "B" in the model name indicates that this is a revised model. At first glance, the "A" and "B" models look very alike. But upon closer inspection, there are a number of differences. Can the C50D-B-125 outshine its predecessor? Read our review to find out.
The Satellite's competition consists of inexpensive 15.6-inch notebooks manufactured by other companies, for instance the HP 355 G2, the Dell Inspiron 15-3531, and the Lenovo B50-45.
Case & Connectivity
The Satellite's entire case is constructed out of matte black plastic. The back side of the lid and the top of the base unit are textured: Dotted parallel lines are stamped in the plastic. Compared to its predecessor models from the C50-A-/C50D-A series, the C50D-B has lost several millimeters of thickness and proves to be substantially slimmer. On the underside of the computer, Toshiba keeps up the practice of slimming down: The maintenance hatch built into the predecessor models has disappeared. Even so, the C50D-B's battery can still be removed. In order to do that, however, the user has to remove two screws. The notebook's stability and manufacturing quality are normal for a device in this price class.
The Satellite is outfitted with today's usual ports and connections -- the computer doesn't have any surprises in store here. Of the three USB ports, only one runs at USB 3.0 speed. A notebook on today's market ought to have at least two USB 3.0 ports. Windows 8.1 (64 bit) serves as the Satellite's operating system. There is no recovery DVD included in the packaging. The computer can also run Windows 7 -- all the necessary drivers are available on Toshiba's website.
Input Devices
The Satellite is equipped with an unlit chiclet keyboard. The notebook's predecessor models were equipped with block keyboards. The chiclet keyboard's slightly roughened keys have a short travel length and a clear click point. The right side of the keyboard sinks a little during typing, but not enough to be bothersome. All in all, the C50D-B's keyboard is reasonably good. The Satellite's multitouch-capable touchpad measures about 8.1 x 5.4 cm (~3.2 x 2.1 inches). The pad is level with the palm rest, rather than being set slightly lower. Fingers glide easily across the pad, even with its roughened surface. Multitouch gestures don't present any problems for the pad. The two mouse keys have a short travel length and a clear click point.
Display
The Toshiba computer's reflective 15.6-inch display offers a native resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. At 206 cd/m², the panel's brightness level is normal for a notebook in this price range. The screen's contrast (728:1) and black value (0.32 cd/m²) are above average for their class and can even be described as good.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 80 %
Center on Battery: 233 cd/m²
Contrast: 728:1 (Black: 0.32 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 7.65 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.95
ΔE Greyscale 10.15 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
48% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
54.2% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
74.5% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
53.7% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.32
| Toshiba Satellite C50D-B-125 Radeon R3 (Mullins/Beema), A4-6210, Toshiba MQ01ABF050 | HP 355 G2 Radeon R5 M240, A8-6410, Toshiba MQ01ABF050 | Lenovo B50-45 (MCD2GGE) Radeon R2 (Mullins/Beema/Carrizo-L), E1-6010, Seagate Momentus Thin 320 GB ST320LT012 | Lenovo B50-45 Radeon R4 (Beema), A6-6310, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142 | Dell Inspiron 15-3531 HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2830, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142 | Acer Extensa 2510-34Z4 HD Graphics 4400, 4030U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX | HP 15-g005ng Radeon R5 (Beema/Carrizo-L), A8-6410, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680 | Asus X551MAV-SX391B HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2830, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142 | Acer Extensa 2509-C052 HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2930, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142 | Acer Aspire E1-572-34014G50Dnkk HD Graphics 4400, 4010U, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142 | Acer Aspire E1-532 HD Graphics (Haswell), 2955U, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | -32% | -27% | -31% | -23% | -18% | 5% | -16% | 1% | -18% | ||
| Display P3 Coverage | 53.7 | 35.1 -35% | 37.98 -29% | 35.74 -33% | 40.02 -25% | 42.39 -21% | 54.2 1% | 43.6 -19% | 53.7 0% | 42.77 -20% | |
| sRGB Coverage | 74.5 | 52.9 -29% | 57.1 -23% | 53.8 -28% | 59.3 -20% | 63.7 -14% | 81.6 10% | 65.2 -12% | 76.1 2% | 63.4 -15% | |
| AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage | 54.2 | 36.26 -33% | 39.24 -28% | 36.92 -32% | 41.5 -23% | 43.8 -19% | 56 3% | 45.09 -17% | 55.1 2% | 44.24 -18% | |
| Screen | -62% | -11% | -17% | -53% | -32% | -15% | -15% | -16% | -29% | -12% | |
| Brightness middle | 233 | 211 -9% | 238 2% | 192 -18% | 219 -6% | 190 -18% | 204 -12% | 221 -5% | 188 -19% | 186 -20% | 239 3% |
| Brightness | 206 | 213 3% | 230 12% | 191 -7% | 195 -5% | 183 -11% | 201 -2% | 203 -1% | 177 -14% | 198 -4% | 218 6% |
| Brightness Distribution | 80 | 78 -2% | 93 16% | 86 8% | 81 1% | 89 11% | 88 10% | 85 6% | 87 9% | 83 4% | 85 6% |
| Black Level * | 0.32 | 1.21 -278% | 0.43 -34% | 0.37 -16% | 1.16 -263% | 0.7 -119% | 0.33 -3% | 0.75 -134% | 0.45 -41% | 0.54 -69% | 0.55 -72% |
| Contrast | 728 | 174 -76% | 553 -24% | 519 -29% | 189 -74% | 271 -63% | 618 -15% | 295 -59% | 418 -43% | 344 -53% | 435 -40% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 7.65 | 13.28 -74% | 9.96 -30% | 11.03 -44% | 10.27 -34% | 10.18 -33% | 11.56 -51% | 5.61 27% | 8.65 -13% | 12.81 -67% | 7.57 1% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 10.15 | 13.28 -31% | 10.33 -2% | 11.59 -14% | 11.85 -17% | 10.62 -5% | 13 -28% | 6.55 35% | 9.63 5% | 13.13 -29% | 8.82 13% |
| Gamma | 2.32 95% | 2.52 87% | 2.27 97% | 2.3 96% | 2.17 101% | 2.31 95% | 2.78 79% | 2.79 79% | 2.39 92% | 3.32 66% | 2.63 84% |
| CCT | 10497 62% | 17759 37% | 12201 53% | 13897 47% | 13649 48% | 12766 51% | 15255 43% | 8018 81% | 11214 58% | 7269 89% | 10317 63% |
| Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998) | 48 | 34 -29% | 36 -25% | 34 -29% | 38 -21% | 40 -17% | 52 8% | 42 -12% | 50.41 5% | 41.3 -14% | |
| Total Average (Program / Settings) | -47% /
-54% | -19% /
-15% | -17% /
-17% | -42% /
-47% | -28% /
-30% | -17% /
-16% | -5% /
-10% | -16% /
-16% | -14% /
-21% | -15% /
-14% |
* ... smaller is better
Straight out of the factory, the display's average DeltaE 2000 deviation falls at 7.65. This number is a little better than we usually see for displays in this price range (DeltaE: 10 to 12). The target DeltaE deviation is less than 3. Despite its above average result here, the display still has a blue cast.
Toshiba outfitted their Satellite with a TN panel. As a result, the screen content only looks correct from certain angles. The notebook can be used outdoors as long as the environment isn't too bright. If the area is too sunny, the panel's reflective surface and the low display brightness will make it very difficult to see the screen content.
Performance
The Satellite C50D-B-125 is a simple 15.6-inch office notebook. Its performance is sufficient to run all the usual office and internet-related applications. Our test device is currently available for about 410 Euros (~$485). Toshiba also offers a number of versions of the device with different hardware.
Processor
The Satellite runs on an AMD A4-6210 APU (Beema). The APU's processor has four cores and runs at 1.8 GHz. There is no turbo. At a TDP of 15 Watts, the CPU is on par with Intel's Haswell ULV processors, though its Intel counterparts offer considerably better performance. The AMD processor's benchmark results line it up with quad-core Bay Trail processors. The processor completed the Cinebench benchmark tests at full speed (1.8 GHz) in both AC power mode and battery mode.
| Sunspider - 1.0 Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Toshiba Satellite C50D-B-125 | |
| HP 355 G2 | |
| Lenovo B50-45 (MCD2GGE) | |
| Dell Inspiron 15-3531 | |
| Asus X551MAV-SX391B | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
| Toshiba Satellite C50D-B-125 | |
| HP 355 G2 | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total (sort by value) | |
| Toshiba Satellite C50D-B-125 | |
| HP 355 G2 | |
| Peacekeeper - --- (sort by value) | |
| Toshiba Satellite C50D-B-125 | |
| HP 355 G2 | |
* ... smaller is better
System Performance
The system is stable and runs fluidly, though it won't win any awards for speed. The Satellite's score in the PC Mark 7 benchmark is unsurprising. The number is what we'd expect of a computer with this hardware platform and more or less on par with quad-core Bay Trail notebooks. We aren't able to present results from PC Mark 8, due to the fact that the system crashed in the middle of each of the benchmark's tests and forced the PC to reboot.
| PCMark 7 Score | 1663 points | |
Help | ||
Storage Devices
One of Toshiba's own hard drives serves as the device's mass storage medium. The drive has a capacity of 500 GB and runs at 5400 RPM. CrystalDiskMark recorded a read speed of 87.24 MB/s. HD Tune registered an average transfer rate of 87.7 MB/s. These are normal numbers for a 5400 RPM hard drive.
Graphics Card
AMD's Radeon R3 (Mullins/Beema) graphics core is responsible for the system's graphics tasks. The GPU supports DirectX 11.2 and runs at speeds of up to 600 MHz. While the Satellite's processor is on par with quad-core Bay Trail processors in terms of performance, its graphics core is substantially stronger than Bay Trail graphics cores. The results in the 3D Mark benchmarks place the core between Intel's HD Graphics 4200 and HD Graphics 4400 cores. A second working memory module wouldn't improve the system's graphics performance, as the APU's memory controller only supports single-channel mode.
| 3DMark 06 Standard Score | 4010 points | |
| 3DMark 11 Performance | 688 points | |
| 3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score | 23939 points | |
| 3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score | 2291 points | |
| 3DMark Fire Strike Score | 427 points | |
Help | ||
| 3DMark 06 - 1280x1024 Standard Score AA:0x AF:0x (sort by value) | |
| Toshiba Satellite C50D-B-125 | |
| HP 355 G2 | |
| Lenovo B50-45 (MCD2GGE) | |
| Acer Aspire E1-532 | |
| Toshiba Satellite C50-A-1JU | |
| Toshiba Satellite C50D-A-10E | |
Gaming Performance
The APU at work in the Satellite manages to fluidly render some computer games at low resolution and low quality settings. The system should be capable of running older games and games with low hardware demands at higher settings. Overall, for a notebook that costs 410 Euros (~$485), the Satellite's gaming performance isn't extraordinary. The HP 355 G2 costs 40 Euros less (~$45 less) and fluidly renders a considerably wider variety of games. We encourage those who want to play games on a regular basis to look for a notebook that has a GeForce 840M graphics core or better. The HP Pavilion 15-p008ng, for example, is relatively reasonably priced and is equipped with a matte Full HD display. The Pavilion is currently available for about 580 Euros (~$680).
| low | med. | high | ultra | |
| Diablo III (2012) | 38.7 | 24.7 | 19.8 | |
| Hitman: Absolution (2012) | 15.6 | 12.1 | 5.8 | |
| Dead Space 3 (2013) | 43.7 | 19.5 | 15.5 | |
| Tomb Raider (2013) | 31.7 | 15.9 | 10.8 | |
| StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm (2013) | 66.6 | 27 | 14.9 | |
| BioShock Infinite (2013) | 30.4 | 15.5 | 13.3 | |
| The Bureau: XCOM Declassified (2013) | 18.8 | 11.5 | 8.1 | |
| Total War: Rome II (2013) | 26.5 | 19.2 | 15.3 | |
| Batman: Arkham Origins (2013) | 32 | 18 | 9 | |
| Battlefield 4 (2013) | 20.2 | 14.7 | 10.1 | |
| X-Plane 10.25 (2013) | 17.8 | 10.7 | 5.1 | |
| Thief (2014) | 9.6 | 7 | 5.8 | |
| Wolfenstein: The New Order (2014) | 15.5 | 13.8 | ||
| Watch Dogs (2014) | 10.9 | 8 | ||
| GRID: Autosport (2014) | 55.5 | 22.6 | 12.5 | |
| Risen 3: Titan Lords (2014) | 19.9 | 11 | ||
| Sims 4 (2014) | 70.1 | 25.5 | ||
| Fifa 15 (2014) | 25.3 | 18.5 | ||
| Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) | 14.7 | 9 | ||
| Alien: Isolation (2014) | 19.9 | 12.3 | ||
| Ryse: Son of Rome (2014) | 11.4 | 7.1 | ||
| F1 2014 (2014) | 33 | 24 | 17 | |
| Civilization: Beyond Earth (2014) | 26.8 | 9.2 | ||
| Assassin's Creed Unity (2014) | 8 | 5.3 | ||
| Far Cry 4 (2014) | 13.1 | 9.2 | ||
| Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014) | 15.6 | 10.4 | ||
| The Crew (2014) | 13.6 | 10 |
| Toshiba Satellite C50D-B-125 Radeon R3 (Mullins/Beema), A4-6210, Toshiba MQ01ABF050 | HP 355 G2 Radeon R5 M240, A8-6410, Toshiba MQ01ABF050 | Lenovo B50-45 (MCD2GGE) Radeon R2 (Mullins/Beema/Carrizo-L), E1-6010, Seagate Momentus Thin 320 GB ST320LT012 | Lenovo B50-45 Radeon R4 (Beema), A6-6310, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142 | HP Pavilion 15-p008ng GeForce 840M, 4210U, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541075A9E680 | Dell Inspiron 15-3531 HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2830, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142 | Acer Extensa 2510-34Z4 HD Graphics 4400, 4030U, Western Digital Scorpio Blue WD5000LPVX | HP 15-g005ng Radeon R5 (Beema/Carrizo-L), A8-6410, Hitachi Travelstar Z5K500 HTS545050A7E680 | Asus X551MAV-SX391B HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2830, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142 | Acer Extensa 2509-C052 HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N2930, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012-1DG142 | Acer Aspire E1-572-34014G50Dnkk HD Graphics 4400, 4010U, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142 | Acer Aspire E1-532 HD Graphics (Haswell), 2955U, Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT0 12-9WS142 | Toshiba Satellite C50-A-1JU HD Graphics (Bay Trail), N3520, Toshiba MQ01ABF050 | Toshiba Satellite C50D-A-10E Radeon HD 8330, A4-5000, Toshiba MQ01ABF050 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomb Raider | 87% | -42% | 2% | 185% | -54% | 9% | 10% | -54% | -46% | 16% | -7% | -62% | ||
| 1024x768 Low Preset | 31.7 | 59.6 88% | 17.1 -46% | 31.7 0% | 85.1 168% | 14.7 -54% | 36.6 15% | 34 7% | 14.2 -55% | 18 -43% | 37.1 17% | 30.3 -4% | 12 -62% | |
| 1366x768 Normal Preset AA:FX AF:4x | 15.9 | 30.4 91% | 9.8 -38% | 15.9 0% | 52.2 228% | 7.6 -52% | 18.1 14% | 17.8 12% | 7.4 -53% | 8.1 -49% | 18.3 15% | 14.3 -10% | 6.1 -62% | |
| 1366x768 High Preset AA:FX AF:8x | 10.8 | 19.7 82% | 11.6 7% | 28.1 160% | 4.9 -55% | 10.5 -3% | 11.9 10% | 4.9 -55% |
Emissions & Energy
System Noise
In idle mode, the Satellite's fan sometimes stands still, but it usually runs at a constant and audible speed. Under load, the fan only runs a little faster. Glancing at the case temperatures, it's clear that the system could be considerably more conservative with its fan use in idle mode. Hopefully Toshiba will improve this fan behavior with a future BIOS update.
Noise Level
| Idle |
| 33.8 / 33.8 / 33.9 dB(A) |
| DVD |
| 37.4 / dB(A) |
| Load |
| 35.4 / 37.6 dB(A) |
 | ||
30 dB silent 40 dB(A) audible 50 dB(A) loud |
||
min:  , med:  , max:  Voltcraft sl-320 (15 cm distance) | ||
Temperature
The Satellite completed our stress test (Prime95 and Furmark running simultaneously for at least an hour) in the same way in both AC power mode and battery mode. While the graphics core ran at full speed (600 MHz), the processor went about its work at 1.35 GHz. The computer never grows excessively warm -- even during the stress test, the case remained only about as warm as our hands.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 35 °C / 95 F, compared to the average of 34.3 °C / 94 F, ranging from 21.2 to 62.5 °C for the class Office.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 33.6 °C / 92 F, compared to the average of 36.7 °C / 98 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.4 °C / 80 F, compared to the device average of 29.5 °C / 85 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (32.4 °C / 90.3 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 27.7 °C / 81.9 F (-4.7 °C / -8.4 F).
Speakers
Like its predecessor models, the Satellite C50D-B is outfitted with stereo speakers located above the keyboard. The speakers sit beneath a perforated cover and produce a thin sound that lacks bass. For a better sound, we recommend connecting external speakers or headphones.
Power Consumption
The Satellite doesn't consume inordinate amounts of energy. In idle mode, the power consumption rate remains at less than 10 Watts. During the stress test, the notebook's energy usage rose to 25.6 Watts. Comparable Bay Trail notebooks consume similar amounts of energy under full load, even though the Satellite has a considerably stronger graphics core.
| Off / Standby | 0.1 / 0.1 Watt |
| Idle | 4.9 / 8.7 / 9.9 Watt |
| Load |
20 / 25.6 Watt |
   
| |
Battery Life
In our WLAN test, which is designed to simulate practical, everyday use, we run a script that automatically loads a new webpage every 40 seconds. We activate the energy-saving profile and set the display brightness to about 150 cd/m². The Satellite ran for 5:38 h in this test -- a good run time.
Verdict
The Toshiba Satellite C50D-B-125 is a simple 15.6-inch office notebook. The computer's performance is sufficient to run office and internet-related applications. The device hardly warms up at all, but it operates too loudly in idle mode. Toshiba should fix this quickly with a BIOS update. The notebook is outfitted with a reasonably good keyboard and offers a good battery life. The display has a strong contrast ratio but doesn't glow as brightly as we would like. For indoor use, however, the screen brightness is completely sufficient. Unfortunately, unlike its predecessors, the Satellite isn't equipped with a maintenance hatch. As a result, the hard drive can no longer be switched out easily. At 410 Euros (~$485), Toshiba set the Satellite's price very high. There are many notebooks with stronger performance available at lower prices. For example, the HP 355 G2 (A8-6410, Radeon R5 M240, Windows 7 Pro + Windows 8.1 Pro) we recently reviewed is currently on the market for 370 Euros (~$435).
