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Toshiba Satellite S70-B-106 Notebook Review Update

The successor. The new version of the Satellite S70 doesn't rely on a GeForce GT 740M chip anymore, but on a Radeon R9 M265X graphics core which enhances gaming performance significantly. The notebook still has a Core-i7 processor, a Full HD display and a Blu-ray burner. Does Toshiba offer a successful all-rounder?

For the original German review, see here.

Within the Satellite-S70 series Toshiba offers high-class 17.3-inch multimedia notebooks. One year ago we tested the Satellite S70-A-10F (Core i7-4700MQ, GeForce GT 740M), a representative model of the series. Compared to this model, not many things changed for the S70-B-106. The largest improvement is the graphics core. Toshiba relies on a Radeon R9 M265X GPU. Whether the notebook can profit from the new GPU will be revealed in our review. 

Competitors of the Satellite are, for example, the Acer Aspire V3-772G and the Asus N750JK-T4042H.

Since the Satellite S70-A-10F and the Satellite S70-B-106 are identically constructed, we will not elaborate on chassis, equipment, input devices and speakers - unless there are differences. Corresponding information can be found here

Case & Connectivity

In terms of chassis, there are small differences in comparison to the Satellite S70-A-10F: There is no maintenance lid anymore. Also the ports changed: Ethernet port and VGA output are switched. Besides that, a second USB 2.0 port is added on the left side. 

Underside of the Toshiba Satellite S70-A-10F
Underside of the Toshiba Satellite S70-A-10F
Underside of the Toshiba Satellite S70-B-106
Underside of the Toshiba Satellite S70-B-106
Left side: slot for a Kensington lock, power connection, 2x USB 2.0, Blu-ray burner (image: Toshiba)
Left side: slot for a Kensington lock, power connection, 2x USB 2.0, Blu-ray burner (image: Toshiba)
Right side: headphones output, microphone input, 2x USB 3.0, HDMI, Ethernet, VGA output (image: Toshiba)
Right side: headphones output, microphone input, 2x USB 3.0, HDMI, Ethernet, VGA output (image: Toshiba)

Display

The Satellite is equipped with a shiny 17.3-inch display, which has a native resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. With a brightness of 293.1 cd/m² it ranges between the display of the Asus (250.6 cd/m²; Full HD) and the Aspire (352 cd/m²; Full HD). Unlike the Satellite, both competitors have matte displays. 

316
cd/m²
299
cd/m²
307
cd/m²
266
cd/m²
312
cd/m²
273
cd/m²
284
cd/m²
292
cd/m²
289
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
ChiMei N173HGE-E21 tested with X-Rite i1Pro 2
Maximum: 316 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 293.1 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 84 %
Center on Battery: 312 cd/m²
Contrast: 780:1 (Black: 0.4 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 10.84 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 11.2 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
61% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 1.6.3 3D)
68% AdobeRGB 1998 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
94.8% sRGB (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
66.3% Display P3 (Argyll 2.2.0 3D)
Gamma: 2.68
Toshiba Satellite S70-B-106
Radeon R9 M265X, 4700HQ, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Acer Aspire V3-772G-747a8G1.12TWakk
GeForce GTX 850M, 4702MQ, Kingston RBU-SMS10053128GA
Asus N750JK-T4042H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4700HQ, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB
Toshiba Satellite S70-A-10F
GeForce GT 740M, 4700MQ, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
Display
-0%
-1%
-4%
Display P3 Coverage
66.3
65.9
-1%
65.1
-2%
67.1
1%
sRGB Coverage
94.8
94.7
0%
96
1%
87.9
-7%
AdobeRGB 1998 Coverage
68
67.8
0%
67.3
-1%
64.3
-5%
Screen
10%
17%
10%
Brightness middle
312
385
23%
275
-12%
337
8%
Brightness
293
352
20%
251
-14%
315
8%
Brightness Distribution
84
83
-1%
81
-4%
86
2%
Black Level *
0.4
0.4
-0%
0.31
22%
0.37
7%
Contrast
780
963
23%
887
14%
911
17%
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
10.84
10.52
3%
4.77
56%
8.29
24%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
11.2
10.74
4%
4.77
57%
8.76
22%
Gamma
2.68 82%
2.93 75%
2.3 96%
2.36 93%
CCT
14583 45%
12714 51%
7644 85%
10422 62%
Color Space (Percent of AdobeRGB 1998)
61
57
-7%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
5% / 7%
8% / 12%
3% / 6%

* ... smaller is better

Satellite S70-B vs. sRGB
Satellite S70-B vs. sRGB
Satellite S70-B vs. AdobeRGB
Satellite S70-B vs. AdobeRGB

Contrast (780:1) and black level (0.4 cd/m²) of the display are appealing. The N750JK (887:1; 0.31 cd/m²) and the Aspire (963:1; 0.4 cd/m²) have slightly better values. The AdobeRGB and sRGB color spaces cannot be represented by the Satellite display. However, coverage rates of 61% (AdobeRGB) and 82% (sRGB) are not that bad.

Color representation at delivery condition is only average. A DeltaE 2000 deviation of 10.84 is a value that we are used to within the low-price range. We expect more from an 1100 Euros (~$1388) notebook. A value smaller than 3 should be the target. Also, the display shows a significant blue cast.

CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - ColorChecker
CalMAN - grayscales
CalMAN - grayscales
CalMAN - color saturation
CalMAN - color saturation

Unfortunately, Toshiba chose a simple TN panel. Thus, the display has only limited viewing angles. BTW: the Aspire and the Asus are not better. In principle we would have expected a viewing-angle stable IPS panel. Contrast and brightness of the display would enable outdoor use. However, the heavily reflecting surface of the Satellite display makes outdoor use difficult, if not impossible. 

Viewing-angle stability: Satellite S70-B-106
Viewing-angle stability: Satellite S70-B-106
Outdoor use of the S70-B-106
Outdoor use of the S70-B-106

Performance

The Toshiba Satellite S70-B-106 is a 17.3-inch multimedia notebook of the higher price range. It's not only suited for daily life use but also enables gaming. Our test device costs 1100 Euros (~$1388). Toshiba has also differently equipped versions within the series. The S70-B-114 (Core i7-4710HQ processor, 16 GB internal memory, no Blu-ray drive) can be bought for 1000 Euros (~$1261).

CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
CPU-Z
GPU-Z
GPU-Z
HWInfo
System information Toshiba Satellite S70-B-106

Processor

The Satellite houses the Core i7-4700HQ processor (Haswell), a powerful four-core CPU. The processor works at a base frequency of 2.4 GHz, which can be increased to 3.2 GHz (four cores), 3.3 GHz (two cores) and 3.4 GHz (one core) via turbo. It's a standard mobile processor (no ULV) with a TDP of 47 Watt. We couldn't tap into the full processing power. During the single-thread tests of the Cinebench benchmarks the CPU performs at 2.8 to 3.3 GHz; the multi-thread tests at 2.8 GHz. When running on battery only, both tests are performed at 2.4 GHz. 

The single-thread values in mains operation are on the same level as most of the notebooks with a Core i7-4700HQ. The multi-thread results, however, indicate that there is still room for improvement. The CPU could indeed achieve a value between 6.9 and 7 in the Cinebench R11.5 benchmark. The N750JK is also equipped with a Core i7-4700HQ processor, but it shows significantly poorer results than the Satellite.

Cinebench R11.5 CPU Single 64Bit
1.49 Points
Cinebench R11.5 CPU Multi 64Bit
6.02 Points
Cinebench R11.5 OpenGL 64Bit
62.7 fps
Cinebench R15 CPU Single 64Bit
131 Points
Cinebench R15 CPU Multi 64Bit
566 Points
Cinebench R15 OpenGL 64Bit
58.7 fps
Cinebench R15 Ref. Match 64Bit
98 %
Help
Cinebench R11.5 - CPU Single 64Bit (sort by value)
Toshiba Satellite S70-B-106
Radeon R9 M265X, 4700HQ, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
1.49 Points
Acer Aspire E5-771G-553Q
GeForce 840M, 4210U, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0
0.89 Points -40%
Asus N750JK-T4042H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4700HQ, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB
1.24 Points -17%
Acer Aspire V3-772G-747a8G1.12TWakk
GeForce GTX 850M, 4702MQ, Kingston RBU-SMS10053128GA
1.27 Points -15%
Acer Aspire V 17 Nitro (VN7-791G-759Q)
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD
1.29 Points -13%
HP Envy 17-j110eg
GeForce GT 750M, 4702MQ, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
1.41 Points -5%
Toshiba Satellite S70-A-10F
GeForce GT 740M, 4700MQ, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
1.53 Points +3%
Cinebench R11.5 - CPU Multi 64Bit (sort by value)
Toshiba Satellite S70-B-106
Radeon R9 M265X, 4700HQ, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
6.02 Points
Acer Aspire E5-771G-553Q
GeForce 840M, 4210U, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0
2.44 Points -59%
Asus N750JK-T4042H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4700HQ, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB
5.24 Points -13%
Acer Aspire V3-772G-747a8G1.12TWakk
GeForce GTX 850M, 4702MQ, Kingston RBU-SMS10053128GA
6.13 Points +2%
HP Envy 17-j110eg
GeForce GT 750M, 4702MQ, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
6.27 Points +4%
Toshiba Satellite S70-A-10F
GeForce GT 740M, 4700MQ, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
6.57 Points +9%
Acer Aspire V 17 Nitro (VN7-791G-759Q)
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD
7.13 Points +18%

System Performance

The system didn't cause any problems. The notebook works smoothly. At the same time it scores very good results in the various PCMark benchmarks. 

PCMark 7 Score
3349 points
PCMark 8 Home Score Accelerated v2
3889 points
PCMark 8 Creative Score Accelerated v2
4219 points
PCMark 8 Work Score Accelerated v2
4492 points
Help
PCMark 8 - Home Score Accelerated v2 (sort by value)
Toshiba Satellite S70-B-106
Radeon R9 M265X, 4700HQ, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
3889 Points
Acer Aspire E5-771G-553Q
GeForce 840M, 4210U, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0
2850 Points -27%
Acer Aspire V3-772G-747a8G1.12TWakk
GeForce GTX 850M, 4702MQ, Kingston RBU-SMS10053128GA
3474 Points -11%
Acer Aspire V 17 Nitro (VN7-791G-759Q)
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD
3620 Points -7%
Asus N750JK-T4042H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4700HQ, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB
3827 Points -2%

Storage Devices

The Satellite is equipped with a Toshiba hard drive which offers a memory capacity of 1 TB and works with 5400 rpm. CrystalDiskMark indicates a reading speed of 96.36 MB/s; HD Tune shows an average transfer rate of 85.3 MB/s. Transfer rates are up to date and correspond to a state of the art 5400 rpm hard drive. 

Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Transfer Rate Minimum: 50.8 MB/s
Transfer Rate Maximum: 111 MB/s
Transfer Rate Average: 85.3 MB/s
Access Time: 17.9 ms
Burst Rate: 170.6 MB/s
CPU Usage: 2.4 %

Graphics Card

The Satellite is equipped with an HD Graphics 4600 graphics core and an AMD Radeon R9 M265X GPU. These two form an Enduro group (AMD's counterpart to Nvidia's Optimus technology). Intel's GPU is used for normal applications and battery use. The Radeon core handles more demanding applications such as computer games. Both cores support at least DirectX 11. The Radeon GPU counts among the upper mid-class. It works with speeds of up to 625 MHz. The graphics chip resorts to the fast GDDR5 memory (2 GB), which allows an advantage of 10 to 15% compared to notebooks that have only a DDR3 memory. The results of the 3DMark benchmarks show that the Radeon core ranges between the GeForce GT 750M and the GeForce GTX 760M in terms of performance.

3DMark 03 Standard
37995 points
3DMark 05 Standard
20882 points
3DMark 06 Standard Score
14953 points
3DMark Vantage P Result
10537 points
3DMark 11 Performance
2896 points
3DMark Ice Storm Standard Score
79421 points
3DMark Cloud Gate Standard Score
10337 points
3DMark Fire Strike Score
1900 points
Help
3DMark 11 - 1280x720 Performance (sort by value)
Toshiba Satellite S70-B-106
Radeon R9 M265X, 4700HQ, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
2896 Points
Toshiba Satellite S70-A-10F
GeForce GT 740M, 4700MQ, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
1972 Points -32%
Acer Aspire E5-771G-553Q
GeForce 840M, 4210U, WDC Scorpio Blue WD10JPVX-22JC3T0
2361 Points -18%
Samsung 870Z5G
GeForce GT 750M, 4700HQ, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB
2427 Points -16%
Asus N56JR-S4080H
GeForce GTX 760M, 4700HQ, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
3620 Points +25%
Asus N56JR-S4080H
GeForce GTX 760M, 4700HQ, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
3620 Points +25%
Acer Aspire V3-772G-747a8G1.12TWakk
GeForce GTX 850M, 4702MQ, Kingston RBU-SMS10053128GA
4558 Points +57%
Asus N750JK-T4042H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4700HQ, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB
4616 Points +59%
Acer Aspire V 17 Nitro (VN7-791G-759Q)
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD
5178 Points +79%

Gaming Performance

A powerful Core i7 processor in combination with a upper mid-class GPU converts the Satellite into a gaming-capable notebook. Most current games can be played smoothly with an HD resolution (1366x768 pixels) and high quality settings. Full display resolution can only be used for games that don't have too many requirements on the hardware. Its own predecessor - the Satellite S70-A-10F - clearly outperforms the Satellite S70-B. It should be noted that one doesn't have to pay that much extra for a significant increase in gaming performance: The Aspire V3-772G-747a8G1.12TWakk (Core i7-4702MQGeForce GTX 850M) is just 100 Euros (~$126) more expensive than the Satellite, but on average it achieves almost twice as high frame rates. 

low med. high ultra
Total War: Shogun 2 (2011) 48.7 19.7
Deus Ex Human Revolution (2011) 65.2 32.6
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) 69.1 46.7 26
Anno 2070 (2011) 81.7 49.6 21.9
Alan Wake (2012) 39.4 18.7
Diablo III (2012) 80.6 50.2
Dishonored (2012) 75.9 43.5
Medal of Honor: Warfighter (2012) 56.9 47.9 18.8
Hitman: Absolution (2012) 45.9 30.7 14.3
Dead Space 3 (2013) 79.7 63.3 39.8
Crysis 3 (2013) 40.4 25.1 9.8
Tomb Raider (2013) 74.6 51.6 22.9
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm (2013) 104.6 65.7 24.1
BioShock Infinite (2013) 63.8 54.3 18.9
Metro: Last Light (2013) 52.1 27 13.3
Company of Heroes 2 (2013) 42.6 37.6 21.7
Dota 2 (2013) 83.1 43.7
Splinter Cell: Blacklist (2013) 72.8 26.7 13
Saints Row IV (2013) 45.1 32.8 20.8
Total War: Rome II (2013) 79.1 65.4 10.4
F1 2013 (2013) 91 88 42
Batman: Arkham Origins (2013) 78 45 20
Battlefield 4 (2013) 63.3 42.7 16.5
Need for Speed: Rivals (2013) 30 30 30 21.2
X-Plane 10.25 (2013) 66.8 30.5 14.7 9
Thief (2014) 30 25.7 12.9
Wolfenstein: The New Order (2014) 58 27.8
GRID: Autosport (2014) 67.5 40.4 22.1
Risen 3: Titan Lords (2014) 46.4 29.2 15.6
Sims 4 (2014) 81.7 36.3 33.7
Fifa 15 (2014) 76.8 46
Toshiba Satellite S70-B-106
Radeon R9 M265X, 4700HQ, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Acer Aspire V3-772G-747a8G1.12TWakk
GeForce GTX 850M, 4702MQ, Kingston RBU-SMS10053128GA
Toshiba Satellite S70-A-10F
GeForce GT 740M, 4700MQ, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
Acer Aspire V 17 Nitro (VN7-791G-759Q)
GeForce GTX 860M, 4710HQ, Kingston RBU-SNS8100S3128GD
BioShock Infinite
88%
-46%
100%
1366x768 Medium Preset
63.8
112.3
76%
37
-42%
120.7
89%
1366x768 High Preset
54.3
100.4
85%
31
-43%
106
95%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset, DX11 (DDOF)
18.9
38.6
104%
9
-52%
40.82
116%
Tomb Raider
78%
98%
1366x768 Normal Preset AA:FX AF:4x
74.6
141.6
90%
156.6
110%
1366x768 High Preset AA:FX AF:8x
51.6
87.1
69%
97.5
89%
1920x1080 Ultra Preset AA:FX AF:16x
22.9
40
75%
44.7
95%
Thief
59%
78%
1366x768 Normal Preset AA:FX
30
44.1
47%
50.4
68%
1366x768 High Preset AA:FXAA & Low SS AF:4x
25.7
40.7
58%
45.5
77%
1920x1080 Very High Preset AA:FXAA & High SS AF:8x
12.9
22.1
71%
24.3
88%
Total Average (Program / Settings)
75% / 75%
-46% / -46%
92% / 92%

Emissions

System Noise

The powerful hardware the Satellite houses requires cooling. Thus, the fan is quite noisy under load. We measured a sound pressure level of 45.6 dB (standard load; 3DMark06 running) and 46.3 dB (stress test, Prime95 and Furmark running). The Aspire shows a similar result. The N750JK works more quietly. In idle mode, the fans of all three notebooks work at low speeds and are only audible in quiet environments. 

Noise Level

Idle
32 / 32 / 33.8 dB(A)
HDD
32 dB(A)
DVD
38.6 / dB(A)
Load
45.6 / 46.3 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

Stress test of the Satellite
Stress test of the Satellite

In mains operation, the CPU performs the stress test (Prime95 and Furmark running for at least one hour) with fluctuating speeds. While speed initially levels off at a value of around 2.4 GHz, it decreases to a value of 1.8 GHz. The graphics core works at full speed (625 MHz). If the stress test is performed when running on battery only, the CPU works at 2.4 GHz, and the GPU at 400 MHz. The CPU temperature reaches a value of around 98 °C in the stress test (mains operation).

During the stress test we could measure a temperature higher than 50 °C at some chassis measurement points. The Aspire and the N750JK don't heat up that much. In idle mode, values of all three notebooks are good. 

Max. Load
 25.6 °C
78 F
31.4 °C
89 F
50 °C
122 F
 
 24.8 °C
77 F
41.7 °C
107 F
50 °C
122 F
 
 24.8 °C
77 F
27.1 °C
81 F
32.2 °C
90 F
 
Maximum: 50 °C = 122 F
Average: 34.2 °C = 94 F
52.6 °C
127 F
28.3 °C
83 F
26.2 °C
79 F
40.1 °C
104 F
30.1 °C
86 F
25.7 °C
78 F
30.2 °C
86 F
30.8 °C
87 F
25.2 °C
77 F
Maximum: 52.6 °C = 127 F
Average: 32.1 °C = 90 F
Power Supply (max.)  51.8 °C = 125 F | Room Temperature 23.5 °C = 74 F | Voltcraft IR-360
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 34.2 °C / 94 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 50 °C / 122 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 52.6 °C / 127 F, compared to the average of 39.1 °C / 102 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 27.1 °C / 81 F, compared to the device average of 31.2 °C / 88 F.
(+) The palmrests and touchpad are reaching skin temperature as a maximum (32.2 °C / 90 F) and are therefore not hot.
(-) The average temperature of the palmrest area of similar devices was 28.8 °C / 83.8 F (-3.4 °C / -6.2 F).

Energy Management

Power Consumption

In idle mode, the Satellite requires less energy than the Aspire and the N750JK. Under average load (3DMark06 running), power consumption of the Aspire and Satellite are similar. The N750JK needs significantly more power. Under full load (stress test, Prime95 and Furmark running), power consumption of the Aspire and the N750JK rises to 120 Watt, while the Satellite remains at 81.7 Watt. Here it becomes obvious that the Aspire and the Asus are equipped with significantly more powerful graphics cores. Besides, the CPU of the Satellite is more throttled. 

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0 / 0.3 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 7.4 / 11.7 / 12 Watt
Load midlight 70.7 / 81.7 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

The battery of the Satellite in idle mode lasts for 7:41 h. The N750JK has a similar value (7:33 h). Obviously, the Aspire (4:01 h) can't hold a candle to these results. Idle mode is tested by Battery Eater's Reader's test: The display is at minimum brightness, energy-saver mode is activated and all radio modules are switched off. Under load, the Satellite quits after 0:53 h. The N750JK (0:52 h) is on the same level as the Satellite; the Aspire (0:43 h) hits the wall earlier. Battery life under load is determined through the Battery Eater Classic test. The display is set at maximum brightness; high-performance mode and radio modules are activated. 

The Wi-Fi test is finished after 3:29 h. With that result, the Satellite ranges between the Aspire (2:49 h) and the N750JK (5:21 h). During the test, websites are automatically accessed in 40-second intervals. Energy-saver mode is activated and display brightness is adjusted to 150 cd/m². Video playback is tested by playing the short movie Big Buck Bunny (H.264 coding, 1920x1080 pixels) in a loop. Energy-saver mode is active, radio modules are deactivated and display brightness is set to 150 cd/m². The Satellite achieves 3:05 h. We didn't perform this test for the other two competitors. 

The battery life of the Satellite is okay. After all we are dealing with a powerful multimedia notebook. The Asus shows a better battery life than the other two notebooks because it has a significantly higher battery capacity (Acer: 48 Wh, Toshiba: 48 Wh, Asus: 69 Wh).

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
7h 41min
WiFi Surfing
3h 29min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
3h 05min
Load (maximum brightness)
0h 53min
Toshiba Satellite S70-B-106
Radeon R9 M265X, 4700HQ, Toshiba MQ01ABD100
Acer Aspire V3-772G-747a8G1.12TWakk
GeForce GTX 850M, 4702MQ, Kingston RBU-SMS10053128GA
Asus N750JK-T4042H
GeForce GTX 850M, 4700HQ, Seagate Momentus SpinPoint M8 ST1000LM024 HN-M101MBB
Toshiba Satellite S70-A-10F
GeForce GT 740M, 4700MQ, HGST Travelstar 5K1000 HTS541010A9E680
Battery Runtime
-29%
17%
-23%
Reader / Idle
461
241
-48%
453
-2%
306
-34%
WiFi
209
169
-19%
321
54%
177
-15%
Load
53
43
-19%
52
-2%
43
-19%

Verdict

The Satellite S70-B-106 wants to be a high-class all-round/multimedia notebook. It definitely achieves this goal. The notebook offers good performance and handles computer games very well. The change from a GeForce GT 740M graphics core, which was used for the predecessor, to a significantly more performing Radeon R9 M265X chip is worth it. Also a large hard drive and a Blu-ray drive count among the Satellite S70-B-106 benefits. The bright, high-contrast display is appealing, though we would have expected a viewing-angle stable IPS panel for a purchase price of 1100 Euros (~$1388). It should come as no surprise that the high computational power the notebook is equipped with can entail quite some noise generation. 

If more gaming performance is desired, the Acer Aspire V3-772G is an alternative to the Satellite. The same holds true for the Asus N750JK-T4042H. Besides, the Asus notebook has a significantly higher battery life compared to both competitors.

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In review: Toshiba Satellite S70-B-106. Test model provided by Toshiba.
In review: Toshiba Satellite S70-B-106. Test model provided by Toshiba.

Specifications

Toshiba Satellite S70-B-106 (Satellite S70 Series)
Processor
Intel Core i7-4700HQ 4 x 2.4 - 3.4 GHz (Intel Core i7)
Graphics adapter
AMD Radeon R9 M265X - 2048 MB VRAM, Core: 625 MHz, Memory: 1000 MHz, GDDR5 Video RAM, 13.351.1006.1001, Enduro
Memory
8 GB 
, DDR3, single-channel, two memory banks (one bank occupied)
Display
17.30 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel, ChiMei N173HGE-E21, TN LED, glossy: yes
Mainboard
Intel HM86 (Lynx Point)
Storage
Toshiba MQ01ABD100, 1000 GB 
, 5400 rpm, 890 GB free
Soundcard
Intel Lynx Point PCH - High Definition Audio Controller
Connections
2 USB 2.0, 2 USB 3.0 / 3.1 Gen1, 1 VGA, 1 HDMI, 1 Kensington Lock, Audio Connections: headphones output, microphone input, Card Reader: SD
Networking
Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit-LAN (10/100/1000MBit/s), Intel Wireless-AC 3160 (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/), Bluetooth 4.0
Optical drive
Pioneer BD-RW BDR-UD02D
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 33.1 x 413 x 268 ( = 1.3 x 16.26 x 10.55 in)
Battery
48 Wh Lithium-Ion, 10.2 V, 420 mAh
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 8.1 64 Bit
Camera
Webcam: HD webcam
Additional features
Speakers: Stereo, Keyboard: Chiclet, Keyboard Light: yes, Cyberlink MediaStory, McAfee LiveSafe-Internet Security (trial version), Microsoft Office 365 (trial version), 24 Months Warranty
Weight
2.8 kg ( = 98.77 oz / 6.17 pounds), Power Supply: 540 g ( = 19.05 oz / 1.19 pounds)
Price
1200 Euro

 

The back of the lid is made of aluminum.
The back of the lid is made of aluminum.
A Blu-ray burner is also included.
A Blu-ray burner is also included.
The webcam has a resolution of 2 megapixels.
The webcam has a resolution of 2 megapixels.
The power button is surrounded by an illuminated rim.
The power button is surrounded by an illuminated rim.
The keyboard is illuminated.
The keyboard is illuminated.
The battery has a capacity of 48 Wh.
The battery has a capacity of 48 Wh.

Similar Devices

Devices from a different Manufacturer and/or with a different CPU

Toshiba Qosmio X70 Notebook Review
Radeon R9 M265X, Core i7 4710HQ
Toshiba Satellite P70-B Notebook Review
Radeon R9 M265X, Core i7 4720HQ
Toshiba Satellite L70-B-130 Notebook Review
Radeon R9 M265X, Core i7 4710HQ

Devices with the same GPU

Toshiba Satellite P50t-B-10T Notebook Review
Radeon R9 M265X, Core i7 4710HQ, 15.60", 2.379 kg

Devices with Same Screen Size and/or Weight

Toshiba Satellite C70-C-1FT Notebook Review
GeForce 930M, Core i5 6200U, 17.30", 3.56 kg
Toshiba Satellite L50-C-275 Notebook Review
GeForce 930M, Core i5 6200U, 15.60", 2.1 kg
Toshiba Satellite P50-C-188 Notebook Review
GeForce GTX 950M, Core i5 6200U, 15.60", 2.2 kg

Links

Price Comparison

Pros

+bright, high-contrast Full HD display
+good performance
+allows for gaming
+large memory space
+Blu-Ray burner
 

Cons

-no IPS panel
-no maintenance lid
-CPU- throttling under full load

Shortcut

What we like

The application and gaming performance.

What we'd like to see

A maintenance lid and a viewing-angle stable display.

What surprises us

Despite the high price, Toshiba doesn't implement an IPS panel.

The competition

Acer Aspire V3-772G, Asus N750JK-T4042H, Acer Aspire V 17 Nitro (VN7-791G-759Q), Acer Aspire E5-771G-553Q, Asus G750JM-T4014H,  HP Envy 17-j110eg Leap Motion.

Rating

Toshiba Satellite S70-B-106 - 09/26/2014 v4(old)
Sascha Mölck

Chassis
55 / 98 → 56%
Keyboard
65%
Pointing Device
78%
Connectivity
64 / 81 → 79%
Weight
58 / 20-67 → 81%
Battery
75%
Display
74%
Games Performance
89 / 85 → 100%
Application Performance
87 / 92 → 95%
Temperature
84%
Noise
77 / 95 → 81%
Audio
60%
Camera
42 / 85 → 49%
Average
70%
76%
Multimedia - Weighted Average
Sascha Mölck, 2014-10- 1 (Update: 2018-05-15)