The Toshiba Satellite E45DW-C4210 (Carrizo, FX-8800P)



If E45DW-C4210 comes in as a mouthful relevant to very few people, you are probably right, so we’ll just refer to it as the Toshiba Satellite from here on in. Having a Satellite for testing this piece was somewhat amusing, given I had recently bought one for my grandparents and upgraded it (there’s a separate mini-review of that coming later), and wasn’t sure if what I had found on my grandparents' model would also be found here.
This model of Satellite gets the top-end FX Carrizo processor, the FX-8800P, which is a dual module/quad core design with a 2.1 GHz base frequency but a 3.4 GHz turbo frequency. Because the FX line still exists in AMD’s mobile processors, it means it gets top tier graphics as well, which for integrated graphics means 512 streaming processors running at 800 MHz. This is pretty much the top end AMD integrated graphics configuration that anyone can buy, save a pre-overclocked system. To continue with the plus points in the hardware, the Toshiba was also fitted with a Realtek 8821AE Wi-Fi card which also follows the 802.11ac M.2 standard as described in the 745 G3 but this is a single stream version, which limits 802.11ac benefits such as beam forming.
Then, the downsides begin, or where Toshiba saved some money. The display is a pretty bad 1366x768 TN panel that didn’t want to play ball with our display testing equipment, but was surprisingly touch enabled which made things better when you used the ‘Devil’s Trackpad’. With no offence intended towards Toshiba, I seriously wrote that in my notes while I was testing, and that isn’t a good thing. The nearest thing to this trackpad would be the ‘off’ position. I’m not sure if it was a bad sensor, a poor sensor, something with the coating or what, but one of the worst things a laptop can do when being tested is when the tester wants to throw it across the room. The solution would be to insert a mouse, forget about it, and then 'remember how much you saved'. Unfortunately that race to the bottom on trackpads ends up a negative feedback loop for all concerned.
On the storage side, a combination 8GB of memory (single channel DDR3L-1600, naturally) and a 750 GB mechanical hard disk left the model with few plus points aside from the top end processor. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BEKO WDA91440W

Image
WHAT IS THE BEKO WDA91440W? The WDA91440W is a feature packed washer dryer from Beko with an impressive 9kg load capacity for washing or a sizeable 6kg load for washing and drying all-in-one go. It offers 16 pre-set programmes to suit different clothing types and it has two fast wash modes for when you’re in a hurry. This A rated energy efficient washer dryer uses direct air cooling technology that draws outside air in during the drying process to cool the condenser. Against other washer-dryers that use cold water for cooling the condenser this can save you up to 95 bath tubs of water per year. This model also feature’s the company’s Aquafusion technology, which is claimed to reduce the amount of detergent wasted during a washing cycle by 10%. With a clear LCD display to keep you informed of your washing progress and a countdown timer, the Beko WDA91440W is a neat all round package. BEKO WDA91440W: WHAT IS IT LIKE TO USE? The main controls are fairly self-explanatory with...
Read more

NutriBullet Rx

Image
WHAT IS THE NUTRIBULLET RX? Not content with making it easier to get your five-a-day through smoothies, NutriBullet is now championing healthy soups with its Rx model. While it isn't the first blender to ramp up the power in order to cook the contents, the Rx is more compact than equivalent professional-style machines. A larger version of its smoothie-blitzing predecessor, it comes with similarly super-sized kit. This includes two cups for making cold drinks and nut butters, and a jug for whizzing together steaming soups at up to 70 o C. NUTRIBULLET RX – DESIGN AND FEATURES The Rx is a grown-up version of the familiar  NutriBullet  design. A power button resides on the side of the unit to switch the Rx on and off, and another button at the front switches it from a minute-long smoothie programme to a seven-minute soup-heating one. However, its mode of operation has changed, with blending activated by dropping the jug or cup with blades onto the base. To stop, you ca...
Read more

Panasonic DMP-UB700

Image
  It’s still a very shiny device, still more premium-looking than Samsung’s UBD-K8500, but the nice glossy finish is now only on the front and top surfaces. The sides have a standard dull metal finish. It’s also a little shorter, because the UB900’s damping feet have been chucked out. On the front, there is a tiny display peeking out from behind the two-way mirror finish. It’s great that this feature has been kept, because it’s very useful being able to tell what the player is up to. It also allows the player to say hello and goodbye. Manners are important.   Like the UB900, the UB700 has UHD Premium certification. It pumps out 4K and HDR at up to 60 frames per second, and boasts a brightness output up to 10,000 nits. There is also a 4K high-precision chroma processor, and you can expect the player cover the BT.2020 colour gamut. The connections have been stripped back. There are no longer any analogue audio outputs, and no digital coaxial output either. What you get...
Read more