Toshiba Satellite M645-S4055 LED TruBrite 14-Inch Laptop (Black)

Toshiba Satellite M645-S4055 LED TruBrite 14-Inch Laptop (Black) Review

I've used this laptop for over two months now, and it does good at what I need it for: sitting in class typing down notes, web browsing, HDMI out to my big screen tv at home watching HD videos. I also needed something that could hold its own when I finally get Starcraft 2 (yes I know it's out). A cross between portability and power, and not too far off from my HP desktop performance (Intel Core2 Quad @ 2.5 GHz; 8 GB ram; Nvidia Geforce GT 240). My graphical processing needs aren't that high, much of the software I use is from the Windows XP era, so this Toshiba's Geforce GT 330m (which performs slightly worse than the desktop Geforce GT 220, and any gamer will tell you, is *NOT* a gaming card) does its job nicely.

That said, I ran 3dMark06 on this, and got a score of around 5000 or so, can't remember exactly (~14-34 FPS at Proxycon, ~12-22 at Firefly, ~7-32 at Canyon, ~15-25 at Frost, something like that).
Final Fantasy IVX's official benchmarking program gave this a ~760 out of 8000 at 1280x720 resolution. Comparatively my PC got around ~1800 at same resolution. Those are both really poor scores, but then again I don't really have time to play much PC games these days.

Previous reviews have been comparing this laptop to the Asus' new Bamboo ASUS U43JC-X1 14-Inch Bamboo Laptop (10 Hours of Battery Life), but I'll compare to what I considered while still browsing for laptops ASUS Republic of Gamers G51JX-X3 15.6-Inch Gaming Laptop (Blue), This was 1,100 two months ago, but has dropped their price to as low as 1,000 every now and then.

Going by pure functionality, the Asus gaming one wins out in multiple areas:

-- 500 GB HDD @ 7200 RPM (Faster load times)

-- 15.6" Full HD 1920x1080 LED LCD Display; Nvidia GTS 360M Graphics Engine with 1GB DDR5 dedicated VRAM
^ This is where the Asus shines. The GTS 360M is slightly more powerful than the desktop GT 240, not exactly a pure gaming card either but over twice the power of the GT 330M!. 15.6" may be a tiny screen, but to be able to support 1920x1080 means watching Blu-ray quality videos at dot-by-dot pixel accuracy: crisp sharp images. The Toshiba plays 720p videos well but scrunches up 1080p videos making it look a bit fuzzy.

-- 2.0 MegaPixel web camera; I don't know too much about cameras, but my old Sony Ericsson S500i phone has a 2.0 MP camera and takes better pictures than the Toshiba's web camera. Watching myself in the web cam application, there was a lot of noise and it wasn't too clear. The webcam isn't that big of a deal as I don't really use it, but a 2.0 MP resolution web camera should be standard by now.

-- 10-key Numberpad: Frankly, some things are just easier with a numberpad.


So how does this Toshiba laptop hold up compared to that Asus?

-- It's smaller and lighter, it may be a 14" screen but it's pretty thick itself. Granted it's stuffed with lots of integrated goodies like Bluetooth (which the Asus also has). Bluetooth actually inteferes with Wifi frequencies so I normally have it off, but to be able to have the convenience of connecting supporting peripherals is nice.

-- Toshiba's processor is slightly faster; meaning its max Turbo-boost frequency is also higher; higher cpu clock frequencies means less battery life. Wait a minute...
Actually Asus also has an ability (Power4 Gear) to overclock the CPU to at least match the i5 450M frequencies, but again, not something you want to do while away from the power outlet.
Luckily with dynamic frequency clocks and Windows 7's automatic (and adjustable) power management you can underclock to save power.

Continuing on about power consumption, this Toshiba laptop incorporates the fairly new Nvidia Optimus technology. From what I understand about it, the integrated Intel HD Graphics solutions offered by the built-in GPU on the i5 chip is the primary display driver. The Geforce GT 330M takes a backseat and is only supplemental, offering processing power when deemed necessary. "Deemed necessary", that's the problem right there. Occasionally there will be a program out there that is slightly incompatible with Optimus technology because all it sees is the Intel HD Graphic's 64 MB of video memory, and not the 1 GB attached to the GT 330M. This may either cause the program to crash, or run poorly because it doesn't know about the extra GT 330M, therefore cannot utilize it. Other times the program initially runs under the Integrated graphics solution, but crashes when suddenly the Optimus technology realizes it should switch up to the High Performance.

Optimus technology isn't bad, I really like the seemless transition that I didn't see when trying out laptops with AMD Vision technology. When switching between ATI and Intel's integrated solutions, they warn of flashing and blackening of the screen, which in that case is normal during switch. This isn't the case with Optimus, everything works in the background, because rather than two seperate entities like ATI/Intel, it's Intel + Nvidia. Eventually (and hopefully) they'll have it all sorted out.

Examples of Optimus Technology flops:

-- Running Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 under High Performance Nvidia GPU: Program stalls and eats up 25% (one "core") of the i5's total processing power. Had to run under Integrated Graphics in order to use the program.
-- Running the PS2 Emulator PCSX2 0.9.7 under Integrated Graphics will crash as soon as it overflows the 64 MB of video memory (At least that's what I think, or it could be the attempt to switch up, because starting off with the GT 330M I was able to run stable past the crashing point. Final Fantasy X - After the initial Square-Enix logo + Final Fantasy X Project, crashed entering the opening Zanarkand scene, Error message referenced the Intel HD Driver)
-- I can't run Portal, even with the latest Nvidia drivers + Optimus updates. Launching from Steam hl2.exe*32 will appear in task manager for a split second then apparently crash. SAD THERE IS NO CAKE. I will try and try again, some people have managed to get Portal running with Optimus but depended on their integrated hardware.


Other things to talk about in this long review:

-- The Toshiba laptop BIOS has an option to disable multi-core processing. THIS IS NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH DISABLING HYPER-THREADING. I did not find an option to disable HT, but disabling Multi-core processing will disable both HT, *AND* the one of the logical Cores. Congratulations, this option sends us back to the 2003 era. A single core can easily gets stressed out, disabling HT but keeping dual-cores would only be 2 years backwards, except rather than a 45nm Intel Core 2 Duo, you have a 32nm Intel "Core 2 Duo", which uses up less power and generates less heat. HT may have changed since the days Pentium 4s were using them, but back then they generated more heat and requires additional power and hardware resources. Basically two physical cores is better than a single core with HT.

-- The plastic encasing for the screen is a bit flimsy, it's strong enough that you can grab hold of the laptop with one hand to walk around with, fingers clamped on the side, but the plastic encasing will bend. Don't think the screen itself is bending with it, but I wouldn't want to stress the center "Toshiba" part of the screen too much to find out.

-- The slot loading drive is nice, but no matter what design they make, a DVD disc will always take up the same amount of space going in and out.

-- Both the Toshiba and Asus have the backlit keyboard, not sure which one is brighter, but Toshiba's is bright and normally I find myself turning off the keyboard illumination. One review I read says the Asus' logo on the outward side of the screen lights up too, making is really apparent you're using a high-end laptop. Same with the Toshiba, there's no way to just illuminate the keyboard, have not have the "Satellite" on the lower left hand corner light up.

-- Battery Life: I was able to get little over 3 hours of usage with a full charge while in classes doing very little, 2-3 hours worth of "normal" usage. Full stress of CPU + GPU will have power usage of over 55 Watts/Hour. Since the 6-cell battery they give is rated 48 Wh/Hour, the battery will be depleted before a hour is over. 5 hours is completely "realistic" only if you turn on the laptop, open notepad, set to Eco mode, and do nothing but type one letter every 3 minutes or so. They're practically screaming for you to buy their ~61 Wh/Hour 6-cell battery on their Toshibadirect website. Currently there's a deal going on where you can get ~30% off with two coupons, but it's expiring soon, if not already (This review written Sept 14 2010).


In conclusion, if you're looking for a decent laptop with plenty of features and portability, this is one to check out. Competition is fierce and there's plenty of other laptops that may have just what you need (that Asus Bamboo other reviews are talking about for maximum portability beyond a netbook for one, and like I said before I compared it with the Asus gaming laptop because of its specs + price). Other things you'd need to consider is laptop size, this Toshiba one is a bit on the thick side for a 14", given its internal components. I do admit the Asus Bamboo for 0 after 0 Gift Card is awesome. The comparable Asus' gaming laptop for the around the same 00 price however has nearly all matching or better specifications but is around 2 pounts heavier, bigger, but its screen is best in its class for 15.6".

Just need portability and no need for any games? Get the Asus Bamboo!
Something inbetween? Get this one!
High performance graphical processing needed? Get the Asus Gaming models!
Want to spend rediculous amounts of money on inferior specifications? Get a MacBook Pro!


Thanks for anyone who took the time to read this; I don't regret getting this particular laptop too much, it's basically perfect for what I need. It's just once I start comparing purely from specs rather than what I need.. well you read it!

Toshiba Satellite M645-S4055 LED TruBrite 14-Inch Laptop (Black) Feature

• 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5-450M dual-core processor
• 4 GB DDR3 memory
• 500 GB SATA hard drive, DVD SuperMulti drive with Labelflash® supporting 11 formats
• 14-inch widescreen HD TruBrite LED-backlit display, NVIDIA GeForce GT 330 with 1 GB of dedicated DDR3 video memory
• Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 5 hours of battery life

Toshiba Satellite M645-S4055 LED TruBrite 14-Inch Laptop (Black) Overview

Experience the freedom, amenities and multimedia performance you demand with the Satellite M645 laptop - a compact PC delivering power plus greater portability and our new Fusion X2 styling. Now thinner and even more attractive, this mobile entertainment superstar is easier to carry than bigger models offering comparable performance. Dressed to impress, it also comes with an amply sized 14” diagonal HD TruBrite widescreen display for enjoying DVDs, home video, casual gaming and more. It also offers intelligent graphics performance with NVIDIA Optimus. Delivering the best of both worlds, this graphics advancement lets you switch to highspeed graphics performance when you need it, then back to battery-saving mode when you don’t. A premium harman/kardon® sound system with Dolby Advanced Audio technology can rock your world as the day rolls on. And so you can multitask while staying connected, it also provides excellent multi-core processing power from Intel, plus a great battery life rating and communications package. As for convenience, this laptop shines with features like Sleep and Music for enjoying the music stored on your MP3 player through your laptop speakers without having to power up, and a Hard Drive Impact Sensor to help keep your stuff safe while you’re on the move. So don’t sit still for wimpy portable PCs. Move out with the Satellite M645 laptop.

Toshiba Satellite M645-S4055 LED TruBrite 14-Inch Laptop (Black) Specifications

Toshiba Satellite M645: Easy Portability with 14-Inch HD Screen

Combining great portability, generous battery life and modern style in a slim, eco-smart package, the Toshiba Satellite M645-S4055 is sized to travel while providing powerful computing resources for all of your needs--work, learning and play. The 14-inch LED-backlit display offers HD TruBrite technology for optimal image clarity, widescreen aspect ratio for watching letterboxed movies and extra desktop working space, and native 720p high-definition resolution for watching downloaded HD video.

Fusion X2 finish in charcoal.

Made for mobility, this Toshiba M645 features a 14-inch high-definition screen and a one-click Eco Utility for improved energy management (see larger image).

Toshiba's Fusion X2 Finish in charcoal (see larger image).

Enjoy both style and comfortable ergonomics with the A665's textured palm rest (see larger image).

Toshiba's M645 series laptops has been redesigned with the Fusion X2 Finish--an elegant matte textured surface with a gloss trim that's durable, uniquely stylish, and less prone to fingerprints.

You'll also be able to burn through the hottest new digital media, content creation and advanced 3D gaming with the breakthrough performance of the Intel Core i5 processor--with 4-way multitasking processor power to work on four tasks simultaneously.

Thanks to the built-in webcam and Toshiba Face Recognition software on this machine, you'll enjoy a more convenient way to communicate, log on or share your laptop among the family. Other Toshiba exclusive features include a power-saving Eco Utility to help reduce power consumption based on your needs, USB Sleep-and-Charge port, and a hard drive impact sensor that protects your data. Additionally, this laptop also includes the innovative Sleep and Music functionality, which lets you listen to music through its speakers without booting up.

This Satellite comes pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system (64-bit version).

Key Features

• 14-inch widescreen HD TruBrite LED-Backlit display not only renders stunning visuals, but it's more environmentally friendly as it uses less power (1366 x 768 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio).
  

• 2.40 GHz Intel Core i5-450M dual-core processor for smart performance with a speed boost (2.66 GHz with Turbo Boost Technology; 3 MB L3 cache). Intel's Turbo Boost technology maximizes speed for demanding applications, dynamically accelerating performance to match your workload--providing more performance when you need it the most. It also comes equipped with Intel HD Graphics--an advanced video engine that delivers smooth, high-quality HD video playback, and advanced 3D capabilities, providing an ideal graphics solution for everyday computing.
  

• 500 GB SATA hard drive (5400 RPM)
  

• 4 GB of installed DDR3 RAM (expandable to 8 GB)
  

• NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M with 1 GB of dedicated DDR3 video memory (up to 2782 MB of total available graphics memory) provides up to 10 times the performance of integrated graphics with amazing visuals and Windows 7 compatibility. Let your GPU do the work for video playback with NVIDIA PureVideo HD technology--helping extend battery life, reducing fan noise, and freeing the CPU for multitasking.
  

• 8x SuperMulti DVD drive with double layer support and Labelflash printing, which enables you to personalize your discs and keep them looking attractive and organized with direct-to-disc laser printing.
  

• Wireless Connectivity
  • With its integrated Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking capabilities, this laptop provides up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range using 802.11n-compatible routers as you would with 802.11g networks. It's also backward compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found at Wi-Fi hotspots and in older home routers).
  • With integrated Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, you can communicate and synchronize wirelessly with Bluetooth-enabled peripherals such as printers and cell phones.
    

• Harman Kardon stereo speakers bring an added dimension to music, movies and gaming with rich, immersive virtual surround sound.
• Dolby Advanced Audio blends a suite of technologies to deliver a stunning audio experience from headphones or your laptop speakers. It analyzes audio signals and restores tones often lost in encoding, mimicking the same optimization techniques that go into tuning movie theaters and mixing rooms, resulting in brighter highs and deep, thumping bass tones. It also expands stereo signals to 6.1- or 7.1-channel playback for a listening experience that will have you talking long after the performance.
  

• Included Toshiba Software:
  • Toshiba Media Controller offers simplified media sharing. Using an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, it lets you share videos, music and pictures from the media library on your laptop with compatible devices in your home entertainment network, or with other compatible laptops and devices, like an Xbox 360 game console. And you can do it all without moving equipment, burning discs or fumbling with cables.
  • Toshiba Bulletin Board is an easy-to-use organizational and productivity app that lets you build your own personalized space on your desktop. With Toshiba Bulletin Board, you can quickly and easily manage your to-do lists and calendars, plus create your own custom work area by pinning your favorite photos, documents, links and more.
  • Toshiba ReelTime helps you cut down the time it takes to search for files. The easy-to-use app takes traditional text-based file structures one step further to help you find what you're looking for more quickly. Accessible from your taskbar, it shows you a visual timeline of your recently accessed files--using graphical thumbnails--so you can easily identify and get to your files faster.
    

• Included Toshiba Utilities:
  • Toshiba eco Utility makes it easy to go green as you go mobile. Hit the Eco Button and you'll launch the Toshiba Eco Utility, which puts all sorts of easy-to-read information on your screen, and gives you the ability to adjust the power settings on your laptop. It also activates a light showing you're in the Eco Mode. The Toshiba Eco Utility lets you pick the optimal power plan for your situation. Choose High-Performance when you need every watt you can get, Power Saver for the least energy consumption, or Balanced as a perfect blend of the two.
  • Sleep and Music lets you enjoy your favorite tunes through speakers built into your Toshiba laptop without booting up--helping you conserve battery life. Just plug your portable player into the microphone jack, step back and enjoy.
  • USB Sleep and Charge offers a great way to keep your portable electronics powered up without requiring your laptop to be on. With this laptop's Sleep and Charge USB port, you'll be able to charge your smart phone, MP3 player, and other portable electronics--all without having to keep your laptop awake.
  • Hard Drive Impact Sensor takes the worry out of taking your most important files and multimedia on the go. Able to detect sudden movement along three different dimensions, the impact sensor (a complex system of hardware and software) helps safeguard your data by "parking" the hard drive heads in the event of a drop or sudden movement. And it works faster than you can blink to help protect your laptop and all-important data.
    

• Up to 5 hours of battery life (6-cell battery; 48 Wh)
  

• Dimensions & Weight: 13.3 x 9 x 1.39 inches (WxDxH); 5.4 pounds
  

Networking, Connectivity & Expansion 3 total USB ports with 1 eSATA/USB combo port that also features Sleep and Charge capabilities. The combo eSATA/USB port enables you to connect to compatible external hard drives for lightning fast transfers of large multimedia files--up to 5 times faster than via a standard USB port. HDMI high-definition audio/video output allows a single cable to transmit uncompressed high-definition video to your compatible digital TV or external monitor. VGA video output (analog, RGB) Microphone input port with Sleep and Music functionality plus headphone output jack Multi-format memory card reader compatible with Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Multi Media Card, xD Picture Card ExpressCard (34/54) slot lets you take advantage of thinner, faster, and lighter expansion cards for even more advanced wireless, networking, storage, and security features. Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000)

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system (64-bit version), you'll be able to easily create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. Windows 7 is the easiest, fastest, and most engaging version of Windows yet. Better ways to find and manage files, like Jump Lists and improved taskbar previews, help you speed through everyday tasks. Windows 7 is designed for faster and more reliable performance, so your PC just works the way you want it to. And with Windows Anytime Upgrade, you'll be able to add new features to your PC in as little as 10 minutes. Windows will walk you through the simple upgrade process, it requires no software or downloads, and you'll keep your existing programs, files, and settings

What's in the box

This package contains the Toshiba Satellite M645-S4055 notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions.

It also comes with the following software:

Norton Internet Security 2010 (30-day trial); Microsoft Works 9; Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 Edition (60-day trial); Google Toolbar; Microsoft Windows Media Player 12; Microsoft Silverlight; Toshiba PC Health Monitor; Toshiba Online Backup (30-day trial)

This laptop is backed by a 1-year limited hardware warranty.

Environmental Specifications

• Energy Star 5.0 certified
• Gold EPEAT designation for meeting standards to help reduce its environmental impact.
• RoHS compliant effectively reducing the environmental impact by restricting the use of lead, mercury and certain other hazardous substances

Learn more about Toshiba's environmental commitment.

Learn More

25th Anniversary of Toshiba Laptops

This year, Toshiba celebrates its 25th anniversary of innovations and quality in the notebook PC business. Beginning with the launch of the Toshiba T1100, the world's first clamshell-type, fully functional laptop PC, Toshiba has led the with such innovations as the first laptop with a color monitor in 1991 and a laptop with integrated CD-ROM drive in 1995 (followed by the addition of a DVD drive in 1998). And in 2009, Toshiba unveiled the world's first ultraportable laptop with 512GB solid state drive.

Today, Toshiba continues to be a leader in eco-friendly manufacturing, with virtually all of its consumer laptops earning EPEAT Gold status for meeting standards that help reduce overall environmental impact.

Available at Amazon Check Price Now!

*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Oct 06, 2010 01:14:04

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