Toshiba Satellite P750-115 review
Plenty of power and a Blu-ray player, but the screen is average and the keyboard disappointing
Specifications
15.6 in 1,366×768 display, 2.6kg, 2GHz Intel Core i7-2630QM, 8.00GB RAM, 640GB disk, Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
In everyday use, we found the keyboard flawed: the flat, glossy keys meant fingers easily slipped off when typing. Even so, the keys are all well-spaced and a good size. A dedicated number pad will help with text entry, but like the QWERTY keyboard, there’s not enough feedback from each press. We often felt like we hadn’t pressed a key, despite it registering in the application we were using. The glossy finish on the wrist rest also becomes a magnet for fingerprints when typing.
The touchpad fares better: the thin illuminated strip above it is one of the Satellite’s few design flourishes, but it does help you find it in the dark. The matte finish made finger movement very smooth and the touchpad buttons, while slightly stiff, give a definite click with each press.
Connectivity is roughly in line with other high-end laptops. Four USB ports, two of which are the faster USB3 standard, a multi-format card reader, headphone and microphone audio jacks and a Gigabit Ethernet port for networking are all welcome inclusions. One of the USB ports supports charging during Sleep mode, a useful technology that Toshiba has also applied to the microphone jack. If you plug in an iPod or MP3 player, it will play back through the laptop speakers, even when turned off.
The P750-115 has most of the features we would expect in a high-end multimedia laptop, but we’d also expect slightly more finesse for £1,000. As it is, the mediocre keyboard and lack of a Full HD screen means it loses out to more well-rounded machines from other manufacturers. A cheaper alternative is the excellent MSI GE620.
Basic Specifications | |
---|---|
Rating | *** |
Processor | Intel Core i7-2630QM |
Processor clock speed | 2GHz |
Memory | 8.00GB |
Memory slots | 2 |
Memory slots free | 0 |
Maximum memory | 8GB |
Size | 36x381x254mm |
Weight | 2.6kg |
Sound | Realtek HD Audio |
Pointing device | touchpad |
Display | |
Viewable size | 15.6 in |
Native resolution | 1,366×768 |
Graphics Processor | Nvidia GeForce GT 540M |
Graphics/video ports | VGA, HDMI |
Graphics Memory | 2,048MB |
Storage | |
Total storage capacity | 640GB |
Optical drive type | DVD+/-RW +/-DL BD-ROM |
Ports and Expansion | |
USB ports | 4 |
Bluetooth | yes |
Wired network ports | 1x 10/100/1000 |
Wireless networking support | 802.11b/g/n |
PC Card slots | none |
Supported memory cards | SDHC, Memory Stick Pro, xD |
Other ports | minijack audio output, minijack microphone input, 1x USB3 |
Miscellaneous | |
Carrying case | No |
Operating system | Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit |
Operating system restore option | restore partition |
Software included | Microsoft Office 2010 Starter, Nero 10, Corel WinDVD BD |
Optional extras | £86 |
Buying Information | |
Warranty | one year collect and return |
Price | £1,000 |
Details | www.toshiba-europe.com |
Supplier | http://www.currys.co.uk |