Toshiba Satellite E305-S1990X Review

Toshiba Satellite E305

Review Summary:

A good 14-inch laptop with lots of features and nice looks but it "feels" like a low-cost PC.

Pros

• Good performance
• Backlit keyboard
• Blu-ray drive

Cons

• Cheap feel to construction
• No discrete graphics option
• Integrated touchpad buttons don't work well

Toshiba Satellite E305-S1990X Full Review

 

The new Toshiba E305 is a Best Buy exclusive laptop with a 14-inch screen and a street price around $900. Packed with an Intel Core i5 "Sandy Bridge" processor, 4GB of RAM, a 500GB hard drive and a Blu-ray drive, is this the next great family PC? Keep reading to find out.

Toshiba Satellite E305 (E305-S1990X) Specifications:

• 14.0-inch 720p (1366x768) display with LED backlighting
• Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
• Intel Core i5-2410M processor (2.3GHz, 3MB cache, 2.9GHz with Turbo Boost)
• Intel HD Graphics with Intel Wireless Display Technology
• 4GB DDR3 RAM (1333MHz)
• 500GB 7200RPM hard drive (Seagate Momentus XT Hybrid drive with 4GB of flash memory)
• 802.11b/g/n wireless
• Blu-ray/DVD SuperMulti (+/- Double Layer)
• Warranty: 2-Yr Standard Limited Warranty (1-Yr on Battery)
• 6-cell Li-ion battery (67Wh) and 65W power adapter
• Weight: 4.95 lbs
• Dimensions: 13.46 x 9.13 x 1.25 inches
• MSRP: $1,089.99 ($899.99 at Best Buy)

Since the E305 is available exclusively at Best Buy, I can't help but feel that the "MSRP" of $1,089.99 is slightly disingenuous since Best Buy has been selling it for $899.99 from day one. Despite that minor quibble over the price, you do get a reasonably well-equipped notebook for about $900.

Build and Design
At first glance the new Satellite E305 has many design elements in common with the other Toshiba notebooks currently on the market. The rounded clamshell chassis wrapped in a combination of plastic and aluminum is a mixture of silver and black. Unlike last year's E205, this Best Buy "blue label" exclusive isn't covered in a metallic blue paint job ... something we're happy to see. The new E305 looks slightly more like a "premium" notebook compared to the laptop from last year ... but your opinion might change after you pick it up.

The screen lid and the top panel that surrounds the keyboard are both made of textured aluminum but the metal cladding is quite thin and flexible similar to the plastics you find on most Toshiba notebooks. In fact, my first reaction when reading about the "aluminum finish" on the E305 was to say, "This isn't aluminum." However, upon closer examination it is indeed aluminum ... it's just very thin. The crosshatched pattern on the lid and the palm rests helps prevent fingerprint smudges and scratches from showing up as easily as they do on an Apple MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, but the Toshiba simply doesn't feel as durable.

The combination of thin aluminum panels and plastic construction results in a main chassis that flexes under pressure and squeaks softly when you squeeze it next to the built-in Blu-ray drive. The screen hinges on this model are reasonably tight and hold the screen in position when you move the laptop from one location to another. I suspect this laptop will survive quite well as a desktop replacement and can handle regular travel as long as it's packed inside a good laptop bag, but I'd be hesitant to carry the E305 with me every day without some added protection.

The bottom of the notebook is rather lacking in terms of upgrade options. Thankfully, Toshiba includes a fast 500GB hard drive inside the E305 (the Seagate Momentus XT Hybrid drive) so you might not need to upgrade the storage. In addition, there is no convenient access panel for upgrading the RAM. In fact, all the screws that hold the notebook together are covered with small rubber stoppers. Toshiba only gives you a small panel on the bottom of the notebook with access to the wireless card in case you need to replace or upgrade that component. In short, this isn't a laptop designed for people who want to buy aftermarket upgrades.

Ports and Features
The new Satellite E305 features a reasonably nice collection of ports. You now get two USB 2.0 ports and one USB 3.0 "Super Speed" port for connecting standard accessories. There is no ExpressCard slot for adding new ports, but you do get dual video out ports: a VGA connection for old-school projectors and HDMI for new monitors and HDTVs. Toshiba was also kind enough to provide a Blu-ray drive (even if the built-in screen doesn't support 1080p resolution) and the E305 comes with Intel Wireless Display technology so you can wirelessly connect your laptop to a compatible HDTV or connect it to an HDTV with a wireless adapter.

Front view: Memory card slot and speakers	Rear view: No ports
Left side: Power jack, Ethernet, USB 2.0, USB 3.0, Blu-ray multi-drive

Keyboard and Touchpad
The designers at Toshiba have become extremely consistent with the keyboards on the Satellite notebooks. The E305 comes with a full-size keyboard with Chiclet-style keys that are responsive and provide a little extra spacing to prevent typos. The keys are large and flat and have a glossy texture that shows smudges from your skin oils over time. Unfortunately, this backlit keyboard suffers from noticeable flex when you apply heavy typing pressure. As long as you are a gentle typist the keyboard flex isn't an issue, but if you press firmly you will notice the keys bouncing beneath your fingers.

The Synaptics touchpad is fairly nice with a matte texture that provides smooth cursor movement. The touchpad driver delivers excellent accuracy and minimal lag with a range of options. The only problem comes when trying to use the right touchpad button. The "tap to click" function works fine on this touchpad when you need to press the left mouse button, but making a "right click" is very difficult since the touchpad is a "buttonless" style with integrated buttons located under the bottom front edge of the touchpad surface. The only time the right click worked properly was when we pressed the extreme right edge of the touchpad in the bottom right corner. This means that you may frequently make a left click when you try to make a right click. We really don't like to see little problems like this on a $900 laptop.

Screen and Speakers
The E305 has a 14.0-inch diagonal display with LED backlighting and a 16:9 aspect ratio. The overall quality of the display is "good" within the narrow vertical viewing angle sweet spot. The backlight is even and bright (208 nits according to our light meter), contrast is reasonably sharp (278:1) and colors are good though the colors are a little pastel at the default settings. If there is a single obvious issue it has to be the narrow vertical viewing angles like most standard TN panels. While the horizontal viewing angles (side view) are reasonably good, the colors become over exposed when viewed from above and significantly inverted and distorted when viewed from below. If you are using this laptop for color-accurate editing you will need to be certain you're viewing the screen from straight ahead.

The display's 1366x768 resolution is a standard resolution for mainstream notebooks. The horizontal resolution is adequate, however only 768 pixels of vertical space means a good deal of scrolling while surfing the Internet and only enough space to view about one-half of a page in a Microsoft Word. This is pretty standard for a modern 14-inch laptop, but since the E305 comes with a Blu-ray drive, it's important to point out you can't watch true 1080p video on this laptop's built-in screen.

The Satellite E305 features non-branded stereo speakers located on the bottom front edge of the notebook. This location is fine if you're using the notebook as a "desktop replacement" because the sound bounces off the desk and up toward the user. Unfortunately, if you're using the E305 as a "laptop" computer then the speakers sound muffled against your legs. The headphone jack and a good set of earphones work much better for listening to music or movies when you're on the road.

Right side: Audio jacks, USB 2.0, HDMI, VGA and lock slot

Performance and Benchmarks
The Toshiba Satellite E305 is available in only one configuration at the time of this writing and, as previously mentioned, is available for sale only at Best Buy. The Intel Core i5-2410M processor has a default clock speed of 2.3GHz but jumps up to 2.9GHz with Turbo Boost whenever you need more speed from the processor. The latest generation of integrated Intel HD Graphics in the "Sandy Bridge" chipset provides enough video performance to handle all your HD video playback needs as well as some casual gaming.

That said, I personally would have liked to see Toshiba offer two versions of this laptop at Best Buy: one version of the E305 with only Intel integrated graphics and a second configuration with either Nvidia or ATI discrete graphics. I am well aware that the majority of people who buy laptops at Best Buy don't care about dedicated graphics cards for gaming, but the optional discrete graphics would provide better video editing capability as well as better performance in gaming. Not only that, but it's potentially difficult to justify the $900 price tag when Best Buy sells other Toshiba laptops with more powerful dedicated graphics for as little as $700.

On a brighter note, Toshiba did a good thing by using the extremely fast Seagate Momentus XT hybrid hard drive that combines a 4GB SSD with a traditional 500GB 7200rpm hard drive. The non-technical translation is this hard drive is noticeably faster than most of the hard drives that come with budget notebooks. This results in relatively fast Windows startup, being able to launch multiple applications at the same time without waiting as long, and quick switching between applications. In a nutshell, the E305 feels very fast compared to laptops with slower hard drives.

Wprime processor comparison results (lower scores mean better performance):


PCMark05 measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):

PCMark Vantage measures overall system performance (higher scores mean better performance):

3DMark06 measures overall graphics performance for gaming (higher scores mean better performance):

3DMark Vantage measures overall graphics performance for gaming (higher scores mean better performance):

CrystalDiskMark storage drive performance test:

Heat and Noise
The Toshiba E305 manages to keep the heat from its internal components away from the user but the fan noise is quite noticeable. The self-adjusting fan speeds frequently run at a speed which is more than loud enough to hear in a quiet room. The fan volume isn't enough to bother most people, but if you're using the laptop in a quiet office or classroom setting the person sitting next to you will notice the white noise coming from the laptop fan. The only obvious hot spots on the exterior of this notebook are near the heat vent and the hard drive, but even those areas stay below 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

Battery Life
In the "balanced" power mode with 75% screen brightness, the Satellite E305-S1990X lasted for six hours and six minutes of non-stop use with wireless active and refreshing a page every 60 seconds. This is pretty good for a 14-inch notebook with a stock 6-cell battery. Still, this is slightly less battery life than what we've seen from the less expensive HP Pavilion dm3t and the ASUS U31JG-A1 notebooks.

Battery life test results (higher scores mean better battery life):

Conclusion
After spending a few weeks with the new Toshiba Satellite E305 I'm left with a number of mixed feelings. The E305 is packed with some very good features and delivers more than enough performance for the typical laptop user or family. The new Intel Core i5 processor and integrated graphics provide plenty of muscle for typical software and multimedia tasks. This isn't a gaming notebook, but you can play basic games that don't require high performance graphics cards.

The areas where the E305 disappoints are more a matter of personal perspective rather than serious flaws. The E305 features an aluminum LCD lid and an aluminum top plate surrounding the keyboard, but the metal is extremely thin and feels similar to plastic at first touch. The E305 simply doesn't "feel" as solid as other aluminum notebooks like the Apple MacBook Air or the HP Envy. Add to that the annoying touchpad and the Best Buy bloatware that comes pre-installed on this Best Buy exclusive notebook and the E305 gives the impression that it's lower quality than its specs or price might suggest.

Ultimately, the Satellite E305 isn't a bad notebook. In fact, it performs exceptionally well and offers a lot of little extras for $900. Unfortunately, it just doesn't stand out as a "must have" laptop.

Pros:

• Good performance
• Backlit keyboard
• Blu-ray drive

Cons:

• Cheap feel to construction
• No discrete graphics option
• Integrated touchpad buttons don't work well

Individual Ratings: *
Software & Support 
Upgrade Capabilities 
Usability 
Design 
Performance 
Features 
Price/Value Rating 

* Ratings averaged to produce final score