More “desktop replacement” than “portable computer”, the Satellite P50t by Toshiba comes chock full of goodies, with a full-length keyboard and Full HD display. The notebook is neither as thick (nor as heavy) than the offerings of yore, with about the same size as the Satellite L40. The light grey shell has a brushed metal texture to it, which is visually pleasing, if a bit overdone, since almost everybody has done that particular aesthetic.
Aside from the full-length keyboard (it’s backlit!) and the Full HD screen, this Toshiba comes with speakers from harman/kardon, Toshiba’s go-to audio solution. This, combined with the Full HD display make for a satisfying multimedia experience… except this unit only comes with a DVD+-RW drive, and not a BD-ROM. You will have to source your HD content digitally if you are to make good use of the display.
Taking a look at the inside, you can see that the Satellite comes with some rather potent parts. For starters, an Intel Core i7 processor is lurking within, though it is one of the low-voltage “U” parts rather than the more powerful “MQ” one. Considering that this is a multimedia machine, it is an odd decision. Nonetheless, you’re still getting quite a bit of performance, quad-core or not. Paired with the processor is a generous 8GB of RAM, making for a speedy notebook. A 1TB hard drive should be sufficient for your games and media, whilst gaming chops comes provided by NVIDIA and the GeForce GT740M GPU. All in all, you’re getting quite a powerful machine.
With all these goodies inside, it’s no surprise that the notebooks delivers in terms of performance. The machine produced some amazing scores in PCMark05, only lacking in the Graphics department, but that can be forgiven, considering that the GT740M is a midrange part.
The notebook excelled in PCMark 7, acing the Computation and Creativity scenarios.
The Satellite P50t managed to survive a little over 3 hours in Powermark’s “Balanced” preset, which can be credited to the ULV Intel processor tucked within its light grey chassis. It goes without saying that intense activities like gaming will drain the charge faster, so spend your energy judiciously.
In terms of connectivity, the Satellite packs a pair of USB 3.0 ports on the right side, and a pair of USB 2.0 ports on the left. A HDMI connector and a VGA connector lets you hook up to two extra monitors, and an RJ-45 port is available if you prefer a wired connection. All in all, the Satellite P50t is a potent replacement for your desktop.
