Toshiba Satellite C670D review

A powerful desktop replacement laptop with a fantastic screen

Toshiba Satellite C670D
A 17.3-inch screen makes this a solid desktop replacement laptop

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Toshiba satellite c670d

As a desktop replacement laptop with power its main selling point compared to other portable PCs, the specifications of the Toshiba Satellite C670D are incredibly important. Unlike its sister laptop – the Satellite C670 – or its closest competitor – the HP Pavilion DV6-3112sa – the Satellite C670D doesn't run the fantastic Intel Core i3 processor.

Instead it features the newest AMD E-series processor, running dual core at 1.6GHz. Knowing just how well Intel's Core i3 processors perform – especially the second generation Sandy Bridge versions – it's a shame that the Satellite C670D doesn't benefit from the power of these new processors.

That's not to say that the AMD E-series processor is bad, just that it's underpowered compared to Intel. The laptop is bolstered, however, with 4GB DDR3 RAM – a comparatively large amount for a laptop, with the HP Pavilion DV6-3112sa only fitting in 3GB. The large amount of RAM boosts the speed and potential of this laptop, with multitasking in Windows 7 particularly benefiting from the extra power.

One of the most impressive specifications of the Toshiba Satellite C670D is its 17.3-inch screen. Screens of this size are becoming a bit of a rarity these days, with added emphasis being placed on mobility and convenience. The Toshiba Satellite C670D certainly isn't a laptop you can carry around in your bag like the Toshiba NB520-108, but that's not what it has been designed for.

Toshiba satellite c670d

The Toshiba Satellite C670D's large screen offers great media playback, plenty of desktop space for working on multiple documents at once and even gaming. The integrated graphics card lets things down slightly, and will mean that only light games, or ones with their graphics settings turned to low, will be able to run. The same goes for video editing.

The specifications of the Toshiba Satellite C670D state the hard drive capacity as 320GB, although in reality this is actually 300GB divided into two 150GB partitions, with one partition containing Windows 7 Home Premium. This is a nice touch, as you can keep the other partition for storing your personal files, so if you need to reinstall Windows your personal files will remain untouched.

Giving over 150GB to Windows 7 seems a bit excessive, however, and if you have a lot of digital photographs you may find the other 150GB partition will fill up quickly.

The large screen means that the laptop's size is pretty big, and impacts on how portable the machine is. This is a laptop that's more comfortable to use around the house, rather than out and about.

The increased size does have its benefits, however. The amount of space available allows a full sized keyboard to be included. This makes using the keyboard and working on the laptop for long periods of time much more comfortable than when using smaller laptops.

Matt Hanson
Managing Editor, Core Tech


Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. Ever since he got an Amiga A500+ for Christmas in 1991, he's loved using (and playing on) computers, and will talk endlessly about how The Secret of Monkey Island is the best game ever made.