Toshiba Satellite A665 Review Discussion

The Toshiba Satellite A660 and A665 are 16-inch laptops with a reasonably attractive design and solid performance. If you're shopping for a desktop-replacement notebook the Satellite A665 might be a worthy choice. Keep reading to see what we think of this Core i5-equipped model with Nvidia discrete graphics.

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Toshiba seems determined to stick with plastic case notebooks. Overall, they look like middle of the road consumer products, the sort of thing you pick up on sale at your local big box store. It's nice to see the ExpressCard slot, which is becoming rare in this segment, although most consumer probably wouldn't care in the least. Overall, I don't see any reason to buy Toshiba over HP's various DV and DM models. Like the 14" M64x, this is the sort of product you buy strictly on the basis of price.

 

That's a pretty accurate statement. The A660/A665 isn't a bad notebook by any stretch of the imagination, but the biggest reason to buy one of these is if there happens to be a really good sale on a decent configuration at a local store or online.

The overwhelming majority of US notebook sales for all the major manufacturers are in the $399-$899 price range in the 14"-17" screen sizes. The only real exception is Apple since the cheapest non-refurbished MacBook you can buy is $999.

 

I actually like the plastic body on this laptop: it makes for a lighter machine and the build quality is very acceptable. And the battery life is pretty decent, too. There are not many consumer laptops that offer a big screen while being relatively portable. And some people need a big screen to work comfortably. What kills this laptop for me is the low resolution. Come on, I am writing right now on a 11.6" netbook that has that same 1366x768. When I am working I am constantly comparing documents and always have several windows open (like most people, I guess). A big screen allows me to work more effectively. But with this low resolution I have the impression of getting the disadvantages of a big screen (mainly, weight) and none of its advantages. I don't understand why Toshiba doesn't offer a premium screen with a better resolution. It could be a very versatile machine.

Great review, by the way.

 

I am actually a fan of the X2 finish on newer Toshiba notebooks; it feels nice and as you said, Jerry, it doesn't pick up fingerprints like the original Fusion finish. Thankfully most mainstream manufacturers have left the ill-founded glossy trend of 2007-08 behind. Those glossy finishes look good for all of about 10 seconds when you take the notebook out of the box and are a nightmare to work with after that.

I think HP makes the best quality consumer notebooks but Toshiba is also a very decent choice. I like their new island-style keyboards better than the old ones.

You can pretty much say the same thing about any mainstream notebook maker, most notably HP. Dell offers higher-res screens in their XPS series though they are higher-priced. Higher resolution screens have become a lot harder to find since 16:9 notebooks appear on the market; at least in the past we had more options.