There three components of this test; let's first look at the CPU score.  At 899, the Toshiba notebook scores just less than half of the E-350 reference platform (score, 2004).  The GPU scores are very close though: 4351 versus 4247!  So while the CPU performance of this platform is much less with the lack of a dual-core processor, the GPU performance is relatively stable.  That is good news for GPU-accelerated decoding and other GPGPU applications but bad news for any gaming a user might want to do on this 1366x768 screen. 

Initial Thoughts

There is a lot to consider when looking at a machine like the Toshiba C655D using the AMD E-240 APU including the performance, usability and battery life.  We have already shown a basic look at performance and as you should expect with a single-core variant of the Zacate platform, the speed of the machine doesn't quite live up to the expectations we had.  Considering we are using a 15.6-in screen with room for a large-ish battery, that is disappointing.  However, performance compared to most of the Atom-based netbooks/notebooks will likely paint this Toshiba in a better light. 

Usability is pretty good - I wrote this short preview ON the notebook and spent the better part of the day using it.  The keyboard was impressive for such a low cost laptop though the mouse buttons could use a little work.  The screen is decent and is more than reasonable considering the cost.  I did notice slowdowns when running 1080p Flash video (though it did play) but AMD assures us that Flash 10.2 will improve GPU acceleration on their APUs.  (I know Flash 10.2 is out, but only for 32-bit platforms.  This notebook ships with a 64-bit version of Windows 7.) 

The single core did struggle with several browsers open with one or more of them running some higher bit-rate video. 

Testing battery life completely will be the goal of Matt when he does his review, but so far, with a rated battery life of "up to 5.4 hours", my early use shows that to be pretty accurate.  Using the notebook with half brightness, Wi-Fi on with multiple browsers and web apps open, after about 1.5 hours of use the battery indicator says I have 75% life remaining.  If the math works out, that is just under 6 hours of total battery life for web browsing / general usage; pretty good for a 15.6-in laptop.

Also worth noting in my testing that even while running 3DMark Vantage, the Toshiba C655D has never gotten even remotely warm to the touch.  Nor are there any loud fans running the whole time.  The promises from AMD of a very cool computing environment with longer battery life that most Atom platforms seems to be met with this machine, even if the performance delta from Intel's options is less than I would have liked. 

There is more coming soon from PC Perspective on this notebook; check back in the next week or so for the full review!  

If you can't wait for the review and want to check out the Toshiba C655D right now - you can find it at Best Buy for $349 today.

Further Reading

• ASUS G53JW-3DE Core i7 GTX 460M 3D Vision Gaming Notebook Review
• Samsung Galaxy Tab Review - Android takes on the iPad
• Acer Aspire 5551G-4591 15.6-in AMD Turion II Notebook Review
• Lenovo T410s 14-in Core i5 Optimus Notebook Review
• Alienware M11x 11-in Core i7-640UM Gaming Notebook Review
• SUS U33JC Core i3 13-in Bamboo Notebook Review – ASUS Gets Classy