The Toshiba C55-B5356 is a competent desktop replacement laptop for a good price, but the downsides, like the non-removable battery and the slightly slim keyboard, make it in the middle of the pack.
The Toshiba C55-B5356 is a mid-range desktop replacement laptop that costs quite a bit more than most cheap Windows 8.1 laptops, for a good reason. This is a more powerful and feature rich Windows system with Intel Core i5-4210U Processor 3M Cache, up to 2.70GHz, with Intel Turbo Boost 2.0 Processor 8GB DDR3L RAM and 1TB HDD. It’s faster and removes some of the traditional features of a typical desktop replacement laptop (like a replaceable battery) allowing you to keep using it for years.
If you’re upgrading from an older laptop, put the Toshiba C55-B5356 in the middle of your shopping list. It is a good choice for checking email, social networking, home entertainment-movies, songs, videos and all office tasks, from spreadsheets, word processing and presentations. like multitasking other tasks, but don’t expect a MacBook-like experience, as its case is not made of aluminum but a solid plastic.
Review of Toshiba Laptop C55-B5356
Design
The 15.6-inch HD screen has a resolution of 1366 x 768 and is not touch-capable, which is typical in the budget segment. The integrated HD Graphics 4400 is 20-30% faster than the Intel HD 4000 found in earlier systems. Static text and graphics will appear a bit blocky when blown up to cover the entire 15.6-inch screen.
While this is forgivable for less expensive systems like the Dell Inspiron i3531-1200BK, we’d love to see even higher resolutions of 1,600 x 900 like in the Dell Inspiron 15, which is our top pick. I am in the cheap desktop replacement category. Also, I don’t stop obsessing over touchscreens at this price range, and I can admit that Windows 8.1 is a lot easier on a touchscreen.
On the sides of the system you’ll find one gigabit Ethernet port, one HDMI port, one SD card reader, two USB 2.0 ports, one USB 3.0 port, and one VGA port. Wireless networking is handled by the system’s 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, but there’s no Bluetooth for other wireless devices like keyboards and mice, but you can get a cheap USB Bluetooth dongle Cheap to buy this system. A DVD burner is a backup item that may be needed in your home to watch old DVDs or if you need to access photos stored on optical discs.
At first, you might think the system has a removable battery, but looks can be deceiving. There are gaps in the case in the usual places of the hinge, but it’s not removable. If I get a little bit of nitty, this is quite unfortunate because replacing a worn-out battery is a surefire way to extend the life of a laptop. The 4-cell 45Wh lithium ion battery can provide you with an average usage time of up to 5-6 hours. The keyboard is not backlit, but its light weight (4.85 pounds) makes the C55-B5356 easy to carry around compared to most 15-inch laptops.
Performance
Inside the Toshiba C55-B5356 is an ultra-low 4th generation Intel i5-4210U dual-core processor (3MB cache) with a base speed of 1.7GHz but can clock up to 2.7GHz. with Intel Turbo Boost, 8GB DDR3L SDRAM at 1600MHz. multitasking and 1TB Serial ATA hard drive at 5400 rpm and Windows 8.1 64-bit operating system.
For the price, the specs are decent but the Intel i5-4210U processor will do better with 16GB for most users. However, memory upgrades are unlikely and most users will have to contend with 8GB, although it can still handle multimedia and RAM-intensive office tasks.
That said, most users won’t find the need to upgrade, as the system exceeds the typical 4GB of memory and 500GB hard drive that you’ll find on most budget systems like the Acer Aspire E5- 471-59RT, although it also runs on an Intel Core i5 Processor. 8GB memory gives you enough space to open dozens of browser tabs simultaneously, and 1TB is enough for music, photos and videos. The drive spins at 5,400 rpm which is relatively slow compared to the popular 7200 rpm, but it’s a fair balance for this amount of space.
Conclusion about Toshiba C55-B5356
The Toshiba C55-B5356 is a competent desktop replacement laptop with a decent price tag, but the downsides, like the non-removable battery and the slightly slim keyboard, put it in the middle of the pack. Even features like 8GB of system memory and a 1TB hard drive can’t elevate the system much higher.
The ASUS VivoBook F510UA-AH51 laptop is still our top pick, thanks to its large 1,600 x 900 resolution display, removable battery, more expensive feel and build quality, despite its pricier build quality. the listed price is slightly higher than the Toshiba model.