A step up from the L505 series, the Toshiba Satellite A505-S6004 offers similar performance, but more style than its less expensive siblings. While it packs the same Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 500GB hard drive, it packages them in a glossy black chassis highlighted by chrome accents and LED backlights. While we’re fans of the A505’s audio and video prowess, though, we can’t help but feel that its $769 price tag is a bit high compared to the competition given this notebook’s performance.

Design

The A505’s design is a departure from the blander (and cheaper) Satellite L505, but it lacks the ostentatiousness of a Qosmio system. Its styling is similar to that of the larger P505; the black lid is accented by Toshiba’s Fusion Finish (a wave of thin lines) as well as the company’s name splashed in chrome in the center. The deck, too, has the same finish, and while both are glossy, they do a fairly good job of hiding your fingerprints. The deck and lid are bordered with a silvery plastic trim, and the speakers above the keyboard are accented by chrome borders.

Above the keyboard are several touch-sensitive buttons: Eco Utility, Windows Media Player, Play/Pause, Back, Forward, Mute, and Volume. All are backlit, and responded quickly to our finger when we pressed them. On the less expensive L505, these are physical buttons, and the volume control is an old school wheel on the front edge.

Weighing 6.4 pounds and measuring 15.1 x 10.2 x 1.6 inches, the A505 isn’t a notebook you’ll be carrying around much. While its size and weight classify it as a mainstream system, it probably won’t leave your desk often.

Heat

Like other notebooks in this line, the A505 stayed fairly cool during our testing. After playing a Hulu video at full screen for 15 minutes, the touchpad measured 93 degrees Fahrenheit, the space between the G and H keys was 91 degrees, and the middle of the underside registered 100 degrees. We consider anything over 100 degrees to be too hot.

Keyboard and Touchpad

The A505’s black, glossy keys provided very good feedback, and Toshiba was able to fit in a number pad without compromising the size of the layout.

Like the L505, the A505’s touchpad is nicely sized, and its slightly gritty surface—a contrast to the glossy palm rests—enabled our fingers to move about with little friction. However, it blends almost too well into the deck; we often had to look down to locate it. The silver mouse buttons are positively huge; unlike the L505, they’re not oval-shaped, and have a flat bottom edge that blends into the silvery accent around the edge.

Display and Audio

While the glossy finish on the 15.6-inch display returned a fair number of reflections, we were impressed with the contrast and colors on the 1366 x 768-pixel screen. When watching a Saturday Night Live sketch on Hulu, there was little noise in darker areas. However, Tina Fey’s red sweater really popped when she stood in front of a green chalkboard, and we could pick out individual strands of Justin Beiber’s hair. (Not that we were necessarily looking.)

Audio, too, was well above average. While playing videos and listening to music, the Harman Kardon-powered speakers were able to fill a room easily at full volume without becoming distorted. When playing Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl,” we could clearly hear the guitar through the right speaker while the bass line thrummed along in the left; neither drowned the other out.

Ports and Webcam

On the right are two USB ports, modem, power, and a tray-loading DVD drive. On the left is a third USB port, VGA, Ethernet, HDMI, eSATA, headphone and mic, and an ExpressCard/54 slot. Underneath the front lip is a 5-in-1 memory card reader.

The A505’s webcam recorded crisp video that displayed colors accurately in bright light, but struggled a bit when it had to rely just on fluorescent lighting; while colors were still decent, video became much grainier. Regardless, there was virtually no motion blur when we waved our hand in front of the camera, and the microphone (to the right of the webcam) picked up our voice clearly during a Skype call.

Quick Specs :

CPU: 2.13-GHz Intel Core i3-330M
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
RAM/Expandable to: 4GB/8GB
Hard Drive Size/Speed: 500GB/5,400 rpm
Display Size/Resolution: 16 inches/1366 x 768
Weight: 6.4 pounds