Toshiba Satellite Pro L830-10G review
Toshiba sets out to prove business laptops don’t have to be expensive, with this £400 Satellite Pro. Mike Jennings takes a look at whether this 13.3in model is able to provide the performance to match the budget price.
The Satellite Pro L830-10G doesn’t have much going for it aside from its extremely low £344 exc VAT price: average build quality, screen and ergonomics combined with a low-end processor and software that makes Windows 7 feel more sluggish and unresponsive than it has any right to be. The low price, though, makes it a reasonable bargain for those after a small business laptop on a budget.

On the inside
To keep the cost down, Toshiba has had to use basic components on the inside too. Intel's budget Core i3 range has just been refreshed with the 22nm Ivy Bridge architecture, but those chips are only turned up in high-end Ultrabooks.
Instead, Toshiba has fitted a Core i3-2367M, which is based on the older Sandy Bridge architecture. It's one of Intel's more potent low-power processors, but its specification offers little hope for high-end performance. An application benchmark score of 0.38 means the Toshiba won't be able to handle much more than basic applications indeed, it felt occasionally sluggish when we were navigating Windows.
Key Specifications
Processor:1.4GHz Intel Core i3-2367MRAM: 2GB DDR3Storage: 500GB HDDScreen: 13.3 in 1,366 x 768Ports: 2 x USB 3, 1 x USB 2, HDMI, D-SUB, SD card reader, 2 x audio
The Toshiba's results of 0.23 and 0.2 in our video and 3D rendering tests means the Satellite Pro is particularly poor when it comes to graphical applications too. This is the fault of the Intel HD Graphics 3000 core. It's the more powerful of Intel's last-generation integrated cores, but it's still little use for anything beyond Windows: it scored just 14fps in our 1,366 x 768 Low quality Crysis benchmark.
The rest of the specification is suitably low-end. Two gigabytes of RAM is half the amount we're used to seeing in even mid-range laptops, but there is a DVD writer and 500GB hard disk. Connectivity comes from Gigabit Ethernet and there's only single-band 802.11n wireless. The Toshiba is also lacking in the business features we're used to seeing on corporate machines, with no sign of Intel vPro or TPM, for instance.
For a small machine, the battery life is middling. A result of 5hrs 21mins in our light use benchmark means the Toshiba won't be able to last a full day away from the mains, and in our heavy use test this figure dropped to just under two hours.
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
Mike Jennings has worked as a technology journalist for more than a decade and has been fascinated by computers since childhood, when he spent far too long building terrible websites. He loves desktop PCs, components, laptops and anything to do with the latest hardware.
Mike worked as a staff writer at PC Pro magazine in London for seven years, and during that time wrote for a variety of other tech titles, including Custom PC, Micro Mart and Computer Shopper. Since 2013, he’s been a freelance tech writer, and writes regularly for titles like Wired, TechRadar, Stuff, TechSpot, IT Pro, TrustedReviews and TechAdvisor. He still loves tech and covers everything from the latest business hardware and software to high-end gaming gear, and you’ll find him on plenty of sites writing reviews, features and guides on a vast range of topics.
You can email Mike at mike@mike-jennings.net, or find him on Twitter at @mikejjennings
-
Is ChatGPT making us dumber? A new MIT study claims using AI tools causes cognitive issues, and it’s not the first – Microsoft has already warned about ‘diminished independent problem-solving’
News A recent study from MIT suggests that using AI tools impacts brain activity, with frequent users underperforming compared to their counterparts.
By Ross Kelly Published
-
Hackers are using Microsoft 365 features to bombard enterprises with phishing emails – and they’ve already hit more than 70 organizations
News A new phishing campaign uncovered by researchers at Varonis shows threat actors are abusing Microsoft 365's Direct Send feature to launch phishing attacks.
By Emma Woollacott Published
-
Plans announced to resurrect former steelworks as a ‘green’ data center
News Plans have been put forward to transform the former Ravenscraig steelworks in Scotland into a green AI data center.
By Ross Kelly Published