Which Toshiba T235 is Better: AMD or Intel Verison?

Last week, we posted reviews of two nearly-identical Toshibas with model names that start with T235. Both notebooks have the same stylish chassis, excellent keyboard, comfy touchpad, attractive screen, 4GB of RAM, and 320 GB hard drive. The Toshiba Satellite T235-S1350, which currently retails for around $599, is powered by  a 1.2-GHz Intel Pentium SU5400 CPU and Intel Integrated HD graphics. The Toshiba Satllite T235D, which goes for around $20 less, has a 1.5-GHz AMD Turion II Neo K625 CPU with integrated ATI Radeon Mobility HD 4225 graphics. The two notebooks also have two different Wi-Fi radios, with the Intel-based T235-S1350 sporting a Realtek 8191SE and the AMD-based T235D featuring an Atheros AR9285.

Overall, we love this lightweight notebook’s gorgeous design, snappy performance, and amazingly comfortable keyboard. But which of these two configurations is best? While both received a “highly recommended” rating of 4 stars, we gave our coveted Editor’s Choice award to the Intel-powered T235 because it lasted 50 minutes longer (6:10 versus 5:20), it had better Wi-Fi connectivity, and it copied files faster than its AMD-based counterpart. Overall performance was pretty much a wash, though the T235D did a little bit better in graphics tests and gaming.

With either version of Toshiba’s Satellite T235 series, you really can’t go wrong, but we’ll pay the extra $20 for nearly an hour of additional battery life. To find out more about these awesome ultraportables, check out our full reviews of the Toshiba Satellite T235 (Intel) and Toshiba Satellite T235D (AMD).