Impressions and Conclusion
Nile is solid. The processor performance of the Toshiba T235 is right in line with what you’d expect from Intel’s Ultra-Low Voltage processors, but the graphics processor easily outclasses the Intel GMA 4500 found in Core 2 Duo based CULV laptops. Overall, the performance benchmarks make it very clear that Nile is a huge stride forward for AMD.
My only worry with Nile is Intel’s CULV 2010 platform, which uses Core i3 and i5 processors instead of Core 2 Duos. AMD has consistently been just one step behind Intel over the last few years, and Nile may share this fate. Nile’s success will ultimately come down to price and availability. The current crop of Intel CULV 2010 based laptops is hard to find and more expensive at the moment, making them less attractive than they should be, but that could change.
The Toshiba T235 is also an improvement over its predecessor, the T135. The model we received for review, the Toshiba T235-S1345, is available for $599 from most retailers. That puts it competition with laptops such as the Lenovo Thinkpad Edge and Acer Aspire Timeline. The T235 is clearly better than the Timeline thanks to higher build quality, more attractive design and a better keyboard. The Edge is stiff competition, but the 13 inch AMD model hasn’t move on to Nile yet and the Intel variant is far more expensive. The T235 should undoubtedly be on your short list if you’re looking for a cheap-and-cheerful ultraportable.
Toshiba can be proud of what it has accomplished with the T235. In a single generation they’ve leapt from the bottom of the pack into first place among budget ultraportables. There is reason to believe that the T235 may not hold on to this crown for long, as there are a lot of new Nile based ultraportables in the works – but for now the Toshiba T235 is the king of this hill.
