Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q898 18.4-Inch Laptop (Fusion Finish in Omega Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This product deserves 4.5 stars. It is almost perfect but for the small SSD supplied.
I have used laptops of various sizes, 12" to 15" and now 18.4".
I was looking for a laptop which had a fantastic keyboard (ala "Lenovo") and sufficient GPU power for the latest games. Not that I'm a hardcore gamer but I was looking for a new laptop which could last longer (in terms of obsolescence) as nowadays it is the GPU rather than the CPU which determines whether or not your laptop is capable of running games.
Without further ado, here's the reasons why I bought this unit. No offence to owners of the other brands but I had to eliminate other popular choices due to the reasons below. I actually narrowed down my final choice of a new laptop to either SAGER or TOSHIBA.
PROS
1. Keyboard
A full keyboard (backlit!) is provided along with a full numberpad.
For me, the keyboard design was really important. I have used a Lenovo Thinkpad laptop before and their keyboards were (and still are) really the best for typing.
Yes, even better than this unit.
H/w, this Toshiba unit has the edge over Alienware and SAGER/CLEVO units where the keyboard is concerned. I actually went to a real store to check out the Alienware laptops but just did not like the feel of their keyboards. I also do not like the way SAGER/CLEVO removed some of the keys on their numberpad.
BTW, the MSI GX/GT 660 series deserves honorable mention for their keyboard design. I like the look on it. H/W some reviewers have claimed that there is a certain amount of flex, hence I did not go for the MSI units.
2. Battery Life
Granted, most people would not move a desktop replacement unit around much. H/w, this unit is listed as being able to last 3hr 47mins on battery power.
I have tested this unit, running on battery, it lasted 1hr 35mins with maximum LCD brightness settings. I have no doubt that it could really reach 3 hrs + if I had run on the Toshiba ECO mode with a dimmer lcd setting.
This was also the reason why I rejected the SAGER units as they can only last about 47mins from the online reviews I have read. ok, desktop replacement units are not meant to be moved around, but a laptop, IMHO, should be able to function normally for at least 1.5 hrs on battery and not treat the battery as a "UPS".
3. NVIDIA GTX 460M
This GPU is really fantastic!
I managed to get an average framerate of 31FPS for BATMAN AA GOTY with all the graphics settings maxed out. Yes, even with 16x Anti-aliasing! ha ha :) That's how smooth it is!
And this was running under the 18.4 inch laptop screen at native 1920 x 1080 resolution!
Had the new MSI gaming unit with the 460M been available at the time that I bought this Toshiba, I would not have eliminated such an option from my short-list.
4. Sound system
This unit comes with Harmon Kardon speakers.
Again, SAGER was edged out on this factor.
5. Build Quality
For me, aesthetics are not that important. Hence I was willing to consider either the SAGER line of laptops.
This Toshiba unit is very well made. The keyboard does not have any flex. The handrest portion beneath the keyboard has a special smooth glossy feel to it, and it is akin to marble. Typing on this keyboard really makes you enjoy using the product. :)
The trackpad is also very well made and responsive. The buttons are firm.
The laptop itself is a work of art! The Japanese aesthetics really shows with the black laptop and red trimmings. The Trackpad and media control buttons on the left are also illuminated in red led.
I read many horror stories (motherboard dying and bad servicing) about the ASUS G73 line of laptops, hence I regretfully had to eliminate that from my consideration. To be fair, the G73 series supposedly has less problems with the new 460M Nvidia GPU as compared with the ATI 5870 GPU but I just did not want to take the risk of being subjected to the horrible after-sales service of ASUS. You can google this to find out more.
6. 18.4" FHD screen
Yes, this comes with a blu-ray player which works very well with the Full 1080HD screen.
Given the limited space on my desk, I needed a laptop with the largest screen possible. This fit the bill exactly.
7. SSD Boot Drive
The SSD boot drive really makes a difference.
Imagine being able to boot up in less than 30secs.
Windows 7 shutdown only takes 10s.
BTW, I checked the SSD drive for SSD alignment issues, I am glad to report that the SSD drive supplied by Toshiba fresh from the factory does not have any SSD alignment issues.
8. CPU
The Intel i7 740 seems to be able to handle multi-tasking very well. I can open up many other programs whilst running 64 bit Adobe CS5 Photoshop smoothly.
CONS
1. Weight
This laptop is not as portable as a 15.6 incher. So if portability is really required by you, I'd suggest that you look for a smaller laptop.
2. SSD only 64GB
You will have to install progams into the 500GB secondary HDD.
The 64GB boot drive is really only meant for that purpose.
If only Toshiba used a 128GB SSD, this would have been perfect. Hence my giving the laptop 4 stars.
I have no doubt that I will have to carry out a personal upgrade of the primary SSD to one which is at least 128GB in size very soon.
3. Lack of Customisation
One of the reasons why such a high quality product can be sold so cheaply is due to mass production.
Unfortunately, this means that you, the customer, cannot get a laptop according to your required specs. I had to carry out a personal upgrade of the RAM to 8GB because I needed it for Photoshop CS5 for photo editing.
Likewise for my point about the SSD above. If only Toshiba allowed customers to buy one unit with a 128 or 160 GB SSD.
Final Words
To any SAGER owners out there, please don't take this review the wrong way. I'm not trying to be one of those "my dad is bigger than your dad" type of reviewer.
Despite my misgivings, I really do admire the SAGER line of laptops for their build quality, reputation and latest technology employed at an affordable price. My final shortlisted choices were either a SAGER or this Toshiba unit. If only SAGER/CLEVO keyboard designs were improved, I might have bought one of their units instead of the Toshiba.
Likewise for those ASUS G73 owners. I really do admire the stealth fighter inspired design and basic specs. H/W, I read too many horror stories from G73 online owners' lounges about ASUS products. Hence I decided not to take the risk of buying an ASUS G73 gaming laptop.
[P.S. Edited on 17th March 2011]
1. USB 3.0
For those who are interested, it is possible to add USB 3.0 functionality via the following USB 3.0 expresscard.
"AKE expresscard Express To USB 3.0 FL1000 34mm" with ASIN: B0046Y3INC.
I confirm that this expresscard works with the Toshiba Laptop.
This expresscard does not protrude out of the expresscard slot and so it is highly recommended.
2. Latest NVIDIA drivers
The latest NVIDIA drivers v267.24, despite being a beta driver, can be installed onto this laptop. It is also very stable.
This NVIDIA driver was released during March 2011 and was meant to provide improved performance for the game Dragon Age 2.
I confirm that the graphics under DA2 seem to run slightly better with this driver.
BTW, I finally installed the GPU demanding game, Crysis 1, on my machine. This laptop can handle the maximum graphics settings with no problem whatsoever.
Any laptop which can do so really deserves the moniker of "Gaming laptop"!!!

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Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q898: Hard-Core Gaming, Brilliant Graphics
Amplify your 3D gaming and video editing with incredibly fast frame rates with the Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q898 gaming laptop, which features a stunning 18.4-inch display--with true 1080p high-def resolution--and the Intel Core i7 processor with four cores of intelligent processing power. Additionally, it offers ultra-fast DDR3 system memory and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460M graphics with 1.5 GB of GDDR5 video memory. Together, this pairing of high-performance technologies allow you to rip through the latest 3D games at lightning-fast frame-rates or create high-definition video and audio faster and more efficiently with smooth rendering and encoding.
The Toshiba Qosmio X505 features a striking design on the outside and is packed with premium technologies on the inside (see larger image).

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Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q887 TruBrite 18.4-Inch Laptop (Black/Red) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Just got it today and I updated the windows and installed Starcraft 2 (the real reason why I purchased this laptop). It's so so sweet. I'm playing Starcraft on ... high? NOPE. It's running on ULTRA with no problems. Actually, the graphics look so crisp and clear that it's kind of hard to see where your units are because they blend into the reflections and shadows of the surrounding so well. Haven't had a lot of units on screen, thanks to my SC skills, so I haven't seen if it causes the laptop to lag or not. I have a Macbook Pro and the bottom gets hot, so I order a laptop cooler for this laptop just in case (hasn't arrive yet). This laptop doesn't feel hot yet though. Not after 2 hours of SCing. Anyways, it's about 20lbs so I wouldn't put it on my lap anyways, if you're concerned about that.
Pros: Fast; everything pre-installed; excellent "pc." I say PC because this laptops way faster than my current gaming PC, granted, the gaming PC is 5 years old and a lot cheaper. Speakers are awesome. You can feel the vibrations flowing through the laptop. I moved the laptop a little and this HDD protection thing went off. With these huge speakers, I'm surprise that HDD protection thing doesn't go off more often due to the vibration from the speakers. I feel like I need to break in the speakers, they're that big and loud!
Cons: The audio buttons on the left side ... I have hit it a few times playing SC. You know, using the CTRL+number to assign groups. Or even while ALT+tabbing. Why didn't they put it on the right side, after the num pad? Or above the top? I don't know. Anyways, I've just been hitting the volume buttons, no biggie. Of course, extra Toshiba/Etc. software. I deleted some. Some might be useful, who knows? I'll run a few of them later to see. I use a wireless mouse instead of the touch pad. But from my short usage of the touch pad... it seems small. The one on my Macbook Pro is like three times bigger. Anyways, because I'll be using this laptop for gaming, I'll need a mouse, so it's not an issue to me. You can turn the touchpad on and off with a button right above the touch pad, if you wanted to know.
Pro or Con, your choice: This laptop is massive! You've probably need a backpack or suitcase to transport it. I knew 18.4" was big but damn, once you see it, it's freaking huge. It's be like carrying a 20" LCD TV around with you. Compared to the Qosmio 890, this one only has 4 GB of memory (and no SSD, it's a small SSD anyways, so who cares.). Haven't had a problem with my gaming ... anyways, I was playing to upgrade to 8 GB later anyways, but only if there was a game requiring it. Why buy extra memory if you don't need it?

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Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q887: Hard-core Gaming, Brilliant Graphics
Amplify your 3D gaming and video editing with incredibly fast frame rates with the Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q887 gaming laptop, which features a stunning, high-definition 18.4-inch display and the Intel Core i7 processor with four cores of intelligent processing power. Additionally, it offers ultra-fast DDR3 system memory and the NVIDIA GeForce GTS 360M graphics with 1 GB of GDDR5 video memory. Together, this pairing of high-performance technologies allow you to rip through the latest 3D games at lightning-fast frame-rates or create high-definition video and audio faster and more efficiently with smooth rendering and encoding.

The Qosmio X505 features Toshiba's striking Fusion Finish in Omega Black with stylish red chrome accents and a comfortable full keyboard with LED Backlighting and numeric 10-key pad. An intuitive touchpad with multi-touch control enables greater flexibility to browse and control what's happening on-screen with gesture-commands--including two-finger pinch, swipe, rotate and scroll.

It also includes a 1.3 megapixel webcam with Face Recognition capabilities for added security. And if you're using one laptop for several users--say for the whole family or for a small business--Toshiba Face Recognition lets you switch profiles with one simple look.

This Qosmio comes pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system (64-bit version).



Key Features
18.4-inch high-definition TruBrite display with 1680 x 945 resolution for amazing color depth and clarity and native 720p (HD+) support.


1.73 GHz Intel Core i7-740QM processor (with Turbo Boost Technology up to 2.93 GHz) delivers maximum processing power in response to peak demands. Intel's Turbo Boost technology maximizes speed for demanding applications, dynamically accelerating performance to match your workload--providing more performance when you need it the most. It also comes equipped with Intel HD Graphics--an advanced video engine that delivers smooth, high-quality HD video playback, and advanced 3D capabilities, providing an ideal graphics solution for everyday computing.


500 GB Serial ATA hard drive (7200 RPM)


4 GB of DDR3 RAM (upgradeable to 8 GB) gives you the bandwidth you need to get the most of today's popular software, multitask all day long and run applications without a glitch.


NVIDIA GeForce GTS 360M with 1 GB GDDR5 discrete graphics memory offers what gamers want most--hyper-realistic action with intense 3D visuals, plus vibrant, lifelike scenes and dynamic character effects--thanks to NVIDIA's PhysX technology. It goes beyond everyday gaming with built-in CUDA technology to speed demanding system tasks, like video playback and HD movie editing. You'll also enjoy up to a 50 percent improvement over previous generation mobile graphics processors, and a more rewarding Windows 7 experience with accelerated video and image processing (2298 MB total available graphics memory).


Watch Blu-ray Disc movies in crystal clear resolution with the read-only Blu-ray drive; also supports reading/writing of CD-R/RW, DVD±R, DVD±RW, DVD±R DL, and DVD-RAM The drive also offers Labelflash printing, which enables you to personalize your discs and keep them looking attractive and organized with direct-to-disc laser printing.


Wireless Connectivity
With its integrated Wireless-N Wi-Fi networking capabilities, this laptop provides up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range using 802.11n-compatible routers as you would with 802.11g networks. It's also backward compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found at Wi-Fi hotspots and in older home routers.
With integrated Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, you can communicate and synchronize wirelessly with Bluetooth-enabled peripherals such as printers and cell phones.



Harman Kardon stereo speakers bring an added dimension to music, movies and gaming with rich, immersive virtual surround sound.
Dolby Home Theater suite of technologies delivers virtual surround sound from stereo speakers or any pair of headphones.


Included Toshiba Software:
Toshiba Media Controller offers simplified media sharing. Using an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, it lets you share videos, music and pictures from the media library on your laptop with compatible devices in your home entertainment network, or with other compatible laptops and devices, like an Xbox 360 game console. And you can do it all without moving equipment, burning discs or fumbling with cables.
Toshiba Bulletin Board is an easy-to-use organizational and productivity app that lets you build your own personalized space on your desktop. With Toshiba Bulletin Board, you can quickly and easily manage your to-do lists and calendars, plus create your own custom work area by pinning your favorite photos, documents, links and more.
Toshiba ReelTime helps you cut down the time it takes to search for files. The easy-to-use app takes traditional text-based file structures one step further to help you find what you're looking for more quickly. Accessible from your taskbar, it shows you a visual timeline of your recently accessed files--using graphical thumbnails--so you can easily identify and get to your files faster.



Included Toshiba Utilities:
Toshiba eco Utility makes it easy to go green as you go mobile. Hit the Eco Button and you'll launch the Toshiba Eco Utility, which puts all sorts of easy-to-read information on your screen, and gives you the ability to adjust the power settings on your laptop. It also activates a light showing you're in the Eco Mode. The Toshiba Eco Utility lets you pick the optimal power plan for your situation. Choose High-Performance when you need every watt you can get, Power Saver for the least energy consumption, or Balanced as a perfect blend of the two.
USB Sleep and Charge offers a great way to keep your portable electronics powered up without requiring your laptop to be on. With this laptop's Sleep and Charge USB port, you'll be able to charge your smart phone, MP3 player, and other portable electronics--all without having to keep your laptop awake.
Hard Drive Impact Sensor takes the worry out of taking your most important files and multimedia on the go. Able to detect sudden movement along three different dimensions, the impact sensor (a complex system of hardware and software) helps safeguard your data by "parking" the hard drive heads in the event of a drop or sudden movement. And it works faster than you can blink to help protect your laptop and all-important data.



Up to 3.75 hours of battery life (12-cell battery; 87 Wh)


Dimensions & Weight: 17.4 x 11.6 x .63 inches (WxDxH); 9.7 pounds



Pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system (64-bit version), you'll be able to easily create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. Windows 7 is the easiest, fastest, and most engaging version of Windows yet. Better ways to find and manage files, like Jump Lists and improved taskbar previews, help you speed through everyday tasks. Windows 7 is designed for faster and more reliable performance, so your PC just works the way you want it to.

And with Windows Anytime Upgrade, you'll be able to add new features to your PC in as little as 10 minutes. Windows will walk you through the simple upgrade process, it requires no software or downloads, and you'll keep your existing programs, files, and settings



What's in the box
This package contains the Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q887 notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions.

It also comes with the following software:
Norton Internet Security 2010 (30-day trial); Microsoft Works 9; Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007 Edition (60-day trial); Google Toolbar; Microsoft Windows Media Player 12; Microsoft Silverlight; Toshiba PC Health Monitor; Toshiba Online Backup (30-day trial)
This laptop is backed by a 1-year limited hardware warranty.

Environmental Specifications
Energy Star 5.0 certified
Gold EPEAT designation for meeting standards to help reduce its environmental impact.
RoHS compliant effectively reducing the environmental impact by restricting the use of lead, mercury and certain other hazardous substances

Learn more about Toshiba's environmental commitment.

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25th Anniversary of Toshiba Laptops
This year, Toshiba celebrates its 25th anniversary of innovations and quality in the notebook PC business. Beginning with the launch of the Toshiba T1100, the world's first clamshell-type, fully functional laptop PC, Toshiba has led the with such innovations as the first laptop with a color monitor in 1991 and a laptop with integrated CD-ROM drive in 1995 (followed by the addition of a DVD drive in 1998). And in 2009, Toshiba unveiled the world's first ultraportable laptop with 512GB solid state drive.

Today, Toshiba continues to be a leader in eco-friendly manufacturing, with virtually all of its consumer laptops earning EPEAT Gold status for meeting standards that help reduce overall environmental impact.

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