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"!!!
Click Here to see more reviews about: Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q898 18.4-Inch Laptop (Fusion Finish in Omega Black)
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).
