Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q898

Welcome back, stranger. We haven't looked at an update of Toshiba's now-venerable line of Qosmio desktop-replacement machines in some time, so we were excited to check out a freshly minted Core i7 version of one of these big machines.

Design

Like most big-screen notebooks, the Qosmio X505 is huge and heavy. It weighs 10.1 pounds and measures 1.8x17.4x11.6 inches (HWD). When you factor in its sizable 1.6-pound power brick, there’s a high probability that it won’t see a whole lot of travel time. The chassis sports Toshiba’s so-called "Omega Black" glossy finish, infused with a subtle checkered pattern, and bright metallic-red trim surrounds the lid and keyboard deck. The obligatory Toshiba logo, also in red, is smack in the middle of the lid. You’ll see a fair amount of fingerprint smudging with the shiny finish, but the red-on-black color scheme is sharp-looking when clean.

This model is loaded with connectivity ports, many of which are located along the left side of the chassis. Here you’ll find Ethernet, HDMI, and FireWire ports, as well as an eSATA/USB combo port, a single USB port, an ExpressCard/54 slot, and the tray eject for the Blu-ray reader/DVD writer. Over on the right are two additional USB ports, a pair of audio jacks (headphone and microphone), and a VGA video-out connection. We were surprised that all of the USB ports are of the 2.0 variety rather than the faster 3.0 ports that are beginning to show up on some newer notebooks.

Five red status indicators line the front edge of the keyboard deck, along with a six-format flash-card reader and a Wi-Fi on/off switch. The card reader works with the SD, SDHC, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, xD-PictureCard, and MultiMediaCard formats.

Conclusion

Toshiba loads up the Qosmio X505 with a solid mix of software. In addition to Windows 7 Home Premium, you get a blizzard of Toshiba apps, little of which is disposable bloatware. The selection includes PC Health Monitor and Laptop Checkup programs, DVD-playback and disc-creation software, face-recognition and Webcam utilities, and Toshiba BookPlace, an interactive e-book reader powered by Blio. You also get some useful third-party programs, such as Corel’s WinDVD BD Blu-ray player and LabelOnce disc labeler, and Microsoft’s Live Essentials pack. Some trial and adware programs are also bundled in, however, and include Norton Internet Security, Microsoft Office Starter 2010, NetZero, and Amazon.com shopping. The warranty is fairly standard for this class of laptop: You get a standard one-year parts, labor, and battery warranty with 24/7 technical support. However, Toshiba offers a three-year extended plan for $399 and a four-year plan for $599.

With the Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q898, you get a well-equipped desktop replacement that’ll handle your gaming, entertainment, and productivity needs with aplomb. You don’t get much time away from the power outlet with this notebook, and its $1,999 price may seem a bit steep in these days of very able under-$1,000 notebooks, but if performance and features—and more-than-casual PC gaming—are a priority, it’s worth the investment.