The Qosmio X775 laptop has just been announced by Toshiba, and one thing is certain: it’s a beast, and it knows it. When I walked into the product briefing, the first thing I noticed was this bad mamma-jamma, with its gaudy grey and red paint job. It sports a 17.3-inch screen, and is certainly too heavy to slip into a backpack. In fact, I heard a lot of, “I mean, of course it’s portable… but not really,” at the briefing, but that’s fine because the Qosmio X775 is really meant to be a secondary desktop or a desktop replacement, for those gamers who go big or go home.
The high-end configuration of this model packs a quad-core Core i7 processor, a 1.25TB hybrid hard drive, and a 3D display for $1,899, while $1,199 will get you a dual-core Core i5 cofiguration with 750GB HDD. In either case, Nvidia GeForce GTX 560M graphics will be in tow, with 1.5GB of video memory, and MaxxAudio3 sound enhancement technology, complete with Harmon/Kardon speakers and subwoofer. In my opinion, if you can get past the chrome-ish speaker covers and the fact that you may not be able to hear your games over that loud paint job, the Qosmio X775 definitely packs enough punch to please even the most hard-core gamers.
For those of us who don’t require so much heavy lifting under the hood, Toshiba has also announced its premium line of laptops in three flavors: 14-inch, 15.6-inch, and 17.3-inch models. The P series sports a two-tone Fusion X2 finish with Harmon/Kardon speakers, with the same MaxxAudio 3 software we saw on the Qosmio. The line features USB sleep-and-charge ports, HDMI-out, and a Blu-ray drive. In terms of performance, Nvidia’s GeForce GT540M graphics don’t hurt, especially coupled with an Intel Wireless Display that even comes in 3D on the 15-inch model. The P line comes in configurations with your choice of Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 processors or an AMD A6-34000M accelerated processing unit. Pricing on the P series starts at $699 on the 14-inch P745, with the 15-inch P755 and 17-inch P775 starting at $629.
As far as Toshiba’s mainstream and budget lines are concerned, the Satellite L700 series (mainstream) comes in a number of different colors, cool for back-to-school kids who like to maintain a little individuality. Models range from 13.3-inches all the way to a beastly 17.3-inch model with Core 2011 processors and new AMD A4 and A6 APUs. The budget line touts AMD Fusion C-50 and E-350 APU options. Look for the C600 budget series starting at $379 and the mainstream L700 series starting at $449 when all of these Toshiba laptops hit the market later this month.
