Toshiba Qosmio G35-AV660 Review by LAPTOP Magazine

When we reviewed Toshiba’s Qosmio G35-AV650 earlier this year, we were impressed with the machine’s design and multimedia features—so much so that we gave it an Editors’ Choice award. We’re happy to report that the new Qosmio G35-AV660 maintains that winning formula, only this time around, you get Core 2 Duo processing power, twice as much memory, and an extra 40GB of storage capacity (240GB total). The question is whether this version is worth $500 more.

Sporting a black case with a titanium silver lid and an all-black interior, the 16-inch-wide G35-AV660 is one slick-looking notebook, but its 10.1-pound frame is designed for short hops rather than long hauls. Beneath the lid is a beautiful 1920 x 1200-pixel, 17-inch widescreen capable of handling 1080p high-definition video. The display, which features Toshiba’s TruBrite finish for enhanced viewing angles and sharper colors, is the ideal companion to the HD-DVD drive.

The HD-DVD version of The Perfect Storm looked awesome on this bright, crisp panel, and with the help of Toshiba’s 1-bit digital amplifier, the embedded Harmon Kardon Bass Reflex speakers produced full sound. We only wish the optical drive had the ability to record HD media, as is the case with Blu-ray notebooks.

The sprawling keyboard was quite responsive, as was the dual-mode touchpad mouse controller. The programmable quick-launch icons and volume control slider embedded in the pad are nice touches. Above the keyboard is a slew of multimedia buttons, including DVD/CD player controls, a TV-out switch, brightness controls, and Dolby sound adjustment buttons.

These controls can be used to view movies and photos and play audio tracks using Toshiba’s Qosmio Player software, without having to boot Windows. New to this model is Toshiba’s own HD-DVD software, which means you don’t have to fire up InterVideo’s WinDVD application to watch HD-DVD movies.

On the lower right side of the system is a big, shiny volume control dial and a biometric fingerprint reader. The G35-AV660 is equipped with a variety of A/V ports. The HDMI port lets you transfer a high-def signal (1080i) to an external display, and you can use dual S-Video ports (input and output) can be used to connect to any number of external devices. Be prepared to spend about $100 for cables, though, as Toshiba does not include them in the box. You can also pump 5.1-channel audio out to an external sound system via the SPDIF jack.

PC Card, ExpressCard, and Bridge Media adapter slots are located on the left side of the system, along with two USB ports and a FireWire port. On the right side is a composite A/V input (a three-prong dongle is included) and a modem jack. Around back, you’ll find a gigabit Ethernet port, two additional USB ports, a VGA output, and a coaxial TV jack that also requires a dongle (included) to connect to the integrated Toshiba TV tuner. The front bezel holds the slot-loading HD-DVD/Super Multi combo drive, a wireless antenna switch, an IR sensor, and several blue and amber system indicator lights.

Powering the G35-AV660 is Intel’s 2-GHz Core 2 Duo T7200 processor, which contains a whopping 4MB of level 2 cache. The system comes loaded with an impressive 2GB of DDR2 memory and two 120GB SATA hard drives, which can be configured as RAID 0 (striping) for performance or RAID 1 (mirrored) for enhanced reliability. With more memory and a more powerful CPU, the G35-AV660 posted a score of 243 on our MobileMark 2005 tests, while its less powerful sibling, the G35-AV650, scored a 231. Although the G35-AV660 managed a reasonable 2 hours and 50 minutes on our battery life tests, it couldn’t match the G35-AV650’s score of 3 hours and 5 minutes.

The AV660’s impressive video quality is driven by Nvidia’s GeForce Go 7600 graphics card with 256MB of GDDR3 memory. In our 3DMark03 test, the system notched a score of 9,611, more than 300 points higher than the G35-AV650. Scores of 44 fps (on autodetect settings) and 23 fps (max settings) on our F.E.A.R. gaming tests mean you’ll be able to play most of today’s 3D games at medium graphics settings but may experience a few hiccups when settings are maxed out.

In addition to Windows XP Media Center Edition, the G35-AV660 comes with Microsoft Office OneNote and Microsoft Works, Sonic’s RecordNow! and Primetime software, InterVideo WinDVD Creator 2 Platinum, and WildTangent’s Game Console. You also get the requisite MCE remote control and a nice Qosmio portfolio containing a Quick Start and features binder, a printed user’s guide, and warranty information. The system comes with a one-year warranty covering parts, labor, and home service.

The Toshiba Qosmio G35-AV660 is easily one of the most robust multimedia notebooks out there. If you’re looking for a top-shelf system with HD components and can afford the price of owning the latest technology, look no further. If you want to save money, though, the G35-AV650 may be the way to go.

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Toshiba Qosmio G35-AV660

A well-equipped, high-definition multimedia notebook with Core 2 Duo horsepower and a massive amount of storage space.

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