Qosmio F20 decides to go the other direction. The F20 is a muscle machine with dimensions that closely resemble your DVD player. It’s a definite heavy weight at 7.27lbs. Needless to say, the “mobility” of the laptop is its greatest setback – it’s not exactly a machine that you could dub as discreet after all – but considering that it’s intended as a desktop substitute, it does its job rather well.

The built-in Harmon/Kardon speakers produce phenomenal audio quality and works well with explosive action flicks and high-adrenalin games. The notebook’s TV tuner card makes it possible for you to plug in your cable connection and watch your favorite television programs. The multimedia control panel even comes with a record button.

Compared to its multimedia super powers, the basic design is not as impressive. But the stylish pearl-white chassis and the clean paint finish are not fingerprint magnets, so smudges are minimal.

With its array of connectivity ports, it is a nice touch that Toshiba manages to keep most of them them located at the front and flanks for easy access. The ethernet and input ports are placed at the rear to hide unsightly cables and prevent tangles. The laptop puts its size to good use by incorporating a full-size keyboard, touchpad, a row of dedicated A/V buttons and a rarely seen volume dial. Unlike the slot-in optical drive of its predecessor, a more conventional tray-loading DVD writer is used instead.

As most Toshiba notebooks the quality and workmanship is very good. The chassis consists completely of plastic. Nevertheless we could notice several crunching noises when pressing at the case of our tested laptop. Within the range of the auxiliary keys the plastic tortioned noticeably.
The display proved very stiff torsionally as it measures 16mm at the outside edges. Unfortunately the hinges of the Qosmio F20 permit a slight trembling noise.

The connections are reasonably distributed, the monitor, network and power connections are positioned at left side within the rear range and/or at the back.