Toshiba Satellite P105-S9722 review: Toshiba Satellite P105-S9722

Toshiba launched its gaming-oriented Satellite P105 line earlier this year, and when we looked at the Satellite P105-S921 in April, we were impressed by its solid frame rates and relatively low price. With the latest iteration in the line, the P105-S9722, Toshiba has stocked the laptop's case with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, more RAM, and a discrete Nvidia graphics card. When it comes to design, features, and software, this new P105 is identical to its predecessor; for these details, refer back to CNET's review of the Satellite P105-S921. For the scoop on how the new components affect performance, read on.

Like its predecessor, the fixed-configuration Satellite P105-S9722 also features a mix of higher-end--though not top-of-the-line--components for a reasonable $1,999. The selection includes a 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of fast 666MHz memory, a downright massive 200GB SATA hard drive spinning at a sluggish 4,200rpm, and an Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 GS graphics card with 256MB of VRAM. As expected, the system performed admirably on CNET Labs' graphics-intensive Photoshop CS test, scoring within 5 percent of a $3,500 Dell XPS M1710 that had a faster processor, a superior version of the GeForce Go 7900 GPU, and twice as much VRAM. Even more importantly, the P105-S9722 displayed 87.8 frames per second when playing Quake 4 at 1,024x768 resolution--within 12 percent of the XPS M1710's performance at nearly half the cost. Obviously, if you're a hard-core gamer who needs absolute top-shelf equipment to play new, demanding games at their highest settings, the XPS M1710 still trumps Toshiba's offering. But otherwise, the Toshiba Satellite P105-S9722 delivers very strong gaming performance at a far more palatable price than the Dell.

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System configurations:

Alienware Area-51 m5550
Windows XP Media Center 2005 SP2; 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7600; 2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 666MHz; 256MB Nvidia GeForce Go 7600; 100GB Seagate 7,200rpm SATA/150

Dell XPS M1710
Windows XP Media Center 2005 SP2; 2.33GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7600; 2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 666MHz; 512MB Nvidia GeForce Go 7950 GTX; 100GB Hitachi 7,200rpm SATA/150

Polywell PolyNote V512NC
Windows XP Professional SP2; 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7200; 1,024MB DDR2 SDRAM 664MHz; 256MB Nvidia GeForce Go 7600; 100GB Hitachi 7,200rpm SATA/150

Toshiba Satellite P105-S9722
Windows XP Professional SP2; 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7200; 2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 664MHz; 256MB Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 GS; 200GB Fujitsu 4,200rpm SATA/150

Velocity Micro NoteMagix L80x Ultra
Windows XP Professional SP2; 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7200; 2,048MB DDR2 SDRAM 664MHz; 256MB Nvidia GeForce Go 7600; 100GB Seagate 7,200rpm SATA/150