The 17-inch widescreen LCD on the Satellite P20-S550 is probably the biggest display ever to be integrated into a Toshiba notebook and one of the first to rival the Apple 17-inch PowerBook. But enormous screen size aside, the P20 is really about the top-of-the-line components beneath its huge casing. Its impressive feature lineup includes a 3GHz Pentium 4 processor with Hyper-Threading (HT) technology, 64MB GeForce FX Go 5200 graphics chip and a DVD-Multi drive. Thus, if you have S$4,999 (US$2,843) to spare, the P20 is a worthy desktop replacement notebook for home entertainment as well as multimedia applications.

Design
One of the gripes about having a large screen on a notebook is it adds to the overall weight and size of the machine. In the case of the P20, the 17-inch display certainly did so, resulting in a massive 419 x 293 x 47mm frame that will not fit into most laptop carriers. Fortunately, Toshiba offers an optional notebook trolley bag for the Satellite. But at 4.5kg for just the notebook alone, it's safe to assume that most people will be using the P20 within the office or home. The red finish on the top lid didn't help, either, as it visually adds to the overall bulk of the model.

The flip side is that with its large footprint and heavy body, the P20 sits solid as a rock on the desktop. Its wide-aspect display is held firmly by a set of strong hinges, while the keyboard buttons are well-spaced apart for comfortable typing. It's a pity Toshiba did not better optimize the large amount of interior real estate by including a number pad like the one found on the Acer Aspire 1700, another 17-inch desktop replacement. This would have given a better feel of a desktop keyboard on the machine. Also, the LCD can do with a thinner bezel, which would have reduced the overall dimensions of the P20.

Features
In terms of features, the Toshiba is only slightly different compared with its other Satellite counterpart, the 5200-A751. Most notably among the improvements are a larger screen and the use of a desktop Pentium 4 processor (with HT technology), instead of a slower Pentium 4-M processor. Otherwise, both systems come bundled with 512MB of RAM, 60GB of hard drive space and a DVD-R/RW/RAM multiformat burner. Users should be aware that while both notebooks offer DirectX 9-class graphics, the P20 comes with a GeForce FX Go5200 chip while the 5200-A751 uses the faster GeForce FX Go5600 processor.

With its large form factor, we expected the P20 to come with two hot-swappable drives bays. But it offers only a single drive bay, which is taken up by the DVD-Multi optical drive. There is also no second battery option, leaving the second 60GB hard drive option as the most viable since it is not practical to replace the DVD writer with a DVD/CD-RW combo drive.

Like most desktop replacements these days, the P20 offers a good range of connectivity options. These include the standard RJ11 and RJ45 ports for networking, audio jacks for headphone, line-out and microphone, USB 2.0 and FireWire ports for connecting to peripheral devices, and S-video and VGA-out ports for linking to external displays. You can also find two Type II PC Card slots (or one Type III PC Card slot) as well as a built-in Secure Digital (SD) card reader/writer. A wireless LAN switch, found on the left side of the machine, is usable only when the Wi-Fi option is activated. As with the 5200-A751, the P20 comes with card-sized remote for CD and DVD playback control.

Performance
Like the 5200-A751, the P20 did well in SysMark2002 tests, scoring an average of 254 points, which rates the laptop as more than capable in handling most desktop applications. Its 6,911 3DMark2001 score, while not as impressive as the 8,204 points from the 5200-A751, should still run most 3D games and graphics-intensive software smoothly. We were unable to run MobileMark tests on the P20 due to some software conflicts but the machine should last for under 2 hours away from an AC power socket.

Benchmarks aside, the most impressive feature is its 17-inch wide-aspect display. Not only is this sharp, the screen offers a wide-viewing angle that makes it great for small group presentations and watching letterbox-format DVD movies. It comes with eight levels of brightness control, so users can adjust the display to suit the lighting environment. The onboard Harmon Kardon speakers add good volume and bass range to the overall sound quality.

Service And Support
In addition to Windows XP Home Edition and Adobe Acrobat Reader, the P20 comes preinstalled with several multimedia software, including MotionDV Studio, WinDVD and Drag'n Drop CD. Its notebook utility, Toshiba Console, is intuitive and useful for controlling almost all the features in the machine, including power management, hotkey assignment, hardware configurations, network and security. First-timers who have problems connecting to the Internet can also make use of the ConfigFree application to troubleshoot network problems.

Toshiba covers the P20 with a one-year international warranty that includes both parts and services. The battery is guaranteed from manufacturing defects for a year. On the manufacturer's Web site, you can also find a well-organized collection of driver downloads, FAQs and notebook tips. Those looking for help can call the service hotline, use the online email support, or seek assistance through Ask Iris, an interactive troubleshooting application.