17-inch laptops are the prime screen real estate of portable computers. If you’re on the hunt for a Toshiba 17-inch laptop, though, you’ll be surprised to find that you don’t have a ton of options since the brand doesn’t have many models of this size. Toshiba exited the laptop market in 2016 so the last time they made a 17-inch laptop was in the 2010s.
Since then, there have been 17-inch laptops that offer more RAM, SSD, and a processor that can keep up with new programs. If you’re still thinking of getting a Toshiba 17-inch laptop, here it is compared with the 2022 edition HP 17-inch laptop.
Toshiba 17-Inch Laptop vs. HP Pavilion 17-Inch Laptop: Quick Comparison
- AMD Quad-Core A4-5000M Accelerated Processor
- 6GB RAM
- 750GB HDD
- Windows 8
- 11th Gen Intel i3-1115G4
- 12GB DDR4 RAM
- 256GB PCIe SSD
- Windows 11
What to Consider When Buying a 17-Inch Laptop
Overall Value
Despite the recent GPU shortages, the general rule in electronics is that high-end specs get cheaper over time. This means buying a used or even new Toshiba 17-inch laptop may not be the best use of your money since there are cheaper, more powerful laptops available now. Plus, with programs adjusting their minimum requirements to operate, an old laptop from the 2010s may be useless in a couple of years.
Screen Specs
17-inch laptops are the go-to for people who do graphic design and editing work, play video games, and stream shows and movies. For these activities, the ideal screen is an IPS display that offers good color accuracy and a wider range of viewing angles. Another great alternative is an FHD screen so you can get 1080p resolution.
Graphics Capabilities
Gaming and editing on your laptop requires decent graphics capabilities that can handle low spec games and basic editing work. Most laptops come with integrated graphics. iGPUs, however, eat up your processor’s computing power so the better the CPU, the better your iGPU is.
17-Inch Laptops Compared: Toshiba 17-Inch Laptop vs. HP Pavilion 17-Inch Laptop
Toshiba 17-Inch Laptop
Specs:
- AMD Quad-Core A4-5000M Accelerated Processor
- 6GB RAM
- 750GB HDD
- Windows 8
The Toshiba 17-Inch Laptop was released around 2013, making this device almost a decade old. When it comes to electronics, a decade is ancient history and it shows in the specs for this laptop. It comes with 6GB of RAM, a 750 GB HDD storage, and an AMD Quad-Core A4-5000M Processor which are all just enough for doing office and school work.
The laptop has enough power for a seamless internet browsing and viewing experience. If you love watching shows and movies in bed, you won’t notice a major difference between this laptop and higher-end ones. Plus, there’s a built-in DVD and CD slot so you can watch movies from your old DVD collection.
Pros:
- Great budget laptop that can be bought used
- Built-in webcam and microphone
- Has a DVD/CD slot
- Good for general daily use
Cons:
- Specs may be outdated soon
HP Pavilion 17-Inch Laptop
Specs:
- 11th Gen Intel i3-1115G4
- 12GB DDR4 RAM
- 256GB PCIe SSD
- Windows 11
If you’re used to more powerful laptops and PCs, the Toshiba 17-Inch Laptop is frankly going to feel atrocious to use. So, for a decent budget laptop, you’re better off with the HP Pavilion 17-Inch Laptop. This device was released in 2022 so you lose the DVD and CD port that the Toshiba 17-Inch Laptop had.
However, the HP Pavilion 17-Inch Laptop has a higher resolution screen that supports 1080p and an 11th gen Intel i3 processor with integrated graphics. With these, you can run many games smoothly on low settings and most older games on mid to high settings, even if it isn’t a gaming laptop. Naturally, it can also handle streaming as well as photo and video editing at a more tolerable speed than the Toshiba 17-Inch Laptop.
Pros:
- HD FHD display capable of supporting 1080p
- Uses SSD for storage
- Up to 8 hours of battery life
Cons:
- No USB Type-C port
Our Verdict
The HP Pavilion 17-Inch Laptop is the clear winner.
On paper, the HP Pavilion 17-Inch Laptop and Toshiba 17-Inch Laptop share similar capabilities, proving that both products were fantastic for their price point and year of release. But since the Toshiba laptop is an older device from a company that’s only recently started making laptops again, it’s hard to expect accessible upgrades and support for it unless you go to a 3rd party provider.
That said, if you’re really on a tight budget, the Toshiba 17-Inch Laptop is still a great alternative that can easily be bought online at a cheap price whether it’s new or used. In reality, it’s still an amazing laptop for most users who only need to work, complete assignments, and attend classes on their laptops.
Toshiba 17-Inch Laptop FAQs
What other laptops have 17-inch screens?
If you like the HP Pavilion 17-Inch Laptop but want an IPS screen, you can opt for the HP 17.3-Inch Laptop which also runs on an 11th Gen Intel i5 processor. For a more affordable option, have a look at the Lenovo IdeaPad 17.3-Inch Laptop that runs on AMD Ryzen 5 and has 8GB of RAM.
Are Toshiba laptops still good?
Generally speaking, Toshiba’s laptops are still decent despite how long Toshiba has been out of the laptop game. If you’re looking for a new laptop from Toshiba, though, you may have to wait a while and see if they can produce quality laptops that can compete with other devices on the market.
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