Toshiba on Tuesday released some of its first-ever notebooks to run dual graphics processors. The X205-SLI series is based on two 512MB GeForce 8600M GT chips that should deliver strong gaming performance even for the most recent games, including DirectX 10 titles. Every system also ships with an HD DVD combo drive and uses its video decoding prowess to smoothly output 1080p video either on the native 17-inch screen or to an HDTV through HDMI. Each notebook has the room for games and video with dual hard drives as well as quicker 802.11n wireless and a webcam.

Two models comprise the line: the SLI1 starts at $2,000 with a 2GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB of memory, and 240GB of storage split across two disks as well as a 1440x900 screen. Its premium counterpart, the $2,500 SLI3, increases CPU speed to 2.2GHz, storage to 320GB, and adds an external HDTV tuner that accepts up to 1080i from both over-the-air broadcasts as well as cable or satellite feeds. Either system should be available now at either retail stores or online.