Toshiba Qosmio X305 best bang for the buck ???>>>>

Recently saw this for $2000 with 9800M GTS SLI ??? Could be with the 180watt power adapter. Please let me know what you think. God Bless


http://explore.toshiba.com/laptops/qosmio/X305/X305-Q706

 

that looks like a really good deal with sli 9800 gts. but then again sli is almost never justifiy its cost. i'd spend 1.4k on a gateway fx with a single 9800 gts. 600 bucks less for less than 15% performance lost

 

You just CAN'T compare the quality of the TOshiba against the Gateway... I'll preffer spending the extra 600 for a better build machine... And well, i'm a SLI user and i do get the at least 50% increase in almost every game (in other games i even get the 80~90% over single gpu), so i think sli do worth it... It's all about the right drivers and knowing what settings to change in the NVCP

 

I agree with joseperez here

 

SLI is worth it, read my sig..

 

SLI is indeed worth it. There are only a few games out there that work better without SLI, but you can count them on fingers...

 

and after that, more drivers come out, which makes better benefit of SLI with those games.

 

The only thing I'd like to see changed is the screen.

Given the SLI 9800m GTS, you'd think a 1920x1200 screen would be appropriate.

Even with the current screen, its a VERY nice setup.
Odds are it will play EVERYTHING maxed (or close) at that resolution.

 

I`ll have to say, THIS IS the best bang for the buck right now.
Holy CRAP !
SLI 9800M GTS , 4 gigs of ddr3 ram, 320/7200 hdd,and awesome speakers..
pfff.
Stupid XPS1730

 

WOW I must say I'm impressed! Best deal I've ever seen!

 

If only they would offer some different color options, this thing could sell like gangbusters.

 

Yeah I agree eleron and the 1440x900 screen is very nice since you can run games in native res all the time

 

hmmm... this link suggests that the same model comes with Dual 9700M GTS in SLi (just scroll down, look on the right). Which one is the typo?

 

lol thats a good question i was actually looking at that on my own. Im sure the 9800 is accurate because the highest end X305 has 9800 GTX SLI

 

Note, with an 8700m GT and a T7100 (1.8GHz) I have very few problems at 1440x900 with the only exception being perhaps Crysis on the highest settings.

With SLI 9800m GTS, I'd expect that 1440x900 might become a little limiting, but hey... for that price, who cares?

Gaming at 60fps+ at 1440x900 with 4xAA and everything and the kitchen sink turned on sounds good to me!

Besides, if the screen is as good or better than the one that came with mine, its all good!

Too bad I need an HDTV/BluRay/5.1 system, or I'd seriously be considering upgrading.

 

The Sager NP5793 has 'only' a single 9800M-GTS, but it certainly has better build quality than the Toshiba/Gateway. It's on clearance at some Sager dealers now for $1,400 with a C2D T8100, 4GB RAM, 320GB disk, Blu-ray, and a 17-inch WSXGA+ display. Excellent bang-for-the-buck.

 

Why is it on sale?? Is it being replaced?

 

Link Please? How Much.

And any Reviews on This Laptop

 

But the Toshiba has SLI, and MUCH better speakers , which matter quite a lot for a gaming laptop...

 

1st choice: 5793 with promotion
2nd choice: 7811
3rd choice: whitebook

 

Review:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4235

It's based on the previous Santa Rosa platform and is being phased out.

Check some of the U.S. sellers in the Clevo Guide; PowerNotebooks.com, XoticPC.com, and DarkSmileySystems.com are three that I know of offering the promotion.

Buying a laptop for speakers . . . that's a new one in my book. The Toshiba's are good, but they're not that good compared to a pair of desktop speakers like the Logitech X-230 or a pair of decent headphones.

 

yes, speakers matter alot in games like wow. thats the reason ppl pay premium price for dell xps m1730.

this guy is rit.

 

I cannot tell you how nice it is to literally plop the laptop down and actually enjoy a DVD or a game and its music and sound without having to find another output.

I know, with other laptops you can always find headphones or some external speakers... but quite frankly, its nice to have it right away and to not have to hunt for it when you are not at home.

After my little(?) fallout with my soon-to-be-ex, I don't think I would be happy to admit how many times I have used my laptop as a DVD player/speaker system. I am pleasantly surprised every time...

 

What kind of Desktop Do You Think This Would Compare To?
Seems To Me Its Basically a
E6400 + 9600GT SLI + DDR3 1066 in Laptop Form.
What do you think would be the best Desktop to compare it to? (Preferably 1 Card)

 

wow i just bought the x300 (same as x305 - 701) but in canada for 1900$ i would have for sure got this one. it would have been around 2400$ CAD, so maybe not but i would have for sure considered it.

 

Well chaz is not only the speakers, but the second 9800GTS, the better processor and faster ram... I think the 500$ difference is well worth it...

 

Anybody know a good desktop card Comparison for dual 9800?

 

When was this model released? Any idea when we will see this one in Canada?

 

Max resolution of 1440x900 on a 17" screen is weak sauce for $2k in my opinion.

 

Im going to say its probally about a 9800GTX+ speed wise. As the 9800GTS is basically a 9600GT in a notebook. And 2x9600 SLi Preforms at or above a 9800GTX
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/geforce9600gt-sli.html#sect0
http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTQ3Miw2LCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA== (Vs 8800GTX)
http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/geforce_9600_gt_sli_performance/

So basically its like having a Desktop 9800GTX+ or a 9600 GT Sli setup (More like the last obviously)

 

Hmm the stats are good for the price, although the lower resolution is somewhat of a letdown considering the rest of the very high end stuff.

Personally, I'm not a fan of this particular Toshiba model, but for what you're getting, it's still a very good price IMO ^^

 

I would get the x305. I think SLI will pay off in the long run.

If it hits that price in Canada I will buy it and ditch the 6831FX.

 

I am a big fan of having resolutions that are fully playable in games.

 

Second that... Although with dual 9800GTS i think the 1680x1050 would be alot better... Anyway with 1400x900 you are 100% sure you're gonna run any game at native without problems for the next year i think...

 

My old Asus G1 had a 1680x1050 res 15.4 inch screen and I loved it. It is a shame that a 17 inch is only 1440x900. I feel that 1680x1050 should be the bare minimun for a 17 incher, especially with dual cards which can handle that res with ease. Aside from the screen and bloatware which plagues Toshibas, it seems like a really great deal.

 

i still think ocz whitebook best bang for the buck even if your paying just a bit more, look at my sig, mines arriving tomorrow.. which is today!!

 

That whitebook looks really nice. I hope ATI is a little better this time with driver support for your 3870´s.

 

How is the after sales service for that Whitebook?
@phoduma: Don't forget to reveal some benchmarks.

 

Anybody have a review on the x305?

 

This laptop's been my dream gaming laptop recently. But the UK version is £2000/$4000... (no way in hell would I pay this much) so I'm waiting for a long while before the price drops on these kinds of specs.

So that's one hell of a deal on the first post

I was going to go for a Qosmio F55 as my main portable laptop and for the gaming specs but it was a little too heavy.

 

the x305 looks like a plastic piece of crap... speakers who cares (get some better desktop/headphones, if your gaming you gotta be plugged in anyway)... its huge... crappy resolution ( at 1920X1200 my 7811fx single 9800 gts runs crysis on all high with 20-30 fps and a few dips but seriously one 9800 gts could power that resolution)... $2000 get a sager if you gonna blow $2k!! otherwise get the new asus with the 9800 gs (downclocked gts) for $1250 at Best Buy, since the 7811 is no more =(

 

So, we are choosing a laptop based on what it looks like instead of functionality like speakers? (maybe you should get a mac?)

How many places have decent speakers? (one->your home base at home)
How many places have power outlets (lots)

Oh, and there are quite a few headphones and external speaker systems worse than the ones built into the Toshiba laptops!

Honestly, once you have them you won't want to go back.

I DO wish the x305 series came with a different color scheme.

Um, are we seriously going to talk about the size differences between the x305 series and the gateway? They are not that much different.

The one point of contention I have with this setup is indeed the screen.
One thing of note, Toshiba ships some VERY nice 1440x900 screens and their higher ones are not as nice IMHO. This may be a blessing in disguise...
However, in comparison to a Clevo or even the gateway 1920x1200, this is indeed a downside. However, the clevo SLI machine is more expensive and the gateway doesn't have SLI 9800m!

Id rather play on the Toshiba machine at a silky-smooth 60+fps at 1440x900 than your gateway at 20-30fps at 1920x1200. Honestly, your gateway would likely be better off in Crysis's case running at 1440x900.
Games like Crysis are where this Toshiba machine is going to shine... it is in less-intensive games where the higher resolutions are going to be missed.

Find an SLI 9800m sager with those stats for $2k please.

That is indeed an interesting system, but the point here is an SLI system with excellent options (and some sacrifices) at a price which is affordable.

 

There are pros and cons to both notebooks. The Toshiba X305 in my opinion has cheap build quality and is insanely thick.

The Sager's pros are significant, including far better build quality, and vastly superior service.

It's all a matter of preference.

 

Chaz, you're too pro sager IMHO

 

ohhh thats reeele nice. im still happy with my gateway though and wouldnt have went a different way. that is one thick notebook though aha

 

Hmm, I have seen the x305s and I didn't see anything "cheap" about the build quality... (I don't care for the color or trim, but other than that.)
I guess its a matter of preference like you said.

I wonder if your judgement is based upon what it "looks like" or how it functions. I do prefer the old x205 look to the x305 look, but I could see nothing functionally wrong or "cheap" about the x305s.

Much would have had to change from the x205 series as this x205 is amazingly tough and quite well-built as compared to anything we have in the office save perhaps clevo notebooks. So much so that my IT buddies are now looking for Toshiba's of their own.

I will not argue the Clevo build quality or service, but to be fair to Toshiba
I have never had to use Toshiba's service as nothing has ever failed on my x205.

All things considered...
Clevo does NOT have an SLI entry for less than $3000.

 

Everyone has there own opinion... but that SLI being everyone's main point just seems to go to waste with that screen bumping the price up to the "bargain" it is... might as well be running a single.

Besides the human eye can't detect more than 24 fps anyway so honestly there is no difference between 24 fps and one million fps...

 

OK, people need to stop that... it simply isn't entirely true.
It IS true that 24-30fps is generally enough to fool the human eye into believing video is "smooth".

However, not all eyes, not all video, and not all screens are the same.
As the resolution rises the edges become clearer. Areas of high contrast like where the image changes from black to white become easier and easier as resolution rises to tell when something skips a frame or to see "jumps" in motion due to there not being enough frames to fool the eye.

The more of these imperfections, the more likely your conscious mind notices, and they say our unconscious mind notices even more. (the "something isn't right with that" notion in your head)

The human eye is a marvelous thing and most can indeed see much more than 24fps when the resolution is higher than 400x300 "blotches" that make up the earlier video that TV was based on.

Understand they make HDTVs that place in extra frames to make HD 60fps video at 1080p look as if it was 120fps in order to make high-contrast and high-speed HD video look smooth. Go to your local retailer or HDTV specialist and look at the 120Hz LCDs and compare them to the lower-models or the same model with that feature off. I'd bet your friends can tell the difference if you cannot. Note that is the difference between 60fps and 120fps at 1920x1080! (a good chunk more detailed than the 1440x900 we were talking about and TWICE as many frames) Apparently someone can tell the difference.

Computer gaming has a lots of razor-sharp high-resolution images and high contrast with a lots of fast motion. Certainly game engines can hide some of this, but given the wide difference it is a good bet almost everyone can "see" a difference between 24fps and a steady 60fps+ on Crysis... even at 1440x900. (at 1920x1200 it would be even easier)


The real question here is, is it worth the extra money?

To you, who apparently cannot tell the difference between 24fps and 60fps... maybe not. (might want to get your eyes checked... that's a pretty big difference....)

To someone whose eyes work pretty well, it very well might be.

Note, I am not usually a supporter for SLI... but at that price point and that level of performance... I think it becomes worth it... yes, even with the lesser screen.

 

I might grab one this weekend and review it. But I can only get the 9700GTS version.

It felt way better quality than mine when I handled it at Best Buy.

Maybe it cause I'm an old fart, but I dig the hot rod scheme.

 

Yeah I agree KernalPanic I notice a hell of a difference between 24 fps and 60 fps in gaming. Those who don´t need to get their eyes checked. Crysis at 24 fps is not smooth at all, though at 60 fps it is.