"Mini" Review of Toshiba M40 SF3

Hey All! I thought since this forum has helped me a lot, I should write a mini review about the Laptop I bought... The Toshiba M40 SF3

Reason for Purchase:
After much waiting, and much deciding, and much help from these forums, I have made the decision and bought a Toshiba M40 SF3. Now I was originally going to get the Asus Z71V, but FutureShop (in Toronto, Canada) gave me many offers that I could not refuse - such as a free MP3 Player, and Half Price of a Nice Targus Bag. Now I know that FutureShop Employees sometimes aren't very knowledgeable, but the Senior Product Sales Rep was very helpful, kind, courteous, and acted friendly to us. He also got us the deals... . I also chose this Toshiba over the Asus, because I did not want to buy from some Third Party Manufacturer. Also this Laptop's Price is Reasonable.

For the work that I do, (I am going into Engineering in University Soon), I needed this Laptop. I do mainly AutoCad, 3d Max, Photoshop, and other graphic design. I am also going to use this laptop for presentations and gaming, since I am a casual-sorta hardcore gamer. I play Doom 3, Half Life 2, BF, etc. and the graphic card on this laptop is amazing. All in all, the gpu, cpu, etc. brought me towards this Laptop.

Specifications:
Toshiba M40 SF3
- 1.86 Ghz Intel Pentium M Processor 750 (533 Mhz FSB, L1 Cache 32KB/32KB, L2 Cache 2MB)
- 512 MB of DDR PC2700 Memory (333Mhz)
- 100 GB Hard Drive @ 4200 RPM
- DVD Super-Multi Double Layer Drive
- 15.4” Wide XGA TFT with TruBrite™Screen Technology @ 1280x800 Native
- NVIDIA® GeForce™ FX Go 6600 with 128MB DDR dedicated video memory
- Harman Kardon Stereo speakers.
- Weight: 2.72kg (6.00lbs)
- Battery Type: Removable, Rechargeable 6-cell
- Lithium Ion (Li-ion) - Battery Life up to 3 Hours
- 1 Year Parts and Labour Limited International Warranty


Total Cost:
Cost was a main factor for me, because I am only a High School Student, going to University soon. I wanted something that wasn't too cheap or too expensive. The total cost of this laptop was $2068.85 (This includes taxes and All prices are Canadian Dollars) at Futureshop. I got a free MP3 Player and also I bought 3 year Product Service Plan - this cost me $460 with taxes. Finally I also bought a Targus Bag (originally for $81) for $40. All in all, the Laptop and everything totalled $2568.85, which was a little bit over my $2500 budget – still good though considering all I got.



Performance:
Well I’ll start off with a few benchmarks I did –
3DMark2001SE: 14 800 marks
3DMark2003: not run yet
3DMark2005: 2250
Super PI: 1:45secs

Doom 3: holy **** thas all i have to say...at 1024 * 768 high everything on except vertical sync or somethin time demo 1 i got 52.1 fps according to the demo...it felt more like high 40s...
NFS U: at 1024 * 768 all high everythn on i enjoyed a solid game. i dont noe exact fps i think it wud prolly be above 35 - 40
BF 1942:not run yet

I’d say that this computer has quite good performance for its price. The go6600 kicks ass, and beats my desktop’s performance. The Processor is also quite strong – beating my 2.66 GHz in scores overall. I’m very impressed so far. One of the main reasons I got this computer was so I could finally play Doom 3 decently and I did enjoy a good game at 1024*768 at high resolution. It can also handle ma graphical work well. DVDs play well, also. The loading times are a little slow, because of the hard drive, but are fine enough for me.

Screen:
I love the TruBrite Screen on this Laptop. It is so good quality. I watch DVDs at better quality than my TV. The screen size is ample, giving enough space for many things. Sometimes I notice smearing on games such as GTA3 but I think is because I set the refresh rate too low (lol NOOB). wide viewing angles, also.

Multimedia Features:
Wow, this laptop has many multimedia options. First of all, I have to mention the Harmon/Kardon Sound. OMG it is better than my desktop. It is real good sound quality, and you can enjoy games, DVDs, and anything else that requires decent sound. The Hard Drive space is quite enough for any sensible thing, although I am a lil stingy and I try not to get too much stuff on it. the low rpm though i think is a disadvantage though and one has to put up with a little slower load up times. it isnt that bad tho. The DVD Super Multi Burner is super too – it has a wide range of options for burning and reading cds/dvds. The Laptop also comes with 3 usb ports, which is a little low in my opinion, firewire, express card port, ummm media card reader, and other stuff as well. PERFECT!.

Keyboard/Touchpad/Heat:
The laptop has quite an interesting touchpad. It looks standard but includes Toshiba’s Touch and Go Software which automatically loads important things such as My Computer, can switch between Apps, etc. The keyboard is fairly sized, nice looking. The Windows key is placed on top right corner which annoyed me at first, but I got used to it. There are multimedia playback options on the left side. The power button is cool, changing colors when it is standing by, or sleeping. the keyboard is black which i find goes hand in hand with its beautiful silvery look
Heat comes out through the side air vents or whatever they are called. The laptop does warm up, but I think it is because I am using it on my bed and not giving it some room (Read on some other review).

Portability/Battery Life:
The laptop is fairly lightweight, making it easy to carry around, especially in my comfortable Targus bag . I was worried I couldn’t carry it, but I found it surprisingly light, despite its size. I have not tried battery life cause I always keep it plugged in – but I heard that it is not SO GREAT (2-3 hrs). That’s fine for me though cause I don’t move it around too much.
the wireless is fie in my opinion

Software:
The computer comes with WinDVD, Norton Antivirus, AOL Trials, Windows XP Home. Toshiba included many other utilities – wireless detection, power saving features (very useful), and many more.

Advantages:
• Fast processor
• Relatively inexpensive
• Great Graphics
• Good Screen
• Lightweight
• Multimedia Options
• Sound System (Harmon/Kardon)
• Looks nice (silvery color, nice keyboard and touchpad)

Some Issues:
• Somewhat Slow Hard Drive, despite ample space.
• No DDR2 Ram, but I will upgrade to 1 gigabyte of ram.
• Not that great Battery Life.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Conclusion: GREAT Laptop with tons of features and many quirks. Toshiba has my support and this is great for a first time buyer like me. I recommend to anyone and hopefully this review will help ppl make their decisions. THANK YOU MOM, DAD (LOL FOR BUYING IT) AND THANK YOU TOSHIBA. :toshiba:


Sorry that I don’t have pics, ma camera mysteriously disapperared.

 

also plz give ur opinion about my review...is first one i did

 

Great review, IMO. Better than most, though it could you a few pics. Good job.

 

Nice!

But if you are prepared to walk out of futureshop, they will often chase you into the parking lot with discounts.

 

cool review. thanks for taking the time. keep us posted .. **thumbs up

 

thankx everuone...

 

nice job! thanks for your effort with this review, it's not so mini after all, a good length actually but not so long that it's boring. Keep up the good work, g'luck with the laptop.

 

i just cant believe how good the go card is man...it gets real good fps...im sure happy with this baby :toshiba:

 

I have a few questions about the sf3 for you if you don't mind (trying to decide between it and the asus z71v).

How is it for being really quiet? i'd like to use it during lectures and such and having the fan kick in and be noticable is kind of embarassing, though I can't imagine it getting too hot doing only word processing and using the internet. and the same with the dvd drive, from what i have read the z71v's drive is really loud compared to others, how is this one for noise?

I also heard that there was a higher capacity battery being sold by toshiba that almost doubled the battery life (wasn't cheap though), does anyone know if this is true? and is it alright to be frequently switching batteries? i don't mind carrying around an extra battery so long as it isn't hard on the laptop or the clips that hold the battery in place. (my classes are back to back for 5 hours each day, so i need to be able to use it for close to that long without plugging it in)

wow, i can't believe this is my first post here, i've been visiting this forum forever, yet it seems i've never actually said anything before

 

yea laptop is fairly quiet...sometimes when there is a cd or dvd in the drive it can make noise...otherwize u cant really hear it...the cd dvd drive can be loud at times but u can control the drive speed...so it is not that bad...
the battery life isnt that great in my opinion even tho i dont use the battery much...u can extend it using toshiba battery saving software...it is at max 3 hrs...i think is not that bad tho for university lectures since that is wut i bought it for...ne more questions feel free to ask

 

Hello ,

can I ask you some questions to topic owner.

1. Go 6600 with 128Mb can Handle game like GTA:SA and Panzers Phase 2
and upcoming Age Of Empire III.

2. How much heat it produce?

3. What kind of material i can use to help reducing heat.

Thanks,
Leoboy
Norway

:toshiba: >>>>>> :decision:

 

well from wut i noe the go 6600 is a great card...i run doom 3 perfectly...i am downloadn san andreas...im pretty sure it can handle it in high quality...the game itself is made for the geforce 6 series so it shud handle...on the other ones im not sure...the heat on emitted by the laptop is not that much....i guess. u can always reduce the power of the graphci card through powermizer which will lower clock speed i think....im sorry if i couldnt answer ur question properly. how bout u search around....ill try to get back to u about the other games. and u can always use buy some cooling method (such as fan or somethn) to extract the heat away...

 

Thank you man! I will catch you up later.! I think I will try to find solution as well :centrino:

 

Question on battery life
i've read on some reviews that the laptop dies a little over hour, but no one has posted up how long it would last on settings that are made just to word process? lowest gpu speeds, lowest cpu speeds, having the computer lag abit is not that bad. In short, tuning all performance down to lowest settings. How long does the notebook last?
As asked earlier , is the battery easily swampable? as i have a crappy shedule so i'm on campus on some days at 8:30 but leave close to 6 possibly without much of a charge in between.

 

hi umm the good thing is that yes the toshiba power saving feature allows u to slow down the cpu processing speed, fan cooling, etc. there are specific profiles for specific purposes - full power, high power, normal, dvd playback, presentation, and long life. when i have it connected to the ac power outlet i always have it on full power which is fine. when i use battery power i usually either use normal, or long life. with these two u can expect over 2 hrs of usage on battery (according to the laptop power display showing how much time is remaining). also these two are perfectly fine for normal usage - going on web, word processing, and the such. even older games, such as gta3 run on long life settings. also i have never actually used the battery to over 20%, therefore i am not 100% sure about the battery time...

as for the battery being easily swappable - i am not sure. i noe behind there is a simple switch mechanism so u can open it...im not sure cuz i havent tried it...hope that gave u some info...

 

I like mine too, it was the best deal I could find localy.

 

Hi guys, just wonder do you guys experiencing any problems with SF3's wireless switch? I have a problem that the switch goes off when boot eventhough I keep the switch on all the time. For your reference:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=20863

Also, did you guys notice any short "halt" or "pause" when you play doom 3? I have this problem when opening doors in the game.

In addition, did you guys experience any problem with its touchpad? I had a problem that when I try to move the cursor to one direction, the cursor bounces back. Is there any way I can solve this?

 

yea i have noticed the doom 3 thing...it happens even when i turn on the flashlight. for the wireless switch, im sorry i dont really know. i have not noticed any problem with the touchpad. y dont u open the toshiba synaptics device software, or touch and launch. u can also chek settings of the mouse/keypad. o wut is the battery life on ur one whne u use it wut settings do u use also...and does ur screen get dust easily too do u noe a solution to this?

 

Thanks alot man for that positive review, I just ordered this PC online from futureshop yesterday and im soo excited to get it, I swear i must have looked at 100 different laptops to buy and this one was definitly the best for the price (which was $1,999), and while I was still looking it went on sale for $1,799, so after that my mind was made up completely, even people at other stores like radio shack couldnt even compare to that. the only thing that looks kinda bad right now is the battery life situation, I hope i'll be able to buy more then one battery for it so i could just carry around a spare, that would be perfect.

To add to your review, Another thing was that the guy at the store told me that the computer uses a Centrino Sonoma which is 80% better then a Pentium 4. So the Processer is as powerful as a 3.4 GHz Pentium 4. He also told me that if I hook it up to a TV using the S-Video output, and get a controller, i'll have an Xbox 360. And the video card should be able to play up to date games on full power for at least 3 years. Man this computer is such a sweet deal.

I have one question, does the PC come with Microsoft Word? cause i need that really more then anything lol.

It should be here on Thursday or Firday and I'm pumped!

 

man u shud be pleased...the hard drive speed is a lil slow tho jus to warn u...u wont really notice until u run doom 3...itll take more time to load map...no it does not come with microsoft word...i think it shud but the futureshop ppl and toshiba dont (ironic considering toshiba constantly advertises education...they cant even put microsoft word which everyone uses). yea i suggest u get an extra battery. the gfx is awesome i mean u will notice it when u run doom 3 at high quality. or any game for that matter....enjoy it!

 

Have u any dead pixels? cuz my model's arriving on Wednesday? Also, does it get warm for you? Tried overcloking it yet?

 

no i dont have ne dead pixels on mine...i bought mine from futureshop in toronto, canada...i ordered 3 year extended warranty...so they cheked before they gave it to me...i trust the guy who did it cuz i noe him...as for warm, not really...it does heat up a little when i game but it is not nething to worry about i think...i do use it on my bed sometimes but i always support it with books beneath it...it does get a little warm then...as for overclocking, i am an overclocker...but i never will try to overclock the cpu in any computer (especially a laptop) jus cuz i dont think its safe...as for the gpu i would but i am pretty satisfied with its performance so i dont feel the need to...plus overclocking voids the warranty i think and shortens life of the laptop and i want it to last me a while...hope you enjoy urs btw where did u get urs and wus ur configuration