Problems? See this thread at archive.org.
After returning two Dell's because their speaker quality was terrible, I decided to get the king of audio quality in notebooks.... On Monday, my 690 arrived. I bought this direct from Toshiba as I get a 15% corp discount. That made the decision easier
First of all, the difference in size or weight between this and the Dell 1720 I replaced is not that great. Both take up about the same real estate with the 690 being a pound or so heavier. Big deal since this is a desktop replacement that only sees light travel duty.
The screen is maginificent. Head and shoulders above the grainy 1680 screen on the other Dell (XPS1530) I returned. On par or maybe a tad brighter than the 1080P screen on the 1720.
The ergonomics are very nice with the volume wheel being infinitely better than the buttons on the 1720 or the worthless capacitive touch buttons on the XPS. Fast accurate volume control. Well done.
Two headphone jacks is a nice touch.
Fan noise and heat were very good. Noise was not obtrusive.
The Seagate Momentus 5400.3 drives are quiet. But, I am disappointed that Toshiba is not using newer gen 7200 rpm drives. This is my major nitpick.
As I am not a gamer, the choice of the 8600GT is not a big issue, however, for the price, one step up might be nice since the system is preconfigured.
The wireless worked perfectly with max signal strength on my home network. No issues there.
The keyboard is smooth and quiet. The slight different key layout, as opposed the the Dell's I am used to, will take a few days to get accustomed to. Delete key is upper right for instance.
The sound quality is hands down the finest I have ever heard on a laptop by a MILE. It is so far superior to the next competitor it is a joke. If you are looking for good built in sound then this is it. Bar none..... Lots of bass, good sound field, and decent real amp watts.
Built in camera works great as does the mic. Skype worked great first time.
HD-DVD is front loaded. Not my fave location, but no biggie. Tray is very flimsy though.
I have not experienced any battery issues as I have not used it on battery power yet. If the 2:40 in the review is accurate that is damn good for such a big laptop. I have two chargers so it will be used on AC on both the first and second floor.
I had 2X2GB Crucial so-dimms so I have dual channel 4GB installed now. System shipped with 3GB.
My few complaints are as follows:
1) Hard drives should be higher performance models.
2) Case has a touch of flex, but it really is no issue for me. I just notice it if I look for it.
3) The light enamel looking color of the body where you rest you hands is not my taste. A cooler carbon fiber dark surface would be nicer and more fingerprint resistant.
4) left and right mouse buttons under the touch pad could be larger and centered with the gimmicky fingerprint reader moved to the side. Not a biggie, but takes getting used to.
5) Very cheap feeling flimsy DVD tray. Works fine though.
6) HD-DVD may be a dodo. No burner option would have been a welcome money saver.
7) PC card/Express card slot is dual height and the plug is dual height. If installing a Creative X-FI card, the bottom of the slot does not have a blockoff plate. Looks sloppy to me...
8) ATI HD tuner is nice otion, but it should be an option. Not sure I will ever use it. I have Comcast DVR boxes already. Saving the money may have been worthwhile.
Hope this helps!
Scott
New Qosmio G45 AV690 report
Discussion in 'Toshiba' started by jazbrokr, Feb 13, 2008.
