Official x300/x305 Owner's Lounge

The crucial website says the x305-706 maxes out at 4096, no upgrades are possible.

http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=Qosmio X305-Q706&pl=Toshiba&cat=RAM

Crucial sells a 4GB, 204-pin SODIMM, DDR3 PC3-8500 memory module, I will use their chat feature tomorrow and ask about it, http://www.crucial.com/store /partspecs.aspx?IMODULE=CT51264BC1067 not that I plan on spending $1179.98 for a memory upgrade any time soon. I would rather upgrade to the QX9300. Maybe a SSD. Those expresscard SSD's look promising also. http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?IMODULE=CT64GBFAA0

 

Has someone tried to update the X305 flash bios to the latest version?

I had an error trying to update it, someone knows why is this happening?

Here is the screenshot:

 

Sorry to repeat myself, but does anyone know which express card remote will work with these X305's?

 

I solved the update problem, just went to the extracted files ignoring the error, running setup.exe icon.

 

ok well i have a problem, mostly for putting trust in a friend.

well i told him to put in my micro sd card in my laptop. he puts it in the slot that is on the right side, where the red flap comes down. it says SD above, so i can believe why he put it there. well now the hole is too big, so the card went right in, and i cant get it out.

so im just wondering if i can take off just the red part on the bottom, which has about 8 screws, and if i will have access to the card slot.

thanks

 

Anybody running DDR3-1333 in the X305 to know what imings get used when clocked down to 1066? I wanna' use a set of G-Skill DDR1333 w/ timings of 9-9-9-24, so I was hoping to get something close to 7-7-7-20 or better at DDR1066 speed.

 

Those are the exact SPD timings of the X305-Q701 at 1066mhz.

 

The Flash Card reader is soldered to the motherboard....I'll research and see if there is another method, other than some needle nosed pliers and some luck.

 

Did flashing the new BIOS solve your BSOD/overheating problems?

 

so if i open up the red part on the bottom, would i have any access to that slot. its not that i want to take the card reader off, i just need any sort of spot so i can push the card out of the slot. so if i can open it up and see the slot, ill be ok. its too far in to grab, i cant even see it now.

 

It didn't man, I just take the laptop to a Toshiba repair center here in Mexico, if they need to change any part of the laptop, they are going to charge me like 130 dlls.

Thanks for ask.

 

Toshiba has some $59.99 rebates on some 17" notebook cases and backpacks. http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/adet.to?seg=HHO&poid=367443 That would make this one free after rebate http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/adet.to?seg=HHO&poid=377342 Heres the rebate page http://www.toshibadirect.com/td/b2c/rebates.to

 

VISTA question! I am not new to VISTA on a notebook, I just wan't plesed w/ its performance a year ago on my older PM945 based Toshiba w/ T7600, IBM 7200RPM @ 200GB w/ 16mb cache and OCZ DDR800 run as DDR667 @ 4-4-4-9.

So the big question for current users on the new X305-Q706 (upgraded as P9500, Seagate 7200.3 @ 320GB, DDR1333 run as DDR1066 @ 7-7-7-20) or like, can VISTA really be tweaked to perform as good if not better then oler XP Pro x64 or Server X86 on the same notebook? Do the tweakes mentioned really help to gain performance w/ the components I use?

 

Just talked to Toshibadirect and they said my X305-Q706 is now backordered and not in stock like they said when ordered. They won't have any in stock until the middle of January. Grrrr, hate it when these companies pull s*&t like that. If I had known about the delay, may have went with another manufacturer. It's not like the X305-Q706 is configurable or anything like that either, they just lied.

 

Brings me to an interesting qusion, Wouldn't either the Q701,Q705 & Q706 all have the same sub configurabiity as the higher X305-Q708 less the added parts such as 2nd GPU and Xtreme CPU as well as other add ons and apps?

In other words, wouldn't the QX9300 and 2nd nV 9800M install to the X305-Q701/Q705/Q706? I believe even the better monitor of the Q708/Q706 can be fitted to the Q701. Not sure, but maybe somebody can confirm.

 

Yes, you can go to Toshibadirect and find a local factory authorized repair center and they can upgrade your machine. I was quoted a cost of $85 labor to upgrade to qx9300. As far as a display upgrade goes, I have been inquiring about either a 2CCFL (dual lamp) or an led backlit situation. You are not getting much upgrading from Toshiba's WXGA to WSXGA+ as the screens are single CCFL's (single lamp). You can upgrade from a single lamp WXGA to a single lamp WSXGA+ without changing the power inverter. Not sure about upgrading to dual lamp or rgb backlit LED.

 

Actually, thats a good one. As far as I can tell, by the official driver releases from Toshiba, the 701-706 has an intel chipset, where as the 708 has an Nvidia chipset. Like I said, as far as I can tell from the official drivers.

 

any comment abt build quality? i saw a vid on youtube and the X300 had the most awful keyboard flex i have seen...

 

Yes, the keyboard is flexible, as is, the screen. The keyboard flexibility can be solved by adding a small aftermarket support strip behind it. The build quality is top notch though( the screen could support higher resolution), but I guess it all comes down to preference, quality is not an issue..

 

I resolved my problem, it was the thermal paste in the graphic card, it needed more, the repair center is going to charge me only 30 dlls.

 

Sweet, I'm very glad for you.

 

GeForce Release 179 for Notebooks BETA *Hybrid SLI notebooks are not supported in this release. They will be supported in an upcoming release (refer to the Products Supported tab for more information). The following notebooks are not supported in this release:

1. Hybrid SLI notebooks (these notebooks will be supported in an upcoming release):
Acer Aspire 7530
BenQ Joybook S42
Fujitsu Siemens Amilo Xi 3650
MSI EX630
Qosmio X305-Q706
Qosmio X305-Q708

http://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_notebook_winvista64_179.28_beta.html

 

Wonder when the non-beta version will be available?

 

Congrats on the thermal paste being the issue and for only 30. it is a simple issue and usually the most common.

by the way, Nvidia has the 179 graphics drivers out. i am downloading them now and will run benchmarks either today or tomorrow. i will tell u if performance is any better, worse, or the same.

 

I sort of figured on that part (nVidia chipset for the Q708). So I would expect that even if we have the 2nd PCIE slot for GPU, it would only run as dual monitors like on most previous Intel desktops, untill nVidia releases true firmware support for SLI on Intel platform as I do believe is the issue w/ upcoming X58 desktop mobo.

In anyeven, I am totally happy w/ the Q706 as long as I know I can later add a QX9300. I personally can live w/o SLI on a notebook. A 2nd descrete monitor would coe ib handy for presentations though son not bad if I can drop in another GPU. If so, can it be any compatable model as with the desktop mobos?

EDIY: I am about to order the Q706 and can get the Q705 locally at my neighborhood fry's Electronics for $500.00 less. Does it sound worth it? I noticed the Q706 states it has dual nVidia 9800M GTS in SLI. Is the chipset a mobile of the desktop P45? I do recall somebody stating the Q705 is a P45 Intel so even if it has the 2nd GPU slot, I believe it is not SLI compatable. Can anybody confirm, any X305-Q705 owners?

 

Yes the chipset is the mobile version of the P45, or as it's called, P45 Express.

 

Got my 706 for $1750 shipped + they have rebates for free wireless bluetooth mouse, flash drive and carrying case with purchase of Qosmio. One of the Toshiba reps said they expect January to be a slow month for sales. Might want to wait till after the holidays, might get a better deal.

 

If comparing the Gateway P-7801u FX Edition , for say $1699. how does this compare to the X305-Q706 @ $1999.

Who can shed some personal light on the "pros" and "cons" of either?

 

The Gateway has a nice display but sadly, no red flames.

 

I didn't read if the gateway has dual GPU, I can live w/o it. I also noticed the monitors are different, which is better, and for what reasons? Does the X305's continue the same touch pad as he older X105/X205 to include horizontile scroll as well as programable corners to act as IE pagining forward/backward control and other special functions? I also noticed that the Gateway does not claim to offer 5.1 speakers onboard or SPDIF (fiber optic digital out built in).

 

the gateway does not have the sli, it has a single 9800 with 1gig of memory. the screen on the gateway has a better resolution then the toshiba. Personaly past 1440x900 i can't really tell that much of a diffrence... but then again i prolly need glasses. the other diffrence i see is it has a 5400rpm hard drive vs the toshibas 7200 . some say it's not htat big of a diffrence, but, personaly i say that when it comes to gaming you always want faster. So, i would get hte toshiba, the dual video cards, the faster hdd , more then make up for the diffrence in resolution in my opinion. come feburary when i get my tax return, x706 here i come.

While i am thinking about it, coudl someone post a screen shot of the Windows Experience index score for a 706 so i can get a buddy of mine off my arse. He has an ibuypower with a 4.8 and doesnt think that the tosh will top it.

 

Someone posted a screenshot of their 706's Vista experience somewhere. Can't find it right now, but it was 5.0 with the processor being the lowest number. graphics was 5.8 and 5.9. I think the next lowest score was 5.3 for the hard drive.

 

For my X305-Q701...Windows Experience Index base score (5.6)
Processor--------(5.6)[Intel C2D T9600]
Memory[RAM]----(5.9)[stock configuration]
Graphics---------(5.9) (mid-OC)
Gaming Graphics--(5.8)
Primary Hard disk-(5.7)

 

Heres the screenshot Chaz posted for the 708 review: The 708 has the Qx9300 and SSD but he said the SSD is slower than the 7200rpm hdd.

 

ok guys well my cd drive died. ive only had my laptop for about 2 months and havent really used my cd drive. it always made weird noises, but didnt think it was broken.

well i go to play a movie and all th colours are bad. its a reddish colour. ive tried it with several disks, and there all a reddish colour. ive tried cleaning to drive with compressed air and even tried cleaning the lens with a lens cleaner.

so i phoned toshiba and they said i can bring it to a repair center, which is right near me, and they will fix it the same day. while im there, im going to ask how much a blueray player would be, since im getting it replaced anyway. im also going to ask them to fix the keyboard flex (if they will), my touch sensitve buttons that arent working right, and my bootup problems. i want them to fix everyhing.

the cd drive fix will be free, and im going to fight to get everything else fixed for free, as there is no physical damage and i am still in warrenty.

 

Toshiba does not support Bluray as far as I know. Toshiba was on the side of HD-DVD in the format war and lost.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/19/tech/main3843523.shtml

 

Windows scoring! i'm rather new the Vista scoring and would not aply to XP so the numbers are sort of blah to me right now. In general real world feel, from somebody who came form XP Pro on the same system and configuration, how did it feel? When I did it on an ASUS last yr moving from XP Pro x64 to VISTA Ultimate x64 (pre SP1), it did not feel all that spunky yet. This system then only had 2gb RAM and 5400RPM so I realize my current 7200.3 and 4gb 1333 system may shine a bit more w/ VISTA. i noticed lots of lag had to do w/ memory hogging so if I can learn the tweaks as mentioned in the other tread, I think it will be al right. What do you guys think? my main concern is Adobe Creative Suite suppor of VISTA x64 this time around.

 

who can comment on the X305-Q705 specifically as to it's insides and upgradability? I noticed it doesn't come as SLI equipped, but is it on the same chipset north and south bridge as the Q706? Can the nvidia graphics be removed to be changed out later?

 

I can officially comment on the new Version 179 beta drivers from nvidia:

THEY SUCK!

my frame rates fluctuate and arent as high as they usually go, i have rainbow 6 vegas 2 on vsync and it topped at 30 always, now it tops at 27-28 and goes wildly from 15-20 to 20-25. so i dont like these beta drivers at all.

 

What drivers were you using before version 179? OEM ?

 

I read specs of upto 2.5hrs of battery life on most of the X305 models but can any of the Q701 or Q705 owners w/ P series 25W and single nVidia GPU feedback on real world battery usage on low monitor brightness and Wi-Fi on and mild net surfing opposed to moderate gaming (not from DVD, but as ISO off HDD or SSD)? Like, what are some good conditions v/s the not so good?

Who found a god price on a Blue-Ray upgrade and from where? I am totally cool w/ used pull from any compatable make and model. If I were to just go USB, there a USB BD Disc that poweres off USB w/o A/C plug in? How much on average?

 

yes i was using the newest drivers on toshiba's website. im just going to deal with these drivers until new ones come out on their website or a non-beta whql certified one comes out on nvidia's.

 

I had the brightness on max and just surfed the web, and that was all, and i got around 1 hour and 25 min of battery life. you can change the power plans and adjust them to ur liking, such as balanced, power saver, or high performance.

 

Why would you want a 701 or 705 when you can get the 706 for less than $200 more? Go to Toshibadirect.com/ select the 706/click add to cart/at the top of the page click "get a quote". As of last week it was $1750 with free shipping. I asked for a quote for the 708 and it was $3550 with free shipping. Others have suggested that Toshiba will be blowing out those 708's at some point because they are not selling at the current price point.

 

Yeah, I have experimented with beta drivers and the hacked ones at Laptopvideo2go, but I think I'm better off sticking with the OEM drivers because of the issues associated with flashing your cards with too many drivers. I'll stick with the OEM drivers unless there is a specific performance issue that beta drivers might address.

 

I wanna' utilize my store credit so I want to use Fry's in store local 1st so I dont have to rack up ny more interest. Plus, the Fry's add price is only $1249. I also wanna stick w/ an Intel chipset, the PM45 Express.

how easy is it to get financing through Toshiba direct or the "bill me later" thing?

 

Get a quote won't work for me......it just asks for a user id and password and i don't even see a link to create a user id and password......hmmm....maybe I'm not looking in the right place.

T.

 

click on this link
http://explore.toshiba.com/laptops/qosmio/X305/X305-Q706
Click The green "Shop" button at the top of the screen
Click my account

create an acount

 

Yeah, I don't recommend buying anything on credit in a deflationary environment.

 

I know I tried that before....there's no "create account" button. I've done the subscribe thing, but that just asks for an email address, no user id or password and then they just send you stuff via email. I still don't see a "create account" button........grrrr.....