Portege R700 - the thin and light 13.3"

I don't understand how the fan at the bottom can suck air if there's not enough clearance even when the laptop rests on a desk. Isn't it a bad design to suck air from below?

Also, if the fan is under the palmrest area, is that the source of vibrations experienced by an earlier poster here?

 

Personally I don't want to spend quite this much on a computer. But if I was, I'd probably go with the Sony. It's already a tested winner. The R700 is brand new.

Me? I'm looking for a less expensive Z substitute.

 

While on the desk its fine. My temps, even on full load don't go past the mid 70s even on full load except maybe for the occasional spike. Its only when I keep this thing on my lap that it starts to matter and I then see mid 90s. As I understand it from reading reports about other notebooks with the i7-650M in them, this isn't that surprising. The 15 in mbp supposedly gets even hotter than this. For instance, my experience has been very similar to this:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...-vaio-z-i5-i7-official-owners-thread-579.html

and this:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/487486-vpc-z1-very-high-temps.html

So for the time being I think these temps, while high, seem to be quite normal for this processor.

 

I only noticed the fan under the palmrest because I looked... didn't feel any vibrations that the other poster was referring at all...

 

I have had both. Sony has backlit keyboard. Toshiba has nonglossy screen (I could almost shave in front of the Sony -- hated that). All else is a toss up, so go Sony for the lit keys.

 

Ahhh, if only the Toshiba had a backlit keyboard... I'd be very happy indeed.

 

The location of the fan intake scared me off a bit too. On the table at BB, it seemed to get a little warmer than the other 13-14" models with similar CPUs. In my case, it would be used on the lap 90% of the time, and I'd be worried about even greater heat with the intake blocked. I don't think the R705 is as bad as the MBP, but the Sony S and Z (in stamina mode) both feel a bit cooler to me and the Y is much cooler.

The key pitch was a bit odd, but I think it's something you could easily get used to unless you're switching back and forth between this and another computer.

With the R705 available now for $800 and the Envy 14 at just over $1k, the Sony S is probably dead.

 

It's disconcerting that Toshiba is marketing so much on its "Airflow" technology while the technology isn't being that effective then. I had expected a totally cool machine.

I had such good hopes for r700, but now stand to pay $$ for $ony Z.

 

Turning on the toshiba "eco mode" makes quite a difference. Watching a 480p hulu video on full screen gives me a temp of ~70C on the lap. Thats a difference of about 20C and lower than what it was on the table in full performance mode. I guess they should call it the "netbook mode" instead . The "balanced" and the "power saver" mode result in ~82C in the same situation. These two were also at full brightness on AC while the eco mode was around half brightness. I haven't tried throwing a whole bunch of stuff at it to check how performance is affected in eco mode, but watching videos or browsing the web isn't any different from before and I think this is what I'm going to use regularly except for those times when I do need the full processing power in which case I wouldn't mind setting it on a table.

 

I agree with you on the marketing part. Maybe the i3 stands up to their claim. FWIW the sony Z seems to have similar temps with the i7, based on other users on this forum.

 

sooooooo....is the HD replaceable? Can someone please tell me so I can decide which R700 to buy?

 

I've never seen more than 70-72°C on my i5-540M Vaio S, even after many minutes at full load. But I have no discrete GPU.

 

Is it the same whether you keep it on the table or on the lap? Mine's at 70-72C as well on full load as long as it is kept on the table where the "airflow" thing can do its job...

 

I just ran my r705 with the i3 for a half-hour straight running 720p video on Youtube. The back left corner of the Portege did heat up but it was nowhere near unbearable (or even uncomfortable). During the run, the fan kicked in but it was very slight. If you are wondering, I did turn on Toshiba "ECO" utility on before I started the test.

For $799, I am thrilled with the combination of processing power, size, weight and battery life I got with the r705. The i5 and i7 versions were enticing but I went with the i3 in the hopes that heat and fan noise wouldn't be issues I would have to deal with. Since I can't compare the different models, I won't make any assumptions but I can say that I am happy with my purchase.

 

yes, it is on all models. There is even a schematic included to show you what screws to remove.

 

Thanks for the input. I've been using the eco utility as well, and found that while the back left corner does get warm, its not uncomfortable at all. The "high performance" mode is a different story though. I don't know what it does, but maybe the eco utility essentially throttles the processor down, rendering the distinction between i3/i5/i7 moot. It's a very useful solution and I don't notice any performance degradation for regular tasks.

 

Oh cool! So what's the battery life like with the i7? Supposedly it draws 10W more than the i5 at idle, so I'm thinking you lose about 30 mins off the battery life. Is that about right?

 

Awesome, thanks! I was thinking about slapping in an X25-m i have lying around.

 

Can you adjust the brightness while in eco mode?

 

720p mkv files accessed from a hard drive over my home wireless network in eco mode (brightness lvl 3) ran for ~3hr20min on battery. The power draw was consistent at ~20W. Without that its ~12-13W. So, I don't think its drawing 10W more than the i5 at idle (this is with wireless on and quite a few toshiba b/g utilities running.. so maybe technically not idle but I'm sure its close).

Nope. I also tried changing the default brightness settings for eco mode itself, but it wouldn't let me. The default levels are 4 on AC and 3 on battery. I guess its a bit heavy-handed but I don't have a problem with it.

 

What are compatible 256GB SSD brands/models that I can replace the HDD with? Will doing so void warranty?

On heat issue, what matters is what the use feels on the contact points, not internal temperature. Whatever us CPU temperature, how does the palmrest and bottom feel?

 

Palmrest feels fine. As for the bottom, the back left part gets a bit warm but thats about it. Its not uncomfortable at all. This is in the eco mode which I've been using almost exclusively so far. I think in this mode it doesn't really matter if you have i3/i5/i7. The reason I think so is:
This is cpu-z in "full performance" mode:


and in "eco" mode:

(both in exactly the same situation)

The multiplier is very much reduced in the second case. Since the bus speeds for this series is the same (133MHz) if the eco utility adjusts the multiplier the same for the i3/i5/i7 then I am assuming the only difference comes down to the 4M cache on the i7 as opposed to 3M on the others. I don't think that will cause any significant difference in heating (someone please correct me if I'm wrong). So, at least in this mode the experience of those who bought the BB version should be about the same at least in terms of heat output.

The only time the bottom left gets "hot" is if I switch to the "full performance" mode and load up the processor while its resting on my legs. Even then the palmrest is only warm. And if its on a table, then even that doesn't matter. The intake fan on the bottom does have enough clearance that if the unit is on the table there's sufficient cooling going on. I can feel hot air coming off the vents but the chassis itself stays fine.

 

Thank you so much Renormalized, Eco Mode does seem to be the answer for non-heavyweight work.

Is there any keyboard shortcut/hotkey to activate Eco Mode?

A bit surprising - still no detailed review from review sites - I am particularly looking forward to review from NotebookCheck.net - they prepare a heatmap of top and bottom in idle and load conditions.

 

That totally contradicts this

Notebookcheck: Review Intel Core i3/i5/i7 Processors ?Arrandale?

 

http://www.toshibadirect.com/images/products/portege-r700-s13xx-600-03.jpg

There is a dedicated hotkey on the top right that activates eco mode.

 

I really have no idea how they got those numbers... I haven't been anywhere near 65W so far... fwiw here's my eco mode on AC (with brightness half-way down):
http://i.imgur.com/niziB.png

 

It's likely to be the sole CPU consumption (my i5 is usually around 7-8 W when idling), while the review probably reports the whole laptop consumption (measuring at the AC source I get similar values).

 

When I owned a Toshiba A505, I just created my own power settings that replicated eco mode but with a slightly brighter display. I returned that machine, but one thing I love about it is how easy it is to customize the power options.

 

So as reported by the software,
idle i5 = 7-8W <-- is this for a Toshiba R700?
idle i7 = 12-13W

Can someone with the BB R705 report their software-reported idle power draw?

P.S. The Anandtech report was providing total laptop (system-wide) power consumption and doesn't factor in power supply inefficiency. So the actual software-reported power draw should be less. But I'm still worried about the 10W DIFFERENCE between i7 and i5 IDLE reported in the article.

 

Thanks! I didn't think of that.. The last laptop I owned didn't let me do much beyond adjusting brightness levels and sleep settings....

 

hey, just go back from BB to check out that r705, seems like a great machine, i love everything about it, but the one thing keeping me from pulling the trigger is the keyboard...the spacebar in particular feels flat, i tried typing a few sentences and every few words i would make a typo...i tried a lot of other keyboard (mac, sony s, dells,...) and they ALL seemed more comfortable...what are your guys' opinions on this?

 

It's like anything else. You'll get used to it with time. If that's all that's preventing you from buying it, I'd pull the trigger. Return it if after a month you're still finding it uncomfortable.

 

I played with it at best buy for about 30 mins. I didn't have a problem at all with the keyboard. I guess it's all personal preference. If you scroll back earlier in this thread, a few people shared their experience with the keyboard too.

On a different note, does anyone know the model of the SSD that comes with the i7/SSD version? Or for those of you who have the i7/SSD, aren't you curious, hint hint, enough to see which SSD they gave you?

 

With wireless off and brightness at min, it goes to 10-11W. A fresh install of the OS will probably reduce it a wee bit more by getting rid of a bunch of b/g processes. I closed down quite a few of them and it went to 9-10W.

 

how do you measure this? do you have a meter at your psu?

thx

 

No.. toshiba has a utility that comes pre-installed that shows power usage. SheldonCooper has the meter .

Took the hint... Its Toshiba THNSNC128GML with the Toshiba T6UG1XBG SSD Controller.

 

pcmark vantage:

ORB - World of Performance

 

Many thanks to those owners who have contributed to benchmarkings and feedback regarding this machine btw ... I have been thinking about this machine for a while now and your posts are helpful.

 

Idle temperatures in eco mode:



Edit: I don't have a room thermometer... I measured the temperature of objects/wall around the laptop (but far enough away to be unaffected by it) and took that to be ambient. 27C is the lowest I found... it varied between 27 and 28.

 

When is anyone going to get a BT module and put it in the R705?

 

haha, nice! Do we know anything about it? TRIM? I wonder how it performs compared to the Intel X25-m. The Kingston SSDNow V+ ver 2 uses the same controller chip, I think.

Not too shabby!

Woh that's FAST! Thanks for posting all the benchmarks! Maybe I'll have to get the i7 version now.

 

Thanks to the owners for your input so far. I'm looking for an ultraportable to replace my 07' MBP 15" and am really leaning towards the R700.

Someone asked this earlier in the thread, but I don't believe anyone responded: how does the 2-finger scrolling work on the trackpad? I use a mouse with my laptop <5% of the time, so navigation w/ the trackpad is really important to me. Is the 2-finger scrolling very responsive, or does it not work to well/very poorly (a la HP dm4)? Thanks!

 

mdg963,

i recently checked out the r705 at BB, i was impressed by the responsiveness of the two finger scrolling, very responsive. i think the current macbooks are the gold standard for 2 finger scrolling, but the r705's is comfortable and very usable...

could you let me know why you're switching from a mac to a PC? i'm having the hardest time deciding between the 13 MBP, the r705, and the thinkpad t410

 

I never use mouse with a laptop myself. The trackpad's very responsive. I use side scrolling but the two finger scrolling works fine as well.

 

renormalized, how would you rate this laptop's overall performance as a multimedia machine? watching movies, listening to music, ...

 

imo this is NOT a multimedia machine... The built-in speakers have sufficient volume that if you are moving about your room you won't have trouble hearing them, but the quality is bad for playing music. If you are using it for skype or a tv show like the daily show then it works. Of course, if you're using headphones or external speakers, that takes care of it. The on-board audio is realtek hd which I presume is pretty much the standard. As for the screen, I'm not discerning enough to be the right person to comment. I love the fact that its matte since I am going to do a lot of reading and coding on it... and I have watched stuff on it but it doesn't make me say, "ooh what colors!"... doesn't bother me, but others may have higher requirements.. one of the other owners is probably better placed to comment on the multimedia aspect of the screen..

 

No difference. It usually runs between 42-49 °C these hot days (about 30°C) during light load.

I use Everest to read the CPU power consumption but I have a Watt meter as well (showing to me almost the same results of that review). I suppose that the Toshiba utility just shows the CPU consumption, could you verify it installing Everest?
That said, I think that the i7 usually draws a few more Watts (3-7, it depends) that might become 10 due to the AC adapter inefficiency. But should indeed be more hungry, imho.

 

MarkL and renormalized, thanks for your responses. I was pretty much sold on the HP dm4 until I went and messed around with one at a local store and realized how poor the trackpad was. That was a dealbreaker.

MarkL, I'm not positive I am making the switch. I too am considering the R700 and MBP 13", along with the Sony Y as well. I have pretty much ruled out the Sony Y, though, because it is nearly as expensive as the the R700 (depends on configuration), and you give up quite a bit (processing power, optical drive, battery life, to name a few).

To me, the the only things the MBP really holds over the R700 is the backlit keyboard and battery life. I've used the backlit keyboard on my MBP ~10 times in the last 3 years, so that is not a big deal for me, and ~6 hours of battery is fine...I don't need the ~10 hours that you get with the MBP. Some would argue the ease and reliability of the OS is another reason to go for the MBP, but to be honest, I've never had issues with my Windows machines (have had XP, Vista, and Windows 7 laptops). On top of that, I frequently switch to Win7 using Boot Camp to run MS Office (esp. Excel), because Mac MS Office is such junk.

So to me, the backlit keyboard and extra battery life iare not worth the $200 difference between the R700 (S1310) and the MBP (base 13"). In fact, you'd be giving up a few important specs (no i3 processor, it's heavier, HD is smaller, 1 less USB port).

Hope that helps. Which way are you leaning?

 

A few more considerations:

- The difference between the C2D (MBP13) and the Core i3/i5/i7 (R700) is significant. The newer Core chips are about 30% faster at identical clock speeds, and in fact, they're used in the 15" MBP. In a short period of time, the C2D chips will seem "dated."

- It's very difficult to find a thin/light 13" notebook that takes an Intel Core cpu. Thicker and heavy notebooks, no problem. Thin/light notebooks that use a C2D (a better comparison to the MBP) are a dime a dozen.

- The MBP has a dedicated GPU, the R700 has integrated graphics.

- If you want to run Win7, I'm not sure if they've fixed the problem with the horrible battery life in the Macbook's - the discrete GPU is always-on. And if they fixed it, how long did it take them? Probably best to run Windows a laptop designed to run Windows.