Satellite Radius™ 15 4K P55W-C5208-4K Laptop: RAM and SSD Upgrades, Thoughts.

I picked up this computer at Best Buy on 7/5/2015 when it was on sale. I know Toshiba says the RAM is not user upgradeable, but rest assured, it is. My biggest apprehension concerned how to open the chassis, as I had watched a YouTube video for a different yet similar Toshiba Radius model and was on the lookout for screws located under the rubber feet closest to the hinges and/or a ribbon cable that connected the motherboard to the underside of the cover.

However, you need not be concerned about either of these things for this computer. Getting the cover off and performing the upgrades is so simple, pictures/video are not necessary at all (however, you are responsible for what you do - don't blame me if something goes wrong while you do any of this):

1) Make sure the computer is off. Flip it over and remove ALL the screws, including the ones on the hinges. I realize that it might appear that the cover ends just before the hinges, but it does not. The cover extends over the hinges as well.

2) Grab a piece or pieces of thin, study plastic. Some people use guitar picks or credit cards. I used a piece that I cut from the packaging of the Kingston HYPERX HX316LS9IBK2/16 R that I used for the upgrade. You can use another brand, of course...and you may even be able to use RAM that exceeds the recommended 1600Mhz specification (I didn't want to chance it)...but make sure you use low voltage DDR3 (DDR3L) modules.

3) Get that piece of plastic and insert it between the front and back cover, and gently slide it along the edge. As you do this, the tabs that hold the the covers together will unsnap. As always, be gentle, and use even more care when you are separating the hinges. I started at one of the corners near the keyboard, and worked it one way and then the other. if you do it properly, the cover will pop off...no tethers between the two sides to worry about...and you can just put it aside.

4) I did not disconnect the internal battery. I had seen videos where some people performing these upgrades (obviously, not motherboard upgrades) on computers of a similar design did disconnect the battery, while others did not. I made sure that I was grounded so as to not conduct any static electricity, and I made sure that I did not even go near the power button during this procedure. There appears to be more than one connection attaching the battery to the motherboard, and I did not want to get involved in all that. I've never owned a mid-range laptop before, and being used to Dell Precisions and Sager/Clevos, I've been spoiled by having a removable battery and easy upgradeability.

5) Each RAM slot is covered with a rectangular piece of soft material that looks metallic in nature (sort of Roswellian - for you UFO aficionados). The material is actually glued onto each slot, but does not need to be removed. Just pop the springs holding the modules in place and slide them out. You can lift the material to see what you're doing if you need to. Make sure your new modules are properly aligned, slide them in and push them down to snap them in place.

6) The 5400 RPM (I mean, really??) Hitachi hard drive is partially encased in a metallic material that adheres to its sides, and it is also surrounded by a plastic gasket. This assembly is not held in place by screws; rather, it is wedged in place inside the chassis. Disconnect the connector, and gently pry the drive out of the chassis. Remove the gasket. I elected to remove the metallic material and place it over the SSD, although I'm not sure if doing so was necessary. I upgraded to this one: SAMSUNG MZ-75E500B/AM R. Apply the gasket, wedge the SSD into the chassis, and reconnect the connector.

7) Snap and screw the cover back into place.

The performance difference from these upgrades is staggering. The SSD blows away the stock 5400 RPM drive. Boot time is almost instantaneous now. Apps run snappier and the whole touch screen experience is more responsive. I haven't run any benchmarks, and the Windows 8.1 Experience Index tool is now a command line tool, as I discovered this morning. But let's face it: I didn't buy this laptop to run SuperPi or play Crysis...;0

This computer is actually for my 9 year old, and he loves it. It streams video flawlessly (NOTE: I have not experienced any problems whatsoever with the wifi in this model); he can position it in all sorts of ways; he can use it as a tablet on road trips; he can play the only game he really cares about at this point (Minecraft); he can use it as a Kindle-type device; and he can use Microsoft Office for his homework (yep...these elementary schools kids today...doing PowerPoint presentations). And one of the reasons I love it is because it puts him on the cutting edge of technology with touch computing.

I'm not proficient with the whole 4K resolution thing, bit it is interesting. The Sharp IGZO UHD screen looks a little darker along the right edge when viewing a white screen, but if I shift the angle just a bit is does not. There is a very slight hint of backlight bleed along the upper and lower left edges, but nothing to get into a twist over by any stretch. Colors are gorgeous.

When I first checked the screen resolution settings the computer was on 4K, and the desktop icons on the screen appeared normal-sized for what you would expect on a 1080 screen. However, after running a streaming video out the HDMI port to a 1080 TV, and then later disconnecting the HDMI cord from the computer, the icons and labels shrank to a tiny size for no apparent reason. I'm not sure why, but the desktop appears normal again now. However, opening some apps now results in tiny text. Not sure if this is a driver or Windows 8.1 at work, as I have been an adherent of Windows 7 and this is my first 8.1 experience. Also, if I set the resolution at 1920 x 1080, the desktop looks great, but the text in, say, Google Chrome is huge. Once again, I'm not sure if this is an 8.1 issue, and I look forward to the free Windows 10 upgrade, coming soon.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with it. It does what it is supposed to do; I got it at a good price, and the upgrades were well worth it...no complaints so far.

EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention...the sound. The sound on this machine is incredible. I've owned computers worth 3 times the price of this one, and their sound paled in comparison.

 

So I just got this laptop and I am wondering:
1. Are there screws underneath the rubber feet?
2. Where did you get the specs for the memory module? I looked up the module you listed and it shows it is 1.35 volts unlike the so-dimms for ultrabooks.
Overall I am happy with this unit and is pretty good value I think.
Patrick

 

1) Nope...no screws under those feet.

2) See here (spec sheet from Toshiba website):


Maybe you mean this instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104476

Specs state they are DDR3L..."L" for low votage. 1.35 volts = low voltage, as "regular" voltage DIMMs are 1.5 volts.

As I stated in my first post, don't be deterred by the "not user upgradeable" language...it certainly is upgradeable. The modules I referenced work fantastic.

 

I presume the current memory slots have 2x4 to give the 8 gig stock memory?

 

I presume the current memory slots have 2x4 to give the 8 gig stock memory?

 

Right. 2 x 4 gig modules. Now there are 2 x 8 gig. The combined effects of the memory and SSD upgrades has resulted in a nearly instantaneous boot-up into Windows 8.1 from the 'Toshiba Innovation' ( I think that's what it says) bios start-up screen.

 

Excellent, thank you for your fast responses, much appreciated.

 

That's what these forums are all about. Glad I could help.

 

As an update, I grabbed a 1tb Samsung SSD and 16gb of Patriot Viper memory and swapped those into the P55W C. What I did notice was that the back cover was not attached to anything on my unit, on Youtube the regular P55W has a cable for the ports on the cover whereas the 4k model back cover comes off completely. Overall a very quick an easy upgrade. All my other PCs have similar SSDs so the performance gain just brought it into line with those PCs.
Thanks again for all the help
Patrick

 

Exactly (re: no cable). Glad you found it as easy as I did.

 

Can you tell me if this laptop has a setting in the BIOS menu to control the amount of dedicated video memory (DVMT)?

 

Hi 4kd,

The bios does not have many options; and the ability to set the DVMT is not one of them.

 

As a side note gaming performance is pretty much on a par with my older Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro ultrabook.

 

I don't game, but not having a dedicated graphics card would make this laptop a terrible choice for gamers.

 

Hi

Your post answered most of my questions, one thing that you may clear is - what software did you use to transfer data from 1TB to new ssd - any issue with windows 8.1 after that?

Thanks,
Atul

 

I used a free version of MiniTool: http://www.partitionwizard.com/free-partition-manager.html
Worked like a charm.

 

Thanks zdroj - guess its time to invest in the machine now

 

Hi amohan...did you get the computer after all? Any thoughts?

 

Hi zdorj,

Placed the order, I'll be in US August end, will power it up and share my experience then

 

I wanted to thank you for your post and simple instructions. I bought mine last week with Windows 10 preinstalled. Except for the incredible screen, I was terribly disappointed in the performance in this unit. I didn't know if it was Windows 10 or what. Was planning on returning it when I stumbled upon your review. I picked up a SSD and 16GB DDR3L and an inexpensive cable to clone my drive.
After installation the bootup was as if it had been sleeping. Everything is running as a brand new computer should. Why would Toshiba include such a slow hard drive? If not for this simple upgrade, I would be using a HP right now!

 

So you guys would recommend this laptop? Can you tell me if there is vt-x and vt-d options in the bios? Has anyone tried 2x 16gb ram? And how is the screen and cooling underneath (I use it on my lap sometimes).

 

jedisurfer1,

My son, who is the user of the P55W, would love your name, as he is a huge Star Wars fan! As for your questions:
1) He loves it. The screen is gorgeous, with rich, vibrant colors in 4K. He loves the tablet function, and uses it often. HE uses it for hours on end daily, and has had no problems with it. The only thing I've noticed is that the fans seem to kick in often, so perhaps I need to do a cleaning/repasting. So HE recommends it!
2) The bios is very, very basic and limited....no such adjustments are available.
3) I have not tried more than 2x 8 gb, as I don't have any 16gb modules. Also, I don't know enough about the memory controller/chipset architecture to be able to tell you if 16gb modules would work.
4) The screen is awesome. And as I said, I will be checking it out to for a repasting/cleaning due to the intermittent fans. But I did use it today, and it doesn't run hot.

It all depends on what your looking to do with it. My son surfs the Internet, does his PowerPoints, plays his Minecraft, streams his videos and puts them out to TV over HDMI. All in all, a nice choice for what he does.

 

First of all, thank you for your instruction on opening the bottom panel and the hdd!
I probably would have destroyed something if I hadn't read this before.

I got a few questions tho, how do you boot up from a portable device? I'd like to do a clean install but it doesn't boot from my usb-stick.
Second question is, how's the performance with only the Ssd upgrade? Would you recommend upgrading the Rams, too? If yes, why?

 

I'll have to check on the USB boot issue for you later...the computer is unavailable at this time

As for the ram and SSD, I upgraded both at the same time, and I can tell you it made a huge difference. Remember, the Intel HD6000 graphics is a shared ram setup - it uses part of your system ram for the video ram...so the more ram, and the faster ram, = the better for overall performance.

 

I was able to do a clean install by using the 2.0 port. Right now the laptop seems to boost really fast, almost instantly. I'll set up the laptop later and see how programs work. Probably upgrade the Rams if they're on sale.

 

I'll post my upgades here. Although the cpu doesnt list it as supported, I've been able to run stable under windows 10 with 16gb of 1866 DDR3L from crucial. It wouldnt boot with 32gb of 1600, I'd figure the cpu's the limit here. I've popped a 120gb 2inch m2 card in there as a second drive, i've got a samsung 950 pro 512gb on the way, we'll see what speeds that port will get

Edit - when I first got the laptop, i had issues with fullscreen 1080/4k video from browsers other than microsoft edge, even after a full wipe to vanilla windows 10. After the ram upgrade alone it runs smooth as butter, i've noticed my battery life is better after my changes so far.

 

Hmmm...are we talking about the same model Toshiba...specifically, the P55W-C5208-4K? Not that I was looking for one when I popped the machine open last July, but I don't remember an M.2 slot...and I can't find mention of one on the spec sheet....

 

I didnt find the m.2 on the sheet either, Mine is p55w-c5208x 4k, i dont figure that last x would make a huge difference, its to the left of ram slot b, it'll need some modification if you want a sata drive in there too, I snapped one of the inside after I cleaned it out, I'll post when I figure out how to post images.

 

There we go

 

Well lookie there! When I open my next week (final paper and final exam due this week, so no "play time"), I hope I see such a slot in mine! I think I'll order an M.2 in the spirit of cautious optimism! Which did you get?

I didn't think it was possible to like this laptop more than I did (for my son)...but this is definitely a welcome bonus.

 

I've got this one coming soon, hoping the slot is 4x to take advantage of it, i tried my old 120gb one from my desktop to see if it did work. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B016...ung+m2+ssd&dpPl=1&dpID=51FNzT4Mp3L&ref=plSrch

 

I just got one by woot.
How many screws total? I moved 10,but still hard to move back cover,is there any trick?
and what the interface for ssd MSATA or M.2

 

------
10 sounds right, it'll be alittle snug, the case has a lip the keeps it together. I used a splunger so it wouldnt tool up the body too much. A guitar pick or flat head would work, there isnt anything in the way to damage on the outter panel, carful with the rear vent side, you'll want to pop these parts separately, it is possible they could break.

It is m.2, i'll update on speeds when i pop my new one in, and post the case modding, i seriously doubt i can squeeze both drives in together without mods.

 

Thanks, I opened the case,hardly damage the HDMI port. There is a open backcase video on Youtube , search keyword P55W-C5200. It looks could fit 80mm M.2 SSD and keep 2.5 sata hard driver working togeth. I have order a Crucial CT250MX200SSD4 250G M.2 SSD. I'll post result later.

 

Hi All

Firstly, many thanks to Zdroj for posting in the first place; it was your post that inspired me to do the SSD and ram upgrade last November when I got my P55W-C5208-4K. I see a few people have considered the M2 SSD addition, has anyone managed to install one ad get the laptop to boot as yet?

Many thanks

Jon

 

I saw that video, the c5200 is very different from the 5208 inside

 

I'll have my new m.2 in today, and see what speeds i'll get

 

Oops, did a dumb, got an m keyed m2, dislexia kicked in... i suppose i can use it with a pcie adapter for my desktop... i'll have another in soon

 

Mine booted with my old 120gb m2, it did mount atleast, i didnt have windows installed on it, nor did i test it though.
What issue do you have?

 

bad news,M2 can not be installed,sata hard driver interface blocked,it looks like the designer forgot add designer about sata interface.

 

To answer the question of how much RAM you can stuff into a P55W-C5212-4k (the only difference to a -C5208-4K is initial installed RAM) is 32 GB. I just installed 2 Crucial 16 GB sticks and it booted right up ... no problem. Amazon had a deal on the Crucial 32 GB Kit which works beautifully.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011ISG132/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Does anyone have a P55W-C5316-4K? I was wondering if anyone has tried fitting an M.2 in it?

 

do you have photo of the SSD installed?

 

Sorry for not posting sooner, here's the install with stock 1tb drive and m.2

 

I have P55W-C5316-4K. I just upgrade ram to 16Gb, and add samsung ssd 850evo m2 250gb, i have to cut rubber housing of HDD to fit both of SSD and HDD installed. it boot successfully from SSD (dual boot Windows 10 and Ubuntu 16.04)