Toshiba M645

@Bake, is there any negative downside to disabling hdd protection? Found out the answer =)

 

Base Score is a lowly 4.6 determined by lowest subscore Graphics 4.6

Processor subscore 6.9

Memory subscore 6.9

Gaming graphics 6.1

Primary hard disk 5.8

I guess the downside to disabling HDD Protection is that you no longer have Hard Drive Protection which I suppose could lead to a loss of data. At least that is what it says HDD Protection is meant to prevent.

 

Thanks @Bake, instead of total disabling HDD, I just changed the sensitivity.

 

Cool, I didn't realize that was adjustable. I may do that as well.

 

Has anyone tried installing an Intel Centrino 6200 wifi card? I just tried installing it on an my m645-s4055 and its not working. I did do all the basic stuff like proper software and driver. Device manager recognizes it as enabled and working properly but still no go. I reinstalled the broadcom card and instant connection.

 

Great thread guys.

Am seriously considering buying this now.

This one thread gave me more info than any other source. Nice one!

 

I have a M645 S4050 satellite, 1month old. Overheating and shutting down.Casual net surfing and on eco mode, but I get this message that it has detected a critical heating issue and is shutting down.I have the 12 cell battery pack so the bottom is raised, no accumilation of dust cause its brand new. Is there a problem with this model, Toshiba in general or did I buy a lemon?

 

I would say you need to have that notebook serviced. My 645 is one of the coolest running laptops I have ever seen.

 

But Bake, its only a month old and needing service already? How long have you had yours?

I got on the horn yesterday with Toshiba (call center) and after answering what seemed like scripted questions and responses, because the agent kept repeating the same thing over and over. I was then told I will need to speak to a case manager, this is after 15 min; but they were all busy on other lines. I gave them my info and I'm still awaiting the call back.

I would assume overheating is normal on older laptops because of clogged intake due to dust accumilation over time, preventing the cooling plates (heat sink) from functioning effectively in the way they were designed to. I just dont want to be stuck with a lemon; having to send it off for servicing every time. Thats a great inconvienence and a Big PITA

 

I bought one from Best Buy and kept it about a week and returned it because the larger battery made it heavier than I liked. The one I have now I have had for about three weeks. Both run very cool. The reviews that I read before buying showed that they ran cool. That was one reason I bought the 645. It sux that you may have an issue with a new notebook. But, if it is going into thermal shut down there must be an issue. That is just not normal, for any laptop. Is your fan running at all?

 

I tried this test tool and it told me that my nvidia gpu is turned off. Although when I went to control panel and checked the device manager it says that nvidia is enabled. I am confused if my nvidia is actually turned on or not. Any help regarding this would be appreciated.

 

You know it only turns on for graphic intensive applications right? Although you can go to the control panel and set what applications turn it on. I'm sure someone here could tell you more about that than I can. Go to You Tube and start a video. That should turn it on for sure.

 

I tried running the video on youtube but my gpu still says its off. Someone please help me out with this. I tried to run some videos on Hulu too but the GPU still remained off.

 

Updated the latest version of the driver and voila it showed up on the GPU
Thanks

Anyway after owning this laptop for a week I have a few inputs to make. The laptop runs quite cool all the time. No problems with wifi connectivity so far. Speakers are quite loud but I don't feel they are as crisp as my old HP laptop and I would rate the speakers in HP laptops still the best any laptop brand has to offer. Keyboard is pretty good and keys are quite well spaced. Battery life would be around 3 hrs plus with minimal usage. Video playback is excellent too. This laptop is pretty good for the price and total value for money.

 

Hello guys.

Well, I have mine M645 for like 2 months, I want to do a nice review but the college and work don't give me a break.

Well, to sum up. I bought it on Best Buy in September and I had to change it because the another one came with Dead Pixel. This one is fine now.

For general use and light gaming, it's a awesome machine. For everyday uses (IM, web browsing, music, programming, HD 1080p video, light games... runs well, very well). The battery, this one has 12-cell, and I don't use it on Eco Mode (it makes your computer very slow, at least for me), so both on battery and plugged in I use the same power plan and other battery saving configuration. And the battery lasts for like 4 hours (max brightness and wi-fi). I also installed NFS Most Wanted (I installed others games, but just played NFS yet) and I runs on max very well, totally playable!

My complains about this computer is that I couldn't made a successful clean install (just with the drivers that it need to work perfectly. I think that there are to many sh** software from Toshiba), problem with VMware (read below) and sometimes the air leaving the fan is very hot, hot enough for you to take your hand away (if you use mouse) but, the rest of the computer, it runs cool, I use on my lap I don't have problems...

Finally, one thing I want to know, did you make a clean install? I've tried two or three times but I always have problem with FN button (the button works, but don't show on screen). Also, I can't install VMware Workstation, the touchpad stop working (I mean, until I uninstall it, both the host and virtual machine don't work, doesn't matter if the virtual machine is turned on or not... With VirtualBox works fine, but VMware >>> VirtualBox).

I guess that's all for now.

Bye

 

Does anyone have an idea on what is the battery life on the newest m645 laptops, specially the Satellite M645-S4118X model with the stock battery and the extended 6 cell 61wh battery?

Also those the extended 6 cell 61wh battery sticks out like the 12 cell battery?

Pictures?

 

I'm getting an average of four hours and twenty minutes with the standard 6 cell. 60% brightness, backlit keyboard always on and mainly surfing the internet.

 

And how is gaming with the GT 525M?

 

This is where Toshiba dropped the ball, but fortunately it's fixable by software. The GT 525M is badly downclocked from 600 MHz to 475 MHz, so out of the box it performs roughly the same as the outgoing GT 330M. Nvidia System Tools can bring it up to factory clock speeds, where it really shines. My guess is that it got downcloked to keep the temperatures under control, but I'm not sure since no programs out there can read its temps. I've played Test Drive Unlimited 2 at 1366 x 768 with medium settings for five hours with smooth frame rates.

 

That's kinda BS, I just ordered a custom M640, if it comes with a 525M then I expect the clocks on Nvidia's page, oh well, as long as the clocks are adjustable, not that big of a deal.

I also opted for the 6 cell 61Wh battery, Toshiba chat informed me there is no physical difference in the size of the battery, so we'll see about that when it comes, it will be a few weeks, but I'll post some battery life stuff(doubt it is that much better than the standard one).

 

I have had my M645 for about three weeks and am returning it because of the constant shutting down and BSOD problem,s which I think might be caused by overheating. It certainly feels a lot hotter than my Sony.

A pity because I liked everyting else, and might have tried to exchange it for the same model had I not read so many similar comments on the internet. What has been the deciding factor was other user's experiences with the Toshiba company itself. It seems like they just don't care.

 

I've got an M640 (which is just the customizable non-BestBuy version of the M645) with the extended 6 cell 61wh battery. It's the same size as the regular 6 cell. It does NOT stick out like the 12 cell.

I'm getting about 5 hours of battery life with the brightness at level 4. Backlit keyboard turned off. Internet surfing and some short video or audio playback.

Oddly, I haven't been able to significantly increase that with the Eco Option. Still trying. I wanna get 6 hours out of this thing!

 

Hey guys, I'm super keen on this laptop because I love Toshiba's speakers and build quality. One thing that's put me off their multimedia laptops though are the glossy screens.

I've searched this thread already but haven't found any mentions. Is the screen glossy? Please tell me it isn't!