Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q893 User Review

Those who have been missing the Q893 deals, prepare to have your heart torn apart again:

Beach Camera was selling the Q896 for $1047.97 for a short while yesterday.
Toshiba Qosmio 18.4" X505-Q896 Notebook Laptop $1050 shipped! - Slickdeals.net

DAMN! I've got to figure out how to catch these SlickDeals posts, they always seem to know when the deals are happening...

 

lokk at this

 

That guy was a hair too late...other people did get the deal, and there were also eBay sales from Beach Camera at that price.

 

I prefer HD+ diplay not fHD. Imo 460m gtx is not good enough for comfort playing in fHD.

I'm still waiting for amazon deal

 

So any word on the x505 with i7 losing gaming performance when unplugged? I got word from Sean from Nvidia that the Optimus technology is not impemented in the X505 q892, and that it might be the "eco" energy saving feature from Toshiba that is stifling performance when not plugged into an outlet.

This is really bothering me and I need to find a solution. Anyway besides changing power settings to High performance, tweaking the registery to open up even more power options that still didn't get me to game unplugged, I went the laptopvideo2go route and installed 260.99 nvidia display driver using the have disk method, but it didn't install the optimus feature along with physx and so it didn't do a complete install, and my nvidia control panel was "broke". It was missing some options, like "manage 3d settings", so I rolled back to the previous driver. Oh and even when I had 260.99 installed and running it made no difference when I unplugged and gamed, it dropped framerates badly.

I want to know if the x505 q896 or any other x505 with the intel i7 cpu can game on high performance when unplugged, without dropping framerates, or is it just my notebook...

 

imo the answer is powermizer.
there is an aplication witch switch it off.

 

Jacob, this one is lost on me as well. By the way, the framerate of a lot of games seem unaffected by unplugging, but most of them are older, less "demanding" games. So, while I would disagree with your contention that we cannot game unplugged, you are certainly NOT wrong, particularly if ALL your games are very new and very finicky and resource demanding games. Oh and by the way, the so-called senior tech NEVER called me like they were supposed to. <eyeroll>

 

Yeah, well I called Toshiba back, since I, too didn't recieve the call from level 2 tech and after giving them my case number I was still talking to the level 1 guy, although he was trying to be helpful, it seemed I knew much more then he on things like Fraps, framerates, and optimus, so after having wasted another hour with him on the phone, he finally transfers me to a level 2 tech who, also didn't have an answer, besides me giving him one, which was for me to wait for a future driver, be it from Toshiba, or Nvidia that would solve the problem. I told him, that since this is Toshiba's flagship gaming notebook that such a problem was unacceptable and that he kindly make note of this situation and forward it to the proper department, so they can work toward a solution. The tech said he can do that and he was already flagging it as we spoke. I'm kinda weary about it though, and maybe if more x505 owners would bug Toshiba about this they're more likely to start to work on a way for us to disable the "eco" enegry saving feature so we can use the full potential of the notebook unplugged...

 

@tsk1979 here are the pics i promised you of the Qosmio in the targus. Sorry about the quality; took the pictures with my phone's camera. Hope they help

 

Thanks! This sure helps. I think I will go in for a the toshiba 18" is I see a considerable part of the laptop devoid of any padding protection. I plan to use it on airlines, and often you have to place it on the overhead storage. Having unprotected areas is not a good idea as people bump luggage.
Thanks again for the pics

 

That is a beautiful bag, cyberpsi. Best of luck with it.

 

Maybe someone paste a screenshot from hwmonitor after 3damrk06 or a game

 

a way out and prolly dumb question... can i upgrade from i5 to i7 in the q893?

 

I don't believe so, because I am fairly sure that the motherboards are different, but I could be wrong.

 

Just wanted to say I just bought one of these and I agree with you on several points, but I found other things even more annoying than you did.

The viewing angles thing just kills me. I compared it to my wife's 17" mid-range Gateway laptop that is a few years old and it even lost to that. It's ridiculous.

The lid snapping shut thing got me the first few times as well. Really annoying.

I can't stand the keyboard or trackpad. I do all my typing based on tactile response (instead of looking at the keyboard) and this thing just drives me nuts. Not only are the keys glossy and slippery (which throws me off), but they're not the same size as pretty much every other keyboard on the planet. They're slightly larger and spaced oddly. So I have a really hard time hitting the keys I want to hit without looking at the keyboard. The trackpad also fails by being hard to "feel out" (as you mentioned) and the scrolling feature on the right side is unreliable at best.

I really don't care about the lack of USB 3.0 or Blu-Ray or any of that stuff. Honestly, the biggest con to this laptop, by far, is its usability. There are so many little (and not so little) annoyances, from the keyboard, to the mouse, to the lid, to the screen, to the SD card reader not having an "eject" feature like on every other laptop (you have to dig the card out with your fingernails), to that nub on the underside that is leaving scratches on my laptop pad, to the front edge of the laptop being "pointy" and hurting my hand after a few minutes of resting it on there to use the mouse, to the fact that this thing looked great out of the box but now looks like a fingerprint collage (unless you feel like wiping it down every fifteen minutes). I've actually been looking for something else and have considered replacing this.

That's the thing, though. This laptop is such a great deal. You can't get this type of performance for anywhere near the price from anyone else, but what good does all this performance do if it's such a pain in the to use.

WATYF

 

WATYF, I am very sorry to hear you are less than satisfied with the Qosmio. A few thoughts, which I believe I mentioned but I will reiterate in response to your post.

Yes, this beast is a fingerprint magnet and takes an inordinate amount of effort to keep it clean. Hell, typing for five measly minutes on it after it has JUST BEEN cleaned and the entire front of my lappy (where I rest my hands) as well as the keys themselves look like it hasn't been cleaned for a week.

You know what, though? I keep a cloth with me at all times, and if using it at home, I have a bottle of Windex within grabbing distance at all times. While this is a real pain in the to keep clean, it forces me to really be fastidious about keeping it shinning and bright. And you want to know something? I have had this laptop for going on two months now, and it still looks brand new because I really am meticulous about keeping it clean, and now that I am used to constantly wiping it down, it is really easy.

The mousepad I agree with totally, but I am finding that I am getting more and more used to it. Hell, if it ever becomes that much of an issue, I will just buy a $25.00 USB mouse and plug it in while writing and surfing the web. But so far, it is more of a minor annoyance than anything bothering me very much. I also agree about USB 3.0 and Blu-ray, BUT that has more to do with the price than anything else. You want to know something? If I had bought the high end Qosmio (the Q898) for upwards of 2 grand, I would be FURIOUS for not having USB 3.0. But in one just over a grand? Seriously, who cares? Not I! lol

You brought up the the viewing angles, and I have to absolutely agree with you. It is so bad it is actually scary. Once again, though, I knew I was buying the so called Econo-Qosmio. And to repeat, I would be livid if I had paid 2 thousand for the Q898 and had this issue, which I know it does! But for what I paid, who cares? So my FRIENDS can't enjoy watching over my shoulders. I can see it just fine. lol

The keyboard I have to disagree with you on. I am already getting used to it and getting better and better at touch typing with it. I love the backlight (which is obviously beside the point) and I am not slipping off the keys at all. Yeah, once in a while I have to look down and reorient my fingers because I am not yet completely used to the tactile response of the keys, but even that is getting a lot better with time and use. The fact is that the keys themselves I find nice and big and the "travel" of the keys provides a really nice feedback for my fingers while I type. Contrast this with the G73 I tried out in Best Buy, which was a nightmare! I found that the travel of the keys was so short, far less than the Qosmio, that typing was really arduous because I wasn't getting no feeling for when I pressed the keys. It was like typing on immovable chicklet rocks.

I am also not finding this computer unusable or barely usable as you are. I find it an absolute pleasure to use. Again, though, I am very used to it at this point. Look, when I decide to invest in a really high end gaming rig, like I did when I dumped almost four grand on my XPS Gen 2 Laptop, way back in early 2005, I will be a helluva lot more critical at some of the faults I find than I am with this one. The truth is that in most ways this laptop has far exceeded my expectations, so I am very happy with my purchase. I really am sorry you aren't.

 

I really appreciate your input Chiro...I wonder if the 894 is worth the extra 250 for blu-ray, bluetooth, and i7 processor?

 

I almost bought a Q896 for $1400 (Walmart), but ended up buying the Q894 for $1400 from Costco.

I'm still having buyers remorse for buying the Q894 over the Q892 ($1070 from Walmart, 892 and 893 only differ in that the 93 has LED keyboard), but I hope the i7 is worth the extra expense (I also like the led keyboard and bluray, and bluetooth in 94).

I bought form COstco because they have a 90 days no question asked return policy on computers and also extened your manufacturers warranty to two years for no extra fee.

If the above don't matter to you, then get the Q896 for the same price as the Q894 at Amazon or Walmart.com (896 has 1080p screen and 6 GB ram, over 894).


Good luck in your decision!

 

I think I might prefer the lower rez screen for gaming...I have read that the higher rez is dimmer as well.

I can get the 894 on Newegg for 1299 free shipping no tax right now.....thinking really hard about it. It seems to me that the i7 and bluray might come in handy as the years pass....hmmm tough decision.

 

Exactly what I thought. The only downside I feel I missed out on was the 6 GB ram increase for the Q896.

I do feel good about the i7 chipset. If my understanding is correct, it's physically a quad-core but with HyperThreading it can become an 8-core.

WHen you get it, be sure to post what you think about it. Still waiting for mine to arrive; should be Fri or Sat.

 

I am sorry you are having a bad experience with your Qosmio, WATYF. I just wanted to point out that the SD card reader does have an eject feature: press gently the memory card and it will come out.

 

I honestly don't think that the i7 over the i5 will show particularly increased performance for gaming. Given the huge amount of VRAM on the 460m, I also don't think that 6GB over 4GB will be that significant. However, if you do want the i7, say for video editing, AutoCad, or any other high end business multitasking where I do believe the i7 will shine, the Q894 and Q896 is still a good deal.

Keep in mind that the Q893 is down to $1,109.99 on Amazon, and can still be had if you are quick with the lightning deals for $900.00! I definitely would steer clear of the 1080p Qosmio screen because many reviewers have complained that the extra pixels were cheaply implemented and make the screen too dark, but that you would have to decide for yourself.

As I have been saying, if you want literally the most bang for your buck, I highly recommend the Q893 over the higher end models, because of the fact that it is so damned cheap, AND if you are starting to get up into the $1.5K range, I honestly believe the new G73JWs are the better deal, despite the problems with the early JH models.

 

I came across this nice Q892 review; though, it doesn't have anything on ChiroVette's review:

Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q892 - New users Review

Nice to see that there are other people who appreciate the Qosmio. Most people aren't even aware of its existence.

 

That's the same tsk1979 who wrote on this thread, isn't he? How funny. Why didn't he post his review here? I guess ChiroVette is scaring away the competition.

I haven't read the whole thing yet, but it's a great review. Glad he is enjoying his new laptop.

No luck with the Lightning Deals yet, huh? I think it hasn't been offered again. But I am pretty sure it will.

 

imo only q892/893 is worth buying.

 

I check every two hours but no LD since 6th of december.

 

aldam, this is after playing Dawn of Discovery for 30 or 40 minutes (it's the most demanding game I have right now. I am waiting for the Christmas sales to get new games.)

 

Andanzas
+1 thanks

 

Of course I am scared to post my review here. Chiro scared us all away with this excellent review. His review has all the info anyone needs

 

Yours has cool pictures.

No, seriously, it's a great review and I think it would get a warm reception here. You should create a thread to post it.

 

Just want to say i solved the crackling in the speakers with new drivers

 

That's GREAT to hear. So far, I have had no crackling issues with mine whatsoever.

 

What kind of performance should I be expecting for metro 2033 and Crysis? I know you specifically said you didn't do any benchys what about now?

 

Another out of the hat question... Ammm.... can the second hard drive bay hold the thicker 750GB/1TB drives ??? Lemme know folks... eager to buy one... and if so where can i get the caddy to buy...

 

I stll never did benchmarks, I guess because they are not my thing. However, I can tell you that on my Qosmio (which is the Q893) the game ran beautifully, BUT I had to lower the settings a little from "Very High" to "High" in one or two categories of the graphics settings. Now there is something to keep in mind: While I did no benchmark testing, I do play all my games with FRAPS on in the background, which tells me the Framerate in a corner of my screen. The catch-22 is that I have noticed that FRAPS also slows games down. I noticed this in Burnout Paradise, a pretty old game, but in that case, the game didn't slow down until I hit F9 to record a Stunt Run I was doing, and even then it was only a slight stuttering, again, probably because it is a two year old game. I can say, at least anecdotally, that just having FRAPS on in the background (where you can see the little yellow frame numbers on the screen while you play) does slow the games down at least a little.

Truth be told, though, this could just be a problem I am having with the software, and not indicative of a universal problem with the progam. So as far as Metro: 2033 is concerned, I have NOT tried maxing out all the settings without FRAPS running in the background.

 

I have NOT tried maxing out all the settings without FRAPS running in the background.[/QUOTE]

I have, and its a slideshow. You need a powerful desktop to max all out in higher res. That said its beutiful in normal setting DX11 to at full HD

 

For some reason, setting it to DX11 was causing problems with the video both in-game and in the pause and startup menus. I would get sound and full functionality without being able to see any video, ie., just a black screen. I never tried DX10. Not sure what's going on with that on Metro: 2033.

 

Hmmm weird, some driver issue maybe. What driver do you use?

 

can you please oc your gtx 460m to 800/1600/1500 and run furmark and tell me the max temps plz

 

Hello! I have been reading this thread for a while now, I actually discovered it 5 minutes after ordering my Q893. This review put my worries to rest that I ordered the right laptop. Thanks for the detailed insight.

I just have a couple questions:

Does anybody know if there is a way to change the keyboard backlight from 15 seconds to permanently on? It would be nice to be able to turn on the backlight while I am using it and back off when I am done, or something of the sort.

The same goes for the touch sensitive media controls to the left of the keyboard. They look wonderful, and at times can be useful, but it would be great if I could turn them off on occasion especially while playing games, so I stop pulling myself out of them by a mis-touch. My pinkie finger tends to stray a little to the left while using wsad keys in gaming, and it can be irritating. It doesn't happen often, but its happened a couple times.

Anybody know if either of these are possible?

As a side-note, what are you all playing for games right now? I finally have my awesome gaming laptop, and I'm not really sure what to play. I have Civilization 5 installed, and am enjoying that, as well as Call of Duty Black Ops.

 

You can change it in the BIOS. There's an option to have a switch (like the ASUS g73) where you can switch it off and on by a few buttons.

I just wrote a guide a couple days ago regarding that.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/toshiba/546917-reassign-disable-annoying-qosmio-media-keys.html

I mainly play: CS 1.6, CS:SOURCE, Starcraft2 (ALL ON MAX SETTINGS)

Good luck and enjoying your new BEAST!

 

Oooh much better. Hey, thanks a lot, both worked wonderfully. I guess I didn't check around the rest of the site very much before posting my questions, I only read through (all 14) pages of this one. Very helpful ^-^

I've never really liked counter strike...not sure why. Just never hit home with me. And I suuuuuck at RTS games. I love turned based, but for some reason real-time never resonated. Good to know it can handle Starcraft 2 on max settings though.

 

A suggestion for the gamers.
Get an external keyboard. I got one for 220 INR in India(I stay here). This comes to 4$
But this means, it will save my AWSD keys from constant pounding. In the heat of gaming, its easy to forget not to bang the keys.

 

Hey! Two quick questions if I may...

I'm assuming that a computer of this power would be able to play a Bluray DVD file without hiccups or lag, right?

and...if I had a Bluray file on my computer that ended in .mkv, would any player that allows .mkv play it properly (such as VLC), or would I need a special player that would work with Bluray type files?

 

It plays Blue ray perfect

 

Why not just use a game controller. I use my xbox 360 wireless controller and never touch the ASWD keys

 

How do you do that?, i also have a 360 with wireless controll

 

I use this:

Amazon.com: Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver for Windows: Video Games

It comes with the needed software. Simply follow the directions, plug it in and have fun. It works perfectly for microsoft games, the pc will simply recognize it. I've used it with:

Bio-shock
Metro 2033
COD -World at war 4
Need for speed Most wanted.
and others.

 

Or, if you have a wired xbox 360 controller, just plug it in. Whatever you need should download automatically. Otherwise just google "xbox 360 controller on pc" and there will be a link to download it.

BTW some games dont allow for a controller (Mass Effect 2). For stuff like that, you need a program to assign keys to buttons. I use Xpadder. Works wonderfully.

 

Oh yea, I forgot about xpadder. Xpadder is free. But, I went with pinnaclegameprfiler. I like it because they provide profiles for many of the latest games (key mapping). With X-padder you have to figure out the key mapping by yourself. The sites forum is below:


PGP Forum

It gives you a 30 day free trial, and then if I remeber right its 20USD. Works great for me.