Toshiba R700 / R705 /R630 Owners Thread

i'm thinking of getting the Toshiba R700 here in Canada. does the fan really make a lot of noise??

 

No i rarely ever hear mine unless i am doing something heavy. It is dead silent 90% of the time.

 

There is a bit of very low level hum at idle, not enough that I would even have noticed it if I hadn't been worried after reading the posts about it being noisy. When it speeds up it makes no more noise than any other laptop.

I suppose if you buy a loaded model that generates more heat the fan could run at a higher speed more often, the model I have experience with has an i3 and Intel graphics.

I guess it depends on how quiet your room is and how sensitive to noise you are. If other laptops haven't bothered you in the past I don't think the R700 will either.

 

ACPI Flash BIOS version 1.80 for Portege R700/R705 (PT310U/PT311U/PT314U)(v1.80; 12-14-2010; 5.22M)

--------------------------------------
CHANGE HISTORY for Portege R700/R705
--------------------------------------

Version 1.80 2010-12-14
o Improved DeployCenter 5.5 recovery speed.
o Added support for the McAfee Endpoint Encryption eToken.
o Added support for 2011 non-Windows models.
o Implemented the INTEL specification for the Intel 5 Series Chipset to
improve stability.
o Implemented the INTEL specification for the Intel Core i7/i5/i3 Mobile
Processor Series to improve stability.
o Improved docker feature behavior - addresses missing undock Start Menu
option in Windows 7.
o Added support for the Paragon Backup & Recovery Suite.
o Improved USB device recognition.

http://cdgenp01.csd.toshiba.com/content/support/downloads/t310v180.exe

 

Seam, 1920x1080? It's connected to a external monitor?

Hi, I'm a r700 owner from spain (my english sucks) and i've changed the HDD for a SSD and i'm very happy, because the PC is faster (very much).

Now i'm thinking of changing the DVD drive for the HDD. Let's see if i can.

 

Hi Armandilio! I'm frosm Spain too!!! (I'm writing in english so that everyone can read it)

My english is very bad too

Anyway... where did you buy your ssd? and how much did it cost?

Thanks!

 

I bought this one ALTERNATE - HARDWARE - Solid State Drives - SATA - 2,5 pulgadas - OCZ Onyx2 2,5" SSD 240 GB.

 

Hi all,

I just got my R700 (Canadian version).

I've been having some problems with the DVD burner, and I'm wondering if anyone else has these problems

First thing I did was burn the recovery media onto DVDs, but I keep getting a message "unable to use this media".

Then I tired to burn a 3GB .iso file, and again burning was unsuccessful.

The discs I'm using are generic DVD+R media. Has anyone been successful using DVD+R? Thanks

 

you need to test it with another dvd

Most of the time, the problem is in the disc itself

if you try with another one and the issue still there, then maybe is the burner

 

thanks.

i tried your suggestion and burned using TDK DVD+R and burning is working properly now. i guess the R700 DVD drive is a little more sensitive to lower quality media.

 

Hi,

maybe there is a possibility to change the fan speed.

Since some days you can download the new version of NHC (Notebook Hardware Control).
Does anyone of you tried to write a modified ACPI script to change the fan speed with NHC?

I tried it, but I failed!

 

V0JT4 did you managed to replace DVDRW with SATA SSD 9mm or 7.5mm?

 

Hi,

New here, just brought a r700 (pt310a-07f011). Im not the most tech savy person and i was advised an i5 model would suffice my needs and now im regretting not doing abit more research as im starting to think an i7 model was the way to go.

Im trying to find the graphics card for my model and i cant find it anywhere i have looked in control panel and my computer, can someone please help me as i really need to find out what card is running before i start installing games and purchase a new wide screen monitor.

Any help is greatly appricated, thanks.

 

You are not going to tell the difference unless you're running benchmarks. Operationally the difference between the mobile versions of the i5/i7 are primarily marketing differences (4MB vs 3MB cache and a little faster clock). So maybe the net result is 10% faster (the desktop and server versions have more significant differences).

As far as the graphics card goes, the R700 has the Intel integrated graphics. It's not really intended as a gaming machine.

 

Has anyone tried a UHS104 (UHS-I) compliant SDHC/ SDXC card in their R700?

I'm curious to know if my new r700-s1321 can read the new cards recently announced:
Toshiba to Launch the World’s Fastest SDHC Memory Card

 

Do you think it could run games that are more processor dependent, like Civ 5? Has anyone tried playing Civ 5 on their R700?

 

Im only looking to play Total war games , and not in any online mode. I have already loaded up medieval 2 total war and its running well. Civ 4 also works fine but not sure about civ 5.

Cant the graphics card simply be upgraded for a better gaming experience?

Also on a side note im looking to get a Dell™ UltraSharp™ U2711 27-inch to use as a moniter to play any games or movies on. Does any one know whether this will work fine with the r700?

Thanks for the help, appreciated

 

According to the specs, no. That Dell is 2560 x 1440. The max resolution the R700 can drive is 2,048 x 1,536. A 1920x1200 monitor would be a better fit.

 

Hello, I have an r700-1330 and I hooked it up to my TV to watch a movie via HDMI but the screen was only about 75% of my TV's screen (they were both wide screen). I tried a couple different resolutions but not made it full screen. Does anybody have any ideas how I can make it full screen?

 

Did you have it set to duplicate the image on both your laptop and the external display? If so then windows chooses a compromise resolution that can work with both (and that will almost always be terrible on both).

Instead choose extend (if you want both displays on) or Projector only, if you only want the exernal device.

 

Hey guys

First of thanks for all the great info info on this thread.
I'm looking to buy a Toshiba r630 here in Switzerland, and there's two different versions that I'm considering buying: the 13J and the 13V. The only differences I can make out is that one has the I5 450M and the other one has the I5 460M processor. You can see that here:
Misco.CH - Toshiba Satellite R630-13J - Core i5 450M 2.4 GHz - 33.8 cm (13,3 Zoll) TFT - Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit-Edition
Misco.CH - TOSHIBA SATELLITE R630-13V I5-460M 4GB 33.8CM 13.3

Now I have two questions:
- Does anyone know if there's a big performance difference between those two processors, or is it only marginal?
- Is it possible that the 13V is a newer production modell (can't find the 13J on the Toshiba homepage), and thus might have some of it's flaws (loud fan etc.) worked out?

Any help and/or comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

I'm quite busy lately and waiting for Intel to release 3rd generation of SSD. My plan is to replace HDD with SSD and convert DVD drive slot to some sort of hot-swap cage for 2.5" SATA HDD.

I'd give it a try, 2,048 x 1,536 max is ment for VGA output, R700 has HDMI 1.3 (same as DELL U2711) that supports up to 2560×1600 and Intel confirms it in specs.

 

The new models only got the new intel refresh as far as I know. Haven't seen a comparison so far, but I hardly believe they did some optimization with the fan. Toshiba has never been good with fan control....

 

It's certainly worth a try, as long as you keep in mind that it may not work. And if it does work, definitely report back and let us know because that would be sweet (just make sure you get it from some place that will take it back in case it doesn't).

 

That's my plan exactly! Intel 300GB G3 should be more reliable and with enough storage space... DVDRW should be ideal place for hot swap tray for 2.5" HDD ... I think that there is enough height there for this operation...

For now, all I could do is 2x4GB 1333.. but sadly I think that it runs only 1066/2 = 533 Mhz

 

Could you elaborate a bit on this ? I've found the R700 kinda slow which I've
so far attributed mostly to its 5400 rpm hard disk, but if it's running memory
at half speed that could certainly contribute.

 

I am thinking to buy Toshiba Portege R700-184 (in UK) with the following specs:

Intel Core i5-560M, 2.66GHz
Memory 4GB DDR3
Hard Dive 320GB
Integrated Webcam
Built in Bluetooth
Built in 3G

My question is: Can I replace the Hard drive with a 500 GB Momentus XT Solid State Hybrid Drive. Will it make big difference?

Plus I am thinking to upgrade from 4 to 8 Gb of memory (I think 2x 4Gb). So I will need another one 4 Gb memory. Can you recommend me a good one?


Thank you for your responses!!!

 

i've done it, upgraded memory from 4 to 8gb (crucial.com) and hard drive to seagate momentus xt.

and now the laptop runs very very fast, the hard drive makes a lot of difference..

 

Thanks for your reply. So you bought an additional 4GB card??

 

Hey all, up here in Canada as many of you might know the Portege is branded as a Tecra model and we have no custom to order options so I was curious if you guys could offer me some advice on the following:

A) Is now a good time to buy a R700? I can hold of a month or two longer max but if something huge is around the corner can someone tell me? I'm in love with this laptop with the exception of the integrated graphics, but that's not a deal breaker unless there is talk of something new on the way to fix this.

B) is there a noticeable difference between the i5-450m processor and the i5-460m processor? OR BETTER YET HAS ANYONE SEEN a r700 build with a i5-560m in canada?

The 460m is $100 more for speeds listed at 2.53/2.80 ghz vs the 450m at 2.4/2.66 ghz.

The last computer I owned (unfortunately) was an Asus G1S. I'm sure many of you are aware of the Nvidia defect and unfortunately Asus is boning me and with my school commitments I don't have the time resources to put up much of a fight.

C) finally heres the stats of the build Im considering ($1299) What'dya guys think?


* Intel® Core™ i5-460M processor (2.53GHz/2.80GHz, 3MB Intel® Smart Cache)
* Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64bit
* Standard Memory: 4GB DDR3 (1067MHz)
* 320GB (7200 RPM); Serial-ATA hard disk drive
* Intel® GMA HD graphics

ps. my only other conceivable option is a thinkpad t401s but that price gap is pretty steep for me...any advice on if it's worth-it?

 

My laptop was configured with 2x2gb modules, so I bought 2x4gb modules in crucial.com website (100EUR)

 

Thanks for the info. So I finally decided on these 2: The cost will be the same in both cases (the second case i'll have to buy online from uk when i visit next week).

Toshiba Portege R700-14L (which is available in my country)

Intel® Core™ i5-450M, 2.40 / 2.66 GHz Turbo
Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
13.3'' Toshiba TruBrite 1,366x768
500GB HardDisk
4GB RAM DDR3 (1,066 MHz) max 8GB
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator
Wireless LAN b/g/N, Bluetooth ®
Gigabit Ethernet LAN
DVD Super Multi Drive (DL)
Web Camera with built-in Microphone
3 Years International Warranty

or

Toshiba Portege R700-184 (in UK) (I'll have to buy online) with the following specs:

Intel Core i5-560M, 2.66GHz
Memory 4GB DDR3
Hard Dive 320GB
Integrated Webcam
Built in Bluetooth
Built in 3G

Will the processor make big difference as to take the risk and buy from UK online shop?? Whetever of the 2 I will buy I will install 2*4Gb of Ram and 500 GB Momentus XT Solid State Hybrid Drive.

 

Damn!

Just bought a Seagate Momentus XT Solid State Hybrid HDD and there's a screw from the HDD bay that it's stuck beyond imagination! It simply wont turn.

So i tried another approach. Open the entire chassis... but, since I'm being very lucky, the chassis wont open even when all screws are loose. It seems it's stuck around the VGA and HDMI connections...

Anyone with a similar problem? How did you fixed it?

Thanks for your input.

 

i own a r700 and you must quit the memory door before opening hard disk door, thats all...

 

I did that. It's exactly the screw that's under the memory lid that doesnt turn and led me to try the "open this sh*t up" approach.

Man... i dont believe i'll be using this Seagate as external storage...

 

Solved.

I needed to press the small beam where the screw is attached to, and the unscrew it normally. Possibly there was an upward force from the beam making the unscrewing a lot harder.

Thanks for your help. Keep enjoying this wonderfull notebook.

 

I am looking at this model R700-S1332 with following specs:

Intel i7-620M
4 GB Ram
128 GB SSD

This will be my only system and i plan to use hdmi output to a 23 inch monitor.

My question is with the above setup, will i be able to play games on low or normal settings on this machine? I don't game a lot but do play some strategy games like civilization and football games like FIFA, PES etc. Need some opinions on this issue.

I am also considering the Asus U36JC which comes with dedicated graphics.

 

without a real graphic card you can't play games, you need another laptop for that

 

Well, you can't really make that as a blanket statement. It's fair to say that you can't play games that heavily depend on a fast GPU. But let's face it, not every single game is Crysis or World of Warcraft...

 

This Laptop was custom tailored for business/office users (they went as far as omitting the on screen volume indicator! =). If you throw anything graphic intensive at this baby, it will shriek like it's going to die. on the other hand all cpu intensive activities are handled with ease and grace.

 

Volume OSD / hotkeys: I too was really frustrated that the OSD on my R630 shows a level bar for screen brightness but not for volume. Most free utils to help with this seem not to work too well on 64-bit Windows 7, but I found a good free one that does: Sound Volume Hotkeys - Control sound volume using system-wide hotkeys..

n.b. to the cynics: I have no connection with the authors of this free utility at all, I was just delighted to find it!

 

Hello, I am contemplating purchasing a R705. Was wondering if there are any other issues besides the fan noise and occasional overheating? Does having the i5 version overheat more than the i3 version? Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

My hard drive started to die about a month ago, 3.5 months into ownership. Very disappointing. It would lock up frequently and have to be shut down by pushing the power button, and it was making a light clicking noise. Not quite the click of death that I've heard on external hard drives, but not good at all. Toshiba was good in shipping me a box and prepaid label quickly. I just sent it in-- was on vacation for a while and had another computer to work on, so I put off the project for a while. They'll probably put in a new hard drive. It's a bummer that I'll have to install all of my programs again, but I was able to save just about all of my data in safe mode so at least that's OK.

I have so little confidence in the Hitachi hard drives now that I might just make a backup copy of Win 7 with the new HD they give me-- I never did that before-- and then buy a Seagate HD, install Windows on it, and use that for the internal HD. And put the Hitachi in an external case for backup. Feh.

 

I just purchased a R630 a couple days ago and now after a couple of days of working home due to sickness i was forced to use my webcam.
Webcam isnt there as it seems i would say that the bios has the option but the Webcam hardware isnt present.
The only thing i could come up with was either a faulty hardware piece or the BIOS upgrade to the latest version.
Has anyone had this problem ?

Regards,

Francisco

 

Hi all,

Just received my Toshiba R630-13R (from UK). My excitement has been somewhat dampened as I'm not sure whether I've received a 2nd hand one.
Can someone please verify there's arrived in the same way:

The only seal on the outside of the box is a red and white label with the text Quality Seal in the top right that covers the top and front side. There was no seal on where you open the box (mine looked quite rough like it had been open before). Inside the box was a white piece of card on which sat freely one part of the power supply with the wires wrapped in its own velcro without any packaging. The other part of the power supply was on the side with the wires loosely wrapped in that bendy wire thingy again without any packaging. The only documentation present was a folded one page Toshiba Quickstart guide and an Instruction Manual/Saftey and Comfort which didn't have any info other than a bunch of don'ts and how to sit properly. Again just loosely sitting there.

Lifting up the white piece of cardboard, the Laptop itself was in a pink polythene bag which had been sellotaped and 2 polystyrene type supports on the side of the polythene bag. The laptop itself had the battery already connected - is this right? (all my previous laptops have had the battery seperate), there was no screen protector on the screen, only the keyboard had like a white piece of polythene and the top of the laptop had a plastic sheet. No screen wipe (- my netbook came with a screen wipe)

Can someone confirm whether indeed this is how the laptop arrives. I've tried to check unboxing vids on youtube but there aren't any for the R630.

I bought the 2Gb model as it seem nonsensical to pay £50 extra for the 4Gb model when one can use the £50 and buy a 4Gb memory module.

This is a huge thread, I've read through some parts and will try and read through the others. Any tips on the laptop would be greatly appreciated.

Thx,
Swift

 

Who did you buy it from? If you bought it from Toshiba, I would be shocked if they sent you a laptop in that condition.

If a reseller, then you need to call and b*tch them out if they did send you a 2nd hand laptop for FULL price.

 

I bought it online from saveonlaptops.co.uk. I don't know how other R630's are packaged and whether there are other items that are missing from mine, or whether that is how Toshiba genuinely packed it!

 

I can't remember how the wires came wrapped, but I can tell you that there is no screen protector or instruction manual

I can't remember if the battery was apart or don't but I think that you have a new one

You can use a program called cristal disk info

CrystalDiskInfo - Software - Crystal Dew World

It shows you how much times the HDD was started and how much time it was working

Sorry about my english

 

I bought my R630 over the counter from Micro-Anvika, who I trust. I had to wait for them to fetch it from their nearby warehouse - only a demo machine was in-store. My machine came boxed with the battery fitted and charged. There was no screen protector. The packaging was just as described by swift1.

 

Thanks guys for the responses.

It does look like it is a new one, just a bit shocked about how it was packaged. My acer netbook cost half the price and was beautifully packaged (each item individually packaged, screen protector).

I came across the following link which tells when the machine was built (20-nov-10) and purchased by the retailer (28-dec-10), so given I bought it on the 3rd Jan 2011, it looks like a new machine.

Laptop Support - Toshiba

type in serial number and click on unit entitlment and expand the general information