Toshiba Satellite M40-JM3 - I need your opinion

Hello !
Does anybody know this laptop? Would this be "Sonoma" based Centrino technology?
This laptop comes with "Nvidia FX 6600 Go" video card - based on the research I have done, inluding Nvidia www site and Nvidia 6600 series reviewers - there is no such a card. There is Nvidia 6600 Go, there is Nvidia FX 5600 but there is not Nvidia FX 6600 Go card. Can you help reselve my problem? I think I found the laptop I want but I cannot resolve an issue of video card.
High definition audio - I know that "Sonoma" Pentuim M processors are High Definition Audio capable. Is this a case of this laptop? All your responses are greatly apreciated.

Thanks

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by Bluemax43

 

Those names imply a 915M or 915GM chipset onboard.

 

Super G,
Thanks for your input. How do you know it has Intel 915 chipset? Does Sonoma/Alviso name automatically implies Intel 915 Chipset?
thanks

Blue

 

Hi,
I JUST bought the toshiba m40-jm3 tonight so if you have any questions let me know. I might make an attempt at writing a review but I dunno how well that will go

 

Reedikulous !
I would love to hear from you ! I would have a few questions for you, for example - What video card does it have? Is ir really Nvidia FX 6600 Go? Maybe you could write your first impressions? I have a Compaq R3320ca - AMD64 3000+ laptop. It is great but it let me down few times a month ago and I don't trust it. It runs very cool and never gets hot. I can watch almost two DVD videos on one battery - I think that is good. R3320ca has too old video card - Nvidia 4 440 Go - this the biggest drawback of this laptop. Let me know you impressions because M40 JM3 looks like the laptop for me. I wonder how good is the battery? I have more question but it might too early for them. Let me know asap what you think about this laptop.

Thanks

Blue

 

edit*
after reading your question a little closer... the video card is not an fx model, it says nvidia geforce go 6600. I don't know where the fx came from in the online specs. Oh well I think its still better than the older model video cards.

 

Hi Bluemax43,
First impressions are pretty good as far as I see. Yes it does in fact have the nvidia go 6600 plus a whole host of other stuff. It has the new pentium m with the 533mhz as well as abg wireless. Oh yeah and the srs trusurround sound. The video card is one reason I bought this one, I needed if for running some pretty intensive graphic programs as an architecture student and so far it looks like it will do the job nicely. Battery life I don't know yet but it doesn't look like it will be stellar, I'll let you know what it ends up to be but I haven't had a chance to run it down yet to test. Battery life would be a nice bonus but my primary concern was a machine that could handle multimedia without being a brick to carry around. Anyway let me know any other questions you have and I'll try my best to answer. Cheers

 

sounds like sky is going to write a review, so I'll wait on attemting my own An update on the batter: I tried watching a dvd on battery power at default settings it gets about 2 hours of time. Like I guessed not spectacular but for the power of the machine, maybe not too bad.

 

reedikulous. whatever you do, do NOT pull out the AC plug while the computer is on! Because the partitions all have Write Caching Enabled, and because the second partition is FAT32, it corrupts the data.

 

Hi Sky,
What do you mean? I pulled out the ac several times last night to no ill effects as far as I know of, could you explain a little more what the problem is?

 

Reedikolous !
I have a hard time spelling you nickname correctly ))
How did you find out that the M40 's video card is not an FX GPU? I have read the reviews about Nvidia video cards and it was said there that FX series was the worst GPU Nvidia ever made. This my reason for asking that many questions about the M40 GPU. What is your PI score? How about the Sandra benchmarking - if you have time and will. Thanks for you time and effort. You are helping me a lot!

 

well when I look at the device manager it says nvidia geforce go 6600. I haven't taken the notebook apart to see if it actually says on the video card, and I really don't plan on doing that I'm assuming if it doesn't say fx then it isn't. I'll look into doing some benchmarks for you, I believe Sky has a 3dmark benchmark in his mini review.

 

Hello!
So it is 6600 then, good. I am ready to buy this laptop then. Do you find this laptop to be getting hot or warm? The laptop I am using now, Compaq presario R3320ca powered by AMD64 3000+ very rarely gets hot or even warm. I am still waiting for more detailed technical info from Toshiba people about M40. Awaiting your benchmark results. Thanks again.

 

well I did some benchmarks, and here's what i got: 3dmark01 - 13314 3dmark03 - 5134 3dmark05 1951. doesn't mean diddly to me but there you go. Oh and I also aksed it to do a little advanced math, here's the time for pi to 2million: 2:01 and 2:03 on battery which seemed a little odd to me. Overall heat isn't an issue for me, but then I don't have any other laptop to compare it to. It does have one massive heat vent on the left side which can vent some pretty warm air but I tried it on my lap and had no problem with it personally. I've submitted a much more in depth review which might be up at some point soon if you want to wait and see that, plus pics Oh and if you're in Canada Futureshop just dropped the price to 1899 Cdn. Cheers

 

Here are some of my thoughts about your questions about this well researched laptop:

Heat. The improvements made to the design from the M30 reduce the amount of heat build-up beneath the unit. The M30 is hot at the front-left. The design changes for the M40 eliminate this concern. The unit will get hot as all laptops do however it seems Toshiba has impoved the heat disipation for the M40.

Graphics. nVIDIA GeForce Go 6600 128MB dedicated memory. A primary reason why I bought this machine was for the graphics. I've performed a couple detailed 3D renderings and it seems to handle them well. This is a brand new model with a brand new graphics card so there is little information available at this time.

Chipset. Intel 915. Because the FSB is at 533Mhz the chipset is identified as the 915.

Thanks "reedikulous" for the price drop notice.

 

Thank you all for the replies and info about M40. As I have mentioned before, I have Compaq Presario R3320CA, AMD64 3000+ laptop. I do not have a heat problem at all. Laptop never gets hot, not even warm. I am not using CPU demanding programs as of yet. I know my laptop changes up the operating frequency when more CPU power is required, otherwise hoovers at 800MHz. When more power is needed goes to 1600MHz or even 1800MHz. I was reading about Pentium M that it has similiar feature called "Support for enhanced Intel SpeedStep® technology w/ multiple voltage & frequency operating points". Have you guys noticed anyting interesting related to that feature? Does it work? Have you noticed the "CPU operating mode" changing based on the CPU workload? I think, the good way to check it is to use programs like mobometer in conjuction with Hot CPU tester pro. Sorry, I have lost links to these sites to download them.

M40 users let us know how how "Support for enhanced Intel SpeedStep® technology w/ multiple voltage & frequency operating points" works. I hope it does

 

reedikulous, i dont know why but the first time i pulled the AC while the comp was running, it corrupted the drive and everytime i copy a file to that partition (D it gave me some error called delayed write cache error or something. I had to change that partition from FAT32 to NTFS.

Also, my 3dmark01 score is 13501 now, beat you by a hundred [ ] seriously though, I really think our cards are underclocked, I will try to get my hands on a modded INF to unlock the clock speeds panel and find out. This card should be on par with Radeon X700.

Oh yeah, it NEVER got hot, EVER. I played one hour of Half Life 2 before I got stuck on some level, FPS never dropped below 40, average at 55-60 during graphically intense places and big fights. But the best game is UEFA Champions League 2004-2005...... oh man....... it runs like a dream...... I set the ingame resolution to 1024x768 which is the highest available and all details high...... for some reason there was NO black borders on the edges. It literally ran at widescreen! The game and screen is so beautiful, I actually thought I was watching a TV match! The graphics dont look stretched at all!

 

Just wondering why the M45 in the U.S. uses the much slower Intel video chip? Also, for owners, how is the 4200 rpm drive for responsiveness. Somewhat disappointed that Toshiba didn't go with a 5,400 rpm drive.

 

I was about to say, go to www.laptopvideo2go.com . But I just noticed the site doesn't work anymore!!!!!!! Ah the shame, I was using that resource for my previous laptop, but now I'm gonna search anew.

 

Hi
Anybody knows anything about high definition audio, which supposed to be part of Sonoma technology? Does M40 has any potential for high definition audio?
So looks like Toshiba mislead us again, no pci express card slot, right? How the hell they can do that? They say on their www site that M40 has it. That is lie, but at the end - it just the typo and nothing can be done, right?

 

Sky, what settings have you used for your 3Dmark2001 test results?

 

I always use default settings. 1024x768x32

 

I live in the US and am frustrated by the fact that the US model does not have the NVidia card. I called Futureshop, BestBuy, and Toshiba- all in Canada and they will not ship to the US. Does anyone know a reseller that will ship the Toshiba M40 to the US? How do I get the notebook with the NVidia card?

 

Hi!
For the first time I can see somebody from US trying to buy something in Canada ) Usually it is opposite. I think there will be more laptps on the market soon in US as well so if you can wait then few more weeks and they have similiar notebooks in US. Sony has just relaesed the Sonoma notebook but with integrated graphics on the motherboard. Do you leave far from canadian border? I needed a Klipsham Promedia 5.1 Ultra speakers and they were available in Canada for +/- 650 CDN plus 15% taxes so I drove to US, got for 350 US and at the border I paid 50 CDN. I saved about 300 CDN.
Sorry, I don't know any retailer shipping to US. Check maybe www.tigerdirect.ca or www.staples.ca
I guess the retailers do not want to deal with customs at the border. Let me know if that helps.

 

I agree, it's funny that for once, it's the Canadians that have the big stuff first Usually it's the opposite and it's me there with my tongue stuck out drooling on X gadget!

Anyway, this laptop really is great and I reckon manufacturers should put good discrete graphic cards in more laptops these days. Integrated stuff isn't for everyone!

 

Does anyone know if the M40 has a standard size HD or it is some kind of Toshiba design different then other laptops HD. What I would like to know is if I can change the HD on it to a faster HD.
Another question - how is the sound on M40. I have noticed that you can barely hear the little tiny speakers.

 

Thanks for the pointers [ ]. Will check them out tomorrow. You are right about the customs- that's exactly what one of the stores said.

Good to hear nice things about this notebook. I am going to have it shipped to a friend in Canada who will then mail it to me. Same power supply in the US & Canada, right? Else, I'll have to spepnd another $70 for an internaional power supply [ ]

 

Blumax43, to answer your question....I live in the San Francisco bay area. Some ways from the border, I guess [:I]

 

xphysicist: yeah the power is standard for Canada/US, or otherwise I've been mistaken for all those years

Abuot the HD, I haven't checked out but I'm pretty sure you can swap the current hard drive with pretty much any 2.5mm ATA HD you want.

The speakers, you're right about that, the basic sound level doesn't seem to be very high, I have yet to see if "software amplification" does some good. But one thing is certain, the sound is clear and pleasant to hear.

 

In regards to the M40's Hardon/Kardon speakers, they do seem to be a little bit quiet. But for laptop speakers, they are just fine. I listen to my iTunes music library through the built in speakers on my laptop, and it sounds good - not great, obviously, but good.

Bluemax, as has been mentioned previously, the video card IS the 6600 Go, not an FX card - I've checked this in the device manager, and the card is NOT an FX 6600 Go. And the video performance on both games and DVDs is excellent. [ ]

Toshiba Satellite M40

Pentium-M 1.6 GHz | 512MB RAM | 128 MB nVidia Geforce GO 6600

 

Thank you guys for all the info. I will be getting this laptop this weekend and I shall see for myself how glorius that thing really is.
Xphysicist, unfortunately I am not going to California soon, otherwise I would bring it to you. Yes, it is too far for you to drive, unless you really want to see the snow, lots of it ))

 

so does anyone actually know when the Toshiba M40 (canada version) is going to come out in the USA??? and anyone know how much it's going to cost

i think i rather get a Toshiba than a Dell [ ]

anyone got any suggestions/comments/etc why Toshiba is better than Dell[} ]

TO ARRIVE AT THE TRUTH, WE HAVE TO REASON CORRECTLY.

 

I have owned Dell laptops, about five or six different models. It made a great deal of sense to buy another Dell. The parts are always available on Ebay for a reasonable price (motherboards, keyboards,etc.) However, when I compared a Toshiba display (not even the Tru-brite) to my friend's 8600, the Toshiba was so much brighter, even with the Dell turned up to its highest brightness. Dell does not not make the equivalent of a Tru-brite screen on any of their laptops that I know of. This will be my first non-Dell purchase. The display quality and price make the Toshibas a very good value combination. Consumer Reports rated them second to Apple for reliablity. I hope that holds true with my new purchase.

 

Yeah anna..... with the new release of the XPS2, I felt really jealous, even though the price is almost twice as much. Their GF6800 go Ultra is an amazing card. But we still have much better screens!! [:X]

 

Hello reedikulous (an anyone who currently has a toshiba M40),

I recently bought a Toshiba M40, and noticed that
indicator light for the wireless card turns off
whenever I reboot the system, even though the on/off
switch for the wireless card/antenna is on the ON
position. When I try to connect to a wireless network,
the computer complains that the wireless card switch
is set to off (even though it is set to on!).

When I run the ConfigFree Connectivity Doctor, it
says that the wifi switch is indeed set to "on",
but that the antenna is turned off by the
hotkey "fn+f8" utility, or something like that.

The only way for me to enable wifi is by turning
the wifi switch to the off position, then to the
on position again. Is this by design (where I
must flick the wifi switch off then on to enable
wifi), or do I have a defective system? Do you
have the same problem? Or is there a way to coax
the system to activate the antenna via software?

I tried pressing fn+f8, and it had not effect.
I also tried looking in BIOS for a setting to
turn the wireless card's antenna on, but didn't
find any setting for it. I tried disabling
the wireless card through the control panel, and
re-enabling it again, but the effects are the
same. The antenna won't turn on unless I flick
the switch to the off position, then to the on
position.

Any help/suggestion/experiences you can share
is greatly appreciated.

Nestor

 

does it really matter to switch the switch on and then off [V]
Stop complaining and enjoy your purchase!

 

Hey nsiu,
While it may not matter to some whether they have to swith a wireless button on and off, it's the little annoyances that can ruin the product I think. Mine doesn't have that problem so maybe there is something defective about it, try calling toshiba and see what they can tell you? It may just need a driver reinstalled, who knows. I had some problems with the wireless card on my unit, it kept cutting out all the time and saying it wasn't connected when in fact it was. I returned that particular unit however because of an additional problem with the screen and my new model has had superb wireless performance. I hear great things about the quality of Toshiba laptops but so far I haven't been overly impressed. So yeah if it isn't working properly I would call them and make sure it gets fixed while it is still new. Cheers and good luck with it.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by reedikulous

 

Hello M40 users !
Any comments about "stepping frequency technology"? My present laptop Compaq R3320CA with AMD64 processor had a frequency "fixed" at 800Mhz. I found this out 2 months after using it. I have downloaded the driver from Compaq site for AMD64 processor and now the frequency changes (so is the power consumption = battery life) depending on the CPU workload - it changes between 800 MHz and 1800MHz. How is the Toshiba M40 handling changing CPU workload? Is there a driver for Pentium M, Sonoma type, processor? Have you guys noticed any frequency change? If the frequency is fixed at max frequency then the high power consumption is explained. Any comments?

 

nsiu: Yes i have the exact same "problem". I did a search on google and found an answer for some other brand laptop, I think it was Sony. Seems there was an option in the Power Management for them to always enable the Wifi on. I couldn't find this option in XP, and I deleted most of the Toshiba software. Not hugely annoying since I only reboot or shut off my laptop about two to three times a month.

bluemax43: Toshiba comes with its own Power Saving utility, its a neat little applicaton that lets you tweak with the CPU frequency, monitor shutoff, system standby, cooling fan (shutting off the fans can save battery, but make sure your not doing something that generates alot of heat), etc etc. A few built in power profiles as well, such as Full Performance for when AC is used, Presentation for business meetings, etc. I have been using max all along though, so never got to test them.

 

nsiu,
I have the Toshiba M40 and I don't experience the problem that you mention. I tried the fn+F8 on this machine to see if it made any difference, looking at the signal strength of my signal, and as far as I can determine it doesn't make any significant difference.

Once that wireless switch is on, you should never have to turn it off and then turn it back on again. This is either some obscure software snag, or else something that Toshiba needs to fix for you.

I'm sorry, but I have looked very carefully through all of the potential software switches on my machine and I can't find anything that might turn off those function keys. When you hit fn+F10 or F11 do you see a green light come on just below the function keys? That will tell you at least if your function keys are working. [you should see a green light come on under those particular function keys] I thought that perhaps your function keys were accidentally turned off, but I don't see now how that can happen.

I'm sorry that I can't help you more than this. But hopefully soon you'll get the problem fixed. I'd be interested in hearing what it was once you've got it figured out.[ ]

 

OK, looking through my PDF manual of the M40, i discovered that the fn+F8 commmand is basically is to rapidlly switch between wireless LAN,which is what you want, and bluetooth, which is a sort of wireless communication between devices like printers etc. I would check to make sure that you don't have any bluetooth stuff installed.[ ]

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by dexarouskies

 

Hello guys !
There was nothing I could do to fix the problems I had with my wireless adapter - Intel pro 2915ag. I had to change the laptop. So now, I have the second M40 - luckily I have extended warranty. Now, It connected to wireless network after few minutes. Laptop seem to be working fine except for the annoying high pitch sound coming from left speaker or left speaker area but so far is not as bad as the first M40 I had. Screen on the second M40 seems to be different then the first M40 I had. The second one seem to be more "grainy". Weird. I wonder if anybody noticed that the screens of the M40 model can be different on different units.

 

Thanks for the info. I need more information about the LCD screen. I cannot find anywhere the information about bit depth. Does anyone know if there is a difference between PSM40C-JM300E and PSM40C-YP300E lcd screens, if any. I am pretty confident that Toshiba guys won't know that but I will ask them. My previous laptop - Compaq R3320CA was smoother and I did not see the "pixelisation of the pictures" the way I see it on my new M40 JM3. The "grainy" screen is pretty annoying to me and I can see the pixels when I look at the pictures. Does anyone know if Toshiba M40 screens are all the same? Is it possible that the screen might be different on different unit? Is M40 screen any different than other Toshiba models with "true bright"? I haven't notice the graininnes of the screen with my first M40 I had. Maybe because I was so upset with the problems I had with it. You guys here on this forum are the only people who can understand my concerns and provide the info I cannot find anywhere else right away. Toshiba people or sales people in the stores know nothing advanced about the laptops. Thanks for your help.

 

Well... I'm not really a Toshiba fan but I do think the M40 screen is the latest and greatest out there. I *think* even the M30 are'nt as beautiful, but I COULD be biased [8D] I have NEVER noticed pixelation unless I play a game at like 640x480 (never had to yet, thanks to the graphics card). I just looked at a picture and its photo-like. The brightness is so good that at night it almost lights up my room, yet never causes discomfort. I played 6 hours of WoW yesterday and graphics were gorgeous etc etc, never got tired. Like I said, maybe there are some laptops out here that can equal or outperform the M40, laptops like Acer TM8104, Dell XPS2, but screen-wise I think the M40 wins. And why do you need a crazy graphics card like 6800 Ultra for TWICE the price..... I mean that pricetag is insane, you can build 2 or 3 desktops. Unless you're a freak who plays games at 1600x1200 with 16x AA or something. Its overkill. And the screen still sets you back [:X]

 

When I am switching to higher resolution on my M40, the desktop "goes beyond the physical size of LCD screen. I have to scroll to find the rest of my desktop. How to fix that?
Does anybody know if the high pitch sound coming from left side of the laptop is software/driver or hardware issue. I have to find a way to remove that sound. I work many times in quiet environment and I cannot have music on many times to overcome this sound. All your coments are greatly apreciated.
Thanks

 

Why bluemax? Are you a thief or something?

 

Set your CPU speed to adjust to the load. In Toshiba Power Saver, set it to Auto. Or if you are annoyed by the buzzing sound becoming louder when using the CPU, fix it to a lower speed, if you don't need it, of course.

Then again, it may not be an acceptable solution.

Someone mentionned plugging a USB device is supposed to help alleviate this problem, haven't tested it though, you may give it a try, like plugging in a USB mouse.

Personally, I notice the noise only when every other appliance in the house is shut down, which doesn't happen often, but I know that when everything is silent it can get annoying.

Toshiba Satellite M40 - Pentium-M Sonoma 1.6ghz - 512mb DDR333 - 60gb 4200rpm - GeForce 6600 128mb - 15.4" BrightView WXGA TFT LCD