X305. Omg!

Well we just have to wait for Rivatuner to update, then we can play around a bit.
Personally i wouldn't mainly because after owning 2 HP machines had have had GPU burn outs (Go FX5700, Radeon X600), i just leave the stuff stock and pray it doesn't die lol.

 

Azianai can you download the devil may cry demo and see how it runs on your system?
http://files.filefront.com/Devil+May+Cry+4+Demo/;10504274;/fileinfo.html

 

Looking at those benchmarks, interesting.
I was curious so I run the 3dMark06 (1280x1024) on my desktop PC.
It is a [email protected], 2GB RAM, Windows XP, 8800GTS with 640MB, and I got a result of ~8900.
I also checked some results from some clevon notebooks with the 9800GT, and they all tend to have higher results than I do.
I consider my PC excellent for gaming since I have no issues with any game (I don't have Crysis).
Does this mean that all these notebooks, perhaps including the X305 (which btw, in the UK it is sold as X300 S11 with the 2.4 Ghz CPU) are actualy equaly and even faster than my desktop?
If that is true, excellent!

 

Hello, I was recommended to this site from a forum where I posted about this particular model of Laptop. I'm not sure where else to post my questions regarding it so I hope it's okay to post them here.

If I end up buying this, it will be my very first laptop computer. The reason I want to go with laptop is because I want a computer that will fit in my room, I don't have much space to set up a desktop rig, and...well, a desk to put the desktop rig on to begin with. Also, I kind of like the portability of it so if I'm on campus or on vacation I can take my computer with me.

The reason I'm choosing this particular model is because I really want a gaming laptop, but I don't want to have to go through custom ordering one online and the only way to return it or have it fixed and/or upgraded might be to send it back through the mail, which would mean insane shipping cost and a longer waiting period.

Anyway, with that said, my questions.

I'm also wanting to get a flatscreen HD TV to hook the thing up to, would this one work?: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8632544&type=product&id=1194052042092

If it would work (I'm assuming yes since it has an HDMI input and the laptop as an HDMI output, does the laptop come with an HDMI cable or would I have to pay around $50 to buy one myself (there's one on sale right now for $45 which I may buy in advance)?

Okay, and here's a technical question: How upgradeable is it? I read in my research into buying a gaming laptop that it's actually not a good idea to even go for a gaming laptop to begin with because many laptops just can't be upgraded period. I however assume this one likely can because it's built specifically for gaming.

Anyway, would this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819111009
Or
This: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819111008

CPU be compatible?

I read somewhere that the minimum CPU speed should be 2.4ghz for a good gaming laptop, although I read someplace else that the CPU speed usually isn't that big a factor for gaming. So I'm getting some rather conflicting information.

However, I should mention that my desktop rig has a 2.1 Ghz AMD Processor and a NVIDIA GeForce 8600 GT graphics card, and can play current PC games pretty well, and I'm hoping it'll play ones released in the near future (such as The Sims 3) fairly decently as well-the only thing it has trouble with is Source Engine games, and I've been told this may be due to some fault in the card and I may have to exchange it or something, but anyway...

Would the laptop out of the box have comparable or better performance compared to my desktop rig, or would in any case upgrading the CPU be a good idea?

Sorry if I sound like an idiot or if this post is out of place somehow, I'm just trying to do my research so that when my financial aid comes in later this month I'll know exactly what I'll need to get.

 

The X305 with the 9800M GTX will outperform or equal your desktop. However, the 9700M GTS variant will be somewhat weaker.

You might also want to consider the 7811FX from Gateway, also available at Best Buy.

 

Is the Gateway 7811 FX available yet,and does it look like the old model with updated specs? What kind of screen and how big?
Sorry to get off topic just looking for the best available options.

 

I have looked at that Gateway one-it does have the advantages of a faster CPU and better graphics card than X305, however it has the significant disadvantage of not being back-ordered and not available for in-store pickup anywhere near my area code. That may or may not mean that my Best Buy does not have it in stock.

Also, I kind of just like the look of the X305, mainly because Red is my absolute favorite color.

I was also told in the thread where I was referred to this message board that I should avoid Gateways and Dells, although I do believe more people told me to avoid Dell than Gateway.

Still haven't gotten most of my questions answered yet regarding the X305 which I'm fairly certain will be the one I end up getting, that is unless it turns out I'll be getting significantly less financial aid than I currently think I'll be getting.

Oh yes, I should also mention that I'm a bit of a musician, so a good sound card is on my list of things I should probably have-and the X305 seems to have it, and a pretty nice speaker system to boot.

 

The 7811 isn't just available yet. Which is why it's backordered and not available in stores around you.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...teway&lp=3&type=product&cp=1&id=1211587727985

It should be out some time in mid August.

 

Well that would probably be in time for my financial aid, but I still might like to upgrade the CPU, that is if it can be upgraded. I think upgradeability (which apparently not a word) would be another plus, especially for a gaming laptop.

It would however be great if I could just upgrade the X305 to 9800M GTX-I've tried searching for an online retailer that has it, but I think I've read someplace in this thread that it hasn't actually come out yet-so I suppose that might explain things somewhat.

 

It's too bad BESTBUY took the higher end X305 of their website, paying a little more for the GTX would have been a nice option to have for extra power .Does any body know if it's coming back to be sold at BB?I know the GTX isn't out yet so they took it down.But I hope they are putting back up soon.

 

I should also mention that my budget (with the flatscreen TV included) is to keep it as much under $2,500 as possible.

Right now with taxes I've estimated the cost of the X305 and the Flatscreen TV to be $2,086.48.

It would give me a little room to get one of the better CPUs, but I don't think I could get a new GPU on top of that-so it could end up being either-or, or simply going with a different laptop like the Gateway one and upgrading its CPU.

Still, the reviews for the X305 on the Best Buy website have been mostly positive at this point, with the exception of a few negative early reviews.

 

Well, if the 7811 is anything like the older models, it's one of the easiest laptops for CPU upgrades. As it is, it comes with a better CPU than the 701 model of the X305. Disadvantage is that you won't be able to upgrade GPU. Whereas with the X305, you have the chance of swapping the motherboard (if GPU is soldered) or GPU.

 

Thank you, my guess is that notebooks with the 9800M GT, will also probably outperform it too, if 3dmarks06 mean anything that is.

As for the Gateway models, Gateway stopped selling their computers in Greece ages ago, so that is not an option, and because I have heard bad things about their notebooks' build quality, I rather avoid it anyway and if I import something, I might as well get something else, like a Clevo or of course, Toshiba.

BTW, interesting to note, the one site that I have seen this mode, with the european name X300 S11, it not only has a more powerful CPU, but also it says that it is upgradeable to 8GB of memory. I wonder if it is a typo.

 

I'm also planning on getting a 1/8" headphone jack to RCA adapter like this one: http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...=RCA+Adapter&kw=rca+adapter&parentPage=search

from Radioshack to make it so that it can be hooked up to my regular stereo system (still don't have a surround sound rig, maybe with the Spring financial aid check...).

There could be a better way to hook up the audio so I'd like to ask about that as well.

 

yeah my main selling point over the gateway is the red =)

 

For anyone that owns the X305, does the USB sleep and charge feature work, and has anyone tried the Face Recognition w/ Vista feature? I noticed these features are not explicitly mentioned on the X305 model on Toshiba's website. Not sure why...these would solicit more interest like they do w/ the G55 and F55.

 

How is the noise from this machine under idle and full load?

I could get this (the european X300-S11 which is the same as the X305 but with 320 HDD and the 2.4Ghz CPU) for 300 euros less than the similarly specced but with a 9800GT graphics card.
I wonder if the price difference is worth the money.

Does anyone know if this system can be upgraded, for example quad core mobile version (when it is released), and/or other graphics solution like the 9800GT? But, I am talking about DIY.

Also, for people who have the notebook for a few days now, how does it feel now that it might have lost this "brand new" feeling?

 

A 9800M GT or 9800M GTX?

 

>.<' someone run a gaming benchmark......

 

A 9800M GT.

 

Hmm it seems the higher end toshiba is going to be SLi compatiable, most likely SLi 9800M GT or GTX once its eventually released.

 

If Toshiba ever released(in the US) the X300 model that's being offered in Europe that would be crazy! That's thing's really got everything you want,nicer screen,much bigger HD(640gb.WOW!)and a sick X9100 GPU!Is that the same model that was once offered at BestBuy?You could only wonder how much it would cost in the US.Did someone say GTX/M GT SLI?That would be so sweet,but probably really expensive.But if it was offered around the $2000 to $2500 range would be awesome! I hope BestBuy brings the 9800 GTX model here at least!

 

Where did you hear that from?

 

What are you talking about? Where have you seen this model with a X9100 CPU? Do you mean the 2000 GBP model? I think that's way too expensive, don't you?
Besides, it is not out yet.

 

I read it on the toshiba website, from a pdf download they have heres the link

http://uk.computers.toshiba-europe....eriesHomepage.do?service=UK&SERIES_ID=1056665

dl the pdf n read it

 

I don't see a PDF anywhere.

 

click where it says - What Laptop gold award, August 2008

 

After taking the X305-Q701 apart, I can deduce two things...There is room for a secondary SATA 2.5" HDD beneath the original, and the GPU is modular(it is held firmly to a mini PCI express 16x slot by four small screws). I would like to know if the cpu is upgradable like with another socket P processor, i.e. Intel C2D T9600 processor. i really like this setup.

 

This particular model X305-Q701, has a modular gpu, held onto the mini PCI express 16x port by four screws. So with this in mind, it should be relatively easy to upgrade. I do however wonder if the processor is upgradable or BGA...

 

I am almost 100% sure the Europeon X300 was all pimped out with the X9100 GPU if I remember correctly.
Maybe I was dreaming but I think that's what it read.
Back me up R3v4n, I know i'm not crazy!
Well maybe a little but........

 

http://www.askdirect.co.uk/uview?call=ask.productSearch&id=11997

 

I was going to say the 11W model is overpriced, at about 2500 euros, but, its price is not that different from say a Clevo mode if you configure it similarly.

Two questions remain for the specific top model of X300/305. When will it be released (my guess is the problem lies with the GTX card), and is the build quality any better or worse than a Clevo.

Ok, 3, who has better customer/technical support.

 

SEE!
Thanks Maceto.
Yeah it is probably the wait for the GTX card and I don't think you can compare built quality with the Clevo.
The build quality for Clevo is top notch everything feels very solid and bullet proof and is built with the highest quality parts.
While the Toshiba could probably match a similiar specd Clevo's guts it's the exterior I am a little worried about.
I recently went to a local BestBuy just to get my hands on one and get the feel for it and was a little dissapointed, the touchpad felt really cheap and what the hell is that material its made from?feels almost like really cheap plastic.The screen top flexed a lot and could really be distorted easily, basically the Toshiba X305 at BB felt almost like a toy.
If that is any indication of the build quality of the US version at BB then I would say it does not really compare.
Don't get me wrong performance is strong but the overall feel for the Toshiba was a dissapointing.
I thought the older X205 it replaces has a little better build quality, but hey that's just my humble own opinion.

 

While I respect your humble opinion, I must interject, and disagree. My personal experience with this Game book, has been excellent, in all regards. Both inside and out, I am very impressed with the build quality, and while I hated the paint job at first, it really grew on me in no time, and before I knew it, I was matching the theme in windows with the color scheme. I have owned many high performance laptops( they all seem to break when we deploy) to include such brands as HP, Alienware, and Gateway. I did have a feeling that they might not last, but that's not the case with this one, the keyboard and mousepad are shiny, but firm, functional, and underneath are quality parts. The screen at first appears to have bleeding edges, but I must say, that after adjusting the settings in the Nvidia Control Panel, it looks superb.

 

That's really great to hear cq842000,It's good to hear a actual owner of this laptop is happy with the build quality.
Just to note a BB employee was really pestering me and there were a couple of other people in back of me waiting to get their hands on it so my experience was limited to a few minutes, If BB offered this laptop with the higher configuration they first did with the 9800 GTX I would be all over it and be able to live with all the things I originaly wasn't to impressed with.I hope BB offers this model again when the GTX is released.I will have to go back and get more hands on time with it, hopefully without a BB employee breathing down my neck.(I know what a shock)..lol

 

I really like mine too, tbh i prob wouldn't get the GTX version mainly because i'd still like to get some sort of battery life from this notebook lol

 

I find this rather odd as HP doesn't really have a high performance laptop line, unless you mean the workstation business line. And neither did Gateway till the introduction of its FX line.

I'm not disbelieving you. I'm just mentioning that you might have gotten laptops that were consumer models and thought they were high performance.

 

Noted, as well i should have said higher performing laptops, as for the HP, it was a mobile workstation with a turion X2 and quadro FX card. I've owned three higher performing consumer model laptops( I put Linux on most of my laptops to test performance, using optimized APIs) so for my own personal enlightenment, and if anyone should ask me if a particular model that i own is compatible.

 

Someone run a benchmark pls..

 

For which OS? Windows or Linux?

 

Both if you can.please!

 

first benchmark, UTIII at max detail settings, windowed mode, 1440*900 @60hz
keep in mind that these are the released and current, unoptimized drivers for windows vista...

test 1
CTF-Coret_bot
2798 frames collected over 59.73 seconds, disregarding 8.16 seconds for a 54.26 FPS average, 86.01 percent of time spent > 30 FPS
Average GPU frame time: 0.00 ms

CTF-Coret_fly
3339 frames collected over 53.94 seconds, disregarding 0.01 seconds for a 61.92 FPS average, 96.11 percent of time spent > 30 FPS
Average GPU frame time: 0.00 ms

test 2
DM-Gateway_bot
3125 frames collected over 59.54 seconds, disregarding 10.21 seconds for a 63.34 FPS average, 92.75 percent of time spent > 30 FPS
Average GPU frame time: 0.00 ms
DM-Gateway_fly
4323 frames collected over 52.74 seconds, disregarding 0.01 seconds for a 81.98 FPS average, 99.12 percent of time spent > 30 FPS
Average GPU frame time: 0.00 ms

 

next is Bioshock at max detail settings using fraps
1440*900 @60hz http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v...iew&current=bioshock2008-07-0704-19-28-70.jpg
keep in mind that these are the released and current, unoptimized drivers for windows vista
2008-07-07 04:19:21 - bioshock
Frames: 177 - Time: 2986ms - Avg: 59.277 - Min: 58 - Max: 60

 

Thanks for the benchies cq8 +1 rep

if you have oblivion it would be nice to know what kind of frames it gets on that with max settings ^^.

 

Haha nope you're not crazy IKAS V its true .

 

windows.. =)

 

I will later, I have to get up, shave and go to morning formation right now.

 

which brand has better quality Toshiba or gateway??

 

the new gateway fx has a slightly better GPU. but the RAM is weaker, the audio system on the Gateway isn't anything special, and seriously it looks like the old version FX. i am not saying its a bad laptop, but in my opinion the Toshiba is slightly better. maybe I'm wrong?

 

Well the toshiba x305-q701 is better in everyway besides the gpu, which will in fact most likely perform better than the gateway with most games assuming u want to play native res because the toshiba screen = 1444x900.

9700m gts will run everything on its native resolution whereas the gateway has a slightly better gpu but the screen res is 1920x1200 and it wont run everything on its native resolution, and therefore it also wont be as future proof (assuming you want to run things at native res).

E.g. Crysis medium settings will most likely run at 1444x900 on the toshiba, but no way is it going to work like that with the gateway medium settings + 1920x1200 would probably bring it to a stand still