protege r500 comments

I received my r500 (1.72 pounds/no DVD/64GB SSD) and have now used it for two days. A few observations:

1. Overall, a remarkable machine. I have used Sony, Motion (tablet), IBM (remember the butterfly keyboard), Hitachi, and other Toshiba laptops and can say this is the best laptop to date, IMHO;

2. Weight is the first thing you notice-feathers weigh more;

3. After cleaning out the bloatware (aggravating, for sure), adding another GB of RAM (2 in total), and tweaking the registry and a couple other places, startup time approximated 30-35 seconds;

4. Keyboard, even with its "give," is fine;

5. The mousepad and buttons are a disappointment and i hope Toshiba addresses this (ghosting movement of the cursor, unresponsive left button). I ended up retreating to my Mogo BT mouse;

6. The fan does a great, and quiet, job discharging heat, even with the SSD;

7. A couple design flaws (e.g., battery does not sit flush in its compartment, which may relate to sizing for the 6 cell battery, but I don't know for sure), but nothing fatal; and

8. The screen is terrific, although the lower corners suffer from slight shadowing. Also, i had one dead pixel.

 

Thanks for your feedback!

What country are you in? What OS (Vista or XP)?

Here in the US the only model Toshiba shows with no DVD & SSD is model #S5003 -- with XP & only 512MB on the motherboard (so max of 1.5GB).

Thanks

 

I'm n the US. The r500 I bought (s5003) has XP, which is what Toshiba bundles with this version and what I wanted. I ordered it at the end of July when Toshiba posted it at ToshibaDirect. It was shipped to me on 8/31, so I suspect I probably have an early production model, which hopefully isn't a problem (thankfully, a 3 year warranty comes with the unit). Finally, as for RAM, I have 2GB, but noted the 1.5GB on the website. All I can tell you is, 2GB works.

 

Thanks r500. Could you please clarify how exactly your RAM is configured?

I presume you ordered the machine with 1GB which is how the S5003 is supposed to ship? (512 onboard, 512 in slot)

Then you replaced the 512 in slot with a 2GB module? (leaving 512 onboard, 2gb in slot)

And then 2GB is subsequently recognized by the machine (vs 2.5gb)?

If this is correct, it's good to know that even with the 512 on board models, if you're willing to pay for a 2GB RAM module you can at least get 2GB total RAM recognized.

Thanks

 

All I did was buy the 1GB RAM from Toshiba and drop it in the slot underneath the back cover (3 small screws). Install time of less than a minute. In total, 2GB of RAM is recognized.

 

Hmm... interesting, so you must have 1GB on the motherboard with the add'l 1GB in the memory slot.

I went back to Toshiba's PDF spec sheets (you can find them here, click on the "detailed specs" links), and found some contradicting info on the S5003 model specs. Here is the section describing memory:

The first bullet point describes how user r500's machine is set up -- comes with 1GB RAM on the motherboard and had an empty memory slot available. But then the second bullet point is not even consistent with itself. It says 1GB min/ 2GB max, but then it says that there's only 512MB on the mother board (which implies a 1.5GB maximum with 1GB in the slot as described in the specs)!!

For comparison, here are the memory specs for the other models, which are all internally consistent in their descriptions:

S5001X:

S5002X:

S5004:

So I'm not sure if the model S5003 is supposed to ship with 1GB on the motherboard like r500 got -- or if it is supposed to ship with 512mb on-board plus 512mb in the slot...

 

Anything about battery life?

 

Battery life with a 3 cell has been running me around 2.3 hours. Power decay is not linear; rapid falloff (or apparently so) during the last 45 minutes. However, I'm thinking about the 6 cell, but don't want to compromise the weight. My guess is that I wouldn't leave home with the 6 cell and not with the charger, so the 6 cell may not be needed. Even on airplanes, I can user a charger with the adapter (I mostly fly international so outlets are usually available).

 

Hello,

i have the same one as R500 (SSD 64GB, 2GB RAM, Vista).
The notebook is really nice, but i am not so happy with the fan.
It's nearly working all the time - but it's very quiet. But when you are alone in a room, you can hear the fan :-(

I have the 3cell battery and bought additionally the 6cell battery.
It doubles the time. I travel a lot with trains, where i cannot always charge the device. When i turn BT and WLAN off, i have approx. 6 - 6.5hours of battery life.
With the 3cell i got approx. 3 - 3.5 hours (WiFi an BT turned off and Display dimmed to 30%).

But there is really a huge difference in weight if you use the 6cell battery. It only weights approx. 150gr more, but if the device itself is so leightweight then you feel the difference.

I found a german dealer, where the device is still available (the ssd Version):
http://www.notebook.de/toshiba-portege-r500-g-681/


Hosta

 

How could it be availble in Germany but not yet in USA toshibadirect !!

 

I bought mine in the US through ToshibaDirect. Also, my laptop has XP Pro (my preference).

 

Thanks for the early review r500!

One of the frequent press review comments is that the r500 seems fragile & perhaps prone to breaking. What's your impression of the durability of the laptop?

Also, you mentioned the keyboard is fine. Is that compared to any laptop, or compared to other ultraportables where the user has to be ready to accept a cramped keyboard?

 

The keyboard seems close to full-size versus the ultraportable keyboards whose keys are often smaller than a pinky tip. Anyway, I've had no issues. As for the rumored fragility, it's too early for me to form an opinion, although I use it everyday and without complication. I suspect its lightweight has some people concluding that such equals weakness; this is not the case thus far. Overall, because I travel internationally, I wanted the lightest laptop I could find (I previously used the Motion 1600 tablet, but with its external keyboard weighed too much) and one that was reliability. To me, I found it with the r500 03 model.

 

@R500 or anybody who might know the answer:

Has anyone tried to drive an external display from the R500 at resolutions of 1080p or higher running HD content? Can this little machine do it? How does it look? Is it choppy?

 

I received my Swedish version of the R500 a week ago, and it's quite a disappointment:

Fan: it's on constantly - even when cpu has been idle for several minutes! I find the noise very annoying which is of course subjective, but looking at other ultra-portables that are completely silent I don't see why this needs to be.
It is possible to lower the fan speed by choosing a setting that sacrifices performance for a slower fan, but the fan still never stops. If you don't choose this setting the fan is very loud, like the noise you would expect on a normal notebook after several minutes running on 100% cpu, while the R500 is still doing nothing.

@r500 + @dj_hosta:
Do you have the same experience with the fan?

RAM: just as mentioned previously it has 512MB RAM on the motherboard. Toshiba Sweden actually advertised the Swedish model (there is only one) as having 1GB on the motherboard but when the machines arrived it was 512+512. Apparently there had been some mix-up of specs between Sweden and Japan, so they have changed their website now ;-). Too bad for anyone ordering a machine and only being able to get 1.5GB RAM into it.
Toshiba says that 1GB on-board machines will arrive later this year in Sweden.

Mouse buttons: very "cheap" and inexact feeling. It puzzles me that such a large manufacturer can not do better. F ex the Dell 420/430 has fantastic buttons and much more feeling of quality in the whole build (but is heavier of course).

Mouse pad: the top edge is not distinct so I find myself sliding off the top as my finger doesn't sense when it's off the pad. I guess this just takes some time to get used to.

That's all for now, but I would really like to hear if anyone has succeeded in getting the fan to stop at low cpu loads, as this is my #1 annoyance...

Best regards
Mike

 

Thanks for posting your real-life experience with the R500.

What's your impression of the screen? It's been getting a lot of heat for the darkness, poor viewing angles etc?

What about heat? How hot does it get?

 

I noticed the darkness immediately but for me it was ok just to turn up the brightness. The factory setting seems to be a less bright "battery-saving" one.

But the viewing angle is more of a problem, at least for me. I had also read about this in reviews and thought it was just nit-picking, but the fact is it is a bit annoying. I have used many different laptops and didn't think I would have a problem with this, but I find myself frequently having to adjust my head position a tiny bit after changing seating position or when looking at another part of the screen. Maybe I can get used to it, I don't know yet.

I can't say much about heat as I am not using the unit. I will probably return it so I'm trying to touch it as little as possible.

Everybody have their own priorities on the important factors for a notebook and personally when reading the specs I thought the R500 was God-sent. After trying it out I don't think so any longer, so my recommendation to you is (if possible) to try to check it out live before buying.

Best regards
Mike

 

Just received an evaluation r500 from Toshiba UK (the one with 1GB RAM and 111GB HDD) and I agree with Mike about the fan. Mike, how do I change the setting to lower the fan speed? I will report impressions back to the list, soon.

 

I have the XP version, and there you find "TOSHIBA Power Saver" in the Control Panel. On its Basic Setup tab you will find Cooling Method with four different alternatives on a slider. In my case only Battery Optimized will give you the lower fan speed, but it will run the CPU slower to have it not generate so much heat. Press F1 inside the tool to get descriptions about the different states.

 

The fan on my model (03-SSD and no DVD) discharges heat regularly, but quietly and, thus far, has never been a distraction. As for the mouse buttons, I previously noted dissatisfaction and hope Toshiba addresses this obvious design flaw and fixes it (including mine). For me, I'm neutral on the screen, versus Toshiba's pub extolling it and other reviewers dinging it.

 

Interesting, does this mean that your model has the fan standing still most of the time, and then starting it at regular intervals?
Even while idle, my model runs the fan constantly.

 

Thanks for the review Mike.

To clarify, what is the "Swedish" version you have? Is it 01,02 or 03? That is, does it have a hard drive instead of SSD & does it have XP or Vista?

Does your laptop get hot? If it's not getting hot, then it might be possible to mod the fan speed down without dropping the cpu speed. If it's already hot that's not an option.

 

The Swedish versions are R500-100 or R500-106 depending on XP or Vista. Specs are 512+512MB, DVD and 120GB HD.

I don't perceive it as getting hot and the fan still runs constantly from power-up and on. I have used the TOSHIBA Power Saver settings to control fan speed but still runs constantly at a noise level that I don't find acceptable.

Best regards
Mike

 

Mike-my fan runs most of the time, but I hardly notice it. I use a program called speed fan that monitors CPU/HD temp and, if I wanted, would allow me to change fan speed, although I won't use that option.

 

Is anyone who has a R500 model with 512MB RAM on the motherboard able to tell us what happens if you put a 2GB module into the free memory slot?

Does the computer then recognize:
- 1.5GB total RAM
- 2GB total RAM
- 2.5GB total RAM

?? Appreciate any help that anyone can provide, thanks.

As you can imagine the reason I am asking is because Toshiba claims 1.5GB max addressable RAM in the versions of the R500 with 512MB on the motherboard. But if you put 2GB into the expansion slot, you'd think it could be addressed. So I am wondering if I could buy the lower model if I can find one in stock knowing that I can get at least 2GB of RAM in the future by adding a larger module to the expansino slot.

 

I think, but I defer to others, that the heat discharge on a 2GB module might exceed the heat tolerance of the slot; the last thing this laptop needs is more heat.

 

The 945GMS chipset used in the R500 is limited to 2GB maximum RAM, and my guess is you would be limited to 1.5GB total with 512MB onboard config due to how DDR2 lanes are distributed between onboard and SO-DIMM, but read for yourself here if you want the gory details:
http://www.intel.com/technology/itj/2006/volume10issue02/art05_945GMS_SFF_Low_Voltage/p06_ddr2.htm

Best regards
Mike

 

Thanks for the feedback guys.

I'm still scratching my head why the 5003 model has shipped to some of you guys with 1GB onboard (thus 2GB max) when it is advertised as having 512MB onboard (with 1.5GB max)... But good for you guys!

 

PortableOne sells the R500 with 3 GB memory:

http://laptopsinc.com/Merchant2/mer...500-S5002&Category_Code=LTOSH&Product_Count=5

 

Thanks Jack! So... very interesting... PortableOne literally shows the specific memory configurations in its drop down option menus... Notwithstanding the 945GMS chipset issue described above...

But so here's the rub -- The 5002 model is $150 more than the 5001 model. But the only real difference I can tell is the 1GB onboard RAM. If you can just add a 2GB DIMM to the 5001 model it should still be cheaper than the 5002 model. Also, I've seen the 5001 model come in-stock more often than the 5002.

Anyone have more thoughts on this? Maybe I'll call PortableOne and ask about it, since they specifically show these options. Thanks.

 

My husband ordered the R500-S5003 from Toshiba but it has yet to arrive. I'm concerned about this memory issue and will be calling them tomorrow.

R500 - Would you be kind enough to share what Bloatware/garbage you found on it and where exactly you found it all to remove? Was it obvious?
Also, could you please share what you tweeked in the Registry to clean it up to get faster startup, etc? Thank you.

Random Questions:
1. Anyone have an idea what type of case would be perfect for this in keeping with small/thin/light? Some type of padded sleeve, etc?
2. Anyone have a clue about a docking station for this and if it'll work with some other Toshibas?
3. Does the 6 cell battery piggyback on the 3 cell? The last Toshiba guy I spoke with didn't know.

 

A list of a lot of the bloatware is tallied in the spec sheet from Toshiba. Of course, personal preferences play a role, so it ends up more a personal choice. As for registry changes, I am a bit hesitant here since editing the registry can make your system inoperable if you err. However, if you Google "speed up windows startup" and "speedup windows shut down" (or variants thereof, such as "bootup"), you'll see a number of sites that make recommendations; be selective as some people push the envelope and cause harm rather than good. Also, check your startup list (go to "run" in START and type "msconfig" then go to Startup) as you'll find a lot of programs that have infiltrated your system tray; many simply slow you down. If you don't know what a program does that's loading, open up a web connection and Google the name of the file. Several sites will come up that will explain the program and suggest whether it can be disabled or should be left alone.

Hope all this helps.

 

Circling back to the heat issue, I ran a log on temps and noted the following:

1. Startup temp from a cold boot hovered around 77F degrees;
2. Temps quickly rose to around 136F degrees during simple processing demands;
3. Complex processing demands (e.g., I ran a query with multiple keys on a large Access database) increased temps to around 151F;
4. Bringing the screen to 100% brightness and enabling my EDVO card jumped the temp to around 171F degrees, although I am unsure whether par 3 was the principal culprit;
5. Average temp ranged between 135-150F degrees;
6. I suspect, but do not know, that installing a total of 3GB of RAM might kick up temps considerably; and
7. In the end, I have not found what Toshiba believes are the temp tolerances. For example, if the r500 average range is 135-150F as I'm experiencing, are these temps well within the acceptable bounds or teetering near the top/over what Toshiba recommends?

 

@mikewse
As i have written in my previous post, the fan is really annoying. He is nearly working all the time.
I think there are three steps of working:
- the system is just starting and cold - you don't hear the fan
- after 2-10 min. the temparature of the device is at 58°C (both processors i.e. right now at 35°C) - you hear the fan and it is working all the time. But when you are in a room with a radio/tv/other people talking you must concentrate to hear the fan (so it is OK)
- if the device is working hard, the fan really gets loud

I'm not satisfied with the fan-noise, but i love the device because of its weight and size.

I have installed 2GB RAM and Vista Premium.

@meagain
I have the 6 cell battery pack. It has the same size, as the 3cell battery pack. It only differs in weight (the 6cell battery pack weights approx. 160gr).

Greetings
DJ Hosta

 

Thanks for the info! My impression is the same as yours then, apart from that my fan's noise starts directly at bootup. I have the XP version so maybe something different...

Too bad for me I mostly use my laptop for escaping to some peace and quiet ;-)

 

I got mine a couple days ago with the 160GB Hard Drive and 512MB + 512MB Memory configuration. Bought a 2GB stick of memory and replaced the 512MB, and it wouldn't even boot, the screen wouldn't even turn on. I swapped it with a 1GB from my iMac and it's working fine now. So to answer your question, it's limited to 1.5GB of memory for the ones with 512MB soldered on the motherboard, which is quite disappointing since others have 1GB soldered which gives a 2GB maximum.

 

Thanks j3welz for sharing your first-hand experience, that's very good to know.

Of course, I can't find a S5002X model (or any R500 model for that matter) in stock anywhere right now...

 

I would suggest to buy it at a local brick and motar with a good exchange policy because I had to get mine exchanged twice before I was happy with the machine I had. The first one I got had 2 dead pixels, I exchanged it and got another one with a stuck blue pixel which stuck out like a sore thumb and the left click button was stuck occasionally so I exchanged it again for another one and it's all good now. Maybe it was my bad luck but good thing the store had a very generous return policy. Just my 2 cents.

 

Where did you buy yours? The only B&M retail stores that Toshiba's dealer locator shows near me are CompUSA -- and their site lists the R500 as "not carried in our stores" and OOS for online purchase. Thanks.

p.s. your QA problems are a little scary too...

 

Well since I live in Canada, I got mine at Futureshop. I was surprised that they carried it. Yeah, I'm quite disappointed by the build quality of these machines, they feel so fragile, the dvd tray feels like it can snap off if you use too much power. But I guess that's the cost of having something so thin and light.

 

r500, could you do me a favour and test if SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition will run on your laptop?

http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/referrer/srl

If it does, then i'm sold. If not then i'll keep looking.
I dont want to be able to play any other games on my lappy.

 

That's a pretty neat website, I didn't know about it, thanks for the tip.

FYI, I just tested my HP NC2400 and it failed for that game -- video capability failed. My NC2400 apparently has the "Mobile Intel(R) 945GM Express Chipset Family (Intel(R) GMA 950)" which failed due to the lack of "Video HW Transform & Lighting" capability. I believe this is a similar chipset to the Portege per someone's earlier post in this thread. Not sure if you can draw any conclusions from this about the Portege, but just FYI in case you were looking at the HP ultraportables too.

 

aww nuts

the integrated videocard was my main concern. oh wells. i guess it's a sony sz for me.

i so wanted the <1kg-ness of the r500 though.

Thanks for that.

 

Sorry it took me a couple days to check in. No, Sim apparaently doesn't work.

Video Card
Minimum: Direct3D 32 MB DirectX 7 capable video card
You Have: Mobile Intel(R) 945GM Express Chipset Family (Intel(R) GMA 950) FAIL: Sorry, your video card does not meet this minimum requirement.
Video Card Features - Minimum attributes of your Video Card Video RAM: Required - 32 MB , You have - 224.0 MB
Video Card 3D Acceleration: Required - Yes , You have - Yes
Video HW Rasterization: Required - Yes , You have - Yes
Video HW Transform & Lighting: Required - Yes , You have - No
Vertex Shader Ver.: Required - 0 , You have - 0.0
Pixel Shader Ver.: Required - 0 , You have - 2.0


Video Card Driver Version (DirectX)
Your driver version number is: 6.14.10.4631 FYI: Your video card driver version is provided for your information, but it is not part of this analysis. But proper video card driver versions are important to the proper operation of your product.

 

Thanks!
now i need to decide if i really need to play simcity on my laptop.
I think i'm just trying to create a foolproof argument in my head that encourages me to buy it

 

After 30 days of regular use, I can report the following re: Protege r500 03 model (XP Pro, no DVD, 3 cell battery, 1.72 pounds):

1. The mouse is at best a beta version. Its left key is often times unresponsive and requires too firm of a press. Also, the pad has an annoying habit of scrolling the cursor as you're trying to access a sub-menu. Although I retreated to my Mogo BT mouse, I shouldn't have to do such given the state of Toshiba's technology;

2. If the screen is not set to max bright, the viewing angle is limited to directly in front of the laptop. As such, the sides quickly shade as you move left of right;

3. The keyboard is, IMHO, terrific. No problems and, in fact, a pleasure given how small many ultraportable keyboards get hoisted on their users;

4. An internal broadband modem would have been fine, but using the pc card is no big deal. An express slot would have been better, but a cheap adapter can be bought to convert;

5. The slim external port replicator is a nice accessory if you're hooking up an external monitor with a DVI cable. Otherwise, it's probably overkill;

6. Keeping the unit clean has been no issue;

7. The SSD drive is quite responsive and a good addition to the r500...definitely worth getting;

8. The fan is always on. Period. For me, it's not a distraction as I have a headset on to either listen to music, record to Dragon, or use Skype. Even in a quiet setting with no headset, the fan is barely a distraction to me. However, other friends on this thread have noted the fan as an issue, so I defer to personal preference;

9. I use the r500 to drive a 24 inch external monitor, but I want to go all the way and power a 30 inch LCD. However, i don't know if it's possible given the video card...any advice is appreciated;

10. You cannot find a replacement 3 cell battery...I don't want the 6 cell. Advice here is also appreciated; and

11. 2GB of RAM is a must. Don't kid yourself on this.

Overall, I would definitely buy the laptop again, but with a little reservation because of the mouse and screen viewing angle.

 

Thanks for the excellent one month review r500!

1) It's surprising that Toshiba hasn't fixed the mouse area yet, since it was mentioned as a problem in all the pre-release reviews.

2) I bet it's just a subjective difference, but I still wonder if its possible that the SSD version runs cooler and the fan doesn't have to work as hard (and be as loud) compared to the reviews with hard drives.


Question: Does the viewing angle problem mean the laptop is not usable for more than one person to watch a movie?

 

Good comment re: SSD being quieter/less hot. As for your question, unfortunately, not a shot to have anybody view the screen from the side. In meetings, I have always hooked up an external monitor and drive it from the r500.

 

I bought the Crumpler Glamour Glimp case on EBay UK here
That's the shiny black version. Crumpler also do standard neoprene versions in various colours (see here and here).

This slip case is absolutely perfect for the R500. A well made case with a perfect snug fit which adds very little to the size of the notebook. The glamour version comes in shiny black or white and looks really classy. Don't know if they sell these outside the UK, but well worth looking for.

 

Ah - Thanks for the links re the case! Will check them out in a bit.

SO!!!!!!! My husband's '03 version (1.7 pounds) just arrived but I can't deny him the pleasure of opening the box so I have to wait till he gets home.
Praying everything's OK with it.
My first mission is to find a RELIABLE website/instructions as to how to streamline XP for super-fast startup and eliminate the extra languages, etc.
I want to set it up to be speedy like R500 did somehow.