toshiba m30x questions...

well i want buy a toshiba m30x customized:
pentium M 1.6ghz 2mb l2 cache
512mb ram pc2700
hitachi 7200rpm 60gb
ati 128mb 9700

will that be enough to play most of the games out there? will it be enough to run doom 3 at medium settings? i was also looking into upgrading the cpu later on because i've found it cheaper to buy the cpu "a 755 2.0ghz" than just upgrading through their website. and probably by the time i want to change it, it'll be even cheaper. but the problem is, will it be possible to swap out the cpu? or is it soldered into the mobo. i really want to go ahead a buy this notebook, it's just the fact that intel has released their 2.1ghz processor bringing the price down later on. should i get it or just wait? suggestions anyone. thanks!

 

CPU doesn't have much impact on game performance these days. Games are designed to utilized the GPU (video card) more than the CPU. So having an ATI 9700 GPU w/64 or 128MB is more than enough to play Doom 3 or any current games on the market. There's no real need to upgrade the CPU unless you're planning on encoding video/audio or using a lot of CPU intensive apps. One thing you may want to upgrade is the ram. That's the 2nd thing that imapacts game performance.

Here's the top 4 things that will impact game performance (IMHO):

1. GPU
2. RAM
3. HDD
4. CPU

The CPU will help with load times, but will hardly do anything for overall game performance (frames per second). So you should be fine with your above configuration.

Most Pentium M motherboards I've seen have the CPU in a socket, so it's easily removable/upgradable.

-Vb-

 

As we speak i have the laptop u said M30X but i have a 64 meg ATI radeon and it plays doom3 on HIGH just fine

there u go

 

I'm also thinking about getting the P30 instead. For only 40 bucks more I can get the ATI 9700 128 MB GPU and a 17 inch screen. My only concern is the weight. Will it be too bulky to take to the local Hotspot on a regular basis to play World of Warcraft?

 

I'm looking at the M30X for gaming as well. I really want it to play World of Warcraft.

When I try to order it from Toshiba, though, there is no option to add an ATI 9700 with 128 mb; the most available seems to be 64mb. This contradicts Toshiba's detailed spec's as well as their print advertising. Any one know what's up? Is there just a shortage of 128MB GPU's right now?

Here is the machine I would like:

Pentim M 2.0 Ghz
1 GB RAM
ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with either 64 or 128 MB
40 GB Hard Drive (4200 rpm)

Any thoughts on how this will stack up with World of Warcraft and other FPS coming out?

zylan

 

1. GPU
2. RAM
3. HDD
4. CPU
is the right orders for playing smoothly and well.

I ve just taken a Toshiba M30X-118 in Turkey.It has 1.7 dathon
9700 64mb ati,incredible good screen 15.4" WXGA super clear view...
it plays everything...I can use photoshop and render while I play a game in the little window...Amazing machine,its display and all built up quality s amazing...

                            </img>

 

[ ]
I just have a few things to say...
1. Dont listen to anyone who tries telling you that the CPU isnt all that important when it comes to gaming. The CPU is what gives your GPU speed. Many people these days are running top of the line video cards with middle of the road CPUs. You NEED a decent CPU to make the Radeon 9700 worth your money. Fortunatly the centrino 1.6 should suffice, but i would recommend upgrading to the 2.0 if you have the money.

2. The M30X should be able to play games fairly well. It is made to be a fairly thin and light laptop that packs some power. However, if you are looking for top of the line performance i would look and Alienware, the Dell gaming laptops, and some Acer models.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1043615&CatId=1074
--I found this laptop on tiger direct. I have no experience with it, but if you are on a budget it looks like a good choice for gaming laptops.

3. If it were my decision i would go with the M30X. It is a fast machine with many options for upgrades. I have heard almost all good things about it. I purchased one a couple weeks ago, but it has not been delivered yet due to the holiday season [ ]
Toshiba support seems to be great! You can get a 3 year repacement plan in which toshiba will repace the machine as much as once a year if you break it in any way. I paid $199 for that, but it seems to be necessary for me (a college student).

Good luck with your reasearching of laptops, and i hope i helped a little.

 

Have you upgraded your ATi Mobility drivers at all? If so which version? I have read of problems with screen resolution with some drivers.

Toshiba's site has some really old drivers from 2004 only.

Thanks

Dave

 

First off the CPU isn't that important especially in today's games. If you don't believe it, just run 3DMark05 and check out your GPU's score vs the CPU's. The GPU is much more the constrictor when it comes to games then the CPU.

Take the fastest CPU you can find ex. a P-M 2.26GHz and couple it with Intel's integrated video card and try playing CSS, FEAR, or any graphically demanding game and see how well it performs.

Next take the a Sempron any cheaper processor and couple it with the ATI X700 256MB or Nvidia 7800 or 6800 video card and run the same games. It will blow the P-M 2.26 out of the water when running those games, run it through 3DMark05 and see what you get for scores. The Intel card machine will probably get around 100 maybe for a score compared to the 2500 + score for the other machine, probably bare minimum would be 2000.

Venombite is exactly correct, while the CPU, hard drive, and RAM help with load times, the GPU is by far the limiter to quality gaming.

Zylan, I would personally stay away from the P30, it has the Pentium 4 processor in it and is notorious for running extremely hot. It also is quite heavy at about 10 lbs. If you want a Toshiba and a 17" screen. I have the M60 customized, it is pretty light for a 17" at 7.5 lbs and mine has the X600 128 MB card in it and it plays everything I need it too fairly well. The M30X is one of the Toshiba's that is on the lower quality of the build end.

If anyone wants a specific recommendation, if you fill out the FAQ at the top of the forum, you will get many suggestions for a laptop that is a good fit for what you need.

Matt