Paul Hanks » Toshiba http://vendo-me.com/paulhanks Just another Vendo Me! Sites site Fri, 20 May 2011 12:53:52 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 1 Toshiba PQX33U-05G025 http://vendo-me.com/paulhanks/2011/05/07/toshiba-pqx33u-05g025/ http://vendo-me.com/paulhanks/2011/05/07/toshiba-pqx33u-05g025/#comments Sat, 07 May 2011 16:16:57 +0000 replacechando http://vendo-me.com/paulhanks/2011/05/07/toshiba-pqx33u-05g025/ Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q898 18.4-Inch Laptop (Fusion Finish in Omega Black)Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q898 18.4-Inch Laptop (Fusion Finish in Omega Black) Awesome Desktop Replacement which is almost perfectBy Michael BallackThis product deserves 4.5 stars. It is almost perfect but for the small SSD supplied.I have used laptops of various sizes, 12″ to 15″ and now 18.4″.I was looking for a laptop which had a fantastic keyboard (ala “Lenovo”) and sufficient GPU power for the latest games. Not that I’m a hardcore gamer but I was looking for a new laptop which could last longer (in terms of obsolescence) as nowadays it is the GPU rather than the CPU which determines whether or not your laptop is capable of running games.Without further ado, here’s the reasons why I bought this unit. No offence to owners of the other brands but I had to eliminate other popular choices due to the reasons below. I actually narrowed down my final choice of a new laptop to either SAGER or TOSHIBA.PROS1. KeyboardA full keyboard (backlit!) is provided along with a full numberpad.For me, the keyboard design was really important. I have used a Lenovo Thinkpad laptop before and their keyboards were (and still are) really the best for typing. Yes, even better than this unit. H/w, this Toshiba unit has the edge over Alienware and SAGER/CLEVO units where the keyboard is concerned. I actually went to a real store to check out the Alienware laptops but just did not like the feel of their keyboards. I also do not like the way SAGER/CLEVO removed some of the keys on their numberpad.BTW, the MSI GX/GT 660 series deserves honorable mention for their keyboard design. I like the look on it. H/W some reviewers have claimed that there is a certain amount of flex, hence I did not go for the MSI units.2. Battery LifeGranted, most people would not move a desktop replacement unit around much. H/w, this unit is listed as being able to last 3hr 47mins on battery power.I have tested this unit, running on battery, it lasted 1hr 35mins with maximum LCD brightness settings. I have no doubt that it could really reach 3 hrs + if I had run on the Toshiba ECO mode with a dimmer lcd setting. This was also the reason why I rejected the SAGER units as they can only last about 47mins from the online reviews I have read. ok, desktop replacement units are not meant to be moved around, but a laptop, IMHO, should be able to function normally for at least 1.5 hrs on battery and not treat the battery as a “UPS”.3. NVIDIA GTX 460MThis GPU is really fantastic!I managed to get an average framerate of 31FPS for BATMAN AA GOTY with all the graphics settings maxed out. Yes, even with 16x Anti-aliasing! ha ha :) That’s how smooth it is!And this was running under the 18.4 inch laptop screen at native 1920 x 1080 resolution!Had the new MSI gaming unit with the 460M been available at the time that I bought this Toshiba, I would not have eliminated such an option from my short-list.4. Sound systemThis unit comes with Harmon Kardon speakers.Again, SAGER was edged out on this factor.5. Build QualityFor me, aesthetics are not that important. Hence I was willing to consider either the SAGER line of laptops.This Toshiba unit is very well made. The keyboard does not have any flex. The handrest portion beneath the keyboard has a special smooth glossy feel to it, and it is akin to marble. Typing on this keyboard really makes you enjoy using the product. :) The trackpad is also very well made and responsive. The buttons are firm.The laptop itself is a work of art! The Japanese aesthetics really shows with the black laptop and red trimmings. The Trackpad and media control buttons on the left are also illuminated in red led.I read many horror stories (motherboard dying and bad servicing) about the ASUS G73 line of laptops, hence I regretfully had to eliminate that from my consideration. To be fair, the G73 series supposedly has less problems with the new 460M Nvidia GPU as compared with the ATI 5870 GPU but I just did not want to take the risk of being subjected to the horrible after-sales service of ASUS. You can google this to find out more.6. 18.4″ FHD screen Yes, this comes with a blu-ray player which works very well with the Full 1080HD screen.Given the limited space on my desk, I needed a laptop with the largest screen possible. This fit the bill exactly.7. SSD Boot DriveThe SSD boot drive really makes a difference.Imagine being able to boot up in less than 30secs.Windows 7 shutdown only takes 10s.BTW, I checked the SSD drive for SSD alignment issues, I am glad to report that the SSD drive supplied by Toshiba fresh from the factory does not have any SSD alignment issues.8. CPUThe Intel i7 740 seems to be able to handle multi-tasking very well. I can open up many other programs whilst running 64 bit Adobe CS5 Photoshop smoothly.CONS1. WeightThis laptop is not as portable as a 15.6 incher. So if portability is really required by you, I’d suggest that you look for a smaller laptop.2. SSD only 64GBYou will have to install progams into the 500GB secondary HDD.The 64GB boot drive is really only meant for that purpose.If only Toshiba used a 128GB SSD, this would have been perfect. Hence my giving the laptop 4 stars.I have no doubt that … ยป read more about Toshiba Qosmio X505-Q898 18.4-Inch Laptop (Fusion Finish in Omega Black)

Baby White Noise

]]> http://vendo-me.com/paulhanks/2011/05/07/toshiba-pqx33u-05g025/feed/ 0