Tell me if this labtop is ok?

[cvfd1399 0]

I am using this for multi-player gaming, dv editing, general bs. My options in a PC are at least 2.5 gig processor, 128 graphics, at least 512 ram, 50+gb HD, a large screen, built in wireless G, firewire, and other minute stuff. Price was not over 1800$.
This is what I found at best buy. Toshiba Satilite P35 S609 . For 1599 with 12 months interest free.
It has
P4 3.2 GHZ
512 Ram expandable to 2 GIG
128 Radedon graphics(SP?)
17'' WXGA Display
80 GIG 7200 rpm hard drive
DVD+-RW/CDRW drive
3 2.0 USB
1 Firewire
multi card reader slot
802.11G onboard internet
rj45 wired lan

What do you think I am planning to be there when they open in the morning to buy it. I have never had a toshiba before.

[MrBrant 0]

sounds pretteh good to me.

with that processor though, it'll SUCK batteries. u'll be lucky to get 45 mins tops. Definatly a plug-in-all-the-time-model.

Also, if you're gonna be doing video editing get more info on the video card. It may be shared memory (which is CRAP)

---
edit: Just checked ur link. It has the P4 mobile processor. This is very good. You're batteries will last alot longer with it. The only downside is that processing power is probably limited while on batteries (at least my AMD mobile is). So you can't play fast games, watch super-awesum-videos, or do hardcore editing. But as soon as u plug 'er in, she's great!!

but definatly check out the graphics. go big - for the extra 100 bux to get "better" graphics, its well worth it in the long run.

hope this helps

[cvfd1399 0]

Yea I am bummed a bit about the shared graphics I never have delt with it before but I hear it lacks. You say spend the extra money for the deticated graphics. I asked if it could be swapped out and best buy said no. Are you implying that I should stay with the computer class, but try to find it in a better graphics?

[mnealtx 0]

Quote

Yea I am bummed a bit about the shared graphics I never have delt with it before but I hear it lacks. You say spend the extra money for the deticated graphics. I asked if it could be swapped out and best buy said no. Are you implying that I should stay with the computer class, but try to find it in a better graphics?

If you're going to be doing video editing, you're gonna want the best graphics you can get.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[Unstable 9]

Quote

If you're going to be doing video editing, you're gonna want the best graphics you can get.

I have a lot of respect for Toshiba and their Laptops. The setup you have looks very good and the price is excellent, but for video editing and the stuff you are into, I can't help but think you might be happier with a G4 Powerbook or even a Duel G5 desktop. You need the best for video editing...

=========Shaun ==========

[BIGUN 1,488]

Quote

No payments for 12 months if your account is kept current. If these purchases are paid in full before the expiration of the 12 months promotional period and your account is kept current, accrued finance charges will not be imposed on these purchases. If these purchases are not paid in full, finance charges will be assessed from the purchase date at the Standard Rate APR.

If you don't pay it in full in the first year, finance charges will be retroactive and then compound interest on that retro finance charge. By the end of year two of ownership, this finance package would cost you ~$250 - $300 and as much as $500-600 over the term of the note if you start making payments the first month.

The only win on this is to pay it off in the first year.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[MrBrant 0]

Quote

Yea I am bummed a bit about the shared graphics I never have delt with it before but I hear it lacks. You say spend the extra money for the deticated graphics. I asked if it could be swapped out and best buy said no. Are you implying that I should stay with the computer class, but try to find it in a better graphics?

I saw on the website that there are 2 graphics thingy's to choose from: the raedon 9000 and the 9700. If they are shared graphics, they'll both be shared. If you really need vid editing and fast gaming - keep looking.

Or, grab a game (NFSU2, GTA, etc) and ask them if you can install it on their laptop and try it out (if they want your money - they'll let you). See how high you can get the graphics before it starts affecting performance. If the answer is "low" or "medium" keep looking.


good luck!

[repeter 0]

*COUGH* BUY A MAC *COUGH*

[Gawain 0]

Toshiba makes good laptop computers. I've had them for work, they're sturdy and I've found them to be reliable too. For video/graphics editing, I would make a point for the near/mid-term to buy a docking station for it and get a full size monitor of some type. As good as laptop screens have become, they can't match full size monitors. Of course, if the editing you'll be doing is part of an overall "general bs" umbrella, then don't worry about that (just threw it out there).

All that you listed is a good deal too, based on the catalog I got in the mail yesterday, a Dell with similar pieces is about $2000.

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[cvfd1399 0]

I will pay it off in 2 weeks. I have worked a special detail for 7 days and pay day is comming soon.

[mnealtx 0]

You might want to take a look at the Sager 3790 , as well. They've gotten a pretty good rep in the last few years.

You'll end up paying more, but will also end up with a lappy that'll do a lot better for you, gaming and vid editing wise...

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[LouDiamond 1]

I just bought a Toshiba G15 and it is amazing. The screen and graphics are not like anything I've ever seen on a notebook. If I wasn't in such a time crunch I would of ordered a Fujitsu N6010 as it has similar specs but is about $500 cheaper but I'm not sure the screen could compare to the Toshiba. For me, the screen and integrated features is what made all the difference when choosing between the Sony 290 and the Toshiba.

"It's just skydiving..additional drama is not required"
Some people dream about flying, I live my dream
SKYMONKEY PUBLISHING

[cvfd1399 0]

Ok so armed with the new info about shared graphics I went back to investigate that toshiba. I opened the task manager and took note of the availiable ram then opened up a movie trailer in windows media player, and the available ram went down to only 74mb from a total of 512 availiable. That shocked the hell out of me.
So I got a better helper that knew more about the computers than the guy that was there last night. He suggested a Gateway 7405X it has the same features as the toshiba, but it runs on a Athalon P64 3200+ and uses a Radeon 9600 deticated 64mb graphics card. It had quake 3 and halo on it, he let me play it, and the graphics were better than my desktop that has a 128 g force in it. It was cheaper too. At $1249 I can afford to throw another 512 in the ram, and get a Wireless router also.

[Nightingale 0]

I've got a toshiba laptop (Tecra M2) and love it, but if you're doing video editing, buy a mac.

[mnealtx 0]

Quote

I've got a toshiba laptop (Tecra M2) and love it, but if you're doing video editing, buy a mac.

Yeah, Macs are good for that, but in the OP he said that he's going to be gaming, too....so kinda knocks the mac out of contention for the all-around.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[Nightingale 0]

depends on the game, but for the most part, you're probably right.

[cvfd1399 0]

I will be doing editing proally once a month, but will play Multi player first person shooter games online weekly. I am about to leave to go get her I will post my results later. Thanks

[dorbie 0]

The graphics will help you more for the games than the video editing unless you're doing a lot of 3D effects with software that exploits the hardware (not so common). Some packages are starting to exploit the graphics capability but it really depends on the software you use. A decent graphics bus and fast memory is usually more important, and the fast graphics bus goes hand in hand with the latest graphics cards & mobos so they correlate to an extent.

As for 'dedicated' graphics this can mean many things, some manufacturers put integrated graphics in their chipsets, With ATI you'll see "IGP" somewhere in the chipset name. Sometimes these integrated graphics solutions don't have dedicated memory. Sometimes they do. Often a dedicated graphics chip is part of the motherboard design but still a separate chip and just as valid from a performance standpoint as any other option. Sometimes the integrated graphics are pretty unimpressive (Intel chipsets with integrated graphics aren't that impressive IMHO) and a generation or two behind, but there are some real exceptions. When looking at the graphics the "128 Radeon" doesn't describe much. ATI has a whole product line of Radeon Mobile chips and 128 has been used to describe everything from bus width to memory capacity. Finding out what the actual chipset graphics chip and graphics bus is would help if you cared.

With a mobile system I wouldn't sweat the graphics upgrades. You can't upgrade these systems like you upgrade a desktop even if you can swap the graphics card out, you might have one upgrade option if you're lucky. If it's on the motherboard or an IGP chipset it may still be a decent system for a laptop but the chip on the motherboard extends into the higher end product offerings than an IGP chipset would.

[smiles 0]

Laptopzzzzzzzzzzz


The gods of portable computing must be angry with me. My Toshiba laptop decided to reprise its role as runner-up for flaky PC of the year on October 27 by replicating many of the same symptoms leading up to the previous drive failure. I also pointed out a quirk in the CD drive that mysteriously appeared following the previous visit to the repair center. Two weeks later, still no solution. My hard drive crash at the beginning of September is rapidly becoming a footnote in a greater disappointment with quality control, customer service, and the entire PC laptop industry.

I could not be without a laptop for eight days from the 14th through the 21st. That would be the equivalent of an unpaid vacation. Off I went to find an affordable substitute, which ultimately represents the sixth or seventh laptop I've taken home from a store in the past eighteen months. My criteria are simple: built-in WiFi, P4 processor (preferably the mobile variety to avoid heat issues), 40GB disk space or more, and a price tag under $1200 including tax. I don't care about screen size. I don't care what the video card is. I just need something affordable to check email, work with a few Web forms, write some articles in Word, and possibly do minimal video or audio editing in a pinch.
In asking when I might expect my laptop back, the Geek Squad drone replied that he didn't know, only that it is a WIP (work in progress) as of November 3. I asked how long it took a Toshiba repair center to replace one Toshiba hard drive with another Toshiba hard drive, which resulted in the brilliant reply, "Toshiba doesn't make hard drives." I think it's time to take someone's white shirt and black tie away and send them back out to the floor with the blue polo flunkies; Toshiba is one of the top hard drive manufacturers in the world.

Browsing available options, the only laptop matching my criteria and price point was an eMachines unit. eMachines laptops have killer features, but a previous experience with one purchased in August 2003 has me steering clear of the brand. In my case, the laptop started developing mysterious heat issues, which caused the laptop to randomly shut down. This started in November 2003 and I finally took the laptop in for repair in January 2004. The techs confirmed my assessment that yes, heat was a serious problem with my particular unit. The replacement eMachines unit I traded the original for had a bad wireless chip out of the box, which is how I ended up with the Toshiba.

After briefly entertaining the idea of getting a new iBook, I ultimately went with a PC laptop—a HP zv5235us. The specs match my needs almost exactly. It's not widescreen like the Toshiba, but it will work. I have an extra 256MB of DDR RAM at home to expand the memory. In theory, this will more than get me by until I get the Toshiba back.

A few seconds into the boot process, I notice a dead pixel in the bottom right half of the screen. A lovely white pinhole is staring back at me from an otherwise normal screen. At this point the store is closed for the evening, so there's nothing I can do to fix this. Maybe a trip to a voodoo priestess to get this hex lifted is in order. The next morning I stopped back and explain about the dead pixel to a sales clerk, who pages the MOD (manager on duty) to come to my assistance. After explaining the situation to the MOD, he informs me that the manufacturer doesn't consider dead pixels to be a defect unless there are seven in a row or numerous individual defects scattered across the screen. He goes on to tell me that laptop manufacturers do not use high quality LCD screens in laptops because it would be too expensive. Great, so we are all victims of the good enough mentality at retail once again. He did replace the laptop with a unit that has no pixel problems, so I'm happy, for now.

I realize I didn't buy a top of the line unit, but at the very least I expect hardware to be in pristine condition when I take it out of the box. Of course, I didn't expect my hard drive to fail a month after my Toshiba laptop was repaired either. When I owned an iBook, over three years the only problem was with the connection point for the power supply. I've never had problems of this magnitude in my many years of experience with desktop hardware for either platform. I've experienced a few drive failures, but those were in machines that required 24 hour uptime and frequent writes to the disk.

SMiles

[meandean 0]

Try getting a unit with PCI Express interface.
For those who haven't heard of it, the short explanation of PCI Express is that it's a new interface that can go far beyond the speed of current AGP and PCI buses.