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    Toshiba Satellite X205 Review

    Discussion in 'Notebook News and Reviews' started by Charles P. Jefferies, Jul 27, 2007.

  1. Charles P. Jefferies

    Charles P. Jefferies Lead Moderator Super Moderator

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    <!-- Generated by XStandard version 1.7.1.0 on 2007-07-30T16:40:05 -->

    by Charles P. Jefferies

    Overview

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    The Toshiba Satellite X205 is a high-end multimedia notebook from Toshiba featuring the latest and greatest in mobile technology. It is based on the Intel Santa Rosa platform and has the Nvidia GeForce 8700M-GT DirectX 10 video card.


    Our review unit came with the following specifications:

    • Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 (1.80GHz/ 800MHz Front Side Bus/ 2MB L2 cache)
    • Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit
    • 2GB DDR2-667 dual-channel RAM
    • 1GB Intel Turbo Memory module
    • 17.0” WXGA+ (1440x900) display with TruBrite technology
    • Nvidia GeForce 8700M-GT graphics card with 256MB dedicated memory (511MB  total with TurboCache shared memory)
    • 240GB hard drive space (120GB 5400RPM x2)
    • HD DVD-ROM/DVD Super Multi (+/- double layer)
    • Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965 AGN (802.11a/g/n)
    • Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
    • Built-in 1.3 megapixel webcam and microphone
    • Fingerprint reader

    There are two configurations of the X205 available at the time of writing this review – the X205-S9349 and the X205-S9359. We have the former and it retails for $1,999. The higher-end S9359 retails for $2,499 and ups the ante with a T7300 processor, Vista Ultimate 32-bit, a WSXGA+ resolution display, a 512MB dedicated video card, 320GB of hard drive space, and an external HDTV TV tuner.

    Reasons to Buy

    The Satellite X205 is suited for both home multimedia entertainment and gaming. At $1,999, I believe the S9349 is more than reasonably priced as it has the Nvidia 8700M-GT graphics card, 240GB of hard drive space, and more importantly an HD DVD-ROM drive. Other notebooks with similar specifications cannot compete with the X205 at this price point at the time of writing.

    Build &amp; Design

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    Toshiba Satellite X205 (view large image)

    I immediately noticed how large and how different-looking the Satellite X205 was after taking it out of the box. This notebook is a behemoth, weighing in at 9.37 pounds and having a chassis over 2” thick. The X205 surprisingly does not feel that heavy because the weight is spread out over the chassis.

    The X205 is constructed out of bright silver and black plastic. The lid has a “Flare Carmine” design, which looks like waves of crimson red and black. It gives the X205 a striking look and it differentiates the X205 from the mainstream Satellite P200 series which the X205 is based off of. The color changes depending on the light – in a darker room the lid will appear almost a solid black; however, in a brightly lit area or outdoors the red is beautifully pronounced. For kicks I took the X205 to a local WiFi hotspot and it received more than a few looks – many people turned to look at this machine on their way by. Even though the X205 is a behemoth, I imagine the attention-seekers will be taking this machine with them more often than not.

    The surface of the silver plastic and the black plastic that surrounds the LCD is matte/non-glossy. It is durable enough and as long as it is should not get scratched that easily. The black plastic surrounding the top of the chassis and the back of the lid have glossy surfaces. I found that the glossy lid needed extra special attention because it is easy to scratch/blemish. Getting a notebook sleeve is essential to keeping the lid in pristine condition, or at least a soft bag. The glossy surfaces of this computer including the display itself should only be cleaned with a microfiber cloth.

    [​IMG]
    The glossy lid of the X205 with a red and black design. (view large image)

    The build materials used are about average. The plastic is rather thin but sturdy enough. In some places it sounded cheap when I tapped it. Fortunately all parts of the system are firmly secured to the chassis. The chassis will flex in most places when pushed, however more than average pressure needs to be applied in order for this to happen. When I tried to twist the chassis I noticed very little flex so that is a plus.

    I did notice rippling on the display when I pushed in from behind the lid. The display flexed an average amount when twisted from side to side.

    Overall I am neither impressed nor disappointed with the build quality of the X205. At the $2,000 price point I believe the chassis should not flex as much. The lid is not durable at all because of the glossy plastic exterior so extra care must be taken to keep the machine looking new. A microfiber cloth is an essential extra to carry with this machine.

    Screen

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    The X205-S9349 comes with a 17” WXGA+ display. It has a glossy surface and employs Toshiba’s TruBrite screen technology. While the display is bright and sharp enough, I believe it could use a contrast boost. The colors are not as vibrant as I would expect them to be. I was able to compensate for this by increasing the contrast but in my opinion it should not be necessary to do that.

    Viewing angles are average at best – from above the colors are almost completely washed out and from below everything is too dark. Side to side angles are satisfactory.

    I did find that the WXGA+ 1440x900 resolution of our test unit was very easy on the eyes for Internet surfing and reading text. For gaming it is a solid resolution because the 8700M-GT has no problem handling most games at this resolution. For those wishing for a higher-resolution display, the higher-end X205-S9359 offers a WSXGA+ 1680x1050 display.

    Overall I am slightly disappointed with the display. While the resolution is very comfortable for general tasks and gaming, it could use a contrast boost and the viewing angles need to be improved, especially from above and below.

    Webcam

    The X205 has a built-in 1.3 megapixel web camera located at the top of the display. When turned on, a blue LED light illuminates next to it. I found the image quality to be more than usable – it will not rival a standalone web camera but for being built-in, it is hard to complain. Those who like to video conference/chat should be happy with the built-in camera.

    Speakers

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    WOW was the first thought that came to my mind when I started playing music. The four harman/kardon speakers and integrated subwoofer in the X205 deliver fantastic sound. They could replace a low-end desktop 2.1 system. Even at maximum volume, there is essentially no distortion which is unheard of on a notebook. The speakers are arranged along the top of the chassis and push sound straight up. Inside the speakers there are decent-sized cones which visibly pulse when the volume is turned up. Everyone who I played music for was completely blown away by the sound. For music, gaming, and movies these speakers deliver. I would consider the speakers as a selling point for this notebook.

    Along the front edge of the notebook, the X205 has a variety of audio input/output ports. It even has a volume dial for raising/lowering sound.

    Processor &amp; Performance

    The Satellite X205 is based on the latest Intel Santa Rosa platform and features the Intel Core 2 Duo processor. The X205-S9349 is equipped with the lowest T7000 series processor, the T7100. It has a 1.8GHz clockspeed, 800MHz front side bus, and 2MB L2 cache. The higher end X205-S9359’s T7300 has a faster 2.0GHz clockspeed and 4MB L2 cache. Other specifications of our test unit include 2GB of DDR2-667 memory and two 120GB 5400RPM hard drives. On the whole, the X205-S9349 has mid-range specifications and should have performance to match.

    Overall System Performance

    PCMark05

    PCMark05 Comparison Results

    Notebook PCMark05 Score
    Toshiba Satellite X205 (Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 1.80GHz, Nvidia 8700M-GT graphics card) 4,793 PCMarks
    Alienware M9750 (Intel Core 2 Duo T7600 2.33GHz, Nvidia go 7950 GTX video cards with 512MB) 6,243 PCMarks
    Sager NP9260 (2.66GHz Core 2 Duo E6700, 2x Nvidia GeForce Go 7950GTX video cards with 512MB DDR3) 6,871 PCMarks
    Alienware m5790 (1.83 GHz Core 2 Duo, ATI X1800 256MB) 4,411 PCMarks
    Fujtisu Siemens Amilo Xi1554 Review (2.0GHz Core 2 Duo, ATI X1900, Windows XP) 5,066 PCMarks
    Sony Vaio SZ-110B in Speed Mode (Using Nvidia GeForce Go 7400) 3,637 PCMarks
    Asus V6J (1.86GHz Core Duo T2400) 3,646 PCMarks
    Alienware M7700 (AMD Athlon FX-60, Nvidia Go 7800GTX) 5,597 PCMarks

     

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    Processor Performance

    Processor Specifications

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    Super Pi

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    wPrime

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    Please see the Measure your Dual/Multi Core Notebook CPU Speed - Bye Bye to SuperPI in the forums for comparisons.

    Cinebench 9.5

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    Cinebench is a rendering benchmark tool based on the powerful 3D software, CINEMA 4D. Its rendering tasks can stress up to sixteen multiprocessors on the same computer. It is a free benchmarking tool, and can be found here: http://www.cinebench.com/

    CPU Rendering Benchmark

    • 1 CPU: 312 CB-CPU
    • X CPU: 557 CB-CPU
    • Multiprocessor Speedup: 1.79x

    SiSandra Arithmetic

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    SiSandra Multimedia

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    Hard Drive Performance

    Our review unit has two 120GB 5400RPM hard drives – one is a Fujitsu (primary) and the second one is a Toshiba. Below are the results for both.

    HDTune 2.53

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    Synthetic Gaming Performance

    3DMark06

    3DMark06 Results and Comparison:

    Notebook 3D Mark 06 Results
    Toshiba Satellite X205 (Intel Core 2 Duo T7100 1.80GHz, Nvidia 8700M-GT graphics card) 4,734
    Alienware M9750 (Intel Core 2 Duo T7600 2.33GHz, Nvidia go 7950 GTX video cards with 512MB) 7,308
    Sager NP9260 (2.66GHz Core 2 Duo E6700, 2x Nvidia GeForce Go 7950GTX video cards with 512MB DDR3) 9,097
    Alienware m5790 (1.83 GHz Core 2 Duo, ATI X1800 256MB) 2,625
    WidowPC Sting D517D (Core 2 Duo 2.33GHz, Nvidia 7900GTX 512MB) 4,833
    Apple MacBook Pro (2.00GHz Core Duo, ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 128MB) 1,528
    Alienware Area 51 m5550 (2.33GHz Core 2 Duo, nVidia GeForce Go 7600 256MB) 2,183
    ASUS A8Ja (1.66GHz Core Duo, ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 512MB) 1,973
    Dell XPS M1710 (2.16GHz Core Duo, nVidia GeForce Go 7900 GTX 512MB) 4,744


    [​IMG]

    3DMark05

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    Real World Gaming Performance

    I did a number of game tests on the X205-S9349. Please see the results below. FPS = Frames per second


    Counter-Strike: Source Video Stress Test

    Resolution: 1440x900 - All settings at maximum – Color correction disabled

    FPS chart

    Settings 0X AA 2X MSAA 4X MSAA 8X MSAA 8X CSAA 16X CSAA 16XQ CSAA
    0X AF 155.03 115.14 89.70 58.27 83.68 82.34 52.77
    16X AF 154.09 107.44 87.01 56.82 79.04 80.03 50.90

     

    Counter-Strike: Source was playable at any setting.


    Half-Life 2: Lost Coast Video Stress Test

    Resolution: 1440x900 – All settings at maximum – Color correction disabled

    FPS Chart:

    Settings 0X AA 2X MSAA 4X MSAA
    0X AF 98.05 80.93 58.48
    16X AF 90.06 77.93 53.11

     

    The results speak for themselves. Even with 4X Multisampling AA enabled, the game ran well.


    Star Wars: Battlefront II

    Resolution: 1440x900 – All settings at maximum – Light Bloom ON

    FPS Chart:

    Level: 0X AA 2X AA 4X AA
    Jabba’s Palace 56 42 41
    Kamino 58 43 40
    Death Star 52 46 38

     

    Battlefront II was more than playable on the 8700M-GT; I was impressed with the game’s performance because it still ran quite well with anti-aliasing enabled. Note that this game is capped at 80 frames per second.


    F.E.A.R Combat Online Multiplayer

    Resolution: 1440x900 – All settings at maximum – 4X antistrophic filtering - Soft shadows off

    FPS Chart:

    Level/Settings 0X AA 2X AA
    Campus 98 61
    High Tech 87 66
    Stockpile 79 70

     

    The game was very playable, even with anti-aliasing enabled. I experienced lows in the high 30s/low 40s with anti aliasing enabled.

    Overall the performance of the 8700M-GT is very impressive. The 8700M-GT is considered a high-end midrange card and not a high-end card like the Go7900GTX because it has a 128-bit wide memory bus; true high-end cards have a 256-bit. Despite having a 128-bit bus, the 8700M-GT performs very well – even in FEAR Combat with anti aliasing enabled, I had no problem getting more than playable framerates. The Satellite X205 is a powerful gaming machine and will not disappoint gamers.

    Heat &amp; Noise

    The Satellite X205 is cooled by two large diameter fans; the CPU fan exhaust is on the left and the GPU fan exhaust is on the right. The CPU fan vent is about 2.75” long and the GPU vent is larger at 3”. The fans are visible through the intake vents on the bottom of the chassis. The cooling system Toshiba engineered works extremely well – the notebook itself stays quite cool and the noise level is commendably low. All exterior surfaces of the chassis are barely warmer than air temperature. The air coming out of the fans is warm but not hot. In order to hear the fans I had to really listen close to the chassis. They are but a muted whirr. At higher speeds the only noticeable difference is the faster rush of air.

    The cooling of the X205 is no doubt helped by the large chassis, which is quite thick as I noted earlier. Personally I would prefer to have a thick notebook that runs cool than a thin one that runs hot.

    Keyboard &amp; Touchpad

    Keyboard

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    1. Speakers
    2. Power
    3. Launch Internet browser
    4. Launch Media Center
    5. Multimedia buttons
    6. Fingerprint reader

    The X205 has a full-size 104 key keyboard with a separate number pad. It is all silver with black letters. There is some flex evident when typing although it only is visibly noticeable when typing harder than usual. When pushed down the keys do not make much noise at all and the sound is pleasing. The keys are rather large and completely flat; there are no raised edges on the end to make them feel individual. The key travel is a bit shallower than on a typical notebook keyboard, and the key action is very light. It does not take much pressure at all to push down the keys. Typing can feel vague – because the keys are hard to define by feel, I found myself blindly reaching sometimes. When I first started typing on the X205’s keyboard I was making a lot of mistakes. However after four days of use I am accustomed to its feel and I find it enjoyable to use for the most part. Because the key action is so light and the travel is short it is easy to type extraordinarily fast. My overall impression of the keyboard is positive but I wish the keys had a more defined feel.

    Touchpad

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    The touchpad in the X205 looks ordinary at first sight and functions as expected. The buttons are quiet although they could use a bit more feel. However, there is more to this touchpad than meets the eye.

    Toshiba calls this touchpad “dual action” because it can be used as a regular touchpad and as a shortcut pad. By pressing the darkened square in the top right-hand corner of it, the touchpad illuminates a cool blue color and changes function – the mouse function is disabled and it functions as the shortcut pad. The scroll pad turns into a touch-sensitive volume control wheel and there are six touch buttons along the top and bottom of the touchpad. The bottom three can be user programmed. I found the touchpad to be innovative and useful. I presume most owners of this notebook will use an external mouse so the shortcut pad can be enabled all the time.

    The touchpad can be easily turned off by pressing the Function + F9 keys.

    The X205 has a fingerprint reader located on the right palm rest. It works well for password submission – I find fingerprint readers to be convenient and they offer an extra measure of security.

    Input &amp; Output ports

    The Toshiba X205 is loaded with a variety of different ports. This is best shown using pictures:

    Left Side

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    1. Power
    2. VGA
    3. Vent
    4. Ethernet
    5. 2x USB 2.0
    6. S-Video Out
    7. HDMI
    8. IEEE 1394 (mini Firewire)
    9. ExpressCard 34/54

    Right Side

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    1. 4x USB 2.0
    2. 56k modem
    3. HD DVD-ROM drive
    4. Vent
    5. Kensington lock slot

    Front

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    1. Wireless on/off
    2. S/P DIF out
    3. Microphone
    4. Line-in
    5. Headphone
    6. Volume dial
    7. Media card reader

    Back

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    1. Vents

    Bottom

    [​IMG]
    (view large image)

    1. Vents
    2. RAM compartment
    3. Hard drive compartments
    4. Subwoofer
    5. Battery pack

    Wireless

    The Satellite X205 comes with the Intel Wireless WiFi Link 4965AGN card which supports 802.11a, g, and n bands. I had no issue connecting and maintaining a connection to a variety of secured 802.11g networks. I could not test the N wireless functionality since I do not have access to an N router.

    The X205 also includes built-in Bluetooth v2.0+EDR. I connected to my Bluetooth-enabled Lenovo ThinkPad without an issue and was able to transfer files back and forth.

    Battery

    I tested the battery life with Vista’s power settings set to “Power Saver” with the display at 3/7 brightness and while surfing the Internet the entire time. The X205-S9349 held out for a rather amazing two hours and forty-two minutesbefore giving the ten percent warning. I think that for a machine that is running a powerful graphics card, 17” display, and two hard drives, this is a very impressive result.  I was not expecting more than two hours. Needless to say, I am more than pleased with the battery life.

    Operating System &amp; Software

    Windows Vista Home Premium 32-bit is the preinstalled operating system for the X205-S9349; the higher-end X205-S9359 comes with Vista Ultimate 32-bit.

    The amount of pre-installed software is astounding. I worked for over an hour to fully uninstall all of the junk software, consisting of trials, games, free offers, and other useless items. There were three columns of shortcut icons on the desktop for the pre-installed programs. I must say I am disappointed with the amount of pre-installed software. For $2,000 I would rather not have my desktop as an advertising space. I recommend that those who buy this machine do a full format of the primary hard drive to start off fresh.

    Customer Support

    The Satellite X205-S9349 comes with a standard one-year parts and labor warranty as well as a one-year on the battery. A Toshiba 3-Year SystemGuard + 2nd/3rd Year Extended Service Plan can be had for $269.10 when purchased with the notebook as of writing, which is a reasonable price for accidental damage coverage.

    During my time with the X205 I did not have to contact customer service. I encourage those interested in impressions to search inour Toshiba forum.

    Conclusion


    The Toshiba Satellite X205 is a high-end multimedia notebook designed for enthusiasts wanting the best of both the high-definition and gaming worlds. Despite being larger than a typical 17” notebook, the X205 looks modern and visually refreshing. It runs cool and quiet and is a great overall performer. A fabulous set of harman/kardon speakers, an HD DVD-ROM drive, a plethora of multimedia ports, and the latest and greatest Nvidia DirectX 10 graphics card make the X205 a very complete package, especially at the $1,999 price point. The X205-S9349 is a well-rounded entertainment system with all the bells and whistles, and I do not hesitate to give it my full recommendation.

    [​IMG]

    Pros:

    • Great graphics performance
    • Phenomenal sound system
    • Runs extra cool &amp; quiet
    • Surprisingly good battery life
    • HD DVD-ROM drive
    • Abundance of ports (HDMI)
    • Pleasing design
    • Good feeling keyboard
    • Good value

    Cons:

    • Display needs a contrast boost &amp; better viewing angles
    • Glossy lid may scratch if not taken care of
    • Keyboard feel needs to be more defined
    • Thick and heavy, even for a 17”
    • Not configurable
     
    Last edited by a moderator: May 12, 2015
  2. Blondl

    Blondl Newbie

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    Great review!
     
  3. jam12

    jam12 Notebook Deity

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    Nice review there. They don't have the x205 in the UK, but the x200, which I think is the same.

    A definite laptop for ultimate game freaks. Weighing in at 9.77lb (4.25kg) is definetly portable for the body builders among us. Its decent in terms of having an HD Drive and having the option of hooking it up to a TV, but on the gaming side of things, I would get rather get a good desktop for the same price.
     
  4. jetstar

    jetstar Notebook Deity

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    Nice review, as always Chaz! Its nice to see 5400rpm hard drives on this machine, unlike its predecessor, the P105 which had 4200rpm drives.

    I like the inclusion of the subwoofer. I find the red and black design to be far from attractive though. But this is more of a personal preference.
     
  5. ojchillinndc

    ojchillinndc Notebook Evangelist

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    Great review Chaz! The numbers on FEAR look good. That notebook looks very impressive. It's great to finally get some real world numbers on it.
     
  6. Shyster1

    Shyster1 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Thanks for the review. Quick question: are the HDDs set up in RAID, or not?
     
  7. _GZ_

    _GZ_ Notebook Consultant

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    Thank you for the review!

    Did the fans work all the time? Even on powersave during surfing? Was it never completely quiet?

    You wrote:
    "The cooling system Toshiba engineered works extremely well – the notebook itself stays quite cool and the noise level is commendably low. All exterior surfaces of the chassis are barely warmer than air temperature. The air coming out of the fans is warm but not hot. In order to hear the fans I had to really listen close to the chassis. They are but a muted whirr. At higher speeds the only noticeable difference is the faster rush of air."
     
  8. dit_xi

    dit_xi Notebook Evangelist

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    Outstanding review, as usual, Chaz. Thanks for the great work.

    To each his own, but to me, it's a big ugly box with a weak display. And I agree, I hate the fact that it's nonconfigurable.
     
  9. ZaZ

    ZaZ Super Model Super Moderator

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    Oh sure, I see how it is, you get the fancy-smancy X205 while I get stuck with the bargain basement A215. Thanks a lot!

    Another great review nonetheless. That red lid looks kinda cool.
     
  10. Charles P. Jefferies

    Charles P. Jefferies Lead Moderator Super Moderator

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    Thanks to everyone for the great compliments. I very much enjoyed using this machine.
    Nope, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to run individual HDTune tests on the drives.
    The video card fan (right side) is on all the time but it is not usually audible. The CPU fan actually shuts off sometimes. On power saver it was off most of the time I believe.
    Thanks - I thought the lid was cool too. It changes according to the lighting so it's not just some cheap decal.
    I almost choose the A215 because I have too many 17" laptops at the moment - no more counter space. :)
     
  11. Andrew Baxter

    Andrew Baxter -

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    I like the X205 because it's another example of Toshiba's design team proving they're not sitting on their hands watching the clock go by, they're always trying new things in terms of design and in this case also being the first out there to market with the 8700 graphics card. The processor choice is a little weird in this case, but there's another X205 SKU now that now ( S9359) has the T7300 on board.

    And oh yeah, nice review Chaz! Who's staying very busy of late.
     
  12. Dakks

    Dakks Notebook Consultant

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    Thanks for a great review!

    As mentioned earlier I find the fact that it's not possible to configure a downside.

    One thing I'm wondering is that part below the keyboard where it says "Battle Ready", is it just a removable sticker?
     
  13. Charles P. Jefferies

    Charles P. Jefferies Lead Moderator Super Moderator

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    Thankfully yes. There are quite a few stickers on this machine - a small one is above the display too. The placement is a bit weird for the Centrino sticker and such.
    For $2,000 you'd think you would get a T7300 since the price difference between it and the T7100 isn't all that great but I forgave Toshiba for that because this laptop had the HD DVD-ROM drive and the 8700M-GT, two expensive parts.
     
  14. choy

    choy Company Representative

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    Really not feeling the lid..
     
  15. squawks

    squawks Notebook Consultant

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    Nice review! I find it odd how the screen is only WXGA+ although it features an HD-DVD drive (thus not allowing you to enjoy the full power of HD). WSXGA+ on the $2.5k model would suit this better but then again, the laptop still has an HDMI output to go into a TV (then again, I can ramble on about why anybody would want to do this instead of buying a separate HD player).
     
  16. OV10stang

    OV10stang Notebook Consultant

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    I believe the S9359 also has the 512mb version of the 8700.
     
  17. darkspark88

    darkspark88 Notebook Evangelist

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    Why do they write the TOSHIBA lettering so large? It looks awfully tacky.
     
  18. ojchillinndc

    ojchillinndc Notebook Evangelist

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    I like the red lid. But then again, I liked the red lid on my XPS too. (What is up with me and red lids?)

    I think for $2000 and $2500 that is a good buy for the package you're getting HD DVD, HDMI, and the 8700 GT. And if you shop around (and I know all gamers do that) you can find both at $1850 and $2349 respectively with free shipping.
     
  19. Business Man

    Business Man Notebook Consultant

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    So the 9700m GT is better than we though o_O, shame there warn't any Oblivion benchmarks I'll have to assume though that it should be able to play most games at 1600 (I'm edging towards a Rock Xtreme 770 but was worried about the 8700m GT).

    Thanks for the review, now if only us UK people had something like this.
     
  20. Zizou10

    Zizou10 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Some questions :)

    Does it come with the recovery CDs??

    When you say format so we can get rid of the blotware u mean use a recovery CD or how?
     
  21. Charles P. Jefferies

    Charles P. Jefferies Lead Moderator Super Moderator

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    I suppose using the recovery CD would get rid of the bloatware although I cannot be sure as I did not try it. Yes it does come with a recovery CD.
     
  22. CeeNote

    CeeNote Notebook Virtuoso

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    Great review but I also don't get why Toshiba chose to skimp on the processor. I think the 4MB cache of the T7300 would make this beast a lot more future-proof.
     
  23. Shyster1

    Shyster1 Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    That's what I thought, but, being relatively unskilled and relatively suspicious (sometimes paranoia is your friend) of the "big" OEMs - HP is one that readily comes to mind, I just wanted confirmation from someone knowledgeable who had hands-on.

    Again, thanks for the fantastic review; your efforts have made it easier for me to make a more realistic cost-benefit determination regarding my next notebook.
     
  24. Ifrin

    Ifrin Notebook Evangelist

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    At what resolution in 3DMark06 laptop was tested?
    I assume it wasn't 1280x1024, so Comparison Table (3DMark06) is not quite correct...right?
     
  25. Sentient_6

    Sentient_6 Notebook Consultant

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    This just makes me all the more excited to get mine. Whenever they end up shipping it.
     
  26. Impugningcynic

    Impugningcynic Notebook Geek

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    Great, thorough review! Professional and specific! ^^
    This review has sold me more on the 8700M than it has the Toshiba. While I really liked the Toshiba in general, and it looks to be a good laptop, the D900C with two video cards is only ~700$ more than the X205-S9359, and I find this to be a tempting price difference. I'm highly considering waiting for dual 8700Ms to come out in mid-late August and snatching that up.
     
  27. Charles P. Jefferies

    Charles P. Jefferies Lead Moderator Super Moderator

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    No problem - if you have any more questions about the machine or just comments in general be sure to ask. :)
    I'm fairly certain that if a T7100 won't get the job done then a T7300 won't either.
    You're right; I could not test it at 1280x1024 because the screen does not have that resolution. I am unsure how much that affects the score.
    I heard they were going to ship early August. Not too far off.
     
  28. acaurora

    acaurora Notebook Deity NBR Reviewer

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    All I have to say is...
    1. Good LORD that thing is THICK!
    2. If you ever needed a reason to go to the gym, this is it.

    I'm just being sarcastic - nice to see that Toshiba is upping their game in the quality and making a comeback especially with a built in 4.1 and HDMI. Now if only they could make it 1/2 as thick and 50% quieter, haha.
     
  29. holyfire913

    holyfire913 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Oh man, I wish I had that machine X_X. Then again, can sometime tell me the relationship between the 8600 GT and the 8700? I'm wondering about the OC potential of the 8600...
     
  30. ojchillinndc

    ojchillinndc Notebook Evangelist

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    They're shipping now! I'm suppose to get mine Mon or Tue (S9359). I believe that they have been shipping them since last week. The only reason why I waited to get one was I was waiting on Chaz's review.
     
  31. Sentient_6

    Sentient_6 Notebook Consultant

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    Toshiba just emailed me to inform me that they would not be instock from another week of their already late estimate.

    I've canceled the order.


    Circuit City should have it to me by next week. Along with a custom designed skin for it :]
     
  32. ojchillinndc

    ojchillinndc Notebook Evangelist

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    I'll do bench presses with mine as soon as I get it. ;)
     
  33. markheus

    markheus Notebook Consultant

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    Wow - You posted a review of the X205 - I didn't know this was coming :p

    What are your overall impressions of the speed of the machine using regular windows vista applications.. Such as editing photos, ripping cds, multi-tasking. How is VIsta's responsiveness on this particular system. DId you have a chance to watch any HD Movies?

    Do you think the larger memory and faster processor on the higher priced model would significantly raise the benchmarks?
     
  34. Charles P. Jefferies

    Charles P. Jefferies Lead Moderator Super Moderator

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    I've been using the X205 quite a lot - never had any performance issues doing anything. The T7100 is more than fast enough and with 2GB of RAM multitasking was no problem.

    If anything, the hard drive is the bottleneck. It's not that slow but it does hold up the system sometimes.
     
  35. fabarati

    fabarati Frorum Obfuscator

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    Try Benching at 1440x900. That's nearly the exact same amount of pixels as 1280x1024, so the score will be essentially the same.
     
  36. Kierkes

    Kierkes Misanthrope

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    Holy...battery life...

    What battery is used in the Toshiba? How many cells?

    The 8 cell does not do justice to my Asus G2S. :p I'd pick this up if I hadn't bought the G2S already. Looks great. (And just when I thought battery life in a 17-incher couldn't get any better, haha.

    ^^Oh, and 1440x900 is less than 1280x1024. 1440x900 should yield better results.
     
  37. SideSwipe

    SideSwipe Notebook Virtuoso

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    huh? Um no 1280x1024 is a lower resolution than 1440x900 i think. ive ran 3dmark with both resolutions on my go7600 and 1280 scores are higher.
     
  38. fabarati

    fabarati Frorum Obfuscator

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    they're roughly the same amount of pixels (1310720 for 1280x 1024 vs 1296000 for 1440x900). Are you sure you didn't test at 1280x800? What's the resolution of your notebook?
     
  39. Kierkes

    Kierkes Misanthrope

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    My point was use the calculator, and you get a bigger number with 1280x1024. :)
     
  40. fabarati

    fabarati Frorum Obfuscator

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    But the difference in performance is negligable between SXGA+ and WXGA+. in real life benchmarks (i.e. games) it won't be more than a few FPS and in 3Dmark06, less than 100 points. That is not alot.
     
  41. squeezebox

    squeezebox Notebook Enthusiast

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    I thought this was supposed to finally be the big bad 8X series mobile GPU. Are they going to put 256-bits on any mobile parts? An 8800m perhaps?
     
  42. Charles P. Jefferies

    Charles P. Jefferies Lead Moderator Super Moderator

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    I'll hook up the X205 to an external 1280x1024 monitor and benchmark 3DMark06 again.
    I was totally blown away by the battery life too - it's amazing, considering the battery is powering two hard drives, an 8700M, and a 17" display. I don't know how many cells the battery has but it is 6000mAh.
    I am fairly sure that 3DMark06 defaulted to 1280x800 on this machine. I can't change the resolution because this is the free version of 3DMark06.
    An 8800M is supposed to come towards the end of the year. For right now, the 8700M-GT is as good as it gets for mid-range gaming.
     
  43. markheus

    markheus Notebook Consultant

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    Hi Chaz

    Could you do a quick run-down of "what's in the box" for this particular model? And maybe a photo?

    I'm also curious if this model comes with a remote/TV Tuner. I know the upgraded model does (HD - assuming its a hybrid analog/digital)
     
  44. Audigy

    Audigy Notebook Evangelist

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    Hi all

    Thank you very much for the review! ;)

    I bought in the past week, this model, but i´m from Portugal and we here only have one model, with an T7700, WSXGA+, 300GB 4200rpm hard drive... I think that with an T7700 the scores will be much higher than in an T7100 (1.8Ghz vs 2.4Ghz), later I will post some benchs in this european model.

    The battery of this toshibas is 9 cell, so it will be superior to the battery of the G2S.
     
  45. Kierkes

    Kierkes Misanthrope

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    G2S has an 8-cell 4800MAh.

    Pretty dismal choice for a 17" desktop replacement. Despite that it's a desktop replacement, some people like me don't mind lugging that weight around and want it portable. :(

    And the position of the battery on the G2S also stops people from getting any larger batteries. (front-ish, but not quite, so it's barred on all 4 sides)

    I'm going to assume the X205 can also support a 12 cell battery? DANG That's one sweet laptop.
     
  46. Charles P. Jefferies

    Charles P. Jefferies Lead Moderator Super Moderator

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    I'll get you what's in the box + a picture today. :)
    Very interesting model! I'm surprised to see the 300GB drive. Those are not even for sale yet. If I may ask, how much did that cost?
    Yes the battery life really is a strength of this machine, even though most users buying it won't be looking for that.
     
  47. Audigy

    Audigy Notebook Evangelist

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    Hi

    The model that I bought is X200-1AA(same as X205, WOW), It costs around 2100€, +/- 2900$.


    It haves:

    CPU: T7700 2.4Ghz
    Ram: 2GB 667mhz
    HDD: 300GB 4200rpm (Fujitsu)
    Vid Card: 8700M GT
    Screen: TFT Toshiba TruBrite® WSXGA+ (1680x1050)
    Drive: HD DVD -+R DL 30GB


    I hope to get some pretty nice bechs with the T7700...

    This model is clearly an Qosmio Killer :D
     
  48. Charles P. Jefferies

    Charles P. Jefferies Lead Moderator Super Moderator

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    It's not really a bad price considering the hardware. Nice machine! :)

    Here is what is in the box:
    [​IMG]

    With the higher-end S9359 (US) you'll get the TV tuner and remote too.

    Edit: I had to send the Toshiba back today so I wasn't able to get another 3DMark06 benchmark on it.
     
  49. ojchillinndc

    ojchillinndc Notebook Evangelist

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    WHAT!?! Chaz, you don't get to keep the 'puters. Man, I was going to ask you to send it to me.
     
  50. Kierkes

    Kierkes Misanthrope

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    [x100]LOL[/x100]

    Chaz's little untraportable has an 8 cell. AUMG. Blarg...it's what I get for jumping at the 8600M GT. But I had to get something for my July trip to Thailand. :)

    It's because I'm a battery life nutter. Once I hit the "ability to play some games for a couple of years" point battery life is all that matters to me.

    Would Crysis still run pretty smoothly on my 8600M GT? 256 GDDRTHREE. :D
     
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