Duo Core: Satellite P100-JR5

[YP5 Toronto]

Canadian Model
$2399 Suggested

Intel® Centrino® Duo Mobile Technology T2400/17.0" WXGA TFT w/TruBrite™/512MB+512MB DDR2/120GB HDD SATA/DVD Super-MultiDL+-/Intel 802.11 a/g/Sunlight Copper/IEEE 1394/MSOneNote 2003/WinXPHE


I have it for about 2 weeks :)

I will do some benchmarking next week. I am off to Vegas for the weekend.

Overall, the quality is awesome. Nice keyboard, great screen, well constructed.

Screen Shot of the Power.

[S_NINJA]

sweet.

does it have the same "touch and launch" keypad as the A100? (personally i don't like the new pad.)

btw: I had a chance to play w/ the Toshiba A100 (15.4" Core Duo) @ work. Tested RMclock on it, doesnt work... yet. stock voltage @ minium is 1.06V. But it has a 6000 mAh battery... :thumbup:

[darkevil]

yeah.. saw this at futureshop... it has that same launch pad on the mousepad.. i dont like it.. i find myself accidently turning it on when i use the scroller... :P the M100 has the same processor as the A100 but smaller display and crappier video card but it doesn't have that mousepad... i wish the M100 had the A100's video.. then that would be the way i'd go :P

[bluebike]

Hey YP5-Tdot,

I have a question. I am about to lay down some serious cash for the Qosimo but now I am wondering what the future holds with these dual cores. I need a new laptop fairly quickly, but I am curious how the P100 stacks up against the top of the line Qosimo.

I do mostly photography and some light video editing, but no gaming. A desktop replacement is what I am looking for. While the Qosimo comes with a lot more harddrive space, I am not concerned about this. I need to buy an external harddrive anyhow and memory is cheap. I would really appreciate any feedback! The P100 seems to have more graphics memory 256 vs 128, for the Qosimo, for these models at futureshop. The P100 is also about a grand cheaper, though I am not toooooooooo concerned about that.

Also, are there are any problems with getting one of these brand spankn' new dual cores? It seems risky when the Qosmio is quality.

Thanks!
BB

[Fidget]

core duo will be everywhere... its not going to go away any time soon.

the core duo in the p100 is a powerful one and will have more computing power than the single core in the qosmio. as for the graphics card it is about equal if not slightly more powerful. however the screen is nowhere near as amazing as the one that is in the qosmio, which has one of the most amazing screens on the market.


the p100 is good quality but personally i would wait a couple months and get the dual core qosmio when it is out cause really that will be the better machine in all respects.

[bluebike]

Hey Fidget,

Thanks for the reply!

I checked out the screen at London Drugs for the Qosmio and it was brilliant . . . so bright! I do want a top quality screen. When you compare it to the Powerbook G4 17" (1680x1050), the Qosmio already has lower resolution (1440x900), so I don't want to even go lower with the P100. However, it seems that the P100 and the Qosmio have identical, or almost identical screens. Compare please . . .

P100
WXGA TFT With Trubrite (1440x900) -- this is widescreen as well.

Qosmio
WideScreen WXGA With TruBrite (1440x900)

With the added graphics RAM on the P100, and the dual core, it seems like a better buy . . . especially with the $1000 savings.

More feedback is appreciated!
BB

[Fidget]

the screen on the qosmio is alot brighter than the p100 from what i know, although they have the same resolution and the same truebrite glossy coating the qosmio will be brighter by a pretty good margin.

the reason i said to wait for the new model qosmio (the G30 replacing the G20 currently out) is that it will have the better screen and 256mb of video ram (with a better video card too) as well as of course the dual core.

as it sits other than the screen the p100 is the better machine but that is a marginal difference because alot of programs cant use the dual core anyway, they are not coded to make real use of it. if you want a really high resolution screen you will end up not looking at toshiba sadly. i have wuxga screens on both my laptops, and i can feel your discomfort with the idea of a lower resolution.

[bluebike]

THANKS for that!

Now I just need to decide if I can wait several months for the G30. I already have Adobe CS/2 for Windows and my mp3 player is not Mac compatible . . . so I am going to have to endure the Toshiba resolution. Thus the Qosmio, either the G20 or G30, will be a better choice than the P100 for me.

[YP5 Toronto]

much of what fidget said...


1) the trubrite screen on the P100 uses a single lamp system, the Qosmio will be using a dual lamp system with a MUCh better color saturation (richer, more indepth color). The qosmio will be basically 2x as bright and have 2x better contrast ratio. NIGHT and DAY when comparing screens

2) Graphics card will be much better on the qosmio (as noted above)

3) Qomsio will have HD DVD and HDMI out

4) I think Canada will see 2 x 120GB SATA 5400 RPM drives, P100 is only 1 HD

5) $1000 more expensive, but I believe the value is there.

[YP5 Toronto]

6) the G30 in canada will have 256mb

[Fidget]

the dual hard drives are really sweet, i have 2 sata 80gb drives in my alienware and it is absolutely amazing, especially when in raid 0

[bluebike]

My decision is made up then, though I hope this G30 comes out soon, since I really cannot wait much longer. The dual hd seems really cool with the RAID, which sounds like it speeds things up as well.

It sounds like Intel took some short cuts with their intial dual core designs in a rush to get it to market. I trust Toshiba, but I worry about getting a lemon on this first wave of dual cores. Nevertheless, Toshiba seems to have much better Quality Control than say, Dell. I imagine that the cores will be much better in even a year, but I cannot wait that long.

[bluebike]

It seem that the Qosmio G30 will be available in the U.S. in March 2006. See the following:

See Your DVDs in HD: Well before the first Blu-ray Disc players come out, Toshiba's hot Qosmio notebook will debut with a built-in player using the rival HD-DVD format. This is the first laptop that will play HD-DVD discs and, even better, lets you use that box to play hi-def discs on your TV. Jack this baby via HDMI into a receiver and it'll support 1080p resolution. In effect, you can use this notebook as a high-end HD-DVD player. It will be available in March 2006, months before the first Blu-Ray boxes are due out. --Ramon G. McLeod (http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,124280,00.asp)

[Fidget]

yep should be sweet there blue....

not all dell is bad, though they have had some bad products at times quality wise. i know my xps m170 would be a solid competition to any of the current toshiba lineup

[bluebike]

Fellas,

Thanks for all of your help. I ended up going for the P100 in the end. Mostly because I went to the store and the P100 really fit my needs, was about a grand cheaper than the G20/25, dual core, etc. I love it! First of all, the website at FS is wrong. This P100 has 512 MB video memory. Unbelievable. Th salewoman at the store showed me the specs on the sample computer. I verified mine when I got home. I don't know why they and Toshiba have it wrong on their websites, but this is in fact true. Also, I just didn't need the TV, multimedia things on the Qosmio. It was all frillz to me. Maybe when my stereo goes to junk in 10 years, I'll consider an all-in-one media center.

Below is is what I wrote on a website for a review.

Thanks again!
blue

********
Pros: fast, great LCD, video memory is top of the line, speakers, mouse
Cons: cramped keyboard, battery*

*battery life is 3 hrs, but for all the power I actually don't think of that as a con.

I have only had the p100 for 1-day, but I am thoroughly impressed. It has dual cores, 1GB of memory and 512MB of video memory (the Toshiba an FS websites only show it having 256) -- but it is in fact 512! I have verified this on my machine and the store employee at Future Shop where I bought it also pointed this out.

The p100 powers on in about 1 minute. There is no waiting – Period! As soon as the windows desktop shows itself, you can begin launching programs. This computer accomplishes all of my high-res photography needs with ease. I have no doubt it will handle my video editing needs as well. The 17" high-resolution monitor has great resolution (1440x900), maybe not quite as good as the Powerbook G4 by Mac (1680x1050), but it is quite close. The screen is bright and glossy. My photos have never looked so clean and sharp. It is a desktop replacement. I am able to use photoshop with 5 photographs open, firefox, thunderbird, picassa, and winamp all running at once with no perceptible slowness. I did scan an 18 MB photograph (a massive file!) and photoshop took its time (15 seconds) to process some of my requested tasks like sharpening the photo, but this was a massive file. Note: the fan remained off during the entire processing. There were no hiccups and I was able to surf the web for the 15 seconds or so during the processing.

The onboard speakers are fantastic. I will no longer use my externals.

The keyboard is a bit cramped, but it does have a number pad if you need to enter data. The mousepad is great, very functional with some extras compared to my 2000 Dell Inspiron 4000. If you think you need the Qosmio, like I thought, I would seriously reconsider the p100 . . . it is $1000 CAD cheaper and handles all the software with ease, unless of course you plan on using your computer as an all-in-one media center, like using it as your TV, then you may want the Qosmio.

The p100 also has expandability with regards to memory, but I don't expect to need this unless somebody gives me a 20 MP digital camera for my bday. Anyone? Anyone?

The fan hardly ever comes on. It is so quiet with the dual cores. When the fan does go on, it goes off within 1 second . . . NO JOKE! The keyboard is also cool to the touch.

I have no real complaints. I spent a lot of time researching this purchase and I know I made the right choice and I am so happy I did not get the Qosmio. Even the store employee made this point clear to me.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

[suddste223]

.

[Echilon]

The Intel Core Duo is a Dual Core processor ;)

[bluebike]

Just an update for those on this post. The p100 is unbelievable! I have zero regrets about this purchase. Everything I said before is still true. I have worked with dozens of high-res photos and have had enough programs open at once that should have slowed down most computers, but not this one. It starts up and shuts down in seconds. I admit that I've never had a top of the line computer, but this thing shames any PC that I have ever used.

YP5 -- I am curious what your impresssions are thus far.

PEACE!

[trix88]

does the p100 have an s-video tv out jack?

[YP5 Toronto]

s-video
RGB
DVI-D

thats 3 to choose from

[YP5 Toronto]

i never really got a chance to give it a workout.... i was so busy.

(I do have my hands on a G30 HD DVD model)

[bachlei7]

hello bluebike,

thank you for posting your first impressions of your new toshiba p100. it seems to be a quite good machine concerning all the power. but what about the materials. i guess that everything is made of plastic (highquality plastic that ist typical of toshiba). does it seem also quite durable? what about the surface. does it seem resistable against scratches?

thank you for answering all these questions and best greeting from the old continent

clemens-vienna-austria

[darkevil]

i have the A100 which is the smaller model of the P100.. and the build quality is not too bad... i had one that i exchanged at first because the DVD Burner was rattling.. but the one i have now is really sturdy... the plastic is pretty standard of toshiba notebooks.. and i highly doubt it would be resistant to scratching lol

[Sunflowersky]

I'll agree the P100 is a sweet computer. Games play well on it, no problems with video card keeping up. The 4 USB hubs are great and the TV outputs for large screen play -- got my own gaming console. And yup I'll agree it starts up and shuts down in a snap.

Out of all the computers I've used -- this is by far te best one yet. Okay well except for the point that it's not working at the moment and in the shop -- but I'm hoping its just a glitch.

B

[suddste223]

I'll agree the P100 is a sweet computer. Games play well on it, no problems with video card keeping up. The 4 USB hubs are great and the TV outputs for large screen play -- got my own gaming console. And yup I'll agree it starts up and shuts down in a snap.

Out of all the computers I've used -- this is by far te best one yet. Okay well except for the point that it's not working at the moment and in the shop -- but I'm hoping its just a glitch.

B

Yeah, my laptop is better than any Computer I've used and in my house!

[coldcase]

Can't believe that they decided to put only a Geforce 7300 into the G30...Everything on that comp is top notch but they put a mainstream vid card....bad choice.:thumbdown

[YP5 Toronto]

Can't believe that they decided to put only a Geforce 7300 into the G30...Everything on that comp is top notch but they put a mainstream vid card....bad choice.:thumbdown


depends where you get it...

canada will have the 7800...

[coldcase]

depends where you get it...

canada will have the 7800...


I'm in Canada :) Thank you sir!

[Sunflowersky]

depends where you get it...

canada will have the 7800...



Are you sure about that -- cause mine is a Geforce Go 7300 with 512 mb
and I bought it in canada.

[YP5 Toronto]

Are you sure about that -- cause mine is a Geforce Go 7300 with 512 mb
and I bought it in canada.

show me where on Toshiba.ca you see a G30 for sale...

the G30 has not launched in Canada...

I'm hardly wrong :p

[Sunflowersky]

Okay wait I'm wrong -- wasn't talking about G30:oops:



I'll go slink back into my corner with my p100


show me where on Toshiba.ca you see a G30 for sale...

the G30 has not launched in Canada...

I'm hardly wrong :p

[bachlei7]

i was about to buy the toshiba satellite p100. but unfortunately the entire keyboard bends easily through when tapping. what is our opinion??? maybe i'm overestimating this fact.

bachlei7

[Fidget]

i was about to buy the toshiba satellite p100. but unfortunately the entire keyboard bends easily through when tapping. what is our opinion??? maybe i'm overestimating this fact.

bachlei7


some "flex" is normal but the amount really depends on what your personal preference in that is

[sairasu]

... First of all, the website at FS is wrong. This P100 has 512 MB video memory. Unbelievable. Th salewoman at the store showed me the specs on the sample computer. I verified mine when I got home. I don't know why they and Toshiba have it wrong on their websites, but this is in fact true. ...

Hey Bluebike. Would you mind verifying if this is what you mean by FS being wrong??

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0665000FS10070939&catid=

Thanks!! I want to make sure this 512 MB video memory is the real deal (from FS, that is) :)

[YP5 Toronto]

It Does Not Have 512mb

[BlitzKRG]

I went to futureshop...and the sales guy was using the 512mb videocard thing as a sales argument.... He was pushing really hard on it, saying its the only laptop with such a card. He then ran a dxdiag and it showed 512mb on the graphic card (I know it must be some kind of bug or whatever). If it doesn't have 512mb, how can they get away with blatantly lying about that.

[zwillyc]

I just got my JR5 about 30 hours ago and I am loving every minute i spend with it. It is so great i don't even know where to begin. I enjoyed a great movie on the 17 in widescreen and what a thrill it was.

The only downside is that the battery lasts less than 2 hours. Does anyone know where I can buy a 9-cell battery as a backup for the P100?

[YP5 Toronto]

go to www.toshiba.ca and call them....they will ship in a couple of business days

[zwillyc]

But i don't like to buy online, is there any stores or outlets that might carry the 9-cell option? (It's very rare to find, even on the internet).

[YP5 Toronto]

why do you have issues buying online direct from one of the largest notebook company / market share companies in Canada?

Regardless, call them up, ask them for the closest authorized reseller / service provider and you can special order one...it will take longer and may be more expensive.

You can visit a FutureShop or Staples and they may be willing to special order one, but it will take even longer.

[YP5 Toronto]

oh..and you can place orders over the phone if you don't want to do it online.

[zwillyc]

btw, I'm using the Logitech MX1000 Laser mouse with the new laptop. And it rocks ass. I've only used it for internet browsing right now but I'm going to try it on games and FPS and stuff.

YP5, have you thought about getting a 9-cell battery as an upgrade or a backup and do you think I should get it?

[aigle_hawk]

the dual hard drives are really sweet, i have 2 sata 80gb drives in my alienware and it is absolutely amazing, especially when in raid 0
What do u mean by dual HD. Can u pls explain it? I am confused.
Thanks!

[g00nter]

What do u mean by dual HD. Can u pls explain it? I am confused.
Thanks!
He means that his laptop has two 80GB hard drives in it.

[aigle_hawk]

Thanks. Just the dual confused me. LOl, u know the dual core has made this word a bit hot.

[Sunflowersky]

It Does Not Have 512mb


If it doesn't have 512mb than how come the nvidia control panel says it has 512mb of memory under the graphics card info

[Bad_Boy_Bubby]

Question:

Can a USA buyer purchase from Toshiba.ca?

If so, would a Toshiba extended warranty purchased from Toshiba.ca be honored in the USA for that unit?

[Bad_Boy_Bubby]

If it doesn't have 512mb than how come the nvidia control panel says it has 512mb of memory under the graphics card info

I think he is talking about the one in Canada:
256MB NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300

Which now kills it for me.

[g00nter]

Question:

Can a USA buyer purchase from Toshiba.ca?

If so, would a Toshiba extended warranty purchased from Toshiba.ca be honored in the USA for that unit?
Q1. No, you have to be a Canadian Resident (meaning the laptop is being shipped to an address in Canada) in order to buy from Toshiba.ca.
Q2. Yes. Toshiba warranties are global. Meaning even if you by your laptop in Tasmania you could get it fixed in Siberia if you want, and can find an authorized repair facility.

[circusmidget]

First of all, the P100 does have 512 MB of video memory... but the card only has 256 MB DEDICATED video memory. the 512 MB is shared memory. Otherwise, being an owner of a p100, i love it. i game on it for hours on end and nothing has gone wrong really, except the fan kept spinning up when it wasnt supposed to, overheating problem? anyway, i found out it was an isolated incident from toshiba so...

Peace

[zwillyc]

I got a problem. I tried to use partition magic to partition the hard drive on the P100-JR5 and it won't work.

[phogsten]

circusmidget,

It sounds like the card you are refering to is a Hiper memory video card (i.e., it has 256 MB of RAM configured on it and is able to access another 256 MB of memory from system memory. Please verify that this is correct and that it is in fact either a NVIDIA GeForce 7300 or 7600?

Thanks,

Paul

(see my new post 25% off M100, P100, & A100)

[Lexstasy]

Im from Toronto, and was very interested in purchasing the new Qosmio G30 (G35 in the US). However, after further research, i found that the US model was better spec'd than the model we got here. The G35-AV650 in the US gets a 256MB DDR3 dedicated Nvidia GO 7600, whereas we only get 128MB here in Canada for about the same price. I just bought the G35_AV650 in the US and should be getting it this week.

As for the 512MB of video RAM question. It just isn't true. I have yet to see a Toshiba laptop offer a 512MB dedicated video card. It just doesn't exist. I was at future shop and one of the sales reps also tried to push a sale of a P100 to me telling me that the laptop has 512MB of video ram. As far as i know, its basically a regular 256mb video card which is shared allocated ram and not dedicated.