Review: Toshiba P25-S607 In Depth

[soulreaper]

I got my hands on a brand new Toshiba P25-S607 laptop with the following specs:

Pentium 4 - 2.8ghz with HyperThreading and 800mhz FSB
1gb DDR266 Memory (upgraded from stock 512mb)
60gb 5400 rpm hard drive
DVD-RW+
17 inch WXGA
Remote Control
Nvidia GeForce FX Go5200 with 64mb DDR VRAM
TV-Tunner Module
Dual Hard Drive Compatible
Integrated 8.02.11 wireless LAN
Harman/Kordon Stereo Speakers with subwoofer
IEEE 1394 port and Secure Digital slot
Windows Media Center Edition

Price = $2843 with tax for the laptop
Memory upgrade price for 2 sticks of 512mb DDR266 200-pin = $184 with shipping


First Impressions
I had a chance to look at this laptop at the local Circuit City. It's definately big...and heavy, but powerful and robust with features. I decided to purchase the laptop. I purchased a targus laptop backpack to carry it...and it bairly fits in it. I was rather impressed with the HyperThreading processor in the laptop. Programs seemed to be quick and zippy. The screen is awesome. I played AOE2 and Counter-Strike for about 2 hours without ghosting or shadowing.

Desktop Screen Shot
http://webpages.charter.net/fefist/Laptop_Reviews/Toshiba_P25-S607/Desktop.jpg

3D Mark 2001
Settings:
http://webpages.charter.net/fefist/Laptop_Reviews/Toshiba_P25-S607/3Dmark2001se2.jpg

Score:
http://webpages.charter.net/fefist/Laptop_Reviews/Toshiba_P25-S607/3Dmark2001se.jpg

PC Mark 2002
Score:
http://webpages.charter.net/fefist/Laptop_Reviews/Toshiba_P25-S607/PCmark2002.jpg

Sandra 2002
Cache & Memory Benchmark:
http://webpages.charter.net/fefist/Laptop_Reviews/Toshiba_P25-S607/Sandra2002-1.jpg

Memory Bandwidth Benchmark:
http://webpages.charter.net/fefist/Laptop_Reviews/Toshiba_P25-S607/Sandra2002-2.jpg

CPU Multi-Media Benchmark:
http://webpages.charter.net/fefist/Laptop_Reviews/Toshiba_P25-S607/Sandra2002-3.jpg

CPU Arithmetic Menchmark:
http://webpages.charter.net/fefist/Laptop_Reviews/Toshiba_P25-S607/Sandra2002-4.jpg

3D Mark 2003
Settings:
http://webpages.charter.net/fefist/Laptop_Reviews/Toshiba_P25-S607/3Dmark2003-1.jpg

Score:
http://webpages.charter.net/fefist/Laptop_Reviews/Toshiba_P25-S607/3Dmark2003-2.jpg

Laptop Pros:
- Huge Screen
- No Ghosting
- Zippy Processor
- Spacious hard drive
- DVD-Burning capabilities
- Nice speakers
Laptop Cons:
- Horrible Video Card Performance
- Slow Hard Drive
- Size
- Weight

Final Impressions
So from all this information…what kind of person would use this laptop? A person who does exactly what it’s made for…a media center. Playing DVD’s, Browsing the internet, Writing email, maybe some programming, but definitely not gaming. Games that require low FPS like Counter-Strike and AOE2, it works fine, but I wouldn’t even want to try Unreal Tournament 2003.

I did love the speakers and the screen though…but that is about all this laptop has. So with that all said, I say pass on this laptop.

[e2g]

How does this thing work in Photoshop>?
Any Sysmark scrores (Maybe Internet Content Creation scores):cheers:

[soulreaper]

The laptop worked pretty good in photoshop once it loaded. It took about 30seconds to load with the slower 5400rpm hard drive.

Any other benchmarks, please post a link, and I'll do it up. The laptop goes back the 11th...so lets get this thing fully tested before then. :banana:

[phubar]

DDR 266 memory?

The 865PE chipset used in that machine supports dual-channel DDR400 memory. I wonder why Toshiba doesn't advertise that capability anywhere... It looks like all they offer withthe machine is the single-channel PC2100 memory.

Very strange.

-phubar

[GlenBA]

Originally posted by soulreaper
I purchased a targus laptop backpack to carry it...and it bairly fits in it.

Do you know which model Targus it is? Is it a roller/backpack or just a backpack?

Laptop Pros:
- Huge Screen
- No Ghosting
- Zippy Processor

Sure is a step up from my old, 3800 Inspiron 650Mhz PIII. At least 350% faster. Processing Canon CRW files on it while on vacation was torture.

- Spacious hard drive
- DVD-Burning capabilities

The CostCo version does't have that, just the DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive. I purchased a Sony 510UL, firewire/USB 2.0 burner, and use it on any machine in the house and burn just about any disc except DVD-ROM. If it's W2K or above, you just plug it in, sometimes have to reboot if it's the first time the drive has been connected, and presto, your burning.

- Nice speakers
Laptop Cons:
- Horrible Video Card Performance

Better than the 32MB on the orginal and CostCo version. I had to test at 16Bit and 800x600 to equal your 3DMark 2001 score 32Bit and 1024x768. I wonder if the video card is upgradable?

- Slow Hard Drive

I don't know about the other P25's, but the CostCo version has a 4200RPM drive. Your hard drive score is about 27% faster, as is the drives RPM. I'm hoping that a 7200RPM will give me about a 70-75% increase in drive speed.

- Size
- Weight

It's just huge, isn't it. But I only travel 1-3 times a year, and usually for more than a week at a time. So the machine mainly sits on my desk, next to the dual LCD/CRT monitor setup I have for my video/gaming tower.

GlenBA

[GlenBA]

Originally posted by phubar
DDR 266 memory?

The 865PE chipset used in that machine supports dual-channel DDR400 memory. I wonder why Toshiba doesn't advertise that capability anywhere... It looks like all they offer withthe machine is the single-channel PC2100 memory.

Very strange.

-phubar

Do you know what dual-channel SODIMMs would fit? I'd like to upgrade to 1G, and since it is 2x256, I'll have to buy 2x512MB anyway. So why not get dual instead of the standard? Crucial finally has the P25 listed, $50 cheaper per SODIMM than on the Kingston website. They have generic 200-pin PC2100 that has the same specs as the memory for the P25 (same price also), and they have 200-pin PC2700 (is that DDR400?) for $20 more.

GlenBA

[lockery]

I picked up one of these from Best Buy. Total cost to me is 1500 with the extended warrenty. Work is picking up the rest. :) So far, I have enjoyed the computer and works great for work. What type of backpack will hold a laptop this big and still allow for some college engineering books?

[burbanite]

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by phubar
DDR 266 memory?

The 865PE chip set used in that machine supports dual-channel DDR400 memory. I wonder why Toshiba doesn't advertise that capability anywhere... It looks like all they offer with the machine is the single-channel PC2100 memory.

Very strange.

-phubar


Originally posted by GlenBA
Do you know what dual-channel SODIMMs would fit? I'd like to upgrade to 1G, and since it is 2x256, I'll have to buy 2x512MB anyway. So why not get dual instead of the standard? Crucial finally has the P25 listed, $50 cheaper per SODIMM than on the Kingston website. They have generic 200-pin PC2100 that has the same specs as the memory for the P25 (same price also), and they have 200-pin PC2700 (is that DDR400?) for $20 more.

GlenBA


Toshiba support (for what it's worth) told me the chip set does support the DDR400 BUT they were getting their info straight from the Intel website and not their own knowledge of the product they sell?????

The 865PE uses DDR400, this is Intel information.

If you use the memory selection option on the Crucial website it only offers PC2100 for this model not the PC3200 (DDR 400). I spoke to them about it and their very knowledgeable support guy told that in all likelihood the OEM (Toshiba) version is locked down at the lower BUS speed and although you can use DDR 400 it will show no increase in performance. He told me to see if the I could adjust the BUS speed in the bios as this may be a possibility although unlikely in his estimation.

[JeffinFlorida]

Originally posted by soulreaper
The laptop worked pretty good in photoshop once it loaded. It took about 30seconds to load with the slower 5400rpm hard drive.

Any other benchmarks, please post a link, and I'll do it up. The laptop goes back the 11th...so lets get this thing fully tested before then. :banana:

That cant be right. I have the same speed drive in my 8887 and my machine should be significantly slower anyways with the slower FSB. Photoshop 7.0 loads in about 5-6 seconds on mine.

Jeff

[soulreaper]

Just giving the facts man.

[JeffinFlorida]

I know - I had just hoped that you meant 3 and not 30 :)

Seriously considering this laptop... The only holdback is the slow memory and video card... Dont know if I can get around those.. :(

I was up for my second Sager, but im waiting on the SXGA screens and frankly, Im not liking the production habits of Clevo at the moment.. So much for consumer confidence.

Jeff

[soulreaper]

Just get the new alienware area-51m. They are fantastic machines. I love mine. Plus it has upgradable video, cpu, memory, hard drive, wireless, and media drive. Comes standard with a ATI 9600 with 128mb memory and DDR333. You should check them out...

[JeffinFlorida]

A little out of my price range. :( I need to spend a max of 2100 after shipping and everything.

Jeff

[JeffinFlorida]

Sasafrasinfraserfrasin.... Not to mention they are in Florida, which adds almost $200 MORE to the total in tax... lame.

Jeff

[ibs]

Final Impressions So from all this information…what kind of person would use this laptop? A person who does exactly what it’s made for…a media center. Playing DVD’s, Browsing the internet, Writing email, maybe some programming, but definitely not gaming. Games that require low FPS like Counter-Strike and AOE2, it works fine, but I wouldn’t even want to try Unreal Tournament 2003.

Hi,

I dont understand why your system is definitely not for gaming. You got 64 dedicated video, 2.8 Ghz processor and 1 Gig of Ram. What is missing?

[aussie]

Originally posted by ibs
Hi,

I dont understand why your system is definitely not for gaming. You got 64 dedicated video, 2.8 Ghz processor and 1 Gig of Ram. What is missing? A Sager Logo? :lol:

[ibs]

jah, jah,

Im planning to get that missing Sager logo by ordering the new 4080 when it becomes available. Im just wondering what more is missing in a high-end system like the Toshiba, since it is described as definitely not for gaming.

[aussie]

I had a look at the Toshiba (having owned several in the past) and I found it looked more like the landing deck of an aircraft carrier than an actual laptop. The thing I noticed was that the leading edge of the wrist support area was a sharp edge. IMHO you would have cut off circulation to your hands if you were using it for any length of time.

The other downside I could see was the low resolution. Whilst it is wide screen the resolution seemed to be a bit low for my liking.

I also believe it does not support dual channel operation and the memory speed has been capped at a 533 FSB.

[Divine_Madcat]

Originally posted by ibs
Hi,

I dont understand why your system is definitely not for gaming. You got 64 dedicated video, 2.8 Ghz processor and 1 Gig of Ram. What is missing?

It is sad to see people still sucked in by memory alone... i guess that is how NV sells the 5200.. lol

ANyway, the CPU and RAM are WORTHLESS without a good GPU. In this case, the laptop does NOT have a good GPU, therefore, it cant play games at all..

[ibs]

Im starting to realize this. But to clear things up, 64 mb dedicated graphics is sufficient given that you have a good graphics card to go with (say for gaming), and that the Geoforce 5200 is not one of them.

I see from other posts that the Ati 9600 Pro, to be included in the new 4080 is good. So with 128 dedicated ram, I should be well equipped for all occasions?

[Divine_Madcat]

Originally posted by ibs
Im starting to realize this. But to clear things up, 64 mb dedicated graphics is sufficient given that you have a good graphics card to go with (say for gaming), and that the Geoforce 5200 is not one of them.

I see from other posts that the Ati 9600 Pro, to be included in the new 4080 is good. So with 128 dedicated ram, I should be well equipped for all occasions?

Correct. I think you have the hang of things now. :)

[Alien69]

[/COLOR]Do you know what dual-channel SODIMMs would fit? I'd like to upgrade to 1G, and since it is 2x256, I'll have to buy 2x512MB anyway. So why not get dual instead of the standard? Crucial finally has the P25 listed, $50 cheaper per SODIMM than on the Kingston website. They have generic 200-pin PC2100 that has the same specs as the memory for the P25 (same price also), and they have 200-pin PC2700 (is that DDR400?) for $20 more.

GlenBA
[COLOR=Indigo] I found out a few more strange things with Toshiba I was looking in to info on who makes the board they use for this model the p25 s607. Well to my suprise they will tell you nothing at all and the reason they wont tell you any info is becasue they dont want you doing any of the cheap upgrades to make this machine 100 % better then it already is so that you will buy the next model up. Here is what I found out It will take faster Memory that being the DDR 400. But now get this after talking to one of there Offical Toshiba fix it centers the guy there gave me this info the board suports the Pent 4 2.8....3.0 and the 3.2 with not one problem at all. the Board stays cool running at 105 Deg.

I also wanted people to know I play just about every hard core game on this machine and it not only can handle it I beat most gamers with systems that are sold just for gaming like Alienware and Falcon I own an Alienware system that is running the pent 4 3.06 chip set and the Toshiba 607 with the few upgrades kicks its ass all over the place with its 3.2 up grade chip and I am running a gig of DDR 2700.

So there you have it folks. One thing I still could not find out was who is the board maker for the Toshiba p25 Model s607 it has Thoshibs printed all over it and all the software out there says the same thing when you run a systems check but it for sure is not a Toshiba board I have heard from people in England that it is a intel board. PLEASE ANY ONE WHO HAS THAT INFO PLEASE EMAIL ME ASAP OR POST IT THANKS.

[Alien69]

I had a look at the Toshiba (having owned several in the past) and I found it looked more like the landing deck of an aircraft carrier than an actual laptop. The thing I noticed was that the leading edge of the wrist support area was a sharp edge. IMHO you would have cut off circulation to your hands if you were using it for any length of time.

The other downside I could see was the low resolution. Whilst it is wide screen the resolution seemed to be a bit low for my liking.

I also believe it does not support dual channel operation and the memory speed has been capped at a 533 FSB.
[COLOR=DarkRed] Please tell me how it is you give a Review on somthing you have never even used. First of all the FSB is 800 on this model it takes the 400 Dual memory I am running it now and as far as game play there is nothing out that I cant play on here that I can play on my new Alienware system with twice the specs this has and it runs everything smooth clean and the screen is amazing. I added two sticks of 1024 to the mix and maxed out the memory. I also put in the 80 Gig hard drive that bost 5400 but it runns with 16 on the cache instead of the norm with just 8 makes, game play amazing. So for you out there that are scared off by people who dont even own this computer but give a review anyway. please don't listen to the people that dont even own one. Another thing that Toshibe will not tell you is that you can put the Pent 4 3.2 MHZ chip on this unit that comes stock with the 2.8MHZ they also dont tell you that you can run the 400 speed dual memory and the reason they dont tell you this and tell you not to is simple they then will not have anymore models to offer in the p25 series so people take the risk free jump.Go buy this unit now thats its over $1000 dollars off the retail price it first came out with take the $1000 you save and buy the 3.2 chip and two sticks of DDR 400 1024 and you will have a notebook none of the jokers that spend over $7000 grand will be able to beat. I have no reason to pull your leg if anyone needs the specs for the mod change just let me know I will give you the new specs I have in my machine and what ever you do don't look to Toshibe for any help on upgrades they just want your money for the next model the p25 609 and with the few new mods I did this is 10 times the computer that could ever be.

Thanks All

[JasonB]

Where are you finding DDR400/PC3200 200 pin SODIMM's at? The highest I have seen is PC2700/DDR333 in SODIMM's from crucial and Kingston.

[Alien69]

Where are you finding DDR400/PC3200 200 pin SODIMM's at? The highest I have seen is PC2700/DDR333 in SODIMM's from crucial and Kingston.
Jason Kingston carrys a line of what you are looking for try them first if they not longer stock it becasue its hard to get try crucial if they dont have they will but they told me there only doing runs of the 1024 every six months becasue there is a slow demand for it becasue of the price.

[JasonB]

I didnt find it on either crucial or kingston's website. Looked on pricewatch.com and didnt find it there. I did a search on google and found one place with it. http://www.4allmemory.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.ddr_memory_notebook

And they only go up to 512mb sims.

[Alien69]

I didnt find it on either crucial or kingston's website. Looked on pricewatch.com and didnt find it there. I did a search on google and found one place with it. http://www.4allmemory.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.ddr_memory_notebook

And they only go up to 512mb sims.


Jason I don't know what to tell you. I know its very hard to get like I said they only do one small run of this memory a year. The reason for this is simple there is almost no demand for it do to the heavy price its like buying another computer just for the two chips I paid for. I think you will see even know alot of companys that say they sell the 1024 any speed but when you try to get it your not going to they dont stock it or they are sold out becasue they make such small amounts. If you want to know the truth I dont see any huge difrance from running 4 512 chips over two 1024 chips so there you go but I can tell you they did and do make it becasue I have two sticks running in this PC right now. If there is any other info I can help you with please let me know I would be happy to find out any info I know.

[nocturne2]

Does anyone own of of these and had an opportunity to upgrade the HD or made any other performance mods? If there is a 7200rpm drive available that will work, I may buy this model next week and stuff it with a faster drive and faster ram. So far, I can't seem to find the detailed specs on the IDE controller. The supplied drives are ata-5, but all of the 7200rpm beasties I can find are ata-6. Info on any other mod info would be nice as well. I want to buy a nice bag of goodies to go with it.

:scratch:


Regards

[Alien69]

[/COLOR]
[COLOR=Indigo] I found out a few more strange things with Toshiba I was looking in to info on who makes the board they use for this model the p25 s607. Well to my suprise they will tell you nothing at all and the reason they wont tell you any info is becasue they dont want you doing any of the cheap upgrades to make this machine 100 % better then it already is so that you will buy the next model up. Here is what I found out It will take faster Memory that being the DDR 400. But now get this after talking to one of there Offical Toshiba fix it centers the guy there gave me this info the board suports the Pent 4 2.8....3.0 and the 3.2 with not one problem at all. the Board stays cool running at 105 Deg.

I also wanted people to know I play just about every hard core game on this machine and it not only can handle it I beat most gamers with systems that are sold just for gaming like Alienware and Falcon I own an Alienware system that is running the pent 4 3.06 chip set and the Toshiba 607 with the few upgrades kicks its ass all over the place with its 3.2 up grade chip and I am running a gig of DDR 2700.

So there you have it folks. One thing I still could not find out was who is the board maker for the Toshiba p25 Model s607 it has Thoshibs printed all over it and all the software out there says the same thing when you run a systems check but it for sure is not a Toshiba board I have heard from people in England that it is a intel board. PLEASE ANY ONE WHO HAS THAT INFO PLEASE EMAIL ME ASAP OR POST IT THANKS.

In t he states there are the stores Circut City I dont really like then much but they have great deals on Memory you can get the Dual 512s They have 2700 and I beleave the 3200 you will see a big Difrance.

To all of you out there that say this is no Gaming machine I will prove you all wrong I have spent that last 3 weeks testing just about every game out there to see how the 607 holds up next to my Alienware Pent 4 3.06 with twice the Video cars as this and the 607 holds its own. I am not much for playing games on any notebook but if your holding off buying this notebook becasue of the few out there that don't even own the 607 but they sure have alot to say about it go for it this machine is amzing and its price is $1000 Dollars cheaper online so for what your getting at that price you cant beat it. I am starting to use my machine so much its becoming my right hand.

I took it on a road trip over thanksgiving weekend I had it pluged in to my Car to see how it would hold up letting my daughter in the back seat watch DVDs and play games for hours and it held up to another hard test. Not only that but there where many times when I set the 607 to snoop out WiFi Connections on the road and it was amazing in finding local WiFi.

I have spent alot of time finding as many little short cutts as I can to let anyone who wants info over and beyond the very little Toshiba released.

I wrote back a while ago that I was looking for a program or some one that knows what board Toshiba has in there 607 model and no one could help me a few people sent me software to try and fins out but it was not giving me the full specs but then I downl loaded Karens power tools and let me tell you that program will tell you what screws they used to put this computer together was very detailed and broke everything down I wanted to know for overclocking or any other info you may want.

Games Tested this week,Battle Field runs it perfect,Starsky and Hutch another perfect score. Halo it ran Halo perfect and amazed even me. The way I talk about this machine you would think I work for Toshiba but far from it I for the most part Hated this Company until I used this Notebook.

If anyone needs any Info let me know thanks for reading my reports.

[Alien69]

Does anyone own of of these and had an opportunity to upgrade the HD or made any other performance mods? If there is a 7200rpm drive available that will work, I may buy this model next week and stuff it with a faster drive and faster ram. So far, I can't seem to find the detailed specs on the IDE controller. The supplied drives are ata-5, but all of the 7200rpm beasties I can find are ata-6. Info on any other mod info would be nice as well. I want to buy a nice bag of goodies to go with it.

:scratch:


Regards

You can upgrade the hard Drive with the Hitachi 7200 RPM but thats going to run you around $600 Dollars ... Alot of people dont know this but the HD in the 607 is a 5400 but instead of it being the 8 bit this one runs the 16 bit buffer and that makes it almost as fast as the 7400 so for the money I would upgrade the CPU and Memory.

[Alien69]

I was just wondering how is it that you know it will suprt the Dual 400 Memory and if so where is it that you can get it for this machine the fastest I see is the 2700 Dual.

Thanks

[nocturne2]

Thanks for all of the detailed info. You guys are great! After wearing my forefinger down to a knub on my mousepad, looking for info on new notebooks, I have decided to buy the P25 when I visit Hong Kong next week. Here is the list of upgrades that I know are doable so far:

$250 -Hitachi 7K60 7200rpm review: http://www6.tomshardware.com/mobile/20031031/index.html
$212 -CORSAIR 1024M DDR400 PC3200 SDRAM: $212/each
$270 -P4 3.06GHz

For me, the first thing to do is add the 7200rpm drive as the boot drive. The stock drive is the biggest bottleneck in the system. Plus, I need 2 drives for the apps I use.

This machine is almost as upgradable as a desktop and really has excellent potential for power nutz. The only drawback is the inability to upgrade the video card. However, it can already handle any game on the market without any difficulty and the upgrades should keep it competitive even for new games that come out next year. Not to mention potential for over-clocking - this thing has excellent cooling for a notebook. I will try to post some before and after benchmarking as I do the upgrades.

Cheers

:cheers:

[JasonB]

Thanks for all of the detailed info. You guys are great! After wearing my forefinger down to a knub on my mousepad, looking for info on new notebooks, I have decided to buy the P25 when I visit Hong Kong next week. Here is the list of upgrades that I know are doable so far:

$250 -Hitachi 7K60 7200rpm review: http://www6.tomshardware.com/mobile/20031031/index.html
$212 -CORSAIR 1024M DDR400 PC3200 SDRAM: $212/each
$270 -P4 3.06GHz

For me, the first thing to do is add the 7200rpm drive as the boot drive. The stock drive is the biggest bottleneck in the system. Plus, I need 2 drives for the apps I use.

This machine is almost as upgradable as a desktop and really has excellent potential for power nutz. The only drawback is the inability to upgrade the video card. However, it can already handle any game on the market without any difficulty and the upgrades should keep it competitive even for new games that come out next year. Not to mention potential for over-clocking - this thing has excellent cooling for a notebook. I will try to post some before and after benchmarking as I do the upgrades.

Cheers

:cheers:

You can get them with a 3ghz processor I dont think that .06 would be worth the extra $270.

Where did you find the mem?

Good price on the drive, dunno where that $600 figure came from on the other post!

[sleddog]

Sorry don't mean to be a grinch about it, but how has anyone confirmed (exactly) that the PC3200 works at its max speed?

The toshiba specs say the 607 max memory speed is 266 ... the toshiba/compuserve forum has a couple of posts noting that if you put better memory in the machine it will still use it at 266 ( http://forums.compuserve.com/vlforums/default.asp?SRV=Toshiba&loc=us ).

It sure seems to me that based on chipset the 607 "should" work with 266/333/400 DDR fine but why are people on compuserve forum noting that the memory will not run faster than 266? Is this just bad info/misinformation from toshiba? Are they just wanting people to buy higher model P25?

If someone can clarify what utilities/etc were run diagnosting/confirming machine after upgrade takes full advantage of PC3200 that would help me justify change.

Thanks in advance!

[JasonB]

Sorry don't mean to be a grinch about it, but how has anyone confirmed (exactly) that the PC3200 works at its max speed?

The toshiba specs say the 607 max memory speed is 266 ... the toshiba/compuserve forum has a couple of posts noting that if you put better memory in the machine it will still use it at 266 ( http://forums.compuserve.com/vlforums/default.asp?SRV=Toshiba&loc=us ).

It sure seems to me that based on chipset the 607 "should" work with 266/333/400 DDR fine but why are people on compuserve forum noting that the memory will not run faster than 266? Is this just bad info/misinformation from toshiba? Are they just wanting people to buy higher model P25?

If someone can clarify what utilities/etc were run diagnosting/confirming machine after upgrade takes full advantage of PC3200 that would help me justify change.

Thanks in advance!

I beleive the assumption is made because of the chipset it uses and that it is running at a 800mhz bus.

I'd like to see someone test it also, there has got to be some software out there somewhere.

[nocturne2]

I found some confirmation from Kingston on the memory issue here:

http://www.ec.kingston.com/ecom/configurator/modelsinfo.asp?SysID=+16634+&distributor=0&submit1=Search

KTT3614/xxx (266) and KTT3311/xxx (333) are both supported for this system but will only run at 266MHz.

Maybe there will be a bios update or mod in the future that will allow full memory bandwidth. Until then, at least I won't have that itch in the back of my mind telling me to spend $2000 on memory.

:scratch:

[nocturne2]

Not giving up on the memory thing...

Can someone with a P25 run PCMark2002 on it and post the memory results? If we can get some measurements of a stock machine and one with DDR400, we'll have our answer.

I posted a free copy of PCMark2002 Pro on my ftp server:

ftp://ftp.thesleeper.org/pub/

Thanks!

:cheers:

[sleddog]

My machine P25 S607 is "not quite" stock it has 256 PC2100/266 original memory + 512 PC2700/333 (with both in there it has to run 266 i think). (It's also dual boot with Server 2003 but here is install/results from XP/MCE system):

System Configuration
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP
DirectX Version 8.1
Mobo Manufacturer TOSHIBA
Mobo Model BTQ00
AGP Rates (Current/Available) 2x / 4x 8x

CPU Intel Pentium 4 2730 MHz
FSB 0 MHz
Memory 766 MB
Graphics Chipset Generic VGA
Driver Name NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200
Driver Version 6.14.10.4422
Video Memory 64 MB

Detailed Test Results
CPU Score 6646
Memory Score 5409
HDD Score 434

CPU Tests
Jpeg Decoding 20.6 MPixels/s
Zlib Compression 8.2 MB/s
Zlib Decompression 98.1 MB/s
Text Search 355.8 KRounds/s
Audio Conversion 115.1 KB/s
3D Vector Calculation 68.3 FPS

Memory Tests
Raw Block Read - 3072KB 1759.1 MB/s
Raw Block Read - 536KB 1761.6 MB/s
Raw Block Read - 384KB 10661.5 MB/s
Raw Block Read - 48KB 11224.3 MB/s
Raw Block Read - 6KB 20488.1 MB/s
Raw Block Write - 3072KB 633.6 MB/s
Raw Block Write - 1536KB 657.1 MB/s
Raw Block Write - 384KB 8914.6 MB/s
Raw Block Write - 48KB 9311.9 MB/s
Raw Block Write - 6KB 9147.0 MB/s
Raw Block Modify - 3072KB 652.8 MB/s
Raw Block Modify - 536KB 646.8 MB/s
Raw Block Modify - 384KB 7041.8 MB/s
Raw Block Modify - 48KB 6414.4 MB/s
Raw Block Modify - 6KB 8758.5 MB/s
Random Access - 24576 (1536KB) items 1609.1 MB/s
Random Access - 12288 (768KB) items 1594.9 MB/s
Random Access - 6144 (384KB) items 6513.3 MB/s
Random Access - 1536 (96KB) items 7231.7 MB/s
Random Access - 768 (48KB) items 7089.7 MB/s
Random Access - 96 (6KB) items 10648.9 MB/s

Video - 1 line 1359.0 FPS
Video - 4 lines 1293.0 FPS
Video - 16 lines 1169.3 FPS
Video - 32 lines 1001.4 FPS

Hard Disk Tests
Cached File Write 16.9 MB/s
Uncached File Write 9.8 MB/s
Cached File Read 15.8 MB/s
Uncached File Read 15.1 MB/s
File Copy 4.6 MB/s

Hmmm motherboard TOSHIBA MTB00 ???

[sleddog]

Sorry BTQ00 what is that?

[nocturne2]

Thanks for the data. It seems like a pretty fast system. If you removed the 266MHz ram and tested only with the 333MHz ram, you might be able to see a difference in memory bandwidth. If you don't see any difference, then we can probably assume it is locked at a max of 266MHz.

Maybe we can get some service info on the motherboard, using the part number BTQ00.


:scratch:

[sleddog]

Ok I pulled out the 256 of original pc2100/266 DDR and here are my results with 512 of pc2700/333 DDR. Looks faster to me who knows more about what this means?

Detailed Test Results
CPU Score 6715
Memory Score 6044
HDD Score 565

CPU Tests
Jpeg Decoding 20.5 MPixels/s
Zlib Compression 8.3 MB/s
Zlib Decompression 107.4 MB/s
Text Search 356.7 KRounds/s
Audio Conversion 115.7 KB/s
3D Vector Calculation 68.2 FPS

Memory Tests
Raw Block Read - 3072KB 2018.1 MB/s
Raw Block Read - 536KB 2042.4 MB/s
Raw Block Read - 384KB 10658.5 MB/s
Raw Block Read - 48KB 11244.1 MB/s
Raw Block Read - 6KB 20578.8 MB/s
Raw Block Write - 3072KB 857.4 MB/s
Raw Block Write - 1536KB 850.1 MB/s
Raw Block Write - 384KB 8856.7 MB/s
Raw Block Write - 48KB 9320.3 MB/s
Raw Block Write - 6KB 9184.3 MB/s
Raw Block Modify - 3072KB 865.1 MB/s
Raw Block Modify - 536KB 861.7 MB/s
Raw Block Modify - 384KB 6201.1 MB/s
Raw Block Modify - 48KB 6422.2 MB/s
Raw Block Modify - 6KB 8768.4 MB/s
Random Access - 24576 (1536KB) items 1808.2 MB/s
Random Access - 12288 (768KB) items 1792.5 MB/s
Random Access - 6144 (384KB) items 6558.0 MB/s
Random Access - 1536 (96KB) items 7337.9 MB/s
Random Access - 768 (48KB) items 7201.8 MB/s
Random Access - 96 (6KB) items 10516.2 MB/s

Many not all of the memory tests are faster some quite a bit and the overall memory (and HDD) and CPU scores are all somewhat better.

How about some test results from people who have the top of the line 400 DDR?

[nocturne2]

Thanks for taking a screwdriver to your notebook for us. The average gain is just over 8% and could just be the improved latency of the 333MHz module and the fact that the controller only had to talk to one module instead of two. Gains of around 10% are normal for lower latency. However, I would expect a similar gain stepping up from 266MHz to 333MHz. Even so, you still got a good boost in performance simply by ditching the slower module. You should sell that 256M module on ebay and get another 512M 333MHz one. Not only would you get improved performance from the increased ram and reduced latency, but you would also get a huge kick in the pants from allowing the controller to work in dual-channel mode.

But, all this wanking about still does not tell us if DDR400 will work at full speed... heh


:scratch:

[sleddog]

After thinking about test results a little, I have some other ideas/questions.

Test pc2700 pc2100 Percent improvement
Raw block read 3072kb 2018 1759 15
Raw block read 536kb 2042 1761 16
Raw block read 384kb 10658 10661 0
Raw block write 3072kb 857 633 35
Raw block write 1536kb 850 657 29
Raw block write 384kb 8856 8914 -1
Raw block modify 3072kb 865 652 33
Raw block modify 1536kb 861 646 33
Raw block modify 384kb 6201 7041 -12
Random Access 1536kb 1808 1609 12
Random Access 768kb 1792 1594 12
Random Access 384kb 6558 6513 1

The p4 has a 512kb level (2?) cache right?

When doing memory writes or modifies above the 512kb cache size the percent improvement is about 33 percent. When doing reads above the 512kb cache size the improvement is around 13 percent.

Writes or modifies below cache size along with reads show (in some cases) negative improvement or the same numbers.

Is the apparent fact that writes/modifies above the cache size are significantly better a strong argument that the system is using full 333 speed access?

What about the reads above the cache size? Is the 13 percent high enough to make any conclusions here or is the latency change enough to support a (guess) that system is still accessing at 266?

Pricewatch finds 512 mb of DDR400 at about a hundred bucks thinking about getting one of these (versus 333). Who can run the test that already has DDR440 installed?

I couldn't find any info on the motherboard string "yet".

[nocturne2]

I found a utility program called WCPUID that will show the memory size and speed. You can download it here:

ftp://ftp.thesleeper.org/pub/

Just click on the arrow in the upper right corner to expand the box and show the memory details. I ran it on my tired old AMD box.

Please try it with some DDR400 or DDR333 and let us know the results.


:cheers:

http://www.thesleeper.org/images/SPEED.jpg

[nocturne2]

CPU-Z and PC Wizard also provide lots of memory detail.

ftp://ftp.thesleeper.org/pub/cpu-z-120a.zip
ftp://ftp.thesleeper.org/pub/pcw2004.exe

[sleddog]

Well the cpuid program "tried" to work but looks like this system is so new it couldn't figure some of the hardware out + perhaps hasn't been updated in a while. It showed 512 meg but left speed "blank" in display.

The cpuz kind of worked maybe will post some of its output later ... but part of it said that the memory speed was 166 ???

The pcwizard memory benchmark showed it testing well above a PC2100 pentium 4 system.

[sleddog]

General Information :
M1 (RAS 0, RAS 1) : 512 (Double Bank) - DIMM, SDRAM
M2 : Empty

Memory Controller Information :
Memory Controller : DIMM, SDRAM
Number of connectors : 3
Max. Module Size : 512 Mb
Max. Memory Size : 1536 Mb
Supported Speed : 60ns
Supported Voltages : 3.3v
Error Detection Method : No
Error Correction Capability : Unspecified
Current/Supported Interleave : 1-way/1-way

Chipset Information :
Type : DDR-SDRAM PC2600
Frequency : 160 MHz
FSB/DRAM Multiplier : 5/4x
Channels : Single
ECC Diagnostic : No
CAS Latency (tCL) : 2.5 clocks
RAS to CAS (tRCD) : 3 clocks
RAS Precharge (tRP) : 3 clocks
Cycle Time (tRAS) : 7 clocks

Information EEPROM (M1) :
Manufacturer : Kingston
Part Number : K
Serial Number : 02FFFFFF
Type : DDR-SDRAM PC2700 (166 MHz)
Size : 512 Mb (2 rows, 4 banks)
Module Buffered : No
Module Registered : No
Width : 64 bits
Error Correction Capability : No
Max. Burst Length : 8
Refresh : Reduced (.5x)7.8 µs, Self Refresh
Voltage : SSTL 2.5
Supported Frequencies : 133 MHz, 166 MHz
CAS Latency (tCL) : 2 clocks @133 MHz, 2.5 clocks @166 MHz
RAS to CAS (tRCD) : 3 clocks @133 MHz, 3 clocks @166 MHz
RAS Precharge (tRP) : 3 clocks @133 MHz, 3 clocks @166 MHz
Cycle Time (tRAS) : 6 clocks @133 MHz, 7 clocks @166 MHz

[nocturne2]

Well... I couldn't take it anymore, so I bought a P25-S607 in Hong Kong yesterday. The unit came with two 256M 266MHz DDR modules, so I left the memory stock for now. However, I traded the stock HD for a 7200rpm Hitachi 7K60. The benchmarks show a huge boost in HD performance compared to Sleddog's stock HD. There was an immediate and noticeable decrease in the bootup time and photoshop startup time. The use of dual channel mode seems to improve the ram speed more than increasing the clock frequency also.

Sleddog's PCWizard specs show the chipset raised the ram multiplier for 333MHz ram. So, it looks like the board is not limited to a max of 266MHz. We still need someone with DDR400 to run PCWizard for us though. I couldn't find DDR400 sodimms in Hong Kong yesterday, but I will keep looking. One dealer said he was supposed to get some in January, so I may be able to get my hands on a pair in a few weeks.

I must say, this is the fastest machine I have ever used. I never thought I would be able to say that about a notebook. I installed the latest nvidia drivers and went on a game fest for a few hours with excellent results. The performance of Conflict: Desert Storm II and Neverwinter Nights were awesome. Even at the highest resolutions and details, I had no problems with frame drops or pauses.

So far, I am very impressed this machine. I posted some benchmark data below:

PCMark:

Operating System Microsoft Windows XP
DirectX Version 8.1
Mobo Manufacturer TOSHIBA
Mobo Model BTQ00
AGP Rates (Current/Available) 2x / 4x 8x
CPU Intel Pentium 4 2730 MHz
FSB 0 MHz
Memory 510 MB
Graphics Chipset Generic VGA
Driver Name NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5200
Driver Version 6.14.10.4489
Video Memory 64 MB

Detailed Test Results
CPU Score 6819
Memory Score 6796
HDD Score 693

CPU Tests
Jpeg Decoding 20.9 MPixels/s
Zlib Compression 8.4 MB/s
Zlib Decompression 107.8 MB/s
Text Search 362.1 KRounds/s
Audio Conversion 118.1 KB/s
3D Vector Calculation 69.0 FPS

Memory Tests
Raw Block Read - 3072KB 2309.6 MB/s
Raw Block Read - 536KB 2309.7 MB/s
Raw Block Read - 384KB 10666.0 MB/s
Raw Block Read - 48KB 11270.2 MB/s
Raw Block Read - 6KB 20692.2 MB/s
Raw Block Write - 3072KB 1044.5 MB/s
Raw Block Write - 1536KB 1039.1 MB/s
Raw Block Write - 384KB 9121.8 MB/s
Raw Block Write - 48KB 9361.5 MB/s
Raw Block Write - 6KB 9238.0 MB/s
Raw Block Modify - 3072KB 1052.0 MB/s
Raw Block Modify - 536KB 1051.5 MB/s
Raw Block Modify - 384KB 7200.0 MB/s
Raw Block Modify - 48KB 7402.8 MB/s
Raw Block Modify - 6KB 8852.7 MB/s
Random Access - 24576 (1536KB) items 2004.4 MB/s
Random Access - 12288 (768KB) items 2001.8 MB/s
Random Access - 6144 (384KB) items 7271.0 MB/s
Random Access - 1536 (96KB) items 7521.5 MB/s
Random Access - 768 (48KB) items 7565.8 MB/s
Random Access - 96 (6KB) items 10769.8 MB/s
Video - 1 line 1360.3 FPS
Video - 4 lines 1333.6 FPS
Video - 16 lines 1220.9 FPS
Video - 32 lines 1047.3 FPS

Hard Disk Tests
Cached File Write 17.7 MB/s
Uncached File Write 20.3 MB/s
Cached File Read 22.7 MB/s
Uncached File Read 23.1 MB/s
File Copy 12.3 MB/s

Crunch Tests
Jpeg Decoding 16.3 MPixels/s
Raw Block Modify - 3072KB 930.3 MB/s
Blit Test 921.6 FPS

PCWizard Memory specs:

General Information :
M1 (RAS 0, RAS 1) : 256 (Double Bank) - DIMM, SDRAM
M2 (RAS 4, RAS 5) : 256 (Double Bank) - DIMM, SDRAM

Memory Controller Information :
Memory Controller : DIMM, SDRAM
Number of connectors : 3
Max. Module Size : 512 Mb
Max. Memory Size : 1536 Mb
Supported Speed : 60ns
Supported Voltages : 3.3v
Error Detection Method : No
Error Correction Capability : Unspecified
Current/Supported Interleave : 1-way/1-way

Chipset Information :
Type : DDR-SDRAM PC2100
Frequency : 133 MHz
FSB/DRAM Multiplier : 3/2x
Channels : Dual
ECC Diagnostic : No
CAS Latency (tCL) : 2.5 clocks
RAS to CAS (tRCD) : 3 clocks
RAS Precharge (tRP) : 3 clocks
Cycle Time (tRAS) : 6 clocks

Information EEPROM (M1) :
Manufacturer : Samsung
Part Number : M4 70L3224DT0-CB0
Serial Number : 410571E9
Type : DDR-SDRAM PC2100 (133 MHz)
Size : 256 Mb (2 rows, 4 banks)
Module Buffered : No
Module Registered : No
Width : 64 bits
Error Correction Capability : No
Max. Burst Length : 8
Refresh : Reduced (.5x)7.8 µs, Self Refresh
Voltage : SSTL 2.5
Supported Frequencies : 100 MHz, 133 MHz
CAS Latency (tCL) : 2 clocks @100 MHz, 2.5 clocks @133 MHz
RAS to CAS (tRCD) : 2 clocks @100 MHz, 3 clocks @133 MHz
RAS Precharge (tRP) : 2 clocks @100 MHz, 3 clocks @133 MHz
Cycle Time (tRAS) : 5 clocks @100 MHz, 6 clocks @133 MHz

Information EEPROM (M2) :
Manufacturer : Samsung
Part Number : M4 70L3224DT0-CB0
Serial Number : 410F7201
Type : DDR-SDRAM PC2100 (133 MHz)
Size : 256 Mb (2 rows, 4 banks)
Module Buffered : No
Module Registered : No
Width : 64 bits
Error Correction Capability : No
Max. Burst Length : 8
Refresh : Reduced (.5x)7.8 µs, Self Refresh
Voltage : SSTL 2.5
Supported Frequencies : 100 MHz, 133 MHz
CAS Latency (tCL) : 2 clocks @100 MHz, 2.5 clocks @133 MHz
RAS to CAS (tRCD) : 2 clocks @100 MHz, 3 clocks @133 MHz
RAS Precharge (tRP) : 2 clocks @100 MHz, 3 clocks @133 MHz
Cycle Time (tRAS) : 5 clocks @100 MHz, 6 clocks @1


PCWizard HD test results:

Drive Information :
Type : Hard Disk
Drive C:\ : 36 Gb available on 60 Gb
Free Space : 60%
File Management : NTFS
Overlapped I/O : Yes
Volume is Compressed : No
Test File Size : 64 Mb

Sequential Write : 20.21 Mb/s
Sequential Read : 26.05 Mb/s
Buffered Write : 68.75 Mb/s
Buffered Read : 85.68 Mb/s


:cheers:

[sleddog]

The p25 is just so smooth but you really don't start appreciating one until you own one and have a chance to really have your hands on it. The workmanship and quality is pretty spectacular. If when my budget recovers from xmas spending/etc the disk drive upgrade looks to be top on my list also.

How easy was the upgrade/did you do it yourself?

Congrats on your new machine!

[nocturne2]

The quality of the machine is excellent and it is easy to upgrade as well. To change the main drive, you just pop off a panel on the bottom of the unit. It has a small disk bracket that you take off of the old drive and put on the new one. Then just pop it back in. Since I did the upgrade of the main drive right out of the box, I just re-installed the factory OS using the restoration disk. If you change the boot drive of a system that has been in use for a while, it would be a little more of a software hastle, but probably not too bad. The machine is so fast, installation times are short.


:cheers:

[straeger]

I found some confirmation from Kingston on the memory issue here:

http://www.ec.kingston.com/ecom/configurator/modelsinfo.asp?SysID=+16634+&distributor=0&submit1=Search

KTT3614/xxx (266) and KTT3311/xxx (333) are both supported for this system but will only run at 266MHz.

Maybe there will be a bios update or mod in the future that will allow full memory bandwidth. Until then, at least I won't have that itch in the back of my mind telling me to spend $2000 on memory.

:scratch:

http://www.oempcworld.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=512M-SO3200

[straeger]

http://www.oempcworld.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=512M-SO3200

I thought this was an earlier post which told you where to get PC3200 sodimm ram from which was dead when I tried it

[straeger]

I didnt find it on either crucial or kingston's website. Looked on pricewatch.com and didnt find it there. I did a search on google and found one place with it. http://www.4allmemory.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=search.ddr_memory_notebook

And they only go up to 512mb sims.

http://www.oempcworld.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=512M-SO3200

[tjstone31]

well guys since we are talking so much about the s607....
---- of the two ports on the tv tuner drive, what is the purpose/function of the second larger one on the right side
---- also, what do you guys do for power, has anyone run across a battery for the secondary bay so you can watch tv on battery power????

thx

[nocturne2]

The other jack is for an external remote control sensor. It comes with a tiny sensor on the end of a long cable. I can't imagine a realistic situation were you would actually need it, but it's included anyways. Unfortunately, the only bay that will accept a battery is the modular bay that holds the TV tuner. If you want to watch TV on battery power, you could buy an external battery that attaches to the power adapter jack instead. I haven't found the TV tuner practical outside of my house, since it requires an external antenna or cable connection, so I haven't really had a need for operating the TV tuner on battery power myself. I just use it to watch or record TV shows while my wife is hogging all of the other TVs.

:cheers:

[waterlo]

I think of buy this model before, I thought that it can play 3d game as well, Once I read the thread, I dont feel to buy this, could u suggest me to buy a notebook, it can play 3d game, fast cpu, and fast memory... Thanks...Could any one help me.. :(

[HeLLSpiRE]

I own a P20 which is the equivalent to your P25 and I think it plays games fine. I run unreal 2k3 on it all video options on and at HIGH, and it runs fine. So I think that benchmarks don't do this system justice cause its awesome for games.

[matthewtoney]

Actually I agree, although its certainly not in the league of the Mobile ATI 9600's like on the Sager, etc., its actually hardly any slower at all than the Mobile Nvidia 5600's. (although that DOES seem a little silly) I overclock the 64Meg FX5200 in my P25 slightly and can score around 8600 in 3dMark2001 and as high as 2300 in 3dMark2003. Those are awesome scores, but they're certainly better than I think a lot of people realize you can get with this machine. (and I have the P25-607 with the 2.8Ghz processor)

BTW, the "second larger connector" on the front of the TV-Tuner bay is not for a remote control (what was described in the earlier post DOES come with the machine, but that plugs into the back of the USB receiver for the Media Center remote control) but is actually the composite-in port for the TV-Tuner. Unfortnately, there has YET to be a driver update released by Toshiba for this tuner that supports the use of it in Media Center. :(

Matthew

[HeLLSpiRE]

are these p20/p25 able to use pc3200/ddr 400 ram?? cause if they are im thinking about switching to them. it says on the net that it works with pc2100 snd pc2700 but neglects to mention anything about pc3200. can anyone confirm?

[sleddog]

If you read this thread entirely you can see that the benchmark figures improve significantly for the p25 when the pc2100 is replaced by pc2700. We are waiting for someone to do the same experiemtn with pc3200 aka 400 speed.

Based on the chipset involved the answer (in contradiction to the info provided by toshiba) is that pc3200 should work at full speed.

[seidell23112]

Matthew, :dude:

How does one go about overclocking the 5200? Please advise off site. Here is my email address: seidell23112@comcast.net

PLease advise..THANKS! :banana:

[HeLLSpiRE]

interesting, I would also like information about overclocking the 5200 if at all possible:

hellspire@shaw.ca
Thanks a lot. Time to get me a stick of 3200 and try it out :) Where is a good place to get one of these, I checked my local stores but they only carry up to pc2700

[straeger]

just read through all the pages preceding this thread and you'll find three different suppliers.
:awgrey: :smash:

[SPtheALIEN]

I just read from one of the users that they installed the latest nVidia drivers. How is that possible? I tried downloading it from their website and it still leaves me with the v44 that came with my P25 laptop.

How? Please. How?

[sleddog]

http://notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=12838&page=2

Man oh man if people could only figure out how to search this forum!

[HeLLSpiRE]

Does the P25 have a subwoofer??

[sleddog]

No subwoofer ... sound system is fine for playing a dvd "semi loud" but if wherever you are has lots of background noise its not optimal. Of course headphones are an option if you are the only one listening.

[cilphex]

Hi,

I dont understand why your system is definitely not for gaming. You got 64 dedicated video, 2.8 Ghz processor and 1 Gig of Ram. What is missing?

Yeah, I've got a P25-S508, with only a 32 meg card, and all my games run without fault or flaw, including UT. Photoshop loads a lot faster, also. Anywhere from 3-12 seconds (I did a few counts..).

[goodeals]

Selling on ebay (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3476277531)



Good Luck! :banana:

[drb]

Is there a reason, why you are selling this laptop as it has never been opened?

[smoke_BONES]

I came here when I was trying to deside which laptop to buy.
There was without a doubt more usable info here than anywhere else.
So, I bought it and desided to help with my review.

Ive only had this laptop for a week but, I love this computer.

Ive had alot of laptops in my life and as time went on I always
wanted one smaller and lighter. But after a while I found It was hard to get
any real work done or any real games played, so I went for this 10 lb monster.
The truth is its only a a few lbs heavyer than the average laptop and
by getting a case with wheels you take out most of the negitive to having
it. ( I once had a panasonic with built in printer, it was
30 lbs, THAT was heavy) Targus makes a great case: XL Rolling Notbook Case.

When I sit in front of this one its like sitting in front of a desktop.

When ever Im traveling, I take a bunch of DVDs with me. They keep me
sane when im bored and I dont feel like working anymore. Sitting in front
of this screen for a movie is great.

The sound system cannot go very loud but it it still is louder and clearer
than most laptops ive had and its very 3D. I was greatly surprised when
it sounded like stuff was happening behind me considering the size of the speakers.

The only real negitives Ive found so far are the keyboard is pretty small
which allows you to put the palms of your hands on the space next to the
touchpad and on the right side over the DVD it gets pretty hot.
I tried pulling the DVD out but it still heats up.
Now I have to find out if this is on every one out of the factory or just mine.
Anyone else have this problem ? Its pretty bad but I like this laptop so much im considering buying a small wireless USB keyboard to carry with me.

The only documentation is a pdf which is missing alot of info.
In fact there was no documentation at all on the tv tuner it came with.

I tried to hook it up to a TV and found that the connector for this
is 3 RCA type jacks labeled RED GREEN & BLUE. Im guessing my local
radio shck will help me out.

[wazzup]

hey dudez.. i was wondering.. when comparing 64 mb dedicated 5200 and 64 mb dedicated geforce 4 mx 460 go which is better??


thanks

[StereoGamer]

Need help on changing drive. I got a Hitachi 7k60 and duplicated my Toshiba drive, but when I put it in it said that it couldn't find a valid boot device, blah, blah. I loaded
recover disks and tried that route, but I get a large ASCII "Wrong Machine!" message on my screen when I try to run it. I used powerquest drive image to dup the drive and have never had problems with it making the drive "active" for boot. Any ideas. Man I need the extra space and speed! Looks like some people here have done it successfully.

- StereoGamer

[ekalavyadas]

Does the P25 have a subwoofer??

I am interested in using the laptop for multitrack recording of concerts.

When the fans kick in, are heads going to turn?

How noisy is it? How often do the fans kick in? :eek:

Thanks!

Yours in the service of the Lord,

Ekalavya Das :dude:

[ekalavyadas]

Dear Folks,

I'm interested in running this machine sometimes in silent mode during live stage perfomance.

Can some tell me exactly what is silent mode, how it works, and how much power and speed is lost?

And how much are the fans are quieted?

Thanks very much,

Yours in the service of the Lord,

Ekalavya Das :cheers:

[smoke_BONES]

Ive had it since june, I never noticed the fan noise

[nocturne2]

The s607 has a massive copper heat sink that can be seen through the vents on the back, as a result the fan is rarely running full speed for me. Only when I render solidworks mechnical drawings does it speed up the fan. You can hear the fan a little bit at this point, but it is much quieter than my friend's 17" HP. They did a good job on the acoustics in this model. In fact, my wife's Toshiba M30 is louder.

Hope that helps.


J

:cheers: