Review: M40 By ALKY

[alkaholikc]

7 Day Toshiba Satellite M40 Review by ALKY
March 21 – March 27
(Should of posted this earlier but I had no time to take the pictures until now)


Models
M40: 1.6GHz/60GB PSM40C-JM300E $1,999.00 CND*
M40: 1.86GHz/80GB PSM40C-YP300E $2,399.00 CND
* $1,899 at point of sale

Model in Review:
M40: 1.6GHz/60GB (PSM40C-JM300E)

Processor
Intel® Pentium® M Processor 730 (1.6GHz, 533MHz FSB, L1 Cache 32KB/32KB, L2 Cache 2MB)


Operating System
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home


Memory
512MB PC2700 DDR (512MB x 1) / Maximum Memory: 2GB PC2700 DDR

Hard Disk Drive
60Gb (Actual 56Gb), 9.7mm height, Enhanced IDE, 4200rpm.


Optical Drive
Built-in DVD Super-Multi Double Layer Drive functions:
Read: CD-ROM (24x), CD-R (24x), CD-RW (10x), DVD-ROM (8x), DVD-R (8x), DVD-RW (4x), DVD+R (8x), DVD+RW (4x), DVD-RAM (3x), DVD+R(DL) (2.4x)
Write: CD-R (24x). CD-RW (10x), DVD-R (8x), DVD-RW (4x), DVD+R (8x), DVD+RW (4x), DVD-RAM (3x), DVD+R(DL) (2.4x)

Display System
Type: TFT Active Matrix colour LCD display
Size (diagonal): 15.4” Wide XGA TFT with TruBrite™
Screen Technology
Native LCD Panel Resolution: 1280x800x16.7 million colours
External Support and Max. Colour Support (dependant
On CRT): Up to 2,048 x 1536 x 16.7 million colours
Simulate Display Support: 1024x768x16.7 million colours


Graphics Controller
NVIDIA® GeForce™ FX Go 6600 with 128MB DDR dedicated video memory.

Sound System
Harman Kardon Stereo speakers.
Realtek AD1981 B Software Sound 16-bit stereo; Built-in
stereo speakers, Direct 3D Sound, DirectSound, DirectMusic,
MIDI(playback).

Communication
V.92 56K Data/Fax Modem
10/100 integrated Ethernet LAN,
Intel PRO/Wireless 2915ABG (802.11abg)

Expansion
Two expansion slot total. Open slots, can be filled with 128MB, 256MB, 512MB, or 1GB PC2700 DDR SODIMM modules, for maximum of 2048MB use; 1025MB + 1024MB.
1PC Card slot supports one Type II PC Cards; supports CardBus.
Ports: 5-in-1 Multimedia port (SD, Memory Stick®, MMC, xD-Picture Card™, Memory Stick Pro®), 3 USB 2.0, RJ11, RJ45, IEEE1394, FIR, external microphone port, headphone port, RGB, S-Video Out.


Keyboard
Full sized 85 keys with 12 function keys
2.7mm keystroke, 6mm height
Dedicated Windows Keys.
CD Control Function: Play/Pause, Stop/Eject, Previous, Skip/Next, Mode


Pointing Device
Touchpad Pointing device


Physical Dimensions
Dimensions: (WxDxH) 360 x 268 x 29(Front)/36.2(Back) mm
Weight: 2.72kg (6.00lbs)
AC Adapter
75W external Universal AC adaptor input voltage (100 –
240V 50/60Hz Frequency (Universal), output voltage
(15V, 5A).
Dimensions : (WxHxD) 136 x 53 x 30 mm
Weight: 400g


Additional Software
Microsoft® Office OneNote™ 2003
Norton Antivirus™ 2005 - 90 Day Subscription
Presto™ Instant On Software

Battery
Battery Type: Removable, Rechargeable 6-cell
Lithium Ion (Li-ion) 10.8V x 4300mAh capacity
Dimensions: (WxHxD) 206.6 x 22.02 x 53.8 mm
Battery Life: up to 3.2 hours
Recharge Time: Up to 4 hours off / 12 hours on

BIOS
APM Support, ACPI support, PnP support, VESA support,
DPMS support, DDC Support, SM BIOS support, PCI BIOS
Support,


Security
Cable lock slot, power on password, supervisor password


Environmental Specifications
Temperature: Operating 5° 35°C (41° 95°F);
Non Operating –20° 65°C (-4°149°F)
Thermal Gradient: Operating 15 C per hr. max;
Non Operating 20 C per hr. max
Relative Humidity: Operating 20% to 80% non-condensing; Non-Operating: 10% to 90% non-condensing
Altitude (relative to sea level): Operating: -60 to 3,000m.;
Non-Operating: -60 to 10,000m.
Shock: Operating: 7G; Non-Operating 60G
Vibration: Operating 0.2G; Non-Operating: 1G


Warranty
One (1) year parts and labour Limited International Warranty. Original battery is warranted for one year from date of purchase. Pre-installed software is excluded from TCL standard limited warranty.

Main Reason of Purchase:
This notebook will be mostly being intended for school related work and the occasional gaming. My main reason in purchasing this laptop was the affordability of latest video card offered by Nvidia. I use a lot of graphic intensive programs at school such as Photoshop, Illustrator and other graphical programs. I also wanted a clear and bright screen that provided crisp pictures. Asides from this laptop, my other laptop in this range I was researching on was the Gateways 7405gx & 7422gx. Unfortunately Gateway didn't release the 7422gx in Canada otherwise I'd be writing a review about it right now. Took me 3 months waiting for the 7422gx and took me 3 hours to decide and purchase the M40.

Pricing:
Toshiba provides 2 models, the 1.6 and the 1.8 GHz option. The 1.6 which was on sale was $1899 and included a free SMC router. I didn't see why I should of spend 400$ on a higher model when there’s always future potential in upgrading. The week of the M40 sale @ futureshop included a free wireless router after rebates and another rebate off the laptop. The on sale promos didn't lure me into why I really purchased the laptop since I already owned a wireless network before. I was lucky to pick up the last M40 box at the Scarborough location and no surprisely there was no free wireless SMC router. Instead the sales man gave me a DLink wireless router that they had in stock which was better since it was 20$ more expensive then the SMC and had the rebate option attached. Extended warranty was offered @ 399$ for 3 years which was just crazy but well worth it. Accidental coverage surely would have replaced if anything happened to it. So in total my purchase came up to around $2300 CND which would be paid off in 24 monthly payments. I think the warranty coverage is better then getting the higher model cause of its coverage.

First Glance:
When I went to see to see the in store demo I thought this beast would be heavy because of its widescreen but at closer inspection the 6lbs laptop was just little above the portable range for me but still would be easy to carry around in my backpack. The design may not be sleek as a Sony or an Asus but its solid look looks like it could handle a fall (which I never recommend you never to do). (: The usual 3 USB ports, DVD Superdrive, front mic/headphone ports etc. Multicard reader is useful when transferring photos from a digital cam. For some reason the Canadian M40 model blocked out the express card ports which maybe misleading for users who thought they would get that extra option which initially said that it was available on Toshibas website. Grrr :P

Screen(5/5): :bouncy:
Toshiba's TrueBrite screen at first glance was crisp and clear all around. The 17" DTR replacement with 3 GHz and an ATi9700M chip was right beside on sale at the same price but its size was just too much to handle. The 15.4 WXGA screen was prerfect for what I needed to do. A lot of companies are importing this technology into there LCD screens which gives it a crisper and cleaner look. Note you will get reflections on this screen when in bright lit room. Minor annoyance to some but I don't mind it. Toshiba's default brightness settings were way too bright for my eyes and I had to change them in the power saver properties. One thing I noticed was the hinges on the laptop screen. Unlike my other laptop I that I have this one only had 1 hinge latch with 2 hook locks. My only main concern is if the left hinge were to break accidentally it would the LCD screen to stay on permately cause of the sensor that triggers the LCD to shut down is located on the base part.

Keyboard/Touchpad (4/5):
Toshiba's keyboard layout looks standard at first glance. The left side placement provides multimedia keys such as your standard web browsing, media launcher and play/pause, stop, forwards and backwards. It's a nice setup when you need to access specific functions in a hurry. Can't forget the brightly blue on switch which is located on the top of the multimedia functions. When in hibernation/standby the light of the power switch turns into a different colour. Like most M40 users, the awkward placement of the windows key will confuse some owners since it standard place is beside the left CTRL/ALT keys. It gets used to when you've practiced a few times. Below the function buttons is a black bar strip that lights up when a certain Fn key is pressed with another one. I haven’t used it yet but it surely does add more looks to the keyboard layout.

The M40 touchpad is one of my favourite features on this laptop. It may just look like your standard touchpad but it's loaded with features. Toshiba Touch and Launch is a tool designed to perform various tasks by easily pressing on the corners of the touchpad. This includes easy access to my computer, favourites, switching between programs and desktop access. These can all be programmed to do other tasks at your favour. Looking through long documents or webpage is a breeze with the touchpad. It may not show it but there’s a scroll feature on the middle right that allows you to scroll up and down at your touch. It's very very very useful! to me at least (; It also acts as mouse so you also tap twice to double click, drag and drop and click. One of the best touchpad I’ve used.

Speakers (4.5/5):
These small babies may look small but they pack a punch with Toshiba's harman/kardon speaker set. Harman/Kardon are known for there amazing quality of speakers. I also do a lot of audio work because I help run an internet radio station which requires me to go though tons of music tracks. With the SRS TrueSurround XT technology you can blast your audio at full volume and still hear the clarity of any sound. 4 sound models provide you with the option of changing how you output the sound (SRS must be enabled to use this feature). I have to say this is probably the best setup you will get with a standard laptop without purchasing an external card. SoundBlaster Pro+harman/kardon speakers will enhance your mobile experience. Good stuff Toshiba (:!

Performance (4/5):
Intel’s new Sonoma platform with the new 533 MHz bus runs smoothly on any task. The only draw back I feel is HD loading time in graphic intensive programs that require a lot rendering of the polygons. Also note a DDR2 memory upgrade will not be available for this specific line since they striped that down. It would be nice to have theses features designed for this laptop but you'd be paying way more then the original price. Rated at 1.6 GHz this is still faster then all my computers at home currently but just barely peaks over my XP2500Mobile Desktop with 9600Pro and 786Mb DDR. So if you’re a gamer looking for fast load up times consider a 7200RPM HD and probably upgrade to 1 GB.

Dedicated Graphics card offered by Nvidia provides excellent performance when playing games or any gpu intensive programs. One of the man reasons I bought this was to help me with a lot of graphical work I do at school. You might want to note that there are no formal benchmarks other then user benchmarks for this graphics card since it’s a new line mobile line Nvidia just released. Trying to find updated drivers for the 6600Go on Nvidia website is a no go either. Drivers are only found on Toshiba website. I don't know if Nvidia will have driver support for this laptop because the latest drivers are about 4 versions ahead of Toshibas Nvidia drivers. Hopefully future drivers will enhance performance on the 6600Go cause that’s the only way to go. A wonderful card Toshiba has bundled in these systems which lead me to my main reason of purchase. I have to warn you though that playing any games that require the graphics card to kick in will raise the base of the laptop to a point where its to hot to be placed on your lap. Studies have show the dispersed heat emitted from the base of the laptop can be harmful to certain male parts *cough*. Male gamers beware when playing games on your lap! One minor concern I have may notice is the placement of the cooling fan on the base of the laptop. The clearance between the base and ground is minimal and may be hard for the graphics card to get regular cooling when it needs to. I have noticed that if I don't place a base under the laptop with optimal clearance of some sorts will cause the graphics card fan to kick in most of the times. This is for users who usually place their laptop on their beds and wonder why it gets so hot.:P I know our M45 users in the USA may find there integrated graphics lagging behind our dedicated cards but don't be hatin' this comes once in a while (; We might not have Alienware but we have a Toshiba! ;D

Hard drive load up times are standard with its 4200Rpm UDMA100. Like I said before if you want faster HD performance upgrade to 5400Rpm or even 7200Rpm drives to gain a performance gain. Only noticeable lag is loading up maps in Doom 3 or opening of huge files.

Wireless (3/5):
I was looking forward to trying out Intel’s integrated wireless feature but instead found myself hindering with problems right from the start. Before I had this laptop I already owned a wireless network using 802.11b and it worked flawlessly. I can't say if it was my network or the internal card but for some apparent reason my connection using WEP would all of a sudden drop and erase my WEP key each time. This is until I left my wireless open (which is a risk to take) that all the problems went away. Currently I'm using the WPA encryption for my connection which I always wanted to fiddle around with. Looks good so far for the least. (; In upcoming months I will travel around and readdress this problem in the near future with the WEP encryption. Maybe I should reinstall that free wireless router I got with the laptop :P. Toshiba also bundled special software with the wireless feature which I will discuss later on in my software review. Overall the Intel Pro/Wireless 2915ABG integrated wireless card is a fairly good card standard in most Centrino based systems.

Battery (3.5/5):
Hearing from other M40 reviews, it looks like you can't count on the battery to last more then 2 hours on a full charge. Personally I have not dealt with this issue yet since my system is always plugged into the power outlet. I could see that one problem could be the graphics card and LCD drawing tons of power from the system. The power setting adjustments can be changed to extend the battery life but don't expect anything more then 4 hours on this Centrino based system.

Software Bundle (3.5/5):
Standard software bundle included such software as Windows XP Home Edition, MS Office OneNote, InterVideo WinDVD, and trial versions of Norton Antivirus 2005 and AOL. Toshiba also included nice utilities bundled. My favourite being the WiFi AP detector that acts like radar picking up nodes around the laptop. Looks like some radar sonar from a submarine.

Overall:
Screen – 5/5
Keyboard/Touchpad 4/5
Speakers – 4.5/5
Performance – 4/5
Wireless 3/5
Battery 3.5/5
Software Bundle 3.5/5

My Final Rating: 4.3/5

3dMark05 - 2052
FFXI Benchmark - 30xx (doesn't display final result window)

Benchmarks will be provided in the pictures down below.

Final Thoughts:
Toshiba has put out a great system for the Canadian market. You do not usually get this kind of performance without sacrificing it at a price. Students looking for a notebook may like this cause of its graphic performance. The future always holds for potential upgrades if you want to prolong your mobile experience. The only downfall hindering this laptop would be its battery performance. Overall I think this is the best priced laptop that is currently out there which provides excellent value between performance and price. :cheers:

Future Upgrades:
60GB 4200RPM > 80GB+ 5200/7200RPM HD for faster access times
512mb > 1Gb+ Ram for graphical work and games.

Pros:
-Good price/performance ratio.
-Bright clear screen using Toshiba TruBright technology
-Latest Centrino mobile chip which can be upgraded
-Harman/kardon speaker set that’s above average then most laptops
-Latest Nvidia 6600GO Mobile graphic card :D (not even mainstream yet/need updated diver support!)
-Exceptional design and quality with a responsive keyboard/touchpad.
-Multimedia ports such as firewire/multimedia card reader and multimedia hotkeys

Cons(just issues):
-Some may have trouble with the wireless functions but covers A/B/G networks
-Express card/Bluetooth disabled seems the Aussies got this enabled.
-Could have used DDR2 memory for better performance
-Battery Life for on-the-go users (not an issue to me since there’s always an outlet near me)

And now for the pictures… These pictures will also be in the gallery section of the Toshiba forums.

Packaging:
http://img29.exs.cx/img29/5035/HPIM3129.th.jpg (http://img29.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img29&image=HPIM3129.jpg) http://img29.exs.cx/img29/2180/HPIM3127.th.jpg (http://img29.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img29&image=HPIM3127.jpg) http://img92.exs.cx/img92/1827/HPIM3156.th.jpg (http://img92.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img92&image=HPIM3156.jpg)

External Shots(front,side,bototm etc..):
http://img92.exs.cx/img92/9854/HPIM3187.th.jpg (http://img92.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img92&image=HPIM3187.jpg)http://img25.echo.cx/img25/3290/hpim3222mod5ro8nv.th.jpg (http://img25.echo.cx/my.php?image=hpim3222mod5ro8nv.jpg)http://img92.exs.cx/img92/4765/HPIM3137.th.jpg (http://img92.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img92&image=HPIM3137.jpg)http://img208.exs.cx/img208/4996/hpim3148mod6rd.th.jpg (http://img208.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img208&image=hpim3148mod6rd.jpg)http://img208.exs.cx/img208/8308/hpim3142mod8th.th.jpg (http://img208.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img208&image=hpim3142mod8th.jpg)http://img163.exs.cx/img163/9076/hpim3139mod0uh.th.jpg (http://img163.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img163&image=hpim3139mod0uh.jpg)

Random M40 Pics:
http://img92.exs.cx/img92/3947/HPIM3230.th.jpg (http://img92.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img92&image=HPIM3230.jpg)http://img92.exs.cx/img92/9887/HPIM3170.th.jpg (http://img92.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img92&image=HPIM3170.jpg)http://img92.exs.cx/img92/1070/HPIM3232.th.jpg (http://img92.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img92&image=HPIM3232.jpg)http://img190.exs.cx/img190/5096/hpim3132resize3uc.th.jpg (http://img190.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img190&image=hpim3132resize3uc.jpg)http://img92.exs.cx/img92/1082/HPIM3159.th.jpg (http://img92.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img92&image=HPIM3159.jpg)http://img208.exs.cx/img208/9901/hpim3194mod5ny.th.jpg (http://img208.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img208&image=hpim3194mod5ny.jpg)


Gaming[Ragnarok Online,Doom 3,Team Fortress Classic]:
http://img92.exs.cx/img92/6453/HPIM3219.th.jpg (http://img92.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img92&image=HPIM3219.jpg)http://img92.exs.cx/img92/2892/HPIM3210.th.jpg (http://img92.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img92&image=HPIM3210.jpg)http://img92.exs.cx/img92/1921/HPIM3198.th.jpg (http://img92.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img92&image=HPIM3198.jpg)http://img92.exs.cx/img92/1775/HPIM3181.th.jpg (http://img92.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img92&image=HPIM3181.jpg)

Benchmarks Applications:
3Dmark05:
http://img209.exs.cx/img209/4796/m403dmark05benckmark0iq.th.jpg (http://img209.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img209&image=m403dmark05benckmark0iq.jpg) 3DMark05 Score: 2052
http://img209.exs.cx/img209/384/gt104805gz.th.jpg (http://img209.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img209&image=gt104805gz.jpg)http://img209.exs.cx/img209/8839/gt208977lj.th.jpg (http://img209.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img209&image=gt208977lj.jpg)http://img209.exs.cx/img209/593/gt316302wv.th.jpg (http://img209.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img209&image=gt316302wv.jpg)
SiSandraSoft
http://img209.exs.cx/img209/6829/m40cpubenckmark9ko.th.jpg (http://img209.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img209&image=m40cpubenckmark9ko.jpg)Cpu Benchmarkhttp://img209.exs.cx/img209/4061/m40cpubenckmark22ww.th.jpg (http://img209.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img209&image=m40cpubenckmark22ww.jpg)Cpu Benchmark 2http://img209.exs.cx/img209/7213/m40hdbenckmark6pn.th.jpg (http://img209.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img209&image=m40hdbenckmark6pn.jpg)HD Benchmarkshttp://img209.exs.cx/img209/3576/m40info8rq.th.jpg (http://img209.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img209&image=m40info8rq.jpg)M40 Infohttp://img209.exs.cx/img209/2141/m40memorybenchmark26lg.th.jpg (http://img209.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img209&image=m40memorybenchmark26lg.jpg)Memory Benchmark 2http://img209.exs.cx/img209/5047/m40memorybenckmark7gn.th.jpg (http://img209.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img209&image=m40memorybenckmark7gn.jpg)Memory Benchmark 1http://img209.exs.cx/img209/157/m40preformancebenckmark16zz.th.jpg (http://img209.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img209&image=m40preformancebenckmark16zz.jpg)M40 Preformance Benchmarkhttp://img209.exs.cx/img209/6531/m40videocardinfo1hv.th.jpg (http://img209.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img209&image=m40videocardinfo1hv.jpg)M40 VideoCard Info
PcMark04
http://img209.exs.cx/img209/1531/m40pcmark04benchmark1zq.th.jpg (http://img209.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img209&image=m40pcmark04benchmark1zq.jpg)

If you want anymore pics just PM me... :bouncy:

Thanks to ImageShack for Free Image Hosting (http://www.imageshack.us)

[alkaholikc]

Okay now posting this I just realized its freaking long...!

[Fidget]

just a suggestion but i would say that you should watermark your pics since you dont want to see them appear on ebay being used by a scammer.

[r3k0gn1z3d]

Very nicely reviewed.
I'm amazed at myself that i didn't find anything new on this review, which means i have been reading all kinds of reviews about m40.

[alkaholikc]

yeah I will watermark them once I get my photoshop installed. Now I can install all the apps and push it to its limits. (:!

[Fidget]

sweet, glad to hear that you are taking that precaution. Your review is a good one and i think that anyone concidering an m40 should take a read over it. I know that your conclusions about the m40 are right and that it is a very very good system and is great value for the money.

Enjoy it, its a great toy. have fun with the gaming on it.

[rimshak]

im nearly decided to go the m40 way (after considering also dell 9300, but even with corporate 10%, the dell + DVD burn + glossy is 400 $ higher).

one of the questions i have left:

what about the noise when using the 3d card ?

(right now i.m using my girlfriend toshiba P30, nice 17 screen but fans get noisy when running 3d games.)

thx

[alkaholikc]

The fan noise is barely noticable when its on. Playing games or watching movies will enable it on auto.

[lmsantoso]

Is there any way I can turn on the fan ?

I dunno whether it's because I never run any applications that are enough to turn the fan on or the fan is just never on?

I think I never heard the noise of the fan :confused:...thanks for any help

[alkaholikc]

Are you sure you havn't notice the fan running when using some applications? The fan does run at a minimal noise level but its still noticable. Theres a little program called SpeedFan which you can view the speed of the fans and control them also but I dont know if laptop fans can be adjusted by this program. You can get the program here. (http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php)

[lmsantoso]

After running some applications which I think are enough to turn on the fan and listening carefully, I think I heard the noise of the fan...I hope so...

I have other dell laptop but its noise was quite noticeable so I'm just wondering...thanks for the info alkaholikc, I'll keep the link :)

[johnsea]

Hi, I am looking into buying this laptop. I am wondering, does the silver paint scratch easy? I know my HP's silver is starting to flack off after just 5 months of ownership.

[lmsantoso]

I only have it for a month, so far no scratch or change of color. I'm not sure after 5 months

[alkaholikc]

I have 2 small barely noticable chips both located on the edges of the laptop. This could be due to the fact i'm a frequent mobile user between school and home. No reports of heavy scratches yet asides for the ones I mentioned. I was thinking of putting some easy peel vinyl adhesive along the side but I dont have time to take cut the individual pieces to size.

[Fidget]

my girlfriends m30 which is the same colour i believe as the m40 has smoe scratches but those are from use, not from poor quality plastics and painting, plus the rabbit sitting on top of the lappy has its toll.... other than the scratches that can be attributed to use and such it is solid, and has not had issues with the silver flaking off. that leads me to think that the issue is exclusively the domain of hp...my experiences with toshiba, both personal and through friends all say that this does not happen with toshiba machines.

[NOMIS]

Can anyone tell me where I can read further reveiws on the M40?

[Fidget]

notebookreview.com i think has one, honestly in this case google is your friend, i know i use it many many many times a day in order to find stuff like reviews.

[DrPete]

Can the nVidia card [Go 6600] handle multiple screens [eg notebook screen and projector] or extended desktop. I have been told it can't but find that hard to believe.

[3LS-JD]

yes it can clone display and do dualview and stuff like that; i stuffed up my S-video port so i only have analog VGA out only

[FoxHunter]

Greath review, thanks a lot! I'm gonna buy this laptop in a few weeks for my next school :)

Btw: it's not a problem to just install your own Windows XP Pro on this/a laptop right? I'd rather use a clean system with XP Pro than XP Home with a lot of apps installed it.

[alkaholikc]

Yes, its perfectly fine (: ... you can find threads about it like this one and more around the forum here (http://notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=18876&highlight=clean+windows+installation) (= Enjoy your M40!

[AzN]

Holy crap!!!! $1500 us .... thats so cheap wish I was in canada

[rimshak]

Hi all
Bought mine few weeks ago for 1799 Can.
It is a very good programming/gaming machine.
Fast in games


NOW AT FUTURE SHOP IT IS AT 1699..
At that price its a steal.

[AzN]

I would be happy to buy that laptop for $2000 us and your getting it for like $1300.....toshiba US sucks :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[Fidget]

thats how it breaks, it really seems like toshiba likes canada alot, they give us all sorts of goodies, some of them even before they hit the US....

[AzN]

thats how it breaks, it really seems like toshiba likes canada alot, they give us all sorts of goodies, some of them even before they hit the US....
aint that the truth

[woah]

First of all, I am intending on purchasing this M40, upon answers to my following question. I have compared the offered video cards for the M40, and for most models of M40 whether at FutureShop, Staples, or even my University, it comes with Intel® Extreme Graphics 2 with 128MB DDR shared video memory. I am just curious as to the quality of this video card compared to the 'almighty' NVIDIA® GeForce™ FX Go 6600.

Given this be the only difference, is the system still good? or does it require the memory upgrade to 1GB?

[kaelfi]

notebookreview.com i think has one, honestly in this case google is your friend, i know i use it many many many times a day in order to find stuff like reviews.
Yes Google is my friend here, that is how I found this forum! :banana:

[kaelfi]

thats how it breaks, it really seems like toshiba likes canada alot, they give us all sorts of goodies, some of them even before they hit the US....
we got our M40's 2 weeks before the "official" release date! Paid more, but it was worth it.

[Univercity]

First of all, I am intending on purchasing this M40, upon answers to my following question. I have compared the offered video cards for the M40, and for most models of M40 whether at FutureShop, Staples, or even my University, it comes with Intel® Extreme Graphics 2 with 128MB DDR shared video memory. I am just curious as to the quality of this video card compared to the 'almighty' NVIDIA® GeForce™ FX Go 6600.

Given this be the only difference, is the system still good? or does it require the memory upgrade to 1GB?

There are currently two M40 models in stores right now, and one of them has the intel chipset. The one with the "extreme graphics" is the M40-JM8. The M40-SF3 has the Nvidia Go 6600.

To answer your question, the 6600 will be significantly better when it comes to graphically intensive applications such as Photoshop even more important when it comes to games.

Upgrading to 1GB of memory will help things such as load times and gaming performance. I would personally recommend it, the expansion slot is there for a reason!

[kaelfi]

First of all, I am intending on purchasing this M40, upon answers to my following question. I have compared the offered video cards for the M40, and for most models of M40 whether at FutureShop, Staples, or even my University, it comes with Intel® Extreme Graphics 2 with 128MB DDR shared video memory. I am just curious as to the quality of this video card compared to the 'almighty' NVIDIA® GeForce™ FX Go 6600.

Given this be the only difference, is the system still good? or does it require the memory upgrade to 1GB?
The current incarnation of M40 (not M40X which is a Celeron based system) has these models: the M40 SF300E and the M40 JM800E.
the SF3 has the GeForce card with 128 MB of dedicated memory, the JM8 has the Intel graphics with shared memory.
Depending on what you use the laptop for you will be satisfied or not with each offering.
I have the M40 YP3, GeForce with 128 MB of dedicated memory as well as a faster HDD, it spins @ 5400 rpm whereas the new M40's HDD is 4200 rpm. It was only available for about 3 or 4 months. I am VERY pleased with this machine, it is my first laptop and it ROCKS!
The graphics are incredible, handles anything I can throw at it. If you think you might do some gaming or graphic intense apps, go for the better offering.

[kaelfi]

Holy crap!!!! $1500 us .... thats so cheap wish I was in canada
where you at?

[Fidget]

First of all, I am intending on purchasing this M40, upon answers to my following question. I have compared the offered video cards for the M40, and for most models of M40 whether at FutureShop, Staples, or even my University, it comes with Intel® Extreme Graphics 2 with 128MB DDR shared video memory. I am just curious as to the quality of this video card compared to the 'almighty' NVIDIA® GeForce™ FX Go 6600.

Given this be the only difference, is the system still good? or does it require the memory upgrade to 1GB?

the short and sweet of it is this:

go 6600 128mb = gaming power, graphic intensive apps, strong performance right across the board

intel extreme integrated graphics = no gaming, less graphics intensive apps, decent but not great performance generally.

personally i would get the one with the higher video card (the 6600) since even if you are not gaming you dont know what you are going to be doing in teh future and if your system has a lower end card now a year from now if your requirements change you will be out of luck. at least with a good card now you may still have a chance if your needs change.

the system out of the box is a good one. many people choose to make the upgrade to 1gb o ram because it sees the most significant performance jump compared to maxing it out to 2gb. 512mb is okay for alot but not everything, i would say game with 1gb if you are just doing office and word processing 512mb is enough and there will be no need to upgrade no matter what machine you choose.

also as a side note the intel integrated graphics eat some of your system ram. so if you are running it on a system with only 512mb of ram and the graphics card ram utilization set at 128mb video your system will only really be running on 384mb of ram. personally i would say that for xp you need that not to mention any other programs you are running. imho 512mb is what i typically would say is just for xp and that, but if you want to do more i would say make the upgrade to 1gb, its not that expensive. the two biggest and easiest ways to make your notebook faster are replacing the ram and the hdd. also keep in mind that the hdd upgrade can end up voiding your warranty if not done properly so consult toshiba first, ram wont though so it is the first place to upgrade.

[alkaholikc]

whoops look like my other post didn't get posted but anyways... I'd highly recommend you get the 6600 if your planning to do anything related to graphic or the occasional gaming fling. (= The Intel Extreme Graphics uses up current ram since it shared while as the 6600Go has dedicated memory.

[woah]

Thanks to Everyone who responded to my posting so quickly. It has definately changed my decision into not purchasing the M40 w/ the Intel card. Was intentionally going to purchase from my school, as it seems to be cheapest, but I guess I'll have to look around just to get the GeForce card.

[kaelfi]

Can your school order one in for you at a better price?

[woah]

Yes, they can definitely beat the price offered at FutureShop or Staples (Business Depot). BTW, I from comparing prices I have found in many cases that Staples do offer Cheaper pricing than FutureShop EVEN AFTER the so called "discounts" and promo's. Anyways, most universities do end up having the cheapest price for laptops but ofcourse it just depends if you are lucky enough to have them have the particular laptop model you want. This is mainly b/c they purchase in stocks and educ. institutions sometimes get discounts as well.

[Fidget]

my university is really only cheaper when it comes to apple stuff... for toshiba it is only like $50 and i would have to wait, for me the convenience is worth it sadly to go somewhere else...

[alkaholikc]

I was so tempted to buy a 15" Powerbook at my college because of its back to school promos that include a free iPod :P but I was lacking funds that year and saved up until I found this baby (:

[lwyw]

I am considering to get the Toshiba M40, and wondering, did anybody get any dead pixels on their LCD screen. And what does the 1 year limited warranty covers. Maybe someone can direct me a website where I can get such details, I tried look for it at www.toshiba.com but didn't find anything.

Thanks

[Fidget]

yp5 is probably best to explain the warranty....

no lcd is assured of being perfect all the time 100% first time out. most companies require you to pay extra if you want to get an assurance of no dead pixels. the issue is that deal pixels can actually occur from shipping the machine, so it could leave the factory with a perfect screen and have a dead pixel when it reaches you....

[H&h]

Hello all!

I'm in the position of buying this great lappy (specs: PM 1,73Ghz, 512mb DDR 80GB 5400rpm, Ati Mobility X700 128mb) for a mere 1550$ (+ 3 years warranty for a 100 $)at my local store.

I was just wondering if the laptop is safe to put on one's lap when downclocked to 800Mhz or whatever? And what is the status of the cooler then?

Thank you so very much

[alkaholikc]

Yep, going from full power to something like long life(800Mhz) will reduce the fan speed since the voltage is reduced.

[blueshirds]

hi,
maybe i overread it, but how hot does the palmrest of the m40 get?

[alkaholikc]

The palm rest will get fairly warm after a while... could be one of those designers flaw with this notebook which is nothing to serious.

[blueshirds]

hm, how warm does it get? does it bother you a lot? and is there anything else that bothers you?

thx for the reply

[alkaholikc]

from room tempertaure to maybe 5-10 minutes in normal operating conditions you will feel it slowly rise in temperature. When using graphic or cpu intensive programs the fan will kick in but the palm rest will remain fairly warm still. There has been issues with the 2915 wifi cards I used to have troubles with but intel already have relesed drivers fixing most of the issues.

[blueshirds]

ok. hm have you played any games on it yet? whats the response time of the display, I couldn't find it on the toshiba website. or do you notice any ghosting?

thx
blueshirds

[Bartek]

Hey Everyone,

I bought the M40 JM3 with the 6600 about 2 weeks ago for $1399 CDN. It was the demo model on display so I guess I got lucky (although I was hesitant to purchase the demo model, FutureShop gave me a free inspection to see if everything was as it should be.)

So far im loving it. Great performance. Im definately going to upgrade to 1 gig of ram soon. Im just wondering - Is there any way I can upgrade the nvidia drivers for this card without going through toshiba? Toshibas driver versions are pretty out dated and I dont think im getting as good performance in games (specifically Dungeon Seige 2) as I should be. Its going 19 frames per second sometimes, which it shouldnt becaue A) its an old game engine and B) This is a good video card. Any advice would be helpful, thanks!

[H&h]

Sure you can, just go to http://www.laptopvideo2go.com

Has anyone noticed gosting while playing FPS games?

[freelunch]

No, I play CS Source and I dont notice ghosting. FPS is averaging 50-60 on populated servers. And on Dungeon Siege 2, i use the 77.72 drivers and I get 50 FPS average with everything on and at 1280x800 res.

[sor]

Nvidia uses a unified drver architecture, so no matter which graphics chipset you have of theirs you can download and use the current Forceware driver on their site. No need to go to the manufacturer's site, and to tell you the truth, I've usually had better luck with Nvidia's reference driver than 3rd party drivers.

The NVIDIA Unified Driver Architecture (UDA) is the foundation for the company’s award-winning ForceWare drivers and delivers forward-and-backward compatibility across all implementations of NVIDIA desktop, workstation, mobile, platform, and multimedia processors. With a single driver, UDA delivers ongoing performance and feature improvements, reduced maintenance time, increased scalability, and a lower total cost of ownership.

[sor]

Has anyone heard about any major issues with the M40 series? Seems like that lemon post shows some major flaws in a few models.

[davez82]

when playing games on heavy load it gets really hot on the left where the fan is. I mean hot, good thing im not left handed, but you cannot rest your hand on the left side. not on the palm rest just where the fan exhales. its burning hot air and around that area, but only noticed on heavy 3d gaming, i think this is a nvidia thing, i have a 6600 in mine.

[alkaholikc]

which major flaw might that be?...

[sor]

just on the forums there are threads complaining about certain models, so I was wondering if there were any complaints about the m40. I'm pretty sure I'll be wiping mine clean as soon as I get it, which should fix any issues that most people tend to have with new manufactured PCs, but just wanted to see if any m40's have made their way to tech support frequently.

[tarwood]

Has anyone had any issues with the new v1.6 bios update? Ever since I updated. :nono: I have to manually cycle the wireless switch, when I boot. The funny thing is when I restart the light stays on untill the Toshiba screen is displayed. This is when the bios is read, right?
Ok thats prob one. HOW DO YOU GET THIS DARN EXPRESS MEDIA TO WORK... I installed the express media cd first as advised. I intstalled my own version of XP pro (Also tried the stock XP home, no diff...). And when I try to get a dvd to play, it just hangs. Just a blank screen, nada. :huh:
As for the laptop, I've had it for a couple weeks and love it. Jus tneed to figure out a couple issue's. Damn I should've never updated the damn bios... :oops:

[alkaholikc]

I went through 2 bios updates until it fixed my wireless problem. Could be a draw of luck. 1.20 > 1.30 > 1.60... Don't really know what causes the problem but sounds like its a random occurance between machines. Does your DVD drive happen to disappear from your machine? Sounds like those are the only 2 problems I can think if that I experienced.

[S_NINJA]

I had to go through 2 bios updates as well. but for 2 different issues.

the first one was to fix the buzzing sound coming from my left speaker, (dunno which bios update that was)

then it worked perfectly for a couple weeks. (wireless and all)

then i had to go to 1.60 to fix my wireless card (worked! =)

haven't tried playing a dvd on it yet... but i think alot of M40 users experience small issues that are getting fixed by various BIOS updates. :saywhat:

[tarwood]

No I did not have any troubles with the DVD drive. :bow:
Just the Wireless, my problem is I hav ethe latest bios update... Guess I'll have to wait till the next one AND NEVER UPDATE AGAIN... :cursing:
Oh well... Do any of you know how to go back to a previous bios???

Thanks

[alkaholikc]

I wouldn't recommend you trying to revert to a previous bios just to be on the safe side. A failed bios is a bigger problem then that wifi annoyance :P... Might have to wait around for an updated bios release to fix your problem (=... Other then that hope you enjoy your M40!

[tarwood]

yeah I guess do. Oh well. But this has been a very nice laptop. Hey have you been able to get express media to work? When I pop a DVD in it just goes blank.:huh:

[alkaholikc]

Well I usualy dont use express media to play dvds but i'll glady try it out for u later today...

[Peppah]

I'm able to purchase/customize an M40 from toshibadirect.com, and my screen options are a Trubrite screen at 1280x800 WXGA, or a 1680x1050 WSXGA+, with no Trubrite. What would be the better option?

[tarwood]

I'm able to purchase/customize an M40 from toshibadirect.com, and my screen options are a Trubrite screen at 1280x800 WXGA, or a 1680x1050 WSXGA+, with no Trubrite. What would be the better option?

If money is of no concern, go with the WSXGA+, it is better. But I have the WXGA TruBrite myself and it is pretty good in itself. But think of this, what will be one of the biggest features that will be noticed/used the most??? Do you want to pay extra for a better screen? Even if money was tight I personally would pay the extra for the upgraded screen, if I were to do it again. Good luck, you won't be disappointed in this machine.

[alkaholikc]

I wish I had that option of a WSXGA screen when I purchased my M40 back in March. Wider viewing screen would help if your doing work such as CAD or graphic designing which i'm currently doing.

[remanence]

perso j'ai aussi le M30-951 mais le M40-JM3 pour moi est une réel déception a par sa carte graphique le portable est a chié coque/dalle/son est décevant pourtant il est bien équipé de Harman/Kardon mais le system SRS TruSurround ruine la qualiter des enceintes, et l'écran est une dalle simple Tn+film pas une IPS comme sur le M30 de plus la coque manque de finition.:thumbdown


Les +

chassie proche du M30
enceintes signée H/K
molette de son pratique
clavier
le prix
micro intégrée
la gestion d'énergie Toshiba


Les -

pas de dalle IPS simple écran Tn classic Toshiba peu faire mieux
finition tres "plastic"
SRS TruSurround XT system de basse virtuel pourrie qui ruine les H/K
batterie proche de la piles alkaline

M40

screen: 2.5/5 bad for watch dvd and divx better for game
speakers: 3/5 SRS system is ridiculous and crappy!!
battery: 1.5/5 same to alkaline battery!
graphic card: 3.5/5 the real interest inside the M40
overall: 3/5

M30

screen: 4.5/5 perfect for watch DVD and divx but little remanence effect in game
speakers: 5/5 perfect song!!
graphic card: 2/5 old and weak
battery: 3/5 good result but better with the 8800mHa version
overall: 4/5



the M40 Tn+film display look crappy if you compare with the IPS M30 display! TruBrite is a joke!
The SRS TruSurround XT is ridiculous and hilarious bass system effect and if you turn off the SRS the sound is weak.

conclusion except the graphic card the M40-JM3 sucks terrifying!

[alkaholikc]

You could of just made a seperate thread with your own review.

[tarwood]

:eek:
Hey ALKY did you try that express media? I haven't bothered with it much, but can not get it to work. Just wondering if this is just something with my installation or if this is an issue with express media, thanks. :scratch:

[tarwood]

:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:
Well v1.7 bios was released and it fixed the wireless deal. Still want to get the express media to work.
:banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

[alkaholikc]

Sorry tarwood... Havn't had time to check the express media buttons... Just uninstalled WinDvd7 since it was giving me BSOD.... will post up results after i play around with it.

[solipsis]

Where is this 1.70 BIOS? the websites in America and Canada only shows 1.6. Thanks