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M680 Reviewed - As Promised - Page 7

Poll Results: Was this helpful

Poll expired: Jun 9, 2005  
  • 83% (25)
    Yes, I found it to be very helpful.
  • 13% (4)
    Yes, It was somewhat helpful.
  • 0% (0)
    It was Ok, but not very helpful.
  • 3% (1)
    It was horrible and not helpful at all.
30 Total Votes  
post #121 of 217
6/22/05 at 11:12am
czm..

I have found that if one keeps their notebook basically stock and really cares for it as in cleaning and blowing out dust weekly and you have no issues in the first 20-30 days or so you will have a keeper for years.

Also it is good to hear about your M680 doing so well.. I truly loved your 1st rate review and comments. Very balanced.

Daley
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post #122 of 217
6/22/05 at 1:29pm
Thread Starter 
I agree whole heartedly. Mines still rock'n. You never know though. I could do something foolish to mess it up. But I think I'm probably in the clear. I actually still love it as much as I did when I wrote that review (thanks for the kind words). I feel bad that others have had problems and I haven't had one (for example I've been doing all kinds of heavy intensive work for the last 5+ hours straight and only one fan is on low, and I can't even hear it, there is no heat on the left palm rest at all and my temps are in the low 40's). I just hope more people start to enjoy theirs. I know lots are.

Have a great day!
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post #123 of 217
6/22/05 at 2:12pm
Tell me again how wonderful that screen is LOL naaa just kidding .. I know it is amazing already. I have a 15.4" 10 month old Gateway screen here that has been used 16+ hours a day and it is as bright and as crisp and as high contrast as day one. It is truly amazing.
We also have a Dell 9200 17" screen in the house and after 6 months it is very patchy and washed out now and has burnt in lines on the bottom. What garbage they must put in these DELLS and what quality I see still in my Gateway. Night and day difference.
I am sure your M680 screen will go the distance barring any unforseen accidents...

Daley
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post #124 of 217
6/22/05 at 2:58pm
Thread Starter 
The screen is gorgeous!

Second only to the bride.
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post #125 of 217
6/22/05 at 7:41pm
Thread Starter 
That sucks. I'm sorry to hear that. Don't worry though. Even if you don't know a lot about PC stuff, they should be able to walk you through it no problem.
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post #126 of 217
6/24/05 at 3:46pm
Got my M680 a few days ago and damn... hate to repeat this but the screen is GORGEOUS! The only problem is that now i might want to buy an LCD cleaner to keep it nice and fingerprint-free!

As for my experience so far, the battery life is superb (got both batteries), though the meter telling the remaining time seems to fluctuate a fedew minutes or so pending on what your doing (normal? i would guess so...).

I think my fan is probably one of the "defective" ones cause I can really hear it when i turn on my laptop (not until after about 10-15 min of running tho) and I can definitely hear it on AC, though still not as loud as to be annoying. My left hand rest area does get warm as well (I think it's because of the faster Hitachi).

The bottom of the computer stays cool enough even after three hours to be used on my lap, but it seems kind of strange that the fan on the bottom center is putting out cold air while the one on the bottom left doesn't seem to turn on . Should I ask them about that or is this normal?
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post #127 of 217
6/24/05 at 8:52pm
Thread Starter 
Congratulations! Sounds about right (except for the fan noise). If it's not bothersome though, I wouldn't worry about it. I hope you enjoy yours as much as I have enjoyed mine.

Good luck.
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post #128 of 217
6/27/05 at 2:59pm
I just ordered my M680XL, w/ the 2.13 GHz processor, 12-cell battery, total mobility bundle and 3 year warrenty w/ accidental damage. The total online cost was $3035. I emailed Zennie McDonald at gateway, and he was able to lower the price to $2499.97 with free shipping. It's supposed to arrive on July 11th, I can't wait! I can't believe I got this amazing deal. You can email zennie at zennie.mcdonald@gateway.com I'm sure he'll be able to give you at least 10-15% off.
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post #129 of 217
6/27/05 at 5:54pm
Yoda63,

Did you get that with the 1 gig or 2 gig of RAM?
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post #130 of 217
6/27/05 at 7:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by czm2000
I agree whole heartedly. Mines still rock'n. You never know though. I could do something foolish to mess it up. But I think I'm probably in the clear. I actually still love it as much as I did when I wrote that review (thanks for the kind words). I feel bad that others have had problems and I haven't had one (for example I've been doing all kinds of heavy intensive work for the last 5+ hours straight and only one fan is on low, and I can't even hear it, there is no heat on the left palm rest at all and my temps are in the low 40's). I just hope more people start to enjoy theirs. I know lots are.

Have a great day!
Which hard drive are you using? Maybe because your using a 5400 rpm your rest is cooler. I have a 7200 and it gets hot to the touch (including the keyboard above it.)
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post #131 of 217
6/27/05 at 7:15pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Linari
Which hard drive are you using? Maybe because your using a 5400 rpm your rest is cooler. I have a 7200 and it gets hot to the touch (including the keyboard above it.)
Good point. I have the 80 Gig 5400 RPM drive. That would definitely run cooler than the 60 Gig 7200 RPM drive. The only problem is the hard drive is under the right palm rest. There is absolutely no heat coming from there. I only get a mild warmth occasionally from the left palm rest. So the hard drive really would have nothing to do with heat from the left side.
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post #132 of 217
6/27/05 at 7:38pm
I got 1 gig of ram. And I can't wait for it to come.
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post #133 of 217
6/27/05 at 8:55pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by gvo951
can anyone tell me how to burn dvds on the m680?...how to burn data to dvd...and how to burn a dvd so that the video will play on any dvd player attached to a tv

thanks in advance
Wrong forum for this type of question. You would do it though just like on any computer. It's not necessarily specific to the M680 and it varies depending upon what software your using and which of the above tasks you want to accomplish. That's a broad question and quite a lengthy type. You'll also never burn a DVD that will work on all DVD players. A lot of older DVD players won't play certain types of DVD's. I have a 3 year old $350 RCA that won't play a single burned DVD but upstairs I have a 6 month old $40 Magnavox (picked up on clearance after Christmas) that will play anything I burn. Just open up your burning software and choose what you want to do and follow the directions. They kind of make sense as you go through it. Or use the help section that comes with the software.
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post #134 of 217
6/28/05 at 5:46pm
Does anyone know how long the 12-cell battery lasts while watching a DVD? And, how long during normal web or word usage?

Thanks
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post #135 of 217
6/28/05 at 8:59pm
Thread Starter 
My 8 cell is lasting me on a regular basis 4:00-4:30 hours with moderate work. The screen is dimmed one notch below half and the graphics card is on power saver. I believe I read somewhere that the 12 cell will get you an additional 2 hours or so above the 8 cell.
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post #136 of 217
6/28/05 at 10:12pm
rite now running on my 12-cell bat, windows tells me i'm at 83% with 5:10 to go. When I had just turned on the laptop with the bat at full charge, the reading came out to a little over 6 hours.
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post #137 of 217
6/28/05 at 11:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yoda63
Does anyone know how long the 12-cell battery lasts while watching a DVD? And, how long during normal web or word usage?

Thanks
I tested the 8-cell at full charge watching a DVD (As Good As It Gets), and got 2hrs 25mn

I also have the 12-cell. I'll give this one a test soon and post the results.

Hugo
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post #138 of 217
6/30/05 at 11:45pm
I got my port replicator before my computer, and I have a question for anyone who has one, and had been able to use it. The instruction book says that there is a headphone and mic jack, but the color of the ports and the symbols suggest that they are headphone and line in. Which is correct? I think there would have been room for all three audio ports, and a 6-pin firewire, but i'm still happy.

Thanks again.
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post #139 of 217
7/1/05 at 2:55pm

2 Day Old M680XL Died

Worked flawlessly for two whole days. Beautiful screen, awesome performance, DVDs look incredible, etc. Then out of the blue, I go to power up and nothing! Power light comes on for one second, then nothing. No start up whatsoever. With tech support, checked out battery and hard drive. No help. Sent back for service yesterday. Really did not want to buy from Gateway in the first place, but the M680XL is still the only 17" notebook that has everything I need - long battery life, lightweight, number pad, and awesome screen. Will post the results when I hear back.

sv007
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post #140 of 217
7/1/05 at 5:26pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yoda63
I got my port replicator before my computer, and I have a question for anyone who has one, and had been able to use it. The instruction book says that there is a headphone and mic jack, but the color of the ports and the symbols suggest that they are headphone and line in. Which is correct? I think there would have been room for all three audio ports, and a 6-pin firewire, but i'm still happy.

Thanks again.
One of them is an Audio in port. I have my speakers plugged into the headphone jack as it is an Audio out port. Works great.
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