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Seeking advice

post #1 of 14
6/21/05 at 3:46pm
Thread Starter 
Before I even start with questions I'd like to thank you for spending some of your time to help me.

I would like to get rid of my desktop workstation and buy myself a portable replacement. It would be used for various things, from word processing, internet surfing and entertainment (watching DVD's, TV etc.) to photo and video editing /w minimal 3D animation/ modelling.

Now this is why I posted this on a Toshiba section of a forum

I've got my eyes (and heart ) on Toshiba Qosmio G25-513 - it seems absolutely perfect - from the looks to the specs it's just what I'm looking for... or it seems. It costs much so before I part with my money and plunge into financial crisis - is the system responsive (fast) enough to handle applications like Photoshop CS, 3D Studio Max 7.5, Premiere Pro 1.5, After Effects 6.5 and/ or Vegas 6 without problems?

Judging by the specs (Centrino 2GHz, 1024 MB RAM, 2x80 GB RAID, GeForce 6600) I would say yes - now I am eagerly awaiting a conformation of this by someone who actually has experience with notebooks (or even this particular model).

Also, as I have very limited experience with portable computers, is it safe to leave a notebook in operational mode (for example; rendering) for hours at a time (eight and more hours; near a power outlet, ofcourse), or are there any contraindications?

One more thing; I see it comes with Windows Media Center 2005, if I decide to put Windows XP Professional on the system how much of functionality do I loose - are the drivers MCE2005 specific? Is there any real difference between MCE2005 and Win XP Pro besides administrational tools?

So many questions... sorry.

Once again, thank you for your help
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post #2 of 14
6/21/05 at 4:28pm
Notebook on for long period of times = Yes

Why XP Pro? why do you feel you need it? XP pro on the G20 will cause quite a bit of the functionality to disappear. The Qosmio Engine (integral part of the Qosmio platform) is part hardware and part software. So wiping the image and starting over with XP Pro is not advisable (IMO). Again, why do you need XP Pro?
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post #3 of 14
6/21/05 at 6:39pm
Leave MCE2005 on it as YP5 Toronto says. About the only major thing you don;t have compared to XP Pro is the ability to join a domain,, but there is a workaround if needed (just google it). This thing was designed around MCE2005...but you dont have to use the MCE part if you don\'t want to. Leave the OS as is (for a number of reasons, support included) and enjoy it.
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post #4 of 14
6/21/05 at 6:45pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for input YP5 Toronto and wilwon.

As i suspected there aren't any major differences between MCE2005 and WinXP Pro - there are some which don't concern me (involving corporate networking). The reason I asked was because I've worked on WinXP Pro for past few years. But it seems that transition will be completely painless.

Do I get MCE2005 CD + Drivers CD with the unit - in case I'll ever have to format it? I clean my workstation from garbage few times a year - I do this by formatting the hard drive so this is one ritual I'd like to keep if possible.
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post #5 of 14
6/21/05 at 9:09pm
you get a disk that has the factory image... nothing is divided or seperated.

You can download the individual drivers from the toshiba website.
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post #6 of 14
6/22/05 at 2:58pm
Thread Starter 
Excellent. I'll buy the unit + external storage (400 GB) for my editing needs as soon as possible. I'm sure it'll suite my needs perfectly.

If anyone has more valuable input I'm eager to hear it. I'd still like some opinions from owners of G25 or maybe even some previous Qosmio units. All I've heard about them is extremely positive, except opinions from Toshiba haters (usually owners of Dell or HP laptops).

From what I know Toshiba's units are well built and if there are any glitches customer support is excellent.
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post #7 of 14
6/22/05 at 5:20pm
customer service with toshiba is grade A thats for sure. i dont have a qosmio but i do know that they are really good quality machines and i dont think you will face any trouble at all with them.

generally i would not leave it running absolutely all the time but in your case while its rendering that would be kinda hard not to do, so i would suggest a cooling pad under it. they are cheap and can help keep the system from overheating, heat kills laptops fast so its best to get that to keep it cooler and its like $40 or less so you cant go wrong.

the qosmio will definately do what you are needing for it to, the specs are very good, and for the price you are going to be hard pressed to find better. with a 400gb external hdd you will have no problems at all and because of its dual internal hdd's when they become more mainstream you should be able to pick up a pair of internal 7200rpm sata 100gb models and have monster hdd space onboard. at least in the laptop world that is huge space. dont do it too soon because it will likely mess your warranty and that is important, in fact i would suggest purchasing all the extra warranty you possibly can when you get your machine. systemguard and 2+ years is a must in my opinion and a small price for alot of safety. i would get the extra warranty through toshiba, they seem to be way better than stores at actually honoring it (noting the issues with some stores in the states)....

generally i say the qosmio is a great solid choice for you and that you will love it. enjoy the new toy when you get it and post a review as soon as you get the chance. have fun man.
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post #8 of 14
6/22/05 at 6:52pm
Thread Starter 
Thank you Fidget, that was most informative.

I'll try to find a Cooling Pad - which will be a bit of an undertaking considering where I live. I'll think of something.

Please tell me one thing, when you say that "heat kills laptops fast" (God, that scared me), can it really heat up to a "lethal" degree in a well conditioned working enviroment (let's say that room temp. would be around 20°C (-/+5 at most)?
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post #9 of 14
6/22/05 at 7:59pm
http://www.targus.com/ca/product_details.asp?sku=PA248C

I have had the chance to use this for a period of time...it worked out extremely well.
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post #10 of 14
6/22/05 at 8:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ratko
Thank you Fidget, that was most informative.

I'll try to find a Cooling Pad - which will be a bit of an undertaking considering where I live. I'll think of something.

Please tell me one thing, when you say that "heat kills laptops fast" (God, that scared me), can it really heat up to a "lethal" degree in a well conditioned working enviroment (let's say that room temp. would be around 20°C (-/+5 at most)?

part of my reference was to internal heat such as that produced by the highest end graphics cards like the 6800ultra, as well as that produced by the use of desktop processors in laptops. without proper cooling this can be a really big issue and definately can kill a machine. it is why laptops that use such parts such as the sager 9880 are very very large and contain enough fans to drown out normal conversation. the other part was iin reference to heat from the rest of the environment, leaving a laptop in a car in the sun where temps can get excessively hot can be a good fast way to kill an lcd. however it is something that i must say is not a concern in a well conditioned environment of an office, and as long as you dont leave it in the car for too long (not something i would advise anyway) you should be okay.

the qosmio that you are looking at will not really suffer heat problems, firstly it has the pentium-m processor which runs alot cooler than the desktop p4. also it has a lower power and thus lower heat graphics card. in a 20°C roughly environment it should be perfectly fine but still like everything else it does get warm when you put it through long periods of high use, such as rendering. this should not produce a lethal result but for safety sake i do recomend a cooling pad. however i would recomend that to every laptop user as a way to prolong the lifespan of their machine.

the environmental specifications of the Qosmio G20 which is basically the same machine as the US G25 are:

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

i hope that helps, i really would not see any problems with you getting a qosmio and i am sure that it will very easily meet your requirements.

cheers
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post #11 of 14
6/23/05 at 6:54pm
Thread Starter 
YP5 Toronto, I'll take a look at that cooling pad. I think that we have Targus' distributer here.

Fidget, thank you on all the info; I definitely don't intend to abuse the machine with extreme working enviroments so I'm pretty sure it will have a long and healthy life ...at least for a couple of years.
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post #12 of 14
6/23/05 at 7:23pm
i hope it does as well, post us all a review when you get it we are all interested in peoples thoughts on the new qosmio. make sure to include loads of pictures..
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post #13 of 14
6/23/05 at 8:12pm
Thread Starter 
Will do; let's hope within a month or so, it's one heck of an investment.

BTW I'm buying G20 (I'm from Europe). G20 is, as you already stated basically the same as G25 (US model).
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post #14 of 14
6/24/05 at 2:04pm
its the model we have here in canada and i after having looked at it plenty of times am sure that you will love it. it is one sweet deal for sure.
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