arcticstoat writes to mention that Toshiba's latest line of high-powered laptops has three GPUs included. Both the Qosmio X305-Q706 and Q708 come with an integrated GeForce 9400M for day-to-day processing tasks but have a pair of GeForce 9800Ms in SLI that kick in when you need the extra horsepower. "The [Qosmio] X305-Q706 costs $1,999 US (£1,257) in the US, although we haven't seen any UK pricing on the laptops yet. The system comes with a 2.2GHz Core 2 Duo P8400 and 4GB of RAM, while the costlier X305-Q708 comes with a quad-core 2.53GHz Core 2 Extreme QX9300 CPU."
The whole point of this is to improve battery life compared to laptops that only have the higher performance GPU: you use the more efficient GPU when you do not need the performance, and the better performance one only when you do.
I take it you don't use Photoshop and don't commute to work on a train or bus which may require you to use said program or that you may want to play games on the way back to blow off a bit of steam and with trains having mains supplies batteries aren't an issue.
You say nobody uses laptops for games, but you clearly have not been to any college lan parties lately. This is clearly a luggable designed for gaming, not a commuter laptop. The battery life probably sucks and it no doubt weighs a ton, but even so it's a lot easier to carry around than a full tower and the game performance should be more than adequate. Sure it'll be obsolete real fast, but these kinds of laptops aren't meant for the budget minded consumer.
"obsolete" is a relative term, too. Some people who buy these realize that brand-new games might need some settings turned down, but they're still playable. Not everyone needs to run Crysis at 2560x1980 or whatever the hell it is as soon as it comes out. Two 9800's in SLI are pretty damn quick, and they'll still be pretty quick in 3 or 4 years, when laptops normally start dying. Game manufacturers make sure that people with older hardware can play their games because very, very few people actually buy new, top-of-the-line hardware to play ANY games.
Every academic and industrial research worker now uses laptops for presenting research papers at conferences, now that digital overhead projectors are now standard (just plug the external video cable into the laptop, set up dual display and everything is exactly the same when the presentation was prepared).
For those who are in the field of 3D visualisation/animation/rendering research, having a laptop that can do high-performance 3D graphics is a big gain. Instead of just presenting screenshots, pre-rendere
At first the idea sounded idiotic, but I might actually replace my outdated desktop with something like this. I've now used laptop computers pretty much exclusively for about two years now. I do have two desktops at home, but I rarely use them, and they're more for quests who stay long enough to need a computer they can use.
I do everything on my laptop, and if I need more uumpf, I use VNC to connect to our bedroom-server-thing or use one of the desktops remotely. I notice that whenever I actually sit down on a desktop computer for more than a few minutes, at some point I feel the need to pick the thing up and move somewhere to do other things while continuing to work with the machine. While there have been more and more powerful laptops in recent years, I've still been waiting for a real powerhouse of a machine to actually toss out my old desktop instead of just replacing my latest laptop. Something like this might be it.
As someone that is using a laptop as desktop replacement, I have to say it's great to be able to have so much portable power but it does have it's downsides:
1. They tend to weigh a lot, making travel with it a bit of a pain and an annoyance for daily use in multiple locations.
2. They tend to run extremely hot.
3. They cost a lot more for the equivalent desktop hardware.
4. Less upgradable.
5. Nvidia doesn't update their mobile chipset drivers.
I like sitting on my couch and using my laptop. It's way more comfortable than sitting at a desk, and I can interact with other people in the room, watch TV, etc, so when I want to get a powerful computer, I always look at laptops first. To this end, things like weight, size, and battery life are less of a concern. You do tend to pay for the convenience, as you note, both in the fact that you can't upgrade cheaply and in a high up-front cost.
I highly recommend checking out LaptopVideo2Go [laptopvideo2go.com]. You can install the desktop drivers on your laptop with a simple swap of an.inf file.
No shit, why can't anybody but Apple design a good looking computer? It's not rocket science, it requires only some basic understanding of art/design history to avoid the monstrosities that PC makers put out. Only nice thing about it is that my PC laptop is so ugly that I don't care, I spray paint it, duct tape the broken piece on the bottom, whatever. Some of my MacBook friends have actually said that they envy my ability to paint it and not care what it looks like, haha.
Yes, Apple has already done it. Their new notebook, in stores now, has the integrated GPU with the bigger there if require too. Kind of the same thing but on a nicer aluminum uni-body and glass package.
That changes color over time so you know when its time to replace, with a microchip that modifies its performance based on the age of the blades... don't get me started.
m not really very knowledgeable about every-day shaving (I have a beard, and I'm ashamed to say I've only ever shaved with a single-blade razor...), but are these surreal straight-out-of-the-onion razors actually any good?
The single blade bic razors that come in a bag and cost 50 cents each or something are utter and
..but Toshiba often seems to launch new and previously unheard of things in their computers. Still they're not very popular (at least with anyone I know) when compared to the more "mundane" manufacturers.
Battery life is an amazing 2.4 seconds, but you can buy an extended battery and extend the life to 1 minute 15 seconds. Or, almost long enough for it to boot up.
Better hardware then the mac book pro at the same price. why can't apple have at least one 9800m in the mac book pro? at $2000 9600m is a poor gpu for the price.
by Anonymous Coward
on Friday November 07 2008, @04:26PM (#25681329)
That's not the UK price, it's the US price converted to GBP. It's entirely conceivable - and, in fact, likely - that the laptop will retail for a different, higher price in the UK.
After having fought with the Lenovo T400 (with the ATI graphics and the built in Intel graphics) in "switchable" mode, I can only hope that Toshiba was able to implement theirs in a way that works well even across the edge cases of configuration and usage.
For example on the T400, it switches (by default) to the Intel integrated when you go to battery. If you use the machine on a port replicator with dual monitors (like is common for us) you get the two screens identified as number 3 and 4 instead of 1 and 2. AND - when you redock, they switch back and forth (primary screen switches from one side to the other). It works so poorly in a docking scenario that we just disabled it in the BIOS (so it is always on the ATI or 'discrete' graphics).
This is one of those ideas that sounds great, but if implemented poorly leaves me scratching my head and wondering why someone designed something so stupid.
Here's hoping that Lenovo works this out and that this implementation from Toshiba works right out of the gate.
I think there's quite a market for these types of laptops. While the the disadvantages are that they are huge, weight a ton and toast your lap, they pack quite a bit of portable power. But the battery life should be pretty good when you're running with just the integrated graphics. First they would be ideal for people who go to LAN parties. Second, if you are a serious designer working in 3D animation this may be the only PC you need. Thirdly, NVIDIA CUDA has shown a lot of promise so far, with time we will ha
The dell precision line might be better for making 3D animation since they come with the quadro line of video cards. I am hoping this makes dell drop the price on their orange or M6400 one since when spec'd out it cost like $5000. For an all around kick butt portable desktop either of those look good on paper. I'd like to see how they hold up after 3-9 months of use. The dell interested me with the quad core cpu, up to 16GB of RAM, and the 1GB video card. It is not an extreme gamer machine, but it should do
Every Toshiba I have looked at, after finding out mine had this issue, has hvm disabled. Not "they use a bios that is not "Intel Virtualization Technology-enabled". Flat out disabled with no way of turning it on. Add to this the fact that every bios update for my laptop has made it more and more difficult to get Linux running properly. No sound? hack bios rebuild kernel and init. No fan for GPU? hack bios - rebuild kernel and init... I'm waiting for the bios that looks to see if I have nothing vista'ish on the drive and disables me turning it on.
I never see people actually use the batteries in their laptops. They're always tethered to some wall outlet. That's half the reason I own a laptop! I never carry my magsafe adapter and run all around town with my macbook pro and still can get home with enough charge to plop down on my sofa!
The same technology is available in newer desktops. It's a new feature in nVidia hardware so that you don't have to use your machine as a space heater when you're just surfing the web. They're actually also supposed to be doing some kind of SLI using the onboard GPU and any additional GPU you've got plugged in. (not on this laptop obviously because they've already got two separate GPUs, but in the case when you've got just one video card and onboard video you're supposed to be able to do it.)
Portable Furnace (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Portable Furnace (Score:5, Funny)
Does it come with its own fire extinguisher?
Actually no. But you can get that at the Autozone when you go to pick up the car battery you'll need.
Parent
Re:Portable Furnace (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
I take it you don't use Photoshop and don't commute to work on a train or bus which may require you to use said program or that you may want to play games on the way back to blow off a bit of steam and with trains having mains supplies batteries aren't an issue.
Re:Portable Furnace (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Re:Portable Furnace (Score:4, Insightful)
"obsolete" is a relative term, too. Some people who buy these realize that brand-new games might need some settings turned down, but they're still playable. Not everyone needs to run Crysis at 2560x1980 or whatever the hell it is as soon as it comes out. Two 9800's in SLI are pretty damn quick, and they'll still be pretty quick in 3 or 4 years, when laptops normally start dying. Game manufacturers make sure that people with older hardware can play their games because very, very few people actually buy new, top-of-the-line hardware to play ANY games.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Every academic and industrial research worker now uses laptops for presenting research papers at conferences, now that digital overhead projectors are now standard (just plug the external video cable into the laptop, set up dual display and everything is exactly the same when the presentation was prepared).
For those who are in the field of 3D visualisation/animation/rendering research, having a laptop that can do high-performance 3D graphics is a big gain. Instead of just presenting screenshots, pre-rendere
Re:Portable Furnace (Score:4, Funny)
A three GPU notebook is actually Toshiba's way of making triple damn sure that nerds don't reproduce.
Parent
Only two processors? (Score:2, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
I like this portable-desktop approact to laptops (Score:3, Interesting)
The problem with desktop replacements (Score:5, Informative)
1. They tend to weigh a lot, making travel with it a bit of a pain and an annoyance for daily use in multiple locations.
2. They tend to run extremely hot.
3. They cost a lot more for the equivalent desktop hardware.
4. Less upgradable.
5. Nvidia doesn't update their mobile chipset drivers.
My next computer will definitely be a desktop.
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
I like sitting on my couch and using my laptop. It's way more comfortable than sitting at a desk, and I can interact with other people in the room, watch TV, etc, so when I want to get a powerful computer, I always look at laptops first. To this end, things like weight, size, and battery life are less of a concern. You do tend to pay for the convenience, as you note, both in the fact that you can't upgrade cheaply and in a high up-front cost.
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
ewww (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:ewww (Score:4, Funny)
That's called the MacBook Pro.
Parent
Re:ewww (Score:4, Informative)
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Here's a sexier one:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tlosborne/Osborne/Osbornehistory/Adamosborne/osbornecomputerspecsheet.jpg [ancestry.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, Apple has already done it. Their new notebook, in stores now, has the integrated GPU with the bigger there if require too. Kind of the same thing but on a nicer aluminum uni-body and glass package.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
If by the same you mean much slower and not significant as a gaming pc, then sure.
The 9600M GT is a pretty craptastic videocard for a $2500+ notebook.
I see where this is going... (Score:5, Funny)
Fuck Everything, We're Doing Five Blades [theonion.com]
Re:I see where this is going... (Score:5, Interesting)
The funny thing about that Onion piece, is the a couple years later Gillette really went and made a five-blade razor.
Score one for the onion!
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
The funny thing about that Onion piece, is the a couple years later Gillette really went and made a five-blade razor.
Even funnier, they then went on to one-upped themselves and released one with SIX.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Fuck Everything, We're Doing Five Blades
Why stop there? The latest "Gillette Fusion Power Phenom" razor has SIX.
5 blades plus a 'precision trimmer' on back side.
Oh... and don't forget: it vibrates too!
http://www.gillette.com/en-US/#/products/phenom/en-US/index.shtml/ [gillette.com]
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
That changes color over time so you know when its time to replace, with a microchip that modifies its performance based on the age of the blades... don't get me started.
m not really very knowledgeable about every-day shaving (I have a beard, and I'm ashamed to say I've only ever shaved with a single-blade razor...), but are these surreal straight-out-of-the-onion razors actually any good?
The single blade bic razors that come in a bag and cost 50 cents each or something are utter and
I actually hadn't thought of it before.. (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
Still they're not very popular (at least with anyone I know) when compared to the more "mundane" manufacturers.
Ask the folks you know if their laptop price was far more important to them than a robust feature-set...
Toshiba is the brand I usually recommend here at the shop if just FOR those "extras"...with Panasonic Toughbooks for hard-core field use as a second.
Battery Life (Score:5, Funny)
Battery life is an amazing 2.4 seconds, but you can buy an extended battery and extend the life to 1 minute 15 seconds. Or, almost long enough for it to boot up.
You could take the green option too... (Score:2)
Weight (Score:2)
It also weighs in at a svelt 11 kilos. Definitely the road warrior's first choice.
Better hardware then the mac book pro at the same (Score:2, Informative)
Better hardware then the mac book pro at the same price. why can't apple have at least one 9800m in the mac book pro? at $2000 9600m is a poor gpu for the price.
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
Pricing? (Score:5, Funny)
The [Qosmio] X305-Q706 costs $1,999 US (£1,257) in the US, although we haven't seen any UK pricing on the laptops yet.
I think I saw UK pricing on that somewhere... oh yeah:
The [Qosmio] X305-Q706 costs $1,999 US (£1,257) in the US, although we haven't seen any UK pricing on the laptops yet.
Re:Pricing? (Score:4, Informative)
That's not the UK price, it's the US price converted to GBP. It's entirely conceivable - and, in fact, likely - that the laptop will retail for a different, higher price in the UK.
At least, that's the way it always goes.
Parent
Re:Pricing? (Score:4, Insightful)
The [Qosmio] X305-Q706 costs $1,999 US (£1,257) in the US, although we haven't seen any UK pricing on the laptops yet.
Parent
Implementation is key to this (Score:5, Insightful)
For example on the T400, it switches (by default) to the Intel integrated when you go to battery. If you use the machine on a port replicator with dual monitors (like is common for us) you get the two screens identified as number 3 and 4 instead of 1 and 2. AND - when you redock, they switch back and forth (primary screen switches from one side to the other). It works so poorly in a docking scenario that we just disabled it in the BIOS (so it is always on the ATI or 'discrete' graphics).
This is one of those ideas that sounds great, but if implemented poorly leaves me scratching my head and wondering why someone designed something so stupid.
Here's hoping that Lenovo works this out and that this implementation from Toshiba works right out of the gate.
Does this mean death of The BOX? (Score:2, Insightful)
I think there's quite a market for these types of laptops. While the the disadvantages are that they are huge, weight a ton and toast your lap, they pack quite a bit of portable power. But the battery life should be pretty good when you're running with just the integrated graphics.
First they would be ideal for people who go to LAN parties.
Second, if you are a serious designer working in 3D animation this may be the only PC you need.
Thirdly, NVIDIA CUDA has shown a lot of promise so far, with time we will ha
Re: (Score:2)
The dell precision line might be better for making 3D animation since they come with the quadro line of video cards. I am hoping this makes dell drop the price on their orange or M6400 one since when spec'd out it cost like $5000. For an all around kick butt portable desktop either of those look good on paper. I'd like to see how they hold up after 3-9 months of use. The dell interested me with the quad core cpu, up to 16GB of RAM, and the 1GB video card. It is not an extreme gamer machine, but it should do
Who needs battery life... (Score:5, Funny)
bois not linux or vm friendly (Score:5, Informative)
Every Toshiba I have looked at, after finding out mine had this issue, has hvm disabled. Not "they use a bios that is not "Intel Virtualization Technology-enabled". Flat out disabled with no way of turning it on. Add to this the fact that every bios update for my laptop has made it more and more difficult to get Linux running properly. No sound? hack bios rebuild kernel and init. No fan for GPU? hack bios - rebuild kernel and init... I'm waiting for the bios that looks to see if I have nothing vista'ish on the drive and disables me turning it on.
I see where this is going (Score:2)
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/33930 [theonion.com]
What's funny is (Score:2, Interesting)
I never see people actually use the batteries in their laptops. They're always tethered to some wall outlet. That's half the reason I own a laptop! I never carry my magsafe adapter and run all around town with my macbook pro and still can get home with enough charge to plop down on my sofa!
TOSHIBA Qosmio - Identity crisis comes standard (Score:3, Interesting)
Dimensions: 16.2" x 12.0" x 1.7-2.5"
Weight: Starting at 9.04 lbs.
Additional specs [newegg.com]
Hot, butt.... (Score:2, Funny)
Yes it can run Crysis, but you shouldn't put anything flammable near it while you play.
Re: (Score:2)
+1 ROFL
Re:Cool, but.. (Score:5, Funny)
Can it run Crysis?
run crysis?
With how hot that thing gets it is crysis!!
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
You don't need that much power to play StarCraft.
What else can you play at a "LAN" party (no external servers) that needs the oomph?