Toshiba X305-Q725: Quad-Core Gaming Notebook
by Jarred Walton on March 11, 2009 1:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Laptops
Test Setup
Below is the test configuration for the Toshiba X305-Q725. We will compare its performance with other recently tested notebooks, specifically focusing on how it does against other gaming laptops.
| Toshiba X305-725 Test System | |
| Processor | Core 2 Quad Q9000 (Quad-Core 2.00GHz, 2x3MB Shared L2, 1066FSB) |
| Memory | 2x2048MB Hynix PC3-8500 @ DDR3-1066 7-7-7-20 (Hynix HMT125S6AFP8C-G7N0 AA) |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GeForce 9800M GTX 1024MB Driver version 179.48 (NVIDIA Reference) GPU/SP/RAM Clocks: 500/1250/1600 MHz (256-bit) |
| Display | 17.0" WSXGA+ (1680x1050) Glossy AU Optronics B154SW01 VB |
| Hard Drive | 1 x 64GB Toshiba SSD (THNS064GE4BBDC) 1 x Hitachi TravekStar 320GB 7200RPM (HTS723232L9A360) |
| Optical Drive | 8x DVDR SuperMulti (Pioneer DVRTD08L) |
| Battery | 6-Cell 54Whr |
| Operating System | Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit |
Because of the native resolution of the LCD, we will test at 1680x1050. That tends to be the sweet spot for performance on this sort of GPU configuration, since WUXGA generally requires more power than a single mobile GPU can provide at present - at least if you want to keep detail settings on high. Toshiba also omits some common resolutions (1280x800 and 1440x900), so if you want to run at a 16:10 aspect ratio other than the native resolution you'll need to hack in support (which can usually be done via the NV_MODES registry key).
Along with the performance evaluation of the X305-Q725, we've also included updated numbers for the Clevo D901C (Sager NP9262), which features 8800M GTX SLI GPUs and a desktop E6850 processor. (Note that more recent models ship with up to dual 9800M GTX GPUs, which can be up to 20% faster, and GTX 280M SLI should further improve on that by another 15-25%.) With NVIDIA now offering quarterly driver updates for most notebooks with discrete NVIDIA GPUs, the driver situation has at least improved substantially. General compatibility and performance is improved in many cases, and more games now have SLI profiles. There's still a chance that you'll run into problems with the latest games, but it's a rare occurrence and at worst we should now see driver fixes every three months.
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Beno - Thursday, March 19, 2009 - link
"there are users that want this sort of system, and this review is targeted at that audience. Everything clear? Good, let's continue."these users need professional help!
szcsongor - Thursday, September 3, 2009 - link
Why? It's that hard to imagine that there are people (as me) who are travelling a lot (and working in different countries) AND who want a system, what is good for work and playing with the latest games? Travelling with a desktop PC is rather difficult...The truth is that I bought this rig in a refurbished (but perfect) condition for 1800USD, and for this price I think it wan't a bad deal. I wouldn't have paid 2000+USD for it either...
InternetGeek - Sunday, March 15, 2009 - link
I for one find the Qosmio's shape horrible, but the computer is a decent one. That Clevo smokes it on most benchmarks though, and does look nice as well. Where would you buy one online?JarredWalton - Sunday, March 15, 2009 - link
AVA Direct, Sager, and WidowPC all come to mind immediately. Eurocom is another option. The last I looked, I think Sager was actually the cheapest place for a fully equipped Clevo D901C system, but that can change at any time. Also, as I mentioned in a blog post, Clevo is coming out with the D900F that will use Core i7 desktop CPUs, so if you want more performance that's an option come ~April.Globemaster - Friday, March 13, 2009 - link
I'm away from home for up to 220 days per year, so without my Sager (Clevo 901C) I wouldn't be able to play the games I want, ever. My limited time at home needs to be spent keeping up the house/yard and with the family. I only get to game on the road, hence the utility of these types of notebooks - it's obviously a niche, but it seems like almost everything is these days.vj8usa - Thursday, March 12, 2009 - link
How come the specs of the laptops being compared against aren't all listed? It'd be nice to know what kind of hardware you're pitting this laptop against. It'd also be nice to perhaps put the CPU/GPU of each laptop next to its name in the charts.JarredWalton - Thursday, March 12, 2009 - link
If you visit the http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/">Mobile section of our site, you'll be able to find all the specs of recently tested laptops. Most of them are in the http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=339...">gaming laptop roundup, and then there's a http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=341...">couple more http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=343...">laptop roundups. The http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=337...">Gateway P-7811 was covered in a separate article. I suppose I could try to include specs, but the problem is with this many laptops included in results the specs page would get very long. I sort of assume people that follow the mobile articles have read the previous reviews and know what to expect, but that's obviously not the case all the time.7Enigma - Thursday, March 12, 2009 - link
Nice article, but I'd like to request that you put a "higher is better" or "lower is better", or whatever determines better for each of color graphs. Only the last one says "lower is better" and I'm completely naive to these tests.JarredWalton - Thursday, March 12, 2009 - link
All of the graphs are sorted so that the better scores are at the top of the charts. As for what the terms mean, I discuss that more in depth in an article I http://www.anandtech.com/displays/showdoc.aspx?i=2...">wrote a while back. In terms of what they should be, normally I'm fine with a maximum brightness of 200 nits, and a contrast ratio of 500:1 or better.Color accuracy and gamut are nice to have, but if you don't do image editing or color matching it often doesn't matter. If that's the case, good black levels might be more important than raw color accuracy. Watch a movie on a display with a poor black level, and even if the colors were accurate you'd likely be somewhat annoyed by the missing blacks.
Hope that helps some.
7Enigma - Thursday, March 12, 2009 - link
That makes it much easier. Maybe just a single line (if you don't want to put Lower/Higher is better) at the beginning of the section saying they are ranked from best to worst in each of the graphs? For instance, I have a pretty good understanding of calibration from performing maintainence on my RPTV, and so things like contrast, black level, color bleed into white, etc. I get. So I get that contrast ratio should be high, but didn't necessarily think the black level number should be low (makes sense now, but not when I was first viewing the charts).Anyways very nice review. I especially liked that you qualified the review in the first paragraph (and reiterated throughout) stating whom this laptop is targeted at which should (hopefully) limit the regular criticisms in the comments section against this niche market. I personally don't have a use for it, but enjoy reading about the new mobile pseudo-desktops, and certainly understand their value for several different professions.
Now go and pressure Anand for the SSD roundup! :) Please...