Thread: Toshiba laptop with a cell processor

  1. #1
    l'Anziano DavidP's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Location
    Plano, Texas, United States
    Posts
    2,743

    Toshiba laptop with a cell processor

    So I saw this article linked from Slashdot:

    http://www.hothardware.com/News/Tosh...Ubased_Laptop/

    I am very surprised at the price of that thing. It is incredibly low given the amount of features that are included. If you go here and look at all the specs for that thing....it has some real power in it, and it's price seems incredible.

    I went to Dell and tried to configure a comparable laptop but couldn't bring it within even $500 of the price of the Toshiba. What do yall think? If I actually had money in my budget to buy a new laptop right now....that one looks very tempting.

    [edit]

    Of course two downfalls are: it's huge and it's heavy

    [/edit]
    Last edited by DavidP; 07-16-2008 at 03:10 PM.
    My Website

    "Circular logic is good because it is."

  2. #2
    Malum in se abachler's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Posts
    3,195
    Useless except for watching movies on a trans-oceanic flight. The cell is dedicated to the multimedia decoder, so is not accessable for crunching numbers.

  3. #3
    l'Anziano DavidP's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2001
    Location
    Plano, Texas, United States
    Posts
    2,743
    I am not talking about just the cell processor though. The thing has 500 GB of hard disk space, a 512 MB video card, and 4 GB of memory...plus many other things.

    Although it is very feasible for laptops to have those specs these days, what surprised me the most was the price at which Toshiba was offering it.
    My Website

    "Circular logic is good because it is."

  4. #4
    Malum in se abachler's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Posts
    3,195
    That price isnt that great, sorry to tell you. Its really not that interesting of a deal. It's nice, but nothing special.

  5. #5
    Woof, woof! zacs7's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    3,459
    > Its really not that interesting of a deal. It's nice, but nothing special
    I disagree, just look at the other laptops. Sure it's just a computer, but compared to other laptops in the same class, it's fantastic!

    I'd have one if I could afford it, the size doesn't bother me either. The only thing they don't mention is battery life...

  6. #6
    S Sang-drax's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Göteborg, Sweden
    Posts
    2,072
    18.4" widescreen and Starting at 10.8 lbs? Not for me, thanks. Nice specs though.
    Last edited by Sang-drax : Tomorrow at 02:21 AM. Reason: Time travelling

  7. #7
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    3,229
    Why a laptop at 10lbs? You get the worst of both worlds - expensive and not portable .

    I used to own a 15" (6lbs) laptop with C2D T7300 and 8600M GT, until I figured it's too heavy for moving around.

    With $1500, you can buy a quad core + GTX 260 desktop (~$900) and a 10"-12" light (3lbs) laptop (~$600). That combination is both more powerful and more portable than an ultra-heavy laptop.

    Not to mention that Core 2 CPU's overclock like crazy, and you can't overclock it in a laptop.

  8. #8
    (?<!re)tired Mario F.'s Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Ireland
    Posts
    8,446
    Toshiba Qosmio laptops are notoriously big. On account of their usual rather large screen sizes, I'd think. 10 pounds is really not that heavy considering the type of portability expected of a laptop aiming the entertainment and business markets.

    I usually carry my laptops in one of two ways. A backpack or a bag. The bag is an old (12 year old!) Argus that I just got attached too. It has the capacity for up to 3 laptops which basically leaves me room for all the paperwork, accessories and my sandwiches. The bag alone weights around 2 pounds. And it never bothered me. The backpack is a Tatonka I bought a couple of years ago. Needless to say a 10 pound Qosmio wouldn't weight on my shoulders.

    If you walk a lot with your laptop, maybe. Otherwise, I honestly never understood why an heavy laptop is a problem.
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.

  9. #9
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    3,229
    I guess you just have stronger muscles than me . I find walking around with a 6lb laptop tiring after 10 minutes or so.

    It's not just the weight. The size, too.

  10. #10
    A Banana Yoshi's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2001
    Posts
    859
    10.2lb? That's the weight of 2 13.3" laptops!
    Yoshi

  11. #11
    Internet Superhero
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Denmark
    Posts
    964
    Not to mention that Core 2 CPU's overclock like crazy, and you can't overclock it in a laptop.
    It certainly is possible, though probably not a very good idea...

    I agree though, never understood the point of this kind of laptop.
    How I need a drink, alcoholic in nature, after the heavy lectures involving quantum mechanics.

  12. #12
    (?<!re)tired Mario F.'s Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Ireland
    Posts
    8,446
    The point is that they are fast, powerful and now cheap. They don't give you migraines either. If mobility is an issue and one can't handle the extra size/weight then sure! There's other type of laptops. Otherwise they make excellent laptops... if a tad bit ugly on the design side in my opinion.
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.

  13. #13
    Internet Superhero
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Denmark
    Posts
    964
    The point is that they are fast, powerful and now cheap. They don't give you migraines either. If mobility is an issue and one can't handle the extra size/weight then sure! There's other type of laptops. Otherwise they make excellent laptops... if a tad bit ugly on the design side in my opinion.
    But as Cyberfish pointed out, you can get a desktop PC that will outperform the Toshiba, AND a subnotebook that is much much lighter and smaller, for the price of one of those big suit-case laptops.
    How I need a drink, alcoholic in nature, after the heavy lectures involving quantum mechanics.

  14. #14
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    3,229
    If you have a reasonably fast connection, you can even use the subnotebook as a thin-client over the Internet to the desktop machine (SSH or VNC). That way you get a crazily fast subnotebook . The only issue I see is that you won't be able to play games on the laptop, unless you have a lightning fast connection and use StreamMyGames or something of that sort.
    Last edited by cyberfish; 07-27-2008 at 07:31 PM.

  15. #15
    (?<!re)tired Mario F.'s Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Ireland
    Posts
    8,446
    Hmm... a $600 laptop is not going to outperform a Qosmio. That's where the comparison should be made I guess. If there is a need for a powerful laptop, there is a need for a powerful laptop Not a need for a powerful desktop plus a sufferable laptop. Different type of machines.

    Otherwise we would just go the extra mile and admit there's no reason for any kind of laptop because generally speaking any desktop will always outperform a similarly priced laptop with the added benefit of being even highly customizable.

    But laptops are important machines. Up until 2 years ago I couldn't work without one. So in the market of laptops, that Qosmio - at that price and with those specs - is quiet an attractive machine.

    EDIT: In my opinion, naturally.
    Last edited by Mario F.; 07-27-2008 at 11:39 AM.
    Originally Posted by brewbuck:
    Reimplementing a large system in another language to get a 25% performance boost is nonsense. It would be cheaper to just get a computer which is 25% faster.

Popular pages Recent additions subscribe to a feed

Similar Threads

  1. C - access violation
    By uber in forum C Programming
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 07-08-2009, 01:30 PM
  2. Intel syntax on MinGW ?
    By TmX in forum Tech Board
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 01-06-2007, 09:44 AM
  3. If you're getting a laptop, don't get a gateway
    By jverkoey in forum A Brief History of Cprogramming.com
    Replies: 14
    Last Post: 09-09-2004, 09:28 PM
  4. Laptop Lid Loose (Toshiba Tecra)
    By moonwalker in forum Tech Board
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 07-14-2003, 09:11 PM