Sixsigmamb
Sixsigmamb's Stats
- Review Count2
- Helpfulness Votes77
- First ReviewAugust 21, 2014
- Last ReviewAugust 23, 2014
- Featured Reviews0
- Average Rating3.5
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- First Review CommentNone
- Last Review CommentNone
- Featured Review Comments0
Questions
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- Answer Count22
- Helpfulness Votes9
- First AnswerAugust 21, 2014
- Last AnswerSeptember 1, 2014
- Featured Answers0
- Best Answers3
Sixsigmamb's Reviews
Toshiba - 2-in-1 13.3" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 8GB Memory - 128GB Solid State Drive - Satin Gold
Only at Best Buy Toshiba P35W-B3226 2-in-1 Convertible Touch-Screen Laptop: With a detachable touch-screen display, this laptop transforms into a highly portable tablet, so you can browse Web content and stay connected via social media wherever you go. A backlit keyboard facilitates typing in low-light conditions, letting you remain productive.
A poor performer dressed up to look like a champ
Customer Rating
2.0
Display
4.0
Performance
1.0
What's great about it: 4th Gen Intel I& Haswell Processor, 800mghz low latency DDRL RAM, eye appeal, aluminum case, backlit keyboard
What's not so great: Tochpad, mother board, system performance, cheap components
This particular laptop was designed for those who are looking for a laptop that can also be used as a tablet. In giving this laptop a fair review, one cannot appraise it as a desktop replacement because it was not designed for that purpose. That said, in my opinion Toshiba really missed the mark in designing and producing this laptop. As a laptop, it is definitely does not perform as one would expect for a laptop configured with a 4th Gen Intel I7 processor with a turbo speed of 3.1Ghz, DDR3L dual channel 800 MHz RAM and a 128gb Samsung SSD. As a tablet, for the sake of brevity, I will simply state that its size is too big and heavy to even come close to competing with tablets which cost considerably less money and in some respects will out-perform this system. I did not choose this laptop for its ability to double as a tablet. I chose this laptop for its size, weight, battery life and the performance I would expect from a similarly configured laptop computer. I really struggled with buying this laptop and probably would not of bought it if the store I had went to had the Samsung laptop in stock that I was also considering purchasing. Though, I think most people would have a hard time not taking one of these laptops home with them. You cannot fault its eye appeal, beautiful display, aluminum case, weight and its nice backlit keyboard. In reading the previous buyers review, I can understand how a person who may of previously owned a Intel I3 or older laptop would be very happy unboxing this laptop and initially using it for a day or two. Unfortunately, the honeymoon with this laptop will be very short lived for someone who has previously owned an Intel I7 or I5 system. From a technical standpoint, though the new 4th Gen Intel Haswell I7 runs cool and jumps up on turbo boost to a respectable 3.1Ghz, the mother board and chipset, do not match up with its potential and in my opinion, actually stifle the processors overall performance potential. Running a Prime95 stress test on this system, due to a very poor chipset and northbridge on the MB, after 83 seconds of starting the test, the processor throttled down to 60% load, because the northbridge and chipset reached their maximum operating temperature within 70 seconds of being put under a 100% processor load. The 8gb (2x4gb) DDR3 800Mhz RAM is set up in a dual channel configuration and has very good timing settings of 9-9-9-24-1, but unfortunately, the motherboard of this system was designed to be produced very cheaply and does not have the technology /components (i.e., chipset, capacitors, etc.) to deliver the memories potential in terms of performance. One of the selling points for me of this laptop is its 128GB Samsung SSD. I have purchased several of Samsung high performance SSD's in the past and foolishly believed that this system would deliver the performance that I have experienced with other comparable Samsung SSD's. Using Crystal drive performance benchmarking, the SSD of this system turned in a subpar 284mbs read, 252mbs write and a very disappointing .18ms disc access rates. I suspect that the SSD’s subpar performance is due to the motherboard only offering a mini-sata (950mbs) connection instead of a minimum 3gbs and or preferred 6gbs full SATA connection. In conclusion, for laptops in the $1000.00 price range, this laptop does not measure up to its competition in respect to its system performance. Cheap components hidden under an eye appealing aluminum case, will disappoint most users. And if performance is not a big issue for some buyers, a couple of days of using it quirky touchpad will most likely send many buyers to the sellers return department.
This product is... A nice compact size, easy to set up
About me... Technology guru
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
My Best Buy number: 2961236368
+42points
73out of 104found this review helpful.
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EVGA - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Superclocked 3GB GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 Graphics Card
Experience arresting visuals with this EVGA NVIDIA GeForce GTX Superclocked 780 03G-P4-2784-KB PCI Express 3.0 graphics card, which features 3GB GDDR5 memory and NVIDIA PhysX technology to deliver stunning images with lifelike detail.
Great for SLI
Customer Rating
5.0
Features
5.0
Images for this Review
(click to see full-size image)
What's great about it: Big bang for the buck. Turbo boost and clock rate make it simillar to a 780ti for a couple of hundred dollars less.
What's not so great: Can't quad fire, three of these is the max.
Over the years I have purchased a lot of high dollar video cards and can sincerely state that for the money the GTX780 SC is dollar for dollar the best video card on the face of this plant right now. I have purchased three of these awesome cards and run them in an SLI. Running stock speeds these cards score 22,000 plus on 3DMark Fire...
Physics scores top over 17,000 with graphic scores of over 29,000 In Firelight (one the most graphics intensive games in the world) I have seen frame rates in the 180's. One of the greatest advantages to these awesome cards in their advanced ACX cooling system. You don't need to liquid cool these cards unless you plan on putting more voltage to them to OC. I have ran all three of these on an 850w psu with no problem, but I suggest a 1000-1200w so that you don't push your psu up to its peak output. You will not be sorry if you purchase one of these awesome cards. They perform like a 780ti and Titan, for a whole lot less money that you can use part of to buy a 3 year warranty from Best Buy to protect your investment. These cards will not be obsolete for years to come because their technology is years ahead of the competition
Physics scores top over 17,000 with graphic scores of over 29,000 In Firelight (one the most graphics intensive games in the world) I have seen frame rates in the 180's. One of the greatest advantages to these awesome cards in their advanced ACX cooling system. You don't need to liquid cool these cards unless you plan on putting more voltage to them to OC. I have ran all three of these on an 850w psu with no problem, but I suggest a 1000-1200w so that you don't push your psu up to its peak output. You will not be sorry if you purchase one of these awesome cards. They perform like a 780ti and Titan, for a whole lot less money that you can use part of to buy a 3 year warranty from Best Buy to protect your investment. These cards will not be obsolete for years to come because their technology is years ahead of the competition
I would recommend this to a friend!
Build or modify your own PC:Yes
Level of Expertise:Expert
Primary reason for building/modifying PC:Gaming
My Best Buy number: 2961236368
+4points
4out of 4found this review helpful.
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Sixsigmamb's Questions
Sixsigmamb has not submitted any questions.
what computer is best for me?
I am looking into going into Medical Transcriptionist schooling, and I need Hardware
800 X 600 minimum resolution (1024 X 768 or higher recommended)
Sound card and speakers Available USB port
Software: Adobe Flash Player (ver. 10 or higher)
Windows Media Player (ver. 10 or higher) or Quicktime Player (ver. 7 or higher)
PDF reader
Also what's the difference between Transcription foot pedal and the dragon?
800 X 600 minimum resolution (1024 X 768 or higher recommended)
Sound card and speakers Available USB port
Software: Adobe Flash Player (ver. 10 or higher)
Windows Media Player (ver. 10 or higher) or Quicktime Player (ver. 7 or higher)
PDF reader
Also what's the difference between Transcription foot pedal and the dragon?
Jen, most laptops in the price range between 300-500 dollars should suit your needs. Adobe Flash Player is a free program so it will not add to the cost of any laptop you buy. Most laptops today come with at least two-to-three USB ports and displays with far more than 1024x768 resolution capabilities, however, you can run them at that lower resolution if you so choose to. If price is not your biggest concern and you are looking ror the best, you may want to consider purchasing a Macbook and if you need a Windows based computer, the two best our Samsung and Asus. Stay away from Acer and Lenova.
You would do well to talk to any of the sales representatives at Best Buy. I have always found them to be very knowledgeable about the features and performance of the computers they sell.
You would do well to talk to any of the sales representatives at Best Buy. I have always found them to be very knowledgeable about the features and performance of the computers they sell.
9 years, 9 months ago
by
Posted by:
Sixsigmamb
from
College Station, Texas
Can anyone suggest a 2 in 1 that does not have the intel WIFI 7260 card??
Had nightmares with Sony via
os 2 in 1 and a Toshiba 2 in 1. I am blaming the inteli wifi card 7260 after reading many others with same issue. I am searching for a 2 in 1 with a different wifi card any suggestions ?
os 2 in 1 and a Toshiba 2 in 1. I am blaming the inteli wifi card 7260 after reading many others with same issue. I am searching for a 2 in 1 with a different wifi card any suggestions ?
The Toshiba P35W-B3226, is a very nice laptop for $1,049.00 (at Best Buy) that offers a 10 point touch screen display that can be removed and used as a 13.3 tablet. Other features include an I7 4th Gen Haswell Intel dual core processor, 8gb of RAM. Realtek (not Intel) dual ban wi-fi and LAN, and a decent 128gb SSD. This laptop should more than suit your needs.
9 years, 9 months ago
by
Posted by:
Sixsigmamb
from
College Station, Texas
is the chrome laptop windows based?
No, Chrome laptops use an operating system very similar to that of Android devices.
9 years, 9 months ago
by
Posted by:
Sixsigmamb
from
College Station, Texas
HP - ENVY TouchSmart 17.3" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 12GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive - Natural Silver
HP ENVY TouchSmart m7-k010dx Touch-Screen Laptop: Customize and control your Windows 8 experience with an intuitive touch-screen interface that facilitates competion of everyday tasks. A backlit keyboard makes it easy to work, even in dimly lit areas.Learn more about the New Windows ›
I want to add another hard drive in this laptop
Can I add another hard drive in this laptop?
No you could not add a second hard drive to this laptop, but yes you can replace or upgrade the hard drive to an SSD in this laptop. (surprisingly, this laptop has a 6gbs SATA 3 connection) That said, this laptop requires that you basically take it completely apart to access the hard drive. I was able to find videos and complete instructions on the HP web site for instructions on how to do it, but I highly caution anyone who may think about doing so, that is not comfortable / experienced with taking a laptop completely apart and putting it back together again, to seek professional help with replacing or upgrading the hard drive on this laptop.
Additionally, this laptop comes with a very horrible and slow RAM, but is configured with an X79 chipset and four available memory slots. The installed ram is configured dual channel, 800mgz, high latency, 1x8g and 1x4gb memory sticks. When upgrading the slow WD Blue edition hard drive, a prudent person should upgrade the RAM to a minimum of 4x2gb (minimum) or ideally, 4x4gb, quad channel, 800mhz RAM.
Unfortunately, the bios does not offer a setting to change the RAM timing and or its frequency, so the end user is stuck with 800mhz for now. (I am working on a bios hack for mine).
Additionally, this laptop comes with a very horrible and slow RAM, but is configured with an X79 chipset and four available memory slots. The installed ram is configured dual channel, 800mgz, high latency, 1x8g and 1x4gb memory sticks. When upgrading the slow WD Blue edition hard drive, a prudent person should upgrade the RAM to a minimum of 4x2gb (minimum) or ideally, 4x4gb, quad channel, 800mhz RAM.
Unfortunately, the bios does not offer a setting to change the RAM timing and or its frequency, so the end user is stuck with 800mhz for now. (I am working on a bios hack for mine).
9 years, 9 months ago
by
Posted by:
Sixsigmamb
from
College Station, Texas
Any recommended hp laptops for gaming under $400?
Mostly for minecraft...
For $400.00, your best bet is to attempt to purchase one used. Entry level gaming laptops start at about $1,200.00 and can cost as much as $7000-8000 dollars for very high end systems.
9 years, 9 months ago
by
Posted by:
Sixsigmamb
from
College Station, Texas
Upgrade CPU?
I have already found another 4gb ram card for this computer so i can have a total of 8gb of ram. I ?want to upgrade the processor to something better, What would be compatible with this a6-4400
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pavilion+17.3%26%2334%3B+Laptop+-+4GB+Memory+-+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Sparkling+Black/7335059.p?id=1218840175097&skuId=7335059#tab=overview
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/HP+-+Pavilion+17.3%26%2334%3B+Laptop+-+4GB+Memory+-+500GB+Hard+Drive+-+Sparkling+Black/7335059.p?id=1218840175097&skuId=7335059#tab=overview
I would suggest that if you want to upgrade your processor, you consider purchasing a new system. Upgrading off the shelf systems, commonly referred to as proprietary systems, can often be a nightmare. HP, Dell, Lenova, Acer, Sony and Gateway systems are often very hard to upgrade. And even if you find ones that are upgradeable, the difference in processor performance on a particular chipset do not often justify the cost difference. A prudent person looking to upgrade a systems processor, will take advantage of new technology cpu's that require newer technology motherboards, ie. platforms / chipsets. For instance, if you owned a system with a Intel I7 920 processor, your cpu would require a motherboard with an X58 chipset. To upgrade that cpu on the same motherboard / x58 chipset you could consider an I7 940 or 960 cpu, but the cost of the processors verses the level of performance you could obtain by doing it, would not be worth the cost of doing so. However, if you purchased an Intel I7 Ivybridge processor, for instance a 4930k and installed it on a motherboard with an X79 chipset, your performance gains would be well worth the money. As I previously stated though, it is very difficult in most instances to upgrade off the shelf systems, especially when you are trying to upgrade a system with a different mother board. My advice to you if your needing better performance from your computer, is to pony up some bucks and buy or build a more modern system.
9 years, 9 months ago
by
Posted by:
Sixsigmamb
from
College Station, Texas
Sims 3 gaming laptop
Hi, I am currently using a macbook pro for my studies and serious computing needs but I am looking for touch screen laptop PC for video streaming, music and Sims 3 gaming. I have most of the expansion packs and a lot of custom content. I was using a 2010 Samsung 1st gen i5 with 500 GB and 4GB of ram for my "fun computer" before it died recently. I am looking to upgrade to a better experience for gaming. I would prefer touchscreen and I would like to stay in the price point under 700 but I might go up to $1000 if I knew I could reduce much of the freezing and glitches that I would experience with my previous laptop. I am not really sure if I need to go as high as
Sony - VAIO 14" Touch-Screen Laptop - 8GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive 3rd Gen Intel® Core™ i7- 3632QM processor Model: SVE14A27CXH for $949 or if I could keep a friendlier budget and go for
Acer - Ultrabook 15.6" Laptop - 6GB Memory - 500GB Hard Drive + 20GB SSD - Silver 3rd Gen Intel® Core™ i5-3317U processor for $599. I even see these fully ssd laptops and I am not really sure what would be the best bang for my buck for my specific needs for this machine.
Sony - VAIO 14" Touch-Screen Laptop - 8GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive 3rd Gen Intel® Core™ i7- 3632QM processor Model: SVE14A27CXH for $949 or if I could keep a friendlier budget and go for
Acer - Ultrabook 15.6" Laptop - 6GB Memory - 500GB Hard Drive + 20GB SSD - Silver 3rd Gen Intel® Core™ i5-3317U processor for $599. I even see these fully ssd laptops and I am not really sure what would be the best bang for my buck for my specific needs for this machine.
You may want to reconsider your budget for a laptop with above average graphics capabilities that video streaming, music and Sims 3 gaming requires; especially if you require a touch screen and SSD configured system running on an Intel platform. My suggestion is to consider systems that have a graphics card verses those with embedded graphic chipsets on the motherboards that require the cpu to perform most of the graphics processing. I would also highly suggest that you consider purchasing an SSD and upgrading a laptop instead of buying a laptop with an SSD already installed. BestBuy has a really great deal on Samsung 840 series 256gb SSD's (under $150.00) that will outperform most factory installed SSD's that raise the cost of preconfigured systems by an average of $250.00 SSD's are usually very easy to install on most laptops, often taking less than 10 minutes to install and not requiring a whole lot of technical knowledge. If you are considering purchasing a laptop that will meet your needs, you would be wise to purchase the Asus Model: Q550LF-BSI7T21 (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olstemplatemapper.jsp?browsedCategory=abcat0502000&qp=brand_facet%3DBrand~Asus&ks=960&sp=-bestsellingsort+skuidsaas&sc=Global&list=y&usc=All+Categories&type=page&id=pcat17071&iht=n&cp=1&nrp=15&seeAll=&st=categoryid%24abcat0502000 ) that is currently on sale at BestBuy for $999.00 The Asus will give you a 15' touch screen, Intel I7 cpu, 8gb of DDR3 RAM and Nvidia GT745 GPU (Graphics card) with 2gb of video DDR5 ram. Add a Samsung 840 256GB SSD, and you will have a decent gaming laptop for around $1,1550.00 Finally, for whatever it is worth, you have the good sense to own a MAC which tells me that you appreciate second to none quality and performance. That said, in the PC laptop arena, Samsung and Asus produce the best laptops on the market today. Acer, Lenova, Dell, HP and Sony are more suitable for a person who could careless about performance and quality and just want something cheap to surf the internet, send and receive email, etc. with. On another personal note, I would never expect to hear someone who owns a MAC even consider purchasing an ACER, which is hands down one of the worst manufactured laptops in the world today.
9 years, 9 months ago
by
Posted by:
Sixsigmamb
from
College Station, Texas
compatibility
I have a Gateway LT4004 netbook,and want to upgrade the hard drive with a seagate 750gb Momentus hybrid drive.Is this possible to do with my netbook?
Unfortunately no. The drive your considering purchasing requires a 5vdc power connection. Unfortunately, your netbook only provides a 3.3vdc connection and cannot be upgraded to provide the power the hybrid drive requires. Additionally, even if you could get 5vdc to the drive, the platform of the LT4004 netbook does not offer a SATA 3 connection that is required by the hybrid drive to communicate with the netbooks drive controller.
9 years, 9 months ago
by
Posted by:
Sixsigmamb
from
College Station, Texas
Does the HP 15.6" laptop has everything with it I will need
Your question is way to vague. My suggestion is that you read the items description on the Best Buy website. Best Buy does a very good job of describing the products they sell both online and in their stores. The listing should indicate what is included in the packaging or box of whatever you may be considering purchasing.
9 years, 9 months ago
by
Posted by:
Sixsigmamb
from
College Station, Texas
Toshiba - 2-in-1 13.3" Touch-Screen Laptop - Intel Core i7 - 8GB Memory - 128GB Solid State Drive - Satin Gold
Only at Best Buy Toshiba P35W-B3226 2-in-1 Convertible Touch-Screen Laptop: With a detachable touch-screen display, this laptop transforms into a highly portable tablet, so you can browse Web content and stay connected via social media wherever you go. A backlit keyboard facilitates typing in low-light conditions, letting you remain productive.
How is Mobile Intel® HD graphics compared with Intel® HD Graphics 4400?
Most of the Ultrabooks come with Intel® HD Graphics 4400, not Toshiba - 2-in-1 13.3. Does someone know which one has better performance?
I am not 100% sure I understand your question because it is some what vague. Assuming your asking how the two Intel platforms you mentioned compare with each other, they are basically the same thing, with the named changed depending on which chipset platform it is installed on. If you are asking in respect to the Toshiba 2 in 1 laptop graphics abilities, in hopes that the Intel graphics chipset would be adequate for gaming, you are considering the wrong laptop. Due to the Toshiba 2 in 1's design of being used as both a laptop and a tablet, the motherboard of this system was not designed for graphic intensive video performance. In fact, it is subpar with many similar systems. For example, using Photoshop CS6 to edit a 1.3mb picture, my 2 and 1 Toshiba crashed 3 out of 5 times I used it for that purpose. Watching Utube videos caused my processor to jump up to an 88% load and throttle after less than 2 minutes, leaving me watching a video running at less than 5fps, pre-blue screening. I would not even think of loading a game like Call of Duty, Assassins Creed or any game similar on this system. That said, if your looking for good graphics capabilities, it is always preferable to buy a system with a separate graphics card, instead of one with a graphics chip embedded in the motherboard. However, Intel 4400 graphics is a decent embedded gpu for watching videos and photo editing. If you are not looking for a gaming laptop, there are many laptops which use Intel graphics that will suit your needs. Unfortunately, the Toshiba 2 in 1, is not suited for much more than displaying pictures and surfing websites with low bandwidth videos.
9 years, 9 months ago
by
Posted by:
Sixsigmamb
from
College Station, Texas