T.

Toshiba M200 and a Solid State Drive

By In Technology0 Comments2,492 Views

So I decided to amp up the performance of my Toshiba Protege M200 tablet by installing a Transcend 64GB SSD into the already awesome device. And I must say: Wow! So quiet! And it got a huge boost to hard drive performance all the way from 4.4 to 5.8 in the Windows Experience Index. On top of that it’s a lot cooler now but did I mention quiet???

I have my power options in Windows to allow the processor to lower it’s speed even on full power so the fan barely comes on. Even while I type this post, the fan it totally silent so this computer is emanating NO SOUND what so ever and holding steady at 55c for the processor temp. Now of course compared to my new 45nm quad core AMD which is 45c at full load, doesn’t come close. But for a 90nm processor in a 5 year old tablet laptop, I’m doing pretty damn good.

Q: Does it really boot faster with SSD?

A: I’d say it shaves about 2-3 seconds off the boot time of mine*.

Q: Does your profile and applications load faster?

A: Definitely seems more responsive, yes. For both loading my profile and applications.

Q: Is Aero any more stable with the SSD?

A: Not really.

Q: Do games play better with the SSD?

A: I may see a bit better on loading screens but overall frame rates will probably remain the same.**

Q: Has your battery life improved a lot?

A: Solid State Drives require far less power than traditional hard drives, but how much they actually draw on the battery I can’t really say (verses the cpu or gfx). Presumably I should, but I haven’t had the chance to test it yet well yet. So far Vista estimates about 2:30 hours on the battery with my current setup. I’ll know more when classes return.

*Specs: 1.8 GHz, 2GB PC2700, Clean Vista Ultimate Install

**No games installed yet

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S.

Screen Rotation on the M200

By In Technology0 Comments7,827 Views

After upgrading your video drivers on the M200 to something decent, like the Forceware 98.16 drivers, the automatic screen rotation will cease to function. However not having the screen auto-rotate doesn’t spell the end of the world. To correct the orientation of your screen simply press Windows key + X to open the Windows Mobility Center. Once the Windows Mobility Center opens, press the R key until the screen is in the desired orientation.

If you want to change the sequence of the screen rotation, go into your Control Panel and find Tablet PC Settings. Near the bottom of the window there should be a link Go to Orientation, and in there you can change or remove rotation sequences. I’ll also have to suggest that you calibrate your screen, if you haven’t done so already, before you rotate your screen. To calibrate your screen with your pen, press the Calibrate… button in the Table PC Settings window and follow the instruction.

6.

60Hz

By In Technology0 Comments2,841 Views

Oh yes, 60Hz, my favorite vertical refresh rate, but why I wonder?

Well for starters it’s the best and easiest way to get a headache. I have a 52 inch Sharp LCD TV (LC52D64U) and it’s max refresh rate at 1920×1080 is 60Hz, which makes it fantastic to watch while playing anything high definition. Since I use it as a monitor, and the only way it looks decent is at 1080p, I’m currently stuck at 60Hz.

So I suppose it’s time to buy another TV… or an actual monitor for the mean time.

QQ