N5010 owner X 2 weeks.
After my Gateway 9300 (circa 2000) was stolen at the end of January, I began looking into a replacement. I happened to see a small blip in PC magazine a month ago about the brand new Fujitsu, and what caught my eye was the screen size, contrast, and brightness mention. One of my primary needs for a notebook is viewing MRI images, and the clearer and contrastier they are, the easier they are to read. I also wanted a notebook with a large hard drive, as some patient files can approach 20 MB each. I therefore went online to Fujitsu's website and liked everything I read about it. My only concern was the keyboard. I like a very firm, tactile keyboard- not mushy ones like the Toshiba Tecra that came attached to a piece of medical equipment I purchased a year ago. After being reassured by a sales associate at Fujitsu that I would like their keyboard, I purchased the N5010 with the 3.2 GHz Pentium and 1 GB of RAM. I have owned the unit for about 2 weeks now.
I ordered the notebook with a spare AC adaptor, and this happened to arrive the day before the computer itself. When I opened the package and picked it up, I knew I was in for a real heavyweight. The "brick" is about twice the size and weight as any other I've owned. (and this is my seventh notebook)
When the computer arrived the following day, I fell in love with it as soon as I turned it on and saw the screen. Once I loaded up some of the MRI images, I knew it was a keeper. As for the keyboard, I couldn't have asked for anything better. It feels tight, and is fairly quiet in comparison to many others I've used. The only thing that is somewhat annoying about it is the tendency for the left side to heat up after a short period of use. The right side stays pretty much room temperature, but the left side warms your palm a bit. It doesn't actually get HOT, but warm enough for you to notice it. I can't say enough about the contrast and the brightness of this notebook. When I compare it to just about anything other than a CRT, they all look dull.
A few other notables with this notebook:
I have noticed for a short time after the unit boots, the cursor will jump....it moves along normally, and then stops while your finger continues along the touchpad....only to jump to where it would have been had it kept moving. It seems this does not happen after the first several minutes, but when it does occur, it is a bit of an annoyance.
Sometimes the fan cycles on very frequently- even when the unit seems to have minimal demands on it. I've noted that the heat coming out of the left vent could be useful as a hand warmer in the winter. I purchased an Antec notebook cooler, which is fan based. However, I returned it the next day because I found it bothersome to have those fans running constantly. It did seem to significantly cool the notebook however. I just replaced that with a Nexus notebook cooler, which uses no fans (and no power) and works off of heat pipe technology. I'm not sure it cools as well, since the notebook's feet keep it from direct contact with the cooler, but the fan certainly does not cycle on and off nearly as much. If anyone else has any experience with this type of cooler, I would love to hear about it.
I use my notebook extensively for dictation with Dragon Naturally Speaking. Not knowing anything about the quality of the sound card, I was a bit concerned as to how well it would perform. I use a Phillips handheld microphone (Speechmike Pro USB) and I must say that the Fujitsu performs better than my desktop, which has a Soundblaster Audigy card inside. It makes very few mistakes, and has been a real bonus surprise to me.
Lastly, I have to tip a hat to Fujitsu's technical support. The wait times are minimal, and the tech support is superb. I have called them in relation to a number of issues, and with one exception, have had all questions fully answered.
One "item" I have to share with all of your N5010 users. The weight of this notebook is such that it would be easy to drop unless you are very careful when carrying it around. When taking it out of your computer cases, I would strongly recommend paying as much attention to this as you do your driving in stop and go traffic. Use two hands at all times. They should have put some type of handle on this thing, because it is really easy to slip out of your hands. I did not purchase the optional screen protection plan from Fujitsu, but I think I am going to before the 30 day limit is up. It is fairly pricey because it requires adding two years of coverage in addition to the accidental screen damage protection cost. However, I shudder to think how much it would cost to replace this huge, gorgeous screen.
For all of you users out there.....enjoy the unit.
For all of you potential buyers out there.....I don't think you can go wrong with this unit.....unless you're looking for a lightweight.
If not, can someone please give me the link to Global?
