If you are looking for a gaming notebook, read this.
I purchased this notebook about three weeks ago and I am really impressed so far. First impressions out of the box are Wow!! Compared to the competition, this machine is slimmer, quieter, and far far cheaper!! I’m not going to go into every single specification as this info is available on the Fujitsu web site. What you really want to know is whether the machine is any good or not.
Spec:
3.2Ghz P4 HT
800Mhx FSB
512Mb DDR
ATI Radeon 9600 128Mb
CDRW DVD +RW
80Gb 4200rpm HDD
15.4” WXGA @ 1280 x 800 (Widescreen)
Wireless Lan 802.11b
USB 2.0 x 3
Firewire x 1
Price Paid in UK: 1197 GPB www.dabs.com
Review:
As far as looks go, this machine takes some beating. It’s finished in two tone silver and has a very expensive feel to it. The keyboard is firm and comfortable.
The widescreen LCD panel is very bright and clear with excellent contrast and no faded areas. The response time of the screen is excellent which means no blurred text when scrolling and no ghosting. Ideal for gaming…….
The notebook comes with the standard array of setup CDs which unfortunately aren’t image based. This means that if you need to restore your notebook to its ‘out of box’ state, you will need to do a manual full system install which takes a few hours. Other notebook manufacturers provide an image CD which restores your notebook in 15 minutes or so. Having said that, purists will prefer the flexibility of being able to install the OS themselves. I have partitioned the hard drive 20/55 and used Norton Ghost 2003 to create a system image in the second partition. I can now restore the system in around 8 minutes – well worth the extra time.
The notebook fits snugly into a standard Targus notebook case and is very portable. The power supply however is about the same size and weight as a house brick! Luckily it fits into the external pocket of the case so I don’t have a problem with it. I am assuming that the size of the PSU is down to the power consumption of the desktop components within the notebook.
Fan noise is not an issue on this machine. The fans used are so quiet that the only audible noise is from the movement of air. Other notebooks use cheap fans that sound like hair dryer motors. Even during hardcore gaming sessions, the notebook is incredibly quiet. Memory can be upgraded via a screwed down hatch on the underside of the notebook. Unusually, this hatch covers two thirds of the notebook and allows you to see the full workings of the machine. You have to see the cooling system in this machine to believe it – awesome!! One thing I think I should mention is that this may be a notebook, but it’s definitely not a laptop. The fan array on the underside of the unit prevents it from being used on your lap without blocking the fan outlets. I use one of those lap dinner trays that old people use for watching TV. It’s hard on top and padded underneath and it’s even silver which goes perfectly with the notebook.
The speakers are positioned just underneath the screen and sound OK but not outstanding. I think this is pretty much par for the course on notebooks though.
Battery life is not an issue with this type of machine as the emphasis is on space saving with power rather than computing on the go. I did however get just under 2 hours of Wireless surfing, which isn’t bad. I’m not even going to attempt gaming on battery.
Bench Marks:
Out of the box benchmarks:
3Dmark 2001: 9265
3Dmark 2003: 2613
Aquamark3: 21197
Using the Latest Omega drivers:
3Dmark 2001: 9334
3Dmark 2003: 2673
Aquamark3: 21565
Out of the box, this machine isn’t too far behind an Alienware and costs less than half price!!!
People often say you shouldn’t over-clock anything in a notebook. However, seeing as the awesome cooling system never seems to break into a sweat even when gaming, I thought I would give it a go.
Using the Omega Driver Radlinker I clocked the ATI card to 391.50Mhz and the graphics memory to 229.50Mhz (standard 351Mhz & 202.5Mhz).
3Dmark 2001: 10378
3Dmark 2003: 3008
Aquamark3: 23998
I ran the tests several times and even put 3Dmark 2001 into a 2 hour demo loop and the machine did not appear to heat up any more than with the standard configuration. The GPU fan came on more often and for slightly longer, but still didn’t stay on full speed continuously, which would suggest that these speeds are well within limits. The machine remained stable with no strange artefacts appearing on the screen. I have since attended several LAN parties with my clocked notebook and have had no problems.
My conclusion – Highly Recommended!!!
I purchased this notebook about three weeks ago and I am really impressed so far. First impressions out of the box are Wow!! Compared to the competition, this machine is slimmer, quieter, and far far cheaper!! I’m not going to go into every single specification as this info is available on the Fujitsu web site. What you really want to know is whether the machine is any good or not.
Spec:
3.2Ghz P4 HT
800Mhx FSB
512Mb DDR
ATI Radeon 9600 128Mb
CDRW DVD +RW
80Gb 4200rpm HDD
15.4” WXGA @ 1280 x 800 (Widescreen)
Wireless Lan 802.11b
USB 2.0 x 3
Firewire x 1
Price Paid in UK: 1197 GPB www.dabs.com
Review:
As far as looks go, this machine takes some beating. It’s finished in two tone silver and has a very expensive feel to it. The keyboard is firm and comfortable.
The widescreen LCD panel is very bright and clear with excellent contrast and no faded areas. The response time of the screen is excellent which means no blurred text when scrolling and no ghosting. Ideal for gaming…….
The notebook comes with the standard array of setup CDs which unfortunately aren’t image based. This means that if you need to restore your notebook to its ‘out of box’ state, you will need to do a manual full system install which takes a few hours. Other notebook manufacturers provide an image CD which restores your notebook in 15 minutes or so. Having said that, purists will prefer the flexibility of being able to install the OS themselves. I have partitioned the hard drive 20/55 and used Norton Ghost 2003 to create a system image in the second partition. I can now restore the system in around 8 minutes – well worth the extra time.
The notebook fits snugly into a standard Targus notebook case and is very portable. The power supply however is about the same size and weight as a house brick! Luckily it fits into the external pocket of the case so I don’t have a problem with it. I am assuming that the size of the PSU is down to the power consumption of the desktop components within the notebook.
Fan noise is not an issue on this machine. The fans used are so quiet that the only audible noise is from the movement of air. Other notebooks use cheap fans that sound like hair dryer motors. Even during hardcore gaming sessions, the notebook is incredibly quiet. Memory can be upgraded via a screwed down hatch on the underside of the notebook. Unusually, this hatch covers two thirds of the notebook and allows you to see the full workings of the machine. You have to see the cooling system in this machine to believe it – awesome!! One thing I think I should mention is that this may be a notebook, but it’s definitely not a laptop. The fan array on the underside of the unit prevents it from being used on your lap without blocking the fan outlets. I use one of those lap dinner trays that old people use for watching TV. It’s hard on top and padded underneath and it’s even silver which goes perfectly with the notebook.
The speakers are positioned just underneath the screen and sound OK but not outstanding. I think this is pretty much par for the course on notebooks though.
Battery life is not an issue with this type of machine as the emphasis is on space saving with power rather than computing on the go. I did however get just under 2 hours of Wireless surfing, which isn’t bad. I’m not even going to attempt gaming on battery.
Bench Marks:
Out of the box benchmarks:
3Dmark 2001: 9265
3Dmark 2003: 2613
Aquamark3: 21197
Using the Latest Omega drivers:
3Dmark 2001: 9334
3Dmark 2003: 2673
Aquamark3: 21565
Out of the box, this machine isn’t too far behind an Alienware and costs less than half price!!!
People often say you shouldn’t over-clock anything in a notebook. However, seeing as the awesome cooling system never seems to break into a sweat even when gaming, I thought I would give it a go.
Using the Omega Driver Radlinker I clocked the ATI card to 391.50Mhz and the graphics memory to 229.50Mhz (standard 351Mhz & 202.5Mhz).
3Dmark 2001: 10378
3Dmark 2003: 3008
Aquamark3: 23998
I ran the tests several times and even put 3Dmark 2001 into a 2 hour demo loop and the machine did not appear to heat up any more than with the standard configuration. The GPU fan came on more often and for slightly longer, but still didn’t stay on full speed continuously, which would suggest that these speeds are well within limits. The machine remained stable with no strange artefacts appearing on the screen. I have since attended several LAN parties with my clocked notebook and have had no problems.
My conclusion – Highly Recommended!!!
Oh well, I had to turn off a few things in the video settings but not so much that the game dropped its beauty. This machine handled it fine!
, heat and noise not an issue for you?
