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Fujitsu vs Sony vs IBM

Poll Results: Which do you prefer?

 
  • 38% (7)
    Fujitsu 6231
  • 11% (2)
    Sony S series
  • 50% (9)
    IBM T series
18 Total Votes  
post #1 of 14
2/16/05 at 12:24pm
Thread Starter 
I'm looking for a thin and light laptop to carry around school. Ideally, I want to be in the 13.3" widescreen size range (I've only seen Sony doing this), but I will not buy a brand with poor service and support - and I've heard Sony has that reputation. The laptop MUST have excellent build quality. I'd like to keep the price under $1900. I've narrowed my choices to:

Sony S-series

Fujitsu 6231 (comes with a 3 year warranty from PortableOne)

IBM T42/43... whatever they're at now

My top choice would be an IBM, but the price kinda kills me. I want at least a 5400rpm hard drive, at least 1.6 Dothan, as close to 4lbs or less as possible, good screen, and battery life must exceed 3 - 3.5 hours (I'd like at least 7 hours with two batteries). As far as graphics go, I'll have a desktop for anything the lappy won't do, but if integrated isn't snappy with things like website design, and online flash/ shockwave/ java based games, then add in a graphics card that is.

What would you guys choose? And am I right that Sony voids your warranty if you clean install over the restore partition (I read it somewhere in the massive S series thread)? How does the build quality of the Fujitsu compare to either the Sony or the IBM? Do you guys know of another place that sells Fujitsu's with a three year warranty (NOT FROM MACK!!)?

Thanks in advance!
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post #2 of 14
2/16/05 at 2:13pm
I was deciding among these 3 laptops myself and before I made my final decision I had to think about my priorities and gaming wasn't one of them. Just like you, I also wanted 13.3 inch wide screen with dedicated graphics card, but I would rather have better support and build quality. So that leaves IBM & Fujitsu. The reason I went with Fujitsu is the screen and I love it, IBM is more expensive and screen is not even close to what Fujitsu has to offer. The only downside of Fujitsu is the hard drive, but I already ordered 80GB 5400 RPM to replace slow 4200 RPM.

so here is a breakdown:

-Sony S Series
Pros
Dedicated graphics card 9700 Pro
Beautiful Screen 13.3 WXGA

Cons
Crappy Support
Noisy Fan as reported by many owners
Build quality is not as good

-IBM
Pros
Great Support
Solid build quality
Great Keyboard

Cons
Expensive
Screen is ok

Fujitsu S6231
Pros
Beautiful Screen
Good build quality
Silent
Great keyboard

Cons
slow HD 4200
integrated graphic card
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post #3 of 14
2/16/05 at 6:32pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks Klas! I was just looking at your review before I checked back to my post here. The information is very helpful. I did not know that the Sony had a loud fan either...

Oh, you mentioned that you're replacing the HD...but Ivan at PortableOne.com told me that you could only upgrade the RAM without voiding the warranty. Are you just betting they won't check? Or do you know you can swap HD's without losing your support?
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post #4 of 14
2/16/05 at 6:45pm
Klas, I'm a former Asus M6 owner as well. That experience only lasted for about a month.

I've pretty much narrowed it down to the Fujitsu S6231. Everyone seems to like it. My only knocks are that it comes in a silver shell and integrated video.

I'm still trying to decide whether to hold out for Fujitsu's Sonoma update. Or, get one now at a potentially good deal.

I don't do gaming. If I were to play a game, it would be Madden Football or Sims 2. I just want the ability to work on documents, use Dreamweaver and do video editing. That will obviously require a memory upgrade.

So, is the S6231 up to the task? Or, should I hold out a few weeks to see what a Sonoma update offers.
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post #5 of 14
2/16/05 at 7:02pm
why didn't you like M6?

The reason I purchased S6231 because I needed a portable notebook with a good screen to do graphics design. At the moment I am using it with Photoshop & Dreamweaver and everything runs nice and smooth, I don't know how it will perform in video editing but I am sure it will not be a problem. The only downside is the hard drive, but I just ordered 80GB 5400 RPM that will be more then enough.

If you hold on Sonoma update it may not come soon, besides the latest test show that Sonoma based notebooks don't have as good battery life as previous gen. So, it's up to you if you want to wait but keep in mind that you might sacrifice battery life for a little performance increase. The only thing worth waiting for is a better graphics card on Fujitsu, but at the moment integrated suits my needs.

Newegg has a good price on S6231 ($125 instant rebate), but if you want longer warranty check out PortableOne they sell this notebook with 3 year warranty
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post #6 of 14
2/16/05 at 7:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by stpong
Thanks Klas! I was just looking at your review before I checked back to my post here. The information is very helpful. I did not know that the Sony had a loud fan either...

Oh, you mentioned that you're replacing the HD...but Ivan at PortableOne.com told me that you could only upgrade the RAM without voiding the warranty. Are you just betting they won't check? Or do you know you can swap HD's without losing your support?
I am aware of that, but what I am planning to do is to contact Fujitsu and ask them if they can swap it for me.
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post #7 of 14
2/16/05 at 7:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by klas
why didn't you like M6?
Too big. The form factor of a 15" notebook is too much. The M6 has way too much depth too. Too heavy. I like thin and lights. Too hot.

Too bothersome for all of the reasons I described above!

My main motivation for holding out for an S6231 update is for the hope of seeing Fujitsu make something that comes in a black shell and better video.

I'd love it if I could get my hands on an S7011. That would solve everything for me.
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post #8 of 14
2/16/05 at 7:50pm
The best thing about this lapptop is the screen. It is so bright, I am sitting at the library right now and have to turn down the brightness to 50%. I always used maximum brightness on my previous laptops.
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post #9 of 14
2/16/05 at 7:59pm
Klas, silly question but what do you think of the status panel? It looks like something you'd find on a late mid to late '90s model.
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post #10 of 14
2/16/05 at 8:43pm
not sure about 90s but it adds to "coolness factor", and you know I just realized that I prefer that instead of regular activity lights that most notebooks have which can be somewhat annoying. On a different note while sitting in the library I already had a few compliments about the screen.
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post #11 of 14
2/16/05 at 8:51pm
Alright, I'm convinced by all of the great reviews. I'm going to get one. Portable one has it for a great price. I'll upgrade the memory on it. I already have a Hitachi 7K60 waiting to be installed.

The only thing I think will irritate me is that it comes in silver. I'm tempted to paint the lid black. But, I'm sure that will void the warranty.
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post #12 of 14
2/16/05 at 8:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by stpong
The laptop MUST have excellent build quality.
IBM. u wont go wrong with this company.
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post #13 of 14
2/16/05 at 9:03pm
can't have everything I didn't care much for color I guess so it's not a big deal.
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post #14 of 14
2/16/05 at 9:09pm
also I've ordered sleeve for it. A little expensive ($58), but it's nothing compare to what can happen to a laptop if I don't have one

Size 8

http://www.sfbags.com/products/sleev...leevecases.htm

Will post review once I get it
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