Review Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo M4438G - Page 3

I wonder if anyone would open his/her shiny notebook to verify that Fujitsu doesn't solder the cpu to mainboard.

If this notebook can be pinmodded like dell 9300, fujitsu will have one more customer.

Excuse my lack of knowledge on the matter, but what kind of a operation would this pinmodding be and what would you gain from it?

I should have mine soon so you'd better answer, no?

I wanted to compare M4438G's display specs to another notebook's display, especially to a notebook that is a great gaming notebook. Well, almost everybody thinks of Dell XPS Gen2 as a great gaming notebook and it has a 17" WUXGA display. I tried to find the response time of this display and it was difficult but I managed to find in some forum: XPS Gen2's display is by Samsung and the response time is the same as M4438G's response time: 25 ms. So in that respect, 25ms can't be all bad even if some displays nowadays have as low as 4ms response time.

Errrmmm, pin modding means:
1) You take your original cpu out. Your original cpu is a 533MHz FSB. (730, 740, 750, 760, 770)
2) Put in a 400MHz FSB dothan cpu (725, 735, 745, ...).
3) And you put a tiny wire in cpu socket to connect 2 pins together. The chipset is fooled that the new cpu is a 533MHz type, not 400MHz.

For example:
A dothan 725 cpu: 100MHz FSB x 16 multiplier = 1600MHz
725 pin modded: 133MHz FSB x 16 = 2133MHz
735 pin modded: 133 x 17 = 2266Mhz

You can sell your original cpu or insert it to your desktop computer. You saved some money for not buying expensive top-rated cpu but cheap low-end cpu (but run >= top-end type).

To be able to pin mod, your cpu must not be soldered to mainboard

A pin mod picture here:
http://www.notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=80879

Dell users are pin modding for some time, but i'm hesitate to join because i hate the light leakage of 9300/xps 2.

Come on guy, join us, join the dark side of overclockers. Together we will rule the universe. It is unavoidable. It is your destiny.

Okay, after spending a lot of time trying to decide between M3438G and M4438G, I came to a conclusion: I'm going to buy M4438G. Why? Well there are two main reasons that made me turn to this model instead of M3438G. 1) The response time. True, 25ms does seem a bit too high but Dell XPS Gen2 has the same response time and its a real gaming notebook, so 25ms can't be all bad. 2) Even if I can't play newest games in WUXGA this notebook is a MXM-notebook which means in the future you can exchange the GPU. I recently read an article where it was clearly stated that three models that F-S releases in the beginning of summer have MXM-technology (exchangeable GPU).

Now, of course I have two problems: 1) Where can I find M4438G with PM760 and 1GB of Ram? I'm trying to find it in Sweden but it's hard when there seems to be no online stores that sell this notebook (with PM760 or higher that is). 2) This might not be a problem but I have to buy a Finnish OS because I don't want to use Swedish Windows XP. BTW, a person from F-S said that if I'm going to buy WinXP Pro instead of WinXP Home then I need some help from a pro-installer because apparently this notebook is build for WinXP Home edition or something.

It is no harder to install XP Pro than it is XP Home. You get a few more options when setting up, but that's it.

Steve

Okay so I finally found the M4438G with PM-760 from an online shop in Norway. I think Belch actually put a link in this thread of that very same shop but I didn't notice the PM-760 version then. Anyway, the price is 19,995kr which I first thought was Swedish Kronor. No such luck. As this shop in Norwegean we are probably talking about Norway Kronors so the price is about 2530 euros which is just a little over 3000 dollars. Now that's expensive although not as expensive as Dell I9300 with similar specs.

Here's the link to that notebook in that shop: Komplett.no

I don't know if I'm gonna buy that laptop because when you add to 2530 euros the shipping charges and additional costs to get it through Finnish customs (although we are in EU) I bet the total will be around 3000 euros. Or it might be less, I don't know...

I really want this notebook though, but then again I have to wonder whether it is worth to pay almost an extra 1000 dollars for getting WUXGA instead of WXGA+ because the M3438Gs are sold here in Finland under 1900 euros.

About the OS: well of course I know that WinXP Pro is (almost) just as easy to install as the Home edition but the F-S contact person distinctly said that if I was to buy the Pro Edition I'd need some professional (non-psychiatric ) help in order to install it. I know that in some countries F-S is only putting the Pro version of WinXP inside notebooks and in countries like Finland only the Home edition, so maybe they are making these notebooks customed to a certain type of OS. Or maybe it's something else then...

EDIT: I also found another online shop from Norway which sells it a bit cheaper (under 2500 euros): Here's the link

I just want to correct something. First of all, Norway does not belong to EU so there's not much sense for me to order the notebook from there unless I want to pay high custom costs. Second of all, Belch posted a link for www.komplett.se which is in Sweden and the www.komplett.no is in Norway. The Swedish only features the PM-750 version of the Amilo M4438G and I need one with PM-760. Of course I won't be ordering from www.komplett.no because of the additional costs.

Both www.komplett.se and www.komplett.no do not deliver outside of their countries, Norway and Sweden. Well I guess there seems to be no way for me to buy the M4438G with PM-760/770. It looks like I have to settle for M3438G. I have a little under two months still before I have to buy the notebook so maybe things will change.

Shopping Fujutsu notebooks from a different country than Germany means BIG loss of money.

Now in German you can buy M3438 with PM 770 , 2GB Ram and 320GB(2x160) hard disks with just 2100 euros.

Check the link

http://www.notebooksbilliger.de/prod...1302gbram320gb

At the end of July intel will cut PM prices plus M4438 will be available in Germany.I dont care if i will have to wait one month or more,i will get the laptop from Germany.It's silly with so many cheap German e-shops to buy Fujitsu notebooks from other EU countries.If your problem is the software,try an alternative way

Sorry if this has already been asked, but I just wanted to know. If you were to buy a M4348 (or whatever the one with the 16 ms response time is) and you live in America, and you installed American Windows XP and programs, would you be able to use it, or is the hardware only specifically compatible with the countries? Because these fujitsus look very tempting.

There is no problem to install whatever you want.

You could use whatever version of Windows you wanted on the laptop. The only thing that's going to hinder your purchase is the fact that it's unlikely to sell in the US, and shipping/taxes would probably make it not worthwhile.

Well Windows XP isn't much of a problem because I can get Finnish OS for under 150 euros. Belch or anyone, what makes German keyboard different from those in Scandinavia (I'm told Finnish and Swedish keyboards are the same). Please be specific.

I found out that German keybords usually have the German letters included. So you'd find ' ü ' for expample or that 'B' like letter that stands for double s-letters. I don't know if this applies to German version of M3438/4438. Does anyone have or know of a zoomed picture of the German version keyboard. It'd be nice to see...