In the market for a laptop - looking for some advice

Hello...I'm going to be buying a laptop sometime in the next couple of months. I'm leaning towards either Fujitsu or Asus based on their reputations. I live where I can't easily get my hands on anything but the crud at BestBuy (a small BestBuy at that). I've completed the survey below and any feedback you guys can give me I'll appreciate.

Thanks,
Erik

1) What is your budget?
~$2,500

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

a. Ultraportable; 12" screen or less
b. Thin and Light; 13" - 14" screen
c. Mainstream; 15" - 16" screen
d. Desktop Replacement; 17"+ screen
Most likely a Thin and light but Ultraportable is tempting due to the form factor.

3) What tasks will you be performing with the notebook?
Typical stuff: browsing/emailing/MSOfficing (mostly excel, some word/powerpoint)/occasional light image processing

4) Will you be taking the notebook with you to different places or leaving it on your desk?
Must be easy to take along.

5) Will you be playing games on it; if so, which games?
The only game I get into with any regularity requires:
* nVidia GeForce 2, GeForce 4mx, or better
* OR ATI Radeon 8500, 9250, or better

6) Are there any brands that you prefer or any you really don't like?
I'm leaning towards Fujitsu or Asus...but no decision is made yet.

7) How many hours of battery life do you need?
I would like 4hrs...more is better...the modular batteries that slot in place of the cd drive look attractive.

8) Do you mind buying online without seeing the notebook in person?
Not a problem with a trend of good reviews.

9) What country are you buying this in?
USA

Screen Specifics

10) From the choices below, what screen resolutions would you prefer?

a. XGA = eXtended Graphics Array; 1024x768; This resolution will give you the largest viewable text and images while offering the least amount of screen real estate.

b. SXGA = Super eXtended Graphics Array; 1400x1050; This resolution offers a middle ground between XGA and UXGA.
I think SXGA will work...UXGA ok too?.

c. UXGA = Ultra eXtended Graphics Array; 1600x1200; This resolution will give you the smallest viewable text and images while offering the greatest amount of screen real estate.

d. WXGA = Widescreen eXtended Graphics Array; 1280x768 or 1280x800; This resolution offers the same as XGA except that there is more horizontal real estate; 1280 versus 1024. Popular for movie viewing due to support for widescreen.

e. WXGA+ = Widescreen eXtended Graphics Array+; 1440x900; This resolution is offered on 17" widescreen notebooks and is comparable to WXGA in terms of text and icon size versus available screen real estate. Popular for movie viewing due to support for widescreen.

f. WSXGA+ = Widescreen Super eXtended Graphics Array; 1680x1050; This resolution is comparable to SXGA in that it offers a middle ground between WXGA/WXGA+ and WUXGA. Popular for movie viewing due to support for widescreen.

g. WUXGA = Widescreen Ultra eXtended Graphics Array; 1920x1200; This resolution offers the smallest viewable text and images while offering the greatest amount of screen real estate.

11) Do you want a glossy/reflective screen or a matte/non-glossy screen?
I'm open to suggestions here.

Build Quality and Design

12) Are the notebook's looks and stylishness important to you?
Not so much.

13) How long do you want this laptop to last?
1100 days (~3 yrs)

Notebook Components

14) How much hard drive space do you want; 40GB to 120GB?
minimum of 60gb...prefer 80gb+

15) Do you need a DVD, DVD-CD/RW or DVD-R drive?
CD/DVD playback and CD burning = must have; DVD burning = icing on the cake.

 

Have you considered the S2110? Thin and light with pretty good battery life, decent graphics, 64 bit processor, and a great screen.

 

Oh, and a little piece of friendly advice. You might want to avoid cross posting. The mods really frown on it.

 

MachZero-

The S2110 looks good. I've never had a computer with an AMD chip. Are there any incompatibility problems at all? I'm guessing not, or nobody would buy AMD. Also...is it better to have the core duo or a 64-bit processor?

Thanks for the feedback in your second post. I didn't think of this as a cross post in that I was trying to get feedback from fujitsu folks in the fujitsu forum and from the asus folks in the asus forum.

I was getting practically no response in the general "what do I buy" forum.

If the mods want to zap this thread, please do so with my apologies.

-Erik

 

Understand your frustration with the lack of answers. The sheer volume of new threads that turn up in the "What Should I Buy?" forum pushes a lot of the older threads to page 2 very quickly and people tend not to notice them. Just trying to save you a headache.

You're correct. There aren't any kind of incompatibility issues with the Turion. As for Core Duo versus 64-bit, the Core Duo will probably be a bit faster and have better battery life. But if you want to go with a 64-bit operating system within the next couple of years (i.e. 64-bit Vista) you'll have the option to do so with the AMD Turion. But I wouldn't let that be a totally deciding factor as all but one version of Vista will support both 32 and 64 bit processors. My personal feeling is that 64-bit won't become mainstream for a few more years now, and by that time you'll probably be ready to upgrade your notebook anyway.

I still think with the preferences you've laid out the S2110 would be a good choice. You could always return it if you really didn't like it. As for other manufacturers, I have nothing against Asus (in fact my second choice for you would probably be the W3J), but as you can imagine I'm a little biased toward Fujitsu.

 

MachZero-
I completely understand the lack of answers in the "what should I buy forum" given how many requests are there. That's why I focused on the two brands that I consider to be my most likely candidates.

I've read some reviews about the core duo processors and seen that they are indeed faster...but are they faster in a way a normal schlep would notice or are they faster only if you have a stopwatch in your hand?

Also...from a Fujitsu-biased point of view, what advantages/disadvantages are there with the fujitsu brand as compared to asus?

I had been zeroing in on the Lifebook S7000 series (perhaps waiting for the dual core to come out).

Thanks again for your help.

-Erik

 

That one is hard to answer. It's kind of hard for me to take the responsibility of defining what is fast or not from your perspective. There are people who will swear up and down they can tell the difference, and others who swear they can't. Best thing for you to do is probably go someplace where you can get your hands on two comparable machines, one with Core Duo and one with a Turion, and play with them. See if you can tell the difference. One thing I forgot to mention about Core Duo is it is way better at multitasking, allowing you to run more applications at once with less system lag.

They both have good build quality. Some say Fujitsu's is better, others say Asus, but they are both good from everything I've heard. The only advantage I can really give you over Asus is Fujitsu's "CrystalView" screens versus Asus' "Colorshine" screens. I have seen Fujitsu's in person and a lot of people say they are the best there are as far as contrast, brightness and viewing angle. But having said that I have never seen Asus' screens in person. This is all from what I have read of other's opinions. Also Fujitsu's support seems to be a little better, a big selling point for me. Other than that, I would say it's purely based on aesthetics.

Might not be a bad idea to wait for the dual core version. It is supposed to be around the corner. The only thing I don't like about are 1) it is not a widescreen notebook (if that means anything to you) as it's more of a business notebook and 2) it will most likely come with Intel integrated graphics, which are less than desireable as far as I'm concerned.

 

Isn't the Radeon 200M integrated also? Even if it is, from the little bit I've read, it's clearly better than the Intel.

Is there any word on if the S7000 update will upgrade the graphics capabilities?

Do people prefer the widescreen for games/movies? What is the advantage of the widescreen?

 

The 200m is a hybrid card. It has some dedicated memory and takes some from the system memory. For the cards you listed it should be enough with enough system memory.

I wouldn't expect much from the s7000 in the graphics department. It is made for mobility not gaming.

Widescreen is quickly becoming the norm. It allows you to seem more of the screen vertically. As you have noticed it is advantageous for DVDs. Excel and Photoshop are some other applications where photoshop comes in handy.

 

Hey eslater, I am in the same boat, looking for a high quality 14 inch thin and light and have narrowed it down to Asus and Fujitsu:

From my research here the trade offs:
Fujitsu - quite a bit lighter
Asus - wide screen - Fujitsu not planning widescreen in S7000 series
Asus - dedicated graphics cards - several different options
Fujitsu - screen quality (though much not in it)
Fujitus - battery life, though ASUS with integrated graphics might be close

For me I don't need a dedicated graphics card and like long battery life but the lack of widesceen is going to be a deal breaker.

So that's it, if you want dedicated graphics and or wide screen it's ASUS, otherwise Fujitsu is the one.

ASUS have just updated their thin and lights - W3J looks hot if you want graphics. The A8J and A8C look nice, with webcams - they say A series is their cheaper line, not sure where they cut corners..btw can't find A8 yet on reseller sites

http://www.asus.com/products2.aspx?l1=5&l2=26

Oh yeah and there is Sony but I hear their tech support is nasty nasty

 

Great recap guygharvey. From what I can see...it looks like either way (Fujitsu or Asus) is a winner.

I've heard the same about Sony.

 

Sorry to jump back in so late, but one other bright spot I forgot to add regarding Fujitsu. They have a good number of models with swappable drive bays, if that bears any weight in your decision making.

I agree both makers are great. And to muddy the waters even further, have you looked at any of the Thinkpads like the T60? Very sturdy and their Flexview screens have great viewing angles (sorry!).