S6231 and Sonoma - Reality Check

I've got a S6231 on order and I'm quite excited about it, thanks in part to reviews on this forum. I just discovered the discussion about the expected release of a S6231 equivalent with the Sonoma chip and am wondering if it is silly for me not to wait for it. I don't use a computer for gaming and never will. The most graphic intensive work I do is lecturing from big powerpoint files, some photo editing (stills), and an occasional movie. From what I can tell, the Sonoma won't really make a big difference for me - and since it won't be available in Canada for a couple of months, I may as well go with the Dothan machine I've ordered. Does this make sense? Thanks.

 

I researched this quite a bit. And since you do what I do, we won't notice a difference between the processors. The only thing we might miss out on in Canada is a price drop. however, they still sell the s6120 here for quite high so I don't think we will see much of a drop.

edit: I'll point out that we probably won't see Sonomas in the S series until early summer and probably a widely available release until the September when school starts.

 

makes a lot of sense. From what canadian users always have to say, it seems fujitsu doesn't start sale of a new model in canada except after some time after the US. So with the new model not even officially announced here in the US, you might have a wait of close to a month if not more for the new S6 to show up in canada.

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ETA Unknown: N6010 waiting for screen repair [ ]

 

You might be better without it, as you should see slightly better battery performance if current indications hold true.

Brian

www.BargainPDA.com | www.DigitalCameraReview.com | www.NotebookReview.com | www.SpotStop.com | www.TabletPCReviewSpot.com

 

Thanks for the quick responses. This makes sense and its good to know I'm on the right track. Looking forward to getting my hands on the machine ...

 

Sorry for reviving an old topic, but since no one appears to have asked this before, I wanted to inquire if anyone has heard any possibility of the inclusion of the new color-enhanced Crystalview (found in N3510) with the upcoming refresh of the S6000 series.

Also, could someone clarify the reduced battery life of the Sonoma line in comparison with the previous Dothan notebooks. Some hard numbers comparing previous Dothan N line and Sonoma N line would be great, and if anyone wants to infer what this would mean for the S line that would be much appreciated as well.

Thanks

 

The newer CV screens are not much different, you wouldn't probablly even notice the difference if they weren't placed next to each other. It's just a matter of extra brightness. Personally I couldn't tell the difference between the N3510 (new CV screen) and the N6010 (old CV screen) because I used them at seperate times (3 day interval). And I am picky [ ].

As for newer Dothan (533 FSB) requiring more power hence lower battery life. There was no older N line with Dothan 400 FSB to do the comparison you are asking for. The numbers are infered from the power ratings of the 2 CPUs released by intel. If you want to have a look at these numbers there you go:
@ Intel for very detailed power usage at every state possible: http://www.intel.com/design/mobile/pentiumm/documentation.htm
@ Tom's for simplified numbers at 100% max power usage: http://www.tomshardware.com/mobile/20050119/sonoma_alviso-08.html

So at full usage the numbers are like this 21W (400FSB), 27W (533FSB), these differences also carry on for lower power states!

You asked for aproximations on battery life for the S6. These numbers relly on nothing changing other than the CPU, which most probably will not be the case, but here are my estimations anyway:
Current S6: upto 4 hrs on main battery!
Newer S6 with same 47.5 W.Hr battery: upto 3.5 hrs.

Those are just my calculations with my own mathematical methods, since not a single manufacturer clearly states how they get there own number! I just used the power ratings provided by intel at sleep state for both cores to do my calculations. So please don't sue me if my numbers turn out wrong [ ]!

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ETA Unknown: N6010 waiting for screen repair [ ]

 

Thanks for the response about the Crystalview screen. I only commented upon these new Crystalview screens because, Brian's image comparing the P7010 screen with the N3510 screen appeared pretty dramatic. I have seen the Crystalview screens on the S6210, so I was considering waiting until the new line is released before making another purchase if the new series included the enhanced Crystalview.

I currently own a S6120, and it is very difficult to use this laptop outdoors due to the screen quality. Thus, the screen and battery life are both essential components in deciding whether to purchase the laptop now or wait for the S6000 series refresh.

 

Yes, the S6120 does not have the CV screen, but having seen the CV screen on the S6210, I would still like to get a brighter screen if it's available. Guess I'll just have to wait and see what gets announced on the new line seeing as I'm not in too much of a rush to purchase another laptop.

Thanks for all the comments, qwester.

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>Originally posted by mybs

 

<blockquote id='quote'> quote:<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'>not even a rumor!<hr height='1' noshade id='quote'></font id='quote'></blockquote id='quote'>Income tax money is here. Waiting anxiously for that rumor. April is almost a fortnight away.

-David

 

Hrmm, there's an idea. I still haven't gotten my tax returns yet. Guess waiting until I have the cash at hand isn't too bad [8D]