Amilo M1425 (1,7): need help URGENTLY

I've found today an offer of this notebook (and really surprized by the price... 1399 €):

Amilo M1425
Intel Pentium M735 (1,7 Ghz) - Centrino
RAM 512MB
HD 80Gb (rpm ??)
DVD-RW+ Double Layer (compatible with both -/+ supports???)
ATI Mobility Radeon 9700Pro 128Mb
15,4''

I've got only this infos from the depliant, I hope to obtain the complete features in 1-2 days. If you know more info, to that questions between ( ) please report here.
For your knowledges of this specifical computer, or just reading features, what do you think? How would it be with games? would it be good for them too? I'm not really a great videogamer, but I like to play sometime when I can (the most "heavy" games I could name are fifa2005, nfsu2...), and I wanna buy a complete notebook, able to let me do various things, such as programming, work, music (and vsti), and gaming. I'm still confused and not sure to choose a Centrino tech. or a P4 (but in the last case it's difficult to find at the same price a notebook with a 128Mb videocard). I know that P4 is complete performing, good for everything, and it would be a sure choice for this reason. By other hand, I'm attracted by the not overheating of a Centrino (I think that cpu development is following this direction) and by the minor battery consumption. But is a Centrino performing like a P4?... and if not, are the differences noticeable only in 3d field (games)...? and in this case, is the 128Mb videocard a solution?

I hope not to have gone OT. I'm new to this forum and I posted my topic soon because it's urgent to have help about my doubts.

Thank you.


ps.: obviously I'd be glad to receive any kind of info about any aspect of the notebook... incluse the screen view.

 

Sounds like a hot deal to me. The video card is sure convincing. Centrino is always a plus. Why won't you send us your link with specification.

 

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

 

here is what i found on a site:

AMILO M1425 Product Features:
• Intel® Centrino™ mobile technology with Intel® Pentium® M Processor up to 1.8 GHz
• Unique 4 in 1 flash card port. Supports SD/MS/MMC/MSPRO multimedia storage cards.
• Connections to external peripherals, storage devices or video equipment through the various USB 2.0, SPDIF and IEEE 1394 ports
• ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 with 128 MB VRAM
• Built-in Dual Double Layer (8.5GB) for maximum user comfort
• Up to 1 GB DDR SDRAM in 2 SO-DIMM slot
• Windows XP Home and as an option Works Suite 2004
• Weight: 3,0 kg


Anyway, what is the USD price on that? and the 3.0kg rounded up to a 6.6lb, pretty heavy... especially if you'll be carrying this everywhere. I saw the pic of it, very very nice.

 

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

 

To who'll reply: could you report if you know the main problems that this laptop has shown till now, and which of them (and how) are fixable??
I've read about DVD not working, or whitescreens, or noisy fan. Is that real?

 

Just wanted to add that any day now I should get Far Cry which is the "heaviest" game at this moment. I can try it and give the verdict, but you seem to be in a hurry. Will see.

:: Amilo M1425 : P-M Dothan 1.6GHz : ATI Radeon 9700 128MB : 15.4" Screen : 512 MB RAM 333 : 80GB HD 4200 : DVD+/-RW Double Layer : Windows XP Pro SP1 ::

 

I have been using this laptop for about two weeks now. Following is list my opinions:

- The hard disk is 4200rpm which is the only really "bad" thing about it. It would be better with a faster HD but one can hardly complain considering the low price, dvd-burner* and nice graphic card installed.

- The dvd works perfectly. It even reads dvds that my normal dvd player has problem reading. It takes 4 minutes to burn a full CD. I haven't tried burning a dvd yet.
* The dvd burner, burns both -/+ dvds as well as the newer double layer dvds that allow you to burn more than 8 GB on one dvd (but they are still quite expensive). In other words one can burn any dvd except for DVD-RAM (which are not widely used). The only problem with the DVD is that it is noisy which I don't have a problem with, but...
When playing dvds the noise is a lot less, though.

- The Graphic card is perfect. I think the only card that is better right now is the 9800.

- The screen is excellent. One can see the information on the screen without problem even from an angle.

- About the fan. Most of the time it is off. It is only turned on when doing heavy cpu work, e.g. gaming, encoding. Now, since this my first notebook I can only compare the fan noise with my normal computer which sounds like and aeroplane. I definately don't think the noise is too loud. There is also a button for turning of the fan but I don't use it because the noise does not bother me[ ]

- The keyboard is also very nice. For someone who has been using a normal keyboard it usually takes some getting used to when chaning to the laptop keyboard, but for me it felt comfortable using the new keyboard, I even prefer it over the old one[ ]

- It does not have an infrared port, so if you need one you will have look elsewhere or muy an adapter. I personally use a bluetooth adapter.

In conclusion this is probably one of the best notebooks for the low price. The hardware is perfect (except for the HD).

If there is something else you are wondering about just ask.


:: Amilo M1425 : P-M Dothan 1.6GHz : ATI Radeon 9700 128MB : 15.4" Screen : 512 MB RAM 333 : 80GB HD 4200 : DVD+/-RW Double Layer : Windows XP Pro SP1 ::

 

thank you for all you wrote. I'm hurry but anyway I think I have some day more to decide, before not to find it more at the store
I ask you to try as soon as possible to burn a dvd and to try that game and other ones, and refer it to me here

thank you again

 

Hello there,
I have been using this laptop for three months.
Everything is nicely balanced, but I have two complains.

One, the battery runs out in 2 hours if you are using wireless internet and photoshop.

And two, fan kicks in soon after it boots.

Since i move a lot, i would've preferred a lighter laptop.

But for all the benefits and price we get this machine for, pros overtake cons.

hope it helps!

 

This evening I am going to backup all the stuff I have on the laptop so I am going to burn a few DVDs. I will tell you how it goes.

About the whitescreen problem. I don't know what it is because I don't have the problem, but I read on the Fujitsu-Siemens forum about it and FS just released a BIOS update that should fix the problem and a few others.

I can also confirm that the battery runs for about 2 hours, but I don't use any of the power saving options since I am always using AC power.

There is one more thing, but I don't want to scare you. First I just want to say that I personally don't have the following problem, I guess I am lucky. Some of the M1425s have a motherboard defect (causing some kind of noise) and it seems like Fujitsu is changing the boards (check the Fujitsu-Siemens forum, I saw that you also have posted there).
Are you buying your laptop in Italy? I bought mine in Italy so maybe the Italian version does not have the this problem, nor the whitescreen problem[ ].


:: Amilo M1425 : P-M Dothan 1.6GHz : ATI Radeon 9700 128MB : 15.4" Screen : 512 MB RAM 333 : 80GB HD 4200 : DVD+/-RW Double Layer : Windows XP Pro SP1 ::

 

Wait before you buy this Laptop !

I was intrested in that laptop too but found in some german forums that the fan is way too loud , I can't argue with anyone that has it but a good laptop should be whisper quiet , else something is worng with the build quality/design .

Second , go to the offical Fujitsu forums , you'll find that some complain about white screen , noise from the motherboard and power in the USB ports even when the power is completely off .

Third , again from the same forum , apperntly FSC confessed there is some sort of a problem with the mobo causing the above and they are going to replace the faulty mobo .

Other then that its a very good looking notebook , and would be a good buy once the problems are solved ( and for me if the euro wouldn't have jumped so high lately ) .

 

Hello all,

here is my opinion: I bought this laptop two weeks ago. Here I give you a summary of pros and cons:

Pros:
- Great screen (no dead pixel)
- Very slim
- Very good hardware (centrino, graphic card, subwoofer, etc, etc)
- About the screen problem, mine has not it.

Cons:
- To work with it, you must disable the touchpad. It is located in such a way that is not posible to write without accidentally touching it, so the only solution is to disable it.
- The battery lasts only for 2 hours, that is to say, the same duration as if it was a Pentium.
- The computer is continuosly spending power, no matter if it is powered on or off. So, althoug if it is switched off, the battery is going to become empty in about 24 hours.
- The subwoofer issues a low noise althoug the computer is switched off. Maybe this is one of the causes of the battery consumption.
- The USB ports are active although the computer is switched off. Maybe this is another cause of the battery consumption.
- Personally, i don't like the keyboard, it is not confortable for me.

So, as you can see, my opinion is not the best about this machine. If you want my advice, don't buy this machine.

Bye.

 

Pepe , you just described what i said , you should contact Fujitsu for the mobo repair which should solve all your problems .

Gil

 

Oh yes, I totally agree that its a very slim and sleek model from FS.

If above mentioned are signs of a fault then i don't have a motherboard problem. But at times I have noticed that once i switch my pc on, the light goes green but screen is blank and fan never kicks in! I wonder what it is.

I would also agree that fan is tooooo loud compared to my room-mate's Dell 8600.

I would not recommend this laptop, despite its pros. [V]
Am I dissappointed? Oh ofcourse I am, it is my first laptop and I spent almost 1900 U.S. dollars back in Summer 04. [V]

But again, there is no such thing as a perfect notebook. [ ]

Btw, how do you disable the mouse pad, I have had my palm step on the trackpad and have my cursor move while I type, causing few typos. Argh!



Thanks

 

You have two choices to disable the touchpad:
- First one: In the BIOS setup page (to start the BIOS setup push F2 as soon as you start your notebook), there is an option named "touchpad", located in the second menu. Select "Disable" for this option.
- Second one: The second way is to install the touchpad driver (you can find the installing program in the "Add on" option corresponding to the "Start" Windows menu). Once you have installed it, there will be a little icon at the lower right corner of the screen (by the system clock). Double click this icon, and the setup window will start. Then, look for an option whose finality is to disable the touchpad if there is an external mouse connected to the notebook.

I hope this will help you.

Bye.

 

Perfect!
I have Synaptics driver, it has an option to disable the pointing device.

Thanks for the help

 

OK. I have now tried playing Far Cry on the M1425. It runs perfectly. I have also burnt 4 dvd-r without any problems. It took about 15 minutes to burn a full (4.7GB) dvd-r at 4x, quite ok in my opinion.

:: Amilo M1425 : P-M Dothan 1.6GHz : ATI Radeon 9700 128MB : 15.4" Screen : 512 MB RAM 333 : 80GB HD 4200 : DVD+/-RW Double Layer : Windows XP Pro SP1 ::

 

DO NOT BUY THIS NOTEBOOK....URGENT...DO NOT BUY THIS NOTEBOOK...
coz it has really bad builtup quality...This siemens machines are really middle range price and nice specs but absolutely not elegant and crap...it sucks...the screen is easily drawn,the case paint is easily drawn...so bad news for this model.pay more but take good builtup quality machine.Do not take a Fujitsu Siemens machine...Buy a Fujitsu instead of it..coz it has been produced in Japan,others in Germany.

 

OMG!!

You have made me feel scared now

I bought it this summer thinking I made a wise purchase. I spent a lot of money. I hope my investment doesn't go down the drain!

But yes i will agree that out of PERFORMANCE, PRICE, and QUALITY, one can only select two.