Any S6231 owners?

Did anyone order and receive an S6231 from P1 yet? (since they are the only ones who seem to have it) I am going to order one pretty soon, but I am still making sure that that's what I want!

Does anyone think that it's worth it to pay $150 for the 1.7G? I was thinking of getting the 1.6G and swapping it for a 2.0G when I find a good deal on one? Is that possible? Does the Bios support it?

Anyone knows how much the modular bay battery weighs? I want maximum mobility with no need for a power plug, that's my main reason for choosing the S6XXX. I don't think any other manufacturer offers more battery life for the same weight & size class (modular bay battery inc.). Correct me if I am wrong, please.

Thanx for the feedback!

 

I ordered an S6231 from P1 on 10/31. It is being shipped from fujitsu to them and is expected to arrive tomorrow (monday) at P1 where they will upgrade the ram. And then I should have it tuesday or wenesday. Im going to do a review after I get it.

I got the 512x1 upgrade for $40 because that will allow you to upgrade your ram without having to throw away 256 of it.

I didnt get the 1.7 for the same reason. I figured it would be cheaper to upgrade it myself in a few months to a 2.0.

One issue though is that the 1.6 MAY be soldered on. In which case upgrading would void the 3 year warranty you get from P1. So, if you really think you need the .1 Ghz extra pay $150 because you may not be able to upgrade later. But realistically, the 1.7 processor is only worth about $50 more than a 1.6 so $150 is WAY too high of a markup to be reasonable. Plus, this is a business laptop so youre not going to see any performance difference with any software like spreadsheets, internet. 0.1ghz difference is like nothing seriously. But 1.6 to 2.0 would be significant.

I'm not sure if the bios will support 2.0 but if it doesnt then Fujitsu is retarded because you can get a 2.0 from almost every other notebook manufacturer.

Modular battery shouldnt be too much heavier than the optical drive you take out. Maybe 1/2 a pound to a pound. Its worth it if you need the battery life. 7 hours is great battery life.

Victor O'Connell

 

Please let me know what you think of it as soon as you get it, and what's changed since the last S6XXX.

Anyone knows about the issue of soldered cpus and BIOS compatibility in the S6231 or any of the prievious S6XXXs.

Thanx

and voconl enjoy your new toy [ ]

 

Its going to be here Tuesday. Wohoo!

Victor O'Connell

 

Fujitsu's site has been updated with the new S6231, and N6010. Not sure if anything else is new.

 

Are there any "professional" reviews out of the S6231 (or any equivilent model) yet?
I ask because the reviews of the S7010D were fair to poor, where the P series reviews have been much better.

I am trying to compare the value of this notebook to an IBM T42 (since IBM only has 12" and 14" and not a 13.3" in between). Any thoughts??

I am particularly interested in the keyboard quality, since I thought that the S7010D that I saw had a LOT of keyboard flex, whereas the P series did not.

Also, Victor, did you get yours? If so, any first impressions???

Andrew
Austin, TX

 

I left a response over on the other topic. I kinda sound like a jerk though the way I wrote it. I guess I'm just passionate about justifying my $1650 decision, ya know. I hope you can distile some useful info from it. My notebook got delayed in customs. So its not going to be here till the end of the week. I do plan to write a review though so the good and bad should be revealed. I must say though that I went to Fry's again yesterday and looked at it again and the S6000 is a really nice notebook. One of the best features I would say is the trackpad and trackbutton response. Its just so clean and nice to use. Much faster and accurate than most other trackpads Ive used.

I didnt notice any problems with the keypad. I thought it felt nice. But it does feel like a Laptop keypad much more so than an IBM. I would just say IBM is closer to a regular desktop keyboard.

The main difference is the screen. The look of the case. The price/performance ratio. I think you get a little more bang for your buck with the S6000. Except the graphics chipset which blows. Dont expect to be running Longhorn on this laptop when it comes out. But its good for then next 2 years. And thats why I got it. After that it'll go on ebay and ill get a nice shinny new one.

Victor O'Connell

 

Thanks.
I don't think you sounded like a jerk at all.
Opinionated, yes.
Jerk...NO.

I look forward to your review.
If you post your review in a new thread, PLEASE post something in one of the two threads that you have replied to tonight, so that I will know that your review is posted.

Thanks,

Andrew
Austin, TX

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

 

Ill have plenty of answers for you tomorrow when my S6231 arrives. But I doubt ill be poking the screen or doing anything to hurt it. Actually you should keep the T42 and get accedental damage if you are going to be taking this with you often. I dont plan to take my notebook out too much but if I did, not having 100% accedental damage would be a problem.

 

I am deciding between a Fujitsu S6231 and an IBM T42 XGA (NEW MODEL 14" with 64MB ATI 9000) that I have 3 weeks to return.
Below I have listed the considerations between each unit.

1.) I am impressed with the Fujitsu screen, especially compared to the Thinkpad that I am considering. The Thinkpad's screen has almost no viewing angle tolerance, but good image and color. The Fujitsu has good horizontal viewing angles, not much vertical viewing angle, good contrast and color (although the chroma is a little "hot".)

2.) I am concerned about the Fujitsu keyboard flex and overall keyboard quality (definately a step down from the Thinkpad's keyboard.)

3.) Overall flimsiness of the Fujitsu. Yes, I do realize that the thinner and lighter a notebook is, the flimsier it has to become.
I saw an S6000 series at FRY's tonite, and there was a lot of case flex on the lower right of the keyboard. The sales rep told me it was because no battery was installed, but I have read at leog.net that the same is true with a battery in place. It takes almost no finger pressure to distort the screen on the edges or back, and the screen casing has a lot of flex.

4.) I can get a full accidental damage coverage for EVERYTHING on the Thinkpad for less than just the screen damage coverage on the Fujitsu.
Other than these issues, feature for feature I like the Fujitsu.

Any comments will be more than welcomed!!

Thanks in advance!!

Andrew
Austin, TX

 

aamsel have you considered the S series from Sony. Excellent screen and they include one of the radeon graphic cards (don't remember which one).
I considered the Sony before deciding on the S6231 due to better battery life with twin battery option. (I really disliked the extended battery that Sony offers). And also on the downside Sony's HDD is 4200RPM and they use a more expensive type of RAMs (for later upgrade!)
I never considered the T42, although I really like IBM products, just because of the screen!

 

OK.
My problem is that the video is VERY important to me, and the IBM's screen is either average or poor, depending on how critical you are. The Fujitsu is above average to excellent (above average if you deduct for poor vertical viewing angles).

Please post in this thread when your review is up.
I would be happy to see initial impressions first.

Andrew
Austin, TX

 

No, I am not interested in the SONY for several reasons:
1.) I don't like XBrite AT ALL, I think that the Fujitsu screen is FAR less reflective. The XBrite and HP glossy screens are like mirrors.
2.) The SONY, without XBrite has just a 9000 card, so the price is a little high for what you get. Also, no DVD burner on the SONY.
3.) Don't like the SONY keyboard or trackpad buttons.
4.) Don't like SONY's overpriced accessories after the sale, like their $300+ batteries, etc.
5.) Don't like SONY service, sales, support, or the fact that SONY will drop a product without notice like they did with the Clie's this year.
Generally I am not a huge SONY fan!! [ ]

Thanks for the suggestion though, I think I have seen and considered just about everything. I am not quite sure why I have settled on this "weight class", since I really could carry a 17" if I wanted to. I just find 14" or less to be my sweet spot, and 12" or smaller gets too small, so 13.3" is OK. Also, for me, NO high resolution will work for my eyes, I want XGA only. So really, I am looking for the best quality system with the best quality screen that is 13.3" or 14" XGA. The Thinkpad has everything except a great screen and firewire, and I can live without the firewire. Not sure if I can live without a great screen.

I am a little put back with the stories of double-sided tape to "fix" Fujitsu keyboards. Doesn't make me feel with this technique that the Fujitsu "exudes quality". Kinda like "oh, we forgot to put in the bubble gum"! (just kidding). [ ]

Andrew
Austin, TX


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