Fujitsu LifeBook S6520 a Solid Choice in Thin and Light Notebook Category - Plenty of Ports
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The unit's keyboard offers good tactile response and
very little flex. A touch-pad is anchored at the bottom of the keyboard and is
shaped to match the ratio of the screen. Pointer travel is very good and the
touch-pad keys offer a firm click and should hold up to extensive use.
The unit sports numerous ports, which should prove to be sufficient for most
users. FireWire and USB are fully represented, while a VGA port allows
external display devices to be connected and run at resolutions as high as 1600
by 1200. In terms of performance, the S6520 met expectations. The unit offers
good processor, hard drive and memory performance, and is only hampered by the
use of on-board graphics.
That said, the on-board Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500 does prove to
be around 30 percent faster than the previous generation of GMA-based
notebooks, but the GMA 4500 still can't measure up to the speed of the discrete
graphics cards found in higher-end notebook systems.
Performance Test 6.1 gave the tested S6520 an overall PassMark rating of
650.2, surpassing the score of the recently
tested Intel Centrino 2-based Lenovo SL400, which mustered a 573.1.
Battery life also met expectations, with the system
offering close to 4.5 hours under typical use, with some power-saving features
enabled but with the screen set to maximum brightness.
The bottom line
Overall, Fujitsu's Centrino 2-based S6520 offers all
the bells and whistles that one would expect in what is becoming a crowded
market. The unit offers performance that should meet or exceed most users'
expectations and features a solid design that should provide years of service.
The only real complaints about the system are the lack of a higher-resolution
screen and the initial setup time, which, while automated for the most part,
can take the better part of an hour. Solution providers will find Fujitsu's
channel programs palatable and should be able to score margins that will make
Fujitsu's notebooks a viable choice over alternatives from the likes of Toshiba and
Sony.
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