Fujitsu LifeBook N5010

1/21/04 - The Fujitsu LifeBook N5010 makes for a decent desktop replacement with some real potential given its few drawbacks. The system is one of many new units that now supports Hyper Threading with the Intel Pentium 4 CPUs which helps boost performance. In this case, it uses a Pentium 4 2.8GHz CPU. It only ships with 256MB of PC2700 memory which is low for a system of this price.

Storage space is average for the desktop replacement segment. It features 40GB of hard drive space and also includes a 24x CD-RW Combo drive. Some higher end models include a DVD burner.

Fujitsu ignored the trend towards wide screen displays for portables by going with a large 16" LCD instead. They matched this screen up with a powerful ATI Radeon 9600 Mobility with 64MB of memory. This is not the Pro version of the card, but it still provides good 3D performance and DirectX 9 support.

Networking is one area where the Fujitsu LifeBook does do really well. They have opted to add to the standard of 802.11 wireless networking by including a dual band adapter. This means that the integrated wireless card can operating on a 802.11a wireless network and 802.11b/g wireless network simultaneously.

The Fujitsu N5010 is not going to be the most portable system available though. At a hefty 10.4 pounds, it is one of the heaviest desktop replacements available. This will make carrying the system quite tiresome for many people. If it doesn't have to be moved much, it is a good overall system.