Fujitsu LifeBook N6410

At more than ten pounds, Fujitsu's LifeBook N6410 is certainly not the most portable notebook around, but it will fill the bill if you're looking for a semi-portable desktop replacement with a full array of multimedia features.

 

The LifeBook's 16.1-inch frame is packaged in a metallic gray and matte black finish with glossy black trim. Under the lid sits a full-sized keyboard and numeric keypad, along with a three-button touchpad. At the top of the keyboard is a switch for enabling the 802.11a/b/g wireless network adapter and a slick backlit iPod-style application/media player dial that launches specific programs, such as e-mail and your Internet browser, as well as controls for DVD and CD playback. Unfortunately, the system is missing a dedicated volume control and a way to play movies or music without starting Windows.

 

At the heart of the N6410 is Intel's 1.66-GHz Core Duo T2300 processor and 1GB of fast (667-MHz) DDR2 memory, with video provided by an ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 graphics card. The LifeBook has enough 3D chops to satisfy most gamers, as long as you don't mind playing in low-res mode. This desktop replacement scored an impressive 122 fps (frames per second) on our F.E.A.R. frame rate tests on autodetect (640 x 480 resolution), but only managed 14 fps when we bumped the resolution up to the maximum 1024 x 768 pixels.

 

The LifeBook's 17-inch WXGA+ screen is ideal for watching DVDs, viewing digital photos, and playing games. The bright widescreen display has a 1440 x 900 maximum resolution and uses Fujitsu's Crystal View screen technology to enhance image and color quality without appearing overly reflective.

 

Two stereo speakers are embedded into the LifeBook's front bezel, and a built-in subwoofer is at the bottom of the chassis. The audio quality is a notch or two above your typical notebook sound system, but we expected more bass response from the subwoofer. The N6410's massive 320GB of hard drive capacity (two 160GB drives) is more than enough to store recorded TV programs, music, and other digital content. Or you can archive your multimedia projects by burning them to recordable DVDs or CDs using the multiformat, dual-layer DVD burner.

 

Multimedia ports are abundant and include all of the usual jacks, plus an internal TV Tuner, S-Video, composite video-in, VGA, S-Video-out, stereo audio-in, and SPDIF audio. There's also an ExpressCard slot, a PC Card slot, a multicard reader slot, five USB ports, and a FireWire connection. Included in the box are a coaxial TV antenna dongle, a Windows Media Center remote control, an IR receiver, and a set top box IR receiver. Overall, the AverMedia TV tuner did a good job of rendering our cable signal, although a few of the higher channels suffered from ghosting and background noise. Channel changing was agonizingly slow.

 

The system's wireless range was subpar, turning in a paltry 5 Mbps when located 50 feet from our access point. The data rate was only slightly better (6.6 Mbps) at the 5-foot mark. Although you won't see long battery life on this ten-pound beast—it lasted 1 hour 34 minutes with Wi-Fi off on our tests—it turned in a good MobileMark 2005 score of 234. 

 

In addition to Windows XP Media Center Edition, the LifeBook comes with Microsoft Works 8, Sonic's Roxio DigitalMedia SE, Cyberlink's PowerProducer, PowerDirector and MakeDVD, and trial versions of Microsoft's Office 2003 Small Business Edition and Student Teacher Edition. The system is covered by a standard one-year parts and labor warranty, extendable to two years for $99.95 or three years for $179. Fujitsu also offers a Screen Damage Protection Plan ($149) that provides LCD repair twice within a one-year period.

 

The Fujitsu LifeBook N6410 is a decent choice if you're looking to replace your desktop system with a notebook that's set up for Media Center duties. But with its weight, short battery life, and slow wireless speeds, it's meant to stay put and stay tethered to an outlet.