Fujitsu LifeBook N3530

The Fujitsu LifeBook N3530 is all about entertainment. It sports a glossy 15.4-inch widescreen, Windows Media Center Edition 2005, and an optional integrated TV tuner. It’s a solid effort with plenty of extras, but this notebook will cost you.
 
At 7.9 pounds, the N3530 is nearly a pound heavier than competing 15.4-inch notebooks, which is mostly explained by the built-in TV tuner and extra A/V connections. Fujitsu wrapped the N3530 in a black chassis, revealing silver accents when you open the lid. The design plays it safe compared with the HP Pavilion dv5000t, but it’s still attractive.
 
Featuring Fujitsu’s Color-Enhanced Crystal View technology, the 15.4-inch screen delivered deep, rich colors when viewing photos and videos without too much glare. We noticed some blurring on action scenes when watching DVDs, but the overall image quality was very good. The panel’s WXGA (1280 x 800) resolution means readable text and icons for typical Windows tasks, without the zooming (or squinting) required by high-res panels this size. Viewing-angle performance was mixed. There was some drop-off in brightness as we moved off-axis left or right; from above, we noticed a pronounced color shift.
 
The large display makes room for a full-sized keyboard. It’s quiet and responsive, with a good feel. The touchpad is also comfortable to use. Fujitsu has included a handy rocker switch to control the volume, but there’s no dedicated mute button; you use a Function key combo. The deck-mounted stereo speakers delivered decent sound quality and adequate volume.
 
The N3530’s multimedia stripes show with its good selection of ports. In addition to the four USB 2.0 ports and FireWire port, there’s one component video-in port for attaching a video device (like a game console or camcorder) and an input for a cable TV feed from the TV tuner. The Media Center OS turns this notebook into a DVR, with the ability to store shows on the spacious 100GB hard drive and then archive content using the multiformat DVD burner. A 4-in-1 memory card reader is there for loading photos onto the system. These extras make the N3530 a worthy dorm-room PC, where it can be used both as a PC and as the hub of a digital entertainment system.
 
Performance is another strong point. The 1.66-GHz Intel Core Duo T2300 processor and 1GB of RAM (expandable to 2GB) combined to deliver a strong score of 253 on our MobileMark 2005 test. Battery life was 30 minutes below average, at just under 2.5 hours, though that’s to be expected given all of the high-powered components inside.
 
The discrete ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 graphics solution lends some 3D punch, helping the N3530 score a respectable 3,874 on 3DMark03. Less demanding gamers can expect decent performance out of this machine. We got a very good 110 fps on our F.E.A.R. test at autodetect settings, albeit at a low 640 x 480-pixel resolution. When we maxed out the settings, performance dropped to an unplayable 12 fps.
 
In addition to the extras that already come with Media Center Edition 2005, Fujitsu has included CyberLink and Roxio for DVD/CD playback and creation. Microsoft Works (with a 60-day trial of Microsoft Office 2003 Student/Teacher Edition, to show you what you’re missing) covers basic productivity. This system also comes with a solid three-year warranty, complete with three years of 24/7 toll-free support.
 
All told, the Fujitsu LifeBook N3530 delivers good performance and TV recording in a fairly portable package. If you can do without a bigger 17-inch display, it’s a good choice.

 

Editor’s Note: This configuration is no longer available, but for the same price, you get a 1.83-GHz Intel Core Duo T2400, a 120GB hard drive, and the TV tuner standard.