FUJITSU LIFEBOOK E752/E battery charging
Fujitsu's Lifebook E752 model is desktop-sized for professional and business use.
The Lifebook series from Fujitsu varies from mid-sized to desktop range, and is mostly designed for business use. Model E752 runs an 3rd Gen Intel Core i5 processor, with up to 3.19 Turbo Boost technology, 4GB DDR3, and 500GB S-ATA hard drive. It has a 15.6″ Widescreen HD LED-backlit LCD display, supported by Intel HD graphics. The OS is Genuine Windows 7 Professional. FUJITSU LIFEBOOK E752/E battery charging
Fujitsu divides their portfolio of Notebooks into three distinct lines: All-round, Advanced, and Superior. The Lifebook S792 is part of the "Advanced" line, while the predecessor Lifebook S761 was part of the "Superior" line. According to Fujitsu, the Advanced models are supposed to "enhance the efficiency and convenience of your day-to-day work". Let's find out if this notebook can live up to the manufacturer's claim. FUJITSU LIFEBOOK E742/E battery charging
Please note: Fujitsu's model lineup in the US is different from the European one (the S792 was reviewed by our editorial staff in Germany). The successor to the S761 in the US is the S762 (a quadcore CPU for this model is not offered). FUJITSU Lifebook N532/E battery charging
The Lifebook S792 is powered by an Intel Core i7-3612QM quad-core processor and features 8 GB of RAM and a 256 GB Solid State Disk for programs and data. The system uses the processor-supplied integrated Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU as its sole source of graphics power. Even though the notebook is rather small, it nonetheless comes with a DVD Optical Drive. FUJITSU Lifebook N532 battery charging
For our review we will compare the Lifebook S792 to several of its competitors: HP Elitebook 8460p (Intel Core i7-2620M, AMD Radeon HD 6470M), Lenovo Thinkpad T430 (Intel Core i7-3520M, NVIDIA NVS 5400M), and Dell Latitude E6430 (Intel Core i5-3320M, Intel HD Graphics 4000). The models in question all feature a 14-inch display, since there are currently no alternatives with the same-sized panel as the Fujitsu (one potential contender with a 13-inch display is the Dell Latitude E6330 - look for an upcoming review). FUJITSU Lifebook NH751 NH532 battery charging
The shape and the lines of the S792 remind us of the predecessor Lifebook S761, although a few aspects have changed. The length and width of both notebooks are identical, but the Lifebook S792 is a bit thinner. Both units use plastic extensively - only the cover on the back of the display lid is made from a magnesium alloy. The competition features more upscale materials: the chassis of the HP Elitebook 8460p and the Dell Latitude E6430 are entirely out of metal, while the chassis of the Lenovo Thinkpad T430 is a mixture of carbon fiber, fiberglass, and reinforced plastic. Samsung R610 battery charging
The base unit of the S792 is made from matte, black plastic. The palm rest is a matte silver gray and features a textured surface, Samsung R60 battery charging which resists finger prints extremely well. The quality of the plastic is appropriate for the notebook and doesn't appear cheap. The system is quite sturdy overall: the base unit is torsionally rigid and the palm rest resists applied pressure well. Just above the optical drive and the SmartCard reader we were able to detect a bit of flex - just like on the predecessor S761. The display lid could be a little more resilient: it doesn't resist twisting forces well and "gives" when pressure is applied. The hinges hold the display in any position and prevent any wobble. Samsung R510 battery charging
Unfortunately, the build quality leaves a bit to be desired - we consider it unworthy of a notebook costing 1500 Euro (~1940 USD). The magnesium back of the display lid is not secured properly and rattles a bit in the upper corners (almost like screws came loose). The Lifebook S761 had similar issues. Samsung R505 battery charging
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Fujitsu modified the port selection on the new model only slightly. Compared to the Lifebook S761, we now find one USB 3.0/eSATA combination port instead of a USB 2.0 port and a DisplayPort instead of HDMI. Those intending to hook up their notebook to their flat screen at home just need a DisplayPort to HDMI adapter (about 5 - 10 Euro / less than 15 Dollars). Our review model did not include an ExpressCard slot, although the Lifebook can be ordered with one in lieu of the SmartCard reader. Samsung R460 battery charging
As far as communication with the outside world is concerned, the S792 comes well equipped: Intel's GigabitEthernet chip (Intel 82579LM) provides wired connectivity, while WLAN (802.11a/b/g/n) is powered by the Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 module. Bluetooth 4.0 is also supported. The display bezel houses a Full-HD webcam along with two microphones for videoconferencing purposes. Samsung R45 battery charging
The size and low weight of the notebook hint at its purpose: a mobile companion for those on the road. Samsung R410 battery charging To allow connectivity via mobile broadband, the S792 can be equipped with a Sierra Wireless LTE module (MC7710), which our review system comes with. Download speeds of up to 100 Mbit/s (upload 50 Mbit/s) are possible. The module also houses a GPS receiver. Alternatively, Fujitsu also offers a UMTS module (Sierra Gobi 3000) which supports download and upload speeds of up to 14.4 Mbits/s and 5.76 Mbit/s, respectively. Samsung R40 battery charging
The speeds mentioned above are of course subject to the capacity and utilization rate of the mobile provider. The mobile broadband modules are not standard equipment on all Lifebook S793 models. The selection of available modules also varies by region / country. LENOVO IdeaPad Y580M battery charging
As one would expect from a business notebook, the Lifebook S792 offers a TPM 1.2 module and a fingerprint sensor, which allows access to the system and/or data (our model features both). To physically secure the notebook, Fujitsu includes a Kensington Lock Slot. LENOVO IdeaPad Y580A battery charging
Our review system came with Windows 7 Professional (64 Bit). Some versions are shipped with Windows 7 Home Premium (64 Bit). Since some businesses still rely on Windows XP, Fujitsu still supports the older OS and offers drivers for download on their website. LENOVO IdeaPad Y580 battery charging
Should a System Recovery become necessary, the user has two options: either use the System Recovery DVD that ships with the system, or restore via the Recovery Partition. The latter process is really easy, as Fujitsu has added a menu item to the "Windows Recovery Options" of Windows 7. After pressing F8 during boot, the user needs to select "Advanced Options" in the menu and then "Repair Computer". Warning: the system will be reset to the factory image - all user data will be lost. LENOVO IdeaPad Y570P battery charging
In addition to the usual quick-start guides and the warranty information, the box includes various media DVDs: aside from the aforementioned Windows 7 Recovery DVD, there is one with security software for the notebook, one for Nero Essentials, another one with handbooks and drivers, and finally a "Premium Suite" DVD. The latter includes programs such as Corel Home Office, Corel Draw Essential X5, and Nuance Paperport 12 SE. LENOVO IdeaPad Y570NT battery charging
The Lifebook S792 features a docking port. The docking station (S26391-F655-L100) for the notebook adds the following ports: 4x USB 2.0, 1x DVI, 1x VGA, 1x parallel port, 1x serial port, 1x Gigbabit Ethernet, 1x Line-out and retails for about 80 to 120 Euro (~105 to 155 Dollars). LENOVO IdeaPad Y570N battery charging
Another way to expand the system is via the modular bay. Normally occupied by the DVD optical drive, it can also house an additional battery charging, a "Modular Bay Pico Projector", or a Blu-ray burner. All accessories compatible with the predecessor Lifebook S761 should also work with the S792. LENOVO IdeaPad Y570M battery charging
Four covers on the bottom allow access to the following internal components: hard drive, RAM, WLAN, and the mobile broadband module. The notebook has two RAM slots and supports a maximum of 16 GB - our review model came with 2x 4 GB. A small maintenance hatch allows the user to clean out dust between the fan and the cooling fins of the heatsink. LENOVO IdeaPad Y570D battery charging
Our Lifebook S792 carries a 24 month depot warranty - the user is required to send the notebook directly to Fujitsu in case of an issue or a defect. Since this notebook is not exactly a bargain, potential buyers are going to be interested in in protecting their investment for many years to come. LENOVO IdeaPad Y570 battery charging To that effect, Fujitsu offers extended warranties - a 5 year depot warranty is about 50 to 60 Euro (~65 - 80 Dollars), a 5 year onsite plan is available for about 180 to 200 Euro (~235 to 260 Dollars). Please note that the warranty options for notebooks are different depending on the region / country - US models usually carry a 1 year standard international warranty. For details, please check out the Fujitsu onlineshop. LENOVO IdeaPad Y570A battery charging
The S792 features a standard keyboard with 19 mm x 19 mm keys (0.75 x 0.75 inches). LENOVO ThinkPad X1 Hybrid battery charging They keys are beveled, so the actual surface on the top (where the fingertips come to rest) measures 14 mm x 14 mm (0.55 x 0.55 inches). Even though this is a 13.3-inch notebook, frequently used keys (arrow keys, Enter, Backspace, Shift) are all normal-sized. They keyboard is easy to type on: the keys feature a satisfying sense of travel and good feedback. The keyboard could be supported better, however: we noticed quite a bit of flex once we started to type. The keyboard seems a bit loose in the area above the optical drive. LENOVO ThinkPad X1 battery charging
The touchpad (3.8 cm x 8.1 cm / 1.5 inch x 3.2 inch) is slightly recessed. Since the surface is very smooth, sliding the fingers across is easy. The touchpad supports multi-touch gestures, although this functionality is not enabled by default and needs to be activated. The mouse buttons feature short travel and a distinctive (and quite audible) click-point. An interesting feature is the second round touchpad next to the main touchpad, which simulates the scroll wheel of a regular mouse (presumably since the main touchpad is too small for an integrated scroll zone). LENOVO ThinkPad X220i Tablet battery charging
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The Lifebook features a non-glare 13.3-inch, backlit LED display with 1366 x 768 pixels resolution. No other panels are offered - not really surprising considering the screen size. Those needing a higher resolution should look at the 14-inch HP Elitebook 8460p, the Lenovo Thinkpad T430, or the Dell Latitude E6430 - all offer either a HD display (1366 x 768) or HD+ display (1600 x 900). As far as brightness is concerned, the Fujitsu has the competition beat by a fair margin: we measured an average brightness of 273.8 cd/m². HP EliteBook 8760w Mobile Workstations battery charging
Both the black point value and the contrast leave to be desired - we measured 1.88 cd/m² and 163:1, HP EliteBook 8760w battery charging respectively. The result: a fairly washed-out picture. We know that Fujitsu is capable of delivering decent displays - one only needs to take a look at the (much less expensive) Lifebook E782. The competition - HP Elitebook 8460p (1.24 cd/m², 163:1), Lenovo Thinkpad T430 (1.47 cd/m², 178:1), Dell Latitude E6430 (1.49 cd/m², 138:1) - doesn't fare much better here. All four notebooks are less than impressive as far as their screens are concerned. We think that a notebook costing 1500 Euro and above should come with a much better display. The panel that Fujitsu uses also doesn't even come to close to cover sRGB (and much less AdobeRGB). This is not really a problem since coverage of the color spaces is mostly important for professional photo or graphics editing. HP EliteBook 8560w Mobile Workstations battery charging
The matte display (and the maximum brightness it is capable of) make the notebook suitable for outdoor use. A better contrast would improve the visibility of the screen though. HP EliteBook 8560w battery charging
Viewing angles fail to impress. Notebooks in the 300 - 400 Euro (~390 to ~520 Dollars) price bracket manage to perform about the same as the S792. Deviating from 90 degrees in the vertical plane quickly results in an inverted picture. Horizontally, the picture quality remains stable much longer. The viewing angle stability of the HP Elitebook 8460p and the Lenovo Thinkpad T430 is par for the course; the Dell Latitude E6430 does a bit better. All four notebooks are equipped with TN panels. HP 2000-453CA battery charging
The Lifebook S792 is designed to be a mobile companion for business users. The notebook can be configured in many different ways - at least in Germany, Fujitsu lists nine different processors and seven different hard drives (from conventional drives to SSDs). At the time of our review, the least expensive model started at 1100 Euro (~1440 Dollars). DELL XPS 13-L322X battery charging
Our review system is equipped with the Intel Core i7-3612QM quad-core processor. This CPU is part of the Ivy Bridge lineup and features a core frequency of 2.1 GHz. Turbo Boost can overclock all four cores to 2.8 GHz, 2 cores to 3.0 GHz, and a single core to 3.1 GHz. The TPD is 35 watts - about 10 watts lower than most of the other quad-core processors from Intel. Considering the size, a quad-core CPU is quite unusual and a differentiating factor. DELL XPS 13-L321X battery charging
During our stress test (Prime95 and Furmark at the same time), DELL XPS 13 battery charging Turbo Boost is active but the processor does not overclock to the maximum frequency. At the beginning of the test we measured 2.3 GHz to 2.4 GHz for all four cores. After about five minutes, we saw speeds between 2.1 GHz and 2.6 GHz with peaks of up to 2.8 GHz. The GPU is working at its maximum speed (1100 MHz) for the first few minutes and then starts dipping down to 650 MHz for several seconds at a time while still remaining at 1100 MHz for the rest of the time. While on battery charging, the CPU frequency fluctuates between 2.4 GHz to 2.6 GHz and the GPU between 850 MHz and 1050 MHz. We couldn't observe any throttling. DELL Latitude E6530 battery charging
The CPU is running at its top speed of 2.8 GHz during the Cinebench benchmark tests. The results are similar to those of other notebooks with the same Core i7-3210QM processor - like the Dell Inspiron 15R Special Edition, for example. SONY VAIO VGN-AW11M/H battery charging
The notebook boots Windows 7 quickly and generally works without any lag, thanks to the speedy SSD. SONY VAIO VGN-AW11XU/Q battery charging The results of the PCMark tests are in line with our expectations. The other notebooks we reviewed - the HP Elitebook 8460p (Intel Core i7-2620M, AMD Radeon HD 6470M), the Lenovo Thinkpad T430 (Intel Core i7-3520M, NVIDIA NVS 5400M), and the Dell Latitude E6430 (Intel Core i5-3320M, Intel HD Graphics 4000) - can't compete here since they are equipped with conventional hard disk drives. In addition, the Lifebook is the only notebook in this comparison that is equipped with a quad-core processor., although the three competing systems can be ordered with quad-core CPUs and/or SSDs. SONY VAIO VGN-AW11S/B battery charging
5.1Windows 7 Experience IndexProcessorCalculations per second7.2Memory (RAM)Memory operations per second7.8GraphicsDesktop performance for Windows Aero5.1Gaming graphics3D business and gaming graphics6.4Primary hard diskDisk data transfer rate7.9 SONY VAIO VGN-AW11Z/B battery charging
