Fujitsu Siemens Amilo LI1718-1G

Don''''t expect good, helpful service from Fujitsu-Siemens. I had to send proof of purchase before they would replace a faulty Drivers disk - and they still didn''''t send it! The motherboard has been replaced twice in the first month, and the PC is now working, but slowly. And it has cost me £20 in phone calls. And don''''t bother writing to the CEO, he won''''t answer.

Having had a Fujitsu Siemens computer for three years previous to upgrading to this model I had every expectation that this PC would be nothing if not competent. Happily, it has lived up to expectations in most departments although not all. First, a word of warning. If you are after a gaming computer stop reading now and go elsewhere. While the LI1718 boasts a dedicated graphics card with an impressive sounding 256mb of memory, it just isn''t very good. While old games such as C&C or Age of Empires work fine, this pc is frankly useless for 3d shooters and the like. That said, I didn''t purchase the laptop as a gaming machine and any serious gamer would know better than to go for this too. Despite other reviews I am also pleased to report that it handles videos in full screen perfectly although some divx videos go out of sync with audio when set to full screen... Where this laptop lacks in graphics performance, however, it more than makes up for in other areas. The processor is a dual core model and handles most tasks well (I frequently run the music player, word and three different on-line communicators with no stutter at all). The 2GB of memory is also particularly welcome and means that Windows Vista premium (with all its attendant bells and whistles) works just fine. Indeed as long as you are running aplications that don''t demand heavy graphics then you''ll find that this computer is more than up to the task. As a home music producer I use such programs as Cubase and Cool edit pro and these run with no slow down at all, something my long-suffering previous lap-top was replaced for. In the looks department this pc will win no awards - of course, it''s a budget model so it''s to be expected that the company must skimp somewhere; a simple black and silver case (hapily it seems quite resistant to marking) with four USB ports (acceptable but not great), ethernet, and modem. It does lack a tv out (which my previous FS laptop had) and also a ps2 port (although this latter is no great concern). The battery slots into the back, which is much easier than previous FS efforts where you had to unscrew a base plate to remove the darn thing (annoying if you use your system mostly at home but occasionally need to pop the battery in for travel) but as it only lasts for around 90 mins of moderate use you should consider carefully a second battery if you travel too far from plug sockets but need your pc. All in all this is a good machine. Reliable, well featured for the price and sturdy. However don''t expect miracles in the gaming department and the keyboard also is a touch on the cheap side so think about replacing that. Excellent value for money as a student''s computer or for anyone who wants considerable power without good graphics performance.