The Toughbook F8 is the first release in the new F series, which is a follow-up to the Y series.(PA3191U-1BAS,PA2522U-1BRS Battery)The F8 is a solid performer, so long as you keep in mind that you are working with the SP9300 with 3GB of RAM and integrated graphics. This is to say that it runs XP and daily tasks with no problems at all and it’s great as a day-to-day system. In the overall balance between battery life and performance, the F8 leans a bit more towards battery life than horsepower though. So for general use and desktop tasks the Panasonic does very well, more than you might expect from the the low-consumption processor, but when it comes to graphical intensive tasks the system lags.
toughbook_f8_01
Battery life has always been important for the Toughbook line and the F8 does not disappoint in this respect. Panasonic says to expect a 6 hour battery life and testing puts actually battery life (50% LCD brightness, WiFi on, doing standard browser work) at about 5 hours and 15 minutes. This is a very solid number given the system’s size and weight, and because the battery is swappable you can buy another if necessary.
When evaluating the Toughbooks we have to keep in mind what and who these systems were designed for(laptop batteries). We may approach them as technology enthusiasts and mobile computer geeks, but they weren’t designed for gadget lovers–they are designed to be sold to big companies for workers operating under demanding conditions. This criteria is obviously a bit relaxed for the business-rugged models (F, W, and R) but they are still the controlling forced behind most of Panasonic’s decision making. That noted, the Toughbook F8 is one of the coolest notebooks to come out in a long time. The fact that a single machine exists that is under four pounds, runs for over five hours, and should be able to take a drop better than the vast majority of notebooks on the market is impressive. Plus, it has a handle!
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