Basic Review from Newbie[Sony FW-590CTO]

*I didn't see a review sub-forum, so hopefully posting here is alright.

Hey guys,

I just got my new Sony Vaio FW590 CTO:
Processor:Core 2 Duo P8800 2.66GHz
Video Card: ATI 4650HD 1GB
Memory:6GB DDR2
HDD:320GB @ 7200rpm
Display:1080P LED
High Capacity Battery 5.5hrs.
Windows 7 Pro
*All equipped with Intel 5100AGN Wireless Network and BlueTooth

This is the 2nd computer and 1st laptop in my life. I do not game, but got it for multi-media.

I've had it for 2days and I have high expectations considering it was $1450 w/Student Discount.

Cooling/Heat:-This computer runs flawlessly and really cool and quiet. I've been watching alot of HD 1080p YouTube and HD Super Size Me and the fan is super quiet. Also the laptop itself was pleasant and the warmth was just right.

Durability:-One thing I noticed was how strong this laptop is. There is no flexing or bending. The back of the screen or case was surprisingly strong with little bend or play. It would take a considerable/hefty amount of pressure from the back to make the screen puddle, and that was only in certain areas. I like the back, I got in in standard black and it is a matte finish with texture or rough finish, it keeps away the fingerprints.

Display:-I am VERY impressed with the picture from the 1080p. I love bright screens and this satisfied my expectations. This is considered a glossy screen, but I would say it's either semi-gloss or they do a great job preventing glare or reflection. Viewing Angles-In my opinion this is one of the best things about the display. Horizontal viewing is EXCELLENT and Vertical is Very Good, Top view is excellent and Bottom view is good-pretty good. I honestly believe that you could have 4 people side-by-side able to watch a movie from 3.5feet away.
I do have onestuck or bright pixel, it is a red-hot pink in color also turns black on green background and is not visible on black or dark colored areas.
1080p IS hard on my eyes when typing or trying to read, so I just turn it to 720p and I am comfortable with that. Disclaimer: I don't wear contacts and my eyesight is 20/40 with astigmatism, so that would make a bit of difference.

Sound:-It's pretty good being a laptop, it's plenty loud enough and crisp, but it doesn't have much bass at all. It does sound very balanced and not tinny/metallic. There were times that it appeared sound was coming from the sides like surround sound, but it is mainly focused right in front of you.

Track-pad/Keyboard-Like I said before there is no flex anywhere. The keys have just the right amount of travel or play. I liked having the number pad, this does not, but it does have a number pad setup on the keys that you can select, but I find it useless since you can't type and used the number pad at the same time. I suppose it could be helpful if you are strictly punching in numbers though. There is around 1.25-1.5inches of free space on each side of the keyboard that I feel they could have utilized, like putting in a number pad or spacing out the keys slightly. No issue though because my big hands can still type just fine. It would have been nice to include a backlit-keyboard since this IS a SONY, it's name is well known for multi-media and being ahead of the game in technology.
Track-pad travels really nice and is very responsive. I like the invisible scrolling feature too.

Webcam:-Very nice. Max resolution is 5mp and recommended is VGA, which is very responsive it captures instantly. It has I think 6 different resolution options. I personally would use the 5mp for the quality and it still is really quick. I also noticed that even in low-light settings it operates great and image is really nice even when it's dark.
NightVision mode would be really a great feature.

*Advice. I would go with the Large battery like I have because when I have the Screen on full brightness for a couple hours. i.e. Watching Movies it does suck up the battery. Also it props up the back so more airflow gets underneath. It's just a piece of mind type of thing, even though it does run real cool. The battery even being the "Large Type" is very small IMO and only protrudes out the back about 3/4inch.

I'm not a gamer or a techie, so I won't be posting any of those tests that others do.

Any questions feel free to ask here or PM me.

Thanks.

 

How quiet is the CPU fan? I can definitely hear mine, especially when it starts. The noise goes down after a few seconds, but it is still audible in a quiet room.
I could also hear my HDD (Hitachi, 500GB @ 7200rpm). It sounds similar to a constant air flow. Is 320GB HDD silent? I had various Toshiba and WD drives @5400 rpm in previous laptops and I could not hear those unless I put my ear very close to, or on the laptop itself.

 

The fan is usually on, but at the lowest setting I assume. It is very quiet in a silent room.

The HDD is only audible when being used. I have to put my ear right next to it to even hear it's quiet hum.

The HDD is also a Hitachi

 

I have many questions..

I have exactly as your FW CTO but mine is T9600

after I get it I was a bit sad because I read about T series is hotter than P series...but at power save setting the cores aroud 35-40 C>>>

IS that as yours? I mean normal using without intensive CPU

and do u feel a warm at the right of the touchpad?I mean above the HD>>>

in regards of the machine sound...in quite room I can hear only a constant sound but not loud...is it like yours??

Finally...

do thing my choice for T9600 was correct? and there is no different in HEAT and SOUND between mine and yours??

Thank you friend...