FW11E - first impressions

Hello ,

... my FW11E arrived today

please take my words like words from person who didnt have any notebook , I have it for few hours and I can compare it with my old desktop only . Photos are not in good qual because of light in my flat .

.. what surprised me first is weight , you will need good back-pack for moving with this baby . Parcel include all what you need :







Notebook :
NB seems to have good construction , keyboard is very good a like it compare to common desktop keyboard , screen is very good - seems to me better than my 17 LG LCD .
What I dont like is position of USB ports and audio input/output . I think audio input/output could be in front and USB ports at the back .
Notebook looks nicer than on photos .
I think NB is not so hot , only when system started copy files from Vaio Recovery , notebook gets very hot on the left side .
Monitors sounds good , Im musician so I can not tell you is good at all , I think is good for listening where you dont have any monitors .





















Everything looks perfects until Microsoft enter to "game" .
I enter my name and password along installation and it was big mistake . Because I typed it with US keyboard and on logon screen I could chose CZ or UK keyboard only . So I strongly recommend to similar users (other countries) dont type pass along installation but in system .
You dont have to use Vaio Repair from HD .















I still didnt do any benchmark , but I like to do it (for me) , I can do better photos too - so ... if anybody want ...
What is horrible is Vista system which ate 5% CPU and 1,2GB RAM , so I hope Vaio will release XP drivers and I will able to use XP .
I think ... also a lot of useless SW is automatically installed .







My conclusion is positive , FW11E is very cute , quiet and in good performance ratio !

hope you like it

 

I think you might be the only one to call the big FW "cute"

Thanks for the write-up... Nice job!

 

I think it is not so big .-) But it isnt 13.3 of course .-)

I talked with Sony support regarding to drives for XP right now , they said : drivers for XP wont be released for this model

 

thanks for update and enjoy using your FW. Do put up bench marks when your done

 

Hey, thanks for posting your impressions. Would it be possible for you to upload the wallpapers that came with your notebook?

Thanks.

 

Thank you for your impressions.

Can you post the Windows Vista Experience Index Score?
(if possible for components: hdd, graphics, etc.)

 

thanks for the pics.. im def getting this in grey

 

Thanks for the quick review and overlook of the notebook. It seems quite thin for its size.

I checked the specs for the FW11E:

P8400
3 gigs of ram
250GB 5400 rpm
doesn't look like it has bluray?
ati 3470

although it may be different?

on the UK sony site it mentions these pieces of software installed:

If you ask me this is sad, half the software should be removed! or provided on cd for you to install yourself if you want it or no.

 

That's odd. According to Sony own words, http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...Id=8198552921644570896&parentCategoryId=16154

Genuine Microsoft® Windows Vista® Ultimate, Home Premium or Business with SP1 (available XP downgrade on Windows Vista® Business only.)

 

Yes, I second the request for the 2008 wallpapers.

Unofficial Club Vaio Premium is punishing NotebookReview users so we have to ask someone that has one of the new models to kindly share them. Here's what they look like. They should all be 1920x1200.

 

where did you order it from?

 

Is the speaker loud enough and good enough for watching DVD? I remember that the FZ series have mediocre speaker quality. Even the much smaller SZ has louder and better sound quality.

 

Really ?

 

Sorry, I meant FZ has mediocre speaker quality. Message edited.

 

Benchmarks : please let me know what should I use for benchmarks , I tryed wprime , but it doesnt work on my system .

imagine : there nothing more than iisdev already posted

omega05 : yeah , I wanted white one , but grey / black is better

ascariss : you are correct .. but I dont have Blueray .

Duke2007 : I did order in Czech Republic

hendra : yeah they are loud enough ... but they miss basses , but I think it is not possible to have good basses on so small speakers .

 

EDIT: Nvm, found them, thanks.

 

Right click on wprime icon and select "Run as Administrator".

 

I posted this in the SR thread as well, but am curious on the results from the FW as well (since it's a new lineup)

Gore, or anyone else with a FW, care to test for the dreaded VAIO battery power drain issue:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=146956

All you need is 18-24 hours with the computer off and unplugged from AC. So far, I can confirm that the FZ and SZ have this issue. I'm hoping these next generation laptops are not plagued by this issue.

 

does the touchpad get very hot?

 

rmtschanz : yes , you are right . Battery is loosing an power during unused time (when notebook is switched off)

Hinduemperior : no it doesnt , it has normal temperature

 

how portable is this new FW model in ur opinion ? I know it's not that much heavier than a regular 15 inch laptop, but it is still bigger. If someone who travels occasionally and wants to use it on plane or simply carry it between home and office, do u think it'd be a bit inconvenient ?

 

it is very personal question ...
It is not small and it is not big This notebook is something between 15 and 17 ... thats all . Question is : which bag should I buy . I bought Belkin bag and this it perfect .
Im very plesed by this 16 lcd .

 

Good question. The FW is "in between" sizes.

Gore, did you get the Eco or HiColor screen?

 

zx8346, here's a picture of the FW compared to the SR. It might help get an idea of size.

 

lol nice soundsgood.

 

Well that's a bit of a disappointment. Just for clarification's sake, the loss of battery battery power occurs when you shut down or hibernate (not sleep), correct?

 

SoundsGood : Belking bag is perfect for FW . UH I dont know which LCD I have , may I check it anywhere ? I cant find it .

rmtschany : It occurs when I shut down .

wprime benchmark >

 

Which one is that?

 

I have this one (it is Belkin Slim Back Pack):

 

Thanks !

 

You are welcome .

Here is HD (Hitachi) benchmark

 

thanks for telling us about about the bag, it looks nice.
Did the FW come with the Hitachi HD or did you put it in yourself?

 

Main come with Hitachi .

 

Also, one other point, that has been undermined in its drawbacks is:
the extensions around the hinges on the side look quite aesthetic, but you need to be careful with them. They are just extensions of the main chassis, with one frail bridge connecting them to the main body, and one houses the powersupply socket and the other houses the power button. They can be broken easily.. making your socket wiring and power button hang out.

Sadly it did happen to me, from normal use, I took the power cord out, and out came the left protrusion with it, under 3 months... so be extra careful.
I'm still contemplating what to do... Sony will call it damage, or misuse, but the laptop never left my room in the 3 months, and its in tip top condition otherwise.
Any advice will be appreciated.