Sony Vaio FW490 XBrite-ECO vs Xbrite-FullHD

I'm sure that a lot of you have seen questions related to these screens, but I need some more opinions. I am about to order a Sony Vaio FW490, and I would like to know how much of a difference visually that these 2 screens are. I know that the FullHD obviously looks better, but how much better exactly? And is it worth the extra $100 or so?

I have yet to see a FullHD screen at the Best Buy near me so it is difficult for me to compare the two. I have also heard that the FullHD screen is not adequate for gaming. Is this true? I am not a hardcore gamer by any means, but I did plan on playing some of my new games like Street Fighter 4 occasionally. In addition, a 1920x1080 resolution does seem quite large for a 16.4" screen. Can anybody provide some sort of screenshot of the FullHD screen? (anything like that would help).

Some clarification in regards to both screens would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=397678
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=278446
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=396867

Trust me, there's been a lot of discussion on this so read through these topics. As for screenshots, just google for a screenshot of any 1920x1080. If you want a shot of the screen, it's not as easy to take one of those, so i'd take the measurements word about things when they recorded the lux values that the screens emit.

 

I read through majority of those threads, and I am still not sure which choice to go with. My current laptop is a Toshiba Satellite A305-S6857 (I use a 1280x800 resolution). I am either selling this laptop, or giving it to my mother. Anyways, does anybody know how the Xbrite-ECO compares to the standard Toshiba TruBrite screen? I guess I wouldn't mind if I passed on the XBrite FullHD, but it would be nice knowing 100% that the ECO screen is superior to the screen on my Toshiba laptop.

I suppose I am leaning more towards the ECO because of the extra battery life, gaming purposes, and the fact that 1920x1080 seems a bit too large for my liking (however, I am not completely sure because font can be adjusted via Vista, etc.)

The reason why I am so hesitant is that I have seen many people often degrade the ECO as if it was the worst available screen on the market. If somebody can give me an approximation in regards to where the ECO stands compared to screens on other laptop brands such as HP, Toshiba, Dell, etc.
That is crucial for my decision because the screen is one of the most significant factors for me when looking for a new laptop.

I apologize for my ignorance, I just do not want to regret my upcoming decision.

Thanks again.

 

the best thing to do is to see it live. i dont know where you are located, but frys and sonystyle stores always have their FW notebooks sit side-by-side so you can compare ECO to FullHD

i dont think BestBuy carries FullHD at their stores

 

Yea, that's the problem. There isn't a Sonystyle store anywhere near me and I have never heard of Frys.

Best Buy only has the ECO right now on display. It looks nice, but I definitely want to see what FullHD looks like before I make my decision.

 

Tantalus,

I ordered the FW with the Eco screen and am very disappointed by the lack of color and vividness. It has a washed out look to it.

I can't say much about comparing the Toshiba screen and the eco. I've been spoiled because my first laptop had Sony's HiColor LCD display - which has gorgeous colors and brightness.

I, too, looked through the threads without too much help about how gaming works on the fullhd. I can tell you that the color and vividness on the fullhd is superior to that of the eco - by how much, I'm not sure; it differs from person to person.

I have ordered the FullHD version and it should arrive in 3-4 days. If you haven't made a decision by then, I can let you know what I think.

Good luck.

 

I can't remember where, probably on one of the screen threads, but someone said that they had hesitated between Eco and FullHD and ended up with the Eco because, after tweaking in the graphics settings, the screen had dramatically improved in both color depth and vividness.

Just a thought...especially if you would prefer the lower resolution Eco screen for gaming.

Good luck.

 

I also want to add that I tried tweaking the screen using the ATI control center and nothing worked out - the colors just look washed out. Blacks look like grays. Increasing saturation did little but make the image quality even worse.

Just my personal experience. Again, to each his or her own.

 

IM getting my FW with an eco screen on tuesday hopefully. I also have a dell laptop. I'll compare the two and let you know what I think.

 

Thank you everybody for the help and advice. Rome and symbion, I am looking forward to your views and opinions on the FWs that you are receiving soon. However, like most other people I have talked to that are looking to purchase an FW, I was trying to order the laptop within the next couple of days, so that I wasn't charged for ground shipping (a special deal going on at Sony's site until August 15th). I don't have to of course, but considering the financial struggles I have been dealing with due to college, I want to try to save every dollar that I can.

I'm gonna go to Best Buy tomorrow and toy around with the ECO screen and see if I can come to a conclusion.

Also, I am not a huge gamer by any means, but I am looking forward to playing Street Fighter 4 and possibly a couple of other new games. And, of course, it would be more satisfying playing these games on the screen that can better accomodate them.