Sony Vaio: FS 1.7 or FE Dual 1.6 ?

Hello, I am doing a bit of research on VAIO laptops and I d like to get a second opinion. I was thinking about getting an FS415S (european model name) with
1.7 Ghz centrino
80 GB HDD
1 GB DDR2 RAM

but then I ve seen the new FE11 with an 1.6 Ghz dual core, everything else, apart from some details, being the same.

The FS costs approximately 1300 euros and the FE 1500 euros. (1 euro = 1 dollar, more or less)

Mainly I need it as a Digital Audio Worstation and for live performance, and I ve read somewhere that dual core processors are good for this sort of demanding applications. I need to be executing a lot of virtual synthesizers and effects at the same time, and reproducing a lot of digital audio files at once from the hard disk.

So my question is: Is a 1.6 Dual core powerful enough to justify the 200 euro price difference over a higher clock speed (1.7) centrino processor? Do you think it will make a difference with these demanding applications?

Any ideas are welcome...

Theodore

 

I didn't see any copmparisons between those exact processors, but I would go for the FE is the $200 isn't cutting too deep in your budget.

 

I'd also go for the FE. My old lappy was a I.7 Pentium M, and even though the FEIIH clocks in at 1.66, it's signficantly faster, and I LOVE the ability to have many things running at once without slowing it down!! Duo Core all the way!

 

FE for sure.

 

another vote for FE
price difference is not too dramatic for more powerful processor : )

 

Just received my FE570 today. I have to say I am very pleasantly surprised at the quality. The screen is lovely and it is surprisingly fast. I've been installing software all day and no glitches so far.

I will be actually using it tomorrow so I'll post an update and "first impression" after the weekend.

 

Thanks for your replies. It's clearly 4-0 for the FE. My own research as well revealed that dual core processors are significantly more powerful and worth the extra cash.
Problem is now that I ve made up my mind, Sony Spain stops selling the dual core in the spanish market, up until end of May, when this model is substituted by a new one. Strange policy this one, anyway I found some last pieces of the FE11H in some online stores, but there are many people fighting over them, lets see if I get lucky.
By the way its the second time this happens to me with a Vaio. 2 months ago I decided to buy the FS315M after extensive market research. When I arrive to the shop, dosh in hand, I find out this model does not exist anymore!! And that it would soon be replaced by a new model, FS415M, which by the way is not out yet. So I started my research all over again and I decided to get the dual core, but fate had different plans. I don't know if it is me, or Sony has a really messy marketing policy. Anyway, thanks for your help, and I ll let you know if I finally get my hands on this baby.

Theodore

 

i know im bugging this board, but can u keep this FE which is white clean after a long time, you can clean something all u want but white will show age after enough touches. True or not?

 

Yea I kinda of noticed that with my FE, its kinda hard to keep it clean and after a while i know it will be pointless to just wipe it.

 

Hi again! I finally managed to get my hands on the FE11H and I must admit I am delighted. It is robust in the sort of applications I am running, although it has the typical instability due to running windows. Only complaint, it is full of rubbish software that is extremely difficult to get rid of, and that is consuming valuable system resources. I had such a hard time wiping it off, that I thought about formatting the hard disc and installing a clean WinXP. In the end I managed to wipe out most of it, with the help of specilized software. It is not really a problem, it is just a sign that Sony is clearly consumer-electronics oriented and does not keep in mind that people do not want their PCs clogged with useless, CPU-heavy or over-featured software.
Also another complaint, the laptop comes with no driver disc! How am I supposed to install everything if sth goes wrong? Of course the "system recovery" procedure is a joke and it does not answer my question. Also, there is no printed manual! And troubleshooting is done online, which means that if I have no internet or have a problem with the internet connection I am doomed!
Apart from that the laptop is really smooth and it has a really robust feel to it. It was intergrated in my home studio flawlessly and it cooperates with all my machinery perfectly.
As for cleanliness, I always keep a wet cloth nearby, there is no other way I am afraid.

CUallLater...

Theodore

 

It's a pain that Sony didn't see fit to supply a set of recovery discs with their product, although apparently you can make a set from the recovery partition which you can then delete to recover the space... The guy who posted the FE590 review on this alluded to this, perhaps you could PM him for more info.

If Windows instability issues are a concern, perhaps a new OS is in order? Linux audio apps have grown by leaps and bounds the last few years. I heartily recommend downloading and trying dyne:bolic, a linux live cd distro heavily geared to audio production and playback. I'll admit it's no cubase (yet) but the price is right.