VAIO FW pre-purchase questions

I'm seriously considering getting a VAIO FW after considering several options, including a Dell Studio 15 and a HP dv5t. I do a lot of software and web development, and the wider screen and overall design are appealing.

I'm trying to balance getting a system immediately with getting something that fits my needs exactly. Ideally I want to get a P8600 (2.4GHz) but will take a P8400 (2.26 GHz).

My questions are:
1) Do the 5400 RPM drives keep up adequately with the processor at startup and heavy demands, or should I get a 7200RPM drive?

2) In spite of reading some of the forums, I'm still not totally clear on the differences between the ECO and FullHD displays (other than pixel dimensions). I need clear, readable text as well as images, and don't want the text microscopic since I wear reading glasses most of the time. The higher resolution is appealing but not if unreadable. I run my current 15.4-inch display at 1280x800 with normal 96-dpi text.

3) I'm not a heavy gamer, but I've had problems in the past with Intel graphic chips not being supported by much of anything. I'm considering the ATI processor, but was wondering whether it hoses battery life even when not gaming.

4) And speaking of battery life, is it reasonable (around 3 hours) with the standard battery? I'm looking for reality vs. manufacturer specs.

5) Occasionally I've needed to hook my laptop to a television with composite (RCA jack) or S-video. Has anyone run into issues with not having this sort of output? (I realize there are vga and HDMI outputs, but they're not yet universal by any means).

I'd appreciate any other suggestions as well. Thanks.

Bob

 

I was looking at the exact models you are considering. I went with the FW, and still feel as though I made the right choice. However, I went with Sony because I wanted the best screen possible for photo editing. I have the FW190 Hicolor, and I've had a number of unsolicited "oh wow, that's a nice screen" comments.

Obviously you have read numerous remarks about the hi-def screen and the small size of the letters. Other than that, I can't help you much there.

Since screen quality isn't your first concern, the other laptops are certainly worth considering. My 190 has no USB 2.0 which is a disadvantage with the external hard drive speeds. I also dislike the placement of where the three USB ports are at- bad, bad design. And last, I would love to use a dockin station with this laptop, but the premium charge of the sony model over the HP is outrageous. Other than that, I love the FW I have and I have not wanted to reconsider the shortcomings I have listed for the HP (the "hot" GFX and the chrome touch pad) or the Dell Studio (too many shipping and QC issues going on currently/recently- not to mention, these should drop in price in the coming months... too expensive right now).

my suggestions? stay away from hi-def if you read text a lot. Buy a BT mouse so you can keep the USB cables and dongles out of the way. And make sure you don't ever anticipate needing USB 2.0, or at least have a known solution ready to go for the firewire or expresscard.

 

I am in the same boat as both of you, but I made the wrong choice twice before ending up with the Sony FW290.

First I got a fully loaded dv7t, which is essentially the same as dv5t but bigger, and I was pretty disappointed. I was not at all happy with the build quality, it felt very "plasticky" and cheap. And the finish of the entire laptop is ridiculous - it is so shiny that you need to wipe it down every time you handle it because it gets covered in fingerprints. It also ran very hot and I had various hardware issues with the bluetooh and WiFi. And the screen was a big letdown, it was very dim and colors were not very vibrant. So needless to say, that one went back after just a few days.

Next I got a Dell Studio 15. Again, I got a fully loaded setup just like I did with the dv7, but again I was not satisfied with it. I liked it better than the HP - the surface finishes are better, and the LED screen is very bright and vibrant, and the battery life is awesome - but there are still a few major flaws. First, the touchpad is so bad that it is almost unusable. The cursor doesn't always go where you want it to, and the scroll bar sometimes doesn't work at all. If you use an external mouse then this wouldn't be an issue for you, but I use it on my lap about 75% of the time so it's a big deal do me. Also, the speakers sound worse than the speakerphone on a cell phone. So much for watching movies or listening to music without headphones or external speakers. And last - the plastic bezel around the LCD screen is very loose and it keeps popping out and I have to snap it back into place. If the speakers and touchpad issues won't affect you then I would highly recommend it, but those were 2 major drawbacks for me.

So I decided that before I bought another one I should try some more laptops in person, so I went to every electronics store in my area and played around with every laptop I could find. After about a week of visiting about 10 different stores, I finally settled on the FW290 (which I hadn't even considered originally). The build quality is impeccable, the touchpad works great, the screen is amazing, I like the keyboard, it is fairly loaded with features for the price, and I couldn't find any drawbacks at all. The only thing is that it costs a little more than either the Studio 15 or dv5 with the same specs, but I guess you pay for quality. I don't have mine yet, but it's on the way and I should have it by Thursday so I can leave more detailed opinions after I get it. But I played with it for about 2 hours at the store the other day, and I'm pretty sure I'll be keeping this one.

 

How about the FW190? I believe the hi-color screen on the 190 is the same resolution as the x-brite version. Plus, you can get it for $200 cheaper than the FW290:

http://www.xpbargains.com/#120303

 

Thanks for your comments and suggestions about not bothering with the FullHd. Your USB 2.0 comment has me a little confused. Are you saying there are problems with USB 2.0 on the FW, or are you just referring to the connector placement?

Bob

 

So there are actually three types of displays? I was led to believe that there were two based on the (US) CTO page only listing the 290. So is the x-brite better than the eco?

Bob

 

He said that his FW190 doesn't have USB 2.0 ports, but I don't think that is accurate. As far as I know, every laptop in the last 5+ years has USB 2.0 (which replaced USB 1.1 quite a while ago). Maybe he meant that he was disappointed that it doesn't have USB 3.0?

 

If you had clicked on the link I provided, you would have been able to click on this link:

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...7:10595253::CJ&ref=http://www.xpbargains.com/

As you will see, this take you to the FW190 customization page. The resolution is the same for hi-color and eco on the FW190. Be sure to use coupon
FW190CTO200 for an additional $200 off.

 

The FW190 comes with either the XBRITE-Eco or XBRITE-HiColor, and the FW290 comes with either the XBRITE-Eco or XBRITE-FullHD. The XBRITE-Eco is the same on both, but the XBRITE-HiColor is 1600x900 and the XBRITE-FullHD is 1920x1080. So the 3 different screens are as follows:

XBRITE-Eco (1600x900, available on the 190 or 290)
XBRITE-Hi-Color (1600x900, available on the 190)
XBRITE-FullHD (1920x1080, available on the 290)

And I'm not 100% sure, but I think both the HiColor and FullHD screens have the dual backlighting whereas the Eco screens only have a single backlight, so those 2 options should be brighter with more vibrant colors.

 

Yeah you hit it right about the screens there, the ECO has 1 lamp (conserves battery, hence the "ECO" tag) and the other 2 have twin lamps but the Full HD is, well, you guessed it!
I just read the main review on this site of the FW series and the reviewer said they were "dissapointed" with the screen.

I had just come to a decision on which laptop I WAS going to get and now this...
Anyone who has an FW with an ECO screen, please say what its like

 

Actually, I did check the link and appreciate your posting that and the coupon. I guess what I wasn't clear about is that Sony hasn't helped clear up my confusion, so I've had to rely on the generosity of this forum. The FW190 is not visible unless you're given the magic link (as you did), and the specs on the spec page and the buy page don't fully explain the differences between the different screens.

So now I understand a bit better and will probably go for the Hi-Color with the two lamps. Great color is important to me, and there are times when I work outside, so brightness is important as well.

Sigh. Everything I want is one more drain on the battery. Oh well.

Bob

 

Batteries are there to be used, yet sadly they always run out just when your about to save

 

I don't have my FW yet, but the other day I used an FW190 with an ECO screen right next to an FW2...(I forget the exact mode) with a FullHD dual-lamp screen, and I can say without a doubt that the HiColor/FullHD screen is in a totally different league than the ECO screen. The ECO screen isn't bad, in fact it's pretty much on par with most of the other laptops that I looked at in the stores, but the HiColor/FullHD screens are just that much better than the rest. The only other screens I saw that were equal in color vibrance and brightness were some of the LED-backlit models.

Now only if Sony would release an ECO-HiColor screen with dual-LED lamps... "ECO" for the battery savings of the LED, and "HiColor" for the dual lamps. That'll probably be part of their next refresh of the FW.

 

That won't happen until thirty days after I make my purchase

 

Getting back to topic, any other input on my original questions? Thanks.

Bob