What does the F series have over the E series?

I'm looking to buy either one of those laptops, with similar specs in each.

I'll describe the key differences first (going through the sony.co.uk customisation page),

E Series (VPCEC3X5E):

• 320 GB Serial ATA (7200 rpm)
• 3 GB 1066MHz DDR3-SDRAM
• ATI MobilityRadeon HD5650 1GB

F Series (VPCF13V5E):

• 500 GB Serial ATA (7200 rpm)
• 4 GB 1066MHz DDR3-SDRAM
• NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 425M 1GB

Shared features:

• Intel® CoreTM i5-460M, 2.53GHz
• Both 1600x900, though the F series is a couple of centimetres smaller.
• DVD-R drives

I have an approximate £100 price difference between the two, with the F series being more expensive. So, I am coming to you folk to ask what the F series has over the E series to justify spending another £100 on it. I do have a reason why I'd prefer the F series, but not a £100 reason yet. I'm wondering about things like build quality, what you personally think the F has better than the E, hidden features, etc. or directions to a place that can tell me these things.

Things I will be using the laptop for:

• Learning programming in Flash, C++, Java
• Possibly playing Left4Dead, probably playing Minecraft
• Graphics work (Photoshop, Maya)
• General low-power tasks such as internet browsing and chatting

I hope someone can help me Thank you for reading.

 

Well your list shows you picked a larger hard drive, and more RAM for the F.
Also the F weighs a bit less...

I'm pretty sure the F is only available in i7 quad core, not, as you indicate, i5 dual core (at least in the US that's the case).

Also, I'm no expert on graphics cards but my understanding is the 425GT is newer and faster than the Radeon HD5650?

 

Seesms you want us to try and persuade you to buy the F series. To my understanding, 5650 and 425m is pretty much on the same level.

First let me point out, you chose F(V) rather than F(X) which has core i5 instead of i7. To me, there is little point doing so since the quad core feature is the main selling point to the F series. If it is dual core you want, then the core i7-640M (available in EC) is the best if you ask me. It is in fact quite rare to have this option as the US and canadian dont seems to have them.

Another thing that puzzled me is that you'd probably be better off with 1080p screen and lower end graphics card (which is just as capable) if your main priority is graphics work. That said, a 1080p screen with 5470 card is quite a good combination. (in which 1080p with 310m is not even an option in the F series I believe)

Just had a look at the EB series on sony uk. WOW!! It seems that that an even more of a bargain on this series (£140 cheaper base price than EC ). Could be quite a good choice to get what your money's worth if budget is tight^^ Then again, if 15.5" is too small for you, forget it

On the F series side, yeah, if you want to get it by the look of it, then by all mean do so (I do admit the design is better than the E series), but the special features would quite be limited if you are not choosing the F(X), i.e. no premium screen, no core i7, no rubber palm rest. The £100 difference between the 2 models that you have listed would probably be better design of F sereis, usb 3.0 and the display off button.

 

If you are willing to trick out an F(X) in the EU you can get the nice matte finish 1080p VAIO Display Premium screen which is much nicer than any of the other screen options for both the F and E series.

You'll also get the camera grip palm rest which is really nice. I find the trackpad is nicer on the F but I don't use it often since the battery life is so poor on a notebook this big (plus its a quad core) that 90% of the time I;m deskbound and can use a mouse instead.

The build quality is a little nicer on the F series and everything is matte so its not a finger print magnet but its only really this + matte 1080p screen + quad core that separates the F and E series. The price difference can be huge if you get all of that though.

 

Thanks for the replies, all; I have some things to think about now.

The only real reason I was considering an F series is because of the slightly smaller size and the beautiful look of it. I chose 1600x900 over 1080p because I figured the high resolution on a 16.5cm screen would be just too high, and I don't plan on a Blu-ray drive anyway.

I'll have to mull this over...garrgh!

 

Update:

I just did some research, and the i7 processor looks to be massively faster than my current desktop CPU (Core Duo2 E6400); honestly, my desktop CPU is as fast as I need so there really is no need for an i7.

 

The 425GT is actually slightly slower than the 5650, its the 435GT which is on par with it, but if gaming isn't a big deal then it doesn't really matter that much.

I went with an E series as I only wanted a 15" laptop, however since your clearly after something bigger I would probably go for the F13, from what I have seen the build/design quality is higher that the E series, that extra £100 for more hdd space, another gig of ram and the higher quality case would be worth it imo.