Sony VAIO VPC-EE31FX/BJ 15.5-Inch Laptop (Black)

I just got this laptop for $448 at Walmart and I love it. It looks a lot more expensive than it is, has more than enough power for everyday use and is loaded with features wireless Wi-Fi, webcam, 4 USB ports, HDMI, Sony assist feature for troubleshooting and maintaining the laptop and more. Coming from a 12 inch screen, the 15.6 inch screen is like looking at a flat screen TV. The speaker volume is nice and loud. It is realatively light weight, but at 5.9 lbs heavier than many. I do wish the battery life was longer. But so far, I'm lovin it.

I purchased an Hp almost 2yrs ago. The motherboard went out on me twice, all though I was happy with my turion 64 dual core, I needed something more stable and I was done with HP at that point. After doing some research, I read that Athlons are actually best in desktop computers because they use more power but are faster than turions. When I compared the specs they seemed pretty equivalent to my old HP laptop which ran great with Windows 7. I guess the big seller with the turions was the 1mb cach, which I took note that this computer has as well. This computer however uses DDR3 which is faster than DDR2. I had 3gb in my old laptop with ddr2 and this has 3gb of ddr3... I want to say this is faster but it really is not.

I almost feel my turion had more of a zing when doing a lot of multi-processing. But all in all for the price you can't beat it. I mean I purchased this exact computer over the summer at walmart for 590 and ended up taking it back because I wasn't ready to spend that much yet again on a laptop when I just spent 700 on my hp 2 yrs ago..

As most store bought computers the manufacturer tends to load it up with their garbage "helpful" software, which really only slows the machine down more. I would recommend removing that useless stuff, but hey, if it doesn't effect you than no need.

Final thoughts, if you can get this computer for $449 it's a great deal. Jump on it, if I had one big complaint vs my hp it'd be the sound. The speaker quality could be better but hey for $449 can't have it all..

Buy Sony VAIO VPC-EE31FX/BJ 15.5-Inch Laptop (Black) Now

Do not be dissuaded by the reviews giving this laptop only one or two stars. Most of those complain about characteristics common to almost all new laptops, like the position of the keypad; or they are based on comparisons between apples and oranges.

I like the full keyboard including a separate numerical keypad. But, that means everything is shifted to the left. Most new laptops are configured this way. But, it is hard to rest the computer on my lap and use it without cramping my wrists to one side. In addition, the vent slots on the bottom of the computer are placed so that there is no place I can rest the computer on my left knee without covering some of the vents. I have resolved both of these problems by placing a piece of Plexiglass on my lap and resting the computer on it. The computer felt hot on the bottom near the vents when I rested it on my lap, but when I rest it on the Plexiglass, it still feels cool, even after hours of use. The Plexiglass support also allows me to shift the placement of the computer so that I do not need to cramp my wrists to one side. I usually have this piece of Plexiglas with me to use as a writing board, anyway.

I am trying to restrict my comments to an evaluation of this computer without drifting into a review of Windows 7. Having said that, I used a computer with Vista on it and did not like Vista. Somehow, I am finding Windows 7 to be very nice, even though there are strong similarities between them. Already I have found some things easier to find and do than on Windows XP, like add a second keyboard configuration.

The keyboard is nicely responsive. The display is crisp and clear, even on battery. My old HP laptop went to a less bright display on battery. I have allowed the battery to go down until the low battery warning appeared, but did not time how long battery life is. I am guessing it is around three hours.

I am pleased that the larger, wider "letter box" format still allows the computer to fit into the bag I used earlier to carry my old laptop.

The touchpad can be programmed so that a tap to the upper left corner functions just like a right mouse button. It has taken a while, but I have finally learned how to find the right spot quickly. I let my finger slide over the corner around the touchpad and then lightly onto the touchpad. Then I simply raise my finger and the menus prompted by the right mouse button appear. I have also found the touchpad responds to the padded area below the tip of my index finger better than to the tip of my finger. There is no need to tap hard on the touchpad. It responds to electrical capacitance between it and your finger.

I know there are problems for synchronizing Palm Handhelds with Windows 7, since Palm handhelds ceased to be available well before Windows 7 was introduced. I was able to download a free copy of Palm Desktop Software, version 6.2 and it runs well on this laptop. My handheld is a Sony Clie' and I have a Sony Memory Stick card for backing up all of its data. My Sony Vaio computer has slots for memory cards, but neither of them accepts a Sony Memory Stick. My Clie' does not synchronize with the Palm desktop software, but I can export my Palm files to a thumb drive and load them onto my Sony laptop. To update calendar items without making duplicate entries, I delete the user name which deletes all entries. Then I can enter my user name again and load updated Palm files.

I do not play games, but surf the Internet and do word processing. The keyboard is very comfortable for continuous touch typing. This computer has plenty of power for what I do.

I know some have had difficulty installing a printer on computers using Windows 7, but I had no trouble at all. I am finding this is a great laptop. Surfing the 'Net is faster on the same wireless connection I have been using now for a couple of years.

I had some problems a few days after I got this computer. SONY's support people were very polite and helpful. I documented everything with e-mails to technical support. After a while it became clear to them that my hard drive was failing. They told me a local technician would contact me and replace the hard drive. He came to my house within the specified time frame promised by the technical service people. He also left the software installation discs. Those are a $40 item if purchased on-line. Hard drives are like water pumps on automobiles. They can last a long time, or they can fail shortly after installation. (I once had a new water pump fail within its first 100 miles.)

Overall, I am pleased with this computer. I have been using it for more than a year since the installation of the new hard drive. Not only has it been flawless, but it is a delight to use.

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With a $400.00 budget I compared two laptops from W-mart, an Acer Aspire 7714Z-4643 with an Intel Pentium P6100 for $358.20 and the Sony VAIO VPCEE31FX/BJ AMD Athlon P340 for $403.20 both with 3GB of RAM. The Acer is a great deal and spec-wise is superior of the two with L3 cache and an excellent 17.3" screen in a very slim design.

I am not a gamer although I wanted something responsive and the Pentium 6100 with the L3 cache clearly benchmarks faster than the Athlon P340 but the VAIO uses ATI Radeon 4250 graphics. After using both laptops the Acer booted up noticeably faster although the VAIO appeared to perform more smoothly overall. They were both very responsive for my needs which are mainly to browse the web, use MS Word and Excel (The Starter Edition that does not expire is included), watch videos and listen to music from MS Media Center with the ability to multitask well.

I ended up keeping the VAIO because of the build quality, excellent island style keyboard with 10-key, great touchpad, and the included Sony software which I found very useful and enjoyable to use. One feature I like is Sony's VAIO Gate that conveniently places your favorite icons easily available from a neat drop down menu at the top of the screen.

The numeric keypad is great to have even though the touchpad will be off-centered, there's no way around it unless you want your left index finger at the [J] key and the right one at the [ ;] key on the home row. The VAIO 10-key configuration for a laptop is easy to adjust to and very efficient after just a short period of use.

Having installed Norton 360 internet security the VAIO still performs very well with no noticeable slowdown.

PROS:

+ Athlon P340 is plenty fast and responsive even without L3 cache.

+ Excellent build quality and feel.

+ Great screen with ATI Catalyst control center software for adjustments.

+ Comfortably responsive keyboard and touchpad.

+ I personally like Sony's software.

CONS:

Weak speakers. (bought a Logitech Z-305 sound bar which is amazing)

Only 3GB of RAM.

Glossy palm rest shows smudges and finger prints.

Textured touchpad has good feel but bumps may wear out over time.

Price is higher than the competition for relative specs although VAIO build quality is better.

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I have had this computer for about 16 months. It has been buggy from day 1, but I assumed it was a Windows 7 thing since it was relatively new when I bought the computer. I have finally decided it must be this computer. It won't shut down unless you force it to due to some Sony program running in the background. I have tried to figure out how to shut it off to no avail. The DVD drive has gone bad, the power cord has gone bad, and it randomly shuts down periodically. What a $500 lemon! Stay AWAY! I'm going back to Dell