Sony VAIO VPCSE25FX/B 15.5 Inch Laptop (Jet Black)

I found this laptop to be well thought out and comfortable to use. The i5 processor provides plenty of power for almost any task while not running so hot as to cause the fans to continually go on and off as a lot of the i7 laptops do out there today. The fans are pretty quite most of the time except during long software installs like installing multiple Windows Updates.

The display quality and lighted keyboard are excellent. The only "Con" of the unit I observed was that while running during ordinary tasks the battery life averaged only 2.5 hours. An extended life "sheet" battery is available but it has the disadvantage of adding thickness to the laptop. The laptop is very light and I wish Sony had designed it for a larger standard battery even if the weight would have been more.

All in all though this is one fine laptop and recommended.

I've owned this computer for several months, and it has been a great computer. I saw there was a 2 star review of this model and I wanted to share my experience regarding his comments, and also some of thoughts of my own.

Fan Yes it is located on the back and and substantially "blocked" by the screen, but the screen is so thin that I think it acts somewhat like a radiator, and like the other reviewer, (Neil) said, heat is not an issue. Also, in my experience the noise from the fan is minimal, (usually I have to put my head closer to the computer to confirm that the slight whirring noise is actually coming from the computer, and not something else nearby) This is by far the quietest computer I've used, save for some Apple laptops that don't have a fan at all.

Yes, it is mostly, if not completely plastic on the exterior, but it doesn't seem like "cheap" plastic, it has a decent texture, and it doesn't look gaudy as many laptops do.

Battery life is not very important to me, but is does have enough life to play about 1-2 BD movies, or 2-3 DVD movies.

The 1080p HD Screen is this laptops strong suit, I also really like the back-lit keyboard with auto on/off.

The touch pad is accurate and easy to use with both light or firm touch.

So far I haven't experienced any soft/hard-ware issues, the computer always starts up quickly, and has NEVER needed a restart, (other than restarts required for software installs).

I have used both the STAMINA and SPEED settings, fan speeds for mine don't differ very much. I haven't noticed any difference in "speed" of operation between the two settings, but what I have noticed is when the computer is in the STAMINA setting, the screen refresh rate dramatically reduces, and while under florescent, (60Hz) lighting, screen flashing is noticeable. I think this is the big contributor to extended battery life, (having the screen "on" less of the time, (probably 60Hz instead of 120Hz or more)). Also, when the computer is set to Speed, the WiDi feature doesn't work, I don't view this as a problem, because I'm convinced that most of what this switch does is change the screen refresh rate, and since you won't be using the computers screen it shouldn't be a downfall.

My Conclusion: Very nice laptop, minimal fan noise, stays "cool", awesome screen and back-lit keyboard, nice touch-pad, light weight, versatile, powerful, and I think, the only light weight, large HD screen, BluRay Disc playing laptop on the market. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

Thanks for reading,

Sean

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I've had this computer for about 2 weeks now and my impressions so far are mixed. The computer is a great balance of features and portability, especially for the price. It is thin and light weight, which is great considering it has a large hard drive and blue-ray player. I also love the LED backlit keyboard. The display is great as well. Now for the bad I hate most Windows computers come with so much junk software. This thing seems to be relying on too much of the processor considering it's new and I haven't installed much yet. When I open performance monitor with no programs open, it hovers around 5% CPU usage. I may end up doing a clean reinstall of Windows to see if it addresses the problem because deleting programs hasn't helped. The microphone is also terrible. I don't know if it's the fan that causes interference, but the microphone is not acceptable for recording or for Skype-ing. I had to buy a USB microphone (there is no microphone jack), but now I have fantastic sound quality. I record videos so I probably would have done this anyway. And for the ugly as I mentioned, the processor seems to be overworking for some reason. Unfortunately, the fan placement is terrible. The vent is on the bottom of the computer toward the right side. There is no way not to have it sitting on your right leg if you have it on your lap, constantly blowing warm air on your leg (and I do mean constantly the fan has not turned off since I've owned it, except when it's in sleep mode). This thing definitely runs warmer than I would like. I'm probably going to end up buying a cooling pad for it because it's intolerable in the summer. I would actually give this computer 3.5 stars if that were an option. The only reason I bumped it up to 4 is because it's probably the most computer (without bulk) that you can get for the money.

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I was really excited about this laptop until it I saw it and used it.

The huge cosmetic surprise was that this laptop is essentially ALL PLASTIC. Some reviewer said it is aluminum which is totally wrong. Every major external part is made of plastic (like many laptops).

The biggest functional flaw is by far the FAN PLACEMENT. It is located on the BACK of the laptop. Normally this isn't a bad thing, except on this laptop, when you open the lid/screen, IT BLOCKS THE FAN. IT'S SO FUNNY. I can't imagine who would design something so stupid? If you open the lid/screen, it essentially blocks the fan causing the fan to run harder and harder making a lot of noise. Essentially Sony sacrificed function for style (cooling and fan placement is not something you want compromised).

CONS:

-FAN PLACEMENT (See above)

-Fan runs on high and very loud even for minimal loads

-ALL PLASTIC BODY (the plastic seems sort of cheap and light, likely to reduce the weight)

-Battery is life not good (less than would be expected for a 15.6")

-Only three USBs, all placed on one side

-It just has a weird look to it. It's nothing like the more or less standard look you find on HPs or MacBook Pros. It looked amazing in the pictures, but I didn't like how it looked in person. I think the square, sharp edges and corner (instead of round ones) have a lot to do with it.

-The "Stamina" or "Speed" manual switch on the top left of the keyboard is almost unique to this laptop. It is used to switch between integrated or discrete graphs. Normally this is a plus, except this laptop CANNOT HANDLE THE HEAT from "Speed" or discrete graphs so you always leave it on "Stamina"

PROS:

-Very light, among the lightest 15.6" laptops you will find (the cheap plastic probably helps with that)

-Very comfortable keyboard (similar to Lenovo keyboards)

-Full HD 1920x1080 resolution (major plus)

-IPS LED Backlit technology for the monitor (again, major plus)

CONCLUSION: This laptop is a very light weight 15.6" laptop with an incredible display. Just expect an ALL PLASTIC body and expect loud fan noise even under minimal loads. Surprisingly, heat was not an issue, but very loud fan noise was.

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