Received my new Vaio yesterday, these are my impressions:Fit and finish: The first thing that struck me as I un-boxed my new Vaio was that it is a very handsome machine. This computer is not for Rocket Boys it has a distinctly adult look to it. The lid is dark, almost pewter-toned brushed aluminum with the deeply engraved Vaio insignia. The inside deck is hard gray plastic that closely matches the exterior aluminum in color and texture. The hinges have a solid, high quality feel, just enough resistance. The Vaio was completely free of dust, fingerprints, scratches, gaps, misalignments and rough edges, with one exception: the upper left quadrant of the keyboard was not completely seated into the deck. A little finger pressure around the edge of the keyboard and it literally snapped into place.
The trend among higher-end laptops these days is toward a seamless machine, one that appears to have been carved out of a single block of aluminum. This is not one of those machines it is made of many pieces of plastic and metal but they all fit together well and look great.
Keyboard: All of the keys worked well, they have a softer and shallower touch than I am used to but the feel is just fine. I don't use the touchpad so I can't comment on that. The keyboard backlight is quite bright with no brightness adjustment. The control panel menu offers several options for the backlight on all the time, off all the time or it will turn on when you touch any key and turn off after 15 seconds of no activity (my preference). It is a little brighter than I am used to but lighted keys are essential so, once again, no problem.
Display: I really like the display. Colors are rich and accurate (reds are deep red, blues are true blue). The screen is plenty bright for me. Script is sharp and clear. The screen is glossy which helps to ensure a vibrant picture but also reflects ambient lighting so I wouldn't advise outdoor use. I belong to a tiny minority that believes 1080P is too many pixels for a 15" screen everything, especially script, gets very small with full HD. 720P works just fine for me. The new Intel HD 4000 graphics are also a major improvement over the older 3000 version.The 4000 control panel offers more picture quality adjustments and (most importantly) allows you to save a list of presets for various uses such as browsing, streaming, DVD, etc.
Performance: The new i5 Ivy Bridge CPU is very quick. It is noticeably faster than the first generation i5 in my 3 year old HP. I'm not a gamer so I can't talk about high performance issues but then this is not a gaming machine by any stretch of the imagination. The sound quality is better than I expected, fine for spoken word but not for music (hey, it's still a laptop).
And the bad news...I use my laptop mostly at home with an ethernet connection and the RJ45 (ethernet) port on my new Vaio is defective. The ethernet cable connector is very loose in the port and the slightest movement causes loss of internet connection. Unacceptable. Rather than bang heads with Sony (their nearest repair facility is 200 miles from my home) I am returning the Vaio to Amazon for a replacement. Otherwise, I really like the computer and I hope everything works out.
Update: Amazon got my replacement to me within 4 days. I have had time to uninstall the bloatware, set up the computer the way I like it and, quite honestly, I couldn't be more satisfied with this product. I ordered a keyboard cover from Sony expensive but it contours perfectly to each key and it allows the keyboard lighting to shine through. Of the 4 laptops I have owned, this Vaio is the most quiet and cool running.
The default graphics card is the Intel HD 4000, which is surprisingly good for an integrated (as opposed to dedicated) graphics card. I am able to play TF2 with most of the graphics settings on high, and there is never a hitch in the framerate. If you order from Sony, you can also upgrade to the Nvidia Geforce GT 640M with 1 or 2 GB of dedicated graphics processing.
One of the finest qualities is the keyboard. The keys are soft and silent, and they are backlit as well. This is extremely useful for typing at night when the lights in your room are turned off.
It comes with Windows 7 64-bit (with Service Pack 1). After using Windows Vista 32-bit for several years, the upgrade is noticeable. W7 is cleaner, less error-ridden, and has a nicer interface. Some of the pre-installed Vaio software is actually useful, like Vegas Movie Studio and Sound Forge, but it's easy enough to uninstall the crap you don't want.
For $700, this is a great value. It probably performs as well as any $2000 Apple laptop...just a guess.
Buy Sony VAIO E Series SVE15115FXS 15.5-Inch Laptop (Aluminum Silver) Now
Video attached to show you what you're investing in. Sorry if I sound out of breath... I was pretty self-conscious talking to a camera, ha.
I purchased this laptop because my Dell laptop had lost some of it's functionality, such as the CD drive no longer being able to burn CDs. It can still run the internet, but I needed something that could process video and graphics efficiently. And I wanted something under $700. This fit the bill.
The only dodgy thing I have to say about this is the track pad, which I talk about.
I hope this helps.
Read Best Reviews of Sony VAIO E Series SVE15115FXS 15.5-Inch Laptop (Aluminum Silver) Here
Pros:-boots up and shuts down very quickly
-super fast web browsing, especially when using the Chrome browser
-nice keyboard and overall high quality feel
-good battery life
Cons:
Built in Kaspersky anti-virus.
Unlike better security software that attempts to differentite between malicious and benign threats, Kaspersky takes a "block everything" approach and forces the user to tell it what is harmless or not. Worse yet, it will often interfere with processes (such as syncing a digital camera, mp3 player or toy via USB cable)without warning you it is blocking the process. Thus you spend hours of frustration thinking the device or software is bad when it is actually the crappy anti virus software causing the problem.
Recommendation: Buy the computer and uninstall Kaspersky antivirus. Many ISP's now provide free antivirus/firewalls from better vendors anyway.
Want Sony VAIO E Series SVE15115FXS 15.5-Inch Laptop (Aluminum Silver) Discount?
after researching I decided this laptop had the features I wanted for the best price although the Toshiba Satellite P755 series was also a contender. after looking at them in person I didn't like the keyboard and "clunkyness" of the Toshiba so chose the Sony. I am having a little trouble with the keypad but have changed some of the settings and it seems to be working better for me.I haven't been able to get the gestures using the webcam to work but maybe need to adjust those settings as well.
so far the speed is many times better than my old laptop (4GB RAM and 80GM hard drive!)
to answer a few questions
I was having trouble scrolling with the touchpad but after modifying some of the settings and practicing it works better I also have found that I can use a lighter touch than on my old compaq touchpad. I belive it was more of a user issue than a computer issue.
as far as battery life: I had it on several hours yesterday but didn't track how long it actually lasted. I normally plug in if I know I'm going to have it on for awhile; I do plan to check on that soon & will report if it's less than the specs indicate (5.5hrs).
I had it on quite a while yesterday & today (plugged in) while I was running updates & getting internet and anti-virus setup, etc and didin't notice it overheating. I use a couple synthetic wine corks under the back edge to keep airflow underneath!
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