Vaio FW first impressions incl. pics and benchmarks

CeeNote · 08-17-2008, 02:21 PM

VAIO FW First Impressions

I decided to write an actual review but because I don't have much time right I'm just going to share some pro's and con's about my pre-build Vaio VGN-FW140D with the following specs:

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P8400
3GB PC2-6400
250GB 5400rpm
DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/RAM
16.4" 1600 x 900
ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3470 256MB dedicated
Atheros 802.11b/g/n Wireless
Integrated Stereo A2DP Bluetooth® Technology
Standard Capacity Lithium-ion Battery
Genuine Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium with SP1

$999 CDN after $100 CDN coupon (from sonystyle.ca); final price including tax and such was $1,055 CDN.

First of all, here are some pics of this laptop, enjoy!

Some benchmark tests (I will run some 3dmark tests later today):
all benchmarks were run @ stock settings with stock drivers

PCMark 05

PCMark Vantage

[COLOR="DarkGreen"WPrime + SuperPi[/color]

Windows Experience Index

HDTune Read

3DMark 06

World in Conflict in-game benchmark run @ 1600x900 res and lowest settings

Company of Heroes in-game benchmark run @ 1600x900 res and low settings

PRO's

-awesome value
-good build quality (sturdy body, very little flex)
-beautiful design, thin and sleek
-the XBrite ECO screen is awesome (it's sufficiently bright and very evenly lit, can't ask for anything more)
-the keyboard feels really comfortable once you get used to the spacing in between the keys.
-includes useful video editing software
-no glossy finish (except for the screen) so it doesn't attract any fingerprints
-fans are quiet and still provide adequate cooling, only the palm wrests get somewhat warm

CON's

-made entirely of plastic (strong plastic nevertheless)
-oddly-placed usb ports (get in the way of the optical drive)
-TONS of bloatware
-no Vista OEM disc, not even a recovery disc or a driver disc is included (you can burn the recovery discs yourself though, it takes about 30min)
-speakers are clear but too quiet

Overall my impression is very positive. Before I got to this laptop I bought and returned 2 others, both of which were much more expensive but this lappy is simply great. I highly recommend the Vaio FW for anyone who's looking for a lower-priced, well performing and well build laptop that's also got the looks.

Phil · 08-17-2008, 02:25 PM

Nice pics CeeNote, I really like the white.

CeeNote · 08-17-2008, 02:34 PM

Thanks PhilFlow, yes the white does look really nice on this laptop and it's actually much thinner and lighter than I'd expect from a laptop with this screen size.

kthxbye · 08-17-2008, 02:54 PM

Nice review, thanks!

Question: could you define "speaker too quiet"? How is watching a movie on them? Is it enough? How is listening to music?
And, burning the recovery discs: do you have to use CD-R's or DVD-R's??

dave159 · 08-17-2008, 02:58 PM

CeeNote- how is typing with the keyboard? do you need to reach to get to any keys (enter or shift (left)?
i'm crossing my fingers that my CTO FW comes with a standard keyboard as appose to the bilingual one.
but judging by your photos there doesn't seem to be much compromise.
And, i noticed you have the core duo sticker, does that mean you have a Atheros wireless card instead of the intel?

CeeNote · 08-17-2008, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kthxbye

Nice review, thanks!

Question: could you define "speaker too quiet"? How is watching a movie on them? Is it enough? How is listening to music?
And, burning the recovery discs: do you have to use CD-R's or DVD-R's??

Listening to music is fine but even relatively minor distractions can make it hard to hear some of the more quiet parts of a movie even at max volume. The laptop is very quiet though so the speakers should still suffice in most circumstances.

You have to use 2 DVD-R's for the recovery discs, CD-R's won't work.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dave159

CeeNote- how is typing with the keyboard? do you need to reach to get to any keys (enter or shift (left)?
i'm crossing my fingers that my CTO FW comes with a standard keyboard as appose to the bilingual one.
but judging by your photos there doesn't seem to be much compromise.
And, i noticed you have the core duo sticker, does that mean you have a Atheros wireless card instead of the intel?

The keyboard is very comfortable and you don't have to reach to get to any keys. It took me a couple hours to get used to it but I really like it now. It feels a bit "softer" than most keyboards. Yeah I got the bilingual keyboard which is kinda weird having some keys labeled in both English and French but it's not that bad imo.

Yes I also got the Atheros wireless card which works really well actually.