Sony VAIO VGN-FZ230E/B 15.4" Notebook PC (Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7250, 2 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium) | List Price: $1,249.99
Discount Price: $1,189.00
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Brand: Sony
Binding: Personal Computers
Release Date: 2007-09-23
Features: - 5.75-pound laptop with magnesium alloy body, dedicated multimedia controls above keyboard, and 15.4-inch LCD
- 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 processor, 200 GB Serial ATA hard drive, 2 GB RAM (4 GB max), dual-layer DVD burner
- Intel 4965 AGN wireless LAN connects to draft 802.11n routers (as well as 802.11a/b/g), 10/100 Ethernet
- Connectivity: 3 USB, 1 FireWire, 1 VGA, 1 S-Video, ExpressCard 34, Memory Stick/SD card slots
- Pre-installed with Windows Vista Home Premium (with Media Center capabilities); integrated 1.3-megapixel WebCam
Stereo-out disabled. DON'T BUY! [Posted on 2008-05-19]
While overall, this is a good machine, Sony disabled the option to record audio signal, which makes recording streaming web audio impossible, as well as taking advantage of features of audio and DJ software. Apparently, the reason behind disabling the feature, which has been available until Vista, is concerns about piracy, but no other computer manufacturers has done it! So, go with a different computer.
Truly excellent once you get rid of all the bloatware [Posted on 2008-05-23]
This notebook is just outstanding, truly one of the best out there, but with just one caveat: you absolutely have to get rid of all the useless software and do a bit of optimization of the preloaded software first for you to see the true potential of this machine. Be aware that this does require some knowledge of PCs and some familiarity with adding and removing programs, however, so make sure you know what you're doing before you start deleting things.
Out of the box, I was impressed with the form factor: it's very thin, the case is metal (magnesium), and has a sort of understated elegance to how it looks. The screen is amazing -- easily the best or one of the best notebook screens I've ever seen, including Macbook Pros -- crystal clear, as bright as a desktop display, and with extraordinary color reproduction (essentially uses the same technology as their stellar Bravia TVs).
But when I booted it up for the first time, I was dismayed to see the sheer amount of advertisements, trial offers, and other "bloatware" it came with. Everything from Spiderman 3 movie downloads and wallpaper, to Sony's "toobars," it was unbelieveable, and it slowed down the machine unnecessarily. I spent probably about 30 minutes to an hour uninstalling all this; for the most part all you really need to do is use "add/remove" programs to clean up 95% of it. But once you get all this off the machine, you'll realize that it was worth the aggravation -- there is one seriously fast notebook underneath all this after all!
If you are a serious gamer, you will most likely want to pass (but you wouldn't be looking at Sony to begin, right?), but if you are a casual to moderate gamer, this machine actually does have some serious graphics chops to let you enjoy games when you feel like it. My machine was configured with the NVidia 8400 GT card, and with that and just 2 GB RAM I was actually able to run any game I had on hand with more than adequate frame rates. For example, I am a flight simulator fanatic and I'm actually able to play Flight Simulator X on high settings with 40 fps! Probably the most surprising was that I can actually run Crysis quite well (but only using DX9). This is amazing performance for a machine that's not dedicated necessarily to gaming.
But this model is not without its weaknesses and for this machine it is definitely the battery. On maximum energy saving mode, I am still only able to get approximately 1 hour, 40 minutes from a full charge -- not quite enough to get through a DVD movie on the plane, for example. This may or may not be a drawback for you, depending on what you'll use this notebook for, but for me it wasn't an issue as I don't travel with my PC that much. There is an extended battery pack available which will increase the battery life considerably, but it adds a lot of weight and bulk so I opted not to get it.
All said, I am very pleased with my purchase and would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a sleek mulimedia notebook. With all this performance in a thin, elegant package and with one of the best screens you can get, it has given me true pride of ownership. Just remember that you do have to spend some effort up front getting rid of the horrendous bloatware, but once you do, you'll have a truly excellent machine to take around with you.
Unreliable [Posted on 2008-07-22]
I purchased this laptop in January 2008. Everything worked well in the beginning and the all of a sudden everything would freeze after the laptop was idle for 20-30 minutes. It was happening 2 - 3 times a month and then it started happening more frequently (5 - 6 times a day). Every time it would freeze I would have to press the power button 6 seconds so the laptop would restart. The Sony technical support advise me to perform a Recovery. During the recovery process an error came up and after contacting the Sony Technical support I was told to send the laptop to one of their service centers because the hard drive had bad sectors and had to be replaced. I had the laptop serviced and the hard drive was replaced. Everything was working well for about one week when it started freezing again and crashing 4 - 5 times a day. I took it back to the service center and found out today that the motherboard has to be replaced. I tried to get a refund or a replacement but I was unable to do so. I only gave it one star because it's an expensive laptop and I find it unreliable.
great laptop [Posted on 2008-08-31]
I felt great. screen was really bright.. the kind of sound (quality) was awsome very clear but to have volume you gotta put additional speakers.-
Cons: VISTA is AWFUL. and of course, lots of packages on trial or limited tryout...... BUT SONY IS SONY....
This computer is excellent! [Posted on 2008-11-05]
My husband and son both have a Compaq and have both had major issues. My Sony beats them by a mile! Don't be tempted by the cheaper Compaq prices. This computer is fast and has enough memory for the standard home computer use and then some.
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