Well after what seemed like forever (only about 15 years of waiting) I got my first ever laptop and went all out. A custom built to order Sony Vaio F, it was supposed to arrive today, but came on Monday. I was specifically looking at laptops with not only 1080p displays but ones that support 3D viewing. My final choices were between the HP Envy 17 3D and Sony Vaio F 3D, I decided to go with the Sony.
I maxed it out for best performance, Intel Core i7 2.30 GHz Processor (2820QM Sandy Bridge) and 8GB DDR3 RAM. The Sony 16” LED Display is simply amazing and the 3D is killer, definitely on par with my big screen. One disappointment (well more like misconception) I had is I thought that if you were doing anything (typing, web surfing, checking email) you could just hit the 3D button and it would simulate 3D, but it has to be video content. I’ve found the included WinDVD software from Corel to be quite good, not as good as PowerDVD, but pretty decent. I watched a little bit of Avatar 3D and most of Cloud With A Chance Of Meatballs 3D and both look stellar. The laptop comes with one pair of 3D glasses, model #TDG-BR100. The same glasses that come with their 3DTVs. The microfibre cloth cases is even included as well. The computer is wicked fast, but when playing 3D content there is always a slight stutter when first starting a movie and that appears to be a common problem.
A few observations, not necessarily about 3D but the laptop in general. I’m not too keen on the actual physical design of the laptop, and the high gloss finish makes it a finger print magnet, but for all this machine has to offer it’s what’s under the hood that counts. With three USB ports, two of them being USB 3.0, I’m ready for just about anything. Touchpads suck! That got disabled right away as I paid $70 for the ‘official’ Sony Bluetooth mini mouse. Battery life is what I expected, about 2 hours with the high capacity battery on maximum brightness, which is fine. The auto-illuminating backlit keyboard with ambient light sensor is just too cool. And I really have to give props to Sony for their ‘Fresh Start’ option. Absolutely zero trialware/crapware. The only software that came on this machine was the Sony software for 3D, WinDVD for playing 3D blu rays, Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premier Elements and that’s it. Didn’t even get any anti virus software. All I had to do was remove the Adobe stuff (I have Adobe CS 5.5 Master) and within two minutes I was all set.
Overall I love this machine, it’s a powerhouse and it will be with me for years, my biggest complaint about this laptop, it’s too damn small! The HP Envys are 17.3” which IMO is the perfect size. I know the build quality of the Vaio is better, I know the HP Envys are plagued with heat issues, but there will always be a part of me that wished I would have went with the Envy for the larger display.
I maxed it out for best performance, Intel Core i7 2.30 GHz Processor (2820QM Sandy Bridge) and 8GB DDR3 RAM. The Sony 16” LED Display is simply amazing and the 3D is killer, definitely on par with my big screen. One disappointment (well more like misconception) I had is I thought that if you were doing anything (typing, web surfing, checking email) you could just hit the 3D button and it would simulate 3D, but it has to be video content. I’ve found the included WinDVD software from Corel to be quite good, not as good as PowerDVD, but pretty decent. I watched a little bit of Avatar 3D and most of Cloud With A Chance Of Meatballs 3D and both look stellar. The laptop comes with one pair of 3D glasses, model #TDG-BR100. The same glasses that come with their 3DTVs. The microfibre cloth cases is even included as well. The computer is wicked fast, but when playing 3D content there is always a slight stutter when first starting a movie and that appears to be a common problem.
A few observations, not necessarily about 3D but the laptop in general. I’m not too keen on the actual physical design of the laptop, and the high gloss finish makes it a finger print magnet, but for all this machine has to offer it’s what’s under the hood that counts. With three USB ports, two of them being USB 3.0, I’m ready for just about anything. Touchpads suck! That got disabled right away as I paid $70 for the ‘official’ Sony Bluetooth mini mouse. Battery life is what I expected, about 2 hours with the high capacity battery on maximum brightness, which is fine. The auto-illuminating backlit keyboard with ambient light sensor is just too cool. And I really have to give props to Sony for their ‘Fresh Start’ option. Absolutely zero trialware/crapware. The only software that came on this machine was the Sony software for 3D, WinDVD for playing 3D blu rays, Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premier Elements and that’s it. Didn’t even get any anti virus software. All I had to do was remove the Adobe stuff (I have Adobe CS 5.5 Master) and within two minutes I was all set.
Overall I love this machine, it’s a powerhouse and it will be with me for years, my biggest complaint about this laptop, it’s too damn small! The HP Envys are 17.3” which IMO is the perfect size. I know the build quality of the Vaio is better, I know the HP Envys are plagued with heat issues, but there will always be a part of me that wished I would have went with the Envy for the larger display.
