Sony FS500 Review
I got this machine a few days ago. I also have a Dell M70 (specs in signature) which I'm debating over, so this will be somewhat of a comparison of the two machines, as they are somewhat similar in my opinion.
I'll post some pictures later if anyone wants them. I'm trying to get good screen comparisons, but the camera isn't the same as the human eye, so I'm going to have to mess around with it a bit.
My machine specs are 2GHz, 512 ddr ram, 30 gb 4200 rpm hd. Before reading on, realize that the setup is stock right now, so there is a LOT of crap on it, and the entire machine is just slower than molasses in general. I have no idea why they did this, as I'm sure the machine is just as fast as my M70 without all this crap on it. In fact, if it wasn't possible to do a fresh install (or I didn't have the experience, for example), I would return this simply out of frustration at loading windows or getting the start menu to appear. It really is that slow.
Graphics
I got 672 in 3dmark05. HAHA.. this is coming from getting scores of 3200+ on the M70. This saddens me because this actually wouldn't be a bad graphics card if it wasn't for the TurboCache crap. The features are there, it's just the damned memory. Since I do like to play 3d-intensive games in my spare time and I won't always be around my desktop, I may be returning this machine for this reason alone.
That said, I'm surprised at what it can handle. As long as you keep texture and effects settings on medium to low, the frame rate is actually fine. I experimented with EverQuest II in native (1280x800) resolution and found the High Performance setting to be the best balance between quality and frame rate, if anyone is familiar with that setting in the game. Balanced looked pretty nice but was a few fps too slow for my liking. I did try the game on Very High Quality.. very big mistake
It took a while, but it did apply the settings, and in the process kicked me to the character select screen due to such a long idle time. At this setting, I was getting anywhere from 0.5 - 3 fps.
I haven't yet tried any other games with it. I have HL2 but I'm probably going to hold off until I get the new hard drive in. (Hurry up already, Dell).
I'm going to add another stick of 512 ram right now.. or rather, as soon as I can get the cover off the memory compartment. The screw is very shallow and small and my screwdriver keeps slipping out no matter how much force I put on it.
All that said, I'm expecting unfair performance out of this machine in its current state. I'm sure I'll be much happier once I get the 7200 rpm hard drive in, and I will do more testing at that time.
Aesthetics/Build Quality
I simply LOVE the aesthetics of this computer. It's a joy to type on--the nearly-full-sized keys feel great. The front of the machine is also very low to the table it is sitting on, lending to greater support. The height of the M70, in contrast, makes typing feel a bit awkward for me.
This is by far the most beautiful laptop I've seen. The black plastic on the bottom is very tough--I don't foresee any durability problems with it. The screen hinge is tight. However, since the screen doesn't sit flush with the keyboard, there is a VERY slight flex at the corners when it is closed. The battery wiggles a tiny bit, but I guess it's not really a problem. Someone else mentioned that the status light area feels like it could fall off. I wouldn't go that far, but it doesn't make a hollow sound when you tap it. Overall build quality is probably an 8 with the Dell M70 sitting at a 9--it's all-metal exterior (not including plastic around keyboard) really makes the Dell feel rock solid.
Sometimes I feel myself reaching for a pointing stick but it's not there heh. The touchpad feels very nice though. I like it better than the Dell. It is more smooth, the Dell feels a little grainy and sticky. In addition, the page scrolling capabilities on the pad are very useful. Maybe there is software to enable this on other pads as well?
The screen...well if you have seen an XBRITE in person, you know how nice they are, so I'm not going to say anything other than I'm spoiled now. I wish I had never seen this screen because I don't know if I can go back to the regular screens.
The resolution seems to be workable for photo editing and such, as I've gotten use to 1280x1024 resolution on my other LCDs.
Size/Weight
I thought this would look a lot smaller compared to the M70 but it's really not. It is a "folio" design, meaning it is tapered from the front to the back edge, with the back sitting higher than the front. This definitely feels nicer to carry around than the traditional design.
While this is thinner than the M70, by 1"-1.4" (front to back) to 1.6" on the Dell, it is not necessarily any smaller in volume. It is a tad wider and deeper. I will post pictures of this later.
It doesn't feel any lighter than the Dell either, and it should be about 1/2 a pound lighter from the specs. I'm a little shocked at this. I have the standard battery in both machines. I haven't put them on a scale, but they really feel about the same. This doesn't mean it's too heavy to carry around all day at all. It's a nice weight.
Battery Life
I haven't done any testing with this yet. The battery meter doesn't tell the estimated time remaining. Last night I left it on lowest brightness and all other stock settings (I haven't even looked for a power management tool yet, it's somewhere on here) while downloading on it and it lasted about 1 hour 45 minutes
I'm not concerned as others have gotten at least 2.5 hours out of it with the proper settings.
Sound
Many have said that the speakers are too quiet. This is a bit odd...at first, I had no problem whatsoever, the speakers sounded just as loud as the M70's. So I started to watch a DVD, and with the exception of bass, I thought it sounded great for a laptop. Then it's as if the sound suddenly became ~ 70% as loud, with the volume settings the same as earlier. Headphone quality, with my fontopia earbuds, is exceptional. Then again, these make anything sound better than it really is.
Conclusion
I'm not sure what to say about this laptop. On one hand it is enchanting in its style and screen quality. On the other, it's just slow
Again, it's unfair to conclude anything until I get a fresh install of windows on here. So until then, I'm not making any decision over which laptop I'm keeping.
I'm really torn between this, the Dell (which I got an awesome deal on), the Acer 8104, Asus Z71V (which gets an F in the style category), and other laptops that are coming out in the near future. I suspect Alienware is coming out with something soon since it is starting to pull the 5500 from some sites.
I got this machine a few days ago. I also have a Dell M70 (specs in signature) which I'm debating over, so this will be somewhat of a comparison of the two machines, as they are somewhat similar in my opinion.
I'll post some pictures later if anyone wants them. I'm trying to get good screen comparisons, but the camera isn't the same as the human eye, so I'm going to have to mess around with it a bit.
My machine specs are 2GHz, 512 ddr ram, 30 gb 4200 rpm hd. Before reading on, realize that the setup is stock right now, so there is a LOT of crap on it, and the entire machine is just slower than molasses in general. I have no idea why they did this, as I'm sure the machine is just as fast as my M70 without all this crap on it. In fact, if it wasn't possible to do a fresh install (or I didn't have the experience, for example), I would return this simply out of frustration at loading windows or getting the start menu to appear. It really is that slow.
Graphics
I got 672 in 3dmark05. HAHA.. this is coming from getting scores of 3200+ on the M70. This saddens me because this actually wouldn't be a bad graphics card if it wasn't for the TurboCache crap. The features are there, it's just the damned memory. Since I do like to play 3d-intensive games in my spare time and I won't always be around my desktop, I may be returning this machine for this reason alone.
That said, I'm surprised at what it can handle. As long as you keep texture and effects settings on medium to low, the frame rate is actually fine. I experimented with EverQuest II in native (1280x800) resolution and found the High Performance setting to be the best balance between quality and frame rate, if anyone is familiar with that setting in the game. Balanced looked pretty nice but was a few fps too slow for my liking. I did try the game on Very High Quality.. very big mistake
It took a while, but it did apply the settings, and in the process kicked me to the character select screen due to such a long idle time. At this setting, I was getting anywhere from 0.5 - 3 fps.I haven't yet tried any other games with it. I have HL2 but I'm probably going to hold off until I get the new hard drive in. (Hurry up already, Dell).
I'm going to add another stick of 512 ram right now.. or rather, as soon as I can get the cover off the memory compartment. The screw is very shallow and small and my screwdriver keeps slipping out no matter how much force I put on it.
All that said, I'm expecting unfair performance out of this machine in its current state. I'm sure I'll be much happier once I get the 7200 rpm hard drive in, and I will do more testing at that time.
Aesthetics/Build Quality
I simply LOVE the aesthetics of this computer. It's a joy to type on--the nearly-full-sized keys feel great. The front of the machine is also very low to the table it is sitting on, lending to greater support. The height of the M70, in contrast, makes typing feel a bit awkward for me.
This is by far the most beautiful laptop I've seen. The black plastic on the bottom is very tough--I don't foresee any durability problems with it. The screen hinge is tight. However, since the screen doesn't sit flush with the keyboard, there is a VERY slight flex at the corners when it is closed. The battery wiggles a tiny bit, but I guess it's not really a problem. Someone else mentioned that the status light area feels like it could fall off. I wouldn't go that far, but it doesn't make a hollow sound when you tap it. Overall build quality is probably an 8 with the Dell M70 sitting at a 9--it's all-metal exterior (not including plastic around keyboard) really makes the Dell feel rock solid.
Sometimes I feel myself reaching for a pointing stick but it's not there heh. The touchpad feels very nice though. I like it better than the Dell. It is more smooth, the Dell feels a little grainy and sticky. In addition, the page scrolling capabilities on the pad are very useful. Maybe there is software to enable this on other pads as well?
The screen...well if you have seen an XBRITE in person, you know how nice they are, so I'm not going to say anything other than I'm spoiled now. I wish I had never seen this screen because I don't know if I can go back to the regular screens.
The resolution seems to be workable for photo editing and such, as I've gotten use to 1280x1024 resolution on my other LCDs.
Size/Weight
I thought this would look a lot smaller compared to the M70 but it's really not. It is a "folio" design, meaning it is tapered from the front to the back edge, with the back sitting higher than the front. This definitely feels nicer to carry around than the traditional design.
While this is thinner than the M70, by 1"-1.4" (front to back) to 1.6" on the Dell, it is not necessarily any smaller in volume. It is a tad wider and deeper. I will post pictures of this later.
It doesn't feel any lighter than the Dell either, and it should be about 1/2 a pound lighter from the specs. I'm a little shocked at this. I have the standard battery in both machines. I haven't put them on a scale, but they really feel about the same. This doesn't mean it's too heavy to carry around all day at all. It's a nice weight.
Battery Life
I haven't done any testing with this yet. The battery meter doesn't tell the estimated time remaining. Last night I left it on lowest brightness and all other stock settings (I haven't even looked for a power management tool yet, it's somewhere on here) while downloading on it and it lasted about 1 hour 45 minutes
I'm not concerned as others have gotten at least 2.5 hours out of it with the proper settings.Sound
Many have said that the speakers are too quiet. This is a bit odd...at first, I had no problem whatsoever, the speakers sounded just as loud as the M70's. So I started to watch a DVD, and with the exception of bass, I thought it sounded great for a laptop. Then it's as if the sound suddenly became ~ 70% as loud, with the volume settings the same as earlier. Headphone quality, with my fontopia earbuds, is exceptional. Then again, these make anything sound better than it really is.
Conclusion
I'm not sure what to say about this laptop. On one hand it is enchanting in its style and screen quality. On the other, it's just slow
Again, it's unfair to conclude anything until I get a fresh install of windows on here. So until then, I'm not making any decision over which laptop I'm keeping.I'm really torn between this, the Dell (which I got an awesome deal on), the Acer 8104, Asus Z71V (which gets an F in the style category), and other laptops that are coming out in the near future. I suspect Alienware is coming out with something soon since it is starting to pull the 5500 from some sites.
How did you get a score of 3200+ on the Dell M70 concidering the Dell M70 has an Nvidia QuadroFx Go1400 which fails miserably in Directx 9 just like the rest of the FX series of cards from Nvidia. That seems very unreasonable. I dunno, good review but I think you should just stick with your Dell rather than downgrade to the FS series by Sony.
