Sony Vaio F-Series VPC-F22M1E review
Fantastic performance and a great HD screen, but the bulky dimensions look dated and it's a bit too expensive
The backlit keyboard is full-size, including the keys on the numeric keypad, and was very comfortable to type on thanks to the raised wrist rest. The backlight turns on automatically when working in dim conditions thanks to an ambient light sensor, but there’s no shortcut key to turn it on and off. A smooth matt finish on the touchpad helped make mouse movement incredibly fluid. We disliked the single touchpad button, though: a noticeable dead spot in the centre made it occasionally frustrating to use.
Connectivity is average for a high-end laptop, with three USB ports, mini FireWire, a multi-format card reader and analogue audio inputs and outputs. Two of the USB ports support the faster USB3 standard, which will help speed up file transfers if you have compatible hardware.
Considering this is a laptop designed for multimedia, we were slightly disappointed with the average-sounding speakers. Although volume was reasonable and mid-range notes were clear, bass was missing and treble sounded slightly tinny. If you’re going to use the Blu-ray optical drive to watch movies, you’ll want to plug in a pair of headphones or better speakers.
We criticised the first version of the F-series for combining a Full HD 3D screen with a mid-range graphics card that couldn’t hope to produce solid frame rates when playing games; in this 2D model, however, it makes much more sense. We still aren’t enamoured with the chunky styling, but performance and usability are both excellent. However, with similarly equipped laptops from other manufacturers available for the slightly less, the F22M1E is only worth buying if you can find it cheaper.
Basic Specifications | |
---|---|
Rating | *** |
Processor | Intel Core i7-2630QM |
Processor clock speed | 2GHz |
Memory | 6.00GB |
Memory slots | 2 |
Memory slots free | 0 |
Maximum memory | 8GB |
Size | 53x399x272mm |
Weight | 3.1kg |
Sound | Realtek HD Audio |
Pointing device | touchpad |
Display | |
Viewable size | 16.4 in |
Native resolution | 1,920×1,080 |
Graphics Processor | Nvidia GeForce GT 540M |
Graphics/video ports | VGA, HDMI |
Graphics Memory | 1,024MB |
Storage | |
Total storage capacity | 640GB |
Optical drive type | DVD+/-RW +/-DL BD-ROM |
Ports and Expansion | |
USB ports | 3 |
Total Firewire ports | 1 |
Bluetooth | yes |
Wired network ports | 1x 10/100/1000 |
Wireless networking support | 802.11b/g/n |
PC Card slots | none |
Supported memory cards | SD, MMC, Memory Stick HG Duo |
Other ports | minijack audio output/S/PDIF (shared), minijack microphone input, 2x USB3 |
Miscellaneous | |
Carrying case | No |
Operating system | Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit |
Operating system restore option | restore partition |
Software included | Microsoft Office 2010 Starter, Adobe Photoshop Elements 9, Adobe Premiere Elements 9 |
Optional extras | £179 |
Buying Information | |
Warranty | one year RTB |
Price | £1,299 |
Details | www.sony.co.uk |
Supplier | http://www.sonystyle.co.uk |