FW series, the VAIO VGN-FW390 ($2,099 direct), lacks the pricing aggression of its peers, as this configuration crosses over the $2,000 mark—and few laptops, right now, cost this much. In its defense, though, the FW390's pricey 128GB solid-state drive and a high-end processor had something to do with this anomaly; and there are ways to get the FW390 down to a respectable price and still get a free Blu-ray reader upgrade in the process.
Sony has always been on the cutting edge in design engineering, especially in the ultraportable space where the Sony VAIO LifeStyle PC and the VAIO VGN-Z590 thrive with their trendy designs. As you move to larger systems, however, Sony appears to have hit a lull. The FW390's matte cover—available in White, Titanium, or Black—is too plain when set against the Dell Studio XPS 16's leather design, the embedded patterns of the HP HDX16t, and the Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (SD Slot)'s "Unibody" aluminum frame. Even the Gateway MC7803u, which costs half as much, has a more forward-thinking design. And although the FW390 (6.3 pounds) is lighter than the HP HDX16t (6.8 pounds) and the Dell 16 (6.9 pounds), systems like the MacBook Pro 15-inch (5.3 pounds) and the Lenovo IdeaPad Y650 (5.5 pounds) squish it to the middle of the pack.
The 16-inch widescreen is a boon for video and photo editors—not for its size, but for using the highest resolution available: 1,920-by-1,080. This makes working with multiple applications a joy and offers livelier colors, while keeping its weight reasonable for frequent travel. By comparison, the MC7803u tops out at 1,366-by-768 and the MacBook Pro 15-inch at 1,440-by-900. The FW390 is not the only one to offer a 1080p resolution, though: Both the Dell 16 and HP HDX16t have these resolutions available in their arsenal. The full-size keyboard is practically identical to that of the MacBook Pro in that both use a "chiclet"-style tiled-key format. Although the keyboard can accommodate touch typists, the FW390 lacks aesthetic touches, like the illuminated keyboards found in both the Apple MacBook Pro and the Dell 16.
From a features standpoint, the FW390 as configured here is very competitive, but it comes at a price. The 128GB SSD (solid-state drive) is a $630 luxury that's unjustifiable unless you have money to throw away; a 250GB (5,400-rpm) spinning drive would be a wiser selection. No matter which configuration you choose, though, Sony is now throwing in a Blu-ray reader, which will allow you to watch the latest high-definition movies on the laptop's 1080p screen, or stream them to a bigger LCD using the built-in HDMI-out port. This free upgrade (there's also a DVD burner option) doesn't include Blu-ray–burning capabilities, though. The three USB ports are all situated on the right-hand side, which isn't ideal when some of your external peripherals are sitting to your left. Otherwise, there's a FireWire port for importing videos from camcorders, and separate memory-card slots for both Memory Stick and SecureDigital (SD) formats.
You can also save money by picking the right processor. While very speedy for encoding videos and rendering high-resolution photos, this configuration's 2.66-GHz, Intel Core 2 Duo T9550 processor is overkill, and it's a battery guzzler because of its high (35W) wattage rating. A P8600 (2.4-GHz) processor is an energy-efficient yet speedy alternative and will save you an additional $200. What's more, when paired with 4GB of DDR3 memory, the FW390 is a serious contender. Because of a fast processor and the SSD, the FW390 dominated in PCMark Vantage across the board and broke the 6,000 mark in CineBench R10. It came in second to the HP HDX16t in video encoding and Photoshop CS4 tests, which is admirable as well. As for gaming, the ATI Mobility 3650 demonstrated on tests that it's not as much of a force as the graphics cards of the Dell 16 and the HP HDX16t, but gaming scores were respectable.
Battery life, however, suffered for two reasons: One, the 49-Wh battery is too small for a system of this size, when systems like the Apple 15-inch (SD Slot) and the Dell 16 are including 73-Wh and 85-Wh batteries, respectively. Two, the speedy processor and graphics card are both heat-yielding and power-guzzling parts that had an adverse affect on battery life. As a result, MobileMark 2007 tests reported a score of 2 hours 33 minutes, the second lowest battery-life score, after the HP HDX16t's (2:08).
Once you eliminate the SSD and downgrade to a more energy-efficient processor, the Sony VAIO VGN-FW390 is a very respectable media center at a little over $1,100. Even so, it's hard to stay afloat when others in its class can do the same thing for less money and with better designs. This 16-inch media center needs to improve on looks and features, and while adding pricey parts may be good for its scores on performance tests, it doesn't benefit its overall rating.
Spec Data
Type Gaming, Media
Processor Name Intel Core 2 Duo T9550
Operating System Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Processor Speed 2.66 GHz
RAM 4 GB
Weight 6.3 lb
Screen Size 16.4 inches
Screen Size Type Widescreen
Graphics Card ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650
Graphics Memory 512
Storage Capacity (as Tested) 128 GB
Rotation Speed SSD
Networking Options 802.11n
Primary Optical Drive DVD+/-RW DL with Blu-Ray
Battery Type 49 Whr (Watt hours)
Tech Support 1 year parts and labor
MobileMark 2007 – Standard Battery Productivity Load (hrs:min) 2:33
MobileMark 2007- Performance score 180
PCMark Vantage 4761
3-D BENCHMARK TESTS - 3DMark06 - Native – 0X/4X 2268
PRICE:$2,099
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