Sony VAIO FE590

The Sony VAIO FE590 is a fully customizable 15.4" Core Duo based laptop. It comes with an optional motion eye camera, the choice between an nVidia 7400 Go graphics card or Intel 950 integrated graphics, Bluetooth, Core Duo processor, up to 2GB RAM, 160GB HD, and a DVD Burner.

The model being reviewed here features the following:

• Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400
• LCD Display: 15.4" WXGA (1280x800) display with XBRITE HiColor technology
• Wireless LAN: Wireless LAN (802.11a g)
• Processor: Intel Core Duo Processor T2400 (1.83 GHz)
• Memory:1,280MB DDR-SDRAM (DDR3-533, 256 MBx1 1024 MBx1)
• Hard Drive: 80 GB Hard Disk Drive
• Optical Drive:CD-RW/DVD Drive
• Battery: Standard Capacity Battery (BPS2B)

Reasons for Choosing:

I needed a workhorse laptop that would be suitable for a wide range of applications both as an Audio Video (AV) centre and a laptop that as a student I could travel to and from university with. The VAIO FE is very light for its size and has a great look too it. In terms of battery life it gets close to four hours when I'm in lectures throughout the day and around 3 hours watching videos, it has a beautiful crystal clear screen which is fantastic for my 3D art as the colors stay true.

Price and Buying from Sony:

I live in Australia, but at the time I ordered the only way to get the VAIO FE customized was ordering directly via Sony Style USA. I paid $1,435 and received free delivery; I purchased an extra 1GB stick of RAM from NewEg.com as Sony charges prices that are simply extortionate for their RAM.

I feel the price I paid for the VAIO FE was a great deal, but sadly I got hit with another $300 fee from Australian customs for importing the laptop, and on the very same day the FE was released in Australia for $1,670 USD with the camera, nVidia 7400 Go card, DVD burner and 100GB hard drive, though it only had 512MB of ram and a 1.66GHz Core Duo, it was still a little annoying.