Sony VAIO VGN-FZ180E/B (Core 2 Duo T7300 2GHz, 2GB RAM, 200GB HDD, Vista Home Premium)

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Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 12 reviews Back to product review
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4 out of 4 people found this review helpful

4.5 stars

"Unbelievable Value"

by Bob Eicholz on July 12, 2007

Pros: Brilliant Screen, Size, Weight, 200GB storage, No-boot DVD player

Cons: Battery Life, Touchpad, Boot Time
Summary: OK, I bought the FZ160, not the FZ180. But they are the same, except the FZ160 has no Blu-ray HD, and costs $600 less. Who needs Blu-ray HD for $600 on a PC that can't display HD anyway? I don't get it.

Now, about the FZ160 computer: It rocks! And for $1,350, it's flat-out unbelievable.

First, and most importantly, the screen is magnificent. The resolution, at 1280 seems low, but looks perfect on a 15.4 inch screen. The picture is bright, clear, and pleasing to the eye. And the ratio of screen size to overall case size is very high, meaning the case is VERY small for such a large screen.

Among many other things, I love the feature that allows you to turn on selected applications like the DVD without booting up Windows. This is especially useful, since the boot time is long, due to the huge (200GB), but slow (4,200rpm) SATA drive.

The weight, at less than 6lbs is also amazing. Make no mistake: There's not another laptop on the market around $1,350 with this combination of performance, drive capacity, low weight, and beautiful screen.

The only problems are the battery and the Touchpad buttons. The battery goes about 2 hours during normal use, and an extra regular battery will set you back $200, while a high-capacity battery (which doesn't completely fit in the bay) costs $300. I guess that's where Sony makes its money. In addition, the click buttons under the touchpad are so small and lacking in tactile feedback that they are easy to miss.

Carry an extra battery with you if you travel a lot and a notebook mouse if the Touchpad buttons bother you. Believe me, these are two very small sacrifices for such a powerful, but reasonably priced laptop.

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Sony VAIO VGN-FZ180E/B (Core 2 Duo T7300 2GHz, 2GB RAM, 200GB HDD, Vista Home Premium): $1,328.95

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