Sony VAIO laptop F Series with Intel Core i7 processor

16Jan/100

Doing my fair share of mansearch for a laptop at the moment and I'm toying with a Dell Studio XPS 16 with a decent spec buying direct with some beefed up components. But the thing that gets me is the cost. For about the same price £1,100 to £1,100, I've seen I could get the Sony Vaio Laptop, VGN-FW51MF/H, 2.53GHz with 16.4 Inch Display from Sony Style, or just the opposite way and get an Apple iMac .

But with a little deeper searching, I noticed that trusty John Lewis don't have it in stock. On Sony Style they have some ready made FW Series models, but trying to customise one with some really decent gubbins I get a pop-up saying I can't do it.

This made me start wondering and back to Google trying to hunt for the answer.

Looking for reviews of a laptop is really hard work. There's far too many sites quaffing a load of copy/paste shite, sorry I mean just a paragraph and the standard spec. Not enough people who are experienced laptop and computer people giving their professional and subjective opinions. Also there is a load of old reviews and all I want is something recent.

I found one! Hooray, and it's with PC Pro (somewhat the name of the website implies they fit the bill). Their Sony VAIO VGN-FW51MF/H review. The first user comment struck me down, "Another review of an obsolete Laptop". Thank god I didn't buy at love at first sight. The user andyrs1 seems to know what's going down, and says that Sony are dropping this laptop. Other people chip in saying that Sony haven't pulled their socks up and launched laptops with the new Intel Core i7 processor.

News Flash

Well they have, albeit in the US. Website LAPTOPiNG say that "Sony has unveiled at the ongoing 2010 CES Show three new laptops: the VAIO F multimedia notebook, and VAIO Y and Z series ultraportables." The laptops will have the new Intel Core i7 and i5 processors.

I found on the Sony Style website in the US, you can now buy the Sony VAIO F Series with Intel® Core™ i7-720QM (1.60GHz) for $1529.99 which works out at a stupidly low price of £938.50 with a US plug.

Question is, how long will it take until they launch the new Sony VAIO F Series in the UK? This US version has Blu-Ray player and burner, something that the current FW Series doesn't have, just a player.

I could get say "what the hell, let's have a blow out and get the new Apple iMac from the Apple Store UK". But before clicking the link, you must watch the video below, an entertaining review of the Apple iMac.

Or, if that's not your cuppa tea and more of a techie geek, then you'll enjoy this video below of Tom's Hardware managing editor Chris Angelini talking about the Intel Core i5 and i7 quad processors. Riveting.