I bought this laptop from sony directly back at the end of September. I have the C2D P8700 Processor, the 1080P screen (get it, it is SO worth the money!), and the 1 GB graphics card, and the bluray reader. I got a free upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium through Sony. This thing is an entertainment powerhouse. It can play most games I have thrown at it (San Andreas, Oblivion, others) at medium to high settings. The 1080P screen is absolutely gorgeous, with excellent black levels (much better than most competing LED screens can offer, with the possible exception of the RBG LED of the Dell studio XPS 16. The brightness is more than adequate, in a slightly darkened room, the screen must be turned down or it hurts my eyes. Thats a great screen in my opinion.
Despite many of the negative reviews on the keyboard posted here, I feel that this computer has one of the best laptop keyboards I have ever used. It does not feel "cheap" or flimsy at all to me, and the keys have a nice click to them with no "give" if pressed quite hard. That said I do have a slightly older model than the one listed, and I hope that Sony has not changed the keyboard out for a flimsier model.
I popped in the Planet Earth Bluray and was blown away by the detail. It looks better on this computer than it ever did on my Sony HDTV.
Complaints: There are very few
1. There is a slight creak that has developed underneath where my right wrist rests on the bottom edge of the computer. This may just be a loose screw, but I haven't had time to open up the bottom of the computer to check it yet.
2. There is a slight amount of wiggle in the top bezel of the LCD. It is not enough to worry me, but it is noticeable when you grip this part of the screen to open the computer. Other than these two minor niggles, I have no complaints about build quality. The outside of this computer (at least the Chocolate Brown model that I purchased) is made of Magnesium not plastic, with a plastic bottom and keyboard.
3. The speakers flat out suck. This is the only truly disappointing aspect of this computer. This thing is so amazing at all things related to multimedia, I cannot believe that Sony would fit such terrible speakers. I have ordered a set of Logitech V20's to put in my bag for when I travel with this computer. Output via headphone is just fine, but don't plan on enjoying bluray-quality sound through the built-in speakers.
Other than these minor complaints, this thing absolutely rocks my world. I am an engineering student, and I rely heavily on this computer day-to-day at school, and it has not let my down. With the extended battery, I see nearly 4 hours of battery life with WiFi on.
Ive done the research, and I don't believe it is possible to get a better quality computer for less money than this. Sony should have called it the FTW.Get more detail about Sony VAIO VGN-FW550F/B 16.4-Inch Black Laptop (Windows 7 Home Premium).
