Type: General Purpose, Media
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo T9400
Processor Speed: 2.53 GHz
RAM: 4 GB
Weight: 6.4 lb
Screen Size: 16.4 inches
Screen Size Type: widescreen
Graphics Card: ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3740
Storage Capacity: 320 GB
Networking Options: 802.11n
Primary Optical Drive: DVD+/-RW DL with Blu-Ray
Designing media center laptops is no easy task because of these systems' large footprints. Thus Sony media centers don't get the same degree of aesthetic attention as Sony gives its ultraportables, such as the Sony VAIO VGN-SZ791N. Although the FW198UH is tastefully done, it trails the competition in the materials used and the overall look. The HP Pavilion dv5t and the Dell Studio 15 benefit from lamination techniques and inlaid patterns, whereas Apple, a big proponent of aluminum, uses it to deck out the Apple MacBook Pro 15-inch (Penryn).
The FW198UH's plastic frame, in bland gray, is reminiscent of older Sony designs. The placement of the VAIO logo hasn't changed since the 1990s. Performance is anything but lacking in this media center. It runs a 2.53-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T9400 processor, with support for the new front-side bus (FSB), which is capable of speeds up to 1,066 MHz (up from 800 MHz). This configuration includes 4GB of DDR2 SDRAM. Performance numbers, as expected, were impressive. Its SYSmark 2007 Pre-view Overall score of 132 beat out that of the HP dv5t, another Centrino 2 laptop running the same processor, by 4 percent.
The Sony's SYSmark 2007 Preview Overall score also exceeded that of the previous-generation Dell Studio 15, which runs a similarly clocked Penryn processor, by 8 percent. The high-definition DVD format war has been over for months, yet its winner, Blu-ray, hasn't yet achieved a meaningful presence in people's homes. The Sony VAIO VGN-FW198UH ($2,099 direct) isn't likely to drive Blu-ray sales through the roof, but it offers a mobile HD experience that's a bit different from the usual. Its 16.4-inch widescreen is stretched out in the same manner as consumer HDTVs, and it's one of the first laptops to receive Intel's latest Centrino 2 platform. Even with a revamped platform, however, a bloated software suite and high prices are issues that continue to haunt Sony laptops.
More thought was given to the interior. The hinges look as if they're being wrapped around by the chassis, while a ridge divides the keyboard from the palm-rest area. You might recognize the keyboard from the Sony VAIO TZ series and the Apple MacBook 13-inch (Penryn)—it's pleasant to type on despite looking like an oversized
