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Sony VAIO VPC-EB33FM/BJ Review

Every so often a budget laptop comes along that is so loaded with goodies that you have to double-check the price to make sure you’re not seeing things. The Sony VAIO VPC-EB33FM/BJ ($629.99 list, at Best Buy) is that laptop. For just under $630, you get Core i3 processing power, wireless HDMI and WiMax broadband capabilities, good battery life, and a generous selection of I/O ports. Despite its smallish hard drive and slightly loud mouse buttons, this VPC- EB33FM/BJ model is the budget laptop to beat and supplants the Acer Aspire AS5745-7247 ($600 list, 4.5 stars) as our new Editors’ Choice for the category.

Features
The VPC- EB33FM/BJ sports an outstanding collection of I/O ports for a budget laptop. In addition to the basic 3 USB 2.0 ports there’s also a combo eSATA/USB port. Video ports include VGA and HDMI outputs, and there’s an Ethernet port and the always-present headphone and microphone jacks. Card readers include slots for Sony’s Memory Stick Pro and Memory Stick Pro Duo media with MagicGate support, and an SD card slot. There’s also an ExpressCard 34 slot, a rarity for a laptop in this price range. A DVD burner and a Webcam are also part of the package. The 320GB hard drive is small compared with the 500GB drives that come with similarly priced laptops such as the Dell Inspiron IM5030-3413B3D ($630 list, 2 stars) and HP Pavilion dv6-3122us ($649.98 list, 3.5 stars). Rounding out this generous feature set is a wireless triple-play; not only does the VPC- EB33FM/BJ support wireless 802.11 a/b/g/n networking, it also comes with an embedded WiMax 4G radio for broadband internet on the go, and it supports Intel’s Wireless Display technology (WiDi), which lets you send video and audio signals from the laptop to an HDTV’s HDMI port without the need for cables. However, WiDi requires a device such as Netgear’s Push2TV adapter ($100 street) to make the connection.

The VPC- EB33FM/BJ software bundle includes a 64-bit version of Windows 7 Home Premium and Sony’s Media Gallery entertainment suite and VAIO Care utilities. It also comes with VAIO Gate, which is similar to HP’s Dock software in that it offers a single launching point for multimedia apps, browsers, e-mail, and any other program you feel like adding to the launch bar. Trial versions of Norton Internet Security and Microsoft Office 2010 are preloaded as well.

Design
The VPC- EB33FM/BJ eschews the shiny, high-gloss finish used on so many budget laptops for a more subtle gunmetal black semi-matte finish that has a slight sheen to it. While smudging isn’t as noticeable as it is on glossy finishes, the lid does retain fingerprints. A large chrome VAIO badge is plastered across the center of the lid, and there’s a smaller white Sony logo near the top. The VPC- EB33FM/BJ weighs 5.3 pounds, which is about average for a 15-inch laptop, and has an overall travel weight of 6 pounds when you factor in the AC adapter.

A piano-black palm rest frames the isolated keyboard and houses a textured touchpad. Fans of chiclet-style keyboards will love the VPC- EB33FM/BJ keyboard’s firm feel and good-sized keys. Sony managed to squeeze in a dedicated number pad as well. The touchpad is responsive and the raised finish provides good friction for precise cursor control, but mouse button clicks are a bit too loud. There aren’t any dedicated media player controls, but there are three quick-launch buttons above the keyboard. The VAIO button opens Sony’s Media Gallery app where you play music and videos and view photos, while the Assist button launches VAIO Care, a collection of troubleshooting and maintenance utilities. Naturally, the Web button launches a Web browser.

The brightly lit 15.6-inch display has a 1,366-by-768 resolution, which is the standard for a 15-inch laptop. Colors are bold and image quality is sharp, making this a good screen for watching HD (720p) movies and viewing photo slideshows. Viewing angles are relatively wide, although the screen loses it brightness when viewed from extreme side angles. The VPC- EB33FM/BJ’s speakers are trebly, but they are loud and can handle maximum volume without distorting.

Performance
The VPC- EB33FM/BJ’s 39WHr laptop battery lasted 4 hours 33 minutes on the MobileMark 2007 battery test, which is just 16 minutes less than the Acer AS5745-7247′s time. Still, that’s a pretty good time when you compare it with systems like the Dell IM5030-3413B3D (3:36) and Gateway NV53A52u ($599.99 list, 3.5 stars) (3:24).

Fueled by a 2.4GHz Core i3-370M processor and 4GB of DDR3 system memory, the VPC- EB33FM/BJ performed beautifully. Its PCMark Vantage score of 5,339 knocked the Acer Aspire AS5745-7247 (5,252) out of first place, though just barely. However, it crushed the HP Pavilion dv6-3122us (3,810) and Dell Inspiron IM5030-3413B3D (3,376) handily. The VPC- EB33FM/BJ and the Acer AS5745-7247 were evenly matched on our Photoshop CS5 (both scored 5:39), Cinebench R11.5 (both scored 2), and Handbrake (3:09 VPC- EB33FM/BJ; 3:08 AS5745-7247) multimedia tests, and the two went toe to toe on our 3DMark06 graphics test (both scored 1,874), which is not surprising, given their identical configurations.

There’s a lot to like about the Sony VAIO VPC-EB33FM/BJ, from its solid performance to its wealth of features, many of which are nearly impossible to find on a budget laptop. And of course, there’s that $630 price tag, which may be slightly higher than what you’ll pay for the Acer Aspire AS5745-7247, but its money well spent for the WiMax and WiDi functionality. For all of these reasons, the Sony VAIO VPC-EB33FM/BJ takes its place as our new Editors’ Choice for budget laptops.

 

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