Back-to-school 2009 retail laptop roundup: Sony's Vaio FW480 is our favorite high-end model
In our current roundup of retail-specific laptops, we've divided our 30-plus systems into four different price categories, from sub-$500 entry level models to high-end ones that cost more than $1,000.
In that high-end category, we looked at three laptops from Sony, HP, and Asus. While they were largely similar, Sony's Vaio FW480J/T won us over by including a Blu-ray drive and having the best battery life (although the Asus G71GX-RX05 should be your choice for gaming).
Check out details of each system below:
Sony Vaio FW480J/T *BEST*
The good: Sleek design, seamless Blu-ray functionality, plenty of RAM, good battery life.
The bad: Midlevel discrete graphics, no 1080p screen resolution, no touch-sensitive media controls.
The bottom line: As an above-average Blu-ray-playing laptop with impressive looks and good under-the-hood power, Sony's Vaio FW480J/T is a solid portable multimedia machine.
Asus G71GX-RX05
The good: Good components for the price; secondary instant-on Linux OS; separate number pad.
The bad: Big, heavy, and power hungry; mixed performance; lights can't be completely shut off; no dedicated media controls.
The bottom line: The Asus G71GX-RX05 is a solid gaming-oriented desktop replacement, but with a few shortcomings that could make or break a purchasing decision.
HP Pavilion dv7-2185DX
The good: Plenty of RAM and a big hard drive; slick, attractive design; discrete graphics; quad-core CPU.
The bad: Screen resolution is low for the price; no Blu-ray drive.
The bottom line: HP makes excellent, slick multimedia machines, such as the Pavilion dv7-2185DX, but we'd still trade its quad-core CPU for a full HD 1080p display and Blu-ray.
Check out the rest of the 2009 Back-to-School retail laptop and desktop roundup here.
New York native Dan Ackerman, a former radio DJ turned journalist, has written about technology and music for publications including Spin, Blender, The Hollywood Reporter, and USA Today. He hosts the weekly Digital City podcast and the New York edition of Editors' Office Hours. Dan's new album, Tales Out of Night School, is available now. E-mail Dan. 
Also, I absolutely hate the HP's touchpad. That really was the main reason I didn't consider the HDx16. Just that crappy metal touchpad.
- by August 15, 2009 9:43 AM PDT
- i'd like to have a laptop with blu-ray, 4 DDR3 RAM (at least), and a powerful GPU (HD 48**, or GF 9800GT) and CPU (Intel T9***, or a similar AMD)... and i'd like to be less than 1.5K....
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(3 Comments)is it possible to find that??