SONY VAIO F Series VPCF233FX/B Notebook Intel Core i7 2670QM(2.20GHz) 16.4" Full HD 4GB Memory DDR3 1333 640GB HDD 7200rpm BD Combo NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M

Pros: Nice screen, Blu-Ray, can play mid-range games well, good processor.

Cons: Heavy and bulky. Terrible...I mean terrible speakers/sound. Absolutely no bass and low max volume. Sound was something they touted on this laptop and it is completely unfounded to say anything good about these speakers. Disappointed that they set expectations for good sound with their marketing and it's actually terrible. Much better if they didn't say anything about the sound quality. Network card iffy and sometimes lags. Memory shows 80% use with just a few programs and windows open. Battery life is terrible(1-2 hours on full charge). Often slow to wake from sleep.

Other Thoughts: I got this for my wife and she may have given it one star. Everything was slow and lagging to her. She was so frustrated with it. This became mine and I got her a Macbook Pro and now she couldn't be happier.

Pros: While I didn't buy this laptop here, I thought I'd give it some props.

The screen is phenominal. What really drew me in was the back lit keyboard. My eye, as with age, needed more light to see the keys and this lets me keep the lights off and not have to tilt the screen down to light up the key board. I've also since purchased the keyboard cover that allows the light to shine threw yet keeps the dust out.

The video performance is more than adeqaute for most games on medium settings. Wireless pegs out my connection speed at home anywhere in the house (2 story). It feels solid, screen hinge is more robust than my previous Dell Latitude.

I added another 4 GB of RAM and it really boosted the overall system performance, this was definately worth the 20 bucks I paid for the extra 4GB of RAM.

Cons: none for me

Just waiting for SSD drives of decent capacity to come down in price so I can replace the HDD in it. My desktops all have SSD's for the OS launch drive and they've got me spoiled on bootup time! I think I could live with a 250GB SSD drive in this thing ok.

I removed most all of the bloatware. It really help with the OS loading.

Other Thoughts: I see someone mention the charging jack, this is a problem with all laptops that people use 24/7 with the AC charger plugged in lounging around and not being careful how the plug is oriented or yanked on. I've preached this to my oldest boy who is now experiencing the joys of abuse that the charging jack can take when not being careful how you handle it while sitting in bed, on the couch or leaving the cord strung across the floor for someone to yank on as they trip over it. His laptop is an Asus, it's not exclusive to Sony...

It's a little on the heavy side for a laptop, but that's not an issue for me as I like the over all size of the screen and keyboard.

Streams BluRay movies over my wireless network to my xbox to be viewed on the Samsung LED TV

Pros: Beautiful screen, attractive design, attention to fit and finish, power

Cons: Meh network card, one hard drive bay

Other Thoughts: Sony's Vaio f23 is as powerful as it is beautiful. The screen is among the best I've seen, the keyboard has almost no flex, the sound is above average for a laptop, and the I7 processor is FAST. All but the most serious gaming enthusiasts should be completely satisfied with the performance of the dedicated nvidia gt 540m graphics card. I really like the 16.4 inch size, a great compromise between the desktop replacement 17.3 and the more mobile 15.6 inch sizes. 2 hard drive bays would be nice, and I would prefer a better network card, but all in all a great value at $1099.

Pros: The black matte finish is to die for, as is the durable body, strong hinges (strong.), large screen covered in a anti-glare matte. The colors are vivid and bright, and the pixel density/quality while playing video games, watching HD movies and browsing is sharp sharp sharp.

The keyboard is something I was skeptical on. It's a chic-let style, but the buttons are soft and make very little noise. Every key strong is well placed and registers, with no warp and a great back-lit keyboard setting. As a 100+ WPM typer, I enjoy it.

The quality of the build is absolutely superb as are the asthetics. In no way is this glossy besides a small section surrounding the screen. The machine is stylish. It never heats up and I have not experienced any fan issues, even while maxing out the CPU/GPU.

I upgraded an extra 4 Gigs of memory, and this machine FLIES. The CPU is tough, my VM, Network Simulation and Gaming all happens at once. 3-5 hours on normal use battery. This machine beat my expectati

Cons: The sound system when you enable Dolby Sound System is amazing. AMAZING. Compared to any laptop I've seen, this thing kills in surround sounding audio, besides bass. So if you love Skrillex, I'm sorry. I personally listen to top 40 charts, because I'm a tool and Katy Perry sounds awesome.

It's a big laptop. 16'4 inch size, barely fits in my work bag.

The fan will spin if you max out your CPU/GPU. Nothing annoying or unexpected, I find it rather quiet.

The ultra nice black matte finish all around will attract finger prints and oils. Nothing a daily 10 second rub down with a micro fiber cloth won't repair and make it look like brand new.

Other Thoughts: I'm a Network Engineer who needs to be mobile but have a one spot workstation when it's time to plug in and get busy.

This machine for work is a blast, I cannot challenge this CPU and this is after running Spotify, GNS3 with 70+ routers simulation, and over 40 different applications running + 300 services (all related to my work, penetration testing, Virtual machines, etc.) I find myself unable to break the 6.5Gb memory mark nor 40% CPU utilization. The keys are tactile, responsive, solid and responsive. Spaced.

Very pleasing specs, very pleasing experience.

For leisure? The GT 540M runs 1920x1080 games on max settings like MW;2, Black ops, Crysis 2 on high or near high in that resolution. No stutters or lag, it's fascinating considering my last machine was a 6 year old Core2Duo with a 7 year old GPU form factor.

Medium bloatware, size and weight aside, this machine blew me away. The sound systems, graphics, CPU, keyboard and form is a perfect mix of bliss.

Pros: A very good computer while it works.

Cons: The power connector failed after 15 months. I paid $250 for Sony to repair it, and it failed again in the same manner after 9 months. Sony will not stand behind the repair, although it's known to be a frequent failure for them.