Sony Vaio SVT13128CXS Review
I recently obtained a new Sony Vaio Ultrabook - the SVT13128CXS. This is a robust laptop that can easily serve as a desktop replacement while, at 3.77 lbs. and .71" thick, being small an light enough to not be a burden to carry around on a daily basis.
Video performance is adequate - I am not a heavy gamer, but I do use a couple that have some hi-res 3D graphics. They perform pretty well, although when I pushed all the game the settings to the max I noticed the video performance drop a little. Movies and TV shows look great in the 768p HD resolution.
Sony also provides Modern UI apps for audio and photos/video which work much better for local and network files than Microsoft's apps. These apps are not pre-installed, but they are available in the Windows Store under Vaio Picks.
The system also comes with a 90-day trial of Intel Anti-Theft, but rather than have the software pre-installed, it is available as a download. It offers remote lock, allows you to track your system from a Website, and will even automatically lock your system if it does not connect to the Internet for a user-configurable number of days. I am trying it out as I use similar packages with my Android phone and iPad, and will give it a review once the trial is up.
Storage space is OK, but it would be nice if the computer came with a 500 GB SSD rather than the 256 GB - once you subtract for the recovery partition and the fuzzy GB counting that drive manufacturers like to use, the drive has about 200 GB available, and then you lose a bit of that to Windows and the pre-installed apps.
The system comes with Windows 8, however as a computer that is powerful enough for pretty heavy business use, I think it would be better if Sony offered it with Windows 8 Pro. Sony also disables hardware virtualization by default, meaning that if you do upgrade to Pro and want to use Hyper-V, you need to enter the BIOS settings and turn it on manually.
Price may also be a concern. At $1,299 list price on Amazon, it isn't cheap. The cost is in line with similar offerings from other manufacturers, but there are several lower priced ultrabooks out there that may also suit your needs.
Specs
The Vaio SVT13128CXS has a 13.3" multitouch screen and comes with an Intel Core i7 3517U CPU running at 1.9 GHz, a 256 GB Solid State Drive, and 8 GB of RAM, and the Windows 8 Operating System. It has all the common ports: HDMI, VGA, Ethernet, 1 USB 3.0, 1 USB 2.0, and a MemoryStick/SD card slot, and has built-in 802.11 b/g/n wireless as well as Bluetooth 4.0. It also has a 1.3 MP HD Web cam.Design
Like most high-end Vaio laptops, the SVT13128CXS looks great. The brushed aluminum casing and sleek lines look good and resist fingerprints. It feels solid, and, while a little thicker than some of the offerings out there, at .71" it is still very thin. The ports are easy to access and are spaced well enough that there shouldn't be issues plugging in, say, an Ethernet cable and a VGA cable or two USB devices.Performance
I am very impressed with the performance. As I mentioned above, this could serve as a desktop replacement for many users. The CPU and ample memory coupled with the SSD make it a very fast machine. A cold-boot takes about 20 seconds from totally off to working in an office app, and that includes the time it takes me to enter my password. Waking from sleep is practically instantaneous - two seconds tops. Both desktop and Modern UI apps launch quickly and run well - I haven't had any weird issues or crashes yet. So far, the computer has handled everything I've thrown at it, which is admittedly basic business use (Office apps, Web, e-mail, media playing). I hope to do some video work (editing/encoding home movies with Windows Movie Maker) as well as some Web and app coding using Visual Studio, and will post an update comparing it to my desktop once I have had more time to use the apps. The battery lasts about 4 to 5 hours, which is better than any laptop I have used previously, but about average for an ultrabook or modern laptop.Video performance is adequate - I am not a heavy gamer, but I do use a couple that have some hi-res 3D graphics. They perform pretty well, although when I pushed all the game the settings to the max I noticed the video performance drop a little. Movies and TV shows look great in the 768p HD resolution.
Controls
The touchscreen really shows what Windows 8 can do on a well-designed system. The touchscreen is great for the modern UI, and the large trackpad is good for desktop mode. The buttons are incorporated in the trackpad - press once to click, twice to double click, and press the lower right side to right-click. The keyboard is large, but the keys are spaced a little far apart for what I am used to, which sometimes makes it annoying to use... I miss more keystrokes typing on this than I have on pretty much any other keyboard I have used (even the Surface RT's Touch cover). Additionally, the lack of backlighting is something that other reviewers have commented on, although I don't really mind that (having never used a backlighted keyboard). One thing that stands out is how natural it feels to use the touchscreen in conjunction with the keyboard and mouse/touchpad - I find myself using whatever feels most efficient at the particular time.Software
One thing that stands out to me is that the computer did not come filled with lots of software. Typically, one of the first things I do when I get a computer is uninstall most of the vendor provided trial software, but I didn't need to do that this time. Sony does provide some software packages with the system - ArtRage Studio and PlayMemories Home - but they are relatively small and may be useful (I haven't used them much at all, but I will give them a chance before I decide what to do with them).Sony also provides Modern UI apps for audio and photos/video which work much better for local and network files than Microsoft's apps. These apps are not pre-installed, but they are available in the Windows Store under Vaio Picks.
The system also comes with a 90-day trial of Intel Anti-Theft, but rather than have the software pre-installed, it is available as a download. It offers remote lock, allows you to track your system from a Website, and will even automatically lock your system if it does not connect to the Internet for a user-configurable number of days. I am trying it out as I use similar packages with my Android phone and iPad, and will give it a review once the trial is up.
Shortcomings
While the Vaio is a very good system for everyday use, there are a few things that I would have liked to see included. For example, while it has both USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports, only two ports is somewhat limiting... even my sub $300 Gateway netbook has three ports. Additionally, while optical drives seem to be on the way out, I miss having one included in the system (especially when using an external drive means losing use of 1/2 my USB ports).Storage space is OK, but it would be nice if the computer came with a 500 GB SSD rather than the 256 GB - once you subtract for the recovery partition and the fuzzy GB counting that drive manufacturers like to use, the drive has about 200 GB available, and then you lose a bit of that to Windows and the pre-installed apps.
The system comes with Windows 8, however as a computer that is powerful enough for pretty heavy business use, I think it would be better if Sony offered it with Windows 8 Pro. Sony also disables hardware virtualization by default, meaning that if you do upgrade to Pro and want to use Hyper-V, you need to enter the BIOS settings and turn it on manually.
Price may also be a concern. At $1,299 list price on Amazon, it isn't cheap. The cost is in line with similar offerings from other manufacturers, but there are several lower priced ultrabooks out there that may also suit your needs.
Short version of Intel Anti-Theft review - don't use it!
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