Vaio E series from Sony: HD at 14 and 17.3 inches

Available since the beginning of last year at 15.5 inches, the Vaio E series from Sony now also includes 14 and 17.3 inch models. At centre stage Blu-ray and Full HD!

Sony's new laptops continue to pursue a strategy of aesthetic appeal, here with a splash of bright colour. Powered by Intel's new Core i3 and i5 processors and with graphics from ATI (or Intel at entry-level), there's also plenty under the bonnet for good multimedia performance.

The Sony Vaio E range is made up of 3 models: Vaio EA at 14 inches, Vaio EB at 15.5 inches and Vaio EC at 17.3 inches.
You can configure the models individually on the Sony site, changing the CPU and hard drive, adding RAM and choosing the Blu-ray option (player or rewriter).

Here are the specificities of each version:

• Sony Vaio VPCEA :

The smallest model in the range, the 14-inch Sony Vaio VPCEA is a ready made model, the only screen-size not configurable in the range. It comes with a nice 1600 x 900 pixel panel. You get an Intel Core i3 330M CPU, a 500 GB hard drive and 4 GB of RAM. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5145 (a renamed HD 4570 so still at 55nm despite the naming) graphics solution means you'll be able to do some undemanding 3D gaming.
Finally you can go for a Blu-ray player / DVD rewriter combo.The standard version (the EA1S1E) comes in at £699.99 and the version with Blu-ray costs a hundred pounds more, both with a choice of colours.

• Sony Vaio VPCEB :

With a number pad, the Sony Vaio VPCEB has an Intel Core i5 430M, 3 GB of RAM and a 320 GB hard drive in its standard version. Here however your Vaio is configurable. You can either upgrade the processor to an i5-520M or downgrade to an i3-330M. You can increase hard drive capacity to 500 GB and RAM to 4 GB or 6 GB. The default graphics solution, the GMA 4500MHD, is clearly insufficient for any sort of gaming and you can upgrade to a real graphics card, either the ATI Mobility Radeon HD5470 512 MB or HD5650 1 GB.

Finally, the default display is 1366 x 768 pixels and can be substituted for a plus HD display at 1920 x 1080 pixels. You get the same Blu-Ray options as on the VPCEA which gives you the option of having a good multimedia computer, ideal for video. The basic configuration starts at £578.99 going up to £799 for a model configured with Blu-Ray (player only), Full HD display, 4 GB and the HD5650. This model comes in 6 colours.

• Sony Vaio VPCEC :

The Sony Vaio VPCEC can give you the highest-end E series configuration. For £1149, you can get a model equipped with an Intel Core i5 520M CPU, 6 GB of RAM, a 1000 GB hard drive, an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 1 GB graphics card, a Blu-Ray player / DVD burner combo and a Full HD 1920 x 1080 pixel display.

The test of this last configuration will be coming shortly.


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