We rarely get to see large laptops anymore ever since mobile PC components have evolved into what they are today. So when the gargantuan Sony VAIO VGN-FW43G ("FW" for short) literally landed in our test lab, we were taken aback, and all we could say was, "Whoa."
Build
We knew right away that this was no longer just a laptop especially with the horde of netbooks and thin and lights we've seen lately. Safe to say the standards have changed. But as big as the FW may be, it's still a portable PC – portable meaning you can lift it with your two hands and transport it from one spot to another. As far as being mobile, however, well, you'll have to feel its 3kg heft for yourself.
The aluminum chassis is a joy to look at. It's stylish without having to draw from Apple's minimalistic design cues. There are a lot of details from the dotted speaker enclosure to the sloping hinge assembly that make it look distinctly "VAIO." Get rid of the unsightly stickers, and you've got one laptop that resembles an alien spaceship.
Ports are located on all sides except for the rear. All three USB ports are on the right, and the firewire, VGA, Express Card, and HDMI ports are on the left. We still can't believe that the FW has a v.92 modem jack. Should you fancy a trip back to 1994, the FW can take you there in blazing-fast 56kbps.
The high-resolution 16.4-inch is also worthy of note. It's easy to look at even in well-lit conditions and isn't too glossy. Not so much unsightly glare here.
Performance
Contrary to how it looks, however, the FW's specs are very down-to-earth. An Intel Core 2 Duo runs the show alongside 3GB of RAM and an ATI Mobility Radeon 3470 graphics card. NovaBench gave the FW a benchmark score of 217 which is a step above the average grade of 150-200. Hardly impressive especially if you compare it to Quad-core notebooks that could easily top the 500-point mark.
Windows' very own Experience Index also gives the FW with a rather modest 4.4 rating. Surprisingly, the area where it scores the lowest is in the graphics department.
Numbers aside, the FW is still a decent performer. We were able to run HD movies and home videos with ease as well as multitask with impunity (four browser windows open with two active file transfers in the background).
Portability is clearly not the FW's strongest suit, so it shouldn't matter (much) that its battery runs for only two hours during normal use. That's good enough for one short movie, a long domestic flight, or a standard Metro Manila blackout.
All in all, the FW is a slightly better and more portable alternative than an all-in-one PC. As far as lugging it around for work and leisure purposes, however, we'd recommend that you go with a laptop that doesn't weight three kilograms.
Click here to see the Sony VAIO VGN-FW43G in the Buyer's Guide.