Sony VAIO F Series VPCF23JFX/BC 16.4" Notebook Computer

Comments about Sony VAIO F Series VPCF23JFX/BC 16.4" Notebook Computer:

I bought this laptop refurbished for $[@]. As a casual gamer, I needed a new, cheap laptop for college. The Sony VPCF23JFX is close to being a desktop replacement, but needs a better graphics card than the Nvidia Geforce 540M to play the most intensive games. However, most games made before 2011 will run fine on medium settings. I am able to play GTA IV on high with few to no problems, averaging 29 frames per second. The 1920x1080 screen is beautiful. The backlit keyboard feels very nice, and so does the touchpad. With the quadruple core i7-2670QM microprocessor, this laptop can handle just about any computational task. For $[@], I got almost everything I wanted.The positives end there, though. The VPCF23JFX weighs in at 6.85 pounds, which is lighter than most desktop replacements but still quite heavy. Battery life is short, averaging about 2:30 when browsing the Internet at medium brightness. The battery life is further decreased with the lack of switchable graphics (Nvidia's Optimus technology). The laptop can get very hot when Sony Power Management is put on "Balanced", although the fan makes very little noise. By contrast, the fan sounds very loud when Power Management is set to "Performance" and intensive applications are running, although the laptop remains cool. While some of Sony's pre-installed programs are useful (Control Center, Power Management, VAIO Care), most are annoying and should be removed. Furthermore, the laptop uses a lot of electricity when plugged into a 19.5 volt adapter. But my biggest, most hated gripe is how easy the lid gets scratched, even when being careful. I have only owned the laptop for a week, but I see more than 10 scratches on the lid. And the design of the laptop is very ugly.Many of the negatives can be ignored because the VPCF23JFX is intended to be a desktop replacement. Although the middle-end graphics card prevents the laptop from being used by hardcore gamers, everyone else will find the specifications more than enough for their needs. You can find the VPCF23JFX refurbished in Sony Outlet for $[@], which is a decent deal. Otherwise, I would spend the money on a Lenovo or a HP, as they offer laptops with more powerful microprocessors and graphics cards at a little extra cost.

Comments about Sony VAIO F Series VPCF23JFX/BC 16.4" Notebook Computer:

I use this pc for music creation, image editing, internet, watchin video via hdmi out, & occasionall gaming. After removing all the free software (aka bloatware), the unit performs quickly and as expected. As far as the feel of the unit, its pretty solid...more like a tank not tulip. The backlighted keyboard is awesome and very useful, also the three extra keys are helpful. Its nice to actually have a button for the internet.

The only negative thing has to do with the touchpad placement, but that has nothing to do with Sony, there's really nowhere else to put it. The unit isn't light or slim, but that's what I expected, and it feels so solid that I think the construction is great.

Comments about Sony VAIO F Series VPCF23JFX/BC 16.4" Notebook Computer:

Unfortunately I cannot echo the sentiments of others here. Less than 30 minutes out of the box the computer shut-down during the initial setup of Vaio Care. An on-line visit to the VaioCare website with a technician taking command of the keyboard got the unit back up. Now, after 45 frustrating days of on-line tech support with the unit repeatedly "crashing (while Sony's Tech Support Team had control of the keyboard), Sony has decided that it must be shipped back to them for correction of the problem! I can agree that the unit looks great, beautiful display, awesome sound, etc. - but the technical support is terrible and Sony's attitude... even at the national customer service level... is one of arrogance and a total lack of concern that a product which they produced and marketed has been a "non-performer" from day one! I am reluctant to use the word never but, in this instance I am comfortable in saying that I will N-E-V-E-R purchase anything with the Sony brand label again - not because the computer failed because we all know that anyone can let a defective product slip through QA despite all efforts to the contrary; my ire is directed at a less-than-mediocre customer support team who act as though the customer was privileged to purchase a Sony product even if it was a "lemon."

Comments about Sony VAIO F Series VPCF23JFX/BC 16.4" Notebook Computer:

Great Notebook, Mind you this is heavy, it doesn't have a great battery life but this is a gaming laptop afterall.

i7 is blazing, 6GB ram is plenty, 1080p display is beautiful.

Comments about Sony VAIO F Series VPCF23JFX/BC 16.4" Notebook Computer:

I use for editing. I love the programs it came with.

Comments about Sony VAIO F Series VPCF23JFX/BC 16.4" Notebook Computer:

I've had a number of Vaio's and like the sony line of PC's, but this one has some serious power. Kicked some animation into it, and cracked all four processors upside the head, amazingly it cranked out averything in 1/10th the time, and didn't miss a beat!

Don't shy away. Game and headphones are nice also, but laptop is worth the bank alone!

Comments about Sony VAIO F Series VPCF23JFX/BC 16.4" Notebook Computer:

Use it for personal internet browsing, watching on-line TV.
It is pretty fast and responsive computer.
I like back-lighted keyboard very much.
To improve: add highlighting to the touch pad area and touch pad buttons.

Comments about Sony VAIO F Series VPCF23JFX/BC 16.4" Notebook Computer:

This is my first Sony laptop and I don't regret my choice so far. Given the specs (1080p screen, i7, Nvidia 540 graphics card...) the price was more than fair compared with HP or Toshiba models. As a matter of personal taste I find that the somewhat idiosyncratic design of the SONY laptop is appealing rather than off-putting as I have read occasionally.
Performance is more than adequate for business uses. The back-lit keyboard is great for intensive use. Weight and bulk are under-average for a desktop replacement, which is good. Noise only becomes somewhat of an issue while intensively using the GPU e.g. playing a video game or using a video editing app. Battery life is OK but don't expect 5 hours with any sandy-bridge i7 laptop.
The SONY hotline is OK as far as I can tell.
My piece of advice: buy an SSD to replace the stock Toshiba 7200rpm HDD, which is nice for an HDD but holds the overall performance of the laptop back. Thus equipped this Vaio F-series should be able to hold its own for the next few years rather than become obsolete in a few months.

Comments about Sony VAIO F Series VPCF23JFX/BC 16.4" Notebook Computer:

This PC is really a beaut! Fast, accurate and comes just like it says online! Gaming on it is a pleasure. Battlefield runs smoothly after updating Nvidia drivers and it an awesome game:) Earphones are great too, only drawback is, I thought they were wireless, but none the less they are great quality. Overall a very stylish, and powerful machine.

Comments about Sony VAIO F Series VPCF23JFX/BC 16.4" Notebook Computer:

By some of the other reviews I'm kinda of wondering If I got a bum Laptop or not.Actually I was extremely disappointed with most aspects of this Sony Laptop.I had high hopes.My display is lacking in everything.Colors are not colorful,but dull and washed out.Again a suprise since I bought a i7 Sony a few years back,when i7's were the new thing,and that Display was simply gorgeous.Also playing games has not been a pleasant experience either.The fan that kicks in when starting a game is very loud and annoying .Again, kinda of a suprise in this day and age when some companies ,like ASUS,has solved this problem with smart laptop designs to disperse the heat quietly and efficiently.This Sony not so smart.In keeping with the display gripe,the games looked just plain awful at times.Other than that, sound was good ,not great,but not awful either.The only really good thing I can say, is that the keyboard is very pleasant to type on,and having a lighted one is also a major plus...Again ,just very disappointed in the purchase, at least the Vaio I recieved.The not-so-impressive display was a incredible bummer, and unSony like.I wanted to like it...

Comments about Sony VAIO F Series VPCF23JFX/BC 16.4" Notebook Computer:

First of all, the 1080 display on a laptop is great. Most people will end up using something like this for gaming, but I use it more for general-purpose multi-tasking (watching movies, web browsing, programming, etc), and I absolutely love all of the desktop space.

My previous laptop -- a 15" Compaq F700 -- had a pretty pathetic battery life, something in the neighborhood of about an hour. This thing, despite a powerful graphics card and a huge display, can get somewhere between 3-4 hours worth of action on a charge. It's a huge improvement.

Overall I am tremendously satisfied with this purchase. I can't stress enough how fantastic the display on this thing is. I use this as my TV in my bedroom, and it looks awesome.

Comments about Sony VAIO F Series VPCF23JFX/BC 16.4" Notebook Computer:

Im mainly bought this product to edit HD movies, make special effects for movies and compose music all in glorious 64 bits. Super Fast, super slick machine for the price. No complaints except for the headphones feel a little on the cheap side. Easy fix though.

Comments about Sony VAIO F Series VPCF23JFX/BC 16.4" Notebook Computer:

Would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a dependable, long lasting laptop, I edit Video and this laptop is awesome.

Comments about Sony VAIO F Series VPCF23JFX/BC 16.4" Notebook Computer:

I got this computer primarily to play SWTOR and other PC games as well as watch movies while on the road. I am very happy with the performance since I have had it in the last month. It is a very capable gaming laptop with a great screen for graphics and video. It didn't come with too much bloatware like my Dell laptop. The i7 processor is very fast. I really like the feel of the keyboard. I haven't used the headphones much but I tried them a few times and they sound good even though they are a bit bulky compared to the logitech one I have. The battery life is decent for the specs. It is a bit lighter than I expected which is a plus. B&H delivered it very fast and I got it on sale over the holiday so the value considering the cpu and graphics card was a steal even compared to sites like[@]

Comments about Sony VAIO F Series VPCF23JFX/BC 16.4" Notebook Computer:

This is a very good(or the best one) option for a mobile gaming computer. It is one with the best features possible, plus a awesome price. The headphone included is no less than sony quality. BF3, and other games (ie. Alice Madness Returns, Guitar Hero, etc) running at maximum.
Nothing else to say, very happy with this purchase. The specifications says for itself. Its a powerful machine for hardcore users.

Comments about Sony VAIO F Series VPCF23JFX/BC 16.4" Notebook Computer:

Got this computer for school. Easy setup and controls. Stays remarkably cool. Great price for the amount of computer. I have owned sony products before and I do not anticipate this one to let me down just as the others did not.

Comments about Sony VAIO F Series VPCF23JFX/BC 16.4" Notebook Computer:

I bought this for my wife to run her e-business off of, run Photoshop, and for me to doing some video game commentary with (when she lets me use it).

The laptop had great specs for the price, runs fast, and came with cool stuff too. The machine came with some sort of very fancy gaming headsets, a working copy of Vegas Movie Studio, and a download code for Battlefield 3.

The only real downside is that it did come with a few too many junkware programs from Sony. Took about an hour to clean off and get ready to use properly.

Comments about Sony VAIO F Series VPCF23JFX/BC 16.4" Notebook Computer:

I haven't had it that long, but it is definitly powerful and fast. Keyboard is excellent and backlit. Wireless is easy and fast. Video is great, watched a dvd. I haven't had a chance to play with the extra software that comes with it.
Glitch: the game comes with a license key and not preinstalled: it's a 4 hour download at 10Mb/sec broadband connection, not counting the install. It requires an online connection through EA Origins website. To play the game you are presented with an overwhelming web page where, to me, not a big gamer, I couldn't see how to just start playing against the computer :-(.
Glitch: I had to go through the control panel to get the headphones to receive sound. This is very surprising with a sony product. It ought to just switch sound to headphones and speakers off on plug in.
I'm a computer programmer, where multitasking is a must and this computer flies! Web browseing is great.
Glitch: the WEB button launches your browser while in windows, which saves mousing around. But the feature that happens when the laptop is off is very limited and not updatable--says Sony support! This is already a problem as the version of Firefox that launches in a virtual machine is out of date--so says hotmail--and there is no pdf viewer. so only very basic browsing is possible.
laptop runs cool with a quite fan. Creating the restore media to DVDs was a sinch, though disapppointed that there was no option to do so to external hard drive; it's DVDs or USB thumb drive only!
Glitch: I'm used to a desktop mouse, I haven't gotten used to the track pad and buttons. There are a few gestures I have not learned and accidentally invoked, like scrolling and dragging when I didn't want to and not being able to scroll when I do want to!
Battery life is only 2.5 hours while doing basic tasks. I expected this, but how time flies!
It seems thicker in person than the dimensions suggest, but it fits my backpack: a big plus as I chose the 16" screen over a 17" for that reason. Resolution is crisp and detailed. Does Aero quickly.