Sony's flagship entertainment desktop replacement has remained essentially unchanged since the introduction of the first unit (VGN-AW17GU/Q) in November 2008. Subsequent models have retained the same chassis and feature set, and only the processor and operating system have been upgraded. Though it remains one of the most powerful machines in the market, performance-wise, it has been overtaken by machines like the Dell XPS 16 with Core i7 and Nvidia GeForce 200 series chips. Still, thanks to its excellent display and bundled Adobe software, this Vaio remains relevant to creative professionals and photographers on-the-go.
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Read first take of the Sony Vaio VGN-AW47GH/Q »

First Take

Sony's flagship entertainment desktop replacement has remained essentially unchanged since the introduction of the first unit (VGN-AW17GU/Q) in November 2008. Subsequent models have retained the same chassis and feature set, and only the processor and operating system have been upgraded. Though it remains one of the most powerful machines in the market, performance-wise, it has been overtaken by machines like the Dell XPS 16 with Core i7 and Nvidia GeForce 200 series chips. Still, thanks to its excellent display and bundled Adobe software, this Vaio remains relevant to creative professionals and photographers on-the-go.

Upside: Most of the key features have have been retained same from the first VGN-AW17GU/Q, which includes the exceptional 3LED display, bundled full versions of Adobe applications and high-speed CompactFlash card reader. Click here for a more detailed description.

This Vaio is one of the first Sony portables to sport the new Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit edition. This allows the machine to recognize more than 4GB of RAM and is supposed to run certain programs faster than the 32-bit version. This high-end operating system also includes features such as BitLocker Drive Encryption for data security.

Downside: For an expensive machine which costs S$5,999 (US$4,319.25), this Vaio is lacking in some areas. With Core i7 processors already in some high-end desktop replacements, the AW series doesn't even offer quad-core performance and sports only a Core 2 Duo chip. Moreover, the Nvidia GeForce 9600M GT graphics card is showing its age and has been overtaken by the newer GeForce 260M models.

Another issue is that this machine has only three USB ports when its competitors offer four or more. The next-gen eSATA connectivity is also missing from this flagship unit. In addition, a smaller ExpressCard/34 slot is provided instead of the full-size ExpressCard/54 standard.

Granted, this is not targeted at home entertainment users, but at this price it wouldn't hurt to include a remote control as well as a built-in TV tuner. The notebook also doesn't come with a TPM security chip to complement the fingerprint sensor, bringing it one notch down from a data security perspective.

Outlook: While the price has dropped by S$1,000 (US$719.99) compared with the pioneering VGN-AW17GU/Q, the Core 2 Duo and graphics platform are beginning to look dated. However, thanks to the fantastic display and included Adobe software, this Vaio is still one of the best choices for multimedia professionals who want portability.

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