The manufacturer describes the Vaio VPC-EA-Series as "Our most color-intensive Vaio notebook" and there are five colors on offer. White (like our test system), as well as pink and black are currently available at retail, while one will have to wait a short time for the blue and green variants. Sony already has these colors as part of their website lineup.

The white variant has, with respect to the design of the outer lid and the palm rest, many similarities with its colorful stablemates. The similarity here extends to only the use of 3D-effects, as the surface pattern itself differs from model to model. While the Vaio VPC-EA1S1E/P in pink has a circular pointed pattern, our white test model with small squares looks a bit more appropriate. The finish creates a sort of shadow-effect, which is particularly evident under sunlight. The pattern on the surface projects its shadows on the underlying layer. The effect is reminiscent of a water-like layer, thin and crystal clear, in which small objects are swimming. The question of pattern and color is however, one of taste. The plastic finish should quell any doubts and is without a doubt, the best in the 800 Euro price class.

Up until now only Samsung had similarly colorful notebooks/netbooks on the market featuring the same high quality surface coating with the R580 and N220. The surface appears very hard and scratch-resistant. While fingerprints will gladly collect on its surfaces, the white color makes them almost invisible. With continual use, the matte-white area around the keyboard will certainly reveal itself to be a weak-point; the slightly glossy plastic will develop dirty edges that will have to be cleaned by the user if the pretty aesthetics are to be maintained. Wiping the area off with a cleanser should not be detrimental for the surface.

The palm rest is reassuring with a high level of solidity and is unable to be depressed in any area, which also holds true for the touch pad. The surface of the base plate and the area above the keyboard are very stable and do not bend at any location. The outer lid is also measurably stiff, though when we grabbed it by its edges we were able to bend it slightly. One thing that we found rather dissatisfying was that the bezel surrounding the TFT-panel was only lightly affixed. Specifically the strip with the Sony logo is able to be lifted up high enough by a fingernail that one could fit a small finger underneath.

Both legs of the display hold the outer lid somewhat wobbly in position. Because that allows for a maximum angle of about 135 degrees when open, it isn't particularly a problem. However when open this wide the display has a tendency to teeter. In this position the small legs support the display rather well.

The glossy display panel is unable to impress us neither with its contrast levels nor its rather high brightness. Sony has used a 14.1-inch display (35.5 cm) which has a native resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels (16:9). The WXGA ++ resolution is unusual in mainstream form factors, but suitable for the use as a mobile office companion or entertainer.

With black levels of 1.32 cd/m² we were able to achieve a maximum contrast of 158:1. A higher contrast above 400:1, for example, would allow the reproduction of more vibrant colors. Games, films or photos would simply be more handsome looking. With this panel, colors look more pale and weak than lively and fresh. The glare-type panel also serves to mislead some of these colors.

The PCMark Vantage recorded a score of 5082. This value approximates the application performance of a notebook. All components, such as the CPU, GPU, HDD and RAM will undergo synthetic testing. With such a score the 14.1-incher finds itself at about the same level as the 15.6-inch Toshiba Satellite L550-207 (4956 points) with the same i3 processor. The graphics card is not a deciding factor in a PCMark Vantage test. Laptops with a stronger dedicated GPU don't necessarily have a better overall system performance. For instance, the Acer Aspire 8942G-334G64Mn (ATI HD5650) scored 4755 points.

A look at the Core i5 processor 520M in stronger-performing systems shows a large difference. A Dell Studio 1558 achieves 5929 points, while a Samsung R580-JS03DE puts up 6026 points. The reason for this large performance gap is the Turbo Boost feature of the i5/i7 processors as well as their generally higher operating frequencies.

The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5145 graphics card belongs to the entry-level category and can utilize up to 512 MB GDDR3 of video memory. The memory is clocked at 800 MHz, the core at 720 MHz. The GPU is only capable of DirectX-10.1 effects, as the part is simply a renamed Mobility Radeon HD4570 with higher frequencies. Sony does not use the all of the available overclocking room (900 MHz) leaving the memory at 800 Mhz.

The gaming performance of the mainstream GPU is markedly weaker than the ATI HD 5650 and Nvidia GT 330M. For the majority of current games, it simply isn't strong enough. 3DMark06 displays a weak score of 3651 points when it comes to 3D competency. We will carry out a total of three game-tests.

World in Conflict

The real-time strategy game is multi-core capable and profits from Hyper-Treading. However, combined with the weak HD 5145, there is little to gain from all of this. World in Conflict is playable at medium resolutions (no DirectX-10 effects) but only at 1024x x 768 pixels. At high detail the frame rate breaks down to 18 frames per second. In comparison, a Dell Studio 1749 with an i520M and an ATI HD 5650 is able to render the game on high settings at a playable 33 FPS.

Left4Dead

The shooter is already somewhat older and presents little challenge to the hardware. At 1024 x 768 pixels and with the level of detail set to high the shooter runs at 51 FPS. This leaves room to raise the resolution to 1280 x 900 pixels. The sequel, Left4Dead2, is not as forgiving in this respect.

Risen

The fantasy-adventure Risen overcomes the HD 5145 only at the lowest settings. At 800 x 600 pixels and low detail, 74 FPS are to be had. At middle settings (1024 x 768, middle, 2xAF) the Vaio EA1 puts out 20 FPS. At this rate the game is not playable.

Conclusion: With the ATI HD5145, mobile gamers should leave their fingers at rest. Current and above all demanding games are unable to be brought to life by the GPU. For older games, a la Left4Dead the performance is adequate. Those interested can head over to our graphics-card comparison and look at the exact specs of the ATI HD 4570 in detail. This part is the same as the HD 5145 under a different name.

The 14.1-inch Sony Vaio VPC-EA1S1E breaks the mold--and that was its intention all along. Sony wanted to create a colorful and handy notebook series for its inexpensive entry-level segment, the result of which is clear.

The Vaio EA1 with a Core i3-330M (2.13 Ghz) is technically an office-all rounder with comparably high performance. The processor has, generally speaking, stronger performance as its Core 2 Duo predecessor with similar or higher speeds. Multi-core applications show a defined benefit here. The entry level GPU ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5145 is only suitable for current games in certain circumstances.

The lifestyle-notebook counts its advantages less in the technical sense and more concerning aesthetics, haptics and workmanship. The premium finish on the palm rest and outer lid look good and are at the same time very stable. The chassis, with its enclosed battery lies well in the hand and is not able to be bent or dented anywhere. With all the high praise, we shouldn't let the weak points get overlooked: the hinges of the outer lid are strongly sprung and the display bezel is not firmly attached to its surface.

The display is not particularly bright and contrast-strong, but thanks to the high 1600 x 900 pixel resolution users profit from a good view of the display. The mobility of the 14.1-incher is rather weak. Two and a half hours when surfing via WLAN are no longer acceptable in the era of Intels CULV-processors and 9-hour netbooks. The manufacturer apologized itself for this oversight, as the Vaio EA1 has a low capacity of 3500 mAh.

Those not looking for 3D-performance and high mobility will be happy to know that the Vaio EA1 for 800 Euro is a pretty notebook with attactive aesthetic details. Those not looking for individuality would find, for example, the Acer Aspire 5741G-334G50Mn with the same hardware and a 15.6-inch screen available for 650 Euro.