Sony Vaio VPC-F236FM/B
Specifications

Price comparison
Average of 3 scores (from 3 reviews)
Reviews for the Sony Vaio VPC-F236FM/B
Source: CNet

Sony certainly makes distinctive-looking laptops. And in a market saturated with cookie-cutter grey boxes (or now, endless MacBook Air knockoffs), that's more important than it may seem at first. If the size is right for you, the Vaio F Series is a well-made high-end laptop, and is a good reminder that Sony is one of the few brands that comes close to Apple on design and polish.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/28/2012
Rating: Total score: 70% performance: 80% mobility: 50%
Source: Tech Advisor

Performance issues aside, the VAIO F Series isn't such a bad buy. Sure, you'll have to contend with Sony's extra software (such as its VAIO Gate dock), and the Firewire port is weirdly located on the front of the computer, but otherwise the F Series is a decent laptop for multimedia playback and basic tasks. I don't love the design, but others might. Plus, it's pretty portable for a desktop replacement.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 12/21/2011
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: PC Mag

The Sony VAIO VPC-F236FM is a great desktop replacement. Its 16-inch 1080p HD display and Blu-ray drive is a great combination for movie buffs, and the internal components only sweeten the deal if you're into gaming. However, the Editors' Choice Acer Aspire AS8950G-9839 provides all these features, and has a beefier graphics processor, for just $50 more.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 10/19/2011
Rating: Total score: 80%
Comment
NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M:
Mid-range graphics card based on the GT 435M chip (GF108) with higher clock rates and DDR3 support.
Non demanding games should be playable with these graphics cards.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
Intel Core i7: The Intel Core i7 for laptops is based on the LG1156 Core i5/i7 CPU for desktops. The base clock speed of the CPUs is relatively low, but because of a huge Turbo mode, the cores can dynamically overclock to up to 3.2 GHz (920XM). Therefore, the CPU can be as fast as high clocked dual-core CPUs (using single threaded applications) but still offer the advantage of 4 cores. Because of the large TDP of 45 W / 55 W, the CPU is only intended for large laptops.
2630QM: Fast Quad-core processor based on the Sandy Bridge architecture with an integrated graphics card and dual-channel DDR3 memory controller. » Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.
16.40":
This range for display formats was and is a rarity. It is larger than the general standard of 15 inches, but not yet in the range of large workstations. One usually has higher screen resolutions available, but portability suffers from that.
» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.3.2 kg:
A laptop with this weight is comparatively heavy and less designed for mobility than for use at the desk. Therefore, the devices tend to shine less with battery life than with a large screen and higher performance.
Sony: Sony Corporation is one of the largest Japanese electronics companies. The company was founded in 1946 under a different name and initially produced rice stoves. The company launched the first transistor radio. In 1958, the company was renamed Sony. Sony is a combination of the Latin word sonus (sound) and the English word sonny (little boy). Today, its core business is consumer electronics. The company is engaged in the development, design, manufacture and sale of electronic equipment, instruments, devices, game consoles and software. Sony operates in the following segments: Gaming and Network Services, Music, Images, Home Entertainment and Sound, Imaging Products and Solutions, Mobile Communications, Semiconductors, Financial Services and Others.
70%: This rating is poor. More than three quarters of the models are rated better. That is rather not a purchase recommendation. Even if verbal ratings in this area do not sound that bad ("sufficient" or "satisfactory"), they are usually euphemisms that disguise a classification as a below-average laptop.
» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.