battery

The screen brightness averages out to 289 cd/m². This is higher than most of the notebooks we've reviewed, which tend to come in between 180 and 230 cd/m². Sony VGP-BPS10 Akku ,With the brightness turned all the way up, the brightest spot on the screen measures 312 cd/m². The difference in illumination among the different areas of the screen is,Sony VGP-BPS21 Akku , however, not visible to the naked eye (86% brightness distribution).

Not that we were actually considering lugging the 3.17 kg giant to the beach. But thanks to the high screen brightness and its non-reflective coating, this is actually a viable option. Thanks to the matte screen, reflections don't end up eclipsing what's actually on the screen.

We've never seen viewing angles like this on notebook screen!Sony VGP-BPS21A Akku , No matter what angle we look at the screen from, the level of contrast doesn't drop nor is there any color inversion. Acer LC.BTP05.001,Whether tilting the screen back and forth or looking from the side, the picture remains just about the same up to 85º away from the straight-ahead viewing angle. Acer BT.00403.005,These numbers seem to indicate an IPS (in-plane switching) display. Acer BT.00803.007,Typical TN (twisted nematic) displays dominate the consumer notebook market and can't manage to display an undistorted picture at viewing angles beyond 45º horizontally or 15º vertically. The screen of the Vaio F21 can, however, Acer BT.00804.007,hold its own against a good external LCD monitor.

IPS (also called MVA) comes with the downside of longer reaction times. Acer BT.00805.002,A film buff friend of ours noticed some delay in the picture during scenes with quick motion. Acer BT.T2803.001,Us testers, though, didn't notice a thing.

The quad-core CPU Core i7-2630QM running at a clock rate of 4 x 2.0 GHz (Turbo 2.9GHz) is a Sandy Bridge processor currently used in powerful multimedia and gaming laptops. Acer BT.T8603.001,The CPU is aided by 6 MB L3-cache. Turbo Boost 2.0 pushes performance further yet with its Acer BTP-96H1,"Dynamic Range @ Turbo Frequency Limits": as long as the CPU is sufficiently cool, the Turbo Boost can even go beyond the above-named 2.9 GHz. Acer BTP-63D1,The Hyper-Threading function is naturally on board. Therefore, the 45-watt CPU can simultaneously process up to 8 threads. Acer BTP-AHD1,

The integrated graphics card, the HD Graphics 3000,Acer BTP-98H1, always remains OFF (no Nvidia Optimus). The dedicated Geforce GT 540M, therefore, Acer BTP-AFD1,works alone at rendering all the graphics all the time. The F21 comes standard with 8,192 MB RAM (2x4096MB PC3-10600) and a 640GB Toshiba HDD.Acer BTP-AGD1,

The multi-core benchmark Acer BTP-AID1,WPrime pumps out some better results for the F21's processor than CPUs of the previous generation like the 720QM (483s) and the 740QM (427s). Acer LC.BTP01.005,The fewer seconds, the better. Our 2630QM takes 316s to complete the benchmark sequence, about 25% faster than the 740QM.Acer LC.BTP01.009, The 2630QM really shows who's boss in Cinebench R11.5 (Multi, 64 Bit) with 4.85 points. Acer LC.BTP01.020,The 740QM (~3.1 points) trails a good deal behind (-33%). Only the 2011 i7-2820QM (5.4 points, 2.3-3.4GHz) can outdo the processor at hand (+14%).Acer BT.00803.004,

We now move on to CPU benchmarks testing qualities beyond the processor's sheer speed. Acer BT.T3004.001,The PCMark Vantage benchmark awards our fair CPU 7,312 points, Acer BT.T3007.001,which is expected of a processor like this. Comparatively, the Aspire 7750G with the same processor earns 7,402 points.Acer BT.T3007.003, Only notebooks equipped with an SSD like the Alienware M17x R3 (GTX 460M, i7-2630QM) or the XMG A701 (identical), manage substantially higher scores (12,700 / 14,000).Acer BTP-58A1,Acer LC.BTP01.003,Acer LC.BTP03.002,Acer 3UR18650Y-2-QC236,

HD Tune (57 MB/s Read Rate) Acer BTP-59A1,and Crystal Disk Mark 3.0 (89 MB/s Read Rate) attest to the fair-to-good transfer rates of the Toshiba HDD (640 GB) at hand. Acer BTP-60A1,You might notice the Crystal Disk Mark 3.0 score is considerably higher—this can at least partly be explained by the different test routine this benchmark uses.Acer BTP-ANJ1, The HDD score in PCMark Vantage gives it a very good 4,293 points (decent for 7200 RPM),Acer BTP-AMJ1, which indicates the Crystal Disk Mark result is probably closer to the truth.

The GeForce GT 540M (1,024 MB DDR3) is among Nvidia's mid grade graphics cards.Acer BTP-AOJ1, The Fermi chip supports DirectX 11 as well as GDDR5 memory. Acer BTP-APJ1,As usual, 1,024MB DDR3 video memory is on board. It's clock rated at 672/900 MHz (core/memory). In 3DMark2006 (1,280x1,024) the GPU earns 8,318 points. Acer BTP-AQJ1,The Radeon HD 6850M manages to top the Nvidia card when working with the same memory type at around 9,700 points. Acer BTP-ARJ1,As far as mid-grade Radeon GPUs go, only the HD 6550 and 6650 (~7,515 points) fall (just) short of the Nvidia card.Acer BTP-AS3620, The 3DMark Vantage score (P4589) places the GT 540M far ahead of the HD 6550M (P3700). Acer BTP-ASJ1,3DMark 11 awards the Nvidia card 1,033 performance points. Here, the HD 6550M (P1107) and even the older HD 5650 (P1024) come out ahead.Acer BTP-B2J1,Acer GARDA31,Acer GARDA32,Acer LC.BTP00.021,Acer LC.BTP00.022,Acer LC.BTP01.010,

The stereoscopic 3D picture is rendered by the graphics card.Acer LC.BTP01.011, The high power consumption level in 3D mode is the reason it can only work when the laptop's plugged in.Asus A32-M9 , Since there's a known reduction in performance amounting to about 50% with 3D Vision activated, Acer LC.TG600.001,we won't get into an extensive discussion of the results of the three games tested in 3D mode. For in-depth comparisons, Asus A32-W7 ,see the Nvidia 3D Vision article and the Review Aspire 5745DG. The scores mentioned in the "Verdict: Gaming" paragraph were measured with 3D mode OFF. Asus A33-M9 ,In short—in the column marked "high"—with 3D mode on the F21 managed only low refresh rates: Asus 90-NCA1B3000 ,15/15.5/15.5 FPS (BFBC2, SC2, Mafia2).

Those who'd like to have a look the 3D mode's reduced frame rates in action can check out this YouTube clip.Asus A41-W3 , During the 3DMarks 2006 benchmark, Asus 90-NCB1B3000 ,we periodically switched the 3D mode on and off. The picture didn't look very 3D, however.Asus A41-A3 ,

The Geforce GT 540M proves itself rather adept at running Asus A41-A6 ,recent titles as long as the user neither chooses the native resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels nor turns the 3D mode on. Asus A42-A3 ,The GT 540M turns out to be too weak for high detail settings beyond the WXGA resolution, especially considering its DDR3 video memory.Asus AL31-1005 , A better choice for the 3D Vaio would have been the GTX 460M or the GT 555M. Asus AL32-1005 ,According to Sony, however, no such update is in the works so far.

The Vaio F21 turns out be rather quiet when running.Asus PL32-1005 , When idle, the laptop always remains slightly audible, the fan never turns off completely. Asus A31-W5F ,This is not a problem since the noise level of 31.6 dB(A) produced by the fan here is the same as produced by the 7200 RPM hard drive—which is constantly spinning and humming. Asus A32-W5F ,The HDD remains just as quiet even when the read and write head is retrieving or writing data.Asus A33-W5F , When playing a DVD, the Blu-Ray drive makes its presence known with a bearable 35 dB(A).

With rising CPU/GPU stress,Asus 90-NA11B1000 , the fan slowly increases its rotational speed. This means the fan doesn't all of a sudden get a lot louder, Asus 90-NHA1B1000 ,catch you off-guard and scare the bejesus out of you. High stress on the graphics card (here in 3DMark2006) doesn't bring the noise level higher than 36.3 dB(A).Asus A32-W5F , Only in the stress test (CPU & GPU 100% load) did we measure 46 dB(A). After ending the test, Asus A31-W5F ,the noise level quickly dropped back down to 32.5 dB(A) within 30 seconds.

The constantly-spinning fan provides for an always-cool case when idle and a lukewarm case under heavy use. Asus A32-W5F ,The CPU temperature reaches a max of 79 ºC (GPU 60ºC) during the several-hour-long stress Asus A33-W5F ,test using Prime95 and Furmark—which goes to show that the cooling system can easily handle the task of keeping the case and hardware nice and frosty.

The laptop's stereo speakers are found above the keyboard. Asus A42-M6 ,The sound produced emphasizes highs and mids while the bass seems to be completely absent. Asus A32-U6 ,The options available in the Control Center like "S-Force Front Surround" (wide range of sound, source not locatable), "DolbyPC" (emphasizes mids) and "no effects" (plain sound, emphasizes mids) don't serve to bring the bass any more into the picture.Aus A31-S6 , Nevertheless, these settings do allow you to adjust the audio to your particular preferences.

The battery life in various scenarios proves itself to really be quite short. Asus A32-S6 ,The 54Wh lithium-ion battery (VGP-BPS21A, 5000mAh) is by no means a weak one,Akku Dell Vostro 1320 , but the high power consumption level of the laptop takes a toll on the battery life. After a mere 2 hours 28 minutes of browsing the internet via Wifi, the battery dies. During the wifi test, the screen brightness was set to moderate 100 cd/m².Akku Dell Vostro 1510 , The DVD Lord of the Rings could not be played all the way through, stopping short at 1 hour 58 minutes. Akku Dell Vostro 1520 ,When playing a Blu-Ray, the battery life dwindles down to 1 hour 49 minutes (3D cannot be activated on battery power).

The 16" F21 is hardly energy-efficient.Akku Dell Vostro 2510 , It requires a minimum of 22 to 35 watts (idle). Even for laptop equipped with a quad-core CPU,Akku Dell Studio 1435 , this is a very high level of power consumption (battery removed!) The Alienware M17X R3 ate up only between 17 and 26 watts when idle.Akku Dell Studio 1436 , The Acer Aspire 7750G needed 13-19 watts. Both of these have the exact same processor and a larger form factor.

While running the 3DMarks2006 benchmark,Akku Dell Inspiron 1440 , the energy consumption dropped by about 5 watts when we turned on 3D mode.Akku Dell Inspiron 1750 , The frame rate dropped right along with it (from 30 fps to 16 fps, for example).

Optimally-functioning entertainment laptop with poor case craftsmanship that's priced too high. Akku Dell Inspiron 1410 ,That's the 16" Vaio VPC-F21Z1E/BI in a nutshell. Akku Dell Vostro 1014 ,The 3D Vision technology from Nvidia works perfectly at the press of a button with the shutter glasses on. Akku Dell Vostro 1015 ,Whether its a game, a DVD or an ordinary Blu-Ray, the stereoscopic 3D picture looks perfect and the dimming that plagued previous 3D laptops has been reduced to nearly non-existent. Akku Dell Vostro A840 ,The high-quality full-HD screen offers an incredible range of viewing angles with and without the 3D glasses (vertically as well as horizontally), Akku Dell Vostro A860 ,not to mention high contrast and a broad color space (>100% sRGB).Akku Dell Vostro A860n ,Akku Dell Studio XPS 16 ,

Recent games played in high resolutions or in 3D mode will only disappoint. Akku Dell Studio XPS 1640 ,The Geforce GT 540M manages to smoothly run typical games in a WXGA Akku Dell Studio XPS 13 ,resolution and high detail settings. But as soon as 3D mode is turned on, the frame rate drops by about half. Akku Dell Studio XPS 1340 ,Those familiar with Nvidia 3D Vision shouldn't be surprised by this. To play games with high graphics settings in 3D, Akku Dell Vostro 1200 ,you need at least a GeForce GTX 460M (1,536 MB GDDR5). The GTX 460M is on board in the Asus 3D Book G73SW-91084V (starting at 1,899 Euro).

The biggest weak point is the case craftsmanship,Akku Dell Inspiron 1320 , which just doesn't fit the look or feel of a Vaio going for 1,930 Euro. The plastic base unit is sturdy but the thick display lid is not. Akku Dell Inspiron 11z ,The glossy finish around the keyboard attracts dirt and smudges from everywhere.Akku Dell Inspiron Mini 10 , The VGA port juts out oddly from the edge of the laptop and the area along the base plate below the Blu-Ray burner dents easily. Akku Dell Inspiron Mini 1011 ,Akku Dell Inspiron Mini 10v ,Akku Dell Latitude 2100 ,

We're assuming that the price will fall considerably in the coming months. Akku Dell Latitude E4300 ,Both Sony and retailers will notice that mid-grade hardware at a premium-grade price will make the F21 a fixture in stores. From the time of our hands-on preview of the F21 (24.3.2011) to the time this article was published (7.4.2011), Akku ASUS ，the market price already dropped by 50 Euro (14 days).