Built around the widescreen form factor and released in May 2005, the VGN FS660 is the latest generation mid range work horse from Sony. Geared as a desktop replacement, this machine comes in with a good mix of value, mid range weight and battery life and extremely competant performance. Some of the highlights of this notebook include:CPU: 1.7Ghz Intel Processor on a 533Mhz Front Side Bus (Mid Range)Memory: 1GB ( 2x512MB @ 333 Mhz). This can be upgraded to 2GB by replacing the existing RAM. Video: NVIDIA GeForce 6200 which can use upto 128MB of your system RAM to support higher resolutions and dual displaysDisplay: 15.4" XBRITE display providing 1280x800 WXGA resolutionOptical Drive: Dual Layered DVD+R and Single Layer DVD+-RW capable driveNetworking: Integrated WiFi (802.11b/g) using the Intel PRO 2200 BG chipset (see note at the bottom) and 10/100Mbps Wired Ethernet. 56K Dial up modem is also built inPorts: 1 VGA Out (capable of handling an external monitor in a dual head configuration), 1 Firewire and 3 USB 2.0 ports for external connectionsSpeakers: Built in stereo speakers The software bundle centers around the pre-installed Windows XP Home (SP2) and includes the standard Sony Multi-media software like DVGate (DVD Authoring), SonicGate (Music), PictureGear Studio (Photos), Vaio Media, Click 2 DVD, and WinDVD. Business applications include Microsoft Works 8.0, Quicken New User Edition and trial versions of MS Office 2003 and Norton Anti-Virus / Anti-Spyware programs. Overall, this is a great mid-range bundle. We do think that Sony could have improved the performance a little bit by adding a faster hard drive (4200 is low end). Users who have upgraded the hard drive to aftermarket drives at 5400 or 7200 RPM have reported huge performance increases. Note about WiFi: Several users have complained that this particular WiFi chipset from Intel has problems with loosing the connection frequently.
