Overview
With Sony being one of the number one names in the Laptop market thanks to its VAIO range, I thought it was about time we saw one of the more top of the edge Laptops you can find in this range.
With a hefty price tag this might not be one of those laptops you ask for for Easter, well unless you parents are loaded.
So what does this Laptop offer all you Sony VAIO fans? Let's find out.
Review
Style
Now VAIO’s are known for their style, most of the VAIO’s on the shelves put other Laptops to shame. This VAIO comes in a glossy black colour with its brand name on the lid to let everyone know you're a VAIO user.
Screen wise this VAIO has been built with a massive 18.4″ LCD screen that looks rather impressive with its 1920 x 1080 resolution.
Under the bonnet
Now we come to the be all and end all of Laptops in my opinion, the specs. It’s these that determine how fast the product actually is, a glossy screen and case is all nice and fancy at the end of the day, no word of a lie.
But if the specs are not what you need, all your going to end up with is a nice looking Internet Browser. Now thankfully this VAIO does not seem to disappoint in the specs area.
Processor wise this comes with an Intel Core 2 Duo that runs at 2.53GHz which is a rather fast processor for a Laptop. Now with it being a Core 2 Duo this means that it has 2 processors instead of the 1 we have be used to for years. Now while you may think this means you get 2×2.53Ghz you are partially right and partially wrong.
First of all the computer will only use the 2 processors if the software supports it. Now most of the modern OS like Vista and to a certain extent Windows XP 64 do support this feature and with more and more games coming out that have been designed for Dual Core processors, now's the time to take the plunge and get one yourself.
Either way however, the single processor alone should be more than enough power for the OS on this VAIO to run, as well as any design packages you may run.
Helping out the processor is 4GB of DDR3 RAM, this partnership gives this laptop the boost it needs to run everything you can possibly need without the VAIO having to slow down to take a breather. Now once again as always I feel inclined to tell you that with it being built with Vista Home Premium it does mean that this OS will be taking a whole 1GB for itself for the day to day running of the OS; the system will tell you that you have 4GB to use but behind the curtains Vista has claimed 1GB for itself. Something to bear in mind but there is nothing we can do to lower this amount unless you install another operating system for example like XP.
With this being a high end Laptop you would expect a high end graphics card as well to power through your applications. Built into this is a nVidia GeForce 9600M GT card with a huge 512 MB of memory, now with this amount of memory all your application will have enough for even the high end tasks.
The rest does not leave much to be disappointed about; having wireless that is capable of the new Draft N connection means that supported routers will be able to deliver speeds much faster than the current speeds we are used to. This Laptop also comes with Bluetooth, 3 USB ports, Firewire and an integrated webcam.
The Gaj-It Verdict
Design 9/10
Usability: 8/10
Features: 10/10
Value: 9/10
We Say
If you like your Laptops built like a horse and have lots of money to burn this might be the VIAO that's right up your street.
Technical Specs
- Processor – Intel Core 2 Duo 2.53 GHz ( Dual-Core )
- 4 GB (installed) / 4 GB (max) – DDR2 SDRAM 800 MHz
- 640 GB ( 2 x 320 GB) 5400 RPM Serial ATA Hard Drive
- Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium (SP1)
- 18.4 ins X-black LCD with double lamp technology WXGA++ Colours
- Blu-ray Disc(tm) Drive *BD-R/-RE/-ROM/ DVD+-RW/+-R DL/RAM
- nVidia GeForce 9600M GT – 512 MB
- Bluetooth – Yes
- Notebook Camera – Integrated – 1.3 Megapixel
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