Sony Laptops Reviews
A comparison Guide of FXA, GRS, GRV, GRX, GRZ, NV, PictureBook™, R505 SuperSlim Pro™, SRX and VX Sony Vaio laptop computers
Sony laptops almost appeared from nowhere and now seem to be the essential choice in mobile computing. If you think that I am exaggerating, just keep reading this article and see for yourself how these notebooks will rock your world.
Without further ado, let’s explore the wonderful world of Sony Vaio laptops. To render the experience more pleasant, please use the summary box below for easy reading.
Sony Laptops Reviews || Buying Guide
Sony Vaio laptops compared
Please note that as from September 2003, this article is a little bit stale due to the simple fact that almost all the models featured on this page have been replaced with newer ones. Please do check out the much more updated Sony Vaio laptops reviews, comparisons and buying guide page. Thanks
Sony Vaio laptops — FXA series reviews & comparisons
These Sony laptops have an “all-in-one design” to quote the manufacturer, meaning that all the components of a computer are in one package and thus you will never need to carry around an external CD-ROM driver for example (although you can remove the floppy drive and replace it with a second battery to increase the notebook’s life). The FXA Sony laptops feature the ever powerful Mobile AMD Athlon™ XP processor 1600+ that will give you all the performance you need.
Other main features include: 14.1″ XGA (1024×768) TFT display • 256 MB SDRAM, expandable to 512MB • 20 GB hard drive • CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive • Internal removable 1.44 MB, 3.5″ USB floppy drive • Size: 1.4″-1.9″ X 12.8″ X 10.5″ (H x W x D) • Weight: 6.7 lbs. (3,0 Kg) with one battery or 7.1 lbs.(3,22 Kg) with battery and floppy drive. These Sony laptops are ideal for students and those who need the same notebook computer at their houses and workplace.
Sony Vaio laptops — GRS series reviews & comparisons
These medium screened Sony Vaio laptop computers, 15.0″ XGA (1024×768), are another recommendation for those who want their notebooks to be powerful enough to handle their tasks yet be portable. The Sony laptops GRS range is powered by the Pentium® 4 1.8GHz-M processor or Celeron 1.7GHz. They also allow you to burn and play CDs and watch your favorite DVDs. You’ll also find features such as 512MB or 256MB of RAM, 30 to 40 GB of hard drive space, CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo and weighs 6.9lbs (3.13 Kg).
The Sony Vaio notebook GRS series is comprised of 4 models: Pentium® 4-M with WLAN (Wireless LAN), Pentium® 4-M without WLAN, PCG-GRS150 and finally the GRS150 (CTO).
Sony Vaio laptops — GRV review
The PCG-GRV550 is the only model of this Sony laptop series. Looking at its picture will not reveal much about it but it’s the ultimate desktop replacement at the time of this writing. If you would like a mobile computer that kicks normal desktops’ asses, don’t look any further, this should be your choice! Enough blabber, I will let the specs of this giant amaze you by themselves.
The Sony laptops GRV range features: A large 16.1 SXGA (1240×1024) high-resolution LCD display (for your information, you see as much as you’d see on a 17 inch desktop monitor) • The powerful Intel Pentium 4 processor 2.4GHz • 512 MB DDR SDRAM • 30 GB (they could have been more generous :) • Internal and removable CD-RW/DVD combo • Optional external usb floppy disk drive • 1.6-1.8″ X 14″ X 11.5″ • 8.0 lbs (3.63 Kg) with battery only 8.5 lbs (3.85 Kg) with battery + removable CD-RW/DVD combo. This is the kind of machine that makes desktops redundant. Enough said…
Sony Vaio laptops — GRX reviews & comparisons
What makes the GRX Sony Vaio laptop computers different from the others in series’? Is it the powerful Pentium® 4 2.0GHz-M processor, the large 16.1″ UXGA (1600×1200) display, the 512 MB of RAM, the hard drive space that can be customized up to up to 60 GB, its not so light size (8 lbs. or 3.63 Kg), the 4 models: PCG-GRX670; PCG-GRX690; GRX600 (CTO) & GRX600; or even the hot-swappable multi-bay?
Nope! Even though these Sony laptops can be bowed down to just because of the above features, the one that really make them stand out of the other Vaios and other portable computers is the configurable optical drive or to be more precise, the DVD-RW/CD-RW drive. Yes, you read right! The DVD-RW/CD-RW drive: you can now burn and copy DVDs thanks to Sony’s own exclusive Click to DVD™ software. I don’t suggest that you duplicate DVDs illegally but you can copy movies of your wedding, honey moon, holiday and/ or more for all the people that matter to you and instead of the boring VHS format, stun them with DVDs. On another note… do you have any idea of how much music you can store on a single DVD? Hats off to you Sony, the GRX rock.
Sony Vaio laptops — GRZ reviews & comparisons
This Sony laptop serial is the compromise between a desktop replacement and a standard laptop. Sorry for the lack of a better descriptive word, but like the Run DMC song goes “It’s like that and that’s the way it is… Huh!”. Seriously now… the reason behind the above comment are the specs behind the PCG-GRZ530, the only GRZ Serial model.
Intel Pentium 4 processor 2.4GHz which is pretty powerful • a slightly above average 15.0″ XGA (1024×768) TFT display • a generous amount of RAM though (512 MB) • 30 GB hard drive • an internal but removable CD-RW/DVD combo drive • 6.9 lbs. (3.13 Kg) with just 1 battery, 7.5 lbs. (3.40 Kg) with battery + optical drive which is quite above standard laptops but way below “serious” desktop replacement. I would recommend these Sony laptops for those who prefer “normal” laptops and a little more or those that want to settle a smaller desktop alternative.
Sony Vaio laptops — NV review
NV Sony laptop computers stand out from the crowd thanks to their ability to burn CDs as well as DVDs. The other great thing about NV Sony laptops is that everything is built-in and can be removed when not needed. For example the DVD-RW / CD-RW drive and the 1.44 MB, 3.5″ floppy drive are both removable.
The Sony laptops NV range is comprised of four models whose main features include Intel® Pentium® 4 processor 2.0GHz-M, 1.8GHz-M or 1.7GHz-M processors • 15.0″ SXGA+ (1400×1050) or 15.0″ XGA (1024×768) TFT display • 512 MB or 256 MB DDR SDRAM • 60 GB, 40 GB or 30 GB hard drive • 1.7”-2.1″ X 13.3″ X 10.9. These Sony laptops are also well-known to be affordable which is pretty impressive seeing all the wonderful features that they contain.
Sony Vaio laptops — PictureBook™ reviews & comparisons
If you prefer your mobile computers really small, light, “gadgetful” (just made this word up! :o) and yet hard workers then the PictureBook™ Sony laptop is the notebook you should acquire right now! I wonder if the Sony laptops manufacturers had James Bond in mind when they created this mini-computer.
Would you believe it if I told you that the PictureBook™ have a built-in camera that will allow you to shoot digital pictures or videos to add to your photo or video collection? That’s thanks to Sony’s unique Smart Capture Premier software. The Crusoe™ processor TM5800 867 MHz increases the batteries’ life and other remarkable features are these Sony laptops’ size: 1.2″ x 9.9″ x 6.0″, weight: 2.20 lbs (1 Kg), 8.9″ UW-SXGA (1280 x 600) TFT display, a 30 GB hard drive, CD-RW/DVD combo drive (external though) and up to 384 MB SDRAM. In my humble opinion, the PCG-C1MW and PCG-C1MWP, PictureBook™ models are the way all laptop computers should be especially for those who travel a lot for business related purposes.
Update January 2003: Apparently the PictureBook™ has been discontinued. I don’t know the exact reasons as to why this happened but a Sony Style retailer told me that it might be because it was too small… Hey! That’s why we liked it in the first place. If you ever come across one, get it right there!
Sony Vaio laptops — R505 SuperSlim Pro™ review
If you are like me, you have to agree that most notebook computers’ dock stations are huge, cumbersome and impractical which defeats the whole purpose of mobility. That’s until you get yourself the R505 SuperSlim Pro™ Sony laptops. With or without the docking station it will never cease to be stylish.
What makes this Sony laptop great besides the docking station (that house the CDRW/DVD combo drive and floppy drive by the way)? You’ll find the usual top-notch features that Sony is known for such as 12.1″ XGA LCD screen • Pentium® III 1.20 GHz-M processor • 256MB SDRAM or 512MB SDRAM • 30 GB, 40 GB, or 60 GB hard drive • 1.16″-1.33″ X 11.0″ X 9.4″ • Size: 4.37 lbs. (2 Kg) with battery or 6.75 lbs. (3.06 Kg) with the docking station.
Sony Vaio laptops — SRX reviews & comparisons
This is another ultra light, thin Sony Vaio laptop computer. The SRX Sony laptops range is the one recommended for those who need a notebook PC but hate the mobility issues associated with them. The size, long life battery and weight of the SRX are the features that makes them stand out: 1.1″-1.3 X 10.2″ X 7.7″, up 12 hours with double capacity batteries and as light as 2.7 lbs. (1.22 Kg).
The essential SRX Sony laptops specs are: Mobile Intel® Pentium® III processor 850MHz-M • 10.4 XGA (1024×768) TFT display • 256MB or 384MB SDRAM • 20 GB hard drive • CD-RW/DVD combo drive (external) • 1.44 MB, 3.5″ USB floppy drive (optional and external) • SRX Models available: PCG-SRX99, PCG-SRX992, PCG-SRX99P, PCG-SRX99P2, PCG-SRX99K, PCG-SRX99K3, PCG-SRX99P4, PCG-SRX99P5. To view the differences between all the different SRX models and more features than can be listed on this page, please visit the recommended online Sony laptops resellers.
Sony Vaio laptops — VX reviews & comparisons
When I first came across the VX Sony laptops, I was amazed at the fact that besides their pretty medium 14.1 XGA (1024×768) LCD screen and bigger than usual keyboard, they were still quite light (4.42 lbs. or 2 Kg)! This nifty feature alone is a good reason enough why you should get your hands on it. Have you ever tried typing a long article or email on a standard notebook PC? Your eyes, fingers and hands are usually hurting after 20 minutes!
The Sony Vaio VX series other features are: Mobile Intel® Pentium® III processor 900MHz-M • up to 512MB SDRAM memory • 30GB hard drive • CD-RW/DVD combo drive (external… grrr!) • 1.44 MB, 3.5″ USB floppy drive (external too… grrr! Grrr!) • 4 models available.
Sony Vaio laptops reviews — Conclusion
Please note that the above article was only a simple shopper’s guide of Sony Vaios. The features mentioned are only what makes them different from other Sony laptops . To view the full specifications and even do a little bit of laptop comparisons, please check these recommended sites.
I will vouch for a Sony laptop anytime as person who’s owned Sony manufactured products for decades and who has heard and read many Sony notebooks users’ no less than pleasant experiences. If you’re ready to shop simply check out the section below that contains a mini-directory of recommended Sony laptops resellers.
