If only it made sandwiches!
Written: Dec 30 '03 (Updated Jan 03 '04)
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Pros: Very powerful, packed with software, great sound, makes DVD movies.
Cons: Batteries do not last long enough when playing DVD movies.
The Bottom Line: A great computer, has more power then the average user could need. Makes a great mobile multimedia center right out of the box!
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| theproductguy's Full Review: Sony VAIO FRV27 PC Notebook |
The Sony Vaio FRV27 Notebook is by far the coolest computer I have ever owned. I enjoy my Sony Vaio Notebook so much, I went and purchased a Sony Vaio desktop to match! (the PCV-RS320; also completely awesome)
Product specifics:
This Notebook comes with a powerful Intel Pentium 4 2.66 GHz processor that has Hyper Threading technology (The Hyper Threading technology makes this computers processor appear to work as if there were virtually two!). To match this intense processor, Sony has included 512 MB of powerful DDR SDRAM (Upgradeable to 1GB. DDR SDRAM runs a lot faster then conventional RAM). This combination loads my favorite applications with absolutely no waiting time. From Adobe Photoshop, to Jasc Paintshop Pro, to Zoo Tycoon, and many others.
Storage and drives included:
This computer includes a huge 40 GB hard drive, which would take the average user a few years to completely fill up (You can fit an incredible amount of games, multimedia, or business applications on this computer).
If storage is a concern, this Notebook also includes an awesome DVD-R/CD-R combo drive! And you can use this drive to backup or store GIG's or simply hundreds of your files. This also works great if you want to make your own home movies, as this Vaio includes all the needed software. You simply need to buy and plug in a Digital Camera.
Included software:
My Notebook came packed with great software! The computer comes with Windows XP Home edition, and it runs nice and smooth. Also included are many business productivity applications, a lot of games (one that I really enjoy by Microsoft, called Age of Empires II), and even software to start your own mobile multimedia studio!
The sound system and recording:
I was really impressed when I played music for the first time. The incredibly tiny speakers really produced large full sound. I added on a small 2.1 powered speaker system to compliment the sound card in this machine.
I also installed Sonic Foundry's Acid DJ on this computer. I'm able to use an incredible amount of my recorded music tracks together, and it does not skip during playback (this computer has more then enough resources to handle my heavy recording load). This computer also includes a sterio microphone input, that I've used to record directly off ADAT, CD's, and a multi-track recorder.
The graphics:
The screen on this monitor is very nice. Its a 15" XGA (1024x768) screen, that's simply bursting with vibrant color! It has no problem displaying my favorite DVD movies completely clear. And games also look really nice. When making my final decision at the store, this screen played a large role. This Notebook displays small text much more clearly then some of the others. This notebook includes an awesome 64 MB ATI Radeon IGP video card. Compared to older ATI Radeon video cards that I've tried, this one performs incredibly.
The battery:
I've found that I get more then enough time with the battery, unless I'm playing a DVD movie. When playing a movie, it cuts the normal time of about 4 hours down to 2 hours. I highly recommend purchasing additional batteries, or a travel adapter, should you need to travel with this machine.
The input devices:
The small keyboard on this Vaio isn't very difficult to type on, unless you have a lot to type. I've found it a lot easier to type on an external keyboard when programming, writing letters, etc. :)
The mouse on this Notebook is really cool, you gently glide your finger accross a little pad, and your cursor follows your finger on the screen. It takes a little getting used to if you've never used one before. I found this type of mouse a little difficult to use when drawing graphics (in Photoshop, and Paintshop Pro) so I purchased an additional Targus Mini Optical mouse.
Networking with this Notebook:
Networking with this computer is really simple when connecting to other computers running Windows XP. This Vaio comes equipped with a nice 10/100 Mps ethernet card. It took me less than 5 minutes to connect this computer to my existing network.
I eventually purchased a Belkin 54g wireless networking card, and a Belkin wireless router. These two upgrades made it possible for me to take my Notebook anywhere in the house, and still have my fast broadband connection.
On the outside:
This computer comes in a really cool looking, light weight case. The case comes in a really cool color (its kind of a mix between blue and gray, with a hint of black). Written across the top of the Notebook is a cool Sony "Vaio" signature.
This computer includes 3 USB ports, 1 S400 port, 1 ethernet port, 1 56k modem port, a printer port, and a port for an external monitor. Also included on this Notebook is one slot that supports Memory Stick Pro and Memory Stick media (very helpful if you own a digital camera that stores onto this type of media).
Final notes:
Although I've found that I do not get enough battery strength when playing DVD movies. I also find that I'm never far from an electrical outlet, so this really hasn't been a problem at all.
This is one really cool computer, it comes packed with features. And it has enough power to run anything I've put it up against. I love being able to go to any software store, and know that any IBM software in the store will run on my machine, and at incredible speeds.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 1699.99
Operating System: Windows
Processor: Intel Pentium
Processor speed: over 1000
Screen Size: 15 inches
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW and DVD
Hard Drive (GB): 41-50
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theproductguy
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Location: New Jersey, USA
Reviews written: 14
Trusted by: 4 members
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