Customer Reviews
Fabulous Computer, Short Battery 
2008-06-09
This comptuter had everything I was looking for.
I needed a work computer with Windows Vista Business. I needed at least 2GHz dual-core. I wanted HDMI output to connect to my Samsung 52" TV. I wanted discreet graphics for games. I wanted Bluetooth. I wanted a large hard drive. I wanted at least 3GB Ram.
I've played Guild Wars on this computer and the framerate is around 40 fps. I've played WoW on this computer and the framerate can go as low as 30 fps, but can go as high as 60 fps, very much playable. The speakers are not very loud, so I recommend headphones for games or for watching DVD's.
The computer is thin and easily stuffed into my laptop backpack. The power brick is not too big, but not very small either.
I would have prefered a 13" or 14" screen for portability, but this screen is way nice. The screen is bright and clear, although the glossy surface makes watching DVD's less nice.
The battery doen't last long. On high performance mode, the battery lasts 1.5 hours or so. On power saver mode, it lasts 2 hours.
The trashware that came with the computer can be a chore to unistall, so I just left it all there, eating my hard drive space and probably consuming processing power.
Great Laptop !! 
2008-06-04
I purchased this laptop because my old one (also a VIAO) had neared its demise. This laptop is fast, sleek, and hasn't disappointed me one single bit. For under $1000 this is a great buy !
Nice laptop- Some minor problems 2008-05-31
I just picked this up for $849 also. It has everything you could want as far as hard drive space, RAM, and very good processor. The screen IS superior to other laptops in this range. Whoever said the display is not good has got to be blind. I had an HP (brand new) prior to this, and this screen blows that one away. It really is sharper and brighter.
My only gripes are with the webcam and the mouse. The Motion Eye cam that comes built in is great for stills, but horrible for video. The resolution is way below par. The 1.3 megapixel resolution that comes with the Sony applies only to still images. The picture is also pretty washed out as well as grainy. Even though my HP did not have a 1.3 megapixel cam, it did better with video images.
Now, you may say that is a minor flaw, and really it is. I mean, you buy a computer for it's computing abilities not for a webcam. But I do use my cam quite a lot, so I was pretty peeved with this. And I don't really want to spend more money on an external camera.
The other issue is the mouse buttons. Way too small. Kind of hard to manuever. Also, like others said, the power cord does interfere with the DVD tray.
Pleased so far. 2008-05-29
Picked it up yesterday. I loved the clean look of this laptop and the screen looked very good, at least in the store display.
I had heard about all the Sony bloatware and was prepared to install XP on it or at least reinstall Vista. However, so far, the laptop seems to be powerful enough to handle everything they have put on it. I did uninstall all the trialware and installed AVG free for virus protection.
The screen is very good, speakers not so much. Built-in microphone is weak and the camera is adequate. Speed/performance is very good. Laptop is a tad bulkier/heavier than I would like, I have a 14.1" D630 from work that I carry around and am used to that weight which is quite a bit lighter.
Had no trouble with the laptop connecting to my wireless the first time, but after a while whenever I would shutdown/hibernate/sleep the PC, it would have a lot of trouble connecting back or even finding my router. That's a problem with the Intel wireless driver and using Windows built-in wireless manager. It is the same chipset that I have on my D630 and had same problems. Ended up installing Intel wireless management utility and have had no problems. BTW, my router is US Robotics and I do not broadcast my SSID. I have heard that linksys routers do not have much of a problem. I plan on replacing my router with a 802.11n linksys router, so will update on that later.
Have not tried bluetooth yet.
Battery life could be better. I am used to 4-5 hours on my D630. This one will only go 2 or less with full brightness.
The point someone made about power connection interfering with the DVD tray is valid and I was also surprised that Sony made this design mistake, but not that big a deal.
All in all, I mostly like what I see so far. The price I paid ($849) seems to be worth it so far.
sony vaio 2008-05-25
Amazing! Less than twelve hours after we purchased the notebook it was delivered at the ship to address. Congratulations Amazon, your customer service is impeccable. And the laptop is great.
Don't be fooled 
2008-07-16
Don't be fooled by its pretty looks. You will spend more time waiting for it to be returned from being repaired than you do using it. During the warranty period the touch pad failed twice, the display once, the motherboard once and the hard drive once. Want to restore Windows OS after a crash? No recovery disks come with the laptop. You must purchase them separately from Sony. How many ways can they rip you off? Buy one and see.
Great computer for those who need mobility 2008-07-02
This is by far my best buy on Amazon. Sony was capable of create a notebook with great performance, design and flexibility. It fullfils all of my needs and expectations.
I recommend it for sure! Go Vaio Go!
Solid machine with few flaws 2008-06-21
"I purchased this computer almost a month ago when my $1200 Toshiba (of less than 2 years) crapped out on me and CompUSA's takeover company lost my records for the replaceable warranty that I paid nearly $600 for. All this happened during my final week of college.
After 2 Toshibas, I was ready to try something else. When I saw this Vaio go on sale for $850, I knew it was a steal for the specs that it offered. Not convinced that Vista was better than XP, I took the chance anyway because of the roomy 3gigs of ram and 250gb HDD. Glad I did, because this machine runs Vista and all my regular apps really, really fast. Bootup time is less than a minute. I'm a heavy music/video user, so the external controls are a must (too bad not all Vaio's have external controls like other lower end brands). The media iPod-like "wheel" controls are solid. The speakers are a downgrade compared to my Toshiba's Harmon-Kardon speakers...the sound isn't that bad, but the volume is way too low. So I use external speakers or headphones.
The screen is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen on any laptop. It truly is amazing, and there's no flex at all to it. Coming from a 14.1", the 15.4" feels a little big but the relative thinness of the case makes up for that. The keyboard is nicely spaced out, however the 'backspace' and 'enter' keys seem a tad loose. Wish it had 4 USB ports instead of 3, it would've been nice to have one located on the back. The powerjack is too close to the DVD-drive. Can't say too much about the battery life since it's been plugged in most of the time.
The only thing annoyingly wrong with this laptop, and Sony Vaios in general is the bloatware and AOL software that comes bundled in. You can't even change the default homepage on IE7 because it'll revert back to Sony-AOL's homepage when you reboot. I don't want to do a clean install so I made the permanent switch to Firefox. Overall, this is a solid machine...well built, fast, silent, and aesthetically pleasing in a minimalist way. Highly recommended!"
Beautifully made, fast, but crashes like there is no tomorrow 
2008-06-13
I am not going to lie I purchased this computer because of its price. After spending 3 months building and then returning 4 HP computers I have decided on buying a pre-built version with a $1,100 cap max.
This laptop fit, specs are nice and a great video card, I have no problem playing GOW on it. It works extremely fast, it took about full 7 min for past HP laptop to turn on, while it taking this comp less than 2.
One of the lapses in this comp I do not get is why would they have 3Gb RAM if they equip this model with 32bit system that can only recognize up to 2Gb RAM. So 1Gb of RAM is pretty much useless.
The other thing is that apparently majority of people at Sony do not think that you would need a back up CD, so you are not getting ANYTHING. It would be nice even if they at offered one for purchase, but no. So if you crash your system you would have pretty much go and buy yourself a new Windows CD.
And I do not know whats up with this laptop but it crashes at least 2 each week giving me a "blue screen of death". While it is not really dead, it restarts and works fine, it is really annoying. Moreover, it usually happens when I do something important. For 2 years I had HP I have never ever had anything like that.
So my love for large amount of space (250Gb), fast processor, great video card, and overall looks of the laptop is negated by the lack of support from Sony and constant, incurable so far, crushings. So I neither love nor hate my laptop. But next time I will think twice before buying Vaio again.
almost perfect 2008-06-10
I love everything about this laptop except for the battery longevity. It barely lasted 1.5 hours and the additional large capacity battery, which they shamelessly reminded you to buy by placing a sticker on your pristine laptop, is only 1.5 times longer (that's less than 3 hours) than the original. Could be due to Vista (which has lots of issues).
