Desktop Reviews

This Vaio was always fun to look at and I finally purchased this Vaio PCV-w600g. Watching TV on the 17.5 inch LCD monitor is a joy and the SIS speakers, though they receive complaints, do quite well.

I do suggest a wireless keyboard for long duration typing. The keyboard is somewhat difficult to use, but isn't too bad for minimal stuff.

The design is by far the best feature, its good lookign in any room and completely functional.

I don't think there is a better deal on the market for a 17 inch LCD TV, let alone one that functions as a computer as well.

My only suggestion is that you add a second stick of 512mb RAM. This really wakes up the computer.

We brought it home, we plugged it in, and it worked! I was a little worried about the keyboard and monitor being attached to the computer, but we bought the extended service plan and just plowed ahead. The "flatness" of the keyboard (similar to a laptop keyboard) takes a little getting used to, but we overcame that in about a day.

We hooked up the TV functions - wow, how cool! We can record TV programs and play them back whenever we want, and it actually worked the first time, just like it should.

I was disappointed that Sony included no documentation or restore software with the computer, and spent a couple of hours creating recovery disks. For the cost of the computer, they really could throw in some paperwork and a couple of recovery disks.

The DVD writer works wonderfully, and the included software works without a hitch so far.

The monitor has glass over the screen, not a "fabric" screen like a laptop or typical flat panel.

Overall, we really love this computer! This is our family's 10th computer, and our favorite so far.

Every time I walk into our den I break into a smile just to see our new Sony PCV-W600G Vaio. Sony deserves a lot of credit for breaking the mold and coming up with a totally new design for the desktop computer, with a fold-up keyboard, an elongated screen, and a space-age clock. It's perfect for our mid-century (1950's) style den.

And the PCV-W600G isn't just pretty. We've been thrilled with the ease and the speed of our new computer. Other than the recommended copying of all the software onto recovery disks (in case of some unspecified potential disaster), which took two hours, the set up was a breeze. Being an eternal pessimist, I kept waiting for the big glitch and the resulting 3 hours on the phone with some technician halfway around the world. It never happened. And, for the first time, we have a computer that doesn't dawdle after each click.

We've yet to explore all of this computer's potential. We haven't tried, for example, to hook up the TV cable to the computer yet. But, for the word processing, web surfing, email, and music listening that we have done, we are totally satisfied.

I know that there are more powerful computers out there, and some may be for less money, but I don't think any of them would bring a smile to my face the way my Sony does.

I really like my Sony Vaio. It is very quiet and extremely fast. My only problem with is is the pittiful software that came with the computer. This machine is in the digital series but I did expect a little more productivity software. I would have given it a 5 if it came with better software. I compared Dell, Gateway and HP and couldn't find a computer comparable. Sony offers a lot for the money with this computer (...).

I've had my Sony PCV-RX540 for over three years now, which is about 75 years old when translated into human years! I paid $750 for it brand new and it has proved itself to be the best investment I have made thus far in my life. With most PC's at least one component of the hardware would have failed within that period of time, but (knock on wood) she still runs almost like I just bought her yesterday. The only modifications I have made were the addition of 256 more MB of ram, bringing it to 512, which is sufficient to run AutoCAD, Photoshop, several browser windows, and a few other applications with ease, even with the 1.2GHz processor. I somehow managed to almost fill up the 60 GB hard drive, but it's only because I've backed up my entire CD collection at very high quality bit rates (196 Kbps!). In the 3 years I have owned it, I have never seen the "blue screen of death," and the only reason it froze on me at times were due to software issues, specifically with how PC-Cillin (anti-virus software) interacts with Windows XP's "built-in" file zipping service, which was easiliy remedied by disabling it. I have dealt with a lot of PC hardware, and usually build my own PC's but decided to be lazy this time around. Sony has designed an amazing case which is *very* sturdy and opens up easily, with frequently upgraded/replaced components such as the hard drive and memory in easily-accessible areas. Beware of reviews of computers that complain about compatibility issues, etc. - those reviews are off-topic since we are reviewing the computer itself, not Windows! If you are thinking of buying this PC used, GO FOR IT, unless it looks like it was kicked around or smashed with a hammer!

I am a PC fanatic and I love to build them and I must admit that this Sony computer is the best for the buck. I purchased my computer in November 2001 and I have no problems what so ever. I have already installed a second 40 GB hard drive, a 32MB AGP video card with TV out ( the onboard video card only has 4MB ), an optical intellimouse, additional 256MB memory to max out at 512MB, Sound Blaster Live sound card, and I still stayed under my...budget limit for a new computer. Needless to say I have a very impressive unit and it hums right along. The included software is pretty much useless, so I installed AOL 7.0, Microsft Works 2002, Easy CD Creator 5.1, and a host of games which placed my total cost for everything at 1,200. I must say, for all that I placed into this computer, if I purchased the same thing anywhere else, with everything included, I would have spent at least 3,000. I am very impressed with Sony and very pleased with my PCV-RX540. Software loads easily, drivers for anything are a breeze (ensure you have Windows XP compatible drivers), and CD burning and watching DVD's is simply amazing. I have made two home videos with the VCD software included with Easy CD Creator 5.1 which I have veiwed on my DVD player. A simply great computer! Get it while it is hot. Very easy to upgrade! I know my money was well spent!

The Sony Vaio RZ22G is a nice system - with lots of software - DVD-RW/+RW / lots of ports / just about everything you might need. Except - hmmmm - the video software ... - Call Sony about a problem with it during the support period - and after an automated survey of questions - then someone that doesn't even know anything about the computer gets on the phone to help you - need I say more - you ask for a supervisor - they put an "expert" on the phone - and still nothing. SONY HAS NO CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! If they did - with their nice machines - they would be good competition for the big guys - e.g. DELL -but - SONY HAS NO CUSTOMER SERVICE !!!

Have had for 6 months with no problems. Networked with 2 other home based PC (Compaq and home made). Can hook your TV cable onto back of Sony and watch all cable channels on your Flatscreen!
This system is a very good deal. Everything you would ever need , all in one packet!

The P4 2.4B processor is really a 2.0Ghz processor in disguise. Because of the improved chipset, Intel sells it as a "2.4 Ghz" processor, I guess kind of like how AMD names their processors (i.e., "1800+", "2400+", etc.)

The RZ22G is designed to be a digital A/V (audio video) powerhorse, and it shines. The Sony DVD-R/RW/+R/RW burner (manufactured in Malaysia) is well integrated into the system, and you can use the Click-to-DVD program to burn your home-made DVDs quickly and painlessly. It also comes with Adobe Premiere LE which allows you to edit video clips. BTW, you can hook up MiniDV camcorders *as well as* RCA-connector analog devices, like 8mm camcorders, VCRs, etc. The included capture board can digitize the analog video.

[Sidenote: Most Sony MiniDV camcorders come with built-in digitizers so you can always use them as a conduit to capture videos from analog devices.]

The number of included ports is impressive. There are six USB 2.0 high-speed ports, with two in the front and four in the back. There are two IEEE 1394 ports, one 4-pin i.Link in the front and one 6-in regular IEEE 1394 in the back. You also get PS/2 mouse and keyboard ports as well as serial and parallel ports. Pretty much everything you need! The inclusion of MemoryStick slot and floppy drive (take note, Dell!) makes this a very complete system in terms of inputting information.

I always thought Sony was expensive, but they've been aggressively pricing their VAIO computers and they now represent pretty good values. You can get a Dell for cheaper, but not when you consider what Sony gives you: IEEE 1394, tons and tons of software, a large hard drive, a dual-format ("minus" and "plus") fast DVD burner. I've done a lot of configuration comparisons, and I think the RZ-series totally beats Dell and HP in terms of overall value.

If you buy Sony Giga Pocket hoping to back up your "home video tapes" like the advertizing suggests, then you are in for an unpleasant surprise. This WILL NOT record anything that has copyright protection! So even if you own your VHS tapes, you are out of luck and may have wasted over a grand on the Sony computer. Sony doesn't make this clear, and they don't have the courtesy of acknowledging problems or comments on their help site. I have to be careful about the strength of my comments, or AMAZON will censure them! But this is a waste of money and much time!

Great Computer.

Giga Pocket is nice for recording right out of Cable outlet
(co-ax). Multiple recording modes/speeds (LP/SP/AVI).

Nice chip speed (2.8 ghz). Nice HD size (120 gb).
Great Sony added tools: Click to DVD, PictureGear Studio,
DVgate Plus, SonicStage & VAIO Media. Have not even begun to
use all yet, nor max out their capabilities.

DVD-RW/CD-RW...Superb.

512 Ram (exp to 2 gb).

ATI Radeon™ 9200 Video Card - 128MB Video Memory (128-bit DDR)
really rocks. Using for high-end Cadd softwares. Max'd it with
really large complex multi-featured assembly & it blew away
the high-end graphics card on my work desktop.

Nothing left to say. I am currently looking for a laptop now.

I will only look for Sony.

I have 3 weeks with this computer and so far it has been awesome, no problems at all. Fast and quiet, you burn cd's very fast and acurate.It comes with lots of software.
After doing a lot of research I can proudly say I made the right choice. Only thing you may want to change are the speakers, and maybe a wireless mouse.
Giga pocket is amazing! I definitely recommend this desktop computer.

Good and bad: This is, quite simply, the best designed computer speaker system that I have ever owned (it had better be for the price). The highs are high, the bass hits you in the chest when needed, and it NEVER distorts...no matter how loud you go. And this system has some SERIOUS volume. The control unit does a beautiful job of mixing the speakers for the different audio modes, and it's digital surround controller is nothing short of jaw dropping.

So why only four stars? What's the "bad"? When connected to the digital output jack on my Creative Labs XGamer 5.1 Digital sound card, I experienced a very faint "tinkling" sound in the background while playing DVD movies in Dolby Digital mode. The sound is very very faint (you actually have to listen for it to hear it at all), but Creative's tech support was unable to help me find a resolution...though it is some kind of interaction between those two specific products (SB Live! Platinum owners apparently have nothing to worry about).

Overall, the downside to these speakers are minor, and the vast majority of people would never even notice them, so I stand by my statement that these are the best computer speakers ever (sorry Klipsch owners, but these REPLACED my ProMedia 4.1's...the DTT3500 just has better sound for the same price). I seriously recommend these to anybody who can afford to drop three bills on their computers sound system. You will NOT regret this purchase.

I got this set for about 350$ when it only appeared. It took me about one hour to install the whole set. The amplifier has 5 nice "faces" and can be held both vertical and horizontal. If comparing to the DDT2500 set, you will notice that the diameter of the central speaker became bigger. When I turned on the music I especially noticed the blasting sound of the bass. If equipped with SB live! 5.1 card then the DVD movies are really good. The system supports EAX and DD 5.1 tech. The amplifier seems to overheat a lot,so I would recommend to ventilate it somehow. Although, there is no much difference in power from DDT2500, the new system derivers smoother and more powerful sound yet for an affordable price. the system did not contain any softwre with it, which seems a bit strange for such a serious system. I would recommend this system for hardcore games fans and for some wonderful DVD experiences. Well, Creative labs brought up to life a perfect 5.1 system, which looks somewhat like BOSE components, and that is good.

I rushed to purchase the DTT3500 when it came out in order to put together a PC entertainment system. While the overall sound quality of the DTT3500 is phenomenal for a PC speaker system, it doesn't match a set of high quality stereo system.

Since I use them predominantly for playing a wide range of music (from classical to trance) and not games or DVDs, I was almost disappointed.

The DTT3500 Theater really shines when you are playing games, and it brings gaming to a whole new level. Imagine hearing someone coughing behind you, or hearing shooting in the distance over your left shoulder. That is what it can be like.

Sound quality is great, but it misses some midrange. The subwolfer covers the lower end of the audio spectrum, while the center and satellite speakers are tweaters. It just doesn't sound totally complete when playing a variety of music. Also, volume is another area I found lacking. The satellites don't always push enough volume, so I have to turn down the subwolfer to balance it out.

On the plus side, the music is clear, crisp, and distortion free. Even with the downsides, I would still recommend it (especially since the price has dropped).

After two horrible experiences with HP printers I purchased a Canon i550 two years ago. It never disappointed. When I decided I wanted scanning and copying capability it was a sure thing to stick with Canon. I have been using this multipass for about a month now and I am very happy with it. Great photo & document print quality. And, as well known, one great advantage to Canon printers is the reasonably priced ink cartridges. I LOVE having the ability to use the copy function when the pc is not on. This makes my bill keeping and schoolwork much easier. This mfp looks impressive on the desk and is a dark navy blue color with silver details. The only aspect of the printer that has bothered me is the size; it's a little on the large side. But, this is minor in my office as I have plenty of room for it. Looking at other mfp's at the stores, the large size is pretty standard. I ordered this on Amazon (...)- a FABULOUS price for the function and quality of this Canon. Thanks, Amazon!

*Very easy to setup and use.
*Excellent print quality.
*Scans of pictures look great.
*Copier function is easy to use, don't even need to have computer turned on.
*Fast printing.

I want to clear up a negative comment an earlier reviewer said that this machine runs out of ink quickly.

The machine itself doesn't use up the ink quickly, Canon always packages their ink cartridges so that they are economical to the average user(consumer).

What I mean is that most of the time you can buy the "black" Canon ink cartridge for typically less than $10 compared to Hewlett Packard which sells it's black ink cartridges for typically $25+. The difference being in the two products is the amount of ink contained in each one. The Canon ink cartridge for $10 has maybe half the ink that the Hewlett Packard $25 ink cartridge has.

For the average user like myself, I like given the choice of buying a smaller ink cartridge for $10 rather than being stuck with paying $25 for a size ink cartridge that will take you forever to use.

Get the idea?

A decent scanner alone would cost almost this amount, but in this product you get all 3 (printer,copier,scanner) in one. Excellent product Canon, A+

After paying $30.00 for HP cartridges for years, I selected the Canon specifically because the ink cartridges were $7.00 or less and the color $15.00 or less. While I didn't expect the ink to last as long as the HP tanks, I was pleasantly surprised to get well over 100 sheets of greyscale printing by using the draft and standard modes and reserving quality mode only for presentations. In ink savings alone this printer will pay for itself compared with other brands, many many many times over.

The only real problem (and its not really a problem) with the printer is a long warmup period followed by some overdramatic printer head gymnastics when you go to print a document or use the copier. It can take well over 30 seconds between your print request and when the first page actually starts printing, although the printer is speedy enough after it starts. For casual home or office use this really isn't a problem.

The printer is obsessive about cleaning itself because the ink cartridges don't come with a printer head. This reduces the cost of the ink cartridges considerably but the printer has to take extra care in keeping the permanent head clean. So the long warmups are actually saving you money.

Another thing to note is that the scanner is only 8 1/2 by 11 so if you need to scan legal documents this isn't the model for you. If you want to make an occssional copy or scan a photo the scanner is perfect.

Regardless of where you are printing from (photoshop, word processor, or using the copier) print quality is excellent and the supplied drivers makes it easy to configure the printout. All three functions (scanning, printing, and copying) work flawlessly as as you expected.

The supplied software is worth the price of the printer alone offering an adaquate photo retoucher ( this software won't work with .gif images though ), Optical Character Recognition, and little applets to make handling scanned images (storing, attaching to email) easy.

Setup was a mild chore made easier by following the large poster in the box, there was nothing too difficult, mostly removing packaging and installing the printer ink for the first time. The poster was quite insistant that the USB cable (which is not included and must be purchased seperately) not be attached until last.

The unit itself is about a foot tall, a legal page wide, and a page and a half deep. So it's taller than you might expect. The unit is shiney black plastic, although the top is a more attractive textured black. The sides are light gray. They match the 2004 model Dell computers fairly well. Another nice feature is the output hopper can be folded up when not in use to save space and it just looks nicer. When you print, the hopper will automatically open.

There is no USB cable included with the printer so you'll need to get one. The Belkin cable Amazon recommends with this printer is a great value and works with either USB 1.0 or 2.0 (the printer can understand both). The printer does come with a color and black ink cartridge. The ink cartridge is the popular and widely used BCI-24 series, I had no problem finding replacements on Amazon, Wal Mart, and my local office supply stores.

All told this is a perfect home/small office unit that will fit just about any budget. After a month's use, I'm very satisfied with the quality and value of this printer.

I tend to avoid Sony Computers and External Burners like plague (The the Dream system (5.1DVD/CD player) is an incredible product for the price- and Sony's excellent camera's have the patended night-vision). I've had a alot of problems with my Vaio Tower. It does have every connection imaginable, but it won't run so many non-Sony programs like Stomp Music products, external burners and scanners, and at least 4 DVD importing programs that I tried, I did eventually get Sony's Vegas, but no DVD import, ridiculous. Vegas does work great for editing and other stuff. But alot of irritating things just "happen". I've seen a couple of strange failures in the laptops of people I work with, more so than others at least. There ARE people out there who swear by these, so that may be you too and I'm no guru, but I know a thing or two about computers and I don't like'em at all. Caveat.

We read all the customer reviews of this model and many others before deciding on this one. As soon as this machine arrived, I reformatted the HD to make my C drive 40 MB, and then moved My Documents to the D drive, thanks to previous reviewers for those suggestions. Also, another reviewer mentioned having only 4 USB ports, mine has 7.
Probably my biggest issue, which may not affect any other users is the length of the keyboard cable. My previous PC was also a VAIO purchased in 2000, and that cable is atleast 2 feet longer, where's the extra cable? Now my current desk really doesn't work for this PC. On to other issues...
I would have liked to use the Windows Movie Maker with an analog input, I love to make MPGs especially out of my old videos. I was able to route my VCR through my HandyCam, but as soon as you hit the capture key the i.Link makes my cam play the tape in it, which is not the tape I was trying to record. I was able to work around that by using my VCR through my cam and then using DV Gate. While the older version of DV Gate my old PC was alot better than this one, I was able to make AVIs with my VCR. These files run about 100MBs per 30 seconds!! I was then able to export them using DV Gate to my D drive as MPGs knocking that 100MBs down to a more managable 4MBs. With older versions of DV Gate you could just choose MPGs to start with. And my last issue...
In order to use Click to DVD with analog inputs you have to set your TV preference in the Media Center. Since I currently have no plans to hook up cable to this I never did that, but within a half hour of emailing Sony support, I was told to set my cable preference to no TV input. Why, I couldn't tell you, but unless you do that you are not using analog to make DVDs. Over all I have had no real issues with this pc, the software seems to work fine, but I'll imagine 3rd party software to be much better and I may go that route in the future. With out these little issues it could have been 5 stars...

At first when I got this Sony computer, I was very dissappointed with the size of the c: drive. I mainly got this sony because I wanted to copy my vhs tapes to dvd. The click to dvd goes through both drives to work and c: did not seem large enough to do this. For reasons that was my own fault, I had to do a full recovery on the computer. To my surprize, while doing the recovery, the computer will ask you what size you want your c: drive to be. You have a choice between 15, 40,80. I choose 40 and am delighted with the results. It did not affect my D: at all and I have plenty of room to run and edit tapes on my click to dvd. Sony really should make this known that you can change the size of the drive. Every since then , all programs run great . the only downsize is that it takes a little longer for the computer to boot up. With how much improvement it has made on the computer, I am willing to wait the extra minute it takes to boot up.

I bought this system about four months ago and I agree with a lot of the reviews I've read, both with the positive and the negative. If you're looking for a compact system that does a lot this is it, but keep that in mind in practical terms as well. This is a small unit but also very powerfull, and it requires a lot of "juice." I would advise anyone who'll be using it often to buy a UPS (power supply) if they don't have one already. For $50-$100 they can be life-savers, especially if you're like me and have the AC going a lot. It's also rather fragile because of how compact it is, so if you have young kids be carefull, especially with the DVD drive. The last drawback is upgrading, people should know that the 610 is not user upgradeable, or at least not for the average home user. You'll have to send it into Gateway to add more memory.

As others have said though, the size and the picture can't be beat. There's one wire to worry about, and that's a major victory in itself. I wish Gateway would be more lenient as far as allowing customers to configure their own systems (see the upgrade issue) like Dell and HP are, but neither of them offer anything comparable to the 610 yet. I really wish this type of system was around when I was in College, it's a bit expensive, but it's the dream system for any dorm.

I bought this a couple of months ago, and at first, got a lemon. It crashed continuously, and when I was on the phone with the tech guy "Larry" (who was obviously in India), it crashed when scanning the disk for errors. And the tech guy offered extremely simple advice that most people with any kind of computer experience would've tried before calling.

However, my replacement has been relatively pain-free. The only problem was that it crashed when I was trying to install the software for Verizon DSL service. You may run into problems there as Verizon said it was a problem with the system registry of the PC (I did manage a way to get around the problem and am happily using DSL today).

A primary reason for buying this computer was for its DVD-burning capability, and for the possibility of capturing VHS tapes onto the computer, and creating DVDs out of them. I was under the impression that I would be able to plug my VCR directly into the computer and capture the video into the computer and create DVDs. You can't do that however. You can plug the VCR into the 610XL, and watch the video in the media center under the gaming device section, but why anybody with a TV would do that is beyond me, as the video shows in a small 3X4" window. Converting VHS to DVD requires a capture device (I suggest the Canopus ADVC-100), and some editing software (ULead Video Studio 7.0 SE and DVD Movie Factory 2.0 have done the job for me). That means an extra $400.

The documentation/instruction booklet is not that great. It spends an inordinate amount of time discussing the TIVO-like qualities of this computer, which unfortunately at this time I'm not using. But I can't imagine a better, more compact PC for my purposes (Video capturing/editing, DVD burning) than this machine.

All I can say is I love It!
I'd give it 10 stars if I could.

pc is really great if you are looking for a fast processor that can handle dvds, cdrws and desktop imaging. but i made the mistake of buying this and expecting to play games like hitman 2, madden 2003 and grand theft auto 2. hitman is decent, madden is ok, gta is horrible. the intel chip is sub par compared to any graphics board out there, and the sad thing is that this 6350us does not have an onboard AGP slot. very tough indeed. i will have settle for a low end geforce4. :(

First of all lets realize that computers now wait for us as opposed to us waiting for them, as we've done for years. Even with several applications going at once there should be nothing to slow us down any more. Thats why we keep trading up every 6 months or so.
Well the Compaq 6550 wont disappoint. Not only is it loaded with power and speed, it has the drives to match: 80 gigs (what am I gonna do with all that space?), a DVD player which displays movies extremely well in this computer, and a CDRW ready to churn out copies in just a couple of minutes. Plus it has a complement of software which provides tools for fun, financials, films, security, communication, storage, productivity, and great sounding music.
I upgraded from a P3 1 gig, 256RAM, GForceMX PC and this new system very noticeably outruns it, especially with heavy Photoshop use. Intel's (direct AGP) graphic chip looks about equivalent on the display. I do work with images in website building; the color rendition and richness of the images look quite nice.
On the negative, there exists no available AGP slot, so the results of future upgrading of the video card (using PCI slot) may be less than optimum. Also, although the USBs are the faster 2 type, it lacks a fire wire jack which I think by now should be standard.
This baby runs super quiet, similar to a laptop, and the cover is a snap to open for accessibility.
This is a far cry from the old problematic Presario clunkers. I like the new Presario.

I just currently purchased the Compaq Presario 6350us from Office Depot and as soon as I plugged it and set it up, I was amazed. Computers today are advanced, however, this one leaves most of them in the dust. It's massive 80GB Hard Drive is more than enough to store your businesses, favorite music files (I currently have 100 songs) and games. It has 512MB of RAM (expandable to 1GB) allows many games on your computer, if you are a hardcore gamer. Not to mention that its got a 2.4 GHZ speed that is just amazing. Going online with this speed will make many smile. The only little problem is that its graphic card is an "Integrated Intel Extreme" and this is only as advanced as the Nvidia GeForce 2, which is very powerful. It may not be as powerful as the Nvidia GeForce 4, but I played Spider-Man: The Movie without any slowdowns. The review below stated that when runing games, the system runs slower than a 600Mhz processor. This is NOT true. I believe that words coming out of an AMD fanboy cannot be trusted. That or maybe he/she got a broken computer. Intel and AMD, in my opinion are equal in strength, except that Intel's clock speed is much faster. This computer will create many happy faces for the next 6 years. It's superior design and technology should be accepted by many in need of a computer. Even a big AMD fanboy such as the one who wrote the review below, should think twice before placing blame on Compaq. Besides, the "Integrated Intel Extreme Graphics" is not developed by Compaq. It was indeed developed by Intel. I recommend this computer to any home PC seekers. Trust me, you will not regret this purchase for such a low price.

A PC Hardware Fan from Newton, MA USA
I have the previous model from this line of the PCs. I like the slick design. The PC is very noisy, but the worse thing is that my CD RW drive has died. Sony would not fix it under the existing warranty, because I forgot to mail the customer information card.

First, I was adamant about buying a system cuz I usually build my own. But I didn't have time so I just bought the Vaio and hoped Sony will live up to its reputation.

Here are the machine specs that are not obvious from reading just the documentation:

Motherboard: it was an Asus P4S533VX. This was a good sign cuz I've been an Asus fan since the P55T2P4 rev 3 board using an Athlon chip.

DVD-ROM DRIVE: was a Toshiba 16x drive.

CD-RW DRIVE: not sure what Sandra told me but it was a 32x read / 10x re-write / 40x write burner.

MODEM: Lucent winmodem.

I ran some Sandra benchmarks and the CPU test was very good: 4782 MIPS for Dhrystone and 1332/2986 MFLOPS for Whetstone.

The memory test however was kinda dismal. It was lower than the comparable test from a 2G system. I'm not sure if Sandra is wrong here but it's given me accurate results from before.

The system is very quiet, you have to put your ears very close to the system to make sure it's running. The system upon going into hibernate mode, it turns the square light on the front from blue to orange-- very neat. Once you touch the keyboard, it powers back up without problem.

So far there's no problem as of yet. I noticed the drive is partitioned into two: C drive with about 20Gb and D drive into 60Gb. I guess this is okay so I can install all the stuff into D: drive.

The anti-virus that came with it is a PC-Cillin evaluation deal. I uninstalled it and installed my newly bought Norton Internet Security without any problem.

In summary, this would get a 5 rating but the integrated video (Sis) sharing memory with the system takes it down a notch. But I can probably replace it with an Nvidia or Radeon AGP card to put it back to a 5 rating. I guess this is not really a fault cuz you ought to know this while buying the system.

The Sis video is not really bad. I played Quake3 and Morrowind with no apparent problem. Morrowind is kinda choppy but I just read that it may be due to its copy protection. Quake3 was smooth though.

All in all it's not a bad system. Oh, the speakers are not the best. I would replace this with one of those sets with a sub. For a $... system with a 17" Sony monitor and a Canon i320 printer, this is a good deal.

This is a very nice hardware with good load of software to make it work smoothly. I specially liked the multimedia software that comes with this SONY. I have used many PCs and this was the easiest to set up. It was fast and without a single glitch. This SONY has a high-speed processor, large capacity hard disk, and huge RAM to last several years, at least for me.