Desktop Reviews

I'm happy with the speed and reliablity of the drive, however I wanted to make it bootable. I exchanged several email's with them and they eventually told me to "go find a free one on the Internet". I can't believe that they don't know how to make there own drive bootable, or even point me to a specific place to download a tool that would.

When I bought an HP USB key drive they had a small tool I could run to make the drive bootable, supplied by HP. If I can't make it bootable using format, sys.exe or any other normal means, I expect the company to provide a tool for me. I don't think that's asking too much. Poor customer service and support.

So your thinking, hey this seems like a good deal. Well paying a cheap price means getting a cheap product with problems. First off the size of the disk is aproximately 149GB. Half the time it doesn't run like it's USB 2 more like 1. The most annoying thing about the drive is that it's not programmed with windows to recognize other USB devices. If you happen to turn off the disk (Which needs to be done every so often from overheating and freezing up)and plug in another USB device (like a quick drive) while It's still off, and leave that other device plugged in, the disk, when turned back on will suddenly be under a different directory and anything you were downloading will be cut off and will not complete. The data will still be there but the download relying on let's say H: as it's write directory will not appear when the drive is suddenly changed to I: or J: and so on. This isn't permanent though and you can usually get it right back to the letter you want you just end up losing your current downloads. Three stars for the good price and the fact that I've never really lost any data yet although I've only had it for 8 months.

I have been using this drive for 4 months and I am very pleased with it.
I am using it with 2 pc (laptop and desktop) and I perform full backups quite often.
The drive is fast and reliable. It's smaller than the maxtor and accom date drives that I have.
I recommend it.

bought this as a present for someone - sound was so bad, and radio reception so poor, that I took it back to the store and replaced it with a Philips MCM530, admittedly a more expensive unit ($150 vs $100).
- embarrasing.

I put a CD of mine that I brought in from home and basically took some time out to ajust the bass and treble which each go from -3 to 3. I had the impression that there was a graphic equalizer on it with 4 settings, but I couldnt find it. I did however find a some sort of bass enhancement switch or something which added an interesting sound when it was on, although it sounded good off as well. The sound was nice for that price range but the projection was a bit soft for a larger room I would think. My opinion, I would definetly think of using it in a smaller bedroom or other small spot or listen to it at closer a range situation.

I've purchased two of these systems as gifts, and I've been pretty happy with the feedback from the recipients. I've heard them in the home setting, and they sound quite nice for the size (and price). I gave one to my girlfriend, and I hooked it up so that her DVD player in her bedroom runs through it. Works just great. Easy to hook up, and perfect for a small room. I've been really happy with this model. I'd purchase one for myself if I needed something for the office or a small room. The appearance of the system is very good, compared to others in this price range. Recommended.

My husband and I purchased one of these to do dv recording and to convert to and edit mpeg2 files. Each time we tried to play a video in mpeg2 format - and we tried with multiple files - it REBOOTED THE MACHINE! (XP was set to reboot after a fatal error - but even when this was turned off, we still got a fatal error). After we spent hours and hours on the phone with tech support, trying multiple solutions, they concluded it had a faulty video chipset. Needless to say, we returned the pc immediately and got our $$ back. Doesn't Sony do QA testing on a common format like mpeg2??? All I can say is, I hope not many of these machines came out of the box like this one!

I purchased the Sony VAIO RZ54G and like the machine for the most part. I noticed that my home network was very slow though. I found that the GIGABIT ETHERNET built into the SOny was configured for 10MB/s (1% of it's max rate). My network only supports 100MB/s so I figured it should easily handle 100MB/S if it can do 10 times that... right? Wrong. I worked with support for two days reconfiguring the system and trying every immaginable option in the ethernet controller. We tried to clean install and even had the mother board replaced but still no more than 10MB/s. I can plug in my old dell or my wife's laptop and connect at 100MB/s no problem. Sony washed their hands and said I can put in an aftermarket ethernet card if I want this work. That is not an acceptable solution in my mind. Not happy with their cutomer dis-service.

I bought the RZ50CG custom configure with comprable specs as the RZ54G. Sent it back because even though it says it's a Gigapocket desktop, it is not. It runs on the Gigapocket engine, but with Windows XP Media Center. The difference is noticeable.

Gigapocket is exactly like having a TV, where you can adjust color by right clicking on the screen, input your video device via the composite or S-video cable and have Gigapocket detect it the same way it would if you plugged it into your TV and used the TV/Video select button to view your recordings.

XP Media Center doesn't allow you to do that. You have to go through and reconfigure your settings each time, and then reconfigure it back to be able to play your TV channels (cable).

The benefit with the RZ is that you get the 9600 ATI Radeo video card vs. the 9200 in the RS model. The other benefit of the RZ model is the 5.1 capable Soundblaster Audigy card. You can't get that in the RS, but you can always add it if you want to.

The RS is the way to go if you're looking for seamless video to DVD recording or playback.

If you're going to spend the money, make the investment to get 1gb of RAM.

If not for the comment left by Keith Peterson from Bridgeport, CT USA I would not have been able to get this working. I spent hours frustrated because the Win98 drivers that came in the box would not install. There online chat tech support left me waiting for upwards of 45 minutes before I gave up on them. I had to install the Realtek drivers to get it to work.

I installed the card on an older Gateway machine with Win98 installed. The card was recognized in the Device Manager but not seen in the Network area. After some surfing I discovered the chipset it uses, Realtek 8139A, downloaded that driver and after installing, everything was recognized and now my network is humming along with no problems. I would have given the card 5 stars if it wasn't for the small driver issue.

Saw the previous comments so I had the Realtek drivers to hand but they weren't required as I didn't have a single problem installing it on my older Win98se machine. And a bonus - it seems to transfer files faster than the previous 10/100 card that I'd been borrowing from a friend (and thought it was time I returned it!) - a sound purchase at 9 GB pounds, and that was from a High Street retailer!

I purchased this laptop July 2003. The primary use was for using voice recognition software to dictate science manuscripts. Because of a repetitive strain injury to my arms, I use voice dictation software to avoid typing. I was attracted to this model because it promised excellent recording capabilities which logically should mean that it would be good for voice recognition. (Some laptop manufacturers make models that have a lot of electronic noise, making voice recognition poor.)

The laptop met my expectations and had a very low electronic noise. The result was that I was able to dictate scientific manuscripts without many mistakes.

However I give the unit a one star rating because of the extremely poor or nonexistent technical support provided by the Company. Shortly after I purchased the unit I had some technical questions and went online to an address provided on my notebook. I then found that to send a note to Sony asking for help, I had to have a question for which Sony had already posted an answer. I know that sounds crazy, but that is the way the system that worked. I had to create a dummy problem by selecting from a pick list an issue that did not occur on my computer. I was then able to get to a screen from which I could post information about the actual problem. Technical support did solve the problem.

Today I left my computer on with Microsoft Windows running. When I returned after a few minutes, I had a blue screen of death. The computer was no longer in Windows and could no longer boot back to Windows. I had managed to obtain a telephone number for technical support when I had my earlier question.

to my astonishment technical support told me that I was not entitled any longer to technical support even though I have had the unit less than a year. I made 2 different calls. The different technicians both said the same. Technical support is provided only during the first year after a model line is introduced for sale. So it is actually possible I guess for someone to purchase a brand-new computer for which there is absolutely no technical support because the line was introduced a year or so ago.

Fortunately I had purchased an extended warranty from Circuit City and took the unit into a local store for shipment off to he a air center.

if you are thinking about purchasing any Sony computer beware of the technical support policy. This policy contrasts with the Unlimited support from computer makers such as Dell where telephone technical support is available as long as you have the computer. the one star rating for the unit is also based on the fact that it died after less than a year of use.

I wish I had flushed so much money down the toilet. My laptop has so far experienced TWO severe problems sending the laptop to Vaio's support center. Useless to mention how much I spent struggling with the laptop trying to make it work. The laptop came back yesterday with new problems and they couldn't care less. My worst buy ever.
I also have a Toshiba laptop that I purchased for $1500 LESS that the Vaio. Ironically I am more satisfied with the cheaper Toshiba.

I've never had more problems with a laptop than this one. According to the specs, it's great-- a fast CPU, lots of RAM, a great video card and a huge hard disk, plus a DVD burner! And look at that screen! It MUST be good! .. too bad it isn't.

The CPU is fast-- but it's a Pentium 4 DESKTOP processor. Not only does it suck up the battery life, it produces obscene amounts of heat, making the fan stay on all the time. So, you can hear the machine across the room at all times.

The video card is incompatible with the latest drivers in most cases, and has huge incompatibilities with the latest games. Many won't even begin to run.

The DVD Drive can only burn at the most abysmally slow speeds. Writing a full DVD will take over 2 hours.

Battery life is horrendous. You can expect 45 minutes if all you are doing is word processing. If you raise the CPU usage above 20%, you can expect 30 minutes. If you use it to the absolute maximum, expect 20. This is on the lowest screen brightness, folks. You can't finish watching a DVD (Forget about burning one) on this machine. And Sony wants $300 for another one.

The chipset is SiS, the cheapest out there; so don't expect reliability. This machine crashes more than anything I've used in my entire life. Nothing ever works as it should.

My machine had to be repaired twice now, and I need to bring it in tomorrow for MORE repairs. Here's a short list of what is wrong ..

- CPU fan nearly stopped. CPU overheated and crashed all the time.
- 802.11x card stopped working entirely.
- Speakers kept emitting bursts of deafening static.
- Constant squealing noise from the hard drive.
- 10 gb of the disk was unusable.
- The left mouse button jammed.
- One USB port was upside-down and didn't work at all.
- 30 minutes of battery life.
- Wired ethernet rarely worked for longer than a few hours. Had to reboot constantly to keep it connected.
- Most program crashed, especially games, even with the latest drivers, DirectX, and service packs.
- 8 keys fell off under normal use.
- Screen backlight began burning out; screen brightness would change at random and flash on and off.
- Battery cover fell off and could not be reattached.
- Most CDs could not be read. Drive takes over 30 seconds to spin up a disc for reading.
- DVD playback is jumpy. Tons of read errors.

Avoid this laptop. Get something that you can trust-- from a company you can trust.

I picked up a DSS 16+ switch and it definitely improved our network of 14 computers. We were using the two uplinks. I purchased the system in January and it has a 3 year warranty.

Yesterday, it died completely. We lost all our ports. You cannot get through D-Link tech support by phone, and e-mail has been slow to get an RMA.

In retrospect, I think the slightly more expensive Link-Sys switches may be manufactured with better quality control.

Pete

We had this switch for about a year. It worked well, but was not exceptional. This week, two of our workstations couldn't connect to the server. The problem turned out to be that several ports on the switch had gone bad. I've uplinked a spare hub to the DSS-16+ and things are working fine for now. I plan do some research and get a more reliable switch.

I previously owned 2 D-Link hubs and they worked great and are still in good shape, but they are Hubs. That is why I bought this 16 port Switch. And now my Small Office Network is much faster. (As would any network that traded in a hub for a switch.)

I have owned this for 3 months now and everything still works perfect. I have never traced a problem in my network down to this switch. Ever since we purchased it nobody in the office has complained about the speed being to slow.

I have and will recommend this product to any and everyone who could use this or other D-Link switches.

I purchased the Siemens 2521, 2501 and 2502 Powerline adapters and connected them to the outlets in my home, (which is less than five years old). The setup was easy but the included instruction guide stated little more than "plug it in".

The problems began when I installed the included configuration software on my three computers equipped with WINDOWS ME and discovered that the utility program either froze Windows or took close to 2 minutes to start. The SpeedStream Support staff is aware of the problem and told me that "the programmers at Efficient Networks are working on it".

But the biggest issue I have is that none of the three Powerline products will stay connected for more than 10 minutes! I have tried changing outlets and even tried hooking up the adapters at my friend's house but these things simply refuse to maintain a connection.

Bottom line: Unless you enjoy loosing your network connection and having to get up and reset adapters every ten minutes, stay away from Siemens Powerline products...at least for now.

I have no problems with this unit maintining a signal, even in a setup using HomePlug units from another manufacturer (D-Link) and with multiple machines on at once. You do have to make sure all homeplug units on the powerline net are using the same DES key. You also have to make sure your wirelessly enabled computer (in my case a laptop) is set up for the same channel, WEP password, etc., as the access point. I get 3-5Mbps over the powerline which is plenty for cable modem sharing.

This worked like a charm - I'd read mixed reviews of the Powerline ( HomePlug ) performance in these Siemens systems. But, I was getting no usable signal from my Siemens 2524 wireless router in a separate building nearby, so I tried this. Ran the included disk, plugged in this item when prompted, and bingo - 99% signal strength, 100% link quality. And, contrary to a review I read here, it is NOT necessary that the router be on the same electrical circuit as this 2521 WAP. In my location, the 2521 is not only on a wholly different circuit, but in an entirely different building from the SS2524 router, and it works perfectly. (This building is on the same side of the electrical meter as the router - I understand the signal will not cross the meter.) Now we have perfect wireless access anywhere near an outlet, and all is happiness ...

If you set your expectations low enough, you just might be satisfied. Sony SRS-A27 speakers aren't worth $14.99 let alone $19.99. With only 1w per Speaker, don't expect to much. I recommend you shop around unless you want to waste $19.99. Overall I give them 1 Star each for participation.

For under $20 these speakers do their job. They get loud, and that's probably their best quality. They are pretty clear, but there is no bass. You are definitely getting what you pay for.
The speakers are not supplied w/ an A/C adapter and I had trouble finding an after market one to power them properly.

When I was looking for a pair of powered portable speakers, I looked at this pair from Sony, as well as a couple selections at Radio Shack, all for the same price of $19.99. Compared to the Radio Shack speakers, the Sony has these pros and cons:

Pros:
- lightweight
- better build quality (all are made in China)
- accommodates easier-to-find AA batteries vs. size C for RS
- slightly better sound with more clarity

Cons:
- no bass or treble controls as on the RS speakers
- not as loud as the RS speakers, but the latter gets distorted so bad so the maximum volume is meaningless

In the end I chose the Sony speakers for better sound and build quality as well as a longer warranty. I use them with my RCA Lyra MP3 Jukebox and also my Panasonic SL-SV550 CD/MP3/Radio player. Pretty happy so far.

Most electronics in my home are from SONY. But, this time I am so disappointed with the purchase at Sonystyle.Com.

1) When I opened the computer, the computer can not be started. I spend much much time to call the custom service. Unfortunately the custom service is very difficult to be reached.

2) It gave a lot of difficulties to return this big stuff. So I decided to send it to a SONY authorized Service Ctr. There is only 1 in Massachusetts. It needs 7 bussiness days to repair - Oh, my god!

3) I spent $2150 for the computer and 19" LCD monitor at sonystyle.com. But, no computer manuals, no software manuals, no recovery discs (you need to buy it!) with the computer. You need to spend much time to call them for every detail.

So bad service, which waste me a lot of time and feeling. I will never buy SONY again. I feel so bad with SONY ... ... SONY brings me a lot pain ... ...

RS630G is a new model based on Sony's website. However, in stead of using a 3.4 GHz P4 CPU, it used a 3.2 GHz to bring the price down to compete with other desktops in this category. It supports 2Gb RAM but only has 512 MB installed. The speakers are a pair of cheap ones that might cost $20 if you buy them in a local computer store. Windows XP Home edition also brings down the cost.
Pros:

1. It is a Sony! It comes with good sony software that no other computers can compete -- if you plan to use your desktop computer to do a lot of multimedia project -- this is the machine you can choose. The machine comes with Sony's Giga pocket TV/video recording program; Sony's DV Gateplus video capturing/editing software; Drag'n Drop to DVD and Click to DVD disc authorizing program; Sonicstage music editing and managing program; Picture Gear picture editing and managing program plus Quicken, Microsoft Works suite, and a couple of trial programs such as Internet Security (a terrible program by Symantec) and Microsoft Office Standard version, both are 60 day trial. Compare to former Sony desktops, this one has a lot less application programs, but the ones that come with the computer would be good enough for anyone to complete pretty sophisticated multimedia projects.
2. It comes with a few card reader slots and seven USB-2 slots.
3. Good size hard drive (250 GB) and unlike former Sony desktops, the hard drive was not divided into two partitions.
3. It is fast and quiet.
4. It does not come with a recovery disk, but you can make a set using a simple program that comes with the machine and don't need to buy. You may choose to use CD or DVD for the recovery disk set. I spent about 15 minutes to produce a set using one DVD-R and one CD-R media although the program indicated that the process may take an hour to complete.
5. The ATI Radeon 9200 graphic card has 128 MB video memory, enough for most of the new games.
6. It can be used as a media server, which you can connect to your TV and stereo components.

Cons:

1. There are only two IEEE 1394 ports, one in the front (6-pin) and one (9-pin) in the back. I have yet had a change to test the front one. According to my past experience with Sony VAIO video studios, the front one will not be recognized unless you are hooking up with a Sony DV camcorder and fire up Microsoft Movie maker. This really sucks.
2. The modem port lacks a port to connect the telephone. Usually, the internal modem card should have two ports: line-in and line out to phone, but this one, like Dell machines, only has one port for line in. I don't know how you can connect both your computer and your phone without buying a spliter.
3. This machine is intending to market the Home users, but in fact, it is more suitable for experienced computer users. For example, the machine has a good TV tuner, but unless you use the machine as a media server for your home network, you won't be able to enjoy the TV using its 3x2 inch TV setup window. Sony's RZ series that come with Windows XP media edition might be a better option if you want a better GUI to enjoy TV, VCR, DVD functions.

My machine did not have any problem upon its arrival and I have kept it on for two weeks now and still runs great. Everything has been working.

Some notes for buyers:

1. Delete Microsoft Office Trial Edition before you install one that is not trial, otherwise they may conflict with each other.
2. Delete Internet Security. After 60 days, you have to purchase it anyway. It is cheaper to buy Symantec's Norton Antivirus then get a free personal firewall through www.zonelabs.com. Internet Security is a terrible program if you are using DSL or any home wireless network.
(...)

I usually do not write reviews, but I am so happy with the PCV-RS630G that I would like to share my enthusiasm.

Most recently I had a Sony Pentium 3 VAIO desktop purchased in 2001 which I felt was ready for replacement.

Unlike the previous reviewer who had problems "out of the box" (which can happen to anyone), my computer purchased at Circuit City was up and running immediately. With previous computers, I was always able to get programs running but often had problems connecting to the Internet. This time, my Earthlink DSL connection worked right away. All my programs loaded properly and ran ok with no error messages. There were a few minor issues using Outlook for sending and receiving e-mail, but Earthlink helped me work them out within five minutes. It was an Outlook issue because I could immediately send and receive e-mail through the Earthlink e-mail program.

The hyper-threading technology seems to be very good since I am able to run many programs simultaneously and do things like anti-virus and spyware checks in the background while doing other tasks without anything slowing down.

Specific points:

I cannot comment about the speakers that come with the PCV-R630G since I run my VAIO through an external audio system. But I can tell you that audio CD's sound crisp and clean so this system must use very good digital converters. DVD's also look top notch using Windows Media. I have not used it yet for burning DVD's.

I cannot make any comments about gaming since I am slightly out of the computer gaming demographic.

So far I have been using this new Sony desktop for two weeks with excellent results. There has not been even one instance of freezing up, or where I have needed to "inform Microsoft of the problem!" Likewise, I have never had to restart the computer other than by choice.

Earlier VAIO's had operating system discs and lots of bundled software. Those days appear to be over. Sony suggests you make a back-up of XP which is probably a good idea, although since I bought Windows XP for my last VAIO, I have XP discs should the need ever arise.

If you use Microsoft Office for Word/Excel/Outlook/Power Point, you will note that you are teased with a 30-day free trial. When you realize you are hooked, you will have to go through a conversion (this is not a religious procedure) to switch from free trial to "I actually now own this expensive Microsoft software!" You can accomplish this online with a "key" to unlock the program. But if you want the packaging, you can simply go to your nearest Staples/Office Depot-type outlet and buy an Office 2003 Upgrade edition which will work. Since this is not backward compatible, you cannot use a previous version of Office (i.e. Windows 2000). You will need to buy an upgrade of Office 2003. But it's worth it. I think it has some nice refinements from Office 2000 and besides, Bill Gates really does need your money.

Also, a new trend seems to be not to include hefty booklets with software anymore. You get the computer (slightly less weight than previous VAIO's in a more compact box), with just basic "how to turn it on" instructions with the advice that you can find anything about the computer's operation at a VAIO website online. XP is already preloaded as are the few other programs and games so you can literally turn the computer on and be ready to roll.

The only part of the design that doesn't thrill me is the design of the CD and DVD trays. It would have been better if you could use the same external button to close the trays which you can use to open them. You have to put just the right amount of pressure on the tray so it closes all the way. On my VAIO, too little pressure will leave the tray partially closed. If you have people using your computer (i.e. tiny tots), make sure you show them how to load the trays and close them because they are a tad fragile.

One last point: I bought the 17" Sony Flat Screen monitor which looks great but does not have the greatest refresh rate (typical of LCD monitors.) I did some research online and found that Hitachi LCD's have a faster refresh rate so I returned the Sony to Circuit City (which charges a 15% restocking fee which I was unable to beat even with a certain amount of begging and groveling and resorting to those "Circuit City has now lost me as a customer for the rest of my life" veiled threats which the store managers probably hear all day long and laught at!) It cost me about $80 for having had the monitor for just ten days. Oh well.

Anyway, I wound up buying a Hitachi CML175SXW 17" LCD monitor online. Unfortunately the Hitachi monitors are not sold at any retail stores. It is, however, the same price as the Sony but I feel a better product. When scrolling, it refreshes better than the Sony so you do not have quite the same blurring issues. This attractive LCD display also comes in 15" and 19" sizes.

All in all, you cannot go wrong with this new desktop from Sony. Highly recommended and I feel well worth the price.

I am unable to change the video settings in this computer. It came with no video adapter. I have just one video setting 800x600 which is not good enough the play DVDs. Best Buy will not take it back nor is of any help. Sony telephone soupport was awful. My first and last Sony computer!

I bought a SONY VAIO RX-770 on July 6, 2002. On the first day the machine froze up on the internet. That was my first of over 20 calls to the SONY technical support group. After 3 shipments back and forth to SONY's repair service center in San Diego, my PC finally is in operating condition. My PC spent approximately 5 weeks in San Diego and had a better vacation than I did. They replaced the Modem, Motherboard and finally the CPU. It is now almost 3 months since my purchase, my PC is finally operating correctly. My e-mail inquires to SONY received no response, my phone inquires to management received no return calls and the phone center personnel broke their arms patting themselves on the back for doing such a great job (?). It became chillingly apparent to me that SONY was not interested in customers.

When I purchased this Sony Vaio desktop computer, I bought it for its high speed and large storage capacity. I didn't think much about the Firewire connection or the Memory Stick reader which came included. I've since found both to be quite useful.

With the Memory Stick reader in my Vaio -- and by installing a Sony PC Card Memory Stick adapter in my laptops -- I now use Memory Sticks like floppy disks to save and transfer data, music and digital photo files easily among all of my computers. For storing or transferring data, Memory Sticks are much more convenient than using CD's (or e-mailing the information to myself from work-to-home and back again).

The Memory Stick reader also comes in handy if I want to download digital images to a Memory Stick -- in order to print them from my Sony Digital Photo Printer or my HP Photosmart printers (all of which read from Memory Sticks to print pictures); and the reader also comes in handy when downloading MP3 music files to play on my Sony Clie PDA (which uses Memory Sticks to store data beyond what its limited CPU can handle).

Like the Memory Stick reader, my utilization of the Vaio's Firewire connection has been slowly growing, the first use being my Creative Labs 20 GB Jukebox which feeds through a Firewire connection; the second being my Iomega Peerless 20 GB accessory disk drive (that I use to file and save digital photos); and the third being my Minolta Multiscan Pro film scanner which uploads 35 mm and 6 x 6 negative and slide film images (faster through a Firewire than a USB connection).

To tie them all together, I use a Belkin Firewire hub -- and Belkin Firewire cables (which look cool, and have the appearance of braided steel).

As my use of data, music and digital image files increases -- my Sony Vaio with its built-in Firewire and Memory Stick reader -- easily allows me to stay ahead of the curve!