Desktop Reviews

I dont have this model but i have the pcv-rx450 in other ones one of the first ones that came out ... people complain about the vaio all the time because of the sound it makes . You get use to it trust me.My
vaio came to me in a good time i had a packard bell on windows 98 for about 4 years am on Windows Me right now .. the only thing i can say is Vaio is a good investment . not only is it made by sony but
the bundle of software that comes with it is worth the $ and the computer . The vaio has a lot to offer if this computer isnt
what
youre looking for try the sony web site theres a new vaio out its not the normal 512mb now its over a 1,000 mbs if i can rememebr right ...

Very happy with this PC, I am a student at College.
It is a great product for school and games too, Nivida chip biult in.
Made soem benchmarks looks like this cpu is even faster from Penium4 1.6Ghz.
If I had a choice I would buy this PC again!

Some people still don't do the math!
Well for those of you that don't know the difference between Intel and XP,.
AMD XP makes more operation per second from P4, it works with QuantiSpeed™ Architecture. That's why XP 1600+ is faster from P4 (1.6 or 1.7Ghz)
They say P4 1.6Ghz but in reality runs @1.2 Ghz comparing to XP.
Another ex. Car1 (p4) with 8 cyl 400 HP with only 150 torque, Car 2 (XP) 400HP 6 cyl 350 torque.
I am not AMD fan but it is true, just what I said.
I really don't see the point to buy Intel. Unless you are Intel Freak. The reason why Intel cost more money couse not many people are still familiar with the new name Athlon CPU. Penium name exist from 1995 unlike Athlon came out in 1999.
Decision is very simple.

I have had three Sony Vaio computers over the last couple of years, and none has let me down. This latest Vaio is no different, with sleek styling and great performance. The machine is quiet, fast, and didn't cost me an arm and a leg even with the 19" FD Trinitron monitor that I also bought along with the system unit. Highly recommended - do yourself a favor and buy a Sony!

I had three nightmare HP Pavilion 7940s, in only three months. They literally took a summer and a fall out of my life. Then, I bought this Sony. Quite literally, it has turned me into a com-
puter freak. It has me roaming the Internet, downloading, uploading, reloading, uninstalling, and then reinstalling, just to play with it! I even subscribed to about ninety tech emags and regular magazines because it has opened up my interest that much in the new technology! It is fast, efficient, and ridiculously stable. It is not normal not to crash like this one never does. Also, it came with XP, which is the best thing Bill has done since '95. The HPs had ME, which is proof that terrorists have siezed contol of our nation's computer systems.

As you can see by just looking at the picture, the Vaio looks great, Sony is about the only computer company other than Apple that cares about its looks. The computer it self is great, it comes with everything you need. The processor is more than enough for any type of user, the ram is decent, for regular user that should be enough, but others might want to upgrade to 512mb, that only cost [price] so that isn't a big deal. The hard drive space is awesome; you can never run out, 80 GB, that's the second largest hard drive out there. The CD-RW is blazing fast; you can burn a full CD in about 4-6 minutes. And for those of you that own any Sony Digital Imaging or Video products, it gets even better, there is a I-Link port in the front of your computer, for easy access, and the Vaio comes pre-loaded for all the software you need. This computer is nearly perfect, the only extra that it's missing is the DVD-RW, but you wouldn't expect that in a computer selling for [price] (...). The Sony reliability factor is also an added reason for buying this computer, it never breaks down, it is flawless. For [price], this is the best computer on the market.

My god this computer is probably the most powerful one out there. Listen up people if you love to take pictures and love editing them but think that it is getting too hard on your old computer? This is the one to go with. It has digital editing software that you can transfer your pictures from your memory stick (Sony) and see them on your desktop. This is running at Pentium 4, 3.4GHz Processor. That is the fastest processor out for Windows so far. I bought this computer a couple of months ago and I am enjoying every second of it. I have high speed internet and it probably goes to the website in one or two seconds! If you do a lot of word processing you should get Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003 because this computer doesn't come with any good software. Some things I love about this computer is the RAM. 1024GB RAM is a huge amount and the Hard Drive is 250GB which is also humungous. The DVD+RW is the best thing to have. If you have kids who play around with your DVDs or pets that drool all over them. With a DVD Burner you can record a DVD onto another disc so it stays in good shape. But don't go to video rental stores and burn any DVDs because the police will fine you huge amounts of money. I have three of these systems with 21" Flat-Panel display from Sony too. That's the only thing you really have to buy is a display. Sony makes the best displays. I have everything from Sony. And I think you should start too. This computer will probably last you 10-20 years, if you keep it in good shape.

Speed: 10/10

Storage: 10/10

Software: 8/10

Graphics: 10/10

Some people shouldn't buy this computer because they don't use it that much.

P.S. This computer comes with Hyper Threading technology which is when you can run more than one thing at once without slowing down your computer at all. This is one of the best things computers come with these days. For this price you can't deny how good this computer is.

This computer will pretty much blow away any other computer you can buy. Well, if you look around real hard, you might find a custom built computer with tweaked memory settings, but it won't be as stable and reliable as this machine. And unlike Apple, Sony doesn't cut corners on the graphics. Pick out the newest 3D game out there and this machine will eat it for breakfast. (Note: it has a ATI Radeon 9600XT, the tech notes on Amazon are a little confusing on this point.)

But to me the best thing is the 3.4GHz HT CPU. The "HT" means it supports Hyper-threading, which is a fancy way to say it can run two software threads at the same time. No other CPU in the consumer market can do that. I have a 3GHz HT cpu, and I love the fact that while I am doing something that takes a few minutes (like writing out a movie or burning a CD), I can go off and surf the web or play a game and never notice a slow down. It's almost a good as having 2 CPUs, except at a fraction of the price.

Sure, a computer at this level may cost a little more, but the way I see it is why sit around waiting for your computer to do things? With this computer you get your time back. For me that's worth a few extra bucks.

This is a top notch desktop. I bought mine with a 19 inch flat screen Sony monitor. Out of the box, it took me less than half an hour to set up. Also, it integrated fine with both my Router and my Digital Cable service. With the processing power and HD size a lot of nice options become available to you. Record your favorite TV programs, and watch them as you please. Picture and DVD editing are a breeze, though I would recommend upgrading to Adobe Premier Pro. I like iTunes and with the two speaker sub woofer system you have a great medium to store and run your favorite songs. Gaming is good for this system too, and applications like Office will run with no problems. Overall this is a very good Media Center desktop PC.

This Sony PC worked right out of the box. I just plugged it in and started using it. The ports are easy to find and use, although it does not support older legacy (non-USB) peripherals. It is a very elegant looking machine, and the screen resolution is superb. My only complaints are a smallish keyboard and weak sounding speakers. You can connect aftermarket speakers and keyboard, of course.

Well, I was debating whether to get a laptop or a desktop for college, and then I came across this computer. It's sort of a hybrid between the two and came with many nice features at a decent price. This computer has given me no problems and has been very convient and easy to use. I recommend it for people with little space or who just want a computer that looks cool.

I just picked my Vaio W30 up a few days ago and it is great. I think it is being marketed as a PC for people who don't know much about computers but as someone who is familiar with computers and technology, I really loved the size, the look, the functionality and the price. At 1600 dollars this is a gerat deal. Only drawback is that it does not come packaged with Office or anything which kind of sucks if you don't own Office already and have to pay another 400 bucks for it (like I do). Basically I use my personal computer for music, movies, iPod, digital camera, internet, Word and Excel. This is ample computer for that. 512 MB of RAM...as an average computer user you can't possibly need more than that. 2GHz processor, there are faster computers out there but really ask yourself if you need it. You probably don't unless you're doing graphic design or lots of intense digital movie editing. The screen is gorgeous and I am very pleasantly surprised by the speaker quality. Although I am hooking mine up to different speakers, these speakers are more than sufficient for a casual user. This is, as advertised, easy to set up. Plug in the mouse, plug in the computer and you're all set. My favorite aspect is the fact that on the side you have 2 USB 2.0 ports (there is a separate mouse port), 2 FireWire connections, a digital memory stick...this computer is made for the person with lots of gadgets.
I'd say the pros are all listed above (price, small size, functionality) and the cons are: inability to upgrade this (although for a casual user or a college student, etc. this will last for several years) and the lack of quality bundled software.
I truly recommend this for different types of people. It is great for young people who want a hip looking multi-media capable computer. It is great for first-time PC users b/c of it's simple design and streamlined approach. Sony is a good company (I'd buy from them directly though rather than here and get the 2 year warranty) and they've made a great computer. Buy it knowing you are getting a wonderful computer for a tremendous price.

The Compaq Presario 6027us was the one brought by my Mom for the entire family use. I personally brought the Compaq Presario 6350us, because I am one of those who need cutting-edge gagets. While the Presario 6027us is a notch below the Presario 6350us, its powerful features still leaves many others in the dust. With its fast 2.0 GHz processor, doing almost anything will not be a problem. Gaming, however, was not as good as the Presario 6350us. With 80GB hard drive, storing music and other programs will not be a problem. My family has over 200 songs installed along with many other applications. We still have 70 GB left. This computer should be the ideal choice for many people in need of a new PC and should last for another 6 to 8 years. The PC also came with a design easy for upgrading graphic cards and RAM/Hard Drive memory. One could just open it and it would be easy to change. My sister, a week ago, opened it and exchanged the "Integrated Intel Extreme" graphics card for an advanced "nvidia GeForce 4." This just made the already advanced PC into a cutting edge Compaq Presario. I personally recommend this PC for its great price, however, if you don't mind paying extra then settle for the Compaq Presario 6350us or the even more powerful Presario 6370us.

I've had mine for about 10 days and I'm loving it. It's quiet, looks good, and seems to be pretty solid. I had no troubles setting it up and my PC skills are about the same as Joe Average.

I've loaded it up with my usual Office, anit-virus, fire wall and a few games and it still boots prett fast. I finally got to boost my new Castle Wolfenstein upto full settings and enjoy it the way it was meant to be.

I can't help out on the technical stuff, but I kicked the tires, drove it around the block and even took it out on the freeway for a spin (so to speak) and I have no complaints.

THIS COMPUTER ROCKS!it starts up really fast(3sec) the system is soo quiet u cannot even hear it when its on.The modem seems alot faster then my old computers modem JUST BUY THIS ONE ITS GREAT !!

This is a great choice for anyone looking for a mid to high end PC. This system has a nice array of components and Compaq's reliability is pretty good. If you are a heavy 3D gamer you may have to upgrade the graphics within a year or so, but that's true of most of the systems sold today.

Let look at what's included:
CPU: P4 processor 2.53GHz - Excellent, plenty of CPU horse power no matter what you want to do.

RAM: 512MB DDR-SDRAM - The Amazon specs list this as plain old SDRAM but is really 266MHz DDR-SDRAM. There is faster ram out there if you are a power user who wants to push the edge. However DDR-266 is a perfect fit of speed and reliability for most users.

Hard Drive: 120GB - More than enough storage for just about anyone.

Other drives: CD-RW (40x write/10x rewrite/40x read), and 16x max speed DVD-ROM. Perfect. Don't expect a 40x write speed when creating audio CDROMs. For reasons too involved to go into here, it doesn't work out that way.

Graphics: 64MB DDR GeForce4 MX420 w/ TV out - Good card but not cutting edge. If you are a cutting edge gamer you will want to upgrade this within the year. The good news is that a good upgrade doesn't have to cost you more than 100 bucks.

Ports 10/100 Base-T Fast Ethernet; 56K ITU v.90 flex modem, lots of USB 2.0 - Compaq did a good job of loading this up with all the ports you could want.

Software: Windows XP (great!), MS Works (okay), and all the usual stuff like anti virus and photo editing software.

Overall this is a good package loaded with just about everything you need. It doesn't have speakers (most bundled speakers aren't worth your time anyway). If you are looking for a LCD monitor to go with this system it is important you get one that supports an analog input. This system does not have a digital DVI output. My advice: buy a LCD monitor that supports both analog and digital inputs and upgrade your computer in a year or so with a video card that has a digital DVI output. The digital output quality is superior to the analog output quality; especially on Nvidia based graphics cards.

This machine will change your life. No more rushing home to watch a show, picking up five remotes trying to figure out which ones which, shssing your spouse until the important part of the show passes, switching CDs in your player, hooking the video camera up to the VCR to watch it, having a stack of stereo components, pulling out photo albums, etc. I could go on and on. This new design is extraordinary. My wife is nuts for this for it's simplicity. Stop reading this and buy one immediately.

The sleek look and ease of use of the Gateway FMC-901 make it a great choice if you want the features of a Media Center Edition PC but don't want a clunky PC in the family room.
I couldn't see paying the extra price tag on the 901X just to get the Radeon 9800 Pro graphics card and the DVD burner. So if playing games and recording to DVD media isn't important, the lower cost unit may be suitable for most needs.

I am overwhelmed with the ease of installation and thoughfulness of this package. What a bargain!

I really like being able to plug the rechargable mouse into a USB port to recharge it. The instructions said to install the charging cord to a USB port on the back of the computer or the batteries would not recharge, but I plugged it into my powered USB hub and it charges fine. The wireless freedom is better than I anticipated. The optics didn't work well on the desk glass top so I'm still using a mouse pad.

Too bad Kensington didn't make the keyboard rechargable, but the batteries change out easily, and I'll probably use rechagable batteries later. The keys have a different feel (to say nothing about their shape), and there is no positive feedback. My keyboard resides under my desk in a pullout drawer and the best advantage for me is that now there is no cord tugging the keyboard out of place when I pull the drawer out.

Taskbar icons for the mouse and keyboard allow me to check battery status, and the mouse continues to work when being charged. Everything worked flawlessly even without any software installation, and the download from Kensington worked fine. A label on the included CD recommended going to the website for the most current drivers. Lots of driver packages to pick from, but only one is appropriate and it covers keyboard and mouse both.

One of the most pleasant computer things to happen to me in twenty years!

I am typing this review from the room next door to my computer, I can't even see the screen. I just bought this setup today to replace a normal keyboard, and so far, I am very impressed. The keyboard has oddly shaped buttons that look weird at first, but once you use them, it makes sense. The mouse is comfortable and very accurate. The utilites that come with the keyboard are rather handy, such as a meter that tells you how charged the mouse batteries are so that you know when to plug it into the charging cord. The only thing I am mildly worried about is the longevity of the products due to the low price, but the 5 year warranty eased my fears. Everything feels sturdy though. I don't feel like typing anymore, I have to many games to keep trying out (Call of Duty is great from a comfortable distance). So, if you want wireless, but are on a budget, I strongly suggest this keyboard. (NOTE: this review was editted for typos after the author returned to his computer)

I purchased this tower when i found my CD's scattered on the table, I decided that it was a time for change. Ever since purchased the CD Tower my desktop has been much neater and all my CD's are securely held in place. If you have a huge CD collection I suggest that you use Tower with many more slots because they fill up fast. It is very stable and it has rubber pads on the bottom of the Tower so that it doesn't scratch your desk. Great Basic product, great buy!!

The desk Tower is awsome it is so helpful for keeping your cds neet. I am the type of pearson that is always losing things espcily my cds the desk tower now gives me a way to stay neet and have a place to put my cds.

i have owned this product since april of 2002, and i am more than satisfied. Performance is great and i have never had a problem with this machine. Highly Reccomended

I did read the many reviews on this site about how slow the hard drive is and how the video card was no good. Unfortunately I read it all AFTER I bought the machine.

How wrong those reviews are. This machine is VERY fast, and can handle very graphic intensive games. Examples: I tried Return to Castle Wolfenstein on this while running a file sharing program. No problem. I ran some mathematical simulation on it for about 12 hours (think 100% CPU utilization). No problem. Video playback flawless. My previous machine was a workstation with a 7200 RPM scsi drive on it and the only thing I notice different on this machine is that it is MUCH quieter than my previous.

I've owned several sony computers over the last 5 years. I can vouch for their quality after drops, dozens of trips with them, and hours of very intensive use. THis machine, after 2 months 'hammering' it, is holding up great.