Laptops Arena

When reading this Sony VAIO K45 laptop review there is one thing that you should keep in mind. This laptop is quite old considering the fact that its successful days were sometime back in 2005. The specs are really out of date and they cannot quite cover the needs that we have from the modern day laptops.
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The Sony VAIO K45 laptop is based on a 3.2 GHz Intel Mobile Pentium 4 processor and 512 MB of RAM with the possibility to upgrade to a maximum 1 GB. Now, we all know that Pentium processor tend to become really slow when you run multiple applications at the same time and considering the fact that you only get a maximum 1 GB of RAM, this RAM isn’t helping too much either. So far, it seem that this laptop is more for covering the basic computing needs as it cannot handle any new or top of the line laptop applications. The total storage capacity of the hard drive is 80 GB which could be enough even if you plan to use the Sony VAIO K45 laptop as your main computer. I don’t think that you were going to install really big applications.

When you run out of disk space, you could use the included CD burner to copy some of your files on CDs. Unfortunately, the included optical drive only comes with a DVD reader so you can’t actually write any DVDs. The display measures 15.4 inches in diagonal and it comes with the Sony X-Brite technology which makes the display glossy but a lot better when it comes to the quality of the images and the colors shown. The native resolution of this display is 1280 x 800 pixels. As for the video card of this system, we are dealing with the ATI Radeon IGP345M with 64 MB of shared video memory. The Sony VAIO K45 laptop is generally shipped with the Windows XP Home Edition operating system and a lot of preinstalled software like Adobe Acrobat Reader, Sony Media, Intel Video WinDVD, VAIO Zone, Norton Internet Security (90 days trial version), VAIO Recovery wizard, Micrisoft Works 8.0, Microsoft Office 2003 Student and Teacher Edition (the trial version), VAIO Update and a lot of other application made especially for Sony VAIO laptops.



Aside from the USB ports which are found on all the laptop is this world, the Sony VAIO K45 laptop also comes with a multi format digital media card reader, a VGA out, an Ethernet port, the modem jack, a FireWire port, a Display port and the headphones out and microphone in jacks. Since the dimensions of this laptop are 14.1 x 10.9 x 2.2 inches and the total weight of the system is 8.2 lbs, it is recommended that you use this laptop as a desktop replacement because the weight is simply too much for you to carry around all the time. Not very sure about how much this unit actually costs at the time but if you search the internet you are bound to get some great deals since this laptop model is quite old.

Sony – VAIO laptops are one of the most popular series of multimedia laptops and together with the HP Pavilion series, they have gained a considerable share of the market as far as multimedia laptop users go. Sony – VAIO laptops are considered to be a standard of quality and professionalism as far as entertainment notebook go. These laptop models started appearing a few years ago and as time has passed, more and more models appeared, each one being of improved version of the previous. Even so, the first models of Sony – VAIO laptops have struggled to bring the best features that a multimedia laptop could come with at that time.
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Let us take the example of the Sony VAIO G series. This laptop is based on a 1.33 GHz Intel Core Solo ULV U1500 processor and 1 GB of RAM. The total storage capacity of the hard drive is 100 GB and the graphics card is the integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950.

The dimensions of this unit are 10.9 x 8.43 x 1.00 inches and the total weight is 2.47 lbs. in case you are wondering how come this laptop is so light weight, it comes with a 12.1 inch display with a matte surface and a native resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels. Ok, so this laptop was pretty extraordinary back in 2007 but let us see if there were any improvements on a laptop model launched in 2008.



The Sony VAIO FW139E/H is one of those Sony – VAIO laptops which can make an excellent desktop replacement. This laptop model is part of the VAIO FW series and it is based on a 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 3 GB of RAM. The graphics card is the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470 while the total storage space of the hard drive is 250 GB. This VAIO laptop model has a 16.4 inch display that comes at a native resolution of 1600 x 900 pixels and the screen is absolutely superb and it has just the right resolution. Since the display is covered in a glossy coating, the colors are simply splendid as they are sharp and vibrating and it seems that reflection is not that big of a problem with this laptop.



The selection of ports and features should always be good on a multimedia laptop which is also a desktop replacement. This is why the Sony VAIO FW139E/H comes with 3 USB ports, one Express Card slot, a VGA out, the HDMI port, a memory card reader, a FireWire port and the regular headphones out and microphone in jacks.  We love the HDMI port since we can attach external HD monitors. As for the battery life, it’s safe to say that it was within our expectations. When you set the display brightness to the maximum level, the battery will manage to keep the laptop on for about 2 hours. I know this performance is not awesome but it will do considering the specs and size of the unit. Notice the improvement between the 2 models?

The W series Eco Edition is a Sony notebook laptop which can be bought for an extremely low price, starting somewhere at $460. This unit which we have reviewed was based on a 1.66 GHz Intel Atom N450 processor and 1 GB of RAM. Unfortunately, if you wish to extend the RAM of the laptop, it will not be possible. The graphics card is the integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3150 and the total storage capacity of the hard drive is 250 GB.

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With 10.5 x 7.1 x 2.0 inches in dimensions and 2.8 pounds in weights, this Sony notebook laptop is actually part of the netbook category because it comes with a 10.1 inch display which has a native resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. In case you are wondering why this Sony notebook laptop is called the Eco Edition, know that it comes with a case partially made of recycled PET bottles so there is pollution caused when you throw it away and the chassis was 20% made out of reprocessed plastic from CDs. No matter what it is made from, this Sony mini laptop manages to offer acceptable performance at a great price and it is also an eco friendly device. In order to fully charge the battery, this mini laptop has to be kept plugged in for about 3 hours and 30 minutes and on a full charge, the laptop is going to stay on for 6 hours and 42 minutes.

I know that a lot of people wished that the keyboard on this Sony VAIO laptop was bigger but let us remember that it is a netbook after all. You may feel that the keys are a bit cramped but when speaking about the layout, you will see that it follows the same pattern as the bigger Sony VAIO laptop models, having a chiclet style keyboard. The touchpad is ok, offering proper response when it is used. The left and right mouse buttons are easy to press using your thumb and they seem to offer just the right amount of feedback. When it came to the audio performance of this unit, it was pretty much the same as that of other notebooks from the same category. Even when you turn up the volume to the maximum level, you are going to have a hard time enjoying loud music because the volume levels are not satisfying at all.



As for the selection of ports and connections, know that this laptop comes with only 2 USB ports, one Ethernet port, a VGA out, a Kensington lock slot, a memory stick PRO plus an SD card slot and the regular headphones out an microphone in jacks. Above the display you will also notice a 1.3 megapixel webcam that manages to deliver quality images in different light conditions so you can know benefit from chatting with your friends via video calls. This camera can also take pictures at a resolution of 1280 x 960 pixels and record videos at a 640 x 480 pixels resolution.

The VGN-Z11WN/B is a Sony VAIO laptop VGN that used to be very popular a few years ago as it came as a great portable multimedia laptop with a lot of cool features that the public began to love. With a 13.1 inch display and a 1600 x 900 pixels native resolution, this Sony VAIO laptop VGN Z11WN/B manages to impress us from the very start.

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With 314 x 210 x 33 mm in dimensions and 1.47 kg in weight, this is certainly one of the coolest ultra portables you have ever seen. Even if it smaller and lighter than usual 15 inch laptop, is still feels very solid so there is no doubt that this notebook has a solid built in construction. The Sony VAIO laptop VGN Z11WN/B may just be your new best traveling companion. The bottom of the unit is more resistant to flexing that its predecessor.

The levels of brightness of the display are great and the contrast is also excellent. The colors are astonishing and this contributes to a superb overall image. The unit is based on an Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 processor and 4 GB of DDR3 RAM.  The total storage capacity of the hard drive is 250 GB and the graphics card is the nVidia GeFoce 9300M GS. Apparently, this video card can handle 3D graphics pretty well so don’t be afraid to put it to a test by playing some 3D shooters, like Crysis.



The unit also comes with an included fingerprint reader to offer a batter security measure in case you were looking to use this laptop for business purposes. One thing which we considered to be a minus of this laptop was the fact that the unit only came with a DVD burner, while a configuration with a Blu-ray optical drive would have been highly appreciated, especially since there is an included HDMI port. Other features that may be of interest to you are the integrated webcam and Bluetooth device. And speaking of ports and connections, this unit comes with 2 USB ports, one FireWire port, a VGA out, a HDMI port, the Ethernet port, a modem port, a SD/SDHC media card reader, an express card slot, the docking port and the regular headphones out and microphone in jacks. We have found this selection to be one of the best you will ever see on an ultraportable. In the standard version, the unit comes with the 32 bit Windows Vista Business operating system but if you are willing to try the new Windows 7 operating system, I’m sure it will work just fine.



For the price of 1200 Euros, people may think that this laptop is too expensive. Taking a closer look at this unit will impress the customers’ right from the start, with the super cool design features. If you are particularly interested in the battery performance of your Sony VAIO laptop VGN Z11WN/B, you should know that you can always fall back upon the integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X 4500MHD chipset and then you shall get about 5 hours and 45 minutes of battery life.

When you hear about Sony 8 laptops, you should know that people refer to the Sony VAIO P series of notebook, the ones which Sony likes to call “The LifeStyle PCs”. Sony 8 laptops may be netbooks and when I say netbooks you must associate them with a small and cheap unit. Well, the Sony VAIO P may be small but it is anything but cheap. If it is not the most expensive mini laptop on the market, it is surely in the top 5 most expensive.

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The good news is that the Sony 8 laptops can be customized but if you want a unit like the one which we are about to describe, you are going to have to pay about $1200 to get it. One thing is for sure, you will be paying a lot for style and elegance because this netbook is by far one of the sexiest you have ever seen. The unit reviewed here came with a 1.33 GHz Intel Atom Z540 processor which is uncommon if we think about the fact that most mini laptop comes with the Atom N270 processor.

The total amount of RAM on this unit is 2 GB compared to 1 GB which is the common choice on the rest of the mini computers out there. The graphics card is the integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 500 as we could not have it any other way. Powerful graphic cards are out of the question when you have a small chassis to deal with. The total storage space on this mini laptop is 64 GB. it is low if we think that the Dell Mini 10 comes with a 160 GB hard drive but considering the fact that you will be using this mini laptop mostly for internet and writing documents purpose, you will not be needing a very big hard drive.



The dimensions of this unit are 9.65 x 4.72 x 0.78 inches and the total weight of the model with the 6 cell battery is 1 lb and 8 oz. it comes with a lot of cool features and if the features are not the ones that justify the spicy price, just by looking at these pictures you can tell that this mini laptop was designed to be expensive. After all, it is a Sony VAIO. The 8 inch display comes with a native resolution of 1600 x 768 which is quite a lot for a screen this small. When it comes to the selection of ports and connections, this laptop comes with 2 USB ports, one Memory stick card slot, a security lock slot, an expansion port and the regular headphones out and microphone in jacks. Battery life is one of the key aspects in every mini laptop and it is a shame to see that the battery performance of this VAIO is not quite what we expected. With the display brightness set to 80%, the wireless card activated while surfing the internet and typing some documents in Word, the Sony VAIO 8 manages to stay on for only 2 hours and 40 minutes which is a lousy performance for a mini laptop which costs $1200. With the 6 cell battery, you will get about 4 hours with the same settings.