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Sony VAIO VGN-NS230E

Weighing at 6+lbs, this general-purpose notebook is a good buy at around 700USD. The 15.4" screen of 1280x800 is stocked with an Intel Pentium dual Core, a 250GB hard disk drive and 3 GB of RAM. Pentium Dual Core? What is Sony thinking about in this computing age?

Regardless this is a good overall notebook that can be very attractive due to its low price. Having this system for over 3 months now, and I have nothing but praise for its quiet and smooth performance.

It is EPA Energy Star compliant with a Greenpeace policy rating of 4.0




Specifications:

Operating Systems:
Genuine Windows Vista® Home Prenium 32 bits

Architecture:
. Intel based
. Mobile Intel GL40 Express, 1MB L2 Cache

CPU Section:
. Intel Pentium Dual Core T3400,
. 2.16GHz, 1MB L2 Cache

Memory:
. 3GBMemory Speed
. DDR2 SDRAM @ 667MHz (PC2-5300)
. Max. Supported Memory: 4GB

Drives:
. 250GB Sata-150 5400rpm
. DVD +/- RW (+R double layer) / DVD Ram

Drives Speed:
. DVD-SuperMulti (+/-R double layer)
. Write: DVD-R x8/DL, DVD+R x6/DL, DVD+RW x8, DVD-RAM, CD-R x24, CD-RW x8
. Read: CD x24, DVD x8

Display:
. XBRITE-ECO technology
. 15.4 Wide XGA
. 1280x800

Graphics:
. Intel GMA 4500M with Intel® Clear Video Technology
. 1320 MB dynamically allocated shared graphics memory

Interfaces:
. 1 x Display / video - VGA - 15 pin HD D-Sub (HD-15),
. 4 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A,
. 1 x Microphone - Input - Mini-phone 3.5 mm,
. 1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T - RJ-45,
. 1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire) - 4 pin FireWire,
. 1 x Modem - Phone line - RJ-11

Connectivity:
. Integrated Realtek® Wireless LAN, 802.11b/g +n
. Ethernet network 100 BASE-TX/10 BASE-T
. Modem
. 2(0) x Memory, 1(1) x ExpressCard <expansion slots>

Multimedia:
. Windows® Sound System Compatible / Intel High Definition Audio

Built-In Camera:
. Webcam 1.3 megapixel MOTION EYE® built into LCD bezel



Keyboard:
. Touch Pad
. QWERTY, 86 keys with 2.5mm stroke and 19.05mm pitch

Features:
. Nothing fancy but an AV and mute buttons on top.

Softwares:

. VAIO Music Box,
. VAIO Movie Story,
. Microsoft Works 9 SE,
. VAIO Help and Support,
. VAIO Startup Assistant,
. Sony Click to Disc Editor 1.0,
. Microsoft Windows Live OneCare (Trial),
. VAIO Media Plus Multimedia Streaming Software,
. Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student Edition (60 days trial)


Supplied Accessories:
. 90-95W (19V x 4.74A) 100-240V AC Adapter
. Li-Ion (4800mAh, 6-Cell, 11.1V)
. Power Cord

Dimensions:
. in Inches
. 14.2 x 10.6 x 1.5
. Weight with Supplied Battery and Supplied Drive : 6.4lbs

What's in the Box:

. Notebook
. AC Adapter
. Power Cord
. Manual, quick setup

Looks & Design

As with other Sony models, the look is good. I don't quite make out the design on this model - "modern" like with a silver cover. It is like a mesh wrapping over a handsome form and giving a good feel to the hands.






Screen:

Sony is known for its notebook display. No exception here despite a low-cost model. Movies and pictures are being presented with clarity, vivid colours and in sharp details over the XBRITE-Eco 15.4" LCD.




Keyboard

The keyboard is large and comfortable, taking the design of previous business Sony models. The simple layout with its not-so-crowded AV and mute buttons make it easy on the eyes and fingers during typing.






Touchpad

It is of a wide footprint, responsive and comfortable.




Multimedia Keys

. AV,
. Mute button




Wireless Performance–

Good connectivity, with its ability to quickly find and connect to the home network. I recommend to stay away from the driver update of this device, using only the one that came with the notebook. Issue being that it requires to disconnect and reconnect after each new start (???)

Optical Drive

The double layer supporting DVD drive performs flawlessly and quietly


Sound

Surprisingly good due for simple Windows/Intel driver. Maybe because of its layout?




Heat and Noise

It is quiet and cool. Not much to describe here.





Gaming Performance

So far it is performing well with my CoD4, WoW and Command and Conquer - flawlessly to say the least. Actually most Sony notebooks would handle these games quite nice.


System Performance

I was a bit skeptical of the Pentium Dual Core configuration of this model, but after few days of usage and testing, the general performance impressed me. Music listening, Video watching, Gaming and Photoshop run nicely with little or no hiccup.


Input and Output Ports

Front:

LEDs include AC power light, ON/OFF light, Battery light, and HDD

light.

A wireless antenna on/off switch along with indicator light.

An SD and Magic Gate card reader slots.




Right Side:

. 2xUSB ports
. Optical drive.



Left Side:

. 2xUSB port
. VGA port
. Express card slot
. Firewire.
. Audio out
. Audio in




Rear:

. Modem port
. Network pork
. Power input




Bottom:

. Memory cover
. Battery lock and battery release



Gaming Possibilities

Decent.

System Performance




Battery Life

The notebook provides up to 4hrs on a 6-cell battery and up to 5.5hrs of performance on a 9-cell battery. My experiences have been around 3+hrs with the 6-cells.


Pros:

. Good price.
. Nice multimedia and day-to-day notebook
. Good system performance in spite of the Pentium Dual Core and low RPM drive.
. Quiet Operation

Cons:

. None as I see it so far.


Conclusion:
Good price system for a Sony notebook, with a gook looking design look. Another point to Sony for its low price line.

Wow Q!

Update OP with Passmark Performance 7 benchmark.

Attached screen shots:

Wow this score is pretty close to the Toshiba notebooks score.

I don't expect to see much of difference between notebooks, unless we are going for gaming machines.

cheers ...

I suppose your're right. CPU speed should make a significant difference.