Sony VAIO NV170 Notebook (1.60 GHz-M Pentium 4, 256 MB RAM, 30 GB hard drive)

Amazon.com Product Description

Though not the smallest Sony portable computer at 13.3 by 10.9 inches and 8.2 pounds, the Vaio NV170 notebook brings true desktop performance to your mobile environment. Whether you're on the job, playing a movie or game, or working with your still photos or videos, the Vaio NV170 may be the only computer you need.

If you want power, you've come to the right place. Fitted with a 1.6 GHz Mobile Intel Pentium 4 processor with 512 KB of Level 2 cache, the Vaio NV170 is ready for virtually anything you can throw its way. To keep data flowing fast and limit hard drive usage, Sony has included 256 MB of RAM and allowed you to expand to a whopping 512 MB. Visual processing is handled by a robust 16 MB 4x AGP ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 graphics chip, which in conjunction with the processor and RAM should capably display any graphic-intensive program aside from high-end, 3-D games.

Sony has equipped the unit with a number of other luxuries not often found in notebooks, including a sizable 30 GB hard disk, an internal CD-RW/DVD drive through which you can play and record CDs and watch movies, and a large, bright 15-inch, high-resolution (1,400 x 1,050) TFT LCD display. You'll listen to music and movies through a surprisingly punchy set of integrated stereo speakers, and perhaps add a subwoofer at a later date via the system's hot-swappable multipurpose bay. The unit's control center features an 86-key keyboard, a center Jog Dial control with back button, and an electrostatic touch pad.

The Vaio NV170 is designed for connectivity and future expansion. To help keep you in touch, the unit features a built-in V.90 modem and an RJ-45 Ethernet LAN interface. To keep you linked with other devices, Sony has included an IEEE 1394 interface for high-speed data transfer, three USB ports for plug-and-play peripherals, a serial "printer" port, headphone and microphone-in jacks, and TV-out and VGA-monitor out ports. An integrated Memory Stick media slot allows you to quickly upload, transfer, and archive digital images and important data.

Your Vaio NV170 will arrive with a wide variety of pre-installed practical and entertainment programs, including Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Word 2002, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Quicken 2002 New User Edition, and numerous useful Sony-exclusive audio and video applications.

Product Description

Desktop performance, laptop luxury and a wealth of extras combine to form Sony's newest full-size notebook PC, the VAIO PCG-NV170. The latest model offers a refreshing take on multi-purpose bays by including three hot-swappable modular devices and a convenient weight saver, in addition to an on-board, integrated CD-RW/DVD combo drive. The notebook's bay accepts a self-contained, rumbling subwoofer that punctuates music or enhances the DVD viewing experience. It also supports the 10-key touch pad that provides an ergonomic, full-size feel to the keyboard. The model's weight-saving storage bay holds up to three Memory Stick media cards along with a supply of business cards.

Customer Reviews:

Great as a portable desktop!.......2002-12-26

I've had the NV170 for 3 months and its been great.
Like some of the other reviews regarding this laptop, it is a BRICK. Definitely not for a business traveler.
But if you need a fast and powerful computer you can take with you on occasions, this is perfect. Some of the programs loaded are a little difficult to get working but once I got around it and downloaded my own programs, it does all I need. The screen is large and crisp compared to other laptops I've looked at. Also sounds great with the changeable woofer.

The pro's and con's.......2002-10-19

Overall the NV170 is a great laptop. I did quite a bit of research and have been very happy with my purchase. 2 major issues for me: Customer Support & Sonicstage (Sony's music manager). From the get go the customer support - even customer service when I ordered over the phone was just atrocious. I have spent at least 5 hours being transferred from one 800 number to the next by rude service technicians just to try to resolve some issues that were "no brainers" to me. Only recently did I find one that went that extra mile to at least try to take care of me. My second complaint is the software that Sony has chosen to use to manage music. If you just want to listen to songs that you've downloaded from an external source (not including the internet) on your computer, then you should be fine. However, like most I like to burn CD's & Sonicstage has nearly made me sick, physically, a couple of times with sheer frustration! They have created a new format that mp3's are converted to when using Sonicstage (.omg). It is supposed to keep track of copyright information, number of times a song has been downloaded, etc. The problem is that there is something that doesn't jive between the software and songs dowloaded from the net. So, sometimes they'll burn, sometimes they won't, sometimes I feel like dropping the machine off my 3rd story balcony...... Anyway, other than these two issues the speed & capabilities of the NV170 accomodate my needs well.

BUYERS BEWARE: Sony VAIO NV170 is a toy.......2002-08-20

Even though this unit has a great display it is a terrible buy if your a business user. It will not support any other operating system than Windows XP Home, Sony does not offer an upgrade path(even to XP Professional), there are no drivers available for the hardware configuration. Buyer's beware, this unit is not for business use. Sony does not support this product!

A nice package.......2002-08-10

This laptop is well designed. The moment you open the package. You noticed this is a well-built product. The engineer really put a lot of effort into every detail. A really elegant computer. The screen is beautiful. The speaker with the sub-subwofer put out some nice sound effect. Sony packs this baby with too many multi-media sofeware goodies. Too much in my opinion.

The exchangable multi-bay module is pretty cool. I was worried about the quality of this design and worry about the interface. Don't worry, the feel of the module sliding into the slot actually is pretty smooth. The sub-wofer and the 3.5inch floppy drive satified my needs.

Usually Sony offer free memory upgrade and rebate. This sweetens the deal.

Three minor complaints are:

1. The AC adapter tend to heat up more than my prior laptop.
2. This computer is a brick. A bit thick compared to other laptop.
3. Battery life is not as good as other products. But I am not a mobile executative so this is not a problem.

Overall a superb product. Well worth the moneny in my opinion. But I only have it for 2 wks so will have to see how this baby end up in a few months.

Good Luck!

Nice Notebook!.......2002-08-03

I bought the Sony Vaio NV170 about two months ago. My first impression was how well it was packed in the box. After getting it out and turning it on, I was impressed by the speed of the laptop and the sharpness of the 15" LCD screen. It came with 256mb ram, and wasn't too bad. I got the free 256mb ram upgrade and after installing it, it was worth the upgrade. I can multitask faster with more ram. The modem isn't the best. With my desktop, I could always connect above 48kbps, but with this - if I'm lucky, I can get connected at 42kbps. I also wish Sony went with USB 2.0 instead of 1.1 so I can use an external hard drive. Gonna have to get a USB 2.0 PCMCIA card. Overall, if you have broadband, this is a great laptop! If you don't care about slow modem speeds, then this is still a great laptop!

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