Sony VAIO PCV-RX860 Desktop (2.4 GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB DDR RAM, 80 GB hard drive

Product Description

Power, of course. Performance, definitely. And it's got to have a DVD-RW drive. With the VAIO Digital Studio RX860, creating your own DVDs has never been this easy?.and this fun! The blazing fast Intel Pentium 4 2.40B GHz Processor will make your computing experience even more exciting. Power, performance, DVD-RW? it all starts here.

Amazon.com Product Description

One of the most trusted names in electronics, Sony is into computers in a very big way. Its lineup consists of a broad range of desktop systems, each geared to slightly different needs and budgets. With the Vaio PCV-RX860 desktop, Sony offers near-cutting-edge performance at a slightly more affordable price than its top-of-the-line models.

Built to suit all but the most demanding computer users, the Vaio PCV-RX860 features a fast 2.4 GHz Pentium 4 processor, 512 MB of PC-2100 DDR RAM (upgradable to 1.5 GB!), and a speedy 533 MHz front-side bus. In plain English, this capable computer will make quick work of virtually any task except for the most intensive 3-D games. Hard-core gamers should look at either upgrading the system's graphics processor or purchasing a more appropriate Vaio, such as the PCV-RZ16G.

The Vaio PCV-RX860 offers a variety of data storage, backup, and transfer options. Apart from its large 80 GB hard drive and 3.5-inch floppy disk drive, the unit features a handy DVD-RW/CD-R drive for recording and playing music CDs, archiving files, burning home movies onto digital video media, and enjoying the latest Hollywood blockbusters. To make all these operations even easier, Sony has included a PS2 wheel mouse and a Vaio Smart keyboard, the latter of which incorporates numerous convenient multimedia and Internet hotkeys.

The system bristles with connectivity options, including six high-speed USB 2.0 ports for plug-and-play peripherals such as joysticks and external CD burners, an IEEE 1394 interface for out-board devices such as DV camcorders, a proprietary Memory Stick Media Slot, a 10Base-T/100Base-TX Fast Ethernet interface, and an integrated V.90 modem. Sony has not included a viewing screen, allowing users to make their own selection from the numerous traditional and ultrathin LCD models on the market.

Customer Reviews:

Worst computer...ever........2004-10-10

This computer was very dissapointing. I expected a machine that would be easy to use, and would play a part in my everyday life. Instead, we got a machine that is plagued with problems. Some so cripiling, we had to reinstall XP two times. I've had enough...I'm going to Apple. Awful waste of $1,600.

Horrible modem problems - 2nd machine, five reloads -broken!.......2003-01-03

Horrible problems. Can't use the modem to get to the internet.
Not with MSN, not with AOL... Customer support said
reload/rebuild, still didn't work. Comp USA gave us a replacement, which had the identical problem. A few rebuilds later, I'm still wondering if I'll ever get to the internet.

Decent, not the best though.......2002-11-13

The RX860 and RX850 are the two latest desktops in Sony's "digital studio" lineup. The RX860 actually has a 2A GHz CPU, which coupled with the 533MHz frontside bus, is marketed as a 2.4 GHz machine. A marketing ploy? Misleading claim (and worthy of a class action suit)?

Of course, I doubt a real-world user would actually notice the speed difference, esp. since this machine is under-powered compared to similar offerings from competitors such as Gateway and Dell. Sure, it has USB 2 and IEEE 1394 ports, but the 80GB (1GB=1000MB) hard disk feels slow and sounds noisy at times. The video as shipped is built-in and uses memory shared from the main RAM (up to 64MB). There is one AGP slot, but only 3 PCI slots, one of which is already taken up by the modem. The CD-RW part of the DVD-RW/CD-RW drive is only 8/4/24, excruciatingly slow compared to today's common 20-24/8-16/40-48 drives that cost no more than $[money] (internal versions).

In short, this is a solid machine for home users, and it does have a few nice multimedia features such as Sony's own "Click to DVD" DVD-authoring software. Having owned 6 Sony computers (not all by choice, though), I don't have much high esteem for their software. And this computer comes with Wordperfect suite... a total joke. I recommend you take a look at solid offerings from Dell, Gateway and also HP before you decide.

Just great........2002-11-11

This is the best Sony I've reviewed, again gaining high marks for its value. Doubling its predecessor's DDRAM to 512 megs and adding 6 2.0 USB ports makes this machine's specs good enough as shipped to make 95% of the PC market happy. The other 5% (myself included) would like to have a true game-ready, 64 megs (or higher!) of video RAM. Perhaps most appealing is the included DVD recorder drive, which allows you to take your home movies, downloaded movies, pictures, or even photos you've taken and make your own movie collections on disc. Unfortunately, the included 32 meg Sony in-house, on-chip setup here just won't cut the mustard. There is, however, an open 4x AGP slot, so an upgrade can be bought and slid into place in 10 minutes without any fuss. In addition, there is no monitor included here, so that's another important expense to add. Nonetheless, it's a quality machine with lots of great features and it's one I'd be happy to have "as is" for anything but interactive Internet gaming or CAD.

Great machine for a great price.......2002-10-23

I just bought this computer two weeks ago (an upgrade from a 5yr old Aptiva), and I could not be happier. I did a lot of research and the Sony Vaio came up as the number one computer on my list.

It come bundled with a whole bunch of software for editing video and audio, and for creating music CD's and DVD's - and it all works so well together. Now I can transfer home movies to DVD - so easy and the quality is much better then VHS. Especially if you have a Digital camcorder - like a MiniDV.

Plus, other Sony equipment (MiniDV cameras, Clie PDA's, digital cameras, etc.) can be plugged directly in to the computer using the i.Link (IEEE 1394) cable or the Memory Stick Media Slot for seamless transfer of data (pictures and movies).

The only downside is that some video games may not look all that great with the included graphics card (32MB SIS651 Integrated Graphics with Real256), they will all play fine but not at the highest game graphics settings. So for the avid gamer I would suggest buying a graphics card (there are 2 PCI and 1 AGP slots available).

Again, high marks for Sony on a well made computer.

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