Review of Sony VAIO VGN-N170G

Sony’s N-series customer notebook has a cool, modest look that would fit completely in a modern living space or office. This moveable is a fine choice when your financial plan is modest but you don’t want your laptop to look like it. Obtainable in white, black, and Wedge brown (named after an African wood), the N series is a budget line that uses last year’s Core Duo chip instead of the Core 2 Duo, so it lags behind other new notebooks in presentation. The creamy-white Sony VAIO VGN-N170G that we reviewed had a 1.6-GHz Core Duo T2050 processor and 1GB of DDR2-533 SDRAM. With a World Bench 5 score of 85, it ranked below standard among currently tested universal notebooks, but its speed is fine for normal tasks. The VGN-N170G lacks a devoted video card, relying on integrated graphics instead; our test unit stopped up dead in its tracks both times trying to play Far Cry and Doom 3.
The battery life of our test unit’s 4400-mAH battery was perfectly fine at 3.8 hours. Sony sells a $299, large-capacity, 7800-mAh battery (which the company says is meant to last 1.5 times as long as the standard battery) if you wish to work unplugged longer. Since we experienced the VGN-N170G, Sony has upgraded the N series with 1.73-GHz and 1.83-GHz Core Duo–but not Core 2 Duo–processors. Our assessment model’s pattern, priced at $1100 (as of 1/17/07), is no longer obtainable on Sony’s Web site; however, N-series prices are still sensible, ranging from $980 to $1150.
The 15.4-inch screen shows bright colors and crisp text, yet you can view it from most angles thanks to an antireflective outside layer laid over the glossy display. The WXGA decree of 1280 by 800 pixels is standard for this screen size and easy on the eyes for almost any type of work.
The keyboard matches the white lid and contrasts nicely with the silver casing, with black and orange lettering that really pops out on the white keys. though the keystroke is a bit short at 2.5mm, the keys are spaced slightly farther unconnectedly than standard with a 19.05mm pitch, allowing extra flat tops for at ease typing. Inside keeping with the price and modest design, but, the laptop has no shortcut, volume, or request quick-launch buttons of any kind, which some people might miss.
Our test unit came with the Windows XP Media Center Edition operating system, but it did not include a TV tuner or remote control for taking full gain of the activity applications. The stereo speakers were unsatisfactory, too. I would expect such design decisions in a budget notebook, however. The quality of the rest of the components–including a dual-layer DVD burner; divide Memory Stick, SD, and Express Card/34 card slots; a FireWire port; and built-in Wi-Fi wireless communications–is solid. Bluetooth is an Express Card option.
Unluckily, the VGN-N170G has a sealed hard drive. The 100GB drive in our test model should be big enough to keep most people happy for the life of the notebook–but if it fails, you’ll have to go with no your computer until a service center can install a new one. The two 512MB memory chips, happily, are user easy to get to. If style is important to you, the Sony N series is worth a look for normal computing, chiefly given the cost.