My Sony VAIO AR170G Review ***56K STAY AWAY***

I just recently got my AR, so i thought i would share my experience with everyone (using my AR of course).

I ordered my VGN-AR170G on a Tuesday, got free ground shipping, and received it the following Monday. I actually ordered my wife an FJ series laptop together with my AR, so they both came together on Monday. Although Sony was having a promotion for free ground shipping, i received both laptops via Fedex Standard Overnight. I don't know how that happened, but it was a pleasant surprise.

Reasons for Buying:

I wanted a desktop replacement that could play games and run Photoshop but also have enough multimedia functions to connect to and make use of a 42in Plasma HDTV and home theater system. I originally saw the AR190G and was floored by the design and the fact that it had HDMI out and Optical out. (I wasn't too interested in the Blu-Ray drive since it's new technology and the fact that the Blu-Ray v. HD-DVD battle has not been settled yet. I figured if Blu-Ray does become the next standard, i'll just buy a separate Blu-Ray player for my TV). However the $3500 price tag caused me to look elsewhere to satisfy my multimedia and gaming needs. Other models i considered were: Dell E1705, Asus W2JB, Sager 5760, and the Alienware m9700. Here were my main requirements:

1. 17" WUXGA 1920x1200 screen
2. Mid to Hi lvl. Graphics Card
3. Dual Core CPU
4. HDMI out or DVI out with Digital Audio out
5. TV Tuner
6. Relatively thin and flat (I don't like the slanted style laptops. I prefer the MacBook Pro style laptop)
7. Black color scheme
8. Under $3000

*******************************************************

Dell E1705 ~ $2200 after 35% discount
Pros:
- good video card - Geforce Go 7900 GS
- WUXGA screen
- Centrino Core Duo
- DVI Out
- Boxy design

Cons:
- Dell's design is generic looking
- External TV Tuner
- white/silver color scheme
- Not as thin as i would like - 1.7 in. thick


Asus W2JB ~ $2300
Pros:
- Centrino Core Duo
- Black color scheme
- Great reputation for quality
- mini-DVI out
- SPDIF out
- Built in TV tuner
- Thin

Cons:
- no WUXGA screen option
- somewhat lower graphics card - ATI x1600


Sager 5760 ~ $2600
Pros:
- WUXGA screen
- Top of the line Graphics Card - Geforce Go 7900 GTX
- Centrino Core Duo
- DVI out
- TV Tuner

Cons:
- Silver color scheme
- Thick and Slanted


Alienware m9700 ~ $3000
Pros:
- Dual SLI Geforce Go 7900 GS
- Built-in TV tuner
- Boxy design
- DVI out

Cons:
- Expensive (w/SLI config)
- No Dual Core CPU
- Not as thin as i would like - 1.66 in. thick

*******************************************************

I ended up ordering the Dell E1705 because i thought it had most of the options i was looking for (Good video card, DVI out, boxy design, core duo, etc. At the time I thought i could live with the design...turns out i thought wrong). (Note: I just recently found out that the W2JB has mini-DVI out. If i had known back then, i probably would've ordered the ASUS). The day after the E1705 shipped from Dell, i found out that Sonystyle.com had begun offering customized versions of their AR series laptops without the Blu-Ray drive. After running some sample configs, i came up with a config and price that i was comfortable with. Shortly after, I contacted Dell, cancelled my E1705 order (btw, Dell has great customer service), and placed my order for a customized AR170G with free ground shipping (which they later on shipped standard overnight).

Here are the specs i ended up with:

VGN-AR170G
Intel Core Duo T2500 2.0 GHz
512MB 533 MHz Ram (already had 2x1GB 667 GHZ waiting at home)
Geforce Go 7600GT 256MB RAM w/ premium casing (whatever that means)
160 GB HDD (80GB x2 in RAID 0 config)
Bluetooth 2.0
Built-in TV Tuner with remote
Extended Battery
Windows MCE

Here are the Specifications from the Sonystyle website:

*******************************************************

Specifications
Model
VGN-AR170

Processor1 (Configurable)
Intel® Core™ Duo Processor T2300 (1.66GHz)
Intel® Core™ Duo Processor T2400 (1.83Ghz)
Intel® Core™ Duo Processor T2500 (2.0GHz)
Intel® Core™ Duo Processor T2600 (2.16GHz)
2MB L2 Cache

Operating System (Configurable)
Microsoft® Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 with NTSC TV Tuner
Microsoft® Windows® XP Media Center Edition 2005 or
XP Professional with SP2

Front Side Bus Speed
667MHz

Chipset (Configurable)
Intel® 945PM or Intel® 945GM

Wireless LAN(Configurable)
Intel® PRO/Wireless 3915ABG Network Connection (802.11a/b/g)2 and Bluetooth® Technology
Intel® PRO/Wireless 3915ABG Network Connection (802.11a/b/g)

LCD3
17” WUXGA (1920x1200) with XBRITE™ technology and NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 GT or
17” WXGA (1440x900) with XBRITE™ technology and NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600

Hard Drive (Configurable)
320GB 4200rpm Serial ATA
240GB 4200rpm Serial ATA
200GB 4200rpm Serial ATA
160GB 4200rpm Serial ATA4
120GB 4200rpm Serial ATA
100GB 4200rpm Serial ATA
80GB 4200rpm Serial ATA
60GB 4200rpm Serial ATA

Memory (Configurable)
2GB (1GB x 2) PC2-4200 DDR2, 533MHz
1GB (1GB x 1) PC2-4200 DDR2, 533MHz
1GB (512MB x 2) PC2-4200 DDR2, 533MHz
512MB (512MB x 1) PC2-4200 DDR2, 533MHz

Graphics (Configurable)
NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 7600 GT or
NVIDIA® GeForce™ Go 7600

Graphics Interface
VGA out w/ Smart Display Sensor, HDMI out and S-Video out

Optical Drive6
DVD+R Double Layer / DVD±RW Drive
DVD+R DL Write --- 4x max.
DVD-R DL Write --- 4x max.
DVD±RW --- Yes
DVD+R Write --- 8x max.
DVD+RW Write --- 8x max.
DVD-R Write --- 8x max.
DVD-RW Write --- 6x max.
DVD-RAM Write --- 5x max.
DVD-RAM Read --- 5x max.
DVD Read --- 8x max.
CD-R Write --- 24x max.
CD-RW Write --- 16x max.
CD Read --- 24x max.

Modem
Integrated V.90 Modem with RJ-11 interface

Ethernet
10BASE-T/100BASE-TX Fast Ethernet with RJ-45 interface

Audio
Sony® Sound Reality™ - Audio Enhancer

Audio Interface
Microphone jack, Headphone jack

Memory Stick® Media Slot
Supports optional Memory Stick® and Memory Stick DUO™ media5 with MagicGate® functionality and Secure Digital Media (SD)

PC Card Slots
ExpressCard™ /54 Slot, PCMCIA - Type II/Type I card slot with CardBus support

Other Interfaces
4pin i.LINK® connector(IEEE 1394), 3 USB 2.0 ports, VGA out

Pointing Device
Electro-Static touch pad

Keyboard
QWERTY, 86 keys with 2.5mm stroke and 19.05mm pitch

Action Buttons
S1, S2, AV Mode, Volume, Mute, Eject, Play/Pause/Stop, Wireless LAN On/Off, FF and Rewind

Power Requirements
150W+10%

Camera
Built-in Camera and Microphone or none

Battery
Standard Battery (VGP-BPS2B)

Estimated Battery Life
2.0 - 3.5 hours13 (Standard Battery)

Sony Original Software
Click to DVD® - DVD Creation
SonicStage Mastering Studio™ - Audio Mastering and Remastering
SonicStage® - Digital Music
DVgate™ Plus - Digital Video
VAIO Media™ - Network File Sharing
Image Converter - PSP™ Transfer
Underworld - Pre-installed Movie
60-Minute Trial Version of Wheel of Fortune®
60-Minute Trial Version of Jeopardy®

Supplied Software
Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 4.0
Adobe® Premiere Elements 2.0
InterVideo® WinDVD®
Roxio® DigitalMedia SE
Microsoft® Works 8.5 with Microsoft® Office Trial (Student/Teacher Edition)171
60-Day Trial Version of Microsoft Digital Image Starter Edition 2006
Intuit Quicken® 2005 New User Edition (Previous Quicken users may require additional upgrade)
DISCover My Games

Anti-Virus and Recovery Software
Norton® Internet Security 60-Day Subscription
TrendMicro™ Anti-Spyware 30-Day Trial
Iolo® System Mechanic 30-Day Trial
VAIO® Recovery Wizard
VAIO® Update
VAIO® Support Central
VAIO® Security Center

Internet Services
America Online® 180-Day Trial - New Users Only

Service and Warranty Information
Limited Warranty
1 Year Limited Warranty with Onsite Service

Telephone Support
1 year toll-free technical telephone assistance, available 24/7

On-line and Email Support
Support available from http://www.esupport.sony.com

Supplied Accessories
Standard Lithium-ion Battery (VGP-BPS2B)
AC Adapter (VGP-AC19V15)
Power Cord

Optional Accessories
Multi-Function Docking Station (VGP-PRFE1)
Universal Carrying Case (VGP-AMB1)
DVD R DL/DVD±RW Drive Bay (VGP-DRWBX1)
CD-RW Drive Bay Unit (VGP-CRWBX1)
80GB HDD Drive Bay Unit (VGP-UHBX08A)

Color
Black

Weight
8.4 lbs. (weight is approximate and may vary)

Measurements
16.4"(W) x 1.32"(H) x 11.8"(D)

*******************************************************

*Please note that for some reason, Sonystyle lists all the HDD configs as only having the 4200 RPM drive available for this model. I did a quick investigation on the two 80GB drives installed on my laptop and i found that i have two Toshiba MK8032GSX installed which is a 5400 RPM drive. Here is the CNET description of this drive:

The Toshiba MK8032GSX is an 80GB, notebook replacement hard drive. Compared to other notebook replacement hard drives on the market, it is inexpensive at around $120. Its maximum internal data transfer rate of 53.6 MBps is very fast, compared to the typical hard drive. Its burst transfer rate is 150 MBps. This is a 5400 rpm drive and has an 8MB buffer.

**Also note that the laptop comes with mini-Optical Audio out but Sony doesn't advertise it on their Specifications, only in the "Explore AR" window.

I also found out that my LCD display is manufactured by Sharp (MS_0040).

I ended up paying $2600 for my setup.

Upon arrival, the first thing i did was remove most of the bloatware (this laptop comes with a good amount of it). I also ran some benchmarks out of the box with 1x512MB 533MHz RAM and the 2x1GB 667MHz RAM:

3DMark 03 - 512 MB - 11022
3DMark 05 - 512 MB - 4907
3DMark 03 - 2GB - 11330
3DMark 05 - 2GB - 4984

Before i get to the pictures, one last remark. The screen is incredibly bright! The screen brightness has 8 settings, and for the most part, i leave this on 4 and it is more than bright enough for everyday use.

And without further adieu, my gallery:

Nice packaging from Sony


Accessories included


Profile View


Keyboard Layout


Side view with LCD closed


Height of the laptop compared to an index card


The underside - note the bottom middle cover is for the Memory and the larger cover on the right is for the HDD (i think, i didn't open that one yet)


Here are some comparison pics next to my wife's FJ series 14.1 in. laptop






Built-in webcam and mic


Wireless on/off switch and Wireless and Bluetooth lights


Memory Stick Slots - supports SD/MMC and MS PRO and PRO DUO


Informational LEDs - Power, Battery, Harddrive, Memory Stick


LCD Latch/Lock


Left Side Media Controls


Right Side Media Controls & Power Button


Dual Layer DVD ROM Drive


Optical Out, Headphone and Mic Jack


Extended Battery (It lifts the laptop up a little bit which may be good for cooling purposes


Here you can see how much the laptop is lifted by the extended battery


DC Plug and Rear USB port


TV Tuner VHF/UHF


Ethernet and Modem Port


Firewire port, S-Video in/out, HDMI, and VGA ports


Front Right USB ports and Expresscard Slot


Glowing VAIO sign


The only thing about this laptop that disappointed me is the slight light leakage that i see. Before i purchased this laptop, i was under the impression that Sony LCDs were top notch, so i wrongly assumed that there would not be a light leakage problem. I was somewhat disappointed when i noticed a bit of light leakage when the screen went black. I've tried contacting Sony tech support, but they just told me that this is normal for this laptop because the LCD inverter is installed at the bottom due to lack of space in the thin LCD design. I just wonder if i'm the only person experiencing this, so if anyone else has this same laptop, but does not notice anything please let me know. It's not a huge problem, nor is it extremely noticeable, but i thought i should bring it to everyone's attention. On a good note, i don't have any dead pixels! Please note that reducing the brightness of the screen also helps with the light leakage. Here is best picture i could take to most accurately show the amount of light leakage coming from this screen

*Note, if your screen is really dark, you may not see the light leakge at all. It's only along the bottom edge.

Last but not least, my bluetooth mouse and headphones which both work flawlessly with this laptop. They both connect instantaneously and work wonderfully.


I've been able to play both FarCry and Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter at max settings on a decent resolution at full widescreen (can't remember the exact resolution) without any hiccups. So it's a great gaming laptop for those casual gamers who aren't looking for the best of the best graphics solutions. I haven't had the opportunity to hook this laptop up to my TV yet, but once i do i'll post some additional information.

 

Very cool pictures. Hope you and your wife enjoy your new laptops.

 

Sony should pay you for this!
Nice pics....

 

Pretty looking and nice pictures, good that the e1705 was easy enough to cancel. So you plan on buying any Blu Ray discs for the AR? It's quite the entertainment machine.

 

Sweet!
Lucky that u could customize the 7600GT in. In europe, the 7600GT only comes with the bluray package.

Edit': How s the feelin of typing on it's keyboard.

 

Regarding the light leakage, at first from your photo I didn't see any light leakage at all. I had to take the photo and brighten it in Photoshop to see any at all. Trust me Dell displays are way worse than that as far as light leakage is concerned. Perhaps if you angle the screen a little more it will disappear somewhat. It's really a great looking desktop replacement and I'm considering ordering one, I wish it had a slot loading optical drive instead of a drawer type though. Enjoy it!

 

How much did it cost ?
Laptop looks hot!!!

 

Andrew - I think he got a config minus the Blu Ray drive? At least it sounds like it, although I don't think he specifically mentions what type of optical drive he got.

@wearetheborg:

 

Thanks for all the positive feedback.

I got the DVD+R Double Layer / DVD±RW Drive. Only the AR190G model comes with the Blu-Ray drive. All other models, AR170, AR150, and AR130 all come with the Dual Layer DVD burner.

I forgot to add that i ran a battery test using the extended battery. I had the brightness at the highest setting and left both the wireless and bluetooth radios running. I got: 1 hour 56 minutes from the time i pulled the plug to the time the laptop shutdown on it's own.

Some additional information i found out about the laptop since i bought it: The video card used in this laptop is MXM which means (hopefully) that there is the potential for future upgrades.

 

Additional information: You can't use the Forceware Drivers from NVIDIA's site with this laptop. You have to go to the Sony website and download the latest drivers which currently is version: 8.4.5.7

After installing Sony's latest drivers, i re-ran 3DMark05 and got:



However if you want the latest Forceware, you can download modified versions of the latest Forceware (Forceware 91.31 V2) here:

http://www.tweaksrus.com/index.php?o...d=676&Itemid=1

And i've tried installing this driver and it does work also.

 

In case anyone is wondering, I did post this same review on notebookforums under the screen name: RE-Amemiya. Just to avoid any confusion.

 

I am seriously want to buy this notebook, but I would like to confirm if can I upgrade the video card in the future. Can you post the picture of MXM slot? I would love to see, thanks in advance!

 

Unfortunately i don't have any pictures of the MXM slot. I just purchased this thing and I'm not willing to void my warranty yet by opening it up.

 

You sure it is MXM? I also called sonystyle and they said there is no MXM slot in AG170G for the video card. The video chip is fixed with the mobo.

 

The Vaio looks beautiful, I've been wondering whether to go cheap and get a Dell or save up for Vaio, if the FE series look as good as the one on these pictures, I think we have a winner.

 

well the sony rep that i spoke with did some digging and confirmed that the laptop was definitely MXM. She was reading it from somewhere, i'm not sure what, but she definitely got it from somewhere because she originally didn't even know what MXM was.

The only real way to find out is by opening it up and taking a look.

 

My husband just got one of these and I've been drooling over it for the last week- he just ordered mine (a replacement for my Dell Inspiron 8200) last night and I can't wait! I think he's already tired of me sighing sadly as I boot up the Dell.

I couldn't see the light leakage on your photos, but I did see what you mean on my husband's laptop- it has a faint glow along the bottom edge. Not a big deal, as you said.

Only downside we've found so far is that it doesn't fit in our existing bags- what are you carrying yours around in?

 

Hello,

I am also looking to buy this computer, but completely maxed out at a final price tag of 4200, excluding tax and shipping. I just had a couple questions for ya, being that i cannot find anybody else who has this computer! You have already answered most of them in your orignal post, so thank you for that! How is the sound quality from the speakers?? How does the touch pad feel, and the placement of the left and right buttons for the pad?? And the only thing that makes me weary of buying this, is the slow speed of 4500 rpm for the HDD, but after hearing that you ended up with a 5400, my heart seemed to flutter with hope for a second. Does the computer seem of high quality? Like if handled properly it could last for a LONG while, lol. Is the computer still sturdy while typing and whatnot with the extended battery lifting it up? And lastly, which of these are updateable in the future: HDD's, Video card, and RAM. If you could answer any of these, it will be most appreciated!! Thanks for already posting a great review!!Thanks again!

Andy~

 

What a gorgeous notebook and a built in VHF/UHF port for plugging the cable to watch TV.

I would get it if it wasnt so heavy.

 

i originally ordered a Dell E1705 so i purchased the Dell bookbag that could fit 17 in. laptops. After i cancelled the Dell i decided to just keep the bookbag, I figured i could use it for the AR. After i got the AR, i tried using the Dell bookbag but it was an awfully tight squeeze. So right now i'm considering getting the VAIO bookbag but it's so expensive i'm kind of hesitant. Let me know what solution you come up with

 

1. Speakers - they're decent, but nothing special. You can't turn the volume up very loud with these speakers. They're good enough for personal use, but when it comes to say a party, i would hook up your home theater system using the optical out.

2. Touchpads - I don't really like touchpads in general, so it's hard for me to comment on it since i use my bluetooth mouse. However, the few times i used it, it was decent. The buttons on the other hand aren't really hard to press, but they do make a loud clicking noise each time you push them which i imagine can be annoying after a long time.

3. HDD - I'm pretty sure all the HDD are 5400 rpm for the AR100 series laptops. I don't know why they say they're 4200 rpm. I don't know if the higher capacity hard drive configs are set up in RAID 0 or just single drives. Most likely they're RAID because i've never heard of 200 GB single laptop drives.

4. Quality/Durability - The laptop is very sturdy and I imagine it could endure many years of use. The hinges are very sturdy and don't have any play in them. The latch is decent and keeps the display locked, however, it doesn't always have to be used. You can keep the latch down so that when you close the lid, it doesn't lock. I really like this feature because i close the lid a lot, but i don't necessarily want to use the latch to unlock it each time i want to open it again. You only need to use the latch when you're transporting it. The only downside to the beautiful piano black finish is the tendency for fingerprints to get on the cover. But hey, the same thing happens when you touch a piano. You just have to wipe it down every so often to keep the shine.

5. Extended Battery - you can't even tell the laptop is being lifted up when using the extended battery. It is very sturdy, as if it were completely flat on the table. Transporting the laptop with the extended battery in can be a little bit annoying. Since the extended battery isn't flush, you may have the tendency to grab the laptop by the battery which isn't very safe.

6. Upgrades - The RAM is definitely upgradable. Mine came with a single stick of 512MB of 533 MHz RAM. I removed the 512 MB RAM and put in 2 sticks of 1GB 667 MHz RAM. The laptop had no problems recognizing the change in memory capacity or speed. Since Sony doesn't offer 667Mhz speed RAM, i would suggest purchasing 3rd party RAM after the laptop has been purchased. It's easy to get 2GBs of RAM at 667MHz for under $200 these days. I don't know for sure if the HDD is upgradeable, but i'm pretty sure it is. HDDs are one of the easiest parts to upgrade in a laptop, aside from the RAM. CPU/GPU...this is uncertain at this time. Especially since the laptop just came up. Apparently people have been swapping in Merom chips into their laptops so at least we know it uses the same socket as the Core Duo. But i'm sure attempting to do so in the AR would void your warranty, so wait until your warranty expires before you try anything. I spoke with a Sony rep regarding the GPU and they told me that it was MXM, which would mean that the GPU is upgradeable. However, it's still uncertain whether or not the 7600GT is definitely MXM. The only way to find out would be to open up the laptop and take a look.

I hope this answers all of your questions. If you have any other questions, let me know.

 

Wow, thanks for such a detailed response! I can only think of like one more question! Do you happen to know if consumers self upgrading such things as HDD and RAM voids the warranty? I am almost considering to buy 3rd party upgrades to take down the hefty price tag a little bit. Let me know your opinion! Thanks again, I really appreciate it!

 

I looked at CompUSA store the model VGN-AR150. it has the Hard disk of 4200rpm . Under device manager it said' Fujutsi MHV2160BT". On Fujitsu.com it classifies as 4200 rpm.
I like to buy but for multimedia it is of no good for me.

Moorjani

 

The MHVxxxxA series are 4200 rpm. the B series is 5200. I wanted raid 0 - and actually cancelled my AR170G order until I was sure, and any drive option listed as xxx X xxx (like 120x2) is in a raid 0 config.

I'm happy as heck with my ar170g - and while most will think this crazy, it's on par performance-wise with my 64-bit alienware, also in raid 0.

With 2x5200, you're actually at around 10k, and the sata interface and per drive cache shine. Go with raid 0. It makes the slower drive invisible. If you're really looking to spend some cash, get the 80x2 and replace 'em with 7200's. Zoom zoom.

 

I know for sure that upgrading RAM doesn't void your warranty, and i'm pretty sure it's the same for the HDD. But the CPU/GPU is a different story.

 

Scribbler: no, I checked again the Fujitsu web page and when you enter the model number, it says 4200 rpm. Unfortunately, sony still lives in their world. May be that is why we got apple's ipod. I am going for Toshiba's Quisomo.
Thanks
Moorjani

 

In my previous post I said 5200 - meant 5400.

Wierd you keep finding 4200. Here's my models (2x120)
http://www.fujitsu.com/us/services/computing/storage/hdd/mobile/mhv2120bh-sata.html

Maybe they switch the drive depending if you order one or two?

 

I guess I should throw out my two cents as well. <semi-rant>

Sony is like toyota - they don't use the best or the latest, because one generation back is much more reliable and stable. Slightly slower drives are much more reliable and shock resisitant than faster RPM drives. Slower ram is much less prone to consistency errors.

Having been in the computer industry since before there was dirt, I've had the fun of getting state of the art, bleeding edge machines vs. solid machines. My 64-bit alienware is sweet - if you like overclocking the CPU, ram and vid card. It also runs hot and crashes sometimes - even with the case open.

My previous sony vaio, a PCG-F290 (look that up if you want to see an antique) is still sitting next to my AR170 - has no upgrades, and works like a champ (albeit a little underpowered for half-life 2). I play radio paradise on it, cause sony kicks in multimedia.

If you're looking for a gaming machine, go for something tweaked. If you want a reliable, hardcore multimedia box with the ability to pull anything (video/audio) from anywhere (name your device here) then I'd consider something that is designed for that - a vaio.
</semi-rant>

That said, get what you want. It's your 4k.

 

Well i ran some more benchmarks today, and here are the results:

HDTune


SuperPI


I also took some pictures of the RAM bay and the HDD bay for those of you who are curious about upgrading:

Single 512MB 533MHz (factory)


Two sticks of 1GB each at 667MHz


RAM and HDD Drive doors open

 

Did some GPU overclocking tonight. I just used the "Find Optimal" button which upped the Core clock speed from 500 MHz 550 MHz and the Memory clock speed from 600 MHz to 700 MHz. I then ran 3DMark05 and got the following score:

 

Alienware x64 vs. AR170G

It's a bittersweet moment as I post this. My out of the box AR170 just roasted my tweaked 64-bit alienware, running xp64. x64: 3099 pcmarks, sony 3967. Now to tweak my AR like VIAOWARE.

Details below.

Alienware:
System Configuration

System and CPU Information
Operating System Microsoft Windows Server 2003 64-bit
DirectX Version 9.0c
Mobo Manufacturer ASUSTeK Computer INC.
Mobo Model 'SK8N'
AGP Rates (Current/Available) N/A / N/A
CPU AMD Athlon(tm) 64 2200 MHz
Physical / Logical CPUs 1 / 1
MultiCore 1 Processor Core
HyperThreading Not Available
FSB 200 MHz
Memory 2048 MB

Display Information
Graphics Chipset NVIDIA GeForce FX 5950 Ultra
Driver Name NVIDIA GeForce FX 5950 Ultra
Driver Version 8.4.2.5
Video Memory 252 MB
Core Clock N/A
Memory Clock N/A

Hard Disk Information
Model Promise 2+0 Stripe/RAID0 SCSI Disk Device
Connection SCSI
Capacity 305.25 GB
Bus Type SCSI

Benchmark Information
Program Version PCMark05 Revision 1 Build 0

Main Test Results
System Test Suite 3099 PCMarks
CPU Test Suite N/A
Memory Test Suite N/A
Graphics Test Suite N/A
HDD Test Suite N/A

Detailed Test Results

System Test Suite
HDD - XP Startup 10.25 MB/s
Physics and 3D 139.67 FPS
Transparent Windows 752.01 Windows/s
3D - Pixel Shader 27.11 FPS
Web Page Rendering 2.62 Pages/s
File Decryption 37.35 MB/s
Graphics Memory - 64 Lines 431.88 FPS
HDD - General Usage 6.52 MB/s
Multithreaded Test 1 / Audio Compression 1222.18 KB/s
Multithreaded Test 1 / Video Encoding 153.53 KB/s
Multithreaded Test 2 / Text Edit 74.28 Pages/s
Multithreaded Test 2 / Image Decompression 10.85 MPixels/s
Multithreaded Test 3 / File Compression 2.16 MB/s
Multithreaded Test 3 / File Encryption 10.98 MB/s
Multithreaded Test 3 / HDD - Virus Scan 19.1 MB/s
Multithreaded Test 3 / Memory Latency - Random 16 MB 12.23 MAccesses/s



AR170:
System and CPU Information
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP 32-bit

DirectX Version 9.0c

Mobo Manufacturer Sony Corporation

Mobo Model VAIO

AGP Rates (Current/Available) N/A / N/A

CPU Intel Core 1995 MHz

Physical / Logical CPUs 1 / 2

MultiCore 2 Processor Cores

HyperThreading Not Available

FSB 167 MHz

Memory 2032 MB



Display Information
Graphics Chipset Generic VGA

Driver Name NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 GT

Driver Version 8.4.5.7

Video Memory 226 MB

Core Clock N/A

Memory Clock N/A



Hard Disk Information
Model

Connection

Capacity 0.0 GB

Bus Type



Benchmark Information
Program Version PCMark05 Revision 1 Build 0



Main Test Results
System Test Suite 3967 PCMarks

CPU Test Suite N/A

Memory Test Suite N/A

Graphics Test Suite N/A

HDD Test Suite N/A



Detailed Test Results


System Test Suite
HDD - XP Startup 9.13 MB/s

Physics and 3D 145.42 FPS

Transparent Windows 486.74 Windows/s

3D - Pixel Shader 148.11 FPS

Web Page Rendering 1.8 Pages/s

File Decryption 48.41 MB/s

Graphics Memory - 64 Lines 1229.31 FPS

HDD - General Usage 5.54 MB/s

Multithreaded Test 1 / Audio Compression 2012.28 KB/s

Multithreaded Test 1 / Video Encoding 243.04 KB/s

Multithreaded Test 2 / Text Edit 97.6 Pages/s

Multithreaded Test 2 / Image Decompression 22.59 MPixels/s

Multithreaded Test 3 / File Compression 8.01 MB/s

Multithreaded Test 3 / File Encryption 16.51 MB/s

Multithreaded Test 3 / HDD - Virus Scan 5.76 MB/s

Multithreaded Test 3 / Memory Latency - Random 16 MB 7.48 MAccesses/s

 

Just did 3dmark, ar170g (1900x1400 wxuga upgrade) standard out of the box and got 10908 3dmarks.

General Information
Operating System Microsoft Windows XP

DirectX Version 9.0c

Mobo Manufacturer

Mobo Model *t>*

AGP Rates (Current/Available) N/A / N/A

CPU Intel Core 1995 MHz

FSB 167 MHz

Memory 2046 MB



Display Information
Graphics Chipset Generic VGA

Driver Name NVIDIA GeForce Go 7600 GT

Driver Version 8.4.5.7

Driver Status WHQL - Not FM Approved

Video Memory 256 MB

Core Clock N/A

Memory Clock N/A



Sound Information
Sound Adapter Driver Name SigmaTel Audio

Sound Adapter Driver Version 5.10.5010.0



Benchmark Settings
Program Version 3DMark03 Revision 6 Build 0

Resolution 1024x768@32 bit

Texture Filtering Optimal

Pixel Processing / Antialiasing None

Post Processing false

Vertex Shaders Optimal



Main Test Results
3DMark Score 10908 3DMarks

CPU Score 870 CPUMarks



Detailed Test Results


Game Tests
GT1 - Wings of Fury 298.9 fps

GT2 - Battle of Proxycon 76.5 fps

GT3 - Troll's Lair 68.2 fps

GT4 - Mother Nature 69.3 fps



CPU Tests
CPU Test 1 95.9 fps

CPU Test 2 15.6 fps



Feature Tests
Fill Rate (Single-Texturing) 1842.7 MTexels/s

Fill Rate (Multi-Texturing) 5669.0 MTexels/s

Vertex Shader 33.1 fps

Pixel Shader 2.0 225.0 fps

Ragtroll 39.3 fps



Sound Tests
No sounds Not Supported

24 sounds Not Supported

60 sounds Not Supported

 

Could you give an idea about how cool it may run? Thanks.

Gary

 

I just got my AR170 today with the WUXGA XBright screen. The first thing I noticed was all the grays look like they have a metallic finish, this is everywhere in the browser, property windows etc, and the whites kinda look like wax paper.

There is no plastic on the screen…already checked that.

I also noticed that the screen seems slightly darker near the edges.

I already own a VGN-AR600 basically last years model with the same XBright screen. The A600 is brighter and does not exhibit the metallic look on the grays and I am wondering if maybe there is not something wrong with the backlight or display.

I called sony and got nowhere on this and basically they said the screen should look the same but they were not really sure about the difference.

on my A600 I cant run it at max brightness it's too bright, and on the AR170 max brightness is not bright enough.

any ideas on this?

Thanks,

Mike

 

This must be an issue with just the WUXGA. I just got the AR150G with the WXGA+ and it's beautiful. Too bright on max brightness, minimal shimmer, and totally even backlighting. Unfortunately there's some light leakage, but only on the brightest settings, and it's not bothersome.

The issue you're having sounds like those on the Dell 17" notebooks. I went through 3 of those, all with the characteristics you describe. The general concensus seems to be that those are just characteristics of certain grades of screens, and not a "defect". So basically, if all of the screens of a certain variety are defective, then it's not technically a defect, it's "normal".

I kind of doubt you'll have much luck with Sony as far as getting the screen swapped, and the chances are high you would get the same model screen. Can you try to exchange it where you bought it? Might be worth a shot.

 

Thanks for the input,

I spent about 4 hours with this machine again today, and I still cant get over the XBright screen. The best way I can describe this is a faint wax paper texture, it makes light colors look like they have a slight metallic finish. The brightness is also not completely even, its darker on the edges but it's not like looking at a slight angle the screen is darker.

Maybe I am just being picky but my SONY VGN-A600 also hast the XBright 17 inch running at the same resolution and color depth and it is bright even and extremely accurate. I can see that some people might be happy with this screen, but I work on the laptop 8 hours a day and also do graphics.

Hopefully I have a bad screen but it's starting to look like sony has chosen a lesser quality screen for the AR series, than they used on the A series last year.

I am even considering a 1 hour trip to a sony style store to view first hand another AR screen to see if this is just they way it is. In the mean time if other AR users could comment on this I would appreciate it.

Thanks...

 

kgbeezr1 :
In your AR150, what kind of Hard Disk sony provided. How much capacity, what make and model ?
Thank You.
Moorjani

 

It's a Fujitsu MHV2160BT. Capacity is 160GB @ 4200 RPM.

Sidenote - Going from the 7200RPM drive of my previous system to the 4200, I definitely notice a difference, but not a huge one.

 

No recovery discs? No instruction manual?

Regardless, that laptop looks hot... the display looks high quality...

 

No to both, unfortunately. There is a rough start up guide included, but no real instruction manual. That is supplied as a .pdf file that you have to print yourself if you want a hard copy.

I got a chance to see the WUXGA display on an AR190 today. It looked pretty good to me, although it's hard to get a really good look in a crowded store. On first glance it didn't seem quite as exceptional as I remember the A series being, but that's almost impossible to really determine without a side by side (or daily use of an A series).

Moorjani: I noticed someplace else (I can't remember where) you were concerned with the hard drive being only 4200RPM for multimedia purposes...I think the reason is that with the integrated TV tuner, they assume you will need a lot of hard drive space for recording. Having 2 hard drives would drive up the cost (and negate the differentiation between the AR150 and AR170)..and a faster drive of that size would also be more expensive. This is just an assumption. 4200RPM should be fine for most stuff, the speed difference isn't that great when pulling up files etc. I would say you would probably only notice a difference if going from a 7200 to a 4200.

Just do yourself a favor and try to handle the notebook and look it over really well before laying out 2 or 3k. I dunno how the stores are about taking the notebook out of it's plexi-glass prison to actually handle it, I never asked.

 

Found a good bag for the machine. Roadwired's Skooba 17 fits AR170's perfectly http://www.roadwired.com/store/Product.cfm?categoryid=1&Productid=97.

The bag is just a hair wider and higher than the laptop - so it looks like a bag of holding. Pull the AR out of the bag and people do a double take - how did that work.

There are no recovery disks or manual printed - but there is a recovery partition and you can burn it out to two dvds. The manual is digital (PDF) but you are welcome to print it.

Vista betas don't work on the machine yet. The intel raid controller works fine, but the graphics adapter is 'unrecognized' by nvidia's vista drivers. The default is lame and can't go to full res.

LaptopVideo2Go is working on bringing over drivers to manufacturer fingerprinted vid cards - but they have yet to stablize enough to rely on.

I'd avoid 4200 like the plague. 2x5400 is acceptable, and I foresee upgrading to 2x7200 within a few months.

Screen quality is fantastic. No metallic effect. Bright. Crisp. And, as you may or may not know - Sony is one of the very few notebook manufacturers that belives a single bad pixel is enough to replace a screen.

 

I gotta tell ya, I thought this too when I got mine..I was hating that the drive was only 4200rpm, I felt like I was stepping back in technology. But, the more I use the system, the more it's apparent that there isn't much of a difference (noticable) in day to day use. Every now and again I notice a (very) slight lag, but i'm not sure it's the HD. If it is, the lag time is negligible. I was expecting the drive to spin constantly also, but it doesn't. The biggest bonus, and I think the thing that would keep me from upgrading is the fact that it produces no noticable heat. Unlike my last system who's 7200rpm drive not only produced copious amounts of heat, but a small amount of vibration from time to time as well.

Great find with the bag, it's hard to find decent bags that will accomodate the AR.

Agreed about the screen...other than some slight light leakage on mine, it's perfect. (1440x900)

edit: One other thing I forgot to mention...there was a lot of mis-information as far as the casing material on the AR, Sony said it was all plastic, Sony's website said it was magnesium, some users said it was plastic. It actually is indeed magnesium on the lid and the bottom tray, the exceptions are the trim on the lid, and the covers on the bottom (hard drive, memory etc..) which are plastic. The magnesium does look like the plastic though, very good appearance matching.

 

Anyone have any idea of how hard it would be to cleanly reinstall Windows and clear out a lot of the boatware on these AR laptops? Thanks.

Gary

 

You can do a partially clean install. See this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=44587

It's for the SZ series, but I used the exact same method with my AR and it worked great. This will get you to a usable point without all of the MS office trialware and the other junk. There were only a couple of very small, minor things I had to delete.

 

Thanks and I will certainly give it a good look.

Gary

 

I shall be very grateful if you would help me because you know a lot about AR170. I have bought this, it arrived on Friday. I am trying to copy my old video to laptop. I have connected the VCR with Laptop through S-Video in the laptop and audio through combind input. I do not know what program to start . MCE does not have any thing to show. On my desktop 3 years ago sony provided gigapocket but there is no any program or mention of how to use this. if you have any information that how to do. I will appreciate.
Thank You.
Moorjani

 

VAIOWARE, sorry, off-topic question here. But you say your mouse and headphones connect just ok with your laptop. I have a question. I have the same exact headphones from logitech, but the only way I can get sound from the PC is using the jack-adapter that came with them. Can you actually use them without it ? Like, you can pair them with the PC and stream the sound directly from it ? I have two sony laptops (TX650 and SZ120) and they can't even find the bluetooth device. Please, let me know if there's something I can do to use them like that. Thanks!

 

Click To DVD which is already installed on the system will copy from analog devices. Just took a look at the instructions and they seem pretty comprehensive at first glance..check it out and see if it works.

How do you like your new system so far?

 

kgbeezr1:
OK. I opened click to DVD. under the options to capture from, it shows only one option of i-link. no analog option. I tried edit mode and automatic mode. no luck . Any more suggestions please. Does Your work. Beside this problem the laptop is good. I placed order on the phone with sonystyle, they said that they will provide 5400 rpm disks from Toshiba. However, it came with Fujitsu drives but the model on Fujitsu.com shows it as 5400 rpm. It did cost me more to buy direct from sony.
Thank you.
moorjani

 

I tried it with mine and it also shows no analog device option. This is probably a dumb question, but did you have the VCR connected and powered on? I'm not sure if the option will only be visible under those circumstances. I've never actually transferred any video before.

I think Nero and most DVD burning programs will allow for video import from analog. Hopefully someone else can help you out with this.