Sony Vaio AR61ZU review

Hey there guys,

I am going to do a review on the new Sony Vaio AR61ZU(new European AR series).My girlfriend purchased it last week and it is quite nice. Well I would like to ask you, if there is anything you would like me to cover so that it can help future buyers. Please also include any benchmarks etc. you would like to see. Hope you guys can provide some useful suggestions.

 

it would be better if you du your new macbook review!

 

well its not actually the new macbook pro based on the penryn processor,it is based on the merom processor.If I am not wrong there is a review on the santarosa macbook pro.

 

well then i am waiting for ur sony review!

 

Me too ! (Planning on buying a Sony notebook, but don't know whicht one it will be: FZ31Z or AR61zu...)

 

Well I am still working on it,I have been really busy lately,but I am going to
finish it very soon.

 

I'm quite interested in reading this review. I'm seriously looking into getting one of these.

 

nahiyan13
Thanks in advance. hah, i've already asked about this today http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=234812

so here are my points that you should check during the test:

- speakers quality. i know that they are crappy in laptops, but in 17" models they must be above average, so let us know then what is their quality.

- Compare AR's display with lamps to MBpro one with LED. This is the one reason i didn't buy AR, cos it doesn't have LED display.

- Build quality. i have top SZ and it's Not too sturdy. and whats about AR, does it creak somewhere and etc.

- how it is working with TV connected via hdmi to AR. i mean HD playing on TV through AR, cos i have read that there are some bugs, why? - Sony equips its notebooks with HDCP..

 

Hey jimmy,

I have to say that the AR is VERY strongly built, it feels stronger than my brother's FZ(just my opinion). About the speakers,ummm, well they are not as good as my Dell XPS M1730 but again I think they are better than the FZ and probably the same as my MBP(if not better). Oh and the screen, well we all know how great the Sony screens are, and the screen on this AR is no exception. Its brilliant!!!!!! Do let me know guys if there is anything else you want to know, I will include that in the review.

 

thanks nahiyan.
Oh! i remember one important thing - Fan Noise. It seems that some Sony laptops, especially SZ series have high fan noise. also compare it to MBpro's fan noise.

 

jimmy,

I would do that,oh and did I tell you the AR61ZU looks absolutely fantastic. Really it is very good looking for a 17 inch laptop.

 

wow, cool. cant wait to see the review.)
but i remember MBpro which has backlit keyboard, its pitty that AR doesnt have such..

 

Have to say - I was thinking about an AR (I have a 3 yr old VGN) and thought I could not live with the mouse buttons on the edge. I bought a Dell 1720 instead and I just don't like the monitor. Man, the Sony monitor just kills everything else - doesn't it?!?

I am now thinking about returning the 1720 and getting an AR, even if it costs more. I spend 8-12 hours/day on my computer and need a great monitor.

 

bubbatex,I know the trackpad buttons being on the edge is annoying,but my gf always uses a mouse,so.... Yes you are SO RIGHT about the screen,I keep on saying its BRILLIANT!!

 

I know what you mean about Sony Screens. I have a Bravia HD TV here and its fantastic.

Is the AR screen a glossy one? How reflective is it (could you use it outside?)

Thanks!

 

I just got back from Fry's - the AR and a Fujitsu were side by side - The Fujitsu was a little better, but not much. As for glossy-ness - the AR was fine, IMO. But I doubt it would be great outside.

 

Does her display have the ECO or HiColor monitor? On another thread, someone complained that the HiColor was awful because it was too saturated and one could not get the color adjusted properly. I want to configure an AR, but they only offer HiColor - the cheapest one preconfigured has ECO. The preconfigured one actually has just about everything I want, but it would be nice to have a few other options.

 

Well my gf has the UK version AR61ZU,it has the double lamp screen.In UK i think they don't term it as ECO or HI Color.

 

OK, I believe double lamp is HiColor. Thanks. I have pretty much made up my mind on an AR - now have to decide ECO or HiColor.

 

Well If you asked me, I would say go for the HiColor,its really brilliant. In Uk I think the colours are more saturated on the FZ(my brother has that) than the AR.I wish my XPS M1730 had a screen like the AR's....sigh!!!!Oh and best of luck with your purchase.

 

nahiyan13
so, when to expect AR review?)

 

I am afraid I can't give a date now,couldn't work on it for the last 2 days.I am currently working on a GUI for my company so kind of busy with that. Sorry about this.

 

anyway it would be better to wait for a detailed review, than for one which is written in a hurry. also, hoping to see different photos of AR in inrerior.

 

the one thing i didn't get - why did Sony put Core 2 Duo T8300 2.4 ghz..
cos even SZ7../X has a 2.5 ghz.

 

True, that is one thing I also didn't get. Seriously, this is a desktop replacement and they could have easily put a T9300 in it

 

You can put a T9300 or a T9500 in one in CTO. That's one of the reason I am considering one because I can customize it. Maybe this is not possible in the UK/Europe??

 

No you can't do that with the European versions. There are 4 factory configurations for the AR6 series in UK/Europe.

 

yep carnt wait 4 th ereview

 

sorry i mean review firt time in this forum : )

 

yep, no options for european models, same here in russia. i advise sony to put 2.6 and higher cpus and LED backlit displays in their future AR models, the as Apple did with their new MBpros, i mean: 2.6 penryn and option as a LED backlit display even for 17" models.

 

there is a review of this notebook on:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/noteb...ony-VAIO-VGN-AR61ZU-Entertainment-Notebook/p1

The screen appears to be a weakness this time...

Nonetheless I'm interested in getting this notebook since Vaio
seems to be the only brand which combines high specs with
good heat management and reliability...

I would like to read some more reviews before makng my
decission...

 

B-FliP
thanks for the link
seems like AR really needs LED display.

also hoping to see the AR's review by nahiyan13.

 

nahiyan13
so, how is going the process?) i mean ar's review.

 

jimmy - one review is gonna make the difference?

I decided to go FZ - I felt the other review link I posted was very fair and pretty much summed up everything else I had read. The deciding factor for me was really the size - particularly the reach from the front edge to the keyboard. I like the distance I have now on my FS550 and the FZ is only slightly less - however, on the AR, 1/2 my forearm was laying on the laptop. That would have gotten very uncomfortable for me all day long.

Good luck to you!

 

bubbatex
maybe yes, maybe no) i dunno. but nbr reviews are the best with good photos.
The fact is that my dad likes my sz and wants me to give it to him, and buy AR for me as a substitution. the problem is that i can't see&touch AR in real, cos they are only for preorder in my town shops. the one thing i'm worried about is AR screen, would it be bad comparing to SZ's LED one? this is the dilemma.

 

jimmy - I totally understand. I am glad I got to play with both the AR and FZ (and I went and looked at both at least 4 times) before making a decision. Will the AR's screen be as bright as the SZ's? That's a tough one, but I doubt it. But, a bad screen on an AR is still better than most good screens, IMHO. I am pretty sure that both the FZ and AR's I saw in Fry's and Best Buy were the ECO versions - so I can only imagine how great the HiColor is going to be!

Again, good luck to you.

 

i didn't know that there are two versions of screens in AR: ECO and HiColor !
So, how to determine if one has ECO or HiColor screen ?

 

I dunno unless they are side-by-side - ECO is single lamp and HiC is dual lamp from what I have read. You have the option of choosing one or the other in CTO but I do not believe I have seen one in a retail store.