Sony Vaio CR Docking Station

Hi there

I bought this sony vaio CR

Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo T7300 2 GHZ Cache: 4 MB L2 cache
Hard Drive: 160GB 5400rpm Serial ATA
Memory: 2048MB (4096MB max) PC2-5300 667MHz
Optical Drives: DVD+R DL
Screen: 14.1" WXGA LCD (Resolution: 1280 x 800 pixels)
Graphics card: Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 (358MB shared)
Audio card: Sony Sound Reality - Audio Enhancer
Speakers: Built-in stereo
Networking: Intel PRO/Wireless 4965 (802.11a/b/g/n) 10/100Base-TX integrated V92/90 modem
Ports/Slots: Multimedia Card Reader, ExpressCard slot /34, Secure Digital Keyboard: QWERTY, 82 keys with 2mm stroke
Battery [Life]: Lithium ion
Size: 13.2x1.25-1.67x9.8 inches
Weight: 5.5 lbs (2.5 kg)
Supplied: Battery
Supplied: AC adapter
Supplied: Software Bundle
Supplied: Memory Card Adapter
OS: Microsoft® Windows® Vista Home Premium
Software: Free Productivity, Internet & Graphics Software Bundle

One of the things that I'm regretting about is that, since I like big screens, I would’ve prefer a 17'' screen.

But that is water under the bridges now is to late to go back.

I was thinking about using an external monitor and, as I researched about that, I figured that some people use docking stations.

So I found this one at amazon

Sony VAIO VGP-UPR1 USB Port Replicator (Compatible with the CR, FZ, and NR series Notebook PC's)

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-VGP-UPR1...3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1213272212&sr=8-3

But I think is extremely expensive.

Is it worthy to buy one of those?

Are there less expensive docking stations compatible with a sony vaio cr?

Do I really need a docking station for using the laptop with external monitor, mouse and keyboard?

Thanks!

 

You dont need a docking station to do so, but it makes your life easier. With docking you onle need to plug the docking into the laptop each time you want to use all those accessories. But if you dont have a docking, you have to plug them each time into a laptop. Its not a hard work, but still.

 

That's all I needed to know.

I think I will spend cash on 2GB RAM at this moment but, in the near future, I will think more about that docking station.

Does someone know any less expensive good docking station for a Sony Vaio CR?

Thanks

 

i'll be darned...i didnt know sony made one...

I have a kensington USB dock - similar to the Sony. Kensington has different types of port replicator/dock solutions that work via usb. My particular one basically has a ton of USB ports, Sound, and Eithernet.

Be warned...USB 2.0 maybe fast, but when you use it to perform many tasks it does slow down significantly - logically speaking, you have a 4 lane highway, you pack it and traffic moves slowly.

I actually got somewhat annoyed of the dock after a while because of the slow speeds. The USB docks work well for things that dont require high speed - or for the owner to not care about high speed. Printers, mice, charging etc are great, but external hard drives/ipods are sluggish.

In terms of ram, if you want 3gb you're going to have to pull out one stick of 1gb inside your comp - only 2 slots total in laptops. If you want 4 gb - like me - you'll have to take out the two gb inside.

keep an eye out for Newegg and Fry's sales of ram - other companies too - i got my 4gb for ~$63 grand total - no rebates.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience with the dock station. I think I will just have to get used to connect monitor, mouse and keyboard all the time.

I will defenitly go for the 4GB of RAM. I will surely need it.

Is it hard to do the RAM upgrade for someone that never opened a laptop(like me) in this machine?

 

FYI your operating system Vista, if you have Service Pack 1 (SP1) installed will say you have 4gb of ram, but it will only utilize about 3.5gb of ram due to the fact that its only a 32bit system and not a 64bit type - and the CR's have no support for 64 bit. Not to say 4gb isnt necessary but you could potentially save some money with just 3gb - with no noticeable performance decreases as compared with having 4gb. Just some food for thought. Also just know that the more ram you feed vista, the more ram it'll use up, so don't get all dissapointed if the % of ram used doesnt decrease by much.

On the CR one handy thing you can take advantage of - and this is true with all vista devices - READYBOOST. If you've got a highspeed SD or Memorystick card that you dont mind leaving in the laptop, you can leave it there to help boost performance by acting as more ram/hard drive buffer. If you insert an SD/MMS a window will pop up asking what you want to do, the last option under open folder to view contents is readyboost. Check if your card passes speed tests then you can use it to help your performance for demanding applications and multi-tasking.

The ram is very easy to install, however be warned to not over tighten the screws, they snap easily. Take notice of how easy it is to unscrew them...there's no need to tighten it more than OEM.

The ram is located under the LARGE panel under the laptop with 6 screws. Please also note that the 5 screws u can easily see do not totally come out, so dont keep unscrewing them - they are short and they have a retainer to keep them from falling out. Only the long screw that is located in the recessed hole will come out entirely. The panel will come off and you can see the ram and just push outwards on the two silver retaining tabs on the side of the ram and the ram will literally pop up towards you. Slide out and reverse the process.

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU'RE GROUNDED WHEN DOING THIS AND THAT IT IS NOT PLUGGED IN AND BATTERY IS REMOVED.
After working at Circuit City too many people have fried their brand new ram because they weren't grounded. Now personally i dont usually ground myself unless im working on something big, but grab something metal that is grounded to discharge yourself. Or if you've got a grounding bracelet/mat then you're good to go.

Its really not complicated, i've done ram upgrades to many desktops and laptops. Don't rush and be patient.

 

Thanks for your class!

I guess I will upgrade to 3GB and try the READYBOOST.
I will use this notebook to create virtual machines (with Virtual PC 2007) running Windows 2003 Server. Virtual Machines need a lot of RAM.

Thanks for all the security advice!

 

No problem.

I also run virtual machine. I ran it for XP.

But i now just dual boot xp and vista. More ram will certainly help 2003 server.