Sony Vaio Vgn Ar320e

hey guys,
i'm planning to buy this notebook. i'm a moderate gamer, and major movie buff and would like it as a desktop replacement. my budget was arnd 1500$, but looking at this configuration, i stretched it a lil bit. wat do u think about it ??

the config is

General
Computer Type: Notebook
Type of Use: Desktop Replacement
Action Buttons: S1, S2, AV Mode, Volume, Mute, Eject,
Play/Pause/Stop, Wireless LAN On/Off
Pointing Device: Electro-Static touch pad



Hardware
Keyboard: QWERTY, 86 keys with 2.5mm stroke and 19.05mm pitch
Camera: Built-in camera and microphone



Processor
Type: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T5500
Speed: 1.66GHz
Front Side Bus Speed: 667MHz
L2 Cache: 2MB Advanced Smart Cache
Technology: Intel® Centrino® Duo Mobile Technology



Memory
Type: DDR2 SDRAM
Installed: 2GB (1GBx2) PC2-5300
Maximum: 2GB
Speed: 667MHz



Hard Drive
Capacity: 160GB
Speed: 4200rpm
Interface: Serial ATA



Optical Drive #1
DVD+R DL Write: 4x max.
DVD+R Write: 8x max.
DVD+RW Write: 8x max.
DVD-R Write: 8x max.
DVD-RW Write: 6x max.
CD-R Write: 24x max.
CD-RW Write: 16x max.
DVD±RW: Yes (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/DVD-RAM drive)
CD Read: 24x max.
DVD Read: 8x max.
DVD-RAM Write: 5x max.
DVD-R DL Write: 4x max.
DVD-RAM Read: 5x max.


Expansion Slots
Multimedia Card Reader: Supports optional Memory Stick® and Memory Stick DUO™ media with MagicGate® functionality and Secure Digital Media (SD)
One PCMCIA - Type II/Type I card slot with CardBus support
One ExpressCard™ /54 Slot



Audio
Sound System: Sony® Sound Reality™ - Audio Enhancer



Display
Screen or Display Technology: WXGA+
Screen Size: 17"
Resolution: 1440x900
XBRITE™ Technology: Yes



Graphics
Processor: NVIDIA® GeForce® Go 7400 notebook graphics processing unit (GPU)
Video RAM: 335MB Total Available Graphics Memory
Chipset: Intel® 945PM
Interface: VGA out w/ Smart Display Sensor, HDMI™ out and S-Video out



Inputs and Outputs
Ethernet Port: 1
HDMI™ Connection Output(s): 1
Headphone Jack: 1
i.LINK® Interface: 1 (4pin) i.LINK® connector (IEEE 1394)
Memory Stick® Media Slot: 1
Modem Jack: 1
Secure Digital Slot: 1
Microphone Input: 1
Port Replicator Connector(s): 1
S-Video Output(s): 1
USB Port(s): 3 (2.0 compliant)
VGA Output(s): 1
DC-In: 1
S/PDIF Output(s): 1
Express Card™ Slot: 1


Networking/Modem
Ethernet Protocol: Fast Ethernet (RJ-45)
Ethernet Speed: 10Base-T/100Base-TX
Modem Type: Integrated V.92/V.90 Modem with (RJ-11)
Wireless LAN: Intel® PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network
Connection (802.11a/b/g)



Power
Battery Type: Standard Battery (VGP-BPS2C)
Estimated Battery Life: TBD hours with standard battery
Power Requirements: 150W+10%



Software
Operating System: Windows Vista™ Home Premium
Internet Services: AOL® 90-Day Risk Free Trial - New Users Only
Supplied Software: Microsoft® Works 8.5
60-Day Trial Version of Microsoft® Office 2007
Sony® Original Software: Click to DVD® - DVD Creation *Please access VAIO® Help and Support from your PC for a complete list of software applications and trials.
Security and Anti-Virus Software: Norton® Internet
Security™ 2007 60-Day trial with spyware protection



Dimensions
Weight: 8.4 lbs. (weight is approximate and may vary)
Measurements: 16.4"(W) x 1.32"(H) x 11.8"(D)



Supplied Accessories
Standard Lithium-ion Battery (VGP-BPS2C)
AC Adapter (VGP-AC19V15)
Power Cord


but the problem is battery life and weight. not much of an issue for me though.

tell me wat do u think of it ?
will i be able to play fear on it ??

 

not bad try getting a 5400rpm drive though would be a bit better

 

ohh..any other system better than this at similar cost??

 

well i looked and i couldnt find on the sony site, i got the sz450, but thats like 2000 dollars or a bit more, can you configure the ar?

 

2000 is way too costly for me, and its not tht i want to stick to sony.

for AR320E..here is the link
http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INT...egoryName=cpu_VAIONotebookComputers_AR_Series

it cant be configured, but other ar series notebooks can be

 

wat about VGN-FE890N/H ??
or if i configure VGN-FE890N/H with GEforce GO 7600

 

yeah customize that one, with 2ghz processor, 2gb ram 100ish gb hard drive (or less if u want to save some cash) 7600 gfx card if u dont want sony get whatever you want, except acer, if u go for hp they are cheap and good, but make sure to get an extended warranty on them cuz they usually mess up from time to time

 

I actually bought this system roughly about a month ago and i'm very happy w/ it. The battery life is god awful though (I use it ONLY as a desktop replacement; plugged in 24/7). It runs really smooth for me but i'm not a gamer, so I cant tell u how ANY games run for that matter.

I usually run Aero-Glass display, Winamp, pokerstarz, internet explorer (wireless lan-ed up), and poker tracker on the AR320E while watching dvds on windows media player all simultaneously (I have an external monitor hooked up to the VGA out for the dual-screen as well) and all of that runs smooth as butter w/ no lag what so ever.

My only complaint is the HD speed which i see others have mentioned. It def. slows up at times but nothing drastic. I use an external 7200rpm HD for all my music and personal files, so it really isnt a big deal. Other than that I havent had any system crashes or any major mishaps on it since i've had it.

If you have any questions about the system feel free to ask me.

-Shook

 

thnx man shoook,

though battery life is not much of an issue for me, but still sometimes i might want it to be of decent standard atleast. actually i'm a student and wont need to carry it in class all the time, but sometimes during presentations or something i might need it. though i'll put it on power optimizer and will shut screen down when not in need.

so how much is the battery life under normal usage ?..and one more thing. is thr any heating prob in it ?..coz a 17" monitr shud produce hell of a heat.

and one more thing..does it have blu ray ?

 

i have this laptop and i LOVE it just that it only uses 64 mb of the 355 mb avail. for the graphics card .... but im trying to find out how it can get changed if it can .... i love it tho ... picture is AWSOME with movies .... hell my wife and i use it as a dvd player in bed when she gets home from work at 11:30 pm and im gaming ALL the time .... just need to find out how to increase the amount of ram that goes to the GC thats all .... and out the door price for mine with a 2 or 3 year warranty was $2,025 ......GREAT deal ..... it was $1,699 at frys ... god i love that place