V505EC?

Has anyone used or own a 505EC? Curious how the power/performance stacks up against other models and other computers. Here's a bit of background:

I'm looking for a computer to use for work and for a bit of gaming, so I like the fact that it has the ATI 9200 w/32meg. However, the weight is a little heavy, particularly with the extended battery (which also adds to the footprint). 60 meg drive is fine, as is 1.5G Pentium-M. Big fan of the built-in 802.11b/g. Ordering through the Sony website would let me take off $100 for XP Home vs. Pro and $180 for Office pre-installed (work will pay for that), so grand total was $1699.

Any other suggestions for computers under $2K with similar specs? Graphics card with dedicated memory is particularly important. I looked at the TR and the keyboard is too small for real-time notetaking.

Thanks.

 

I have used a 505EC, actually carried one around for four hours (straight) yesterday. I will address performance but what most impressed me was that I didn't notice it--my arm didn't hurt after carrying it.

It certainly was powerful, did some photo editing on it and although I have no "numbers" per say it offered up very good performance. Ripped some cd's as well and it didn't slow down. I wanted to run 3dmark on it but didn't have time to do so. Also, for your particular situation I do not believe there to be much competition as far as the gaming standpoint. The Radeon 9200 is the best card you will find in a compact laptop that I am aware of.

If gaming wasn't a concern I would take a look at IBM or Fujitsu for your needs; but they won't work for gaming.

The Sony really impressed me all around. Build quality seemed nice, it has eye catching good looks (got quite a few comments), and is more than speedy enough for almost all needs, including some moderate gaming. It would be my personal choice if I needed a tiny gaming machine. My two cents.

 

Great to hear. I've actually done a LOT of looking at the various options and just needed to hear from someone that had used one. I was worried about the weight, but guess it's not an issue -- did yours have a standard or 2x battery, out of curiosity?

 

It had the standard battery in it. And when I say four hours straight, I was serious. It did not leave my hands for that period of time (I was walking around most of it) and I hardly noticed it was there. I didn't even have a bag lol. I suppose it is subjective but this thing is quite small and not very heavy at all.

 

hi, do anyone have any info regarding the upgrade of video memory for the v505EC or v505EX model. once i buy is it possible to increase the memory to 64 or 128megs?
also do anybody have any links related to reviews for the same models?
is there any link for the performance comparison for this model with other models like dell 600m or gateway 200X models
can anyone tell me where i can find student concessions/discounts for the same model
Thanks

 

Hi - in direct answer to your question, you unfortunately cannot upgrade the video memory. I looked into that specifically, as I was hoping for a slightly more-powerful game machine. Nonetheless, after an inordinate amount of comparing various options, I went ahead and purchased the Sony 505EC. I bought it online through SonyStyle.com and customized it slightly. Total was $1,649.99 plus $142.30 NY sales tax, or $1,792.29 total.

Stats:
Intel® Pentium® M Processor 1.5 GHz
PCG-V505EC WLAN Combo
512 MB (256x2 MB Base)
60GB
Music STANDARD Package
1 Year
Microsoft Works 7.0 with Office 2003 Student & Teacher Trial Edition
Video STANDARD Package
(BP2V) Lithium-Ion Battery
Photo STANDARD Package 
CD-RW_DVD Drive
12.1” XGA (1024x768) with 802.11b/g Wireless LAN
Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition

A couple things about the setup:
1) XP Home Edition is $100 cheaper with no real difference in features unless you're using in a secure office environment (which I'm not)
2) I bought MS Office separately, which runs ~$300-400.
3) I'm planning on getting a double-capacity battery, but Sony's prices are ludicrious - I'm searching for a reputable third-party alternative.
4) Sony was doing a memory promotion; 512 for the price of 256, but as two 256MB DIMMs. In retrospect, I'm not sure this was worth it, as I'd like to upgrade to 1GB but now have to purchase two 512MB DIMMs.
5) I can't imagine needing a DVD burner on a laptop (I have a tower also), so that wasn't important to me.

So I've now had it for about three weeks, and overall I have to say it's quite nice. Style was low on the list when I was purchasing, but it turns out to be more important to me than I though -- I simply like looking at and pulling out the computer, as it's a bit different from everyone else's grey or black box. The weight is good - it's not an ultra-ultra portable that you can slip in a briefcase, but it's no heavier than an equivalent space-worth of books or papers. Easy to carry around in a satchel or backpack all day.

Positives:
-- Critical for me was a decent gaming machine, which the Vaio fulfills perfectly. I've played both Call of Duty and KOTOR, both at full graphics and textures, with ZERO lag or frame skips. I have a hard time getting this kind of performance on my tower (2 GHz P4). I can't play games that require >32MB video memory, but I probably wouldn't want to play those on a laptop anyway.
-- The internal wireless modem is fantastic. Easy to turn on and off with an external switch and very responsive.
-- Really, everything else is good. Screen quality is beautiful. Drive speed is fast. Despite the apparent outweighting of negatives below, this is simply because I had very high expectations which the Vaio matched in nearly every regard.

Negatives/Commentary:
-- Despite what Sony assured me, the trackpad does have some problems to it. I read previous reviews mentioning this but after 1) trying at the store, 2) asking five different salespeople and 3) calling Sony directly, I was convinced that the problems had been licked. Nonetheless, every once in a while the pad seems to "lose sensitivity" or something, not registering finger movements. The easy fix is not to touch it for about three seconds - then it works fine until the next time. However, when playing a game like Arkanoid where it's important to have constant control of the paddle/cursor/whatever, it can be a literal killer.
-- This is my first "new-generation" laptop, so I have little to compare with, but I'm slightly dissatisfied with battery life. A game like KOTOR (obviously graphics and processor heavy) will only give about two hours or less, even with the screen brightness reduced to minimum. Word processing though lasts about 4 hours, which is good for cross-country flights. My guess is that this is similar across laptops however & the fix is a 2x-capacity battery, as mentioned above.
-- The speaker volume isn't as loud as I would have expected, even turned all the way up. I could use my old Dell laptop as practically a stereo replacement -- can't do that on the Vaio (i.e. with the internal speaker). Through headphones or external speakers though it's as loud as you'd ever want.
-- The computer itself is slightly deeper than others, which surprised me a bit when I was comparing models. Didn't bother me, but you should be sure to check it out yourself. Specifically, the iMac is the same thickness and width but about 1-1 1/2 inches less deep.
-- The AC adapter is a bit annoying because it's two separate pieces; the adapter and laptop end, and a short cord with a plug that connects to the adapter. I THINK the reason for this is so that you can use a longer Sony-equivalent cord (the kind with a square and circle plug, if you know what I mean) if you want to, which may outweigh the negative. Nonetheless, I almost left half of it in a hotel room while packing in a hurry one morning.

Ultimately I'm very satisfied with my purchase. There exists no perfect laptop for me right now (even through build-your-own sites like Alien), and this was the closest thing to it. If you (or anyone else) has specific questions, feel free to post and I'll get back to you.

 

Hi. Thanks for taking the time to reply to my queries. I really appreciate your patience. your comments were really useful. I have some more queries...
on the tech side...the sonystyle web site says that the L2 cache 512kB in some places(pdf document of 505EX, specs of the 505EC) and 1MB in other places(specs of the 505EX model), I am confused; as the intel site says that all the P-M processors have a 1MB L2 cache.
Though I will not be doing much of gaming, I will be running a few image processing and some engineering modelling softwares and MS office for most of the time.
On the pricing side...how did you manage to get it for 1650??? I tried the same specs as yours on the sony website and i cannot get it anywhere less than $1850. I can get xp professional and office from my college. i saw that bestbuy has the 505ex for 1699 after rebates(lowest price I could find on the net)
mostly i am going to go for this model with similar specs as yours...I am going to wait for 1 more week to see if the price goes any lower.
I still have a liking at the back of my mind for the 200x model of gateway. Do you have any opinions regarding that model.

 

Might I suggest an older v505 BCP/6? I was just looking at new subnotebooks to replace my Libretto L5 and was looking at the v505 series, TR3, and Fujitsu T/P series. I settled on the v505 BCP from a refurbished dealer (purchased new).

When looking at the TR3 and Fujitsu, I couldn't justify stick with what I call sub-subnotebook without getting a bump up in specs. The Libretto L5W is a Transmeta Cruesoe processor which feels the same as a P3-850mhz, performance wise. The TR3 and Fujitsu offer 1.4 P4s, but I already have a 1.7 machine and wanted more. Once I decided I wanted more juice, I started looking at the current line of v505s. The only advantages I could find were the Centrino chipset for integrated wireless, max memory support of 2gigs, 32mb video memory, and optional DVD-RW burner. Other than that, everything was about the same or comparable.

The differences are enough for a more hardcore user, but for business applications, the B series is just fine. I was able to find it new for $1599 ($1641 after shipping) and some of the specs are:

P4-M @ 2.4
40gb HD
max memory/installed 1gig
USB 2.0
Firewire
CD/RW

The downsides so far are I'm having a hard time finding a compatible HD upgrade. I'd like to go to 60 or 80 gigs, but don't know if I can do it safely. I also miss the integrated WiFi that I had in my Libretto. I still have a 802.11 card I can use in the PC-Card slot, but of course, what happens if I need to do something else? I also would not have mined having the increased video memory. For my applications, it wouldn't have made a difference. But just for the "Neh na na-na na" factor. I don't mind not having the DVD recorder, however, because DVD +/- DL is on the way and that'll give me an excuse to update my 'home' laptop next year. Overall, I find the BCP to be a solid performer and can't complain about the price one bit.

 

Hey - I agree. I just tried to price out my same system and got a quote of $1849. Guess I got the early-mover discount. On the L2 question I wondered that myself and actually called Intel - it's a Sony marketing problem. It is a 1MB L2 cache (and I've confirmed this on my laptop). Sorry, don't know the Gateway at all.