Vaio K74

Hi,

I'm considering making my first notebook purchase a Sony Vaio PCG-K74. I've done a quick search on this forum but can't see much specifically about this machine.

Anyone got one? Any thoughts to share about it?

I know it may not compare so well compared to some of the other Sony Vaios; I'm buying on a budget although I do want reliability and quality - hence Sony. It doesn't seem too bad for the price, though the shared VRAM might be a downer? I think it looks really good (and of course this is a MAJOR issue!).

I'm a teacher, so it'll be used for just general applications - but I also like to play the odd game: SimCity4, CS, WarCraft3, AOE2, etc.

Here's the details:
Sony Vaio PCGK74, P4 2.8GHz, 15", 40GB

Microprocessor Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 2.80GHz
Chipset ATI Technologies Inc. RADEON™ IGP345M/ALi M1535+
Processor System Bus 533MHz
Cache L2 Cache: 512 KB (on CPU)
Main Memory 512MB SDRAM (Maximum 1GB)
Hard Drive 40GB (C: 15GB, D: 25GB)
Graphic Accelerator Dual display compatible, 3D graphics acceleration compatible, ATI Technologies Inc. Radeon™ IGP 345M Chipset
Video Memory 64MB (32MB/64MB/128MB selectable: shared with main memory)
Display 15.0" XGA (1024x768) colour TFT
Battery Up to 3.0 hours of use with supplied lithium-ion battery (estimated; actual battery life may vary by usage)
Dimensions (WxHxD) 329.0 x 42.0(minimum) - 56.0 x 277.5mm
Weight Approximately 3.5kg (with supplied battery)
Warranty 12 months

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Cheers,

 

I've seen it in a store already and it does look good. Especially the x-black screen is marvellous.

I have got a test of it somewhere *searches*. Oh well, it was a K-Series with Radeon 9200, but maybe this helps you a bit:

Weight: 3.5 kg / AC Adapter: 0.7 kg
Batterylife: 0:48 min / 1:39 max
Display: 340 cd/m² / 679:1
Display-Reaction: 3ms
Noise: 1.0 - 3.8 Sone

System Performance (Sysmark02/PCMark04): 165 / 378
3D Performance (3DMark01/3DMark03): 6848 / 1104
3D Performance (Q3A/UT2003/Aquamark): 128 fps / 50 fps / 34 fps


It is a good notebook for low budget, but it is incredibly heavy (4kg with AC-Adapter) and the batterylife is pretty miserable. And it is thick! I was really surprised when I saw this, believe me, it is extremely bulky... Unless you're Mr.Muscle 2004, You will end up leaving it at home most of the time: This is definitely no notebook that is meant to be carried around much.

I don't know if there are better alternatives though.

 

Hi, thanks for the reply and the info.

I will be taking it with me when I travel; but since I'll be in one location most of the time, transportability is not a huge issue.

The battery life is indeed pathetic - but for the same reason as above, that won't matter.

I would buy a desktop but it doesn't fit into the suitcase so well...

It's interesting that you say it's thick - doesn't look so in the pictures, but it's all relative isn't it? Won't be able to judge for sure until I see it in real life.

Anyway: cheers for the reply, and any further opinions are most welcome!