Sony VAIO PCG-GRZ610 Laptop (2.0-GHz Pentium 4, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive)

by Sony

Product Details

Product Manual [1.40mb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 14 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000083GMD
• Item model number: PCG-GRZ610
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,713 in Computers & Accessories (See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 19, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

As the junior member of Sony’s midlevel Vaio PCG-GRZ series of notebook computers, the PCG-GRZ610 shares many characteristics with its more expensive siblings, the most notable of which is a sensible tradeoff between performance and affordability.

The PCG-GRZ610 is just slightly less powerful than its pricier counterparts. Nevertheless, powered by a 2 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor and an impressive 512 MB of DDR SDRAM memory (expandable to a full 1,024 MB), the unit is ready for most standard mobile computing applications. Its 32 MB ATI Mobility Radeon 7500C graphics chipset may have trouble smoothly rendering complex 3-D games and animations but will easily handle everything else. Sony has included an ample 40 GB hard disk and a removable DVD/CD-RW combo drive through which you can watch movies, record and play audio CDs, and back up data. You cannot burn DVDs with this unit unless you add an external DVD-RW drive.

Measuring 1.8 by 12.9 by 10.7 inches, the PCG-GRZ610 is of average size. It is, however, rather lightweight at 6.9 pounds with one battery or 7.5 pounds with battery and optical drive. Sony has installed a large 15-inch XGA TFT viewing screen (1,024 x 768 resolution) and integrated stereo speakers to enhance your multimedia experience, and an 86-key QWERTY keyboard with electrostatic touchpad to help you better control your applications. Other practical amenities include a Memory Stick media slot, three USB ports, a super-fast IEEE 1394 port for data transfers from peripherals such as digital camcorders, a 56K modem for low-speed Internet and e-mail access, and a 10Base-T/100Base-TX Ethernet interface for high-speed connectivity.

The PCG-GRZ610 is preloaded with a wide variety of software, including Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Money 2003, Microsoft Works, and an impressive array of audio, video, and photo utilities.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good notebook in need of a quiter fan, March 2, 2003

By 

"rishabh1979" (Los Angeles, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony VAIO PCG-GRZ610 Laptop (2.0-GHz Pentium 4, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive) (Personal Computers)

I recently purchased this notebook and would recommend it as a good performer. The major drawback of this notebook is its noisy fan, which kills the spirit of this otherwise good notebook, getting it only 3.5 stars. The cooling mechanism is not good, which is required for a P4 2.0 processor (considering that it is not P4-m). Moreover the fan remains on all the time, which is irritating while working in a library or a quite office. In terms of CPU performance the notebook performs very good when operating on AC power. It is good for watching movies, writing and debugging extensive code using heavy weight IDEs such as Visual Studio. It is also good for gaming. However, when running in the quite mode or on battery, the CPU speed drops down to as low as 735 MHz (As shown in the system sub panel of the control panel). The display while good needs to be addressed - The TFT screen of my seven day old notebook has developed black areas near the lower corners. The CDRW/DVD drive is very good and extermely fast in burning CDs. The battery generally operates for 1.5 hrs before draining completely. The note book however is certainly better than a Toshiba 2415 and Compaq 2500, which has an even noisier fan. Overall I would rate it as a good notebook but sony needs to work hard in improving their cooling mechanism and fan noise.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid performance for the price, April 5, 2003

By 

Harry Haller (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony VAIO PCG-GRZ610 Laptop (2.0-GHz Pentium 4, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive) (Personal Computers)

In buying a new notebook computer, I had three criteria: I wanted a 15 inch monitor, a processor speed of at least 2 GHz, and a price under [$]. Only a handful of computers satisfy all three of these criteria, and ultimately it came down to a choice between the Vaio and the Toshiba Satellite (2410/2415), which cost virtually the same but have slightly different features. I have used many laptops over the years, and the Vaio has significant plusses and minuses in comparison with other notebooks I've used.

The Vaio has a slim, compact design, a very bright and clear display, and a very nice full-sized keyboard. It has 32 MB of video memory (compared with 16 for the Satellite), and it handles graphics-intensive tasks with ease (I'm not a high-end gamer, though, and I doubt that this computer would be sufficient for that purpose). It is pleasant to use and it has some decent built-in tutorials to help you navigate the many multimedia applications. The Satellite is a little more "chunky" looking and the display did not look as sharp or as bright when I saw the two computers side by side.

The Vaio does have some limitations. Whereas the Toshiba Satellite has a "mobility" processor (designed for a laptop, it runs at a lower temperature and requires less cooling), the Vaio has a standard Pentium 4 processor. As a consequence, the fan operates continuosly with the Vaio, and if you are doing anything processor-intensive, the fan becomes quite loud. In a quiet room, such a library or office, it would be clearly audible for 30 or 40 feet at top speed. It is much louder than the fan on any notebook computer I've ever used. When operating normally (for example, doing low-demand tasks such as word processing) it is not unusually loud. The fan can be switched to a "quiet" mode although I believe that this also slows the processor speed. Surprisingly, there are no external controls for playing CDs. On the Toshiba (and most notebooks I've used), you can play CDs and adjust the volume using controls on the exterior of the case, without turning on the computer. With the Vaio, you can't. Also, the Vaio does not come standard with a 3.5 inch floppy drive. I almost never use floppies, but sometimes they are just the only convenient way to get a file onto your computer. Both the Toshiba and the Vaio come with three USB ports; in the case of the Toshiba they are USB 1.1. I believe that they are USB 2.0 on the Vaio, although I am not certain of that.

A limitation of both computers is that they use the "touch pad" pointing device. I had one of these on my last computer and I hated it from day one. They are just not accurate enough for long-term use and clicking the right mouse button is very cumbersome. The IBM-style "pencil eraser" pointing device is a much better mouse substitute for a notebook computer and I wish that more computers would adopt something similar. I usually use a plug-in external mouse so it's not a huge problem for me, but if you frequently need to operate the computer in cramped conditions or where you do not have a desk or hard surface on which to use an external mouse, consider buying an IBM for the pointing device. Also, the battery life on both of these computers is relatively short.

The Vaio packs a lot of power and features into a relatively low price. It is a good computer for people who need to be able to take their work with them but who are usually able to sit down at a desk and plug in the AC power and an external mouse. Because of the touch pad, the short battery life, the lack of a mobility processor, and the lack of a floppy drive, it is probably not the best for someone who needs maximum mobility and flexibility.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The fan is not so bad..., April 29, 2003

By 

Charles A. Logsdon "arryma" (Duluth, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony VAIO PCG-GRZ610 Laptop (2.0-GHz Pentium 4, 256 MB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive) (Personal Computers)

I was very, very wary of purchasing this computer due to the claims of excessive fan noise described here on Amazon. However, after checking it out at the store thoroughly, I found the fan noise to be no big deal and went ahead with my purchase.

The fan is loudest when changing rpms, and for a few moments it can be pretty annoying. However I found the fan noise overall to be pretty negligible. The CD/DVD rom drive, I found could be much, much louder though, especially when combined with the fan. This was, to my suprise, more of am issue when using cds and cd-roms than with DVDs, which ran relatively quietly.

Conclusion: The fan makes a cooling-fan sound. If you are used to laptops that do not have fans (some macs, for example), or completely silent ones, this may be an issue. Under normal operation (not in 'silent' mode) I found the grz610 fan noise to be very tolerable and not a disturbance to those around me.

Otherwise:

Performance: Very good. However, I think that this system will benefit from the addition of 256MB RAM under windows XP.

Design: Large - nice, big screen, but this laptop did not fit into my carrying sleeve, so buy a big one. Heavy - this is a beefy laptop, and if you are toting the AC adapter as well, you will definitely be feeling it.

Software extras: The usual bunch of bundled software which I ritualistically delete and replace with professional versions.

Other: I thought the speakers actually sounded pretty good for a laptop.

Overall satisfaction: Very good. I'd give it 4.5 stars if they would let me, but it is better than 4, so I give it a 5.