Customer Reviews

Sony VAIO PCG-GRZ660 Laptop (2.40-GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This notebook has almost every feature you could ask for. For the sake of brevity I will point out the one weak point (all the other features are first rate):

Sony has equipped this notebook with a nice big 15" screen, but it only has 1024x768 pixels. This is more in line with a 14" screen or a value priced notebook. A 15" screen notebook in this price rang should have 1024x1280 pixels. The quality difference is very noticeable. On most other points (response time, luminescence, contrast) I would rate this screen about average.

If display quality is important to you then this may not be the right notebook for you. Otherwise this notebook is really well featured.

Great features and performance for the price. Can't find cheaper laptop with DVD-R capabilities anywhere. Screen is OK for general use, but gamers and graphic designers may want to opt for the 16" screen with 1600x1200 resolution offered by SONY. So far I have enjoyed this laptop, however there is an annoying hum from the harddrive when the laptop is on. Don't know if it is just mine or common to all PCG-GRZ660? Overall, I recommend this laptop without reservation.

I got the same problem here,
After 1 1/2 years, the machine runs slow, perhaps due to heat issue. It is probably the cause of killing half of my RAM.
This line of product from Sony is not recommended.

We also have experienced the overheat/shutdown problem. It was sent to Sony under warranty and returned with the same problem. To use this laptop you need to prop the back of the unit up on a book or something to allow air under it.

I will never buy a Sony Vaio again. In writing this review, I was required to choose a star on a scale of 1-5 stars. Let it be known that I chose one because it was the lowest rating available. In reality, I choose ZERO! Overheating, random shutdowns, slow processing despite the processor speed are the main reasons for advising anyone interested in Sony to stay away. Any negative comments concerning this computer that attend to similar problems as mentioned here are 100% true. In fact, any positive comments offered up, could only have been submitted early on by new owners of this lemon of computers. Tech support was poor, they wanted me to send the computer back, pay import taxes, if charged (incidentally, Sony Japan, where I am, wouldn't honor the warranty even though the computer was less than a year old). Also the DVD burner(Toshiba - think before you buy one of these, as well) gave out just before it was a year old. Recently, I bought my children an HP with an AMD Sempron and DVD burner. It has outperformed the Sony hands down.

Dont buy a Sony. This is the worst notebook i have ever owned. Overheats!!! It is a major problem. I spent months in a runaround with tech support. It should never have been sold on the market. Pay a bit more and get and IBM, thinkpad. They are the best notebook madefor years. Buy a SONY at your risk. They should have stuck to televisions.

I thought I was buying a top of the line laptop, I love the large display, but that's the last positive thing I have to say about my PCG-GRZ660.

Just over a year of owning it I started experiencing random shutdowns. Now at 1 1/2 years it shuts down constantly. The problem - OVERHEATING. Apparently it's a well known problem, and I can't get any support from Sony. Lookup "Sony VAIO shutdown" online and see all the folks that are experiencing overheating problems.

I'm very disappointed with this laptop and would not recommend a Sony laptop to anyone.

I think I will go back to ACER laptops, they have worked flawlessly in the past.

I was first considering a desktop of about the same specifications as this computer. 2.4 GHz, 512 MB ram, not much difference, and it was [$$$] more expensive! A sony, and I would have to buy a monitor.

Alot of othe other reviews complain about hte noise the fan makes... There's an option to put the fan it quiet mode... And besides it doesn't really make any noise at all for any length of time, so I don't even notice it.

I've completely replaced my desktop with this computer and have had no problems. The only bad thing I ca say is that the graphics card is only 16 MB, but if you want a Radeon 9500 128 MN card then buy a desktop...

I love it alot. I play games on it, do my graphics editing, chat online, etc. It doesn't come with MS Office on it, or maybe it did and mine was special, but that's easily obtainable. This is the first lap top I've bought, and it has been perfect, not a single problem at all and I havn't had to restart is a single time.

I have owned and used over ten laptops and the Sony Vaio is still my favorite. A lot of people complain about heat problems...yes this is true and I can explain why.
The cooling fan and cooling fan airduct that keeps the CPU cool is prone to collect dust and needs to be clean. This is true with all laptops but since the Sony is running a fast CPU, it need all the cooling power it can get.
Using a can of compressed air every six months to blow out the dust will keep your laptop cool and running great !

Take my word...buy a Sony Laptop and you will be amazed with the speed and reliability !!!

Get a mouse and this laptop easily compares to a desktop. It handles medical voice-type dictation and billing - no problem. Video editing is fun, too. Get the case if you haul lots of files and accessories.