Customer Reviews

Sony VAIO PCG-K33 15.4" Laptop (Mobile Intel Pentium 4 Processor 532, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive)

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

 

 

Last Friday I went ahead and purchased a Vaio K35 from a BestBuy. The screen is really great, and they had 24 months no interest plan to pay the $1350 after rebates. That all sounded like a good deal back then...

The Vaio K35 froze on me the first day after sending the notebook to hibernation. Needless to say I started testing how it did with hibernation/standby. The freeze didn't happen always, but it happened close to half the times it came from hibernation, never from standby it seems. I made sure the BIOS was not doing any power management, just Windows. Even the VAIO Power Management was disabled inside windows power management control panel. Also, I had the lattest drivers from Vaio Update. Still, it was freezing some times after hibernation.

Installed Windows XP Pro + Service Pack 2 + All the Vaio Drivers and Updates, and still the same thing. It didn't happen always, but yesterday night it froze again coming back from hibernation. Enough for me.

This morning I took the notebook to Bestbuy in the frozen state actually, so they could see it. The technician's verdict: "There's no mechanical problem, this is Microsoft's fault, the laptop is within Sony specifications." There was no appeal to this incompetent verdict despite my several attempts. I've used IBM notebooks for a long time at work, with no hibernation problem. And my brother has a Vaio S260 without that problem.

Since I didn't want the laptop, I was going to be charged the 15% restocking fee, $240, or I had to replace it with another laptop. Chose to return it, and already sent an email to BestBuy's Customer Service directly, to fight for this unfair restocking fee applied in this case.

These Vaios have a nice screen, but basicaly that's it. Battery doesn't last too long, just one hour watching a DVD. Fan is a bit noisy, and the laptop freezes whenever it feels like after hibernation. Definitely not recommended.

The Sony PCG-K33 is a powerful laptop at a reasonable price. With its 3.06 P4 and a decent ATI graphics card, it has the punch to run many of the games out today. The built in wireless is nice for those who use this type of networking, although it took a little wrangling to get it to work with my router.

OK - you don't want to hear me ramble, you just want to know the nitty-gritty. So here it is:

Positives:

1) Speed. Although you will probably want to go up to a gig of memory to get all the speed out of this puppy.

2) Full sized keyboard - I am used to an ergo, but this isn't bad.

3) Looks - Sony has the fashion edge. The thing is sexy.

4) Monitor - X-Brite and wide screen. One word: gorgeous.

5) Built-in wireless. Very good range.

6) Video card - You can adjust the memory allocated to the card. It does a good job with games and a great job with DVDs.

Negatives:

1) Battery life - it's just stupid short.

2) Size and weight - Like I said, this is a desktop replacement. It barely qualifies as a portable. Unless you're a steroid taking baseball player, this thing gets heavy very fast.

3) Heat - I recommend a laptop cooling pad to aid in cooling the Vaio. It gets very hot.

4) Memory stick port - Come on Sony, this is a ploy to sell us another one of your products. I have nothing else that uses a memory stick. I don't ever see using this.

5) Hard drive size - For the price, it should come with at least an 80 GB drive.

Bottom line is... if you are looking for a portable look elsewhere. If you like the idea of being able to surf the web and/or play a game while watching TV or laying in bed, the PCG-K33 is worth consideration. I am happy with the purchase and can deal with the machine's quirks.

I purchased a Sony VAIO PCG-K33 after my A10 Toshiba laptop broke down in less than a year! The Sony laptop is very powerful, I am crunching numbers while writing papers and it works very good. However, it is a little heavy and the fan is noisy.

I've been in Iraq now for over a year, had this laptop the entire time. I actually purchased it in January of 2005, and have used it for AT LEAST 4 hours each day since.

What compelled me to write this review, was the ignorant reviews made by some other individuals, stating things like "the battery life is short" "it gets hot" etc.. This is a DESKTOP REPLACEMENT, it's not meant for mobility. Hence why it dosen't have a MOBILITY processor, (ie: Pentium M, / AMD Mobile).

Furthermore, it's a widescreen, 15.4" dosen't sound like much, but when you factor in the widescreen aspect of it, it's a fantastic display.

I actually use my laptop for graphic design, (making images for my webisite), programming, (C++ and C#), movies, (inter video, winDVD), and games, (AOE III, Stronghold Ledgends, C&C, Fallout Tactics, etc..). Never had any problems, except for one:

I recently installed windows vista ultimate on this machine, (after of course installing a 512MB memory stick). The one issue I had after installing Vista, was with the ATI Radeon Mobility driver. You need to download the new ati3duag.dll file, (you can find it on the 'net or on sony's website), and change your driver in the device manager, (windows key & pause key), to the radeon mobility 9000 driver. That's the only one that will enable you to play games under vista.

Perhaps the only suggestion I would make to anyone thinking about buying this fantastic machine, is purchase an extra 512 - 1GB of memory, make sure it's PC2100 DDR SDRAM SODIMM, and partition your hard drive, first off. The drive is 60 or 80GB, (don't recall just now), if you split it into two drives, and install your programs and important data on the second one, you can re-install windows as many times as you like without fear of data loss.

Once more, i've used this laptop during my DEPLOYMENT, and let me tell you, sand and dirt get into everything, each day I blow out a good two or three tablespoons of dust and what not, (using compressed air). The optical drive gives me problems from time to time, but that's because the lens is dirty. The fan is also starting to fail, but again, it's due to dirt and grime.

With the one persons comment about the keyboard keys wearing off, and then saying they're going to get an IBM, (Lenovo), at one of the MWR's, (internet centers), almost all the keys have worn off, guess what, they're IBM's. It has nothing to do with the "quality" of the machine, it has more to do with how much and in what way you use your technology.

Right now, my "N" key is missing 3 small flakes, on the left part of the key, other than that, i've got no problems with it, instead of sliding your fingers around on it, (as I do with my right thumb - it's near the "N" key), you should learn to type while pressing down firmly on each key, it will increase the longevity of it.

Oh, one final note that I should mention about the ruggidity of the PCG-K33, I had a bag or plate of something hot, I forget what it was now, but I had set it on the keyboard to do something or other, when I came back, I realized that it had warped one of the arrow keys, and the ctrl key. Both still work, and it just makes for an interesting conversation piece, but that shows how sturdy the machine actually is. I also have dropped a flashbang on the keyboard, broke one side of the plactic spring mechanism on the pause/break button, but it still works. Besides, after having two warped keys, I need a new keyboard anyways.

Endorsed by GI Joe.

We are Mac users and lovers. We HAD to invest in a PC for certain technical reasons, one of which was website development. We have had the K33 for over 1 year and have never had a problem. She responds as quickly as does our braodband service or whatever programme she is running. Without a doubt, Norton's Antivirus slows her down from time to time, mostly when there is a scan in progress whilst you are trying to use the system. We have never experienced any technical difficuliteis otherwise. The battery is short, but I have yet to find a laytop with a good battery pack and believe me I have had plenty of laptops over the last 10 years. Frankly, we think she is a beauty. We happen to have a camera that can use the memory stick device on the system. It is extremely convenient. The screen is crisp and clear. I am not sure what our complaints would be over this system, but having had a positive experience with the Sony Vaio, we would certianly recommend it. I will also mention that we use the VAIO in a work environment. Her duties are beyond normal home use. Thanks for taking the time to read our 2 cents worth !

This is quite possibly the worlds worst laptop. Sure, it looks nice, but looks are deceiving in this case. Mine has broken 3 times in 9 months. First 2 times Sony fixed it under the 1-year warranty, then they stopped fixing it.
I got it for Christmas 2004. No later than March the AC adapter broke inside the laptop. So we sent it back to Sony under the warranty and they fixed it for free.
About the end of May the screen want very dark, you had to use a flashlight to see what you were doing, like something had burnt out in the laptop. We called Sony, then sent it in and they fixed it.
Over the next couple of months many things went wrong. The battery cover broke off, the CD drive wouldn't open and keys fell off, which is odd because I take VERY good care of this thing. We sent it to Sony again only to have them tell us it'll cost over $1000 to repair, even though it was still under the 1-year warranty.
For $1000 I could just get a HP or some other laptop. But I will NEVER purchase a Sony laptop ever again, and I'll be careful when purchasing other sony products in the future.
BEWARE OF THIS PRODUCT.

i bought the vaio because all of my other electronics are from sony, and i've been happy. but they haven't quite gotten laptops down yet. my comp is slower than i'd expect, freezes at odd times and is generally unimpressive. also, like someone else pointed out, it is a bit hefty to be carrying around. i'd reconsider buying this computer and i wish someone would have told me the same before i bought it...

Ok, first I think giving a single star to this one is a mistake. But i had no option as I had to choose some thing.

The cons:
1. Extremely bulky! At 8 lbs this one is one heavy laptop
2. Terrible battery life! I am not exaggerating but the current life I get for this laptop (mind u..its jus plain browsing) is around 15-20min. ( I am not playing any songs...videos or anything)
3. Extrmely noisy - The fan gives out so much noise that it is really embarresing to take this one to a class or even a meeting!
4. Too much heat! - put this on your lap for more than 15-20min and it surely is a pain!
5. Freezes often! - The system just freezes out of no whr quite often

Pros:
1. It has one hell of a display! U can just look at it for years without hurting ur eyes!
2. Cant think of anymore

Plz dont go for this one! It surely isnt worth anywhere near the $1500 you would end up paying.

I just got pissed off with this and bought myself a Thinkpad t-43 and yeah I am really happy with it!

I have had this computer for 5 years. I do like it a lot, however, I only use it for internet and writing papers. No gaming or watching movies. I believe it would move too slow if someone was using it for that. I had the CD-ROM break and got it replaced and the fan is very loud and I got it cleaned out and it still is pretty loud. The fan runs non-stop. It's annoying if I am trying to watch tv at the same time because it is so loud. For my use though, it has been a very good computer for me and I would buy another Sony Vaio in the future when I am ready for one. I plan on getting about another year out of this computer though.

I've had my computer since earl;y 2005 or late 2004. It has been a wonderful computer in every way. I am completely satisfied with the exception of (1) the letters on the keyboard have faded a lot... a few of them are not even visible. I believe the solutions are to buy a replacementr keyboard for $60 or more or to find stickers that go on the keyboard to replace the original lettering. It may be possible to get key replacements but from what I can tell the cost is very high.

The other problem is a battery that only last 1 1/2 to 2 hours, not good for much of anything.

Just because of the keyboard, I doubt that my next computer will be a Sony in spite of everything else working fine. This seems like a real defect in the design.