Customer Reviews

Sony VAIO PCG-K45 15.4" Laptop (Mobile Intel Pentium 4 Processor 538, 512 MB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive)

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

 

 

If the video quality won't blow you away, maybe the onboard goodies will. I bought mine out the door for $1399.00. Memory Stick slot is a plus since I have Sony PDA and digital camera. One downside though: battery life only lasts 1.5 hours approx. Only if it came with Intel Centrino which only uses a fraction of power that Pentium 4 uses. Overall, it's the best value around.

I initially purchased the K45 to replace my home desktop. It was purchased for its brand, style and performance. However, I noticed the fan noise was too intrusive. Noise level was loud enough to make other people notice. The bulky design was also disappointing.

The store had no problem exchanging K45 because it had a defective pixel in the screen as well.

K45 was exchanged for FS550 which I am very happy with.

I bought this computer as a desktop replacement. The major factor for choosing this computer is the extremely beautiful LCD display with it's XBrite Technology. Movies look great and pictures too. Major drawbacks for this notebook are it's bulkiness and very (and I mean very!) noisy fan. You need to play music while working so you could minimize the distraction that the fan could cause. This notebook is not meant for those seeking portable computing solution, you'll only be disappointed with the size, weight and the battery life. Otherwise, this notebook is great if you let it stay indoors and just keep it there plugged on your wall.

Firstly, let me say this laptop has a great bright display and very fast processor. But it's VERY LOUD - sounded like a vacuum cleaner. Battery power was barely over 1 hour, it's very heavy and the AC adapter was way too short...

Too bad i had to pay a 15% restocking fee to find all this out.

Reinstall original configuration, I don't know why it does not work well the first time, next erase all garbage software and you have and excellent, fast and incredible notebook.

I'm and developer and my wife is architect and we love it.

Cons:
-You need to burn the recovery Cds.
-A little noisy.
-Could be a nightmare if you try to change the OS.

The sheer magnifigence of this notebook always puts a smile on my face when I turn it on. The screen is very beautiful. I see a lot of copycats whenever I go to BestBuy or Compusa, but this screen (X-brite technology, I think) will always be better than the competition. Also, there is a decent video card(ATI Radeon 64MB, good networking, and conveniently located USB ports (3 total). This notebook also packs a lot of power with it's Pentium 4 processor, which makes it quite loud, however.

Some drawbacks:
1.)Loud (emabrassing when you are tyring to access wireless at the libary)

2.)Poor battery performance (only 2 hours at most)

3.)Poor sound system (Definitely get a set of decent speakers and an external sound card if you can afford it.)

4.)Only 512 MB RAM. This may be good only for about another few months until I have to upgrade it. They max is 1028 by the way.

5.)No recovery CD. Mine didn't come with one. Others may be different.

6.)No serial port

Overall, a good, solid laptop. It is very powerful and can be quite a beast with a set of good speakers, memory upgrade, and an extra battery.

Very nice machine with plenty of processing power. Could have better graphics but that would also increase the cost. With the latest bios update from Sony you can give the graphics up to 128 Mb. I would recommend getting more ram if you try this. Of course you can find a couple of 512 Mb sodimms for around $100 if you're willing to search a bit. Overall I'm very satisfied with this machine. It lost one star beacuse I would prefer dedicated video memory. But dollar for performance this is a top rate machine.

I have to chime in on this one. My PCG-K45 was an unsolicited, and much appreciated, gift. You get some bang for the buck with this laptop. And the screen is really nice. But in many other ways, you can see how you get what you pay for:

1) The "mobile pentium" must be one of the slowest processors for the given clock speed. My HT 2.4Ghz Pentium desktop is about as fast. Don't get fooled into thinking this is some speed demon. It's fast, sure. But it won't blow you away if you're used to other fairly recent computers.
2) Despite the "speedstep" technology, in actual use I can't get better than about 75 minutes battery life.
3) It weighs over eight pounds, and because of the short battery life, you'll end up carrying the brick-sized AC adapter with you, which weighs almost 2 lbs. Ten lbs. is more "luggable" than "portable."
4) The trackpad is not as nice as most others I've used. A little small, and too-sensitive sometimes, not sensitive enough other times. I can't get the settings right and mostly use a mouse instead.
5) The video uses "shared" (i.e., "stolen") RAM, meaning your 512Mb is really 448Mb, or 384Mb if you go to 128Mb vram like others have suggested.
6) The case is made of a plastic that feels flimsy and scratches easily.
7) The firewire port is the irritating smaller S400, so you'll probably need a special cable. This thing is huge, there's plenty of room for a regular port--I don't get it. Bad design, I guess.
8) All the USB ports are on the same side (the left) of the case, so you'll end up snaking some cables all the way around. A mess.
9) When will Sony just get over their memory stick fixation? Again, it's the money: I suppose this helps them sell cameras to people with Sony computers, and vice-versa, but lock-in is BAD FOR CUSTOMERS. Just stop.

You get the idea. It might make a good desktop replacement, in some cases, but its weight, lack of durability, and lack of battery life mean it's really not a portable.

its a good machine. but the fan makes a lot of noise. apart from that, the screen is crisp, good keys, and ok built-in speakers. its a bit heavy too...this machine can be more of a desktop replacement than a laptop. i still give it 4 stars due to its impeccable performance and good graphics.

I'm very pleased with my Sony VAIO laptop. However, the fan noise is very loud. It sounds like a vacuum cleaner as many others have pointed out. On the other hand, it has been my experience (especially with HP) that Pentium 4 based laptops are normally loud, as the Pentium 4 chip heats up far more than Intel's other chip brands. If you want a quieter laptop, then I suggest a Centrino. They're lighter, quieter, cooler, and... slower.
If the fan noise bothers you while working at home, try this: put the laptop inside a duffle bag, leaving plenty of room inside for ventilation. Leave the top open slightly for heat to escape. Then, with the help of a cordless keyboard, mouse, and monitor extension cable, you can locate the laptop several feet away from you and still enjoy Pentium 4 speed on your desk top. This is obviously NOT a portable solution and defeats the point of a laptop, but it's for those who can't afford to buy 2 computers and still want peace & quiet away from the workplace.