Customer Reviews

Sony VAIO PCG-R505GL Laptop (1.2 GHz Pentium III-M, 256 MB SDRAM, 30 GB hard drive

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Purchased this laptop at Best Buy (which I highly recommend against doing). Best Buy charges a 15% restocking fee if you choose to return this laptop within their 14 day limit the second you swiped your card. (Plus they are...more expensive than Amazon's price mainly due to sales tax)

I would not be too afraid of Sony's build quality as they have pretty high QC standards and almost never let a defective product reach their customer. This means a very low likelihood of receiving a screen with dead pixels (a problem I consistently have with Dell).

I was a bit confused with all of Sony's model #s for the R505 SuperSlim Pro series, but they are all basically the same with slightly different specs.

I will tell you the benefits of buying a Sony vs the cons.

Pros
1) Sony has the best LCD screens hands down. The contrast and viewing angles are MUCH better than any other laptop screen I've seen. Brightness is not a problem (if you have it on max).
2)Build quality is excellent. Does not feel flimsy at all, although the battery is not rock solid in the hinges it slides into.
3) Firewire and two USBs (not usb 2.0 though).
4) Docking station works great, although it makes it pretty much totally not portable anymore.
5) Relatively quiet. Fan is barely inaudible if it is on, and doesn't burn the skin like other laptops I've used.

Cons
1) Buttons for the touchpad are pretty small and hard to hit. Not as good as Dell's.
2) Maximum memory is listed at 384 MB. There are currently two 128 MB chips in with only one of them being user accessible. I put in a 512MB crucial chip and it worked fine (so far.. knock on wood). Not sure why Sony lists this limit if it works this way, but 384 max is just way too low (for the memory hog that Windows XP is).
3) Sony's accessories are PRICY. I would recommend against buying this laptop if you need any of them. They do not have the proper cost benefit in my opinion.
4) No IR port! I don't nee this, but I'm sure others might (and I may need it in the future).
5) Sucker is big compared to the newer laptops out there, although it still falls in the extremely portable category.
6) VERY weak warranty. Hopefully these things are made to last. I will be taking immaculate care of mine.
7) As the other reviewer noted, the laptop underneath where your wrists go does get awfully warm, though not burning to the touch.

Although there are lots of cons to the review, the laptop works great. If you got the $$, this is a great laptop to get. It is pretty speedy with the extra memory and I would highly advise getting the most you can (although I cannot guarantee going over Sony's listed max). Pretty solid so far with only one crash (not exactly sure how).

Final note - Don't buy this for playing games as the graphics card is way too weak and that is not what this is made for. Pixel interpolation on XGA res is pretty poor for converting VGA to XGA too.

I've had it's cousin the Z505 for 2+ years and am upgrading to this model without reservation. I've used it about 50% of my waking life since then, including over 200 plane flights, a handful of low impact drops, hundreds of battery recharges, and general but good-hearted neglect. Not a single problem.

If people this this is a less than serious machine because it is a Sony (and not a Dell, HP or other 'computer' brand), they're wrong. Prior to this I'd gone through a number of ultraportables, all with substantive issues.

I only have one complaint. Everyone lies about battery life, and Sony is on par with their competition if not notably ahead in this dubious category. If you want this to handle a full coast-to-coast flight or a good DVD, buy the double capacity battery. With a Sony, they are brutally expensive and they shouldn't be.

Otherwise they are study, very full featured, and priced competitively.

This laptop is perfect for student use. I am a college student, and it is light and small enough that I can easily carry it to and from classes, and it is nice to have the removable drive to leave that extra weight at home if I don't need it. I have had NO problems with it, unlike every other computer I have owned. The only thing that might be a concern is the size of the screen at 12.1", its a little small. Some people might find it too small, but it doesn't bother me at all. I highly recommend this laptop for students and those that plan to travel often with the laptop.

Purchased this laptop at Best Buy (which I highly recommend against doing). Best Buy charges a 15% restocking fee if you choose to return this laptop within their 14 day limit the second you swiped your card. (Plus they are [X] more expensive than Amazon's price mainly due to sales tax)

I would not be too afraid of Sony's build quality as they have pretty high QC standards and almost never let a defective product reach their customer. This means a very low likelihood of receiving a screen with dead pixels (a problem I consistently have with Dell).

I was a bit confused with all of Sony's model #s for the R505 SuperSlim Pro series, but they are all basically the same with slightly different specs.

I will tell you the benefits of buying a Sony vs the cons.

Pros
1) Sony has the best LCD screens hands down. The contrast and viewing angles are MUCH better than any other laptop screen I've seen. Brightness is not a problem (if you have it on max).
2)Build quality is excellent. Does not feel flimsy at all, although the battery is not rock solid in the hinges it slides into.
3) Firewire and two USBs (not usb 2.0 though).
4) Docking station works great, although it makes it pretty much totally not portable anymore.
5) Relatively quiet. Fan is barely inaudible if it is on, and doesn't burn the skin like other laptops I've used.

Cons
1) Buttons for the touchpad are pretty small and hard to hit. Not as good as Dell's.
2) Maximum memory is listed at 384 MB. There are currently two 128 MB chips in with only one of them being user accessible. I put in a 512MB crucial chip and it worked fine (so far.. knock on wood). Not sure why Sony lists this limit if it works this way, but 384 max is just way too low (for the memory hog that Windows XP is).
3) Sony's accessories are PRICY. I would recommend against buying this laptop if you need any of them. They do not have the proper cost benefit in my opinion.
4) No IR port! I don't nee this, but I'm sure others might (and I may need it in the future).
5) Sucker is big compared to the newer laptops out there, although it still falls in the extremely portable category.
6) VERY weak warranty. Hopefully these things are made to last. I will be taking immaculate care of mine.
7) As the other reviewer noted, the laptop underneath where your wrists go does get awfully warm, though not burning to the touch.

Although there are lots of cons to the review, the laptop works great. If you got the $$, this is a great laptop to get. It is pretty speedy with the extra memory and I would highly advise getting the most you can (although I cannot guarantee going over Sony's listed max). Pretty solid so far with only one crash (not exactly sure how).

Final note - Don't buy this for playing games as the graphics card is way too weak and that is not what this is made for. Pixel interpolation on XGA res is pretty poor for converting VGA to XGA too.

This laptop is super sleek and light. Its amazing how this little machine compares in specs to many of the gargantuan laptops but this one is better, its SUPER light and great as a portable machine. As a student I needed a portable device but didn't want to settle for less-than-great specs. This machine has everything I need and its great looking! BUY THIS LAPTOP! I searched for 3 months until deciding on this one. Don't let its little size throw you, its super packed and is better than most out there. This ones a keeper.

This is the one! I have been searching for such a small size notebook with a big computing power plus lower power consumption. This model just fitted right to my need.
I've been using it for a little over two weeks now. No problems yet. I saw some reviews from on the Circuitcity.com about the crash problem of this model. Fortunately, I did not experience the problem. So, it's up to your decision to purchase or not.
The LCD is very good. Bright and got a good viewing angle. Memory stick slot is just perfect for a file transfering between my Clie' PDA and this notebook. The Jog Dial control is a plus feature I can use to scroll down/up the menu. Very nice. Most of all, it's stylish; you don't have to worry that it will be out of the fad anytime soon.

I am a graduate student and I absolutely love this computer. I have this exact model. It is light,portable and is great for word processing and web searching. I don't do anything more than that so this is probably a fancier computer than I really "need". I rarely use the docking station so I carry it without. However, I was very disappointed to find that one of my USB ports went out on me only a little after a year. Luckily I bought this computer at Best Buy and bought the 3 year performance plan which is WELL worth the money.

As with any large purchase make sure to make sure your bases are covered just in case anything happens. Aside from the USB glitch, I don't know where I would be without my computer--The newer r505 has no docking station, is slimmer and lighter...

I bought this laptop in March 2003 and it is still going strong. It has survived a virus almost causing it to crash (new virus software and restoring the operating system has prevented this from happening again) and it has maintained its speed. It works great. Every once in a while it slows down but that is because it has a slower processor compared to the computers of today, and I have begun using a lot of graphics software. I have not upgraded a thing on this laptop and it keeps going strong. It is almost 6 years later and I am so impressed with it! Sony makes one heck of a laptop and it is small and light. The only thing I have had to replace is the power cord 3 times, but it has been 6 years, and that is a good deal. If you want a good laptop, get a SONY and ignore those cheap ones. I paid $1600 for this laptop in 2003 and it was worth every penny.

Sony's PCG-R505GL is a great computer. Runs at a cooler temperature
than most, fits perfect on airplanes and has a long (4 hour) battery life. I start my day with this computer at 7am multi-tasking with wi-fi email,(inexpensive card in PCMIA slot) html coding, msWord and Photoshop. For my drive to work (10 minutes) I put it in "stand by", when I arrive my office I plug it into my cat5, wake it back up and continue without waiting for reboots etc. I've seldon experienced a "freeze". It's truly bulletproof. Back home it has often hit the carpeted floor from the couch - by that time it's usually time to quit. Computer goes off at 11pm.

As was mentioned before, this Sony is very high quality and has a tough magnesium case. Not a single bad pixel on the uniformly bright screen. It is light and thin enough to carry with one hand especially when you disconnect it from the dock.

I got this laptop so that I can write my status reports, fill out my timesheet and read eBooks while flying coach. I wanted a laptop that I could bring to meetings and classes to take notes. Sometimes I will use it to drive a projector when I lead training sessions. When I go into a datacenter, I will bring it with me so that I have product documentation at hand.

I don't need the docking station drives for any of those activities, thus I take full advantage of the light weight. Also, it is very quiet and small, so it doesn't distract others during meetings or classes.

This is NOT a desktop replacement computer since it is only a third as powerful as high-end desktops. Also, its screen and keyboard are a little too small to be comfortable using 8-10 hours a day. When I work at my desk and write documentation and presentations, I will prefer to have the Sony plugged into my 19" monitor, USB keyboard, USB mouse and Ethernet. When I want to play games, I'm going to use my desktop computer at home.

Tips:
Get the Kensington Optical PocketMouse Pro. It is a silver optical mouse with a USB cable that retracts into the mouse body for travel. It is very clever and comfortable and matches the laptop color. I'm not using a wireless mouse since the mouse batteries could die while I'm working.

Be sure click the 'lock' switch after you attach the laptop battery to get some peace of mind. I tend to use the battery as the carry handle.

Practice for a while with the right Shift key. I still haven't quite gotten the hang of it, but I compensate by using Caps Lock more often.

Sony's support website says to not use Nero CD Writer software until they get a bug fix in. It can harm your DVD/CD-RW drive.

True, touchpad buttons are hard to hit, but I never use them. I didn't use them on larger laptops either. It's easier to just tap the touchpad to perform button clicks. To drag something, tap twice and don't pick up your finger after the second tap. Also, the Sony has touchpad shortcuts to close windows (tap top-left corner and drag down-right) and scroll windows vertically (slide along right of touchpad) and scroll horizontally (slide along bottom).

The LCD is XGA, but contrary to what another reviewer said, VGA and SVGA will look fine and scale to full screen IF you get the latest Intel 830MG chipset graphics driver from Intel's website. There were a lot of bug fixes in Intel's latest driver and Sony's support site didn't have it yet. The new driver even updates the chipset to enable DirectX 8.1 and OpenGL support, if you get desperate for a game.

I plan on putting in a 512MB 144-pin 133MHz SoDIMM based on other reviewers' suggestions. That will bring the system up to 640MB. I read Intel's 830MG chipset documentation and it does look like it is supported.

I expect at some point I will get a wireless 802.11b PC card, but I don't have a need for it now.

My only complaint is that it doesn't include S-Video or TV-Out connectors. I know the 830MG supports it, so it was disappointing that Sony didn't include them. There are bi-directional FireWire to S-Video/NTSC/PAL/Stereo converters out there (tvone, Dazzle or Canopus)..., but I just wanted TV-out for watching a DVD on TV.

I'm very glad I purchased this machine.