Sony VAIO PCG-V505EXP Laptop (1.50 GHz Pentium M (Centrino), 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive)

by Sony

Product Details

Product Manual [1.06mb PDF]

• Item Weight: 4.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 6.7 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0001DBI98
• Item model number: PCG-V505EXP
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 29, 2004

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Stylish and utterly professional, the Sony Vaio PCG-V505EXP is a lightweight notebook PC--only 4.39 pounds--that's geared for business and mobility. Thanks to the Intel Centrino processor, its enhanced battery life will keep you productive even on long flights. It features a built-in 54g wireless LAN (802.11g), a CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive, spacious 60 GB hard drive, 512 MB of installed RAM, and a good range of pre-installed Sony digital media software.

The Basics

• Hard Drive: Though not world-beating in size, the 60 GB enhanced-IDE hard drive (4200 RPM) offers more than enough storage capacity for road warriors.
• Processor: The 1.5 GHz Pentium M processor is near the top of the speed range compared with other Centrino notebooks (with current speed topping out at 1.7 GHz). Because of its design, the Intel Pentium M gets more done per clock tick than a Mobile Intel Pentium 4, thus providing the discrepancy in GHz measurement (i.e., 1.7 versus 3.2). The Pentium M processor is designed specifically for low-power mobile usage, and it features the latest in power-saving technologies--ensuring you push your battery and productivity to the max. It also has a 512 KB L2 cache and a 400 MHz front-side bus (FSB) speed.
• Memory: The PCG-V505EXP comes with a 512 MB built-in memory (DDR SDRAM, 333 MHz)--a good start for power users--with a maximum memory expansion up to 2.05 GB (2 x 1024 MB).
• CD/DVD Drive: It comes equipped with a combo DVD/CD-RW drive, which enables you to play DVD-ROM discs and DVD movies as well as burn data and record music to CD discs. The CD-RW drive has 24x write, 10x rewrite, and 24x read speeds.
• Keyboard & Mouse:

Sound and Graphics
The installed ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 IGP video/graphics card is a relatively strong 3-D graphics renderer, and it has 32 MB of shared video memory. The 12.1-inch XGA TFT active matrix LCD has a native 1024 x 768 pixel display. It also has an sound card that's integrated into the main board, and offers built-in stereo speakers.

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
The PCG-V505EXP has an Intel Pro-Wireless 2200BG integrated wireless LAN that connects using the 802.11g wireless standard (which is compatible with the more widespread 802.11b and offers faster data transmission rates). You get a decent--but not overpowering--offering of connectivity options, including both high-speed USB 2.0 and FireWire:

• 2 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
• 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) ports for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
• 1 RGB monitor port
• 1 PCMCIA (or PC Card) slot (Type I/II)
• 1 headphone jack and 1 microphone jack
• 1 Memory Stick slot (Memory Stick Pro compatible)

It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.92) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems).

Preloaded System and Software
The PCG-V505EXP comes with the Windows XP Home Edition operating system, and it also features Microsoft Works (for working with word processing and spreadsheet documents). It also is loaded with a bevy of Sony multimedia software: PictureGear Studio (digital photo), DVgate Plus (digital video), and SonicStage (digital music). Other preloaded software includes InterVideo WinDVD and Norton Internet Security Center 7.

Dimensions and Weight
Measuring 1.38 x 10.9 x 9.54 inches (H x W x D) and weighing just 4.39 pounds, the PCG-V505EXP is easily portable.

Power
The included rechargeable lithium-ion battery (PCGA-BP2V) offers between 2.5 and 6.5 hours of life with typical usage.

What's in the Box
This package contains the Sony Vaio PCG-V505EXP notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prefect Notebook, April 17, 2004

By 

T. TU "T.T" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony VAIO PCG-V505EXP Laptop (1.50 GHz Pentium M (Centrino), 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive) (Personal Computers)

This is a great small notebook. I did the research for 3 month & this is the best one I could found. The different between V505EX And V505EXP is Wireless G and OS is Window XP Pro (The spec on Amazon.com is Wrong ,V505EXP is not Window XP home). So u dont have to upgrade any more, and the price is only $100 different.I think is better to pick up V505EXP than V505EX.
This notebook has everything u need. The style is Cool, the Weight is light & Speed is fast(especilly for Gameing....Cuz it has ATI 92oo Graphic Card 32Mb build in,not randeon 16mb). If u have Wiless G router, u can have up to 54mb transfer rate. I used to have Sony TR3A, that is a very nice notebook,too. but the problem is TR3a is too slow , And the Graphic card dont support DirectX 9. a lot game cant play.SO i move to V505EXP. I dont know why the other reviewer (the one review V505EX) has wireless problem. But My V505EXP dont have that problem at all.
When I try to buy the notebook I dont really care about price. However , this one is not expensive( compare to Z Series & TR series) and u will get more than those model. (Ps. Dont buy Z series cus the graphic card only has 16 mb...super slow. and the notebook's body is vry easy to get duty) The only thing I dont really like is this notebook is not silver color( I love Silver ) other wirse, this notebook is prefect for me

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not a great computer, July 25, 2004

By 

A. Johnson (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony VAIO PCG-V505EXP Laptop (1.50 GHz Pentium M (Centrino), 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive) (Personal Computers)

We purchased 3 of these computers refurbished directly from Sony. Each one was defective, and we had to send it back. Each one had problems with our Linksys wireless notebook adaptor card. The computers were slow as well.

Finally, after returning all 3 V505 computers, we went out and bought a new VGN-S150. We have had no problems with this new computer. We were told by the guy at Circuit City that the V505s were known to have problems in different areas. Our wireless connection with this new computer is great. This shows that the V505s were just not good in this respect. You get what you pay for.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice machine except for the erratic random keyboard errors, June 10, 2004

By 

Walter J. Adamson "@adamson" (Black Rock, Victoria Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony VAIO PCG-V505EXP Laptop (1.50 GHz Pentium M (Centrino), 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, CD-RW/DVD Combo Drive) (Personal Computers)

This is a nice package with wireless and nice compact design and long battery life. The memory and disk are very good, and the processor quite OK for most purposes. The keyboard is a little cramped, and the speakers give sound no better than a mobile phone, which is puzzling for a Sony device.

I am happy with my choice EXCEPT that the keyboard induces random jumps and characters and unfortunately I have to spend about 30% of my typing time correcting the errors and adjusting the cursor.

I searched on the web and found, sadly, that this is a problem experienced by many people with this Sony keyboard. And it appears that trying to get the problem solved is even more frustrating than the problem. So if you need series keying than this machine is quite useless.