Sony VAIO PCG-Z1A Laptop (1.30-GHz Pentium-M (Centrino), 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive)

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 9.7 x 1.5 inches ; 4.7 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 5 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00008SCGB
• Item model number: PCG-Z1A
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,347 in Computers & PC Hardware (See Bestsellers in Computers & PC Hardware)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: March 12, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
Built to take full advantage of Intel's just released Centrino notebook technology, the Sony VAIO PCG-Z1A Notebook PC is an efficient and extremely compact mobile computer designed to maximize your productivity.

The VAIO PCG-Z1A Notebook is driven by a 1.3 GHz Intel Pentium M Centrino-based processor, but don't let the comparatively mediocre clock speed fool you. The innovative Centrino technology offers several advantages over traditional notebooks, including embedded wireless support, reduced power consumption and 1 MB of integrated Level 2 cache for improved multitasking and performance over similar speed non-Centrino units. Sony has paired this processor with an impressive 512 MB RAM and a 16 MB ATI Mobility Radeon graphics chip. Although this setup is not ideal for complex animation and 3D graphics design or 3D games, it's well suited to standard mobile computing tasks and multitasking.

The VAIO PCG-Z1A Notebook offers lots of options and plenty of room for program and file management, including a massive 60 GB hard drive and a convenient DVD/CD-RW combo drive through which you can burn and play audio CDs, archive data and enjoy movies on the unit's integrated LCD display screen (1400 by 1050 maximum resolution). Stylish and rugged, the VAIO PCG-Z1A is also remarkably portable at just 12.4 by 9.7 by 1.5 inches and a scant 4.7 lbs.

Connectivity options include two ultra-fast USB 2.0 ports for plug and play peripherals, a high-speed IEEE1394 FireWire port for fast data transfer from devices such as digital camcorders, an RJ-45 Ethernet LAN connection, an integrated V.90 modem and of course, embedded 802.11b wireless networking. The system also features an 83-key keyboard with two programmable buttons, a PC card slot and Memory Stick slot. Battery life is estimated at an impressive 6 hours under ideal conditions.

Product Description
14.1-S DVD/CDRW ENET WL FIREWI

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Fast, Quiet... Almost Perfect, April 17, 2003

By	B. Lim (Santa Barbara, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I initially bought a heavy P4-2.4GHz laptop, but the loud noise of the fan started to really annoy me. Also, the battery would not last more than an hour, and carrying it around large airports was a pain. I was considering a downgrade to a P3-M when I read a review on the Intel Centrino powered laptops.

After evaluating some options, I narrowed down the search to a Dell Inspiron 600M (best value and performance from a reputable manufacturer) and the Sony Z1A1 (best looking, but most expensive). The 4 week delivery time quoted by Dell (vs. 3 days by Sony) prompted me to try the Z1A1.

It took just one look out of the box for me to really start falling in love this machine. It is by far the best-looking laptop on the market. As an engineer, I didn't think that this would be such a big deal, but the aesthetics really makes it a joy to work on this system.

What's more, the system really performs. I was worried about the fact that this laptop had an older ATI 7500 graphics chipset with16MB of memory vs. Dell with the newer ATI 9000 and 64MB memory option. I must conclude that the Dell system must kick some serious butt, since doing a side by side comparison with my P4-2.4GHz laptop proved to me that the Sony Z1A1 significantly outperforms the P4 laptop in everything I've tried so far.

This system is definitely more than adequate for my needs (frequently running Outlook, Word, Excel, Power Point, Internet Explorer, Photoshop, and Illustrator at the same time). It is very quiet (no fan noise), and I consistently get over 4 hours of battery life.

Unfortunately, it is not perfect. There appears to be some problem when you are running your WiFi with encryption. It frequently gets disconnected. This isn't a huge problem since reconnecting takes but two mouse clicks. Also, the <shift> key on the right side is the same size as one of the standard letter keys. Although it is not a problem for me, my wife frequently hits the adjacent <up> key.

Considering the fact that I spend more time with this laptop than any other product that I have purchased, I think the appearance is worth extra cost. I totally recommend this system.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great display, battery life, and surprisingly light-weight, April 13, 2003

By A Customer

I bought this laptop about three weeks ago and am extremely happy with it. The display/weight combination got me interested in this product. I love the display. It is truely highly portable, and the battery life is indeed much better than for any laptop I ever had. I'd rather not have a floppy drive (which I almost never use anymore) and economize on the weight. I got a USB flash drive to exchange data.
It is also extremely quiet. The only time when you hear it is when you copy Audio CD's to the hard drive. So far, I highly recommend this machine.
The only drawbacks: it comes with Windows XP home edition, which I had to upgrade to professional. It also comes with Microsoft Works instead of Office XP, which is very annoying. However, Sony included some multi-media software that some people might find useful.
Other things to keep in mind, in addition to the floppy drive: this machine comes without a serial/parallel port. So if you have older peripherals, be prepared to upgrade them. Both my Canon Powershot Camera and the Visioneer One Touch scanner are not compatible (this seems to be an XP issue rather than Sony though).

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Super style and performance, March 28, 2003

By	"onetechahead" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

In my opinion, this is the only Windowns laptop that rivals the superb industrial design of the Apple PowerBook G4. The Z1A is also a terrific performer with a very fast chip, lots of RAM, huge hard drive and built-in wireless capability . . . all at 4.7 lbs with the battery! The whole package feels very solid and of high quality.

Don't be misled by the 1.3 GHz rating of the chip; the new Pentium M operates noticeably faster than a P-4 or P-III with a higher GHz rating. Furthermore, the laptop does not operate at too high a temperature. I almost never hear a fan, and when I do, it's more like a soft hum of a hard drive being accessed.

The monitor is very high resolution (1,400 by 1,050), which provides brilliant clarity for photos and videos, but can cause some eye-strain with numbers and text. To improve legibility without turning down the resolution, I suggest changing some of the settings under Display - namely, increasing font size and especially calibrating Windows XP's ClearType font, which made a huge difference for me.

My prior laptop's OS was Windows ME, which crashed a lot and had steadily degrading functionality. Windows Home XP on the Z1A has been terrificly stable; furthermore, it's restore function worked like a charm to undo file or registry or program mistakes.

The CD-RW/DVD ROM drive is very good. There was absolutely no interruption or hesitation watching a 2-hour DVD. Built-in stereo speakers are acceptable, but I listened with headphones and the sound quality output was shockingly good.

The piece-de-resistance for me was built-in Wi-Fi. Very cool! For [$$] bucks, I set up a wireless broadband network in my home and now I cruise the internet, chat and e-mail in the living room and dining room without any wires or cables! I cannot tell any difference in speed between my cable modem and Wi-Fi. I've even tried some hot-spots around town and it worked like a champ. Definitely the future!

Finally, the battery. One of the great advantages of Centrino is battery life. Although the Z1A does not excell in this category, it beats any non-Centrino laptop, but probably falls in the lower range of other Centrino laptops. In normal usage, I found that the battery lasted about 3.5 hours. I watched a 2-hour DVD and had about 1.5 hours left to cruise the 'net.

The only negatives that I've found so far relate to the keyboard and a lack of a diskette drive (an[$$] dollar external option). Since this is a highly portable laptop, the keyboard is missing some keys and some keys are smaller than I'm used to. Specifically, there's no dedicated page-up, page-down, home and end keys. They are activated by pressing the Fn key and an arrow key simultaneously. Also, the left shift key is the same size as letter keys, so I am always missing it or hitting an arrow key. However, these seem like mild inconveniences considering the overall stellar package.

Conclusion: Highly recommended.