- Sony VAIO PCV-RZ56G Digital Studio PC Desktop
- Also contains DVD/CD RW Combo Drive
Technical Details
Product Details
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Product Description
Amazon.com Product Description
The Sony Vaio PCV-RZ56G is a full-fledged desktop PC--but it's also a television, a DVD player, an FM and Internet radio, and a personal video recorder. It's powered by the Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 operating system (compatible with cable, digital cable, satellite TV, and antenna), and it features a 3.4 GHz Pentium 4 processor (with Hyper Threading technology), super-sized 250 GB hard drive, and 1 GB of installed memory.
The high-end ATI Radeon 9600XT has a 128 MB dedicated video memory and includes a TV-out connection. It also features DVI (digital visual interface) connectivity, which enables you to output a digital signal to compatible flat panel monitors.
The Basics
- Hard Drive: The massive 250 GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive (7200 RPM) offers a wealth of storage for all your media storage--from digital audio to TV programs.
- Processor: The 3.4 GHz Pentium 4 processor with Hyper-Threading technology (which allows a single CPU system to behave in some aspects like a dual-CPU system--see more in Tech Talk section below) is one of the fastest processors currently available on the market. It is well suited for high-performance gaming and professional-quality image, audio, and video editing. It also has A 512 KB L2 cache and an 800 MHz front-side bus (FSB).
- Memory: The PCV-RZ56G comes with a 1 GB built-in memory (2 x 512 MB DDR SDRAM, 400 MHz), which is definitely suited to this PC's high-performance video and audio capabilities. The motherboard has a maximum memory expansion of 2 GB.
- CD/DVD Drive: The PCV-RZ56G has two optical drives. The DVD-/+RW drive is compatible with both DVD-RW and DVD+RW discs as well as CD-RW. Both DVD-RW and DVD+RW discs write at 8x, rewrite at 4x, and read at 8x. Additionally, it comes with a CD-RW drive with 40x write/12x rewrite speeds.
- Keyboard & Mouse: It comes with a Vaio keyboard and optical mouse (PS/2).
The high-end ATI Radeon 9600XT has a 128 MB dedicated video memory and includes a TV-out connection. It also features DVI (digital visual interface) connectivity, which enables you to output a digital signal to compatible flat panel monitors.
Sound is delivered via a Creative Sound Blaster Audigy audio card, which delivers high-quality 5.1 channels of digital surround sound. The newer Audigy 2 card has 24-bit, 96 Hz recording capability and is preferred for professional-quality audio recording.
Connectivity and Expansion Slots
The PCV-RZ56G has three PCI expansion slots (none available), one AGP (accelerated graphics port, occupied) slot and the following external ports:
- 7 USB 2.0 ports (3 in front, 4 in rear) for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
- 2 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link; 1 4-pin in front and 1 6-pin in back) ports for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
- 1 parallel port for connecting older printers and scanners
- 2 PS/2 ports for connecting keyboards and mice
- 1 VGA/DVI monitor port
- Multi-format memory card reader that is compatible with CompactFlash (Type I/II), MicroDrive, Memory Stick, and SmartMedia cards.
Preloaded System and Software
The pre-installed Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004 is essentially Windows XP Professional Edition with a variety of tools to help you to create, organize, and enjoy digital media ranging from music to home movies to photo slide shows. Additionally, it enables you to control your television with the included remote and record and pause programs (much like a DVR--or digital video recorder--such as TiVo or ReplayTV). You can even pause or rewind (up to 7 seconds) FM radio broadcasts.
Record and watch your TV programs with the Personal Video Recorder powered by Giga Pocket Engine. With the pre-installed Click to DVD software, you can turn your digital photos into a slideshow and burn it to DVD. You can plug in your analog video source (camcorder or VCR) and transfer video to DVD, or store it on the hard drive as a digital file.
Other preloaded software includes Adobe Premiere LE, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Sony Screenblast Acid, Sony Screenblast Sound Forge, Microsoft Works 7.0, Microsoft Office 2003 (60-day trial), InterVideo WinDVD, and Intuit Quicken 20042 New User Edition.
Dimensions and Weight
It measures 7.75 x 15 x 15.4 inches (W x H x D) and weighs 30.86 pounds.
What's in the Box
This package contains the Sony VAIO PCV-RZ56G Digital Studio PC, speakers (stereo) w/subwoofer, IR remote control and receiver, IR blaster, VAIO keyboard, and PS/2 optical mouse.
Tech Talk
Hyper-Threading: A Hyper-Threading processor helps a PC to run multiple demanding applications at the same time. This technology enables the processor to execute two threads (a part of a program) in parallel, boosting performance during key high-drain procedures. This results in more efficient software performance (such as faster reaction times in gaming applications) and enhanced multitasking.
More About Microsoft Windows XP Media Center
What sets this PC apart is that it is powered by Windows XP Media Center Edition 2004, which offers the features, reliability, and power of Windows XP Professional, plus advanced digital entertainment capabilities. The Media Center interface offers you more types of entertainment to enjoy: TV, Personal Video Recording (PVR), Movies, Music, Photos, Videos, Radio, and DVD. Use the remote control to enjoy from anywhere in your room.
TV & Movies  |  |
| Watch TV when and how you want, and never miss a moment of your favorite programs. Pause and rewind live TV. Record a TV episode, series, or category. Automatically record a personalized selection of TV programs using Keyword Record. Media Center downloads the latest program listings for you and even wakes up from power-saving standby mode to record programs, so you can watch shows on your schedule. | |
 |  Photos & Video |
| Easily edit your digital pictures and digital videos, and then launch a dynamic slideshow complete with animated transitions and your favorite soundtrack. While viewing a picture, zoom in to see more detail. You can rotate, correct red-eye, and print your pictures using the remote. Play slide-shows straight from digital storage devices. | |
| Music & Radio |  |
| All your music is stored in one digital jukebox and using the remote, shuffle your entire music collection according to artist or genre or listen to your tunes through playlists that learn what you like. Tune in FM stations and pause live radio. Full-screen visualizations pulse to the beat of the music. Cool on-screen effects show music information, such as track title, track time, and artist. |
Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Top notch system,
By DrEDG "gynetix" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Sony VAIO PCV-RZ56G Digital Studio PC Desktop (3.4 GHz Pentium 4, 1GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD RW Combo Drive) (Personal Computers)
This is a top notch desktop. I bought mine with a 19 inch flat screen Sony monitor. Out of the box, it took me less than half an hour to set up. Also, it integrated fine with both my Router and my Digital Cable service. With the processing power and HD size a lot of nice options become available to you. Record your favorite TV programs, and watch them as you please. Picture and DVD editing are a breeze, though I would recommend upgrading to Adobe Premier Pro. I like iTunes and with the two speaker sub woofer system you have a great medium to store and run your favorite songs. Gaming is good for this system too, and applications like Office will run with no problems. Overall this is a very good Media Center desktop PC.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An incredible machine,
By A Customer
This review is from: Sony VAIO PCV-RZ56G Digital Studio PC Desktop (3.4 GHz Pentium 4, 1GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD RW Combo Drive) (Personal Computers)
This computer will pretty much blow away any other computer you can buy. Well, if you look around real hard, you might find a custom built computer with tweaked memory settings, but it won't be as stable and reliable as this machine. And unlike Apple, Sony doesn't cut corners on the graphics. Pick out the newest 3D game out there and this machine will eat it for breakfast. (Note: it has a ATI Radeon 9600XT, the tech notes on Amazon are a little confusing on this point.)But to me the best thing is the 3.4GHz HT CPU. The "HT" means it supports Hyper-threading, which is a fancy way to say it can run two software threads at the same time. No other CPU in the consumer market can do that. I have a 3GHz HT cpu, and I love the fact that while I am doing something that takes a few minutes (like writing out a movie or burning a CD), I can go off and surf the web or play a game and never notice a slow down. It's almost a good as having 2 CPUs, except at a fraction of the price. Sure, a computer at this level may cost a little more, but the way I see it is why sit around waiting for your computer to do things? With this computer you get your time back. For me that's worth a few extra bucks.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sony VAIO PCV-RZ56G,
By Frank Krose (Lunsersville, MI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Sony VAIO PCV-RZ56G Digital Studio PC Desktop (3.4 GHz Pentium 4, 1GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD RW Combo Drive) (Personal Computers)
My god this computer is probably the most powerful one out there. Listen up people if you love to take pictures and love editing them but think that it is getting too hard on your old computer? This is the one to go with. It has digital editing software that you can transfer your pictures from your memory stick (Sony) and see them on your desktop. This is running at Pentium 4, 3.4GHz Processor. That is the fastest processor out for Windows so far. I bought this computer a couple of months ago and I am enjoying every second of it. I have high speed internet and it probably goes to the website in one or two seconds! If you do a lot of word processing you should get Microsoft Office Professional Edition 2003 because this computer doesn't come with any good software. Some things I love about this computer is the RAM. 1024GB RAM is a huge amount and the Hard Drive is 250GB which is also humungous. The DVD+RW is the best thing to have. If you have kids who play around with your DVDs or pets that drool all over them. With a DVD Burner you can record a DVD onto another disc so it stays in good shape. But don't go to video rental stores and burn any DVDs because the police will fine you huge amounts of money. I have three of these systems with 21" Flat-Panel display from Sony too. That's the only thing you really have to buy is a display. Sony makes the best displays. I have everything from Sony. And I think you should start too. This computer will probably last you 10-20 years, if you keep it in good shape.Speed: 10/10 Storage: 10/10 Software: 8/10 Graphics: 10/10 Some people shouldn't buy this computer because they don't use it that much. P.S. This computer comes with Hyper Threading technology which is when you can run more than one thing at once without slowing down your computer at all. This is one of the best things computers come with these days. For this price you can't deny how good this computer is.
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