Customer Reviews

Sony VAIO VGN-A690 17" Laptop (Intel Pentium M Processor 750, 1 GB RAM, 100 GB Hard Drive, Dual Layer DVD+/-RW Drive)

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

 

 

I was planning on picking up a laptop at the end of 2004 or early in 2005, but learned about Intel's new mobile chips that feature more cache. So I waited and picked this up from Sony, which has the Intel M 750 at 1.86 Ghz and 2MB of cache. It also has Intel's 915PM chipset, which is Intel's better chipset for mobile applications. It has a great screen and plenty of power and memory.

I also like the fact it has a new 128mb video chip from ATI (X600) that supports PCI Express. This laptop has 1GB of memory, which I would recommend since 512MB is barely enough today. The hard drive also has plenty of space at 100GB and seems to be fast enough running at 5,400 rpm with SATA interface.

The Sony software for audio and video and editing seems pretty good and I haven't had any problems so far. One thing, I have Office Professional, so I deleted the lame 60-day Office trial package that came with the computer before I could fully access all the programs in my Pro suite.

One of the big selling points of the computer is its excellent 17" wide screen. Out of the box, it looks very good and I haven't even tried to optimize it yet. I'm thinking that the ErgoBright technology, while good for certain areas since it automatically adjusts brightness, compromises maximum picture quality. This feature could be defeated. Generally speaking, these types of auto adjustment features are best left inactive when viewing movies. I find this to be the case with widescreen TVs also. The docking station and speakers are also a plus. Sound from the speakers built into the laptop is only average. I haven't tried headphones yet or the speakers that come with the docking station and I can't yet vouch for the quality of the laptop's internal sound. However, I might pick up an Echo Indigo IO audio pc card. Laptop sound quality is generally average at best, and this add-on card could be a nice upgrade.

This computer is also very quiet, relatively speaking, which is very important to me since I don't like noisy computers. Overall, it is a well thought out design and Sony definitely didn't skimp on the components.

I've had one of these for about 18 months and it's far superior to the top-of-the-line Toshiba that it replaced. That doesn't mean it's perfect (a few quibbles are listed below), but it's a VERY good desktop replacement. Particularly now that they're showing up as factory refurbed units or on the used market, it represents a great value.

PROS: Gorgeous screen, relatively low heat during long bouts of use, good power management so you really can get 90-120 minutes out of it while on battery. The keyboard is also very robust (I'm a "hard typer" and typically wear through keyboards in a year - this one's never needed any work) and the Sony warranty is a good one (I fried a motherboard two months into owning it - replacement was quick and easy.)

CONS: Like seemingly all Vaios, it feels a little fragile - lots of plastic. In fact, I've got big white wear marks on the area to the left and right of the touchpad where constant use has worn off the silver paint. (Having said that, I have to also add that, other than the aforementioned cosmetic damage, I've never actually broken the thing, and that's with 12+ hours of use a day, every day, and near-constant travel.) I'm also not a big fan of the bundled software, but that's a minor gripe.

Sony VGN 690 has a nice look. All the comments that I have read I do agree with. I have had the mother board replaced by sony. It was a difficult task to get Sony to complete the work without expecting me to pay. I paid a lot of money for my Sony and I expected Sony to repair my computer without a fuss.
That did not happen. I will say I have always loved Sony products and I will continue to buy them, but getting my Sony repaired was a challenge.
Sony's repair team are rude and mean. I had to get on the internet and find numbers to Sony Corp (no one will give you the numbers) I was on a mission and I faxed a letter to all Sony's including Overseas. It worked!! I never heard from the repair center again, but I did receive a notice that is was a pleasure repairing my Sony. I haven't had any problems since.

My son bought this computerin July 05. had the motherboard and hard drive replaced this past April 06. Now the Display has gone out (out of warrenty) and the tech told him it can not take the heat. Otherwise ok I guess.