Customer Reviews

Sony VAIO VGN-NR430E/L 15.4-inch Laptop (1.86 GHz Intel Pentium Dual-Core T2390 Processor, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium) Blue

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

So much can be say about Sony's VAIO, but one thing is for sure: it's the perfect companion for working, studying or even for just have some fun on-the-road. I've bought this unit 2 weeks ago, and I couldn't be happier. Its runs smoothly with the 2 Gbytes RAM, the display is bright and clear, the keyboard is very comfortable (the keys are very well spaced), it comes with 4 USB ports (more than enough!) and with a 160-Gbytes hard drive (not too big, but considering it's a laptop you shouldn't keep all your data on it). The design is very stylish (I bought the night-blue model; I'm a blue-freak!). It's elegant and (perhaps the most important thing to consider) it is totally affordable. Honestly, I just can't believe I've got a VAIO for less than 700$!
Windows Vista runs quiet and quickly in this VAIO. Although many people find it annoying, I don't fell offended for all the software trials that come with it. And it takes only about 5 minutes (10 minutes top) to uninstall all of this software. I'm very sure you won't be regret if you decide to buy this VAIO. Check the technical specifications for more details on the hardware. And then just choose a color!

I am enjoying the processor speed and the substantial memory in the ram. I would not consider the battery life stellar but it is good. I have been getting close to a couple of hours on a fully charged battery. The laptop looks sturdy and well constructed. I carry it around a lot (home, school, work) and therefore how it handles being moved around a lot is important. So far it is holding up pretty well.
I had to restart it in one instance because it would not read my sound card. other than that, it has been working very well.
I have a bone to pick with Vista though.I will admit that it has made windows a very user friendly interface. it does however take up a lot of ram (about half of what is available) I hope microsoft optimises it in the future and trim the somewhat silly bells and wistles. The biggest problem so far is how vista handles set ups with different applications, hardwares and connections. Sometimes does not want to play nice in the sand box.
the laptop has otherwise been working really well and i am a satisfied customer

This is so overpriced since it uses an outdated Intel Chipset and the absolutely bottom of the line GM3100 video controller found in the cheapest Netbooks and Notebooks around. Rates as a Class 5 video Processer.
For this money you can easily buy a 17" screen with dual 160GB 7500rpm drives, Excellent Nvidia High end graphics (9000), with a New LED Screen too IF you know what to look for. My guess which is educated since I am in IT is that Sony makes 100% markup on most things and the dealer will also come close too. Don't be a sucker. Research your products. This is no more than a $350 - $450 Notebook nothing more.

Great little pc for the money! The connection to my wifi network was painless as well.
Had this unit about one month and am totally satisfied!

The fan units in these laptops is junk. I have 2 computers, clean out the vents on all my equipment regularly, and both cooling fans went bad. One unit completely fried on me, and unfortunately I didn't have a recent backup. I tried to order new fans, but have been totally unable to find the exact model. Sony used to produce some quality products, and what these cost made them seem like a good deal for Sony, but I think this ended it for me. I have bought half a dozen Sony items in the past few years, and 3 different ones had failed just after warranties expired.

This model came out a couple of years ago to meet the needs of back-to-school shoppers. I bought it because it was cheap ($600). Within the first 6 months, the keyboard broke. I would press one key and another letter would get typed. I called Sony while the laptop was still under warranty and they sent a technician to fix it. But he did a terrible job and the keyboard wasn't even placed in the computer correctly. It was sticking up in one corner and there was a piece rattling around inside. I called Sony again and they sent me a box to send it in to them. Now, it's my fault for not sending it back in time. I was working full time and taking care of my infant daughter in the evenings and was SO reliant on my computer that I couldn't take the time to send it. Now it seems the piece has shorted out the motherboard and the laptop is out of warranty. Sony is so strict with their warranties that they won't even give me a discount on fixing it even though technician messed it up. I do take some responsibility for not addressing the problem fully while it was under warranty, but still feel that Sony should have hired a competant technician in the first place and should have a sent a second person out to fix the computer instead of making me send my laptop away for more than a week. Buy this model at your own risk and buy Sony at your own risk. My next computer will probably be a Dell because they have great customer service.

I was in the process of replacing my desktop PC. I had to go through three PCs before I got one that worked. The first two I had to keep power cycling it after they locked up(returned them). I decided I needed a laptop for when I was away from home. I decided to go with a brand name I could trust. I ordered the Sony VAIO VGN-NR430E/S 15.4-inch Laptop (1.86 GHz Intel Pentium Dual-Core T2390 Processor, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium) Silver.

Out of the box it worked and the only trouble I had was finding the icon on the desktop to configure the network adapter

I bought this notebook 1 month ago, and it has been running smoothly and cool
(I had one that overheated before, that was a major issue; the blue screen of
death appeared after a while), it's a very
good notebook for the price. If you choose this product, I suggest to look for it
on some price comparison engine, [...], you can
knock down [...]from that price. I bought it for [...]t best buy. Sony Vaio always has some nice multimedia software pre-installed, although this particular computer
also has quite a lot of crapware. If you want to put linux on it if you hate
vista, you sure can.

I purchased this model a little over a year ago and I had always had good experiences with Sony electronics. When only few months old, the cd-rom died. They sent a guy and he repaired it under warranty. Then the space bar died, I couldn't believe it. Apparently it is such a common problem that some thoughtful soul has made a Youtube vid showing you how to repair it by folding a Post-it note in an oragami fashion and inserting it under the keyboard. Well, they came out and replaced that also (to their credit).

My warranty was up last month and the cd-rom died for the second @#$%@ time. This time I had to pay $150 to replace it. Now the space bar is starting to feel funny again and I am scared it is going to die again. God only knows what that will cost! I thought my old Dell Inspiron was as bad as you could get, boy was I wrong! I am trying to hold on until they work the kinks out of Windows 7 OS, then I am going to get a Toshiba.

I bought this computer several weeks ago and it was just a let down. If you are doing the basics like email, using websites, etc..then this computer will be great for you. I just don't think this computer handles the demands of vista very well and at times it appeared to run slowly for me. I am returning this computer and either getting a better pc laptop or buying an apple.