Sony VAIO VGN-NS290J/W 15.4-Inch Laptop (2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 Processor, 4 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, Blu-ray Drive, Vista Premium) White

by Sony

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 14.2 x 1.5 inches ; 6.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 9 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B001MS6NUK
• Item model number: VGN-NS290J/W
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,848 in Computers & Accessories (See Top 100 in Computers & Accessories)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: December 28, 2008

Product Description

Color: White

NS290JW NB C2D/2.0 4Gb 250Gb 15.4 BD ROM WVHP

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Specifications not as listed!!!, July 7, 2009

By 

NewYork10023 "NewYork10023" (New York, NY 10023) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sony VAIO VGN-NS290J/S 15.4-Inch Laptop (2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 Processor, 4 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium) Silver (Personal Computers)

Specifications list a high-end "ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3430 graphics (2040 MB total shared)". NOT. The product only has the low-end "Mobile Intel 4 Series Express Chipset Family". BURNED.

Indeed, a search on Sony's website confirms this.

As such, it is certainly not powerful enough for gaming, and probably not powerful enough for the Blue-Ray player included. In any event, the advertisement is false advertisement. Buyer beware.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sony VAIO VGN-NS290J, April 19, 2009

By 

Joshua D. Martinez - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony VAIO VGN-NS290J/S 15.4-Inch Laptop (2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 Processor, 4 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium) Silver (Personal Computers)

I ordered this laptop as a replacement/upgrade to my old one. I haven't found anything either wrong with it or not as described. I actually shortly after, bought a similar laptop (VGN-NS150J) for my mom as a present. Amazon had the best price I could find and free shipping was decently fast. No complaints. I am very satisfied with my purchase.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not perfect, but simple and elegant., September 6, 2009

By 

C. Goshorn - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sony VAIO VGN-NS290J/L 15.4-Inch Laptop (2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T6400 Processor, 4 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, Blu-ray Drive, Vista Premium) Blue (Personal Computers)

For the price this laptop offers, it's a pretty good deal. Be Sure that when you do get it you know what it's for.

The video card is by far the systems downfall, it's (as an early reviewer said) an intel 4 family video card so those looking to any high end or recent gaming might be looking elsewhere, a gaming laptop with this display size at this price doesn't exist. That being said, it still plays games like WoW on lower (not lowest, but lower) settings and it can be enjoyed comfortably. Any game circa 2004 will run fine, but you shouldn't be expecting much from an on-board video card (also I stress that laptop video card upgrades typically are impossible)

The Machine does have a Blu Ray drive and I'm sure Sony is more than interested in you watching their new format on it, and to be honest despite the max resolution of 1280x800 the Blu Rays really shine, they look gorgeous and clean ... the problem is there is no DVI ouput just VGA which means you will be watching them on the laptop and nothing else if you want to enjoy your Blu Ray. I have a PS3 though, for home use. Still, it's nice when you go on a trip and need to take your favorite high def movie along. Despite the weaker card the computer still makes Blu Ray look good, an earlier review speculated it wouldn't be possible but it is. It looks fine.

The design of the computer is really nice, the body of the computer is textured almost like cloth giving it a comfortable feel. I have one friend who bizarrely enough will rub my computer when he sees it I have to admit it is rather nice feeling. Sony has always had a nice design aesthetic and it shows here, with a nice looking, well laid out keyboard, and solid feeling construction. The shape and feel of the laptop really has that sleek minimalist feel that many companies today seem to be going for. Which is simply because it makes the machine look good, I dunno what else to say there.

The computer isn't without its flaws, however. For starters Sony includes an incredibly large amount of software with the computer. Some programs are useful, but largely they waste your space with some very insulting programs, like a wireless setup wizard that takes you to the default windows one, no one needs to waste space on such asinine programs. Vaio update, alternately, seems useless until you discover their drivers are edited for the laptop so you have to go through them. Another bizarre decision on Sony's part.

In conclusion if you're a person who wants a computer that isn't embarassingly ugly with a sleek classy minimalist design, and wants good performance in a mid-priced laptop, this very well could be for you. If you're looking to do heavy high-end gaming or need your first Blu Ray player there are better ways to spend your money for both of those.

Hope this helps and answers any questions anyone has.

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