Customer Reviews

Sony VAIO VGN-Z620N/B 13.1-Inch Laptop (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 Processor, 4 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, Vista Business) Black

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

 

 

A Sony Vaio is always at the top of the range when it comes to Notebooks, and we pay the price for the brand (a little bit), but quality comes with it and this model just confirms it.

I purchased this in order to replace my "old" vaio (3 1/2 years old, which by the way is still running great) a VGN-SZ330P, but I wanted to seize the opportunity to get a new model for a good price.

First thing I was impressed was the size of it... Although my previous one was already small, this one managed to be smaller and still have a great size for a regular use.
I have a preference for the 13" screen, since they are not to small (11", which makes it hard to type and see at the small screen with a high resolution) and not to big (14" and 15" notebooks, which are usually quite heavy).. They are the perfect size...

The Weight issue from this one to my previous one is, I must say, ASTONISHING !! This Notebook is LIGHT ! and I am a heavy user of notebook doing a lot of international traveling and carrying it with me everywhere...
And this was by far what got me in love with this machine as I got my hands on it.. 3.42 pounds for a 13" notebook is nothing..
And the good news is that the power adapter source is also smaller then previous model !!

This is the main difference from a VAIO to another brand, as you know you are getting the top quality components, and the design is also on the bright side as well... Really nice design. Improving all the time.

After you turn it on... The thing is super fast...
The WiFi at N-Draft is also super fast (I am using a LINKSYS WRT310N router)...
Keyboard is very good, with the typing feel of it very comfortable.

The sensor of fingerprints is also faster than my previous one, which was quite a surprise...

I also like to push the notebook to it's limits, therefore, some games where installed on it and with the NVidia 9300GS graphic card it does handle well ...
Some of the Games are:
BF2 / BF2142
Flatout2
Tom Clancy's HWAX

Graphics are pretty intensive and the machine keep up with the Frame Rate at above average for such games... This was also some great news...
I must say that the 3 first games I mentioned also used to run on my previous one, although this one delivers higher frame rates.
As for the HAWX, it is a brand new one, which this note handles well !!

The HD is huge, 320Gb is the advertised, but you only get 280GB since there is a big part of it for Vista and the Sony Pre installed software which you will not get rid of it...
This is one of the few downsides of the Notebook.. The amount of software that comes preinstalled... Nothing that a few Uninstalls would not solve...

And I also had a great surprise... This Notebook comes with an integrated GPS, in connection with the WLAN Verizon (if you want)...
But the GPS was really a surprise, which works with the program from Microsoft Streets & Trips 2009.. This was definatelly a Bonus !

The webcam plays well on SKYPE, it has a real good sound (altough I must admit, that when it comes to sound, the VAIO's are not the cream of the crop, since the more sound quality and volume, you have to understand it will add up to weight and also that a lot of vibration from the speakers is not really good (internally) for the notebook.

Again, I have added a picture for the comparision from my previous VAIO to this new one, and I definattelly think is worth to pay the quality money on such machine as you know you will be excited with it's performance..

After all the compliments, I could point out a few things that could be improved.
a) Backlighting for the keyboard.. This is something which some notes are already doing and it makes a difference.
b) The size of the power source adaptor, although it has diminished a lot from previous versions, could come as a standart the already ULTRA compact one, which SONY now sells it only as an add-on, separatelly.
c) The arrow keys could be of a bigger size, since there is space around it for some "growth"... I believe a lot of the users would agree to this point.

But above all, these are only recomendations, since it does not underate what the Notebook is... A perfect companion for any business trip around the globe, ligtweight and fast in order not to add to the hand luggage and good size widescreen for watching movies.

Go for it. This is a very good machine and you will very happy with it.

Everything's great - only one con - minor one - the Sony has disabled the virtualization setting in the BIOS - so you cannot run 64bit virtual PC (to test Windows7 64 bit).

Otherwise a great product. And the promotion for a productivity / mobility pack is great too!

While this laptop is advertised as a business laptop, the BIOS is crippled, and does not allow for the enabling of Hardware Virtualization (what Intel calls VT). If you plan on upgrading to Windows 7 and want to take advantage of one of its biggest features (the sweet new XP Compatability mode) or use the new version of Virtual PC, Hardware Virtualization is required. Do not purchase this laptop if you plan on moving to Windows 7 unless Sony fixes this issue.

(The rest of the laptop is amazing, but that one feature is a deal breaker)

I generally agree with others who have written reviews of this notebook, it's a pretty sweet little package, but to me there is one big problem that potential buyers need to be aware of. The system DOES NOT SUPPORT 64-bit operating systems (Vista or Windows 7, I have tried both). I really don't understand why Sony would spec a system with 4GB of RAM, when it is limited to run a 32-bit O/S and can only use 3. I didn't actually realize it was a 32-bit O/S until I got the thing home and booted it up, I just assumed it was 64-bit because it had 4GB of RAM, and pretty much EVERY OTHER 4GB system out there ships with a 64-bit O/S. I have confirmed with Sony that the system does not, and they were pretty sure will not support 64-bit.

E um excelente computador, preco justo pelas caracteristicas apresentadas.
A entrega foi realizada no dia seguinte conforme prometido, recomendo sem restricoes.

Edvaldo Valle
BRAZIL