Sony VAIO PCG GRX580 Laptop (1.7 GHz Pentium 4-M, 512 MB RAM, 40 GB hard drive)

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Product Details

Product Manual [1.44mb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 15.4 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000069J7Q
• Item model number: GRX580
• Average Customer Review: 2.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,190 in Computers & PC Hardware (See Bestsellers in Computers & PC Hardware)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: July 1, 2002

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
The Sony Vaio PCG-GRX580P notebook PC combines serious power, true mobility, ultimate style with high-end graphics programs and an amazing gigantic screen for stellar presentations. It offers a 1.7 GHz Mobile Intel Pentium 4 processor and an amazing 16.1-inch UXGA screen for outstanding viewing of your digital images has ultra high-resolution and dual display support. Other features include a 40 GB hard drive, 512 MB of installed RAM, and a DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive.

The Basics

• Hard Drive: The 40 GB IDE hard drive is on the small side compared to other notebooks. However, it does offer a decent enough capacity for storing documents and productivity software for road warriors--but not enough for much multimedia storage.
• Processor: The 1.7 GHz Mobile Intel Pentium 4 processor offers decent speed, but it is on the low end compared with contemporary models. Thanks to its Mobile features, the processor can save power when its not needed, thus conserving battery life. It has a front-side bus (FSB) of 400 MHz and a 512 KB L2 cache.
• Memory: The 512 MB of built-in memory (DDR SDRAM) is a good start for power users. However, that is the maximum amount of RAM that can be installed into this notebook.
• CD/DVD Drive: It comes equipped with a combo DVD/CD-RW drive, which enables you to play DVD-ROM discs and DVD movies as well as burn data and record music to CD discs. The CD-RW drive has 16x write, 10x rewrite, and 24x read speeds. The DVD-ROM has an 8x playback speed.
• Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a standard 85-key keyboard and electro-static two-button touchpad.

Sound and Graphics
The installed ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 video/graphics card is a relatively strong 3D graphics renderer, and it has 32 MB of shared video memory. The extra-large 16.1-inch TFT active matrix LCD has a native 1600 x 1200 pixel display. It also has an sound card that's integrated into the main board, and offers built-in stereo speakers.

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
This PCG-GRX580 offers the following external connections:

• 3 USB ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
• 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) ports for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
• 1 VGA monitor port
• 1 parallel printer port
• 2 PCMCIA (or PC Card) slots (Type I/II)
• 1 headphone jack and 1 microphone jack

It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.92) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems).

Preloaded System and Software
This PCG-GRX580 comes with the Windows XP Home Edition operating system, and it features Microsoft Works (for working with word processing and spreadsheet documents). It also is loaded with Quicken 2002 New User Edition, Microsoft Word 2002, Sony DVgate, Sony MovieShaker, and Sony SonicStage.

Dimensions and Weight
Measuring 1.8 x 14.3 x 11.5 inches (H x W x D) and weighing 8.4 pounds, the PCG-GRX580 is larger than other notebooks in its range. It's best used as a desktop replacement while offering portability when you need it.

Power
The included rechargeable battery has an average run time of up to 4 hours.

What's in the Box
This package contains the Sony Vaio PCG-GRX580 notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions.

Product Description
Boost your productivity and creativity with this new level in "mobile digital workstation" computing, featuring state-of-the-art mobile Intel Pentium 4-M power, turbocharged graphics, and large LCD screens! Stay connected with integrated 10BaseT/100BaseTX Ethernet and V.90 modem. Hot-swappable multi-bay design allows internal removable CD-RW/DVD combo drive or optional second on-board battery for extended mobile power on the road. The Sony VAIO GRX Series' center Jog Dial control with back button provides fast navigation, plus MagicGate Memory Stick media slot allows fast, easy transfer of digital images and other important data.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Desktop Replacement!, January 30, 2003

By	Aaron Dahl (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This full-featured notebook is excellent. I have now had the machine for four months, and love every bit of it. My last computers were Dells, and as IT manager, I used to spec Dells for our offices, but when I decided to give up my desktop for something a little more portable, SONY fit the bill. The GRX580 has a fast 1.7 P4 processor, the RAM is maxed out for you at 512, fast enough to keep several of the most demanding programs open simultaneously. Sony has this cooling system down to a science, the bottom of the machine is slightly warm to the touch, and I've had the notebook on for 24 hours straight with no overheating issues (unlike the IBM Thinkpad). CD burner is awesome and fast for a notebook, DVD is neat though I never have time to use it, and this screen - WOW! get a load of this 1200x1600 resolution 16.1 inch screen (it's comparable to the 17" CRT monitors).

On the downside, this thing weighs a ton! I know that the performance and the large screen requires additional weight, and this is unavoidable. One thing I really wish Sony provided here was at least one USB 2.0 port, we get three USB 1.1 ports, but with all these new peripherals, 2.0 is norm.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I will never buy a sony computer again in my life, September 2, 2005

By	Y. Sun "Victor Sun" (san diego, ca) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I bough two sony laptops (Sony VAIO PCG-NV190, PCG-NV170). One had the memory slot problem (mentioned in another review below) within two years. For the second one, the CDROM/DVD ROM stopped working within one year. Recently, one hard disk died. I would not recommend any sony laptop.

1.0 out of 5 stars Sony GRX, June 10, 2007

By	Linda Schultz - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have a VAIO GRX and have had nothing but trouble with it. It has a problem with the memory slots, the hard drive died and now the LCD screen is malfunctioning which will require another trip to the shop. Sony tech support was a joke, so I was searching the net to try to find possible solutions in an attempt to try to avoid another trip to the shop when I found this site. I will never purchase another Sony computer again.