Sony VAIO GRV550 Laptop (2.4 GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, 30 GB hard drive)

Other products by Sony

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 14 x 11.8 x 1.6 inches ; 8.5 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 14 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B00007API0
• Item model number: PCG-GRV550
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #5,685 in Computers & PC Hardware (See Bestsellers in Computers & PC Hardware)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 1, 2002

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
Sony’s Vaio GRV550 notebook is a power-drenched mobile unit designed to handle all your computing needs, no matter how demanding. Whether used to complement an existing PC or as a replacement for a traditional desktop, the Vaio GRV550 delivers high-end performance in virtually any situation.

At the heart of the Vaio GRV550 lies a fast 2.4 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor with 512 KB of Level 2 cache. Sony has matched this speedy CPU with 512 MB of DDR SDRAM internal memory (not upgradable) and an ATI Mobility Radeon 7500-C graphics processor with 32 MB of onboard memory. Although the system may have some problems smoothly rendering today’s most graphically intensive 3-D games, it will easily drive the vast majority of applications on the market today.

The Vaio GRV550 supports a variety of data storage options. Sony has equipped the unit with a large 30 GB hard drive and an internal removable CD-RW/DVD combo drive, through which you can burn audio CDs, back up data, and play movies. An optional 3.5-inch floppy disk drive is also available.

Tipping the scales at 8 pounds (with battery) or 8.5 pounds (with battery and optical drive) and measuring 1.6 by 14 by 11.8 inches, the Vaio GRV550 is of average size. It is, however, loaded with desirable amenities, including a massive 16.1-inch, high-resolution, 1,280 x 1,024 SXGA TFT display, an 86-key keyboard with electrostatic touch pad, three USB and one IEEE 1394 ports for peripherals such as camcorders or external CD drives, an RJ-45 Ethernet connection for high-speed LAN and Internet access, an internal low-speed modem, and an array of audio/video inputs and outputs. Sony has included tons of useful software such as Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Quicken 2002 New User Edition, Microsoft Word 2002, and a wide variety of top-notch audio, video, and photo-editing applications.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good value - but...., December 21, 2002

By A Customer

Just opened my new PC and have been playing with it for about 3 days - here are my first impressions...

Excellent value - very fast (2.4 ghz) - fantastic screen - good mem at 512M, although don't like the fact that you can't add more (reportedly). Downsides - battery hog - 2 hours reported but a realistic 1.5. No floppy with the unit - have to buy as an extra. Poor battery bay - can't open the bay with laptop closed - must be open - very clumsy. Have to remove a panel every time you plug into port replicator - can't leave panel off when using laptop alone - bad design flaw.

HDD comes formatted in 2 partitions! Why would anyone do such a thing? 30 gig is slim to start with - try fitting everything on 15! Good news is you can reformat and reload everything on 1 partition.

Over all, excellent machine for the $$ ... - I'd buy it again. Good desktop replacement - ok to lug around if you don't mind a large laptop bag (that 16.1" screen takes lots of room!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Do NOT BUY SONY LAPTOPS, March 10, 2004

By	"kenkrum" (Costa Mesa, CA United States) - See all my reviews

i have had the same problem as a previous poster, and many other furious owners. My machine randomly shuts off consistently. I have read that this is due to a malfunctioning motherboard that overheats when you are performing standard operations. I have read so many complaints on various websites i am amazed they have not been sued yet as this has been an issue with previous versions and i am sure future versions. sounds like they tried to save money by cutting costs with cheap parts. amazon should not even sell these laptops!!

this is all on top of the fact that there are some serious flaws in this machine such as poorly placed outputs, horrible battery life, huge and heavy adapter, NO support for media given it is a "media" machine, extremely poor speakers, etc.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Beatiful screen and keyboard. Awful cooling system, July 30, 2004

By	H. Garcia (Bogotá, Colombia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I got mine in january 2003.... After a couple of weeks using it I had to send it for technical service, due to malfunctioning in burning and connecting to internet.

After I got it back It was all perfect, although It is the most noisy laptop I've ever seen, I enjoyed watching DVDs on this great screen.

Recently though, It has been turning off suddenly, because it gets extremely hot. I'm Away from the US now.. Service outside the US sucks... I have no idea of how to fix it... I just have been patient enough to wait 20 minutes after it turns off... But I'm definitely buying other brand after this... I'll chek the reviews for an IBM or a DELL. NOT RECOMMENDED