Product Description
Stylish mobility. Serious power. The VAIO V505DX Notebook is as stylish and professional looking as it is powerful and multi-faceted. This is the solution for you at work and on the go - an ultra-compact notebook that works hard, plays hard, and looks great! The integrated CD-RW/DVD combo drive keeps the profile portable, while enabling you to watch movies and enjoy your music while you're traveling. And Intel Centrino technology manages resources with mobility in mind, yielding more efficient power consumption and longer battery life. The V505DX Notebook offers a massive generous hard drive and plenty of RAM.
Amazon.com Product Description
Featuring Intel's exciting new Centrino technology and desirable amenities such as DVD playing and wireless communications, the Sony VAIO PCG-V505DX Notebook is a perfect match for those who need a lightweight machine that transports easily and is powerful and versatile enough for typical mobile tasks and a variety of environments.
What is Centrino? It's an Intel-developed technology built upon a triad of three interconnected elements -- an Intel Pentium M CPU (with 1 full GB of Level 2 cache), an Intel 855 chipset, and a cord-free network connection - that work hand-in-hand to keep your notebook lightweight, wirelessly connected, power efficient, and faster than its rated CPU speed might indicate. The power section of the VAIO PCG-V505DX Notebook includes a midlevel 1.4 GHz Pentium M processor, 512 MB of DDR SDRAM (expandable to a whopping 2 GB), and a surprisingly capable ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 graphics chipset with 32 MB dedicated video memory. Though the unit can't be recommended for high-end 3-D design and games or harsh business multitasking situations, it will handle most everything else.
Measuring a mere 10.9 by 9.5 by 1.3 inches and tipping the scales at just 4.4 lbs., the VAIO PCG-V505DX Notebook is easy to carry and easy to use. Yet this level of portability doesn't come at the expense of creature comforts. Apart from an unexpectedly large 60 GB hard disk and a CD-RW/DVD combo drive through which you can burn audio and data CDs and enjoy the latest Hollywood blockbusters, the unit also features a 12.1-inch XGA TFT display capable of 1024 by 768 resolution, integrated stereo speakers, and three levels of communication -- a V.90 modem, 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX Ethernet, and an Intel PRO Wireless 2100 Network Connection for those times when you just can't plug in.
Other perks include a high-speed IEEE 1394 port for high-speed interaction with external peripherals such as digital camcorders, a pair of fast USB 2.0 ports, a Memory Stick media slot and an electro-static touch pad. The impressive bundled software package includes Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Money 2004, Microsoft epic Age of Empires II game, and a broad array of multimedia utilities. Maximum battery life is estimated at 2.5 to an amazing 6.5 hours.
Customer Reviews:
The Worst Notebook I've Owned.......2006-02-22
It may be too late to help anyone looking to buy a Sony notebook computer, but still I feel I should leave for posterity my experiences with the Sony PCG-V505DX.
I bought it in Nov. 2003. I work as a translator, and was looking for a solid, easy-to-carry laptop with long battery life that I could take with me and work with anywhere. This computer certainly met the criteria in every way, so I was very pleased at first.
However, within two weeks of purchase, I had a premonition of what was to come when the key cap for the slash/question mark key fell off and could not be put back on. I called Sony about this, and their only solution was for me to send it in for warranty service (which would take two weeks minimum) and get it replaced. They couldn't just send me a new key cap.
Sending it was not an option for me because I needed the computer for my daily work, and I was afraid the bumps and vibrations of shipping it would likely cause worse problems than a missing key cap. So I carefully pried off the cap for the menu key (which I never use) and replaced the missing one with it. (Later I had the same experience with the Insert key, but I just left it off, since I never touch type that key. When I want to switch from insert to overwrite, I just press the plastic button that sits under the keycap.)
The computer worked okay for a while. Then about a year after I bought it, the CD/DVD drive started having problems. It would read DVDs but not most CDs. This is really a pain when installing software. This problem just seems to get worse and worse, and I think soon it will not read DVDs either.
In Jan. 2005, when I was traveling, I tried to use a wireless connnection service in Korea. Somehow my entire wireless capability got wiped out. Now I cannot connect to wireless by any means, including the onboard wireless or through cards in the PCMCIA slot on the side. Since wireless was one of the major needs I had when I bought it, this is really a problem.
But that's not all. Shortly after the problem with the wireless, the door came off from the PCMCIA slot, which also no longer works. Also the USB port on the left side doesn't work, although the one on the right does.
Right now, I can't afford to buy another computer. So I'm stuck using this one. It still performs basic computing functions, and is still lightweight and has a reasonably long battery life, but it has been a terrible disappointment to me.
I have had similar experiences with other Sony products I have bought recently, including a Clie TJ35 handheld device which failed two weeks after I bought it, only to replaced by another that did exactly the same thing, caused by what turned out to be a known problem with the display. That device had to be sent back four times during its one year warranty period, before finally dying out completely just about a month after the warranty was up. I figure I only got about 8 months of use out of it. A previous Clie I had also died almost exacty the day the warranty ran out.
Sony's customer support is legendary in its lack of helpfulness. Usually you get connected to someone in India whose only response is to order a kit to send the compter back for service, which can easily take a month. The forth time my handheld came back from service, they didn't even secure it in the box. They just threw it in there with a handful of foam peanuts, and it was rattling loose the whole way.
The service center is in San Diego, and I live in San Diego, but they wouldn't let me bring the computer there. I had to send it by FedEx.
I've owned seven noteboks so far. This Sony is by far the worst I've had. The three Toshibas, the two Tandys, and the Gateway all worked perfectly far beyond their expected life, even with rough service. The Sony is just a shell of what I paid for. It's so sad what poor engineering, non-existant quality control, and useless customer support have done to the once proud Sony name. I will never buy another product from them again. I am totally fed up.
Love it ... when it works. .......2006-01-26
I've had the sony PCG-V505DX for more than 2 years and overall, I've been satisfied with it. What I like the most are the keyboard, the sleek feel of the computer, and its weight. It's a pleasure typing on it. The design is great and it's light enough to carry around.
My only negative experience, unfortunately, was a near-catastrophic one. After about 8 months, it stopped working. It wouldn't even boot up. I called Sony's tech support and they were no help. In fact, their suggestion that I ship it in and they would reformat everything was less than helpful since saving my data was of utmost importance. Fortunately, I took it to a local shop and the guy fixed it in a day without any loss of data. Also, the warranty covered the repairs. However, the experience left me with little confidence in Sony's quality control and no confidence in their tech support.
All in all, the computer is a pleasure to use. However, the fact that the computer wouldn't even start up after just 8 months has convinced me that my next purchase will be of a company with a better reputation for reliability.
Mine broke after 18 months.......2006-01-11
The laptop is sleek, sexy, and is ergonomic enough, but apparently, there is a reliability issue. Mine stopped booting up after 18 months of normal use. I don't leave it running hot, I use that Targus cooling pad with a USB-powered fan.
It was definitely not an LCD issue. The repair technician recommended that I replace the motherboard and/or CPU, but was unable to fix it otherwise.
I found this 66-page thread too late... but it's enough to keep me away from purchasing another Vaio to replace this broken one:
http://www.hardwareanalysis.com/content/topic/5449/?o=0
I love this laptop.......2004-12-15
Wow. I'm also surprised at all the negative reviews. Maybe I just got lucky, but this laptop has done everything I expected it to. Keep in mind that I've had it since March of this year... so that's a good 9 months of use. It's perfect for my school assignments. It runs things I need like MS Visual Studio just fine. And I can bring it to school without the power cord, knowing that I will have enough power to last me several hours.
I even played Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and City of Heroes on it over the summer break. For CoH, I had to kind of tweak the video card a bit... but that appears to be a known issue with customized laptop video cards (Mobility Radeons, to be precise).
Overall... I love this laptop.
Sony consistently creates great technology for work and play.......2004-08-29
I have been a long time fan of Sony technology, and in my lifetime have purchased 5 Sony PC's (two desktops, three laptops in total). I also own a Sony flat screen TV, Sony DVD player, Sony Playstation 2, Sony stereo system, Sony digital camera, and I have owned three different Sony CLIE's (PDA). I have consistenty found Sony products to be of high quality and highly reliable. I agree that Sony tends to be on the pricier end, but I personally am willing to pay the extra bucks for a package which combines style, performance and innovation. But I digress...so, THIS laptop is perfect for somebody like me...I'm a woman with small hands and the need for a lightweight laptop that can also perform. (Granted, if you are a bigger person with large hands, this probably isn't the laptop for you, but then again, you'd have problems adjusting to the keyboard of just about any ultra-portable, I think.) I have a fast-paced job which requires a lot of word processing, spreadsheet production, desktop publishing, and e-mail, and I use this laptop at home many an evening and when I am travling to keep up with my workload. In addition, I am an avid PC gamer, and this machine has done quite well with just about every game I've played on it thus far -- including Doom 3, which just came out (granted, you don't get the top-notch, bells-and-whistles experience given the specs, but it's entertaining enough!). It's also one of the few ultra-portables that actually has the optical drive (DVD/CD-RW) drive integrated, which makes it really quick to pack up and go. My system has never crashed, my screen has consistently delivered a lovely picture, and this thing just keeps on going and going and going. I've had it for about a year, and the only reason I might sell it is to upgrade to the latest V505 model. I've had this baby for just under a year and I LOVE it!!
Amazon.com Product Description
Featuring Intel's exciting new Centrino technology and desirable amenities such as DVD playing and wireless communication, the Sony VAIO PCG-V505DXP Notebook is a perfect match for those who need a lightweight machine that transports easily and brandishes enough power and versatility for typical mobile tasks in a variety of environments.
What is Centrino? It's an Intel-developed technology built upon a triad of three interconnected elements -- an Intel Pentium M CPU (with 1 full GB of Level 2 cache), an Intel 855 chipset, and a cord-free network connection -- that work hand-in-hand to keep your notebook lightweight, wirelessly connected, power efficient, and faster than its rated CPU speed might indicate. The power section of the VAIO PCG-V505DXP includes a midlevel 1.4 GHz Pentium M processor, 512 MB of DDR SDRAM (expandable to a whopping 2 GB), and a surprisingly capable ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 graphics chipset with 32 MB dedicated video memory. Though the unit can't be recommended for high-end 3-D design and games or ultra-demanding business situations, it will handle most everything else.
Measuring a mere 10.9 by 9.5 by 1.4 inches and tipping the scales at just 4.4 pounds, the VAIO PCG-V505DXP is easy to carry and easy to use. Yet this level of portability doesn't come at the expense of creature comforts. Apart from an unexpectedly large 60 GB hard disk and a CD-RW/DVD combo drive through which you can burn audio and data CDs and enjoy the latest Hollywood blockbusters, the unit also features a 12.1-inch XGA TFT display capable of 1024 by 768 resolution, integrated stereo speakers, and three levels of communication -- a V.90 modem, 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX Ethernet, and an Intel PRO Wireless 2100 network connection for those times when you just can't plug in.
Other perks include a high-speed IEEE 1394 port for high-speed interaction with external peripherals such as digital camcorders, a pair of fast USB 2.0 ports, a Memory Stick media slot and an electro-static touch pad. With the exception of its operating system -- Windows XP Professional - this model is identical to the Windows XP Home-equipped VAIO PCG-V505DX. Other bundled software includes Microsoft Money 2004, Microsoft epic Age of Empires II game, and a broad array of multimedia utilities. Maximum battery life is estimated at 2.5 to an impressive 6.5 hours.
Product Description
Stylish mobility. Serious power. The VAIO V505DXP Notebook is as stylish and professional looking as it is powerful and multi-faceted. This is the solution for you at work and on the go - an ultra-compact notebook that works hard, plays hard, and looks great! The integrated CD-RW/DVD combo drive keeps the profile portable, while enabling you to watch movies and enjoy your music while you're traveling. And Intel Centrino technology manages resources with mobility in mind, yielding more efficient power consumption and longer battery life. The V505DXP Notebook offers a massive generous hard drive and plenty of RAM.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Multimedia Laptop.......2004-10-26
I am vertically challenged so I wanted a small laptop that I could make easily portable. I, however, also wanted a laptop with a lot of punch and power. This laptop fit the bill and has been an excellent item.
My laptop has been on many trips and has survived and functioned well. It went to the San Francisco area three times (one business trip, one vacation and one service repair--more on that later). The cover does tend to get scratched somewhat easy but is not very noticeable given the color of the shell. I don't like the automatic feature of the screen dimming when you are on battery power but you can change that. I have not had any issues w/ the battery life. I have not, however, had it turned on for long periods of time so some of the other reviews have better details on that.
The built in software has been great and easy to manipulate. I have listed to lots of MP3's and played many DVD's on it at home and during travel. I generally use the laptop for websurfing. The wi-fi capability is good but sometimes a bit slow when you first open it up. It takes a while to notice the connection. Maybe 20 seconds tops. I did use it in San Francisco on free wi-fi networks and found that a real treat.
I did mention I had to have mine repaired and I was very impressed with Sony. They have a good customer service line and it was easy for me to ship the item and to have it returned. The rates were reasonable (I spilled soda on my laptop) and it was returned to me in under 2 weeks and has been great ever since.
I highly recommend this item for the multimedia, internet user who wants a small laptop to travel!
good travel companion with decently powerful features.......2003-12-19
I used a Sager laptop with best-in-breed features until very recently but it really weighed on (literally too !), ~ 10 pounds with the adapter, etc.
Traveling as much as I do, I decided to look for a sub 5 pound laptop with good features and after I looked at a few such laptops in CompUSA, this one seemed not only to be very good-looking but also decently feature-laden though obviously not THE best out there. 512 MB of RAM, a 60 GB hard disk, a CD-RW, USB 2.0, FireWire are all pretty good, if not THE best you can buy. The premium that Sony charges for its Vaios was an initial turn-off but with good mail-in rebate offers at BestBuy and a 250 gift-card, the effective price was more like 1375 for me and that's good enough.
Ok - how do I like it so far? Battery life is pretty good. It will actually want to turn off the optical drive when on battery first - you can say yes or no. And, if you are only gonna do document writing and choose NOT to go with the dimmed screen (which is REALLY hard on the eyes) and instead turn up the brightness, it looks like you should get 4.5 hours out of it. Now, with a dimmed screen and a turned off optical drive, you *might* get 5.5 or even 6 hours out of it, but unless you are using it as an expensive iPod equivalent, why would you do that ? anyway, I plan to buy one of those 1.78 pound extended battery packs (NOT from Sony - their double-capacity battery is ridiculously expensive) that should add another 3+ hours, so I'll be happy camper. The keyboard will need a little (an hour of continuous use I think) getting used to. Someone complained about the built-in speakers, but I put the Die-Another-Day DVD in and it sounded ok to me...obviously headphones will sound a LOT better I am sure....the laptop's very light, of course, so i love being able to carry it with 1 hand and its lighter than a big hardcover book, so that's neat. Other than MS-Office and Mozilla, I haven't run any 'demanding' apps, so can't comment too much about performance. Eventually I plan to partition the hard disk and run Win-XP on one partition and Linux on the other, etc. However I have run something similar on an old Vaio PCG-F690 (P3-850 MHz) and things ran very well and I read somewhere that a Centrino 1.4 GHz chip was the equivalent of a P-4 Mobile 2.0 Chip or so, so I am sure heavy duty apps (both Windows and Linux) won't be a problem....
Good luck if you decide to buy this ! btw, if you have an Amex card and you use that to buy this Vaio, Amex will double your warranty on this from 1 year to 2 years, but might depend on the specific Amex card you have. This might be important if you are worried that Sony only has a 1 year warranty and doesn't offer a 2 or 3 year warranty unlike other manufacturers...
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