The Bottom Line
Pros
- Huge Hard Drive
- Strong Software Bundle
- HDMI Connector
Cons
- Slower DDR2 Memory
- Limited 3D Capabilities
- Mediocre Battery Life
Description
- Intel Core 2 Duo T5600 Dual Core Mobile Processor
- 1GB PC2-4200 DDR2 Memory
- 200GB 4200rpm SATA Hard Drive
- 8x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Burner
- 17" WXGA+ (1440x900) LCD and GeForce Go 7400 Graphics with 64MB, Webcam and HDMI
- v.92 56Kbps Modem, Gigabit Ethernet and 802.11a/b/g Wireless
- Three USB 2.0, One FireWire, Type II PC Card, ExpressCard/54 and 4-in-1 Media Reader
- 16.4" x 11.8" x 1.3" @ 8.4 lbs.
- Windows XP MCE, Vaio Suite, MS Works 8.5, WinDVD, Roxio, Quicken, Norton Internet Security
Guide Review - Sony VAIO VGN-AR230G
1/16/07 – Sony's VAIO VGN-AR230G is their least expensive AR200 series desktop replacement notebook, but it still packs a fair amount of features for its price. Toping the list of features is its incredibly large 200GB hard drive that dwarfs the storage of most notebook PCs. This provides plenty of space for applications and data on the system. The drawback to all this space is the slower rotational speed that does slightly decrease the overall performance of the drive.
The VAIO VGN-AR230G excels at being a general purpose computing platform. Its dual core processor and gigabyte of memory let it cruise through most productivity applications. In fact, Sony includes most all of the applications that you might need whether it is building a spreadsheet, editing a digital photo or downloading video from a camcorder and burning it to DVD. About the only multimedia functionality missing is a TV tuner but most people don't really need such features.
Graphics wise, the VGN-AR230G does include a GeForce Go 7400 graphics processor that will help with multimedia and graphics applications, but it has very limited performance when it comes to 3D tasks such as PC gaming. The main reason behind this is the 64MB of dedicated memory for the processor. This can be supplemented with system memory to provide 256MB of memory, but that takes away from programs. On the positive side, the system includes a HDMI connector for connecting the PC to compatible HDTVs and the 17-inch LCD panel is quite bright and colorful.
Users may want to consider purchasing extra batteries or staying near power outlets with the AR230G notebook. Battery life is below average even for the desktop replacement segment that tend to draw a lot of power.
