- Dedicated Graphics Processor
- Smaller Dimensions
- Expensive
- Smaller LCD Screen
- Intel Pentium M 740 (1.73GHz) Processor
- 512MB PC2-3200 DDR Memory
- 80GB 5,400rpm SATA Hard Drive
- 4x DVD+/-RW Burner
- 13.3" WXGA (1280x800) LCD and NVIDIA GeForce 6200 Go Graphics with 128MB Memory
- AC'97 Audio
- v.90 56Kbps Modem, 10/100 Ethernet and 802.11b/g Wireless
- Three USB 2.0, One FireWire (iLink), One Type II PC Card Slot and Memory Stick Slot
- 12.3" x 8.9" x 1.4" @ 4.3 lbs.
- Windows XP Home, MS Works 8, Sony Media Suite, Quicken, WinDVD, Norton Internet Securities
5/26/05 – Most thin and light notebooks have adopted the 15.4” wide screen LCD, but Sony has decided to go with a smaller 13.3” LCD screen as a means to make the system more portable.
Powering the S460/B is the Intel Pentium M 740 (1.73GHz) processor that uses the faster 533MHz bus speed. Sony has also included the newer PC2-3200 DDR memory with the system, but it only has a power saving benefit and no performance gain over older DDR memory. The 512MB is standard for this segment.
Storage on the S460/B is quite good. In another move to use new technology, Sony uses a Serial ATA drive. The 80GB size drive allows for a good amount of storage and the 5,400rpm rotational speed gives good performance. The multiformat DVD burner also allows users to burn music, movie or data CDs and DVDs. A Memory Stick slot is included but it would be nice to see Sony support other flash card formats.
As mentioned above, the S460/B uses a smaller 13.3” LCD screen to allow the system to have smaller dimensions and be more portable. The one drawback to this is that the screen is a bit more difficult to read than a 15.4” LCD screen. It is powered by the dedicated GeForce 6200 Go graphics processor that has decent performance for 3D graphics but is not the fastest for things like gaming
The biggest drawback to the Sony VAIO VGN-S460/B though is the price. Sony demands a premium for the name on the system that puts it significantly above other thin and light notebooks.
