Sony VAIO PCG-R505GL Laptop (1.2 GHz Pentium III-M, 256 MB SDRAM, 30 GB hard drive

Amazon Customer Reviews

(4 out of 5)

Solid laptop with solid specs

Purchased this laptop at Best Buy (which I highly recommend against doing). Best Buy charges a 15% restocking fee if you choose to return this laptop within their 14 day limit the second you swiped your card. (Plus they are...more expensive than Amazon's price mainly due to sales tax)

I would not be too afraid of Sony's build quality as they have pretty high QC standards and almost never let a defective product reach their customer. This means a very low likelihood of receiving a screen with dead pixels (a problem I consistently have with Dell).

I was a bit confused with all of Sony's model #s for the R505 SuperSlim Pro series, but they are all basically the same with slightly different specs.

I will tell you the benefits of buying a Sony vs the cons.

Pros
1) Sony has the best LCD screens hands down. The contrast and viewing angles are MUCH better than any other laptop screen I've seen. Brightness is not a problem (if you have it on max).
2)Build quality is excellent. Does not feel flimsy at all, although the battery is not rock solid in the hinges it slides into.
3) Firewire and two USBs (not usb 2.0 though).
4) Docking station works great, although it makes it pretty much totally not portable anymore.
5) Relatively quiet. Fan is barely inaudible if it is on, and doesn't burn the skin like other laptops I've used.

Cons
1) Buttons for the touchpad are pretty small and hard to hit. Not as good as Dell's.
2) Maximum memory is listed at 384 MB. There are currently two 128 MB chips in with only one of them being user accessible. I put in a 512MB crucial chip and it worked fine (so far.. knock on wood). Not sure why Sony lists this limit if it works this way, but 384 max is just way too low (for the memory hog that Windows XP is).
3) Sony's accessories are PRICY. I would recommend against buying this laptop if you need any of them. They do not have the proper cost benefit in my opinion.
4) No IR port! I don't nee this, but I'm sure others might (and I may need it in the future).
5) Sucker is big compared to the newer laptops out there, although it still falls in the extremely portable category.
6) VERY weak warranty. Hopefully these things are made to last. I will be taking immaculate care of mine.
7) As the other reviewer noted, the laptop underneath where your wrists go does get awfully warm, though not burning to the touch.

Although there are lots of cons to the review, the laptop works great. If you got the $$, this is a great laptop to get. It is pretty speedy with the extra memory and I would highly advise getting the most you can (although I cannot guarantee going over Sony's listed max). Pretty solid so far with only one crash (not exactly sure how).

Final note - Don't buy this for playing games as the graphics card is way too weak and that is not what this is made for. Pixel interpolation on XGA res is pretty poor for converting VGA to XGA too.

(5 out of 5)

Perfect for student use

This laptop is perfect for student use. I am a college student, and it is light and small enough that I can easily carry it to and from classes, and it is nice to have the removable drive to leave that extra weight at home if I don't need it. I have had NO problems with it, unlike every other computer I have owned. The only thing that might be a concern is the size of the screen at 12.1", its a little small. Some people might find it too small, but it doesn't bother me at all. I highly recommend this laptop for students and those that plan to travel often with the laptop.

(5 out of 5)

Great computer, modest caveats

I've had it's cousin the Z505 for 2+ years and am upgrading to this model without reservation. I've used it about 50% of my waking life since then, including over 200 plane flights, a handful of low impact drops, hundreds of battery recharges, and general but good-hearted neglect. Not a single problem.

If people this this is a less than serious machine because it is a Sony (and not a Dell, HP or other 'computer' brand), they're wrong. Prior to this I'd gone through a number of ultraportables, all with substantive issues.

I only have one complaint. Everyone lies about battery life, and Sony is on par with their competition if not notably ahead in this dubious category. If you want this to handle a full coast-to-coast flight or a good DVD, buy the double capacity battery. With a Sony, they are brutally expensive and they shouldn't be.

Otherwise they are study, very full featured, and priced competitively.

(1 out of 5)

sony is terrible

I have a sony pcg-fx300p, I have had problems with this laptop since the first day I opened the box. You should also know that I have previously bought two (2) other computers from sony. Well my experience with Sony is that their products are only and nothing else but complete fluff. They brake, they malfunction, the support is terrible, yes they are nice on the telephone and will send you a box just like IBM, but their tech department will return the machine to you with no corrections but a mere reinstalation of the OS.

Anyone reading this, don't buy sonY, it stucks.

My laptop is under warantee, I have had the product repaired twice, of course I have't been able to obtain an exchange machine.

Please don't buy Sony if you cherish your time and money.

(5 out of 5)

Great light travel size notebook.

This is the one! I have been searching for such a small size notebook with a big computing power plus lower power consumption. This model just fitted right to my need.
I've been using it for a little over two weeks now. No problems yet. I saw some reviews from on the Circuitcity.com about the crash problem of this model. Fortunately, I did not experience the problem. So, it's up to your decision to purchase or not.
The LCD is very good. Bright and got a good viewing angle. Memory stick slot is just perfect for a file transfering between my Clie' PDA and this notebook. The Jog Dial control is a plus feature I can use to scroll down/up the menu. Very nice. Most of all, it's stylish; you don't have to worry that it will be out of the fad anytime soon.