Sony VAIO VGN-CR123E/B 14.1″ Notebook PC (Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7300, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium) Black
Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
Add a zesty style to your mobile computing with the stunning good looks of the deep black Sony VAIO VGN-CR123E/B notebook PC, which offers unique eye-catching features, impressive attention-to-detail, and an amazingly thin and light profile. Aside from its jaw-dropping good looks, it’s also an entertainment powerhouse. The instant AV Mode feature enables you to start watching a DVD or listening to music with the push of a single button–without having to boot up the system–and the convenient, built-in multimedia control buttons also let you control all playback functions.
This notebook is powered by the 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 processor from the newest “”Santa Rosa”" chipset, which offers a top-of-the-line 800 MHz front-side bus speed and 4 MB L2 cache. The Core 2 Duo processor provides an optimized, multithreaded architecture for improved gaming and multitasking performance, as well as excellent battery management. It also includes Intel’s 4965 AGN wireless LAN, which will connect to draft 802.11n routers and offers compatibility with 802.11a/b/g networks as well. A built-in 1.3 megapixel digital web camera lets you quickly snap photos and participate in live video chats. Other features include a bright 14.1-inch XBRITE-ECO screen, 160 GB hard drive, 2 GB of installed RAM (4 GB maximum capacity), multi-format/dual-layer DVD+/-RW drive (which also burns CDs), ExpressCard 34 slot, both Memory Stick and SD memory cart slots, and a biometric fingerprint reader for added security.
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center. In addition to easily playing your DVD movies and managing your digital audio library, you’ll be able to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV). Vista also integrates new search tools throughout the operating system, includes new parental control features, and offers new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures.
The Basics
- Processor: The Intel Core 2 Duo T7300 processor has a 2.0 GHz processor speed, super-fast 800 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and an extra-large 4 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system’s performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)
The Intel Core 2 Duo processor has two computational execution cores in a single processor, providing greater system response when running multi-threaded applications simultaneously with no significant increase in power consumption. It’s optimized for multitasking and is ready to support the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system. It can simultaneously run multiple demanding applications–such as graphics-intensive games or serious number-crunching business productivity applications–while downloading music or running virus-scanning security programs in the background. Some of the advanced Intel innovations of the Core 2 Duo processor include:
- Smart Memory Access: Improves system performance by hiding memory latency, thus optimizing the use of available computer data bandwidth to provide data to the processor when and where it is needed.
- Advanced Digital Media Boost: Effectively doubles the execution speed for instructions used widely in multimedia and graphics applications.
- Dynamic Power Coordination: Coordinates Enhanced Intel SpeedStep Technology and idle power-management state (C-states) transitions independently per core to help save power.
- Deeper Sleep with Dynamic Cache Sizing: Saves power by flushing cache data to system memory during periods of inactivity to lower CPU voltage.
- Hard Drive: The 160 GB hard drive (5400 RPM) offers enough to room to hold a digital audio library of over 26,000 songs and still have room left over for movies, games, and a large collection of software. This Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive also quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data–akin to FireWire and USB 2.0.
- Memory: The 2 GB of installed RAM (2 x 1 GB DDR2, PC5300) is an excellent start, but you’ll want to add more RAM to handle today’s demanding multimedia and productivity suites. It provides two DIMM slots and has a large 4 GB maximum RAM capacity. It also offers a top-of-class 667 MHz speed. To receive the faster data transfer benefits of the dual-channel DDR2 RAM, any RAM additions require memory modules of same capacity and clockspeed.
- DVD/CD Drive: The dual-layer DVD drive is compatible with a wide range of formats, including both DVD+RW and DVD-RW discs, CD-RW discs, and dual-layer (DL) DVD+/-R discs, which can hold up to 8.5 GB of data–great for backing up your MP3 collection or your most important documents. It features the following speeds: 4x for DVD+R DL, 4x for DVD-R DL, 8x for both single layer DVD+R/-R, 8x for single layer DVD+RW, 6x for single layer DVD-RW, and 24x/16x for CD-R/RW. It reads DVD-ROM discs at 8x and CD-ROMs at 24x.
- Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook has a standard 82-key keyboard (2mm stroke and 19.05mm pitch) and electro-static two-button touchpad. Playback controls include play/pause, stop, forward, rewind, AV mode, mute, volume +/-, capture, and display off.
Screen, Video & Audio
You’ll enjoy razor-sharp graphics and widescreen movies with the 14.1-inch WXGA high-definition screen, with its 1280 x 800-pixel resolution. The XBRITE-ECO technology delivers brilliant colors and stunning clarity with efficient power usage, and it features an anti-reflective coating to minimize reflection and ensure a beautifully clear image from any viewing angle.
Video is powered by the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100, which uses shared video memory (up to 358 MB allocated from the system memory) and provides Windows Vista Aero interface support and enhanced 3-D graphics performance–delivering over 2x scores on 3-DMark 06. Intel Clear Video Technology provides outstanding video playback with sharper image quality, increased clarity, and customizable color controls. It also enables enhanced visual quality of interlaced content on progressive displays.
Networking, Connectivity & Expansion
Be ready for the next platform in wireless connectivity with the integrated quad-mode Intel Wireless 4965AGN Wi-Fi chip. Based on the draft 802.11n Wi-Fi specification, it offers up to five times the performance and twice the wireless range as existing 802.11g wireless. It’s also backward compatible with 802.11b/g networks (commonly found in home routers and Wi-Fi hotspots) as well as 802.11a networks (which has a higher throughput, but more limited range–great for closed office environments).
This notebook also includes a next-generation ExpressCard 34 card slot (no PCMCIA slot), which lets you take advantage of thinner, faster, and lighter expansion cards for even more advanced wireless, networking, storage, and security features. Here’s the full list of connectivity options:
- 3 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals–from digital cameras to MP3 players
- 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
- Video output: 1 VGA, 1 S-Video
- 1 ExpressCard/34 slot
- Memory Stick/Memory Stick DUO slot (with MagicGate functionality)
- Secure Digital memory card slot (compatible with MMC cards)
- 1 headphone jack, 1 microphone jack
It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.90) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems).
Operating System
Windows Vista Home Premium is the operating system for users with advanced computer needs, and it includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center for watching DVD movies and accessing your digital audio library. You can also use Windows Media Center to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV) and to access new kinds of online entertainment content. Computers that include Windows Vista Home Premium and an auxiliary Windows SideShow display will also allow you to access key data even when your computer is off. It is also easier than ever to share files between other PCs in your household and to manage your laptop computer settings to more securely connect via Wi-Fi.
Every edition of Windows Vista provides the essential tools and technologies to help protect you whether you are browsing the Internet, connecting to a wireless network, or just reading e-mail. All editions of Windows Vista include new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures long before you have lost any important personal data. And, all Windows Vista editions include parental control features that allow you to manage and monitor your family’s use of games, the Internet, instant messaging, and other activities.
Preloaded Software
Includes Sony Click to DVD (for easy DVD creation), Microsoft Works, Microsoft Office 2007 (60-day trial), Symantec Norton Internet Security 2007 (with 60 days of Live Update).
Dimensions & Weight
This notebook measures 13.2 x 9.8 x 1.67 inches (WxDxH) and weighs 5.5 pounds.
Power
It’s powered by the VGP-BPS9/S rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which has a battery life of between 1.5 and 3.0 hours (depending on usage).
What’s in the Box
This package contains the VGN-CR123E/B notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. It is backed by a one-year limited hardware warranty, and Sony offers 1-year of toll-free telephone technical assistance.
Customer Review: Good laptop with a terrific screen
The screen for me was the most important part of my laptop purchase. After returning a 15.4″ Dell Inspiron laptop because the 1680×1050 TrueLife screen looked terrible [to me], I went to the Sony store to check out screens in person. For whatever reason, I liked the CR line with 14.1″ XBRITE-ECO screens. I thought the text was easy to read and the color looked good. I preferred it to the XBRITE-HiColor screens but opinions probably vary on this.
Other than that, the laptop looks sharp out of the box. The CR-series comes in multiple colors and having seen the other colors in the store, I prefer the black, then red and then blue (which looks the best in online pictures). The keyboard is easy to use and feels nice with space between the keys. I have fun using the fingerprint scanner to log in and store website passwords as well (I’ve never had one before). Also this configuration comes with the 7300 CPU whereas most of the CR-series - at the time of this writing - comes with 7100 unless you get a custom build from their website.
The Vaio came preloaded with all sorts of bloatware and it took me about 3 hours to remove most of it (I chose to not do a clean install especially since they don’t provide any disks in the box). They’ve preinstalled AOL, Norton trial, Acrobat trial, SpySweeper trial, Office Home+Student trial, LocationFree (need to buy an appliance to use this), Vaio Media center, Corel Photo Pro Plus XI, entire Spider-man movies that you have to purchase to unlock, etc, etc.. Plus they have a bunch of useless Sony apps that just open up a bunch of links to things that cost extra. Don’t be afraid to uninstall the “Sony OOBE” or Sony “Out of Box Experience” - that will get rid of a bunch of ad links and will clean up your “Welcome Center” from all of the lame Sony offers.
In spite of having a vanilla video card, having so much bloatware, and otherwise having almost identical specs to the Dell, Vista seems much more responsive on the Vaio. It might be because the Dell had PCIllin installed and this had a trial of Norton installed (Replaced with AVG Free). I also suspect Dell had more system-draining Windows features turned on by default (like indexing) and just needed to be configured a bit.
Other thoughts are that the battery life is not great and the battery itself doesn’t fit snugly when it is locked onto the laptop so you can wiggle it. I will append to this review if Sony Support helps me with the battery issue. Also the computer doesn’t run very hot when I have it on a flat surface or on my lap. I haven’t tried the AV mode yet so I can’t comment on that. Also Amazon, as usual, was great. I splurged for the one-day shipping because I was jonesing for this guy and it only set me back about $30.
Overall, this computer is probably not going to be a great gaming rig mainly because of Vista compatibility issues and the vanilla video processor, but for anything else I think it has more than enough power. It loses a star because of the bloatware and battery but I knew about both of those issues ahead of time.
Pros
—–
Great screen
Fast processor
Comfortable keyboard
Looks cool
Vista responsive and Aero interface works well with the Intel chipset
Fingerprint sensor fun for me at least
Doesn’t run that hot
Nice size and weight
Cons
—–
So much crapware it’s almost comical
Battery life
Battery doesn’t lock in solidly to the laptop
Sony accessories cost a fortune
Doesn’t come with any install disks Click To Buy Now…
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