Sony VAIO VGC-RA710G Desktop PC (3.2 GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, DVD+/-RW/DVD Drives)

Rating:
Summary: I Love This Computer
Review: I love this computer. I have owned it about 5 months now and I am still learning all it can do. It is easy to operate, and expand. It was up and running right out of the box. Windows XP Media Center is great (like have a built in digital recorder or TVO.) I would definely buy a Sony again.

Rating:
Summary: Great machine -- but don't buy as it only runs MCE 2004
Review: I recently bought this machine (in the last 3 months). Now the latest and greatest version of Media Center is out (version 2005), and Sony is telling me I need to buy a whole other machine to get 2005. HP offered the same upgrade to their customers the day MCE 2005 was released. I would suggest looking at the HP media PC instead of this machine.

Rating:
Summary: Great Machine no Media Center 2005 support
Review: Purchased this computer from Amazon first of Sept 05. System hookups took awhile but good System with one huge exception. I am a long time Sony fan but had I known that Sony would not support Media Center 2005 upgrade I would have bought HP. Sony's support site does state that it will not support Media Center 2005 unless preinstalled. Checked HP's site and updates available even on some much older models than the "new" R Seris. Sony had put a very new machine in the soon to be obsolete category. Sony support understands but they will not offer the upgrade. Media Center is great and fun But buyer beware, Sony should support it's newest products.

Rating:
Summary: OVERPRICED and UNDERVALUED
Review: this particular model only gives you the sony name and nothing more for the value. they don't offer the new 2005 upgrade and the tv tuner doesn't even have the built-in fm tuner like hp/gateway. 4 months with the vgc-ra710g; it gave up and won't start-up... they had to send somebody to fix it (which was good). i might have been the <10% of the unlucky customer who gets the defective one. just hope it doesn't break again after the warranty. warning: don't be taken by the cool looks of the case. you will still hear the "quiet" pc when it's idling; more like a regular overpriced computer with a "cool" looking cooling system and case.