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Rating: 
Summary: Great for home use!
Review: I bought an HP Pavillion zt1230, and had so many performance and hardware issues that I bought this Sony just 4 months later! I use it mostly at home, and take it with me on vacation: I'm not someone who travels constantly with it for work. I surf the Web with it, do graphics and web design, play video games, and edit home photos. Even while running several large graphics programs at once, the memory is never a problem, and it handles my husband's fastest video games like Warcraft III. With the HP, his game is jerky, and there wasn't enough memory for me to use Front Page and Photo Shop at the same time.It's extremely sturdy, whereas the HP was not. I have three children, ages 11, 2 and 5 months, and a husband who thinks that banging on the buttons will make it work faster! My HP had three different keys pop off, and the mouse USB port busted the first week. This Sony has been dropped, banged on and spit up in (my baby actually spit up all over the keys without hurting it). The battery life isn't what it claims to be, but then none of them are, are they?! Mine lasts about 1.5 hours, and charges back up quickly. The large screen on this is a dream! I will say that this is a large laptop, and might not be the best choice if you travel constantly with it strapped to your back. It's large, much heavier than my HP, and the power supply for it is huge! However, I think that part of the reason it weighs more than the HP is because it's built much more solidly. It still fits into my backpack-style laptop bag easily, and the size and weight aren't a problem in the least for my needs. The processor on this thing is a screamer! I've never had a computer boot up and shut down as fast as this one in my life! And for once I finally have a computer that can actually let me see the benefits of having Broadband Internet-my other 3 computers didn't let me see much improvement in speed. The keyboard is nicely laid out, with nice, clicky buttons.The touchpad is nice, because it's not as freakishly sensitive as my other one was; the HP, if you even brushed against it in the slightest, it would register as a mouse left-click. I also like the fact that this has an ACTUAL scroll bar at the bottom, instead of a "touchpad scrollbar". It's much easier to use when my husband steals my laptop mouse than the other one was. My favorite feature about this laptop has been the Memory Stick drive! I have both a Sony digital still camera and a Sony digital video camera, and when I want to load photos and mpegs onto my computer, I just pop the stick into the side of it: No cords, nothing! The fact that it's that convenient now motivates me to do it more often than I was before. If I had to find a drawback to this computer, I'd say it's the fan. There's an intake vent underneath,in the middle, and it's flush with the bottom of the computer, so it occassionally overheats. Using the two little elevating pegs on the underside in the back raises it up a smidge and keeps this from happening. Overall, if you want quality, power, and versatility, I just don't see how you can beat this without going into the [$] range. I paid dearly for straying from Sony with that last laptop, and it won't happen again!
Rating:
Summary: Great for home use!
Review: I bought an HP Pavillion zt1230, and had so many performance and hardware issues that I bought this Sony just 4 months later! I use it mostly at home, and take it with me on vacation: I'm not someone who travels constantly with it for work. I surf the Web with it, do graphics and web design, play video games, and edit home photos. Even while running several large graphics programs at once, the memory is never a problem, and it handles my husband's fastest video games like Warcraft III. With the HP, his game is jerky, and there wasn't enough memory for me to use Front Page and Photo Shop at the same time. It's extremely sturdy, whereas the HP was not. I have three children, ages 11, 2 and 5 months, and a husband who thinks that banging on the buttons will make it work faster! My HP had three different keys pop off, and the mouse USB port busted the first week. This Sony has been dropped, banged on and spit up in (my baby actually spit up all over the keys without hurting it). The battery life isn't what it claims to be, but then none of them are, are they?! Mine lasts about 1.5 hours, and charges back up quickly. The large screen on this is a dream! I will say that this is a large laptop, and might not be the best choice if you travel constantly with it strapped to your back. It's large, much heavier than my HP, and the power supply for it is huge! However, I think that part of the reason it weighs more than the HP is because it's built much more solidly. It still fits into my backpack-style laptop bag easily, and the size and weight aren't a problem in the least for my needs. The processor on this thing is a screamer! I've never had a computer boot up and shut down as fast as this one in my life! And for once I finally have a computer that can actually let me see the benefits of having Broadband Internet-my other 3 computers didn't let me see much improvement in speed. The keyboard is nicely laid out, with nice, clicky buttons.The touchpad is nice, because it's not as freakishly sensitive as my other one was; the HP, if you even brushed against it in the slightest, it would register as a mouse left-click. I also like the fact that this has an ACTUAL scroll bar at the bottom, instead of a "touchpad scrollbar". It's much easier to use when my husband steals my laptop mouse than the other one was. My favorite feature about this laptop has been the Memory Stick drive! I have both a Sony digital still camera and a Sony digital video camera, and when I want to load photos and mpegs onto my computer, I just pop the stick into the side of it: No cords, nothing! The fact that it's that convenient now motivates me to do it more often than I was before. If I had to find a drawback to this computer, I'd say it's the fan. There's an intake vent underneath,in the middle, and it's flush with the bottom of the computer, so it occassionally overheats. Using the two little elevating pegs on the underside in the back raises it up a smidge and keeps this from happening. Overall, if you want quality, power, and versatility, I just don't see how you can beat this without going into the [$] range. I paid dearly for straying from Sony with that last laptop, and it won't happen again!
Rating: 
Summary: Terrible Laptop - Has MAJOR problems with overheating.
Review: I bought this laptop, mainly because it was Sony had a fantastic screen, amazing processer and plenty of RAM. It worked perfectly for a couple of months but now it is a living nightmare. It has SERIOUS problems with overheating, I cannot run the CD/DVD for more than 30 minutes without the computer just turning itself off. For normal processes I can get a maximum of 2 hours before it once again turns itself off because it is too hot. I've seen a few other people on the net who have posted a similar problem so its defintely not a one off. Look elsewhere. If you have the same problem with one you have already purchased, report it to SONY, I have contacted them and they say they haven't had any other complaints. It needs to be sorted.
Rating:
Summary: Terrible Laptop - Has MAJOR problems with overheating.
Review: I bought this laptop, mainly because it was Sony had a fantastic screen, amazing processer and plenty of RAM. It worked perfectly for a couple of months but now it is a living nightmare. It has SERIOUS problems with overheating, I cannot run the CD/DVD for more than 30 minutes without the computer just turning itself off. For normal processes I can get a maximum of 2 hours before it once again turns itself off because it is too hot. I've seen a few other people on the net who have posted a similar problem so its defintely not a one off. Look elsewhere. If you have the same problem with one you have already purchased, report it to SONY, I have contacted them and they say they haven't had any other complaints. It needs to be sorted.
Rating:
Summary: Great desktop replacement
Review: I was originally shopping for the Toshiba Satellite 1955-S803 when I came across the Sony GRZ530 - and I am thankful for this strange twist of fate. I've had the Sony for about 1 month and I can't rave enough about it - from its super-fast 2.4 GHz processor to its large screen. I've run a lot of intensive MATLAB and Maple engineering applications and this laptop doesn't hesitate to compile and process the information. Also, the processor is extremely stable - it hasn't crashed the entire time I've had it. A superb desktop replacement which is also very portable. Here is a brief synopsis of the pros and cons: PROS:
1. Very fast processor.
2. Extremely large screen.
3. Stable system even when running multiple intensive applications at the same time.
4. Possesses a big keyboard so it feels like a desktop computer.
5. DVD/CD-RW read and write quickly - no more of those long waiting periods.
6. I hooked up a wireless PC card to the laptop and it connects to the internet FAST.
7. If you have any other Sony products (i.e. camcorder, digital camera, etc.) then downloading any information is a breeze. There is even a port for the Sony (patented?) memory stick.
8. Three USB ports in the rear with the capacity for 2 Type II cards or 1 Type III card in the side.
9. Not at all heavy - I believe only about 8 pounds. If you think that's too heavy, start lifting weights because you don't know what you're missing. CONS:
1. The cooling fan is a little loud but you become accustomed to the whirring sound.
2. The battery life is about 1 hr 34 min fully charged. Depends how you intend to use this computer - I usually have the AC adapter in so this is perfect. If you travel and need a more portable option, then you can insert another battery into the optical bay (interchange with the DVD/CD-RW).
3. Since it has a pretty big screen, it was difficult to find a laptop case for it. Circuit City only had only one case which could accommodate the size of the Sony (a Targus laptop case). A great laptop since it has enough power and speed to handle the toughest jobs in engineering grad school. Hope this helps. By the way, Go Blue!
Rating:
Summary: Great desktop replacement
Review: I was originally shopping for the Toshiba Satellite 1955-S803 when I came across the Sony GRZ530 - and I am thankful for this strange twist of fate. I've had the Sony for about 1 month and I can't rave enough about it - from its super-fast 2.4 GHz processor to its large screen. I've run a lot of intensive MATLAB and Maple engineering applications and this laptop doesn't hesitate to compile and process the information. Also, the processor is extremely stable - it hasn't crashed the entire time I've had it. A superb desktop replacement which is also very portable. Here is a brief synopsis of the pros and cons: PROS:
1. Very fast processor.
2. Extremely large screen.
3. Stable system even when running multiple intensive applications at the same time.
4. Possesses a big keyboard so it feels like a desktop computer.
5. DVD/CD-RW read and write quickly - no more of those long waiting periods.
6. I hooked up a wireless PC card to the laptop and it connects to the internet FAST.
7. If you have any other Sony products (i.e. camcorder, digital camera, etc.) then downloading any information is a breeze. There is even a port for the Sony (patented?) memory stick.
8. Three USB ports in the rear with the capacity for 2 Type II cards or 1 Type III card in the side.
9. Not at all heavy - I believe only about 8 pounds. If you think that's too heavy, start lifting weights because you don't know what you're missing. CONS:
1. The cooling fan is a little loud but you become accustomed to the whirring sound.
2. The battery life is about 1 hr 34 min fully charged. Depends how you intend to use this computer - I usually have the AC adapter in so this is perfect. If you travel and need a more portable option, then you can insert another battery into the optical bay (interchange with the DVD/CD-RW).
3. Since it has a pretty big screen, it was difficult to find a laptop case for it. Circuit City only had only one case which could accommodate the size of the Sony (a Targus laptop case). A great laptop since it has enough power and speed to handle the toughest jobs in engineering grad school. Hope this helps. By the way, Go Blue!
Rating: 
Summary: A BIG NOTEBOOK
Review: In more ways than one. FOR THE PRICE this is a really good notebook. I love it. The keyboard is great, the CPU is FAST MORE THAN ENOUGH ram. A nice big screen to watch those DVDs. Now for the negative. WHY would they make the power supply SO BIG it makes it so hard to make this ...portable, its as big as a brick. Not enough video ram, 16 megs is just not enough. Its rather noisy, I put a cd in there and its sounds like its going to take off. The battery life is TERRIBLE 1hour 30 minutes, if time is important to you get another battery (it takes two if you wish) The terrible battery life is to be expected though considering the power and screen size you are carrying around. Despite my negative comments, I recommend this system it has a whole lot of band for the buck.
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