A Review of the Sony VAIO VGN-SZ750N/C 13.3" Laptop: Combining Power and Mobility

Apple's air hit the market hard and the demand for ultra portable paper thin notebooks has reached a huge demand. Sony has been producing ultra thin ultra mobile notebooks for some time, but haven't had the advertising machine behind them that Apple has. The Sony VAIO VGN-SZ750N/C is one of those small notebooks, and boy is it high powered. I've gotten my hands on one and I'm going to let you know how it performs. First I'll get started with a few of the basics.

Hardware:

Processor: 2.10 GHz "Penryn" Intel Core 2 Duo T8100

Storage Space: 250GB hard drive

RAM: 2 GB RAM (expandable up to a 4 GB maximum)

Optical drive: a CD R/RW with integrated dual-layer DVD drive (8x DVD+/-R burner)

Graphics Accelerator: Hybrid System; toggles between an NVidia GeForce Go 8400M card (which uses up to 831MB of video RAM) and an integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 (using a 358MB of shared video RAM)

Dimensions: 12.5" x 1.5" x 9.3" and about 4lbs

While it is a very petite notebook and has a sharp appearance you do notice a small antenna immediately. It isn't too obtrusive but I would take a look at this notebook in person before you buy just to ensure that it isn't in your way, and you don't find it too obtrusive. Otherwise this little notebook looks very sharp with a light but sturdy carbon fiber hull gives it a solid feel but saves considerable weight.

Performance in this notebook is incredible. The Penryn offers plenty of punch but only sip battery power. The notebook is remarkably powerful for such a small laptop. The hybrid graphics acceleration system is remarkable. You're able to alternate between a power saving Intel card and a more robust NVidea model allowing you the ability to really go to town with multimedia applications.

Connectivity:

2 2.0 USB ports (the standard connection for computer peripherals like printers, cameras, and MP3 players)

1 FireWire port (this is used for high speed data transfer between other PC's but usually digital camcorders)

1 ExpressCard slot (to be used to add peripherals like a cellular modem)

1 VGA monitor output (a typical monitor connection)

1 mic in / 1 audio out

5 in 1 memory card port (to be used to directly insert solid state memory from the consumer's mobile devices)

1 Ethernet port (to connect to wired LANs)

1 modem port (to connect to the Internet via Dialup)

The connectivity is remarkable for such a small notebook. The only thing I could ask for would be an extra USB port. All together this is a killer notebook. It is versatile enough to truly please everyone ranging from the uptight businessman to the hard core gamer with the cheeto encrusted fingers. Priced just under $1700 this is a great buy. I doubt we'll be seeing much of a price drop on this notebook this year so I can't recommend a better time to buy.