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The Sony Vaio PCG-N505X is a stylish compact laptop launched in 1998. It weighs a mere 1.2 kg, with a 10.4" TFT screen.
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With dimensions of 25.9 cm x 20.8 cm x 2.2 cm the laptop looks sublime.
The laptop casing is silver with a blue battery department ... Read review
The Sony Vaio PCG-N505X is a stylish compact laptop launched in 1998. It weighs a mere 1.2 kg, with a 10.4" TFT screen.
<<<<So how does it look?>>>>
With dimensions of 25.9 cm x 20.8 cm x 2.2 cm the laptop looks sublime.
The laptop casing is silver with a blue battery department at the back of the laptop (where the lid folds).
There are several slots on ... ...my biggest gripe with the Sony Vaio, why? Well as soon as I turn the laptop on, 20 minutes later (if I'm lucky!!) an American synthesised lady informs me that 'your battery is low'.
It is not a fault with the Sony Vaio itself it was more a impulse buy with me, without reading such review sites as Ciao. If I'd done a bit of research before splashing out I'd not of bothered with this model.
Laptops are in high demand by students, professionals and home users. The specifications available today are truly amazing, but they can carry a high price tag.
The Sony Vaio PCG-N505X is a stylish compact laptop launched in 1998. It weighs a mere 1.2 kg, with a 10.4" TFT screen.
<<<<So how does it look?>>>> With dimensions of 25.9 cm x 20.8 cm x 2.2 cm the laptop looks sublime. The laptop casing is silver with a blue battery department at the back of the laptop (where the lid folds).
There are several slots on the left hand side of the device, which include; a memory slot, AC adapter, USB (just the one port), microphone and headphones. The other side of the laptop comprises of the: Power switch (which is a slide button), a reset button - which you press in and finally there is a slot to plug in your external disk or cdrom drive.
<<<<The battery>>>> Now I'm fully charged up to write this opinion lets talk batteries. Okay this has to be my biggest gripe with the Sony Vaio, why? Well as soon as I turn the laptop on, 20 minutes later (if I'm lucky!!) an American synthesised lady informs me that 'your battery is low'.
It is not a fault with the Sony Vaio itself it was more a impulse buy with me, without reading such review sites as Ciao. If I'd done a bit of research before splashing out I'd not of bothered with this model.
So why didn't I just return it? I bought the laptop from Ebay. Partly I blame the seller for not explaining the batteries poor performance. However he wouldn't have stood a chance of selling it if he had. I also blame my impatience and have learnt a big lesson from this. I've owned the laptop for several years now and at the time, it cost me a few hundred.
The laptop comes with software called 'Battery scope'. There will be an icon on your taskbar with a picture of a blue battery (if the battery is fully charged) and a white battery and a red cross if the battery is about to die (your become very familiar with that icon!). On an additional note this software is incompatible with Windows XP.
You can buy a new battery from laptopshop.co.uk priced at £60.00. Which I consider quite steep for its life spam (half an hour - if your lucky).
PC World Business offer a power adapter for the car this can be purchased for £37.33 at the below web address: www.pcwb.com PSA CCC0673A - Power adapter - car ( external )
Additional details -------------------------- Sony Vaio N505X Voltage: 11.1 V Capacity: 3600 mAh
<<<<The memory>>>> An important factor for any consumer to check. 64MB - small compared today's standards. I have never used the laptop to the degree where I have had to worry, but it seems quite ironic that my mp3 player stores more information than this device!
This may not be any consolation but you can upgrade the memory to 128MB (still not great huh?). The option is there and priced at £42.29 and can be purchased from orcalogic.co.uk - they are 'in stock' today (17/01/06).
<<<<The processor>>>> I'm not going to pretend I understand all the technical side of computers but the laptop runs at 333 MHz and is a Intel Celeron processor. From my understanding the processors speed determines how fast it carries out instructions. Thus this is quite slow compared to today's laptops such as the Sony Vaio VGN-S5XP/B with a Intel® Pentium® M processor 760 2.0GHz, 533MHz.
<<<<My opinion>>>> This is a considerably old laptop and so the speed and graphics are not anything to write home about.
The keyboard has tiny keys - this may not be suitable for any rugby players or suchlike!! I apparently have tiny fingers and quite good touch typing/keyboard skills but I still get frustrated with the laptops layout. I'm half way through typing an essay and the cursor has suddenly moved up two paragraphs thus I'm typing unrelated words/work into an old sentence. I am constantly swearing at the laptop when using Microsoft word!
The keys are very sensitive, quite quick to respond and the touch pad is very simple to use. There is a function key to press with the F: numbers to for example to adjust the volume (Fn = function & F4)
Due to the poor battery performance this laptop is only worth its while if you don't mind being plugged in all the time. Seems slightly pointless when you can just use a personal computer, however if you stay over in hotels or in student housing then it might be worth it.
Because the laptop is so light and looks great, I'd advise any show offs (like myself) to buy it. If you want to do any real work which is of some importance - don't bother with the Sony Vaio N505X!
<<<<Where can I buy it from?>>>> Ebay: These laptops are selling for around £100 if you're short of cash or just want a simple word processor I would highly recommend this model.
I have searched the internet high and low and because of the age of the device I am presuming it is hard to find. So if you are not put off by my review then I'd recommend looking on auction sites.
Advantages: Ultra-portable, Magnesium alloy casing, Runs XP no problem!, cost just £90! Disadvantages: Battery life is about 1 hour, Low spec by today's standards
...when I came across a Sony Vaio N505X Ultra-Portable notebook going cheap - I paid just £90 for mine which was in pristine condition and included the official Vaio external CD-Rom drive, external floppy drive, port replicator, power supply, upgraded to 128MB of ram and upgraded 30GB hard drive. I already have a perfectly adequate desktop computer but thought it would be nice to make more use of my wireless router.
I personally think that the majority ... ...£1500.
******Performance:*******
The Sony Vaio N505X was originally designed for windows 98 therefore its specification is very low by today’s standards. See below:- Processor: Intel Celeron 333 Mhz Cache: 128 KB (on die)
Memory: 64 MB (Upgradeable to 128 MB)
Memory Information: 505-C1F 66Mhz (SDR) Hard Disk Drive: 6.4 GB
Graphic Card: Neomagic MagicMedia 256AV Video Memory: 2 MB Display: 10.4" TFT XGA 1024x768 Sound Chip: Yamaha YMF7448 16-bit ...
kenzo123 06.07.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Sony Vaio PCG-N505X
I bought the Sony N505SN for its portability - it is one of the smallest, lightest portables available, although not cheap (I paid roughly £1500 for my PII-400 model).
I would say that it is probably a bit too 'girly' for most blokes - its a rather chic silver colour with purple highlights - although it is cool-looking.
The key advantages are its weight (just over a kilogram) and dimensions - this really is a truly portable laptop. However, 'road ... ...floppy and CD-ROM are both external, and most of the major port connections are accessed through a 'port adapter'. Sony, however,have given a lot of thought to making all these as sleek and light as possible.
Battery life is pretty poor for the standard battery - just over an hour or so. I'd recommend coughing up for the extra life battery. It is a bit bigger - so makes the PC a bit heavier - but gives a good 3 and a half hours worth, and can be ...
TrishB 01.09.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Sony Vaio PCG-N505X
This is one of the best pocket PC’s on the market due to it being so expensive and packed with more features than ever. It is slim compact and elegant with one of the best TFT Screens around. It is also so thin. The only Cons are that the battery life is not so long and the system few ports with lots of external drives, which are so costly. Internet access is so rapid it is shocking and can also work with an IR port. For anyone trying to prove he ...
oli2000 22.06.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Sony Vaio PCG-N505X
sony vaiofw11
Notebook -16.4 in -CPU: Core 2Duo - 2.53GHz, 2.26GHz - RAM: ...
Product Information for "Sony Vaio PCG-N505X" »
Video
Graphics Processor / Vendor
PCI
Video Memory
VRAM - 2 MB
Supported Display Graphics
VGA (640x480), XGA (1024x768), SVGA (800x600)
Audio
Audio Output
Sound card
Compliant Standards
Sound Blaster 16/Pro
Audio Input
Microphone - integrated
Input device(s)
Type
Keyboard, touchpad
Operating system / software
OS Provided
Microsoft Windows 98
Software
Microsoft Works 4.5, Drivers & Utilities, Adobe PhotoDeluxe, Microsoft Word 97, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Works Suite 99, Microsoft Money 99, Microsoft Outlook
Manufacturer's product description
Sony's approach to lifestyle integration is represented by the VAIO concept. VAIO is a graphical interpretation of the convergence of the analog and digital worlds. It also represents Video Audio Integrated Operation and the important role the Sony PC plays in fostering the convergence of audio, video, computers, and communications (AVCC). Additionally, the signature mark will provide a distinctive identity for all Sony AVCC convergence products. The VAIO concept is fundamental to creating a new entertainment, information and communications experience for consumers. The interface used with VAIO lets you download high-quality still images at high speeds directly from digital video (DV) camcorders such as the Sony Digital Handycam. You can then use these digital video images to add a new visual dimension to your documents. Or e-mail family pictures to loved ones.
