Newest VAIO PCs Target Multimedia

Sony has announced its "summer line" of 11 new VAIO desktop PCs, looking to simplify DVD recording and CD burning to attract first-time or inexperienced users of digital video and audio technologies.

All the machines come with CD-RW drives. The systems are bundled with software that allows users to burn digital music to CDs and upload that content to portable devices such as MP3 players.

Prices begin at under $1000, though systems can be ordered with a number of customer configurations and prices may vary. All are to be available in June.

Four high-end releases, the Digital Studio models, come with DVD-RW drives and Sony's Simple DVD Maker software. The two most expensive models, the PCV-RX780G and the PCV-RX790G, also ship with Sony's Giga Pocket personal video recorder, which can record and pause live television, storing shows on a 120GB hard drive like a VCR.

Processors from rivals Advanced Micro Devices and Intel are used in the PCs, with processor speeds ranging from 1.4 GHz to 2.4 GHz. Two entry-level models feature the AMD Athlon XP Processor 1800+, which runs at 1.53 GHz. Another low-end machine runs on AMD's Athlon XP Processor 1600+, at 1.4 GHz.

All 11 models come with Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Corel WordPerfect Office suite, and Intuit's Quicken accounting software. Each machine also has four USB ports, 10/100 Fast Ethernet networking connections, and Sony's ILink (IEEE 1394) ports, which allow compatible personal video recorders to send images directly to the computer.

Specs, Price Ranges

Sony provided a sample configuration for each model with approximate pricing for each:

• PCV-RX730: 1.7-GHz Intel Celeron processor, 256MB of memory, 40GB hard drive, 16X DVD-ROM drive, 24X/10X/40X CD-RW drive. Approximate price: $850
  
  
• PCV-RX740: 1.53-GHz AMD Athlon XP Processor 1800+, 256MB of memory, 60GB hard drive, 16X DVD-ROM drive, 24X/10X/40X CD-RW drive. Approximate price: $950
  
  
• PCVRX-741: 1.53-GHz AMD Athlon XP Processor 1800+, 512MB of memory, 60GB hard drive, 16X DVD-ROM drive, 24X/10X/40X CD-RW drive. Approximate price: $1100
  
  
• PCV-RX742: 1.4-GHz AMD Athlon XP Processor 1600+, 256MB of memory, 60GB hard drive, 16X DVD-ROM drive, 24X/10X/40X CD-RW drive. Approximate price: $1850
  
  
• PCV-RX750: 2-GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor, 256MB of memory, 60GB hard drive, 16X DVD-ROM drive, 24X/10X/40X CD-RW drive. Approximate price: $1150
  
  
• PCV-RX752: 2-GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor, 512MB of memory, 80GB hard drive, 2X/1X/4X DVD-RW drive, 8X/4X/24X CD-RW drive. Approximate price: $1550
  
  
• PCV-RX755: 2-GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor, 512MB of memory, 60GB hard drive, 16X DVD-ROM drive, 24X/10X/40X CD-RW drive. Approximate price: $1250
  
  
• PCV-RX760: 2.2-GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor, 512MB of memory, 80GB hard drive, 16X DVD-ROM drive, 24X/10X/40X CD-RW drive. Approximate price: $1400
  
  
• PCV-RX770: 2.2-GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor, 512MB of memory, 120GB hard drive, 2X/1X/4X DVD-RW drive, 8X/4X/24X CD-RW drive. Approximate price: $1700
  
  
• PCV-RX780G: 2.2-GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor, 512MB of memory, 120GB hard drive, 2X/1X/4X DVD-RW drive, 8X/4X/24X CD-RW drive. Approximate price: $2100
  
  
• PCV-RX790G: 2.4-GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor, 512MB of memory, 120GB hard drive, 2X/1X/4X DVD-RW drive, 8X/4X/24X CD-RW drive. Approximate price: $2500