Sony Vaio V505AX Notebook Computer (Sony-PCGV505AX)

Bottom Line
The PCG-V505AX has an easy-to-tote 4.4-pound weight and good performance going for it--along with the usual Sony perks, such as the memory card slot and trendy case colors. But for $1800 you have the shop-around power to find a comparable notebook with a sturdier keyboard.
Sony VAIO PCG-V505AX
Vaio V505AX Notebook Computer (Sony-PCGV505AX) Review, by Carla Thornton July 29, 2003

Editors' note: Sony has discontinued the AX version of the V505 and replaced it with the V505BX, which company representatives say is nearly identical.
WHAT'S HOT: Weighing only 4.4 pounds (without the power adapter), containing a fixed DVD-ROM/CD-RW combination drive, and wearing Sony's signature gray-and-purple case colors, the VAIO PCG-V505AX is a chic little portable. The tidy design features smart-looking round covers protecting the modem and network jacks, as well as a spring-loaded PC Card release button that stays down the first time you press it (unlike standard PC Card release buttons, which keep popping out). A Memory Stick slot lets users who own other Sony products share information between devices easily.
WHAT'S NOT: The two-tone keyboard is small, shallow, a bit noisy, and fragile. We accidentally popped off a couple of key tops looking for the keyboard's release tabs. It's easy to mistake the power switch, a slider on the front, for the similar-looking lid release.
WHAT ELSE: The modest set of connections, including an I.Link (FireWire) port and two USB 2.0 ports, are located on the sides and front of the notebook, which also has built-in 802.11b wireless capability. A connector on the bottom lets you attach a $199 port replicator that provides three USB 2.0 ports, plus parallel, VGA, and ethernet connections. The replicator also has a DVI port that can attach to a digital flat-panel display.
The 12.1-inch screen is very bright and readable. The stereo speakers located above the keyboard produce loud sound for such a small notebook, but not surprisingly (given the limitations of size), the sound quality is not the best; we heard raspiness at high volume. Our review unit came with no print manual, only a couple of electronic references with overlapping information.
At the time of our review Sony offered the V505 in an "AX" model with a 1.8-GHz Pentium 4-M processor. Its score of 107 on PC WorldBench 4 handily beat the mark of 93 posted by the only other system with the same configuration, a ChemBook 6300C. Meanwhile, the V505AX's 2.4-hour battery life in our tests was slightly above average for a thin-and-light notebook. (A double-capacity battery is available for an additional $499.) By our press time, however, Sony had replaced the PCG-V505AX with the PCG-V505BX, which is available with a 1.8-GHz Mobile Celeron processor or with a 2-GHz or 2.4-GHz Pentium 4-M CPU. Because we could not run PC WorldBench 4 and our battery test on the latter configurations, we could not rank either notebook model on our September issue's Top 15 Notebook PCs chart.
UPSHOT: The PCG-V505AX has an easy-to-tote 4.4-pound weight and good performance going for it--along with the usual Sony perks, such as the memory card slot and trendy case colors. But if you have $1800 to spend, you have the shop-around power to find a comparable notebook with a sturdier keyboard.
|
0 Comments | 0 Topics | Print Only This Review
Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
Sorry, the product you requested isn't currently available from any of our sellers.
Laptops similar to the Sony Vaio V505AX Notebook Computer (Sony-PCGV505AX)
We recommend these Laptops for their similarities to the Sony Vaio V505AX Notebook Computer (Sony-PCGV505AX) in features, specs, ratings, and user interest.
![]() |
|
|
![]() |
|
|
![]() |
|
|
![]() |
|
|
![]() |
|
|
![]() |
|
|
![]() |
|
|
![]() |
|
|
![]() |
|
|
![]() |
|
- Before you buy
- How to Buy a Laptop
- How to Buy a Netbook
Start New Topic Don't see the answer to your question? Ask it here!
Dell's December Days of Deals
-
Dell's December Days of Deals
8 days of deals December 4th to 11th.
Check each day for big savings on Laptops, Desktops, HDTVs, Games and more!
Cameras
Camcorders
Cell Phones
Components
Desktops
HDTV
Home Theater
GPS
Laptops
Monitors
MP3 Players
Networking &
Printers
Storage
Facebook














