Sony VAIO VGN-NR385E/W Review

Introduction

019 From afar, it’s easy to mistake the Sony VAIO VGN-NR385E/W as a possible Apple MacBook. After all, this system shares many of the same qualities as a MacBook - smooth white color, rounded corners, and a solid construction. Of course, once you get closer (and you see the VAIO logo emblazoned across the top), you’ll quickly realize that this is indeed a Sony VAIO system. The Sony NR series is Sony’s value oriented notebook series which aims to deliver a balance between performance, style, and value.

On the performance front, this notebook delivers an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, a bright 15.4 inch widescreen display, and a large capacity 200GB internal hard drive. For style.. well the mere fact that it looks somewhat like a MacBook says it all right? And for value, the VGN-NR385E/W is fairly inexpensive - with many places selling this system for as low as $600 dollars after rebates or instant savings. Join me as I take a look at the Sony VAIO VGN-NR385E/W.

Specifications

The system being reviewed today comes with an Intel Core 2 Duo T5550 processor clocked in at 1.83GHz, 2GB of RAM, a 15.4 inch XBRITE-ECO LCD, a 200GB SATA Hard Drive, and a built-in DVD/CD burner with dual layer support. For network connectivity, the system has 802.11 a/b/g support, and 10/100 Ethernet. Powering the 1280 x 800 display is a feeble Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 which utilizes shared memory. Other niceties include 4 USB 2.0 ports, 1 FireWire port, 1 ExpressCard/34 slot, and a Memory Stick and SD card slot. For input, there’s a full sized 86 key keyboard with a 2.5 mm stroke and 19.05 putch, and a two button touchpad.

Finally, the system measures 14.2 x 10.6 x 1.5 inches and weighs 6.2 lbs - not exactly an ultra-portable notebook system. There’s a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery and the system comes with Windows Vista Home Premium installed.

Display

The VAIO VGN-NR385E/W comes with a 15.4 inch XBRITE-ECO widescreen LCD display and yes.. the display is indeed bright. Characters are sharp, colors are vibrant, pictures are clear, and movies are a joy to view on this display - at least when you’re viewing it head on. Unfortunately, both the vertical and horizontal viewing angles are limited at best with the horizontal angles better than the vertical. Colors and brightness fall off when you move off-center from the display.

Keyboard and Trackpad

The VAIO VGN-NR385E/W comes with a full-sized 86 key keyboard and two special function keys on the upper right hand corner. I must admit that it took me some time to get used to the keyboard on this notebook. It’s certainly not a ThinkPad keyboard - but then again, few system keyboards can actually compare to a ThinkPad keyboard. If you’re not a fan of somewhat mushy keyboards with short key travel depths, then you might not be a fan of this keyboard.

The built-in track-pad has a large surface area which is always a plus in my book. The mouse buttons are well positioned below the track-pad and the buttons themselves offer responsive tactile feedback.

Interfaces and Connectivity

The system comes with a good array of interfaces - ranging from four USB 2.0 ports, a FireWire port, a microphone and headphone jack, and a VGA port. The built-in ExpressCard/34 slot gives you the ability to expand system capabilities.

Networking wise, there’s a built-in 10/100 Ethernet jack, as well as 802.11 a/b/g wireless connectivity. I had little trouble connecting to my Linksys Wi-Fi 802.11g router. If there’s one glaring omission, it would be the lack of a Bluetooth stack.

Storage

The VGN-NR385E/W boasts a capacious 200GB Serial ATA Hard Drive which should be ample storage for most users out there. If you feel the need to burn, you’ll love the built-in dual layer DVD/CD burner with support for a variety of DVD/CD formats including DVD+/-R DL, DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW, DVD-RAM, CD-R/RW, DVD-ROM, and CD-ROM.

Software

Sony typically pre-installs a large number of applications on VAIO systems, and unfortunately the VGN-NR385E/W is no different. There are at least eight different VAIO applications installed on the notebook - most of which quite honestly, I’ll never use but who knows - maybe you will. Sony also bundles a ton of other third party applications with the notebook.. or as I like to call it - crap-ware. I’m sorry but I just can’t stand all the crap-ware that gets installed on notebook/desktop systems these days. Here’s a list of the applications that I removed from the notebook:

* InstallAware Assistant for Office 2007
* Adobe Acrobat
* AOL Toolbar 4.0
* Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo
* Crackle ScreenSaver
* Norton 360 trial
* Office 2007 Home/Student Trial
* QuickBooks Simple Start
* Microsoft Works
* Sony LocationFree Player
* Napster
* Roxio Easy Media Center
* Spy Sweeper
* VAIO Survey
* VAIO MusicBox


Performance

Let’s be real here - the Sony VAIO VGN-NR385E/W won’t blow anyone out of the water when it comes to speed. After all, it only has a 1.83GHz Intel Core 2 Duo.. which is plenty powerful enough for most everyday application. The goal of the Sony VAIO NR series is to try and strike a balance between features, style, and value - which classifies this system as a budget oriented notebook.

With that said, this sub $1000 (really sub $800) notebook is still a very decent performing system. Now for those of you who really must have benchmarking numbers, I quickly ran PC Mark 2005 and 3D Mark 2006. On PC Marks 2005, the VGN-NR385E/W scores a 3677 while on 3D Marks 2006, the system scored a measly 547 (yikes!). The 3677 PC Marks score is comparable to other systems with comparable processing capabilities. The 547 3D Mark is certainly nothing to write home about so don’t expect to be gaming with this system - at least not high end 3D gaming that is.

One thing I do want to stress is - benchmarks only tell a part of the overall story. Ultimately, the true value of a computer system is in how useful the system is to you and how productive you are with the system. If it meets your intended needs and helps you be more productive, then it’s a good system for you. Faster systems doesn’t necessarily translate to better productivity - unless your productivity is gated by the system performance.

With that said, the VGN-NR385E/W meets my needs perfectly. This system is a great notebook - offering just enough performance for everyday needs such as reading/writing email, working with Office documents, surfing the web, listening to music, watching a DVD or HD video, writing blog postings, or performing straightforward multimedia operations. If you’re looking for a gaming platform, then look elsewhere (might we interest you in say an Alienware system or a VoodooPC box?). However, if you’re on a tight budget, then definitely give this system a look over.

Finally, on the battery front, the VGN-NR385E/W was an OK performer. I was able to get around 2.5 to 3 hours of usage off of the battery when I was strictly surfing the web and blogging on the notebook - not great but not bad.

Summary

The Sony VAIO VGN-NR385E/W successfully strikes a delicate balance between style, performance, and value. The system comes with a wealth of performance minded features such as an Intel Core 2 duo processor, 2GB of RAM, a bright 15.4 inch display, and 200GB of storage space. It also has a sexy white chassis design which will certainly draw some looks in the crowd. Of course, there are some things we’d love to see Sony fix - such as the keyboard, weight, and discrete graphics - but these are minor issues when you look at the overall package. With average selling prices for the VGN-NR285E/W ranging from $650 dollars to $800 dollars, you’ll quickly realize how tremendous a value the system really is.

Pros:

* 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
* Lots of storage space
* Large bright display
* Sexy design
* Inexpensive