Sony VAIO VGN-NR160E/S Budget Laptop Computer System

The Bottom Line
Sony's VAIO NR160E/S is a surprising entry for the budget notebook segment. The system retains some of the features of more expensive VAIO notebooks such as its keyboard and even packs in good performance. The only real drawback is that it feels a bit cheap on the exterior compare to Sony's other notebooks and the competition.

Pros

* Lots of Hard Drive Space
* Very Good Keyboard

Cons

* Only Has Smaller ExpressCard/34 Slot
* Plastic Feel Is Bit Too Cheap Compared To Other VAIO Notebooks

Description

* Intel Core 2 Duo T5250 Dual Core Mobile Processor
* 1GB PC2-5300 DDR2 Memory
* 160GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
* 8x DVD+/-RW Dual Layer Burner
* 15.4" WXGA (1280x800) Display with Intel GMA X3100 Integrated Graphics
* v.92 56Kbps Modem, 10/100 Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g Wireless
* Four USB 2.0, FireWire (iLink), ExpressCard/34 and 3-in-1 Media Reader
* 14.2" x 10.6" x 1.5" @ 6.2 lbs.
* Windows Vista Home Premium, MS Works, Click to DVD, Norton 360

Guide Review - Sony VAIO VGN-NR160E/S Budget Laptop Computer System

Sony's new VAIO NR160 is a very surprising entry from a company that makes primarily expensive systems. On a whole, they did a very good job with this new system. While the exterior has a bit too much of a plastic feel that isn't as nice as some other budget systems or even Sony's other models, it does offer a solid computing experience for the price.

The NR160 is based around the Intel Core 2 Duo T5250 dual core mobile processor. This provides it with a good level of performance without using too much power and is definitely a step up from older Intel or AMD's current mobile processors in terms of performance. It is matched up with a full gigabyte of PC2-5300 DDR2 memory that lets it run the Vista Home Premium operating system alright, but with some slowdown with multiple applications.

The storage is one of the real bright spots on the Sony VAIO NR160. Most budget notebooks still feature a fairly small 80GB hard drive. Sony packs the system with a 160GB drive that doubles what most companies are offering. This problems extra space for all those digital media files or programs that one might have. The dual layer DVD burner can also handle the tasks of playing back or recording DVDs or CDs.

Sony is known for its strong LCD panels and the one in the NR160 is definitely very good. Color and contrast are above average for the price segment. It doesn't have the high resolution of its more expensive notebooks, but most people won't really notice or care.

It is nice to see that Sony is including features such as the new ExpressCard format into the NR160 notebook. It is just a shame that they decided to use the smaller 34mm rather than 54mm design. This will restrict the number of expansion card products that can be used with the system.