Sony Vaio VGN-AW31M/H
Notebook Specifications
Notebook: Sony Vaio VGN-AW31M/H (Vaio VGN-AW Series)Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo P8700
Graphics Adapter: NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
Display: 18.4 inch, 16:9, 1680x945 pixels, glossy: yes
Weight: 3.9kg
Price: 1300 euro
Average of 2 scores (from 3 reviews)
Reviews for the Sony Vaio VGN-AW31M/H
Source: CNet
We recently reviewed one end of the desktop-replacement laptop spectrum in the shape of the £410 Toshiba Satellite L350 and now here's the other -- the Sony Vaio VGN-AW31M/H. With an 18.4-inch screen, this is one serious slab of Sony technology and it has a price tag to match: £1,100. Value for money is subjective with a laptop like this, but there's no denying the Sony Vaio VGN-AW31M/H is a large, beautiful desktop replacement. The specification falls short of stunning considering the price, but it's still a very capable performer and few laptops this massive look as lovely as this
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 08/21/2009
Rating: Total score: 80%
Foreign Reviews
Source: Notebookinfo
DE→ENonline available, Long, Date: 07/02/2009
Rating: Total score: 85% performance: 93% features: 88% display: 93% mobility: 50% workmanship: 91%
Source: Notebookinfo
DE→ENonline available, Short, Date: 06/16/2009
performance: 80%
Comment
NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT: Successor of the 8600M GT and because of the smaller 65nm production process the card is higher clocked (and therefore faster) with the same current consumption.Furthermore, it features an improved video processor (VP3) and HybridPower to save current (in conjunction with the 9100M G).
These cards should be able to display all current games with fluent framerates but not all with high detail settings. Especially demanding games like Crysis, Age of Conan, or Mass Effect are only playable with lower settings. Less demanding (and older) games, like Fifa 08, Command & Conquer 3, or Battlefield 2142 can be played with higher detail levels.
>> Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
Intel Core 2 Duo: This is the Core Duo and Core Solo successor with a longer pipeline and 5-20% more speed without more power consumption. As an addition to the Core Duo design there exists a fourth decoder, an amplified SSE-unit and an additional arithmetical logical unit (ALU).
The Core 2 Duo for laptops is identical to the desktop Core 2 Duo processors but the notebook-processors work with lower voltages (0.95 to 1188 Volt) and a lower Frontside bus clock (1066 vs 667 MHz). The performance of equally clocked notebooks is 20-25% lower than Desktop PCs because of the lower Frontside bus clock and the slower hard disks.
P8700:
>> Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.
18.4": 18 inch display size is a rare and very big size for desktop-replacement laptops. Laptops with 18 inch displays did not exist before 2008. The DTR-laptops can't be carried easily, need much energy but on the other side texts can be read easily and high resolutions are no problem. DTR mainly are intended for stationary usage on desks, where the weight and the energy need are unimportant.
>> To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.
3.9 kg: This laptop is heavy below average, compared with the average of notebooks. Therefore especially desktop replacements fit in this class of weight.
Sony: Sony Corporation is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Japan. Sony is one of the leading manufacturers of electronics, video, communications, video game consoles, and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Its name is derived from sonus, the Latin word for sound. The company was founded 1946 with another name and renamed in 1958. Sony Corporation is the electronics business unit and the parent company of the Sony Group, which is engaged in business through its five operating segments—electronics, games, entertainment (motion pictures and music), financial services and other. Sony is a notebook manufacturer of medium size according international market shares.
82.5%: This rating is to be considered as average, because the amount of notebooks with better ratings is about equal like the amount with worse ratings.
>> Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.
