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Sony Vaio VGN-AR61

Specifications

Sony Vaio VGN-AR61
Sony Vaio VGN-AR61 (Vaio VGN-AR Series)
Graphics adapter
Display
17.10 inch 16:10, 1920 x 1200 pixel, glossy: yes
Weight
3.9 kg ( = 137.57 oz / 8.6 pounds), Power Supply: 0 g ( = 0 oz / 0 pounds)
Price
2300 Euro

 

Pricecompare

Average Score: 80% - good
Average of 2 scores (from 3 reviews)
price: 55%, performance: 83%, features: 85%, display: - % mobility: - %, workmanship: 90%, ergonomy: - %, emissions: - %

Reviews for the Sony Vaio VGN-AR61

Sony VAIO VGN-AR61ZU Blu-Ray Laptop
Source: Bios Magazine English Archive.org version

It may be a laptop, but the VGN-AR61ZU (416x299x33mm, 3.9kg) has all the power necessary to edit personal HD video content - before burning your clips onto BD-R/-RE/-ROM/DVD+-RW/+-R DL/RAM for safekeeping. Whether you are editing in HD or enjoying an HD movie, the massive 17-inch WUXGA (1920x1200) widescreen display gives you every last pixel of 1080p Full HD in brilliant colour with X-black LCD screen enhancement and super-bright double lamp illumination.

Expensive but powerful HD laptop


Preis schlecht, Leistung gut
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 07/16/2008
Rating: price: 40% performance: 80%
80% Sony Vaio VGN-AR61ZU review
Source: Tech Advisor English Archive.org version
The Sony Vaio VGN-AR61ZU is a very competent desktop-replacement laptop with impressive performance and good entertainment capabilities. Provided you're not planning on moving it too far and you can afford the high asking price it shouldn't disappoint.
(von 5): 4, Preis 3.5, Verarbeitung 4.5, Ausstattung 4.5, Leistung gut
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 04/28/2008
Rating: Total score: 80% price: 70% performance: 80% features: 90% workmanship: 90%
80% Sony VAIO VGN-AR61ZU - Entertainment Notebook
Source: Trusted Reviews English Archive.org version
Despite the chassis being close to three years old, the VAIO VGN-AR61ZU is probably still the best looking, Full HD multimedia notebook on the market. You're also getting a very solid specification with strong performance, making it an ideal replacement for your big, ugly desktop machine. With a digital TV tuner and a Blu-ray drive built-in, you've got your entertainment needs pretty much sewn up. On the down side, the screen isn't quite as good as it could be, with backlight bleed at the bottom and top edges, while black levels could also be better. Also, the woefully disappointing internal speakers are a real issue with machines like Toshiba's Qosmio and the Acer Aspire Gemstone Blue have great internal sound to complement their visual performance. But even with these issues and the annoying placement of the touchpad buttons, the VGN-AR61ZU has a lot to offer the user who wants everything in one box.
(von 10): 8, Ausstattung 8, Leistung 9
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 04/04/2008
Rating: Total score: 80% performance: 90% features: 80%

Comment

NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT: The NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT is the DirectX 10 capable successor of the GeForce Go 7600 GT GPU for laptops. Depending on the used graphic memory and the clock speed,  the performance is between the 7600 GT and 7900 GS video card.

Only some 3D games with very low demands are playable with these cards.

» 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.


T8300: The Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 was at the time of announcement a fast dual-core CPU for laptops with 3 MB level 2 cache.» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.


17.10": This display size is a standard format for desktop replacements (DTR). The DTR laptops are heavier to carry, need more power, but texts are easy to read and high resolutions are no problem. DTR are mainly intended for stationary desk use, where weight and energy hunger don't matter. In return, you enjoy the advantages of high resolutions (more details, better legibility).» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.


3.9 kg:

Only a few laptops are in this weight class because the mobility is rather limited due to the high weight. 


Sony: Sony Corporation is one of the largest Japanese electronics companies. The company was founded in 1946 under a different name and initially produced rice stoves. The company launched the first transistor radio. In 1958, the company was renamed Sony. Sony is a combination of the Latin word sonus (sound) and the English word sonny (little boy). Today, its core business is consumer electronics. The company is engaged in the development, design, manufacture and sale of electronic equipment, instruments, devices, game consoles and software. Sony operates in the following segments: Gaming and Network Services, Music, Images, Home Entertainment and Sound, Imaging Products and Solutions, Mobile Communications, Semiconductors, Financial Services and Others.


80%: This rating is not earth-shattering. This rating must actually be seen as average, since there are about as many devices with worse ratings as better ones. A purchase recommendation can only be seen with a lot of goodwill, unless it is about websites that generally rate strictly.


» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.

 

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Reviews on Sony Laptops at Ciao
Sony Laptops at Idealo

Sony Vaio VGN-AR61ZU
Sony Vaio VGN-AR61ZU
Stefan Hinum, 2008-05- 2 (Update: 2012-05-26)