Sony Vaio VGN-Z51XG reviews: Laptop computer

Score 8.0/10 Read 9
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This laptop is a good all rounder.

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Sony Vaio VGN-Z51XG with 2 Core Processor, 4GB of Memory and on Windows 7 Professional. 5.8 hours of battery See full product description

Battery life	7.2
Design	8.6
Size and weight	9.1
Performance	8.8
Value for money	7.7
Overall rating	8.0

Some customer reviews of Sony Vaio VGN-Z51XG

Most helpful reviews

Confirmed purchaser Business user

Score 8.0/10

Good points:: The screen is very clear. The battery lasts longer than previous models. The design is light and very good
Bad points:: Number of ports has obviously been traded for light design but at least an extra USB port or putting something in the laptop box that it came with e.g. multiple USB connector would have been wise

Battery life	8.0
Design	9.0
Size and weight	10.0
Performance	8.0
Value for money	8.0
Overall rating	8.0

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Confirmed purchase: 29 Mar 2010

David, Mwanza Business user

Score 8.0/10

Good points:: Super light & compact
Fully featured
High-res screen
DVD-RW
3G
Fast processor
Bad points:: No iluminated keyboard
Screen gets damaged by keyboad and case
Dual graphics not supported in Linux
Edges of case damage easily
Green power led is way too bright

Battery life	6.0
Design	8.0
Size and weight	10.0
Performance	10.0
Value for money	9.0
Overall rating	8.0

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Confirmed purchase: 26 Feb 2012

S, London Often on the move

Score 9.0/10

Good points:: Feels sturdy (a previous VAIO I had was flimsy but this one is good).
Bad points:: Battery life is about 2 hrs.

Battery life	4.0
Design	10.0
Size and weight	10.0
Performance	10.0
Value for money	8.0
Overall rating	9.0

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Confirmed purchase: 21 Dec 2009

Andrew, Colchester Business user

Score 8.0/10

Good points:: Great speed and battery life. Portable and looks good
Bad points:: Screen flexes a bit more than you would expect.
Screen is a bit small for that resolution and can be difficult to read.

Battery life	10.0
Design	9.0
Size and weight	10.0
Performance	10.0
Value for money	6.0
Overall rating	8.0

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Confirmed purchase: 18 Dec 2009

Paul, London Business user

Score 7.0/10

Good points:: The performance & design is pretty good.
Bad points:: It's larger & heavier than I wanted as I have previously used the TZ model Vaio but Sony no longer make a small powerful laptop (which I think is a huge mistake)!

Battery life	7.0
Design	7.0
Size and weight	6.0
Performance	7.0
Value for money	6.0
Overall rating	7.0

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Confirmed purchase: 13 May 2011

Nigel, Ipswich Often on the move

Score 7.0/10

Good points:: excellent screen,
good keyboard.
Battery life can be very good - as long as only one application is running.
Bad points:: does not have all the features that were advertised! Eg finger-swipe for secure log-in
Machine locks up completely when being used on battery and hte mains charger is connected. Needs battery removal to restart!
Windows 7 still locks up too often
"Green droop tag" remains at the top of the screen, even when projecting PowerPoint

Battery life	8.0
Design	8.0
Size and weight	9.0
Performance	7.0
Value for money	6.0
Overall rating	7.0

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Confirmed purchase: 03 Nov 2009

Read all 9 customer reviews

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Product Features

Screen size (Inches)	13.1
Screen size is measured diagonally from corner to corner.
Operating system	Windows 7 Professional
Software on which the device runs
RAM in GB	4

Number of Cores	2
Computer processors are made up of 1 or more cores. Having multiple cores allows the computer to run two or more processes at once, improving multi-tasking and speeding things up.
Hard disk capacity (Gigabytes)	400
Hard Disk capacity is measured in GBs which stands for Gigabytes. A gigabyte is 1000 MB or megabytes. The more GB you have the more info like photos and music you can store.
Screen Resolution (pixels)	1600x900
The number of pixels the screen has. The more you have, the more detail the screen can display, given a high quality source. A breakdown of resolutions can be found on Wikipedia here
Processor Brand	Intel ®
There are 2 main manufacturers of computer processors. They are Intel and AMD.
Processor	Core 2 Duo
This is the processor model range. Different types of processor have different types of functionality. For example Centrino processors are specifically designed to increase battery life in laptops.
Processor Number	P8700
This is the specific processor number in the processor range.
Processor Speed in MHz	2530
The processor is the driving force of your personal computer. The higher the number in Megahertz or Mhz the faster your computer will run. Don’t forget that other factors such as the number of cores will have an effect on speed.
USB port	2
Socket for connecting devices such as a computers and other components.
Integrated Webcam	Yes
A webcam is a small, in-built camera that allows you to record video to upload to popular sites like Youtube or have video chats with friends on Instant Messaging services.
WiFi	Yes
Wifi allows you to connect your device to wireless routers or modems which allows you to connect to broadband internet.
Bluetooth	Yes
Bluetooth is a technology for the wireless transfer of data such as contacts, photos and music between mobile phones, computers and a host of other Bluetooth enabled devices. Read more about Bluetooth on Wikipedia
3G	No
3G allows mobile phones and mobile dongles to achieve broadband speeds similar to that of home broadband. This allows users to browse the internet, email and download files and video whilst on the move.
Fingerprint Access	No
Fingerprint access offers you an extra layer of security on your computer and is essential for any budding secret agent.
Remote control	No
DVD Writer	DVD-Writer
DVD Writers can be used to copy data, music, documents or films from your laptop, netbook or desktop computer, onto a blank DVD. DVD writers can also copy info onto blank CDs but CDs have a lower storage capacity. Normal DVD discs can store up to 4.7GB of info. DVD stands for Digital Versatile Disc.
DVD Drive	Yes
CD Rom	Yes
Blu-ray Drive	No
VGA Port	Yes
VGA stands for Video Graphics Array. The VGA socket is used for connecting a monitor or TV to your computer. If you want to use an external monitor, TV or projector on your laptop make sure it has a VGA or DVI socket. VGA is also sometimes referred to as D-sub.
DVI Port	No
DVI stands for Digital Visual Interface. Like VGA, DVI is used to connect laptops, desktops and other devices to HD TVs or monitors. You can buy a small adaptor to convert your digital DVI socket to an analogue VGA socket for use with older monitors if needed.
Card Reader	Multi Card Reader
A memory card reader allows you to connect various types of card such as SD Cards, MMC Cards or Compact Flash Cards to your laptop or desktop computer. Memory Card Readers are extremely useful for photographers as it allows you to quickly transfer your snaps from camera to machine meaning you can have them uploaded to your favourite website or printed out in a matter of minutes.
Battery Life in Hours	5.8
Battery life is important if you travel a lot. Long train journeys can be a pain if you don’t get more than 3 hours of life out of your laptop. It’s worth remembering that a lot of trains offer power sockets now so don’t be put off by a low battery life unless your lifestyle demands ultra portability.
Weight (kg)	1.55

Brand of Graphic Chip	nVidia
Graphics cards in desktop computers and graphics chips in laptops are manufactured by 3 main companies: Intel, ATI and nVidia. If you want to play modern games aim for an ATI or nVidia card or chip. Intel cards and chips work perfectly for general laptop use, video playback and older computer games.
Graphic Card or Chip	9300MGS
This is the range and model number of the graphics card or chip in your desktop or laptop computer
Graphics Memory (MB)	256

Firewire	Yes
TV Output	Yes
Aspect Ratio	16:10
Video Editing Card	No
Hard Drive Type	Hard Disk Drive

TV Card	No
Release date	40126
The date the product was originally made available for purchase.

Also known as: Sony VAIO Z51XG/B

Laptop Buyers Guide

Manufacturer's Description

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