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Sony VAIO VGC-RB50 Intel Pentium 4 640 3.2GHz Desktop Computer

Wednesday, June 7th, 2006 | Desktop Computers, Reviews

This Sony computer is designed for use as a media center computer. With minimalist styling, it manages to fit fairly well into you living room, but not nearly as well as some of the newer Sony offerings that have home entertainment center styling, rather than just a good looking computer case.

For a fraction under $900, does this system compare well against newer models offering a little more future proofness and power?

Let’s take a look at the specifications. The Intel Pentium 4 640 3.2GHz processor is from the older 600 series of processors from Intel. They perform fine, but were known for producing a lot of heat, and using a lot of power. The inclusion of a DVD burner and a large 250GB hard drive are fairly run of the mill for a media center computer, computers which are usually designed for home entertainment.

Integrated audio and graphics do not lend themselves to high quality systems, although they have gotten better in recent years, the best is still found in component parts. A standard affair when it comes to networking, all which are possible without upgrades.

The biggest gripe I have is the missing remote control. These are a fairly standard accessory on Sony computers and make a whole lot of sense for entertainment centers, nobody wants to get up and use a mouse for the simple of functions on the computer, especially playback of videos and other media.

So overall, I don’t think that this computer is really worth it. I would put the money into a more up to date version which has more features included. It’s not a bad system, and at the time was probably good, but not good enough anymore.

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