Sony VAIO VGN-AR730E/B 2.1GHz 320GB 17-inch Laptop w/Blu-Ray (Refurbished)

Rating

This seems to be a "like-new" product completely free of defects, visible or internal. I'd give the laptop 4 out of 5 stars on processor power; 3.5 out of 5 on graphics. BD Disc support is good although 900 vertical lines of resolution on a 16:10 aspect ratio does not make for the "Full 1080 HD" proclaimed in the labeling. 2 x 160 GB harddrives is a nice feature. I have Linux on the second hard drive which lets me make use of the CPU's 64 bit capability (the laptop ships with Vista Home Premium 32 bit, which is fine for me, 32 bit Windows is definitely more compatible than the 64 bit Edition. If you like Sony go with this laptop. It's a great deal!

Rating

The computer performed reasonably well. Shipping packaging was very poor -- the unit was not very clean and was wrapped in bubble wrap. We definitely expect better from a unit serviced by a genuine Sony facility. There is a dark spot near the center of the screen, which might be the reason it was returned.

Rating

i recently purchased this ar730 and am really happy with it. Its fast, the screen is big enough to see everything im doing. This laptop is replaced my Dell computer. I particularly like this sony because i dont go through the hassle of connecting plugs and wires everything is already set up, and i can take it anywhere i want!

Rating

Great machine once you call tech support and figure out how to initialize the other half of the storage space... I went through the initial set up to see that it was only at 160GB ... thought it might be in a RAID configuration but nope .. it was just not initialized ... called techsupport and they stepped me through with no problem ... then they gave me a list of links to update everything ... Then the machine's auto upgrade features worked and it upgrades itself after that ... (sweet) (oh and you have to be online for this feature)This is a refurbished model, so I think whomever got it first, didn't want to spend the time on the phone to get it straightened out. Originally priced, I think i would have returned it too ... but at the refurb price it is a steal.Battery life is pretty good for a 17 in screen. It has an app that controls the power consumption (you can modify the app to your liking too) ... so if you need a good while afp (away from power) you can set the resolution lower and slow the speed down and get almost 2 hours in black and white lowest resolution and backlight at 35% ... but at full everything i got about 20 minutes.The intergrated camera is decent enough for anything you do on the net. It comes with a face following app that is nice ... and works .. and some distortion filters that my daughter and I tried out and laughed for almost 2 solid hours until we were litterally hurting ... as a side note if you laugh for 2 hours you can't walk it hurts so much ... (so don't try the filters for very long just a suggestion :o)WiFi got pretty good range i was about 200 meters away from home Router(g) and still had 2 bars ( i live in the woods). You have 2.4 and 5Ghz to choose from.I converted and burnt a 2 hour 15 min dvd 4.3 in 58 minutes from an avi using CovertXtoDVD ... on my HIGHEND Desktop 3.4GHZ Dual core it took 51 ... so that is really good for a laptop (some may call it a desktop replacement, but it is pretty thin and light so I think it is in the laptop range)What else ... the screen .... it is good and bad ... the view within 45degrees is REALLY - I mean wickedly - GOOD! ... if you have no glare ,,, after that it washes out and acts more like a mirror... so as a movie machine, with the blueray player, it is Great for a couple sitting next to each other (with headphones) ... but not really good for a presentation to a group ... unless maybe the lights are off in the room and its a small group. But as a one on one with a client, I think it would do fine.The stereo speakers are good if you are in a quiet room and are not an audiophile looking to critic Motzart on it. They are two tiny little speakers ... common what do expect. It has an audio output with a fairly low S-2-N so that my headphones sound really good ... a 25 dollar pair of noise isolation in the ears Sony's.Haven't played any online FPS RPG's with it to comment ... but I'd bet that it has the muscle for anything except maybe Crisis. If your not a gamer, forget you read these 2 lines.To sum it up ... this is one of a few high dollar purchases that made me proud of my self for getting such a good deal ... if you have 3500 bucks to blow, get something with a blueray burner and a better screen otherwise you can't go wrong with this purchase at the refurb price. I rate it a buy!One last comment regarding Overstocked ... i have bought 5 different electronic devices that were refurbs and not one problem with the machine, that a call to tech support didn't fix in a jiffy. The savings is worth the half hour I had to spend on the phone.as always ... Buyer Beware ,,, but Overstocked has always satisfied me. (so far ;o)

Rating

This is a great computer. Has a very fast processor, a mega amount of memory and super large Hard drive space. The only thing to watch is that the unit has 2 Hard Drives. 1 of them may not be activated when you get the unit and it may appear that you only have half your hard drive space. Not to worry, initializing the second one is simple.