Reviews of the Sony VAIO XL3
-
CNET Review
The Good: Sleek, quiet home theater PC; wide variety of input and output options; smooth Blu-ray playback; well-thought-out remote control
The Bad: Questionable bang for the buck from the core hardware; single CableCard tuner means reduced PVR capability; wireless keyboard needs some refining.
The Bottom Line: If you're inclined to spend a lot for silence and slim design, Sony's new XL3 Digital Living System delivers better than any other full-size home theater PC we've seen. If you're looking for customizability and the most bang for your buck, other vendors have this system beat.
-
alaTest.com
Review Summary: Experts rate this product 74/100 and users 60/100. Comparing these reviews to 35244 other Desktop Computers reviews gives this product an overall alaScore™ 86/100 = Very Good.
-
No Rating
pcadvisor.co.uk
Review Summary: The Sony VAIO VGX-XL3 Digital Living System is a PC. And based on our experience with it, PCs still don't belong in the living room.
-
pcworld.com
Review Summary: This Windows Vista-based Media Center PC is one of the first to support CableCards for decrypting and recording scrambled programming, but it does so with some severe limitations.
- No Rating
Manufacturer: Sony
Part number: VGX-XL3
General
- Platform Technology Intel VIIV Technology
- Type Media center
- Product Form Factor Desktop
- Built-in Devices LED panel
- Width 16.9 in
- Depth 15.7 in
- Height 5.1 in
- Weight 23.1 lbs
- Color Black
- Desktop type Media center system
Processor
- Type Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 / 2.13 GHz
- Multi-Core processor technology Dual-Core
- 64-bit processor Yes
- Installed Qty 1
- Max processors supported 1
Cache Memory
- Type L2 cache
- Installed Size 2 MB
- Cache Per Processor 2 MB
Mainboard
- Chipset type Intel P965 Express
- Data bus speed 1066 MHz
RAM
- Installed Size 2 GB / 3 GB (max)
- Technology DDR2 SDRAM
- Memory speed 667 MHz
- Memory specification compliance PC2-5300
- RAM form factor DIMM 240-pin
- RAM configuration features 2 x 1 GB
Storage Controller
- Type RAID - Integrated
- Controller interface type Serial ATA-150
- RAID level RAID 0
Storage Controller (2nd)
- Type IDE
Storage
- Hard Drive 2 x 250 GB - Standard - Serial ATA-150 - 7200 rpm
- Hard Drive (2nd) None
Optical Storage
- Type BD-RE - IDE
Storage Removable
- Type None
Monitor
- Monitor Type None.
Multimedia Functionality
- TV tuner type Digital and analog TV
- Video input Video capture adapter
- Analog TV system NTSC
- Digital TV reception ATSC
- High definition TV functionality Yes
Graphics Controller
- Type PCI Express x16 - Plug-in card
- Graphics Processor / Vendor NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GTL
- Total Available Graphics Memory 527 MB
- Digital Video Standard High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), Digital Visual Interface (DVI)
Audio Output
- Type Sound card - Integrated
- Audio output compliant standards Direct Stream Digital (DSD)
- Speaker(s) None
Input Device
- Type Keyboard
Keyboard
- Keyboard connectivity Wireless
- Keyboard features Built-in touch pad
Audio Input
- Type None
Telecom
- Modem None
Networking
- Networking Network adapter - Integrated
- Wireless LAN Supported Yes
- Data Link Protocol Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11a, Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
- Compliant Standards IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g
Printer
- Type None
Expansion / Connectivity
- Expansion Bays Total (Free) 2 ( 0 ) x Internal - 3.5" x 1/3H
- Expansion Slots Total (Free) 1 ( 1 ) x CableCARD, 2 ( 1 ) x PCI, 1 ( 0 ) x PCI Express x16
- Interfaces 1 x Audio / video - Composite video/audio input - RCA ( 1 in front ), 1 x Audio - Line-out - RCA, 1 x Microphone - Input - Mini-phone 3.5 mm ( 1 in front ), 1 x Display / video - S-video input ( 1 in front ), 1 x Headphones - Output - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm ( 1 in front ), Audio - SPDIF output - TOSLINK, 4 x Hi-Speed USB - 4 pin USB Type A ( 2 in front ), 1 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire) - 4 pin FireWire ( 1 in front ), 1 x Audio - Line-in - RCA, Audio - SPDIF input - TOSLINK, 1 x TV antenna, 1 x Display / video - HDMI - 19 pin HDMI Type A, 1 x Display / video - Component video output - RCA, 1 x Network - Ethernet 10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T - RJ-45, 2 x IEEE 1394 (FireWire) - 6 pin FireWire
Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories Remote control
- Cables Included HDMI cable, HDMI-DVI adapter
- Features Cable card, TV tuner
- Compliant Standards ACPI
Power
- Power device type Power supply
- Voltage Required AC 120/230 V
- Power provided 297 Watt
Operating System / Software
- OS Provided Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
- Software Sony Click to DVD, Microsoft Works 8.5, Microsoft Office 2007 (Trial), Ulead BD DiscRecorder, Norton Internet Security 2007 (60 days subscription), InterVideo WinDVD BD for VAIO, AOL Online (90 days trial), Adobe Premiere Elements
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year
Greenpeace 'Guide to Greener Electronics'
- Greenpeace 'Guide to Greener Electronics' manufacturer rating (June 2008) 5.1
- Greenpeace 'Guide to Greener Electronics' manufacturer rating (Mar 2008) 7.3
Card Reader
- Card reader Card reader
- Supported flash memory cards CompactFlash Card type II, Memory Stick Duo, MultiMediaCard, CompactFlash Card type I, Memory Stick Pro, SmartMedia Card, Memory Stick, SD Memory Card, XD-Picture Card
Product Video
Product Photos
User Opinions
Premier Vendor Content Whitepapers, webcasts & resources from our Power Center Sponsors
- Which solar technology will survive?
-
At the Cleantech Forum in San Francisco, Todd Glass of Heller Ehrman moderates a discussion, among tech execs, on the various solar technologies making a difference in the green movement.
- Watch the video >>
- See how Intel Xeon processors provide data traffic optimization
-
With key platform innovations built-in, the Intel Xeon processor 7400 series offers more headroom, reliability, and the highest expandability for large-scale server consolidation.
- Watch the Flash demo to learn about the Intel® Xeon® processor 7400 series >>
- Printers
- 'Green' Font Cuts Costs and Saves Trees (BNET)
- Three Ways to Save Paper (BNET)
- CNET Reviews printer buying guide (CNET)
- View all printers-tagged content on ZDNet
- Plan B from Brother
- It's the smarter way to work in color Our professional color ink-jet all-in-ones give you more choices, more features, and more value. Make the Smarter Choice. Learn More »
