Sony Vaio MX Computer

Sony home computers tend to be well-designed, stylish, and expensive, and the new Vaio MX is no exception. With this new Vaio, Sony manages to pack nearly every feature we could want into a small, stylish case. After using the new Vaio for several days, the term "feature-overload" sprang to mind. We started to wonder if anyone would ever use all of this computer's features. Sony style The Sony Vaio MX computer (model PCV-MXS10) features many impressive design touches and comes fully (and we mean fully) loaded with enough hardware to keep even the most hardcore (consumer) digital audio/video (AV) enthusiast busy for some time. The Vaio's case is standard Sony -- an attractive but smallish midtower design. A high-resolution, green-lit LCD display adorns the case's face and provides a nice place to put an animated Vaio logo. The display also shows drive activity, a feature usually seen as flashing LEDs on regular systems. Multimedia controls, including volume adjustment, are integrated on the front of the case with the LCD providing feedback. Sony's bundled media player applications also take advantage of the LCD to display additional track, title, and time-remaining information. A 40 watt (20 watt plus 20 watt) FM stereo receiver integrated into the Vaio MX powers two included speakers that stand nearly as tall as the PC case. Volume and sound quality are above average, as one would expect. Inputs, outputs, and ports galore The Vaio MX excels with its number of connection options. Opening a panel on the front of the computer reveals microphone and headphone jacks, a Type II PC Card (PCMCIA) slot, a Memory Stick slot, a four-pin IEEE 1394 (i.LINK/FireWire) connection, and a USB port. Turn the MX around and you'll find another USB port, a six-pin IEEE 1394 port, Ethernet, and a modem. The Vaio MX has some interesting audio options, including inputs and outputs for both analog (unamplified/RCA-style) and optical audio. This combination gives the MX great flexibility in terms of a home-theater setting or for audio capture. Hardware hits and misses Sony's Vaio MX sacrifices pure CPU performance in favor of a rich multimedia experience. Its midtower design packs a Pentium 4 running at 1.7 GHz and 512MB of SDRAM. The Pentium 4 is a data-starved processor, and pairing it with SDRAM instead of the faster RDRAM means the CPU has to wait a little longer. However, the large amount of RAM available helps make up for this design choice and only under memory-intensive situations would the average user notice the difference. Users who would like to increase the amount of memory in this system will be out of luck -- both memory slots (yes, only two) are already filled to their limit. The Vaio MX supports reading and writing CD or DVD media thanks to its Pioneer DVD-R/RW disc recorder. MiniDisc users will enjoy the integrated recorder featuring NetMD functionality and recording speeds up to 24X. The included keyboard has a nice feel and features quick-launch buttons for Internet and multimedia applications. A cleverly designed keyboard cover folds back to become a wrist rest. The included PS/2-style mouse is decent, but a $3,000 computer should include an optical mouse rather than the standard ball design. The MX's case is attractive and functional. All ports and drives on the front of the Vaio MX are easily accessed by the touch of a sculpted button. The integrated multimedia controls are also well made and match the system's overall design. The power button stands out with its bright blue LED backlight and unique shape. Touches like these add a sense of quality and make day-to-day use that much easier.