Apart from the Windows Media Center operating system, Sony's software bundle is typical of that of a mediacentric system. You get Sony's Click-to-DVD for disc burning, PictureGear Studio for digital image editing, and the VAIO Media network file-sharing software, among others. Sony also throws in Microsoft Works 8.0, a scaled-down productivity suite, and Quicken 2005 New User Edition for money management. Short-term demos and limited subscriptions to tools such as Norton Internet Security 2005 and InterMute SpySubtract are just enough to whet the appetite.
Sony provides an industry-standard one-year warranty with round-the-clock phone service and a limited onsite service policy. The Sony support site continues to make improvements to the relevance of its knowledge base, and we're impressed with the extensive tutorials, driver software downloads, and other features. Paper support documents are skimpy, though, with only a quick-start sheet and little else.
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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BAPCo SysMark 2004 rating | |
SysMark 2004 Internet-content-creation rating | |
SysMark 2004 office-productivity rating |
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
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Half-Life 2 1,024x768 4xAA 8xAF |
Find out more about how we test desktops systems.
System configurations:
Gateway 832GM
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005; 3.0GHz Intel P4 630; Intel 915G chipset; 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; 128MB integrated Intel 915G (shared memory); WDC WD2500JD-22HBB0 250GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA
HP Media Center m7070n Photosmart PC
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005; 3.2GHz Intel P4 640; Intel 915G chipset; 1,024MB DDR2 SDRAM 400MHz; 128MB ATI Radeon X300 (PCIe); Seagate ST3250823AS 250GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA
HP z555 Digital Entertainment Center
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005; 3.0GHz Intel P4 530; Intel 915G chipset; 512MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; 128MB Nvidia GeForce 6600 (PCIe); Maxtor 6B250S0 250GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA
Shuttle XPC G5 8300MC
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005; 3.0GHz Intel P4 530; Intel 915G chipset; 512MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; 256MB Nvidia GeForce 6600 (PCIe); WDC WD2500JD-98HBB0 250GB 7,200rpm Serial ATA
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005; 3.2GHz Intel P4 640; Intel 915G chipset; 1,024MB DDR SDRAM 400MHz; 128MB ATI Radeon X300 (PCIe); WDC WD2500JD-98HBB0 250GB, 7,200rpm Serial ATA
