Entered CNET Catalog: 10/24/2002
SKU: 110200A5
Manufacturer: BestBuy.com
Product summary
The good: Handsome; big screen; fast; long battery life; moderate price; exceptional audio.
The bad: Mushy keyboard; short warranty; bottom gets hot.
The bottom line: Best Buy's carefully designed VPR Matrix 200A5 has the power to satisfy business users and the style to charm hipsters.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 11/12/2002
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 The slot-loading combo drive. |
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Like your car stereo, this notebook features a slot-loading optical drive, which sucks in DVDs and CDs; there's no clunky, extending disc tray. Buttons along the front edge conveniently operate the optical drive, so you can play audio CDs without opening the lid or powering up the system. Another button on the left edge turns the wireless network on and off easily.
Good looks aside, however, this notebook isn't perfect; we encountered a couple of design elements we don't care for. The 82-key keyboard, in particular, doesn't meet the standards set by the notebook as a whole. It sags as you type, and although the keys look cool in translucent gray, they wobble, feel mushy, and don't provide feedback for touch-typists. Also, the touchpad's two mouse buttons are a case of design over utility; long and skinny, they're hard to find with your thumb and hard to click.
 The CD-control buttons on the front edge. |
 The touchpad and mouse buttons. |
The notebook's metal shell can get pretty toasty on the bottom, too. This probably helps dissipate heat, but if you get sunburned on vacation, don't expect to spend the flight home with the notebook on your lap. And if you still use floppies, you'll need to buy a third-party external drive. This notebook doesn't have an integrated drive, and Best Buy doesn't offer an external option.
Best Buy equipped the VPR Matrix 200A5 with all the hardware it needs to really rip. It runs on a 2GHz Pentium 4-M with 512MB of DDR memory, and its standalone graphics controller (an Nvidia GeForce4 420 Go with 32MB of its own memory) paints intense, saturated colors evenly across the odd-sized, 1,280x854 LCD. The screen's 3:2 aspect ratio isn't a perfect match for 5:3 letterbox movies, but it's close enough to give you a big-screen feeling. We were a little disappointed by its slightly soft-focus look when displaying graphics, and it plays DVDs on the 24X/8X/8X/8X CD-RW/DVD with the same soft touch. But the screen gave us a pleasant surprise by rendering sharp, easy-to-read text.
The notebook comes equipped with a bevy of high-end communication features. It has two antennae for wireless Internet access, a high-speed wireless Wi-Fi network link, a 10/100GHz Ethernet port, and a 56K modem. A single Type II PC Card slot leaves room for additional communication links as you need them. Plus, you can send video out to a television screen on the included S-Video port and attach digital cameras and camcorders to the two four-pin FireWire ports. You also get two USB 2.0 ports.
 The 15.2-inch, wide-aspect display. |
 PC Card slot on the left. |
The VPR Matrix's other notable high-tech feature is its Sonopür up-sampling audio setup, which interpolates between samples to effectively double the quality of sound. We tested the sonics with high-quality headphones and were quite impressed. The great sound system wasn't as apparent on the notebook's tiny speakers, which sounded like typical, muted laptop models.
Best Buy sticks to the basics in its software bundle, however. The VPR Matrix comes with Windows XP Home, Microsoft Works 6.0, and CyberLink PowerDVD MPEG2.
The VPR Matrix yielded very impressive mobile performance in CNET Labs' tests. With its 2GHz Pentium 4-M and 512MB of DDR SDRAM, the VPR Matrix 200A5 scored 143, besting two comparison systems, the Dell Latitude C640 and the HP Pavilion zt1290. The 512MB of DDR SDRAM is one of the main reasons for the Matrix's high performance, especially over the Dell Latitude C640, which has a faster 5,400rpm hard drive but only 256MB of DDR SDRAM.
| MobileMark2002 mobile performance test Longer bars indicate faster performance | ||||||
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System configurations:
Best Buy VPR Matrix
Windows XP Home; 2GHz Intel Pentium 4-M, 512MB DDR SDRAM 266MHz, Nividia GeForce4 420 Go 32MB; IBM Travelstar 40GN 4,200rpm
Dell Latitude C640
Windows XP Professional; 2GHz Intel Pentium 4-M; 256MB DDR SDRAM 266MHz; ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 32MB; Toshiba MK4019GAX 40GB 5,400rpm
HP Pavilion zt1290
Windows XP Home; 1.9GHz Intel Pentium 4-M; 512MB DDR SDRAM 266MHz; ATI Mobility Radeon M7-C 32MB; Hitachi DK23DA-40 40GB 4,200rpm
The VPR Matrix 200A5 matched its high performance score with long battery life, surviving in our tests for 195 minutes. Its 11.1V, 6,600mAh battery allowed it to last a little longer than the Dell Latitude C640, and it clobbered the HP Pavilion zt1290 by almost 40 minutes. This is not surprising as the Pavilion zt1290's 14.8V, 3,900mAh battery is less powerful than the VPR Matrix's. It's rare that a notebook scores high in performance and has a long-lasting battery as the VPR Matrix does.
| MobileMark2002 battery-life test Time is measured in minutes; longer bars indicate better performance | ||||||
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To measure mobile application performance and battery life, CNET Labs uses BAPCo's MobileMark2002. MobileMark measures both applications performance and battery life concurrently using a number of popular applications (Microsoft Word 2002, Microsoft Excel 2002, Microsoft PowerPoint 2002, Microsoft Outlook 2002, Netscape Communicator 6.0, WinZip Computing WinZip 8.0, McAfee VirusScan 5.13, Adobe Photoshop 6.0.1, and Macromedia Flash 5.0).
Find out more about how we test notebook systems.
System configurations:
Best Buy VPR Matrix
Windows XP Home; 2GHz Intel Pentium 4-M, 512MB DDR SDRAM 266MHz, Nividia GeForce4 420 Go 32MB; IBM Travelstar 40GN 4,200rpm
Dell Latitude C640
Windows XP Professional; 2GHz Intel Pentium 4-M; 256MB DDR SDRAM 266MHz; ATI Mobility Radeon 7500 32MB; Toshiba MK4019GAX 40GB 5,400rpm
HP Pavilion zt1290
Windows XP Home; 1.9GHz Intel Pentium 4-M; 512MB DDR SDRAM 266MHz; ATI Mobility Radeon M7-C 32MB; Hitachi DK23DA-40 40GB 4,200rpm
Sadly, Best Buy's support options for the VPR Matrix 200A5 don't match the quality of the machine itself. The warranty policy provides only one year of coverage for parts and labor, and you'll have to either carry or ship the system to Best Buy for service. Best Buy doesn't provide a warranty upgrade choice, either, although (like other electronics stores) it sells a service plan that covers the product.
Want to fix the VPR Matrix yourself? Its included documentation consists of a stylish but hard-to-read poster that describes the features in pale purple ink on a pale purple background and a 36-page manual that covers a few basics such as how to operate the optical drive and replace the battery. The Best Buy Web site has no documentation or support, but on the plus side, you get free tech support 24/7 on a toll-free line while the warranty is in effect. The company also considers four bad pixels--either stuck on or dead--as grounds for replacement, which is somewhat generous compared to most other vendors.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27out of 27 user reviews
Sleek and fast. Has been very reliable but poor wireless performance.
Pros: The slot loading DVD. Excellent screen. Great audio.
Cons: Wireless performance is very poor on my unit. Ended up adding a more modern PCMCIA wireless card. This is my only gripe. Otherwise a very nice laptop
out of 27 user reviews
not worthy of buying
Pros: its a cheap laptop
Cons: gets really hot on the bottom and you will probaly have to use a medium size fan to blow on it stinks for gaming
out of 27 user reviews
Having problems for a year
Pros: It looks good, the LCD on this laptop looks nice, video card is mediocre, and the combo drive is useful.
Cons: Its just not reliable. It was sent for service 4 times since a year ago. I dont know what is going on, but many buttons dont work. Also, the hard drive speed is slow.
out of 27 user reviews
Low-quality DVD drive
Pros: Features for the money
Cons: Overheating and, worse, lousy DVD drive. Can't read half of brand-new blank DVDs I tried. Very long reading time on even the ones that worked. More than half of DVD movies either not played at all or stopped in the middle.
out of 27 user reviews
Its been a great laptop so far
Pros: I've had the computer for a little over a year and half and really haven't had any problems with it. It was serviced once for a loose audio jack but other than that its worked beautifully. No complaints, heats not really that bad.
Cons: The hard drive could be faster and VPR should update its drivers. I doubt thats going to happen since they are no longer in business. They only service their machines now. I have the extended warranty so if the thing breaks either their going to replace i
out of 27 user reviews
Great Windows machine for the money
Pros: Does all I ask and fast
Cons: Too hot for use on lap with CPU-intensive tasks.
out of 27 user reviews
No manual, no help, stay far away from Best Buy machines
Pros: Good price.
Cons: If you don't pay for the exorbitant extended plan, you can't get any help with your machine, and you might as well toss it out the window. BEWARE!
out of 27 user reviews
VPR MATRIX 200A5
Pros: Bought one of these secondhand from Ebay, they are the same as a BENQ Joybook 8000, check out the design, I know I have both notebooks and the mainboard and parts can be swapped.
Cons: it's all good when they work, but when they are bust, time to search Ebay again for parts
out of 27 user reviews
Bought for its screen
Pros: 1. big screen(15.2") with high resolution(1280x854) 2. sturdy look and a strong hand rest. 3. Went for service "within" the warranty period(One of the key fell off.) and had a smooth service, received on the said time. 4. May be will last longer if u tre
Cons: 1. closing latch falls apart. 2. USB ports have some kinda plastic which breaks easily, there on u cant use USB ports. 3. dvd-cdr/w drive is not ok, but I felt that life was easier with the traditional cd drive slot(that ejects on push of a button). 4.
out of 27 user reviews
Lemon Version 2.0
Pros: Blasing fast performance and beautiful display.
Cons: Poor construction, wireless range of 3 feet, 20 min battery life.
out of 27 user reviews
Horrible Warranty
Pros: The features are great on this laptop, if everything worked all the time. It does get hot, and the wifi range is no more than 20-30 feet, which is ridiculous. Other than that, features-wise, its great.
Cons: Reliability is mediocre, at best. Working with VPR support is great, they fix and ship the laptop back really quick (i've sent it in 5-6 times in my first year). Best Buy customer services is HORRIBLE, so once your first year is over, and your extended
out of 27 user reviews
F.A. should stick to cars
Pros: apple like features.
Cons: No that I have finished screaming I can write a rational letter. First off the sound quality was horrible. even on 10 It sounded like 3. It got pretty hot but that is what i expected for a light weight desktop replacement. the face plate seemed like it
out of 27 user reviews
Excellent Combination of Performance and Price
Pros: I bought this computer going into college and for the past 4 months it has performed flawless. I have multiple friends who purchased dell laptops and this one outperforms them without contest. I purchased it for approximately $1000 from best buy after sal
Cons: As for bottom getting hot, it does tend to get warm after extended periods of use, but not enough to stray you from buying this.
out of 27 user reviews
Best PC Laptop so far...(220-A5)
Pros: Beautiful screen, Magnesium case, Thin and Light, Great style, Audio electronics are excellent, Heat and noise are less than the Compaq, Toshiba or Dell I have owned
Cons: Internal speakers are weak, no worse than most laptops but lousy compared to the Compaq I had. Service techs seem clueless; the first unit was defective.
out of 27 user reviews
Poor warranty support
Pros: big screen, built-in wireless, lightweight
Cons: Cheap keyboard, sharp angles and feet that scratch counters. But most importantly...mine crashed weeks ago and despite a trip back to the manufacturer and over a dozen tech support suggestions involving the recovery disk, it still doesn't work. Best Buy
out of 27 user reviews
stick to cars mr. FA
Pros: big screen
Cons: My !Q#$@!#$!@ keyboard just fell the !@#!@# out! what the @#$@!$#!!!!!! and the speakers SUCK!!!!!!!!! this the the newer one too. the 220A5. How the @!#@!3 does a keyboard just fall out? Well at least it fell out only 10 days after i got it cause it
out of 27 user reviews
FORGET IT!
Pros: lightweight, nice looking
Cons: I have had this laptop for 8 months and I have had the system board replaced, the DVD drive replaced,and the keyboard replaced. I had to wait 6 weeks for an AC adapter because mine died. So,I had to go without the computer because I could not charge the
out of 27 user reviews
NO QUALITY CONTROL
Pros: um...good hand warmer for about 5 minutes.
Cons: however, AFTER 5 minutes...it really starts to hurt. laptop got so hot my wife wouldnt let me set it on our desk, or tables because it was WARPING THE WOOD! i bought it originally in dec. 02. returned for a new one the next day because of a bad screen.
out of 27 user reviews
Don't Buy from Best Buy
Pros: This lapotp has some nice features...when they work.
Cons: Build quality is sub-par. half the laptop has failed and even the case is cracking. I purchased a VPR Matrix (a Best Buy brand) computer from Best Buy in February of 2003. With the extended warranty, this computer cost me a little under $2,500. Since th
out of 27 user reviews
Bad keyboard, Bad service
Pros: Looks great, long battery, great screen.
Cons: In less than 9 months, I've had to change the keyboard twice. It takes > 2 weeks and there is no recourse for that lost time. The laptop gets HOT after some time; great for cold classrooms, but that's about it. Get an extended warranty if you have to h
out of 27 user reviews
A great laptop for the price!
Pros: The huge screen is full of rich color and brightness, even when not plugged into the AC. The processing power, video card, and 512 ram make for great performace. The battery life has also been a pleasant surprise, averaging 3.5 hrs. All this for $1,100
Cons: I have had to exchange this laptop twice because the screen made obnoxious buzzing noise, like a halogen light going out.
out of 27 user reviews
Love this computer
Pros: I don't know why CNET is ignoring VPR Matrix computers so much. I think they have the best desktops on the market, and I love this laptop.
Cons: None so far. I have not needed any service or support thusfar.
out of 27 user reviews
Very Good, But needs quality control
Pros: I love everything about it, everything but the things I height :) It's perfect but ....
Cons: It make buzzing sounds then the screen brightness is below 100%. (really annoying if you trying to write something) Alot of other sounds, when charging, discharging etc. You can not here this in the store, but get it in to a quite room and you'll see what
out of 27 user reviews
Still Don't Know
Pros: Great looks Wide screen Good sound (with headphones) Reasonably endowed. I gave myself three choices: the PowerBook4 15", the Sony Vaio Z1, or the VPR 220a. The Vaio had 79% approval here, the VPR 77% and the PowerBook G4 65%. So much for "you get what
Cons: High rate failure Dismal service/support Quality issues.
out of 27 user reviews
Hope it never breaks
Pros:
Cons:
out of 27 user reviews
Stay Away From Best Buy!!!!!
Pros:
Cons:
out of 27 user reviews
it's love
Pros:
Cons:
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