VGN-C

A Vaio VGN-C1 in "Free Spirit Pink"

Overview

The Sony VAIO VGN-C Series is a mid-range notebook computer released by Sony in 2006. Its market segment very slightly overlaps with the more expensive VGN-SZ due to its similar size and hardware. Though the VGN-C differentiates itself with a cheaper plastic case and less powerful hardware.

Despite having a plastic case, the VGN-C still manages to feel like a quality device. Compared to Sony's other offerings of the time, the VAIO VGN-C sports a selection of colorful cases, such as green, orange, as well as the option to have the "Free Spirit Pink" design, which gives the laptop an almost completely bright pink paint job. The black bottom and keyboard form a nice contrast to the colorful palmrest and display assembly, making the laptop quite pleasant to look at. For those that didn't like the more colorful designs, Sony also offered the VGN-C in gray and silver.

The multitude of designes offered with the VGN-C

In comparison to the VGN-SZ, the VGN-C focuses more on casual use instead of business/professional use. This is evidenced by missing features such as a webcam and WWAN. But the VGN-C still offered more than enough ports for the form factor. The laptop measures at around 32.96cm x 23.5cm x 3.7cm with a weight of around 2.3 to 3kg, depending on the equipped optional hardware.

Featuring the Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 and DDR2 memory of up to 2GB, the VAIO VGN-C is made for a decent media and office device. 3D gaming was almost impossible on devices equipped with only the Intel GMA iGPU, but the VGN-C could also be had with NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 GPU, which would be capable of okay 3D gaming performance in its time.

When new, the VGN-C was able to achieve decent battery life on the original 5200mAh battery. Getting 2 hours under maximum load and about 4 hours with casual usage (internet browsing, watching movies). This makes for a okay on-the-go experience. This is aided by its low case temperature, being between 32.5°C and 41.2°C in thermal tests. The noise emissions are also average with 35.2dB when idling and around 41dB when under full load.

Detailed Specs

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T5500 1.7GHz

Graphics: Intel GMA 950 / NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 (optional)

Display: 13,3" 16:10 1280x800 WXGA LCD

RAM: 2x SO-DIMM DDR2 (upgradable up to 2GB)

Storage: 2,5" SATA HDD

OS: Windows XP Home / Windows Vista Home Basic

Weight: 2,3 - 3 kg

Daily Usage Today

Like many other Windows Vista era laptops, the VAIO VGN-C can still be considered usable today. While it's impossible to run any modern 3D game, even on the GeForce Go 7400 models, web browsing and office tasks are still very much possible. Though the upper memory limit of only 2GB hurt the overall smoothness when running modern applications and loading bigger websites.