VGN-AW: Difference between revisions

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The Sony VAIO VGN-AW Series is a range of mid to very high-end desktop replacemement laptops released by Sony in 2008. They were mostly intended for media consumption, and for home use, as well as creative work for higher-end models.
The Sony VAIO VGN-AW Series is a range of mid to very high-end desktop replacemement laptops released by Sony in 2008. They were mostly intended for media consumption, and for home use, as well as creative work for higher-end models.


Lower-end AW models featured a titanium gray plastic case, and higher-end models features a magnificent metal mat black case, while the top-end models featured a glossy black case (called Premium Piano Black), with a premium-feeling rubbery palmrest.
Lower-end AW models featured a titanium gray plastic case, and higher-end models features a magnificent mat black case, while the top-end models featured a black case with glossy lid (called Premium Piano Black), with a very premium-feeling rubbery palmrest.


Lower-end models had no subwoofer, and a reasonably good CCFL 1680x945 display, while higher-end models had a 1920x1080 panel with CCFL (high-end), or LED (top-spec) backlight technlogy. The LED models were highly praised for their excellent picture quality, color reproduction, and overall sharpness.
Lower-end models had no subwoofer, and a reasonably good CCFL 1680x945 display, while higher-end models had a 1920x1080 panel with CCFL (high-end), or LED (top-spec) backlight technlogy. The LED models were highly praised for their excellent picture quality, color reproduction, and overall sharpness, and were mostly marketed to professionals, for picture or video editing.


The AW Series was offered with a choice of Penryn Intel Core 2 Duos, as well as a NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS for the lower-end models, and a 9600M GT for the higher-end ones.
The AW Series was offered with a choice of Penryn Intel Core 2 Duos, as well as a NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS for the lower-end models, and a 9600M GT for the higher-end ones. They have support for up to 8GB of DDR2 RAM!
 
Higher-end models also had special features than lower-end models didn't have, like a CF reader, Vista Ultimate, and SSD storage. Top-spec AWs included a Dual-SSD setup running in RAID.


== Detailed Specs ==
== Detailed Specs ==
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'''Chipset:''' Intel PM45 Express
'''Chipset:''' Intel PM45 Express


'''Memory:''' DDR2, not soldered, 2 slots, max 8GB (spec sheets list the VGN-AW21M, possibly more, as only supporting 4GB, while having the same chipset, it is unknown if it is misinformation or not)
'''Memory:''' DDR2, not soldered, 2 slots, max 8GB


'''Display:''' 18.4" 1680x945 CCFL, 1920x1080 dual CCFL, or 1920x1080 LED Sony X-black LCD
'''Display:''' 18.4" 1680x945 CCFL, 1920x1080 dual CCFL, or 1920x1080 LED Sony X-black LCD


'''Storage:''' 2x SATA
'''Storage:''' 2x SATA, top-spec models: Dual-SSDs (1x slot occupied, one SATA slot free)


'''Weight:''' 3.7 to 4kg
'''Weight:''' 3.7 to 4kg
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== Daily Usage Today ==
== Daily Usage Today ==
The AW is still very usable today for modern tasks like text editing, media consumption (which is still better than on most non-OLED laptops from today, only on 1080p models, especially LED ones), and very light modern gaming (9600M GT). Lower-end models are still usable, but you won't have an experience quite as good as you would on higher-end ones.
The AW is still very usable today for modern tasks like text editing, media consumption (which is still better than on most non-OLED laptops from today, only on 1080p LED models), and very light gaming (9600M GT). Lower-end models are still usable, but you won't have an experience quite as good as you would have on higher-end ones.
 
Top-end AWs can be very pricey, popping up on eBay extremely rarely, and costing upwards of 1000€. Lower-end models can be found for significantly cheaper, but are still pretty rare.
 
== Resources ==
This section is in WIP.
 
== Downloads ==
[https://archive.org/details/VGN-AW180Yrecovery Sony VAIO VGN-AW Recovery Discs]


Top-end AWs can be very pricey, popping up on eBay extremely rarely, and costing upwards of 1000€. Lower-end models can be found for significantly cheaper pretty much everywhere.
You can bypass the model checks of these discs by using [[Sony VAIO Recovery Patcher (SVRP)|SVRP]].


WIP
== Credits ==
[https://sony.com Sony]

Revision as of 11:12, 7 December 2022

Low-end VGN-AW
High-end VGN-AW
Top-of-the-line highest-end VGN-AW

Overview

The Sony VAIO VGN-AW Series is a range of mid to very high-end desktop replacemement laptops released by Sony in 2008. They were mostly intended for media consumption, and for home use, as well as creative work for higher-end models.

Lower-end AW models featured a titanium gray plastic case, and higher-end models features a magnificent mat black case, while the top-end models featured a black case with glossy lid (called Premium Piano Black), with a very premium-feeling rubbery palmrest.

Lower-end models had no subwoofer, and a reasonably good CCFL 1680x945 display, while higher-end models had a 1920x1080 panel with CCFL (high-end), or LED (top-spec) backlight technlogy. The LED models were highly praised for their excellent picture quality, color reproduction, and overall sharpness, and were mostly marketed to professionals, for picture or video editing.

The AW Series was offered with a choice of Penryn Intel Core 2 Duos, as well as a NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS for the lower-end models, and a 9600M GT for the higher-end ones. They have support for up to 8GB of DDR2 RAM!

Higher-end models also had special features than lower-end models didn't have, like a CF reader, Vista Ultimate, and SSD storage. Top-spec AWs included a Dual-SSD setup running in RAID.

Detailed Specs

Processor: Penryn Intel Core 2 Duo (not soldered)

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS (256MB) or NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT (512MB)

Chipset: Intel PM45 Express

Memory: DDR2, not soldered, 2 slots, max 8GB

Display: 18.4" 1680x945 CCFL, 1920x1080 dual CCFL, or 1920x1080 LED Sony X-black LCD

Storage: 2x SATA, top-spec models: Dual-SSDs (1x slot occupied, one SATA slot free)

Weight: 3.7 to 4kg

MSRP: around 1100€ to 3600€

Daily Usage Today

The AW is still very usable today for modern tasks like text editing, media consumption (which is still better than on most non-OLED laptops from today, only on 1080p LED models), and very light gaming (9600M GT). Lower-end models are still usable, but you won't have an experience quite as good as you would have on higher-end ones.

Top-end AWs can be very pricey, popping up on eBay extremely rarely, and costing upwards of 1000€. Lower-end models can be found for significantly cheaper, but are still pretty rare.

Resources

This section is in WIP.

Downloads

Sony VAIO VGN-AW Recovery Discs

You can bypass the model checks of these discs by using SVRP.

Credits

Sony