VGN-CS: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 20:10, 5 August 2022

Overview

Black VGN-CS with its LEDs

The Sony VAIO VGN-CS Series is a range of mid and high-end laptops released by Sony between September 2008 and April 2009. It's the evolution of the VGN-C, released the previous year, and it included some Hardware improvements (a newer model of Intel Core 2 Duo) and a newer NVIDIA GPU (as optional). It is a cheaper version of the VGN-CR (the other evolution of the VGN-C) as it utilises cheaper materials, such as plastic, as well as less powerful hardware to archive a cheaper price point in comparison to the more upscale VGN-CR. While it is cheaper, the VGN-CS can still be seen as a high-end device, thanks to its CPU and GPU, that still were ones of the best of the market.

It introduced a new display imaging technology, called "XBRITE-ECO Technology", that it allowed this computer to show better images but consuming less electricity and battery.

Indeed, Sony focused a lot on the battery duration of this laptop, in order to make it more versatile, thanks to a 5 hours battery life.

This series of laptops was very controversial, in fact it was appreciated for its specs and features, especially the quality of the display and the bright colors of the shell that this PC was available with, but it was strongly criticized because of its poor-quality materials (like plastic) related to its relatively high price (over 1000 euros) and the difficulty in finding the versions with the NVIDIA GPU.

For those reasons, many people preferred to buy the VGN-CR from the previous year that had not only better materials, but also better internal parts easily available.

The VGN-CS was offered in red, black, pink, white, and beige, and it had two dynamic LEDs in the lower part of the front of the laptop (below the keyboard) that allowed it to enlighten the place where the computer is resting to the rhythm of music playing in the PC.

All the colors of the VGN-CS

Detailed Specs

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo T3400 2.16 GHz, T6400 2.0GHz, P8600 2.40GHz, P8700 2.53GHz, T9550 2.66GHz

Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD, NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS (optional and rarely available)

Display: 14,1“ 1280x800 XBRITE-ECO

Memory: DDR2-SDRAM (2 slots, not soldered)

Storage: 2.5" SATA

Weight: 2.6 kg

Original OS: Windows Vista

Daily Usage Today

VGN-CS Series laptops can still be used today, as they are equipped with 2008/2009 top of the range CPUs.

It can be used for web browsing and simple programs like text writing and creative apps from around 2010, with better performance in the models with the NVIDIA GPU.

Games from 00s years can be played, but it may not handle modern videogames, still playable with cloud gaming apps.

Resources

Sony JP VAIO VGN-CS (2008) Series Presentation Page

Sony VAIO VGN-CS Series Startup Guide

Sony VAIO VGN-CS Series User Guide

Sony VAIO VGN-CS Series Operation Guide

Sony VAIO VGN-CS Series Warranty Summary

Sony VAIO VGN-CS Series Safety Information

Sony VAIO VGN-CS Series Optical Disk Replacement Guide

Sony VAIO VGN-CS Series Hard Drive Replacement Guide

Downloads

Follow our guides to download and install drivers.

Sources

NotebookCheck, Sony

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-=== WIP ===
 ==Overview==
-[[File:Vaio VGN-FZ 1.jpg|alt=A VGN-FZ with its original factory stickers|thumb|A VGN-FZ with its original factory stickers]][[File:Vaio VGN-FZ 2.jpg|alt=Another VGN-FZ|thumb|Another VGN-FZ]]The Sony VAIO VGN-CS Series is a range of mid and high-end laptops released by Sony between September 2008 and April 2009. It's the evolution of the VGN-C, released the previous year, and it included some Hardware improvements (a newer model of Intel Core 2 Duo) and a newer NVIDIA GPU (as optional). It is a cheaper version of the VGN-CR (the other evolution of the VGN-C) as it utilises cheaper materials, such as plastic, as well as less powerful hardware to archive a cheaper price point in comparison to the more upscale VGN-CR. While it is cheaper, the VGN-CS can still be seen as a high-end device, thanks to its CPU and GPU, that still were ones of the best of the market.
+[[File:VGN-CS LEDs.jpg|thumb|Black VGN-CS with its LEDs]]
+The Sony VAIO VGN-CS Series is a range of mid and high-end laptops released by Sony between September 2008 and April 2009. It's the evolution of the VGN-C, released the previous year, and it included some Hardware improvements (a newer model of Intel Core 2 Duo) and a newer NVIDIA GPU (as optional). It is a cheaper version of the VGN-CR (the other evolution of the VGN-C) as it utilises cheaper materials, such as plastic, as well as less powerful hardware to archive a cheaper price point in comparison to the more upscale VGN-CR. While it is cheaper, the VGN-CS can still be seen as a high-end device, thanks to its CPU and GPU, that still were ones of the best of the market.
 It introduced a new display imaging technology, called "XBRITE-ECO Technology", that it allowed this computer to show better images but consuming less electricity and battery.
-Indeed, Sony focussed a lo on the battery duration of this laptop, in order to make it more versatile, thanks to a 5 hours battery life.
+Indeed, Sony focused a lot on the battery duration of this laptop, in order to make it more versatile, thanks to a 5 hours battery life.
-HERE
+This series of laptops was very controversial, in fact it was appreciated for its specs and features, especially the quality of the display and the bright colors of the shell that this PC was available with, but it was strongly criticized because of its poor-quality materials (like plastic) related to its relatively high price (over 1000 euros) and the difficulty in finding the versions with the NVIDIA GPU.
-They included features like a bigger 15.4“ screen, better dedicated GPUs and on higher-end models, Blu-Ray drives. Even though most models had a 1080p Full HD sticker, their displays only were 1280x800, and they were criticized for being too low resolution. To truly enjoy the FZs movieplaying capabilities, one was able to use the HDMI port to connect the device to an external monitor, for the ultimate Blu-Ray experience.
+For those reasons, many people preferred to buy the VGN-CR from the previous year that had not only better materials, but also better internal parts easily available.
-The FZ Series also featured a wide range of ports, including three USB 2.0, FireWire, ExpressCard, Memory Stick and an SD Card slot. The FZs biggest drawbacks where it’s short battery life, lasting only 1 hour and 38 minutes while watching DVDs. The other big issue were the 8000 series NVIDIA video cards, which were prone to failure under heavy use (see Problems section below). Today you can easily find many FZs with broken 8400 or 8600 GPUs. Alternativly an iGPU model was offered, which used Intel's GMA X3100 iGPU. These models are rarer to get, but are way more reliable then NVIDIA laptops.
+The VGN-CS was offered in red, black, pink, white, and beige, and it had two dynamic LEDs in the lower part of the front of the laptop (below the keyboard) that allowed it to enlighten the place where the computer is resting to the rhythm of music playing in the PC.
-==Specs==
+[[File:VGN-CS Colours.jpg|thumb|All the colors of the VGN-CS]]
-DONE
+==Detailed Specs==
 '''Processor:''' Intel Core 2 Duo T3400 2.16 GHz, T6400 2.0GHz, P8600 2.40GHz, P8700 2.53GHz, T9550 2.66GHz
 '''Graphics:''' Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD, NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS (optional and rarely available)
-'''Display:''' 14,1“ 1280x800 CCFL
+'''Display:''' 14,1“ 1280x800 XBRITE-ECO
 '''Memory:''' DDR2-SDRAM (2 slots, not soldered)
@@ Line 28: / Line 26: @@
 '''Weight:''' 2.6 kg
-==Problems==
-The FZ series all have a very unfourtunate problem. Most models contain an NVIDIA 8 series GPU. The NVIDIA 8 series of GPUs are known for their 100% failure rate because of a manufacturing problem from NVIDIA, and the FZ is not an exception to that. All NVIDIA 8 series chips on every single FZs with dedicated GPUs are affected by this problem. You do not have a graphics switch on the FZ, so you always run on the dedicated GPU.
-'''Symptoms of this problem are:'''
+'''Original OS:''' Windows Vista
-*black screen when turning on the device (device is not booting up, it has not passed the power-on self-test)
-*artifacts on the display
-*not being able to successfully install GPU drivers
-*unable to boot into Linux (distros with proper GPU drivers)
-There is no real permanent solution to this problem. One temporary solution would be a reflow (see our upcoming NVIDIA 8 series reflow guide), one more permanent but still temporary solution is a reball or chip replacement. However, all of these methods requires a precise hot air station, BGA No-Clean flux, and some experience (practicing on a junk board is a good start).
 ==Daily Usage Today==
-Thanks to its powerful hardware for the time, it is still pretty useful for current day usage. Web browsing and text editing is easily doable on these devices. Older games will also run fine on dedicated GPU models, though modern games will struggle or outright not work. iGPU models will struggle to run old games, but it's better to have a working laptop that is less powerful, than a broken device.
+VGN-CS Series laptops can still be used today, as they are equipped with 2008/2009 top of the range CPUs.
-==Resources==
-[http://www.vaio.sony.co.jp/Products/FZ2/ Sony JP VAIO VGN-FZ Series Presentation Page]
-[https://download.vaiolibrary.com/manuals/vgn-fz/vgn-fz_startupguide.pdf Sony VAIO VGN-FZ Series Startup Guide]
+It can be used for web browsing and simple programs like text writing and creative apps from around 2010, with better performance in the models with the NVIDIA GPU.
-[https://download.vaiolibrary.com/manuals/vgn-fz/vgn-fz_usermanual.pdf Sony VAIO VGN-FZ Series User Manual]
+Games from 00s years can be played, but it may not handle modern videogames, still playable with cloud gaming apps.
+==Resources==
-[https://download.vaiolibrary.com/manuals/vgn-fz/vgn-fz_operationguide.pdf Sony VAIO VGN-FZ Series Operation Guide]
+[http://www.vaio.sony.co.jp/Products/CS1/ Sony JP VAIO VGN-CS (2008) Series Presentation Page]
-[https://download.vaiolibrary.com/manuals/vgn-fz/vgn-fz_warranty.pdf Sony VAIO VGN-FZ Series Warranty Summary]
-[https://download.vaiolibrary.com/manuals/vgn-fz/vgn-fz_accessoriesguide.pdf Sony VAIO VGN-FZ Series Accessories Guide]
+[https://download.vaiolibrary.com/manuals/vgn-cs/vgn-csseries_startupguide.pdf Sony VAIO VGN-CS Series Startup Guide]
-[https://download.vaiolibrary.com/manuals/vgn-fz/vgn-fz_safety.pdf Sony VAIO VGN-FZ Series Safety Information]
+[https://download.vaiolibrary.com/manuals/vgn-cs/vgn-csseries_usersguide.pdf Sony VAIO VGN-CS Series User Guide]
-[https://download.vaiolibrary.com/manuals/vgn-fz/vgn-fz_cpsc.pdf Sony VAIO VGN-FZ Series CPSC Tips on Notebook Computer Use]
+[https://download.vaiolibrary.com/manuals/vgn-cs/vgn-cs_operationguide.pdf Sony VAIO VGN-CS Series Operation Guide]
-[https://download.vaiolibrary.com/manuals/vgn-fz/vgn-fz_instantmode.pdf Sony VAIO VGN-FZ Series Instant Mode Guide]
+[https://download.vaiolibrary.com/manuals/vgn-cs/vgn-cs_warranty.pdf Sony VAIO VGN-CS Series Warranty Summary]
-[https://download.vaiolibrary.com/manuals/vgn-fz/vgn-fz_hddguide.pdf Sony VAIO VGN-FZ Series HDD Replacement Guide]
+[https://download.vaiolibrary.com/manuals/vgn-cs/vgn-cs_safetyinformation.pdf Sony VAIO VGN-CS Series Safety Information]
-[https://download.vaiolibrary.com/manuals/vgn-fz/vgn-fz_schematics.pdf Sony VAIO VGN-FZ Series Schematics (MBX-165 Foxconn MS90 REV 1.0)]
+[https://download.vaiolibrary.com/manuals/vgn-cs/vgn-cs_opticaldiskdriverreplacement.pdf Sony VAIO VGN-CS Series Optical Disk Replacement Guide]
-[https://download.vaiolibrary.com/manuals/vgn-fz/vgn-fz150e_specs.pdf Sony VAIO VGN-FZ150E Specifications Sheet]
+[https://download.vaiolibrary.com/manuals/vgn-cs/vgn-cs_harddiskreplacement.pdf Sony VAIO VGN-CS Series Hard Drive Replacement Guide]
 ==Downloads==
-[https://archive.org/details/sony-vaio-system-recovery-dvd-vgn-fz-200-e-recoverydisc-1 Sony VAIO VGN-FZ Recovery Discs]
-It is highly likely that these discs are model locked. See Compatibility Problems section in the [[Recovery Discs]] page.
 Follow our [[Drivers Downloading Guides|guides]] to download and install drivers.
 ==Sources==
-[https://www.notebookcheck.com/Sony-Vaio-VGN-FZ-Serie.5403.0.html NotebookCheck], [https://sony.com/ Sony] and [[wikipedia:Sony_Vaio_FZ_series|Wikipedia]]
+[https://www.notebookcheck.net/Sony-Vaio-VGN-CS-Series.12409.0.html NotebookCheck], [https://sony.com/ Sony]