VGN-CS
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Overview
| VGN-C | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Series | Type C |
| Release | 2008 |
| 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 reportedly somewhat uncommon) |
| Chipset | |
| Memory | 2x2GB DDR2 SDRAM SO-DIMM (2 slots) |
| Display | 14.1“ WXGA Sony XBRITE-ECO (1280x800) |
| Storage | 320GB 2.5" SATA HDD (5400rpm) |
| Audio | |
| Networking | |
| OS | Windows Vista Home Premium (x86) |
| Battery | |
| Weight | 2,6 kg |
| Dimensions | |
| MSRP | |
The Sony VAIO VGN-CS was a series of mid-range laptops released by Sony in 2008 as the evolution of the VGN-CR (itself a successor to the VGN-C) released the year prior. It offered some component improvements such as the introduction of the more efficient Penryn line of Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs and a newer NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS GPU (optional). It is also a more budget-conscious variation of the VGN-CR as it utilizes cheaper materials such as plastic and generally less powerful hardware to help drive down the price point compared to the higher-end VGN-CR.
Billing itself as equal parts a feature-complete mobile workstation and a fashion item, the laptop was targeted towards younger people, particularly women. To that end it came with a wide selection of colors matching that of the Rolly dancing robot music player, most of which in a glossy-metallic finish (Red, Black, Pink, White, Purple and Brown) as well as a compact stylish body. A standout design decision is the inclusion of a multimedia shortcut touch bar and two dynamic LEDs in the lower part of the front of the laptop (just below the system indicator lights) that allowed it to put on a small light show in sync with music played through the VAIO MusicBox app.
Also included was display imaging technology known as "Sony XBRITE-ECO", which enabled the display to provide a higher quality picture with reduced energy usage. Indeed, Sony put extra emphasis on the battery life of this laptop to ensure its quality as a versatile machine with its claimed 5-hour battery life. Higher-end specs of the CS came with features such as a fingerprint reader and a Blu-Ray drive.
Reception of this series of laptops was ultimately mixed. It was lauded for its looks, specs and features (especially the quality of the display and the shell colors available for choice) but was notably criticized for its use of cheaper materials on a product the relatively high price of which (north of 1000€ MSRP) makes such an engineering decision very difficult to justify, as well as the questionable retail availability of versions with the NVIDIA GPU. For these reasons, many people instead chose to buy the VGN-CR from the year prior that not only enjoyed a better build quality overall, but also superior internal components.
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 GMA (Graphics Media Accelerator) 4500MHD, NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS (optional and rarely available)
Display: 14.1“ 1280x800 Sony XBRITE-ECO
Memory: DDR2-SDRAM (2 slots, not soldered)
Storage: 2.5" SATA
Weight: 2.6 kg
Original OS: Windows Vista
Daily Usage Today
Modern-day usage of the VGN-CS as a media and office workstation remains a viable prospect as it came with a rather powerful selection of Core 2 Duo CPUs. It can be used for web browsing, office tasks and creative apps from around the era. NVIDIA GPU-equipped models enable better performance for most of those things. However, intensive tasks on this machine are obviously not recommended.
Games from the beginning of the century can be played reliably but running more modern ones will obviously prove challenging if not outright impossible depending on the game, though cloud gaming is on the somewhat feasible side.
Being a strictly 32-bit device, Windows 10 is as far up as one can go with that particular OS. Otherwise there are still enough lightweight Linux distributions to pick from. Recommended upgrades are a best-in-socket CPU (Core 2 Duo T9550 in this case), an SSD and all 4GB of RAM.
Resources
Sony JP VAIO VGN-CS 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
Downloads
Follow our guides to download and install drivers.
Recovery discs are not available for this series. We are currently trying our best to find them. If you have some recovery discs available, please archive them and send them to us!