Sony VAIO VGC-JS1E/S review

Apple’s iMacs are excellent all-in-one computers, and since they can now run Windows, they’re an option for PC buyers too.

They’re pricey, though, especially without Windows included, and that leaves a gap in the market for PC makers who are prepared to take on Apple’s legendary design team. Step up, Sony.

The VAIO VGC-JS1E/S immediately stands out thanks to its stylish silver design, although it’s also available in black and (sigh) pink. It’s made out of plastic, not aluminium like the iMac, but still feels sturdy. It’s quiet, too, even when churning through our demanding benchmark tests. It has an easel-like stand so you can tilt the entire PC for easier viewing, but it feels stiff and can’t be adjusted as effortlessly as the iMac.

We were immediately impressed by the integrated 20 inch widescreen display. It has the same 1680×1050 pixels as most 22 inch screens, so there’s plenty of room for working in multiple programs, even those with lots of windows and palettes. It’s very bright, and colours look rich and vivid. Viewing angles are wide, so colour accuracy doesn’t suffer if you’re not sitting front and centre. It’s just as well the built-in monitor is so good:as with previous Sony all-in-one PCs, there are no ports for connecting another screen. That’s a shame if you like a multi monitor setup.

The VAIO did very well in our benchmarks. Its Core 2 Duo processor and 3GB of RAM blitzed through the general (2D) tests quite comfortably. If you regularly need to edit HD video or process huge RAW format images from a DSLR camera, you might want more speed, but most users will be quite happy with the Sony’s Windows performance.

3GB of memory is fine for most tasks, and the installed 32-bit version of Vista can’t use any more, though up to 4GB can be fitted. You’d have to upgrade to 64-bit Windows as well as adding the extra RAM, which wouldn’t really be worth it.

Fair play

Gamers will definitely want to look elsewhere. The integrated Intel GMA X4500HD graphics chip can’t manage modern graphics and only crawled to 5 frames per second in Call of Duty 2, which is unplayable. Older, less demanding titles should run OK if you turn down their video settings.

One thing this chip can do is play back high definition video, so it’s a shame there isn’t a Blu-ray drive in the VAIO, nor even an option to add one at extra cost. There’s no remote control or built-in TV tuner either, but you could easily add a USB model to make use of Vista’s Media Center, with its TV recording capabilities.

If you do want to store TV shows, or just have a lot of videos, photos or music, you should find the 500GB hard disk adequate, though a lot of PCs now come with bigger drives. As expected, there’s no room for another internal disk, but there’s a FireWire port and five USB ports to which you could attach external storage, though an eSATA interface would have offered higher speeds.

The DVD writer can burn all the usual formats. Like the iMac’s, it’s mounted vertically, but where the iMac’s drive is slot loading – you just push the disc in – this one has a tray, which looks flimsy and vulnerable when extended. There are also two memory card slots, one for Sony Memory Sticks and another for the more common SD type, so you can easily read cards from your digital camera.

We’re used to wincing when listening to the speakers built into all-in-one PCs. The VAIO’s sound better than most, but they’re still not ideal. They’re very loud, with a surprising amount of bass, but bass-heavy music can sound harsh and tiring. You’ll need external speakers for decent listening. Disappointingly, there are no analogue outputs for connecting a set of PC surround sound speakers directly; you’d have to attach a surround sound amplifier to the optical S/PDIF socket.

Unlike a few other all-in-one PCs, the Sony has no ExpressCard or CardBus slots (the kind usually found on laptops) for extra peripherals. These are unlikely to be missed, though, with Draft-n wireless networking and Bluetooth already built in.

Some of Sony’s previous computers have come with Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements. These versatile and powerful photo and video editing programs were a welcome change from the usual rubbish pre-installed on PCs. With this model, though, you have to settle for Sony’s own basic music and photo editing software.

Fruit punch

The VGC-JS1E/S is a well specified machine, especially compared to the Californian competition. Apple’s cheapest iMac costs £782 – £120 more – with a similar 20 inch display, Bluetooth and WiFi. But it only has 1GB RAM (you’d definitely need to upgrade this) and a 250GB hard disk. It does have a dedicated 128MB Radeon HD2400XT graphics chip which is better for 3D games, and since that’s something you can’t upgrade on the VAIO, it might sway some buyers. But the VAIO is a better all round PC for less money, especially if you need Windows, which doesn’t come with the iMac. Its real competition comes from Sony itself.

The VAIO FW11E laptop costs just £562 from www.microwarehouse.co.uk. It too has 3GB of RAM, although its hard disk is only 250GB and its Core 2 Duo P8400 is less powerful. Although its 16.4 inch 1600×900 screen isn’t as big as its desktop counterpart, it does have a 16:9 aspect ratio, meaning widescreen movies fill it completely rather than leaving wasted ‘letterbox’ space. With a Mobility Radeon HD 3470 dedicated graphics chip, it’s more capable than the all-in-one for games. And of course you can carry it around and use it away from the mains: it even demonstrated a respectable battery life of nearly three hours in our light use test.

If you’re not persuaded by the laptop’s advantages, however, the VAIO VGC-JS1E/S is a superb all-in-one desktop machine.