Hands-on with Sony JS series all-in-one. First impression: hot specs, great price, a bit plasticy

A tinkering at the local electronics emporium leads to the following conclusions about Sony's new JS-series all-in-one desktop PCs.

• The $1,100 model played around was very responsive, even with multiple apps open. Getting 4GB of RAM in the base config is a good move by Sony, that area being the one computer makers often skimp painfully on to drive prices down.

• It was very quiet: no fan noise could be heard, though the store was quite busy.

• Lotsa inputs, with 5 USB ports (2 on the side of the display), a hardware WiFi on-off switch, S/PDIF an iLink connector and a a Memory Stick/SD card reader.

• The 500 GB hard drive, offered in all configs, is nice and expansive.

• The 20-inch, 1680 x 1050 display is pretty, but nothing fancy. Sound from the dual 3W speakers isn't going to be enough for people who like their movies and music loud.

• The case, which looks aluminum in ads, is just silver plastic. It's O.K., and doesn't detract from the minimalist design, but does make it visibly less beautiful than, say, an iMac.

• Its mouse is nasty: small, plastic and wired. The keyboard is also curiously fat.

• You won't be doing hardcore gaming, given the pairing of a E5200 Core 2 Duo CPU and Intel Mobile X4500HD video chip.

• Blu-Ray in an all-in-one desktop, especially a reasonably-priced one, is a killer. Though the Blu model is more expensive ($1,400) you also get a much faster CPU too. With an E8400, it should beat any iMac in productivity performance apart from the 3 GHz 24-incher, which is $850 more.

First impression: Sony's JS offers very strong hardware fundamentals for the price, though the trim, including peripherals, aren't perfect. Consider as an alternative to the iMac or HP's own AIO if you want Blu or powerful specs without having to pay too much.

VAIO® JS Series Desktop PC [SonyStyle]

[#1 posted by Anonymous , October 16, 2008 5:29 PM]

If this had a 1920 x 1080 screen this is a completely killer rig.

[#2 posted by JoshBerman , October 17, 2008 11:15 AM]

Anonymous - I think you're looking for the Vaio RT Series - 25.5" Display at 1900x1200 (and HDMI in). Fedex just dropped mine off, and it's going to be lovingly unboxed this afternoon.

[#3 posted by Rodney , October 17, 2008 11:31 AM]

"plasticy"? I think you meant "plasticky." http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plasticky

[#4 posted by Rob Beschizza , October 17, 2008 7:32 PM]

The idea that someone might think that it qualifies as a real word at all is faintly disgusting.

So I'm not too worried how I spell it :)

[#5 posted by Rob Beschizza , October 17, 2008 7:33 PM]

Josh, tell us how you like it!