why i liked sony vaio sve series so much

What kind of laptops are these?

The SVE17 series laptops look like this:

The 14-, 15- and 17-inch devices were slightly different, but thanks to the overall design, they could be “recognized among a thousand.” The differences were in the screen diagonal, processor, video chip (or lack thereof), RAM and hard drive capacity. In addition, in the SVE line, some devices had a backlit keyboard, while others did not.

These models were robust, minimalistic and had decent performance for their time. Watching videos, playing some games, working with text and media content – all of this was possible.

I think I bought the 17-inch model in 2013. I went to a computer supermarket, where these laptops were on sale. My previous laptop was outdated, so I decided to buy a new device – Sony Vaio SVE 17. The configuration was as follows:

• CPU: Intel Core i3 3110M;

• RAM: 6 GB;

• disk: HDD 6 GB (4 GB + 2 GB);

• video: AMD Radeon™ HD 7650M;

• battery: 2–3 hours of operation depending on the activity of the device.

In 2017, I sold this laptop: I wanted a more modern model again. But the device never let me down in four years, only the plastic got slightly scratched. True, I regularly looked after the laptop: I cleaned it from dust, changed the thermal paste every six months, sometimes upgraded it (more on that below). I traveled with it to France, Italy, camping, etc. No problems.

It also worked on 14- and 15-inch models. The sensations are the same – only the screen is smaller.

The main advantages of the line

The main advantages of Sony Vaio SVE that I personally liked:

• ease of disassembly;

• upgrade option;

• reliability of the design;

• removable battery.

Not the most impressive list. But for a person who works with a laptop for many hours in a row, this is important. Below – more details about each item.

Ease of disassembly

Why disassemble a laptop at all? First of all, to clean it from dust and change the thermal paste. I monitored the processor temperature: as soon as it began to exceed the permissible limits, I changed the thermal paste.

Upgrade

From time to time, I upgraded the device. It is essentially modular: you can replace the RAM, disk, and processor. Now this sounds almost unbelievable: modern laptops suffer from the fact that all these things are soldered to the board. Often, the only thing that is available for upgrade is the storage device, and sometimes it is soldered tightly (hello Apple). But then you could go to the store, buy an i7 instead of an Intel Core i3, and enjoy the significantly increased performance.

I brought my copy to the maximum possible configuration. I replaced the processor with an i7-3632QM and increased the total RAM to the maximum possible for the line – 16 GB DDR3. In addition, I replaced the system drive with an SSD, and instead of a CD drive, I installed a 1 TB HDD.

Windows 8 eventually updated to ten. Thanks to the upgrade, it started loading in a couple of seconds instead of 10 before the update. Videos on YouTube stopped lagging in 1080p and 1440p resolutions. Mozilla Firefox also stopped freezing when switching between tabs. I didn’t run any tests then, but it felt like the software started working much faster.

This setup was fine for me until I upgraded to a gaming Acer Nitro 5 with a GTX 1050. My Vaio felt slower in comparison.

Reliability

I carried this laptop literally everywhere, and the situations were different. Several times during the work it fell from a small height. I was afraid that the graphic chip would peel off – they are sensitive to external influences at SVE, but everything was fine. The plastic did not become brittle over the years of work, nothing fell off. But my previous laptops (hello, ASUS!) had broken hinges and plastic in places where the halves of the computer are connected into a single whole.

Battery

A removable battery is also a plus. As soon as the battery has exhausted its resource, it can be replaced. And if you buy several batteries at once, you can change them and work without a socket for an almost infinite amount of time. Now, 90% of laptops have a battery located inside – this is a problem for owners who are afraid to disassemble the laptop.

I almost forgot about another advantage: two ports – HDMI and VGA. At home, I connected two monitors to my laptop and enjoyed the large area of ​​the virtual workspace.

What about the downsides?

The main disadvantage of these laptops is their weight. I have traveled on business trips with a 17-inch model several times, and it was not easy. It weighs 3.2 kg. The bag with such a laptop noticeably weighed down the shoulder, and there was other luggage.

Of course, most laptops of that era were like that. Thin and light already existed, but they were also more expensive than regular “workhorses” like Sony's SVE line.

Another drawback concerns models with a dedicated Radeon video chip, which, as I wrote above, was very fragile. I had a friend with SVE 15 and exactly the same chip. He did not clean the device from dust, did not change the thermal paste – and a couple of years later, artifacts began to appear on the screen, then the “picture” disappeared altogether. The laptop turned on (LEDs lit up, the hard drive lamp blinked), but the display did not light up. The video stream was not transmitted via HDMI either. My friend gave the laptop to a service center, and they replaced the graphics chip. It cost much less than a new device.

I have only positive impressions of SVE. If I only needed office programs, I would not have upgraded. 15- and 17-inch models with maximum configuration can work at a comfortable level even now.

Do you have a favorite laptop from the past? Tell us about this model. Who is the manufacturer, what makes it stand out from your other devices?