Digital Trends

Sony VAIO TR1A July 22nd, 2003 | by Ian Bell

Performance and testing

In our testing the Sony VAIO TR1A trailed both the Gateway 450 XL and Sony VAIO PCG-Z1AP1 Centrino based systems by about 33% in most tests; this is due no doubt to the slower 900 MHz processor than the other systems. Because both the Sony VAIO TR1A and Z1AP1 systems use the same integrated graphics card, their 3dMark 2001 score were nearly identical with the Z1AP1 system slightly leading due to a faster processor.

The Sony VAIO TR1A comes standard with a large 4300mAh battery pack. In our battery performance tests the TR1A smoked both the Gateway 450 XL and Sony VAIO PCG-Z1AP1 systems. We were able to squeeze out 4 hours and 15 minutes of battery life while running Mobile Mark 2001. Mobile Mark 2001 is a pretty extensive test which simulates which programs a business user might be inclined to use. This includes running Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Office XP, WinZip, multiple web browsers and other software simultaneously. So if you plan on using the TR1A simply for web browsing or running a single program at once, we expect the battery life to last significantly longer. Travelers will love the integrated DVD/CD-RW drive and should have no problem whatsoever playing back a DVD movie with battery life to spare. Overall the VAIO TR1A feels faster than what its specifications indicate, the 512MB of memory will have more of an impact over processor speed when it comes to Windows XP and multitasking; and that is what's important. Overall we were very impressed with the TR1A's performance.

You can read more about the performance on the Performance page.

Conclusion

We have to wonder why Sony has kept the likes of the VAIO TR1A from the US market for such a long period of time as the system is truly wondrous to use. The VAIO TR1A's beautiful display and excellent wireless connectivity will make the TR1A the perfect partner for any journalist, reporter or any traveler for that matter. Business users will love the battery life and VGA output making the TR1A perfect for presentations. At just 3.1 lbs the TR1A is hardly noticeable while carrying and its long lasting battery will keep the TR1A a faithful companion for any occasion.