Sony aio VGC-JS1E/S review

best buy

Sony’s Vaio VGC-JS1E/S has a similar all-in-one design to the Eee Top, but its price and appearance make it clear that this system is designed to compete with Apple’s stylish iMac. Like the Vaio VGX-TP3E, this PC places greater emphasis on compact style than on efficiency, but its active power consumption of just 80W is still remarkable considering this includes the integrated monitor. The 21.1in widescreen LCD has a native resolution of 1,680×1,050 and its image quality is superb. The glossy finish isn’t too reflective, and the incredible brightness helps, too. We were particularly impressed by the accurate colour reproduction, which makes this a great choice for editing images or video. It isn’t a touch screen like the Eee Top’s display, though, so you’ll have to use the keyboard and mouse. We liked the iMac-style keyboard, which was comfortable to use. The JS1E/S is powerful enough to handle demanding tasks thanks to a 2.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 processor and 3GB of RAM. Its integrated Intel GMA X4500HD graphics processor lacks the power to play modern 3D games, but it can handle HD video. It’s a slight shame that there’s no TV tuner and no Blu-ray drive housed in the side of the system, but the DVD writer is fine given the price. If you’re desperate for either or both of these, there are enough USB ports to accommodate external versions.

At £625, the VGC-JS1E/S is better value than many of its rivals here. It beats Sony’s media centre, as the VGX-TP3E’s Blu-ray drive isn’t worth as much as a built-in 21in monitor. The JS1E/S also has more RAM and is more power-efficient, while the all-in-one design is more convenient. It’s also much cheaper than the equivalent Apple iMac. The 20-inch 2.66GHz iMac may have a faster processor, but its monitor, hard disk and RAM allocation are all inferior to the JS1E/S, yet it costs a whopping £929 including VAT and delivery. In this light, the VGC-JS1E/S is a bargain and the deserved winner of our Best Buy award.