Sony VAIO All-In-One PC?

David Rick · 29th January 2009

For remote work, I'm thinking about something more portable than my old four rack space Carillon (2.8GHz P4) and its two 17" monitors. I've been looking at laptops, but the ones with good 1394 chips and fast hard drives seem to cost $1.8-3k. I wouldn't mind spending that kind of money on a whizzy new multi-core studio PC with lots of disk space and three monitors, but I'm balking at that for a portable.

Just noticed some good prices on Sony VAIO All-In-One pc's like this one:
Sony VAIO VGC-JS110J with a 320GB, 7200 rpm drive. It has a 20.1" screen and would fit nicely on top of a rack.

Does anyone know what 1394 chip this uses? Can it be downgraded to Windows XP? Am I totally crazy for considering this?

David L. Rick
Seventh String Recording

alaskamother · 29th January 2009

Have you considered a macbookpro and running xp on that? or does it have a bad FWchipset? I too would like to know where to find info about laptops FW specs(without having to call and ask...

/uffe

joykrash · 29th January 2009

Hi there D, this lookz kindof kewl! something like the imac thing? i would think that this is an older vaio laptop strapped 2 tha back of a monitor. (that'z what apple do with the imac!) so........ Sony are a good brand 4 laptopz at least but i would say like everything you get what you pay for....... (that'z why Sony and IBM are the most expensive) they're the best brandz! so ur maybe paying for an older laptop strapped 2 tha back of a monitor!) however they may cut some £££ off by not having 2 have any batteries or wateva is used 2 charge them.. i would check the specs of this against vaio laptopz on ur froogle/pricerunner shopping channel, i expect you'll find you can get a lappy somewhere of equivalent power (and maybe onboard shared graphics memory or not etc) This is a nice looking option but if u want power you'll alwayz have 2 pay for it. so i guess the question iz how powerful a system do u need and what level of device will be adequate for your needs.

bash · 29th January 2009

Seems a little anemic to me but I don't know what sort of load you're expecting it to carry. FSB is not spectacular and it's the budget Pentium D multicore processor. No clue on SonyStyle as to what 1394 chip is being used. Not workstation-class but might make a nice home server (except you can only add external storage) or a dedicated MIDI/VSTi station. The lack of expandability/portability would kill the deal for me. Seems like a solution looking for a problem, sort of a jack-of-all, ace-of-none box better suited to a small dorm than a studio. Personally I'd be concerned with it toppling over. I'm fairly certain it's downgradeable to XP (don't know why it wouldn't be) but that's anyone's guess until you ask Sony directly.

I'd save for a high-end notebook if this is going to be dedicated to audio production. For me, if I were going to sacrifice performance to this level over a box you could piece together yourself for this price, I'd require portability.

David Rick · 30th January 2009

Thanks guys,

Maybe I need to explain my thinking, or maybe I just need my head examined.

My goal here is not to tear up the asphalt. My old Carillon 2.8GHz P4 with 1 MB RAM works just fine for tracking 16 channels at 24/96. But taking it on location involves moving a bunch of pieces (including two 17" LCD's) and plugging it all together at the other end. It takes time, and time is money.

Since migrating from Lynx II cards to Prism Orpheus, I don't really need expansion slots, I just need a TI-based firwire port and a fast hard disk. But I'm used to having a lot of screen area so I can watch waveforms and meters while biting my fingernails for 45 minutes at a stretch. To me, these All-In-Ones seemed like laptops with bigger screens and faster disks, but without the battery (which I don't need) and the aggressive power management (which I'd have to turn off). Plus, who'd steal one?

David L. Rick
Seventh String Recording

bash · 30th January 2009

If performance isn't an issue beyond the 1394 chip and you're loving the form factor, indeed it seems like a fit. Personally, with the new generational upgrades across the board in PC components and processors, I'd wait a little longer before investing in a new system (which is precisely what I'm doing. :p) That said, if your need is immediate and the fit is there, get a straight answer from Sony on the 1394 and you're golden. Keep in mind, however, that it wasn't designed with the same roadworthy considerations that a notebook is. It might be fine but get a damn rugged carrying case (or build your own using the packing it ships in) if this is going mobile often. Good luck.

Andy Saul · 4th February 2009

I've got a Sony VAIO laptop that came with Vista pre-installed. Running it straight out of the box, it ate up 1GB(!) RAM even with visual effects turned off.

The good news is that it is easy to create a dual-boot PC if you have a copy of XP handy. I followed these instructions and created an XP partition that only uses 80MB RAM on the same hardware.

Vista works OK, but if you want the most RAM available for your DAW, budget for a copy of XP.

troggg · 4th February 2009

Hi, I recently owned one of the Vaio all-in-one 22" LT series. I sold it because I didn't realize I'd be using Pro Tools M-Powered which really likes 4 hard drives to perform well (OS, 2 audio, 1 samples) until version 8 came out. But I had it long enough to like it and wish I could have kept it as an office machine. Sony uses top shelf components, so no worries there.

Sony definitely uses a TI chipset, so no worries there - it showed up clearly in the system properties.

Now, I'm not familiar with the JS series. You could easily add another hard drive to the LT series I had - you're going to want an second drive for audio to do any serious recording. Mine was Vista 32-bit Business which ran Reaper just fine. You want to stay away from 64-bit systems for now, so you have to double check what that box is running (though I'd spend a little more for the LT series as it has a wow factor - they're discontinued so you can score a deal). Mine had 3 gigs and flew with a 9300 processor. The one you're looking at has 4 gigs so no worries. I would worry some about the processor as its getting long in the tooth.

So if I was doing the light to medium recording I thought I'd be doing, I would have stuck with the LT and been a happy camper. I like the idea of getting an all-in-one for the mobile purpose you describe. You are definitely not crazy to consider it for recreational recording. It's not going to support future expansion but you probably already realize that.

29th January 2009	#1
David Rick Lives for gear Joined: Mar 2004 Posts: 561 Thread Starter	Sony VAIO All-In-One PC? For remote work, I'm thinking about something more portable than my old four rack space Carillon (2.8GHz P4) and its two 17" monitors. I've been looking at laptops, but the ones with good 1394 chips and fast hard drives seem to cost $1.8-3k. I wouldn't mind spending that kind of money on a whizzy new multi-core studio PC with lots of disk space and three monitors, but I'm balking at that for a portable. Just noticed some good prices on Sony VAIO All-In-One pc's like this one: Sony VAIO VGC-JS110J with a 320GB, 7200 rpm drive. It has a 20.1" screen and would fit nicely on top of a rack. Does anyone know what 1394 chip this uses? Can it be downgraded to Windows XP? Am I totally crazy for considering this? David L. Rick Seventh String Recording

4th February 2009	#7
Andy Saul Gear nut Joined: Jan 2008 Location: Cambridge Posts: 133	I've got a Sony VAIO laptop that came with Vista pre-installed. Running it straight out of the box, it ate up 1GB(!) RAM even with visual effects turned off. The good news is that it is easy to create a dual-boot PC if you have a copy of XP handy. I followed these instructions and created an XP partition that only uses 80MB RAM on the same hardware. Vista works OK, but if you want the most RAM available for your DAW, budget for a copy of XP. __________________ Andy Saul Engineer, R&D Prism Media Products Cambridge United Kingdom http://www.prismsound.com/orpheus tech.support@prismsound.com

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29th January 2009	#2
alaskamother Gear interested Joined: Jan 2008 Posts: 19	Have you considered a macbookpro and running xp on that? or does it have a bad FWchipset? I too would like to know where to find info about laptops FW specs(without having to call and ask... /uffe

29th January 2009	#3
joykrash Gear interested Joined: May 2007 Posts: 14	Hi there D, this lookz kindof kewl! something like the imac thing? i would think that this is an older vaio laptop strapped 2 tha back of a monitor. (that'z what apple do with the imac!) so........ Sony are a good brand 4 laptopz at least but i would say like everything you get what you pay for....... (that'z why Sony and IBM are the most expensive) they're the best brandz! so ur maybe paying for an older laptop strapped 2 tha back of a monitor!) however they may cut some £££ off by not having 2 have any batteries or wateva is used 2 charge them.. i would check the specs of this against vaio laptopz on ur froogle/pricerunner shopping channel, i expect you'll find you can get a lappy somewhere of equivalent power (and maybe onboard shared graphics memory or not etc) This is a nice looking option but if u want power you'll alwayz have 2 pay for it. so i guess the question iz how powerful a system do u need and what level of device will be adequate for your needs.

29th January 2009	#4
bash Gear maniac Joined: Dec 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 245	Seems a little anemic to me but I don't know what sort of load you're expecting it to carry. FSB is not spectacular and it's the budget Pentium D multicore processor. No clue on SonyStyle as to what 1394 chip is being used. Not workstation-class but might make a nice home server (except you can only add external storage) or a dedicated MIDI/VSTi station. The lack of expandability/portability would kill the deal for me. Seems like a solution looking for a problem, sort of a jack-of-all, ace-of-none box better suited to a small dorm than a studio. Personally I'd be concerned with it toppling over. I'm fairly certain it's downgradeable to XP (don't know why it wouldn't be) but that's anyone's guess until you ask Sony directly. I'd save for a high-end notebook if this is going to be dedicated to audio production. For me, if I were going to sacrifice performance to this level over a box you could piece together yourself for this price, I'd require portability.

30th January 2009	#5
David Rick Lives for gear Joined: Mar 2004 Posts: 561 Thread Starter	Thanks guys, Maybe I need to explain my thinking, or maybe I just need my head examined. My goal here is not to tear up the asphalt. My old Carillon 2.8GHz P4 with 1 MB RAM works just fine for tracking 16 channels at 24/96. But taking it on location involves moving a bunch of pieces (including two 17" LCD's) and plugging it all together at the other end. It takes time, and time is money. Since migrating from Lynx II cards to Prism Orpheus, I don't really need expansion slots, I just need a TI-based firwire port and a fast hard disk. But I'm used to having a lot of screen area so I can watch waveforms and meters while biting my fingernails for 45 minutes at a stretch. To me, these All-In-Ones seemed like laptops with bigger screens and faster disks, but without the battery (which I don't need) and the aggressive power management (which I'd have to turn off). Plus, who'd steal one? David L. Rick Seventh String Recording

4th February 2009	#8
troggg Lives for gear Joined: Oct 2002 Location: Denver, Colorado Posts: 500	Hi, I recently owned one of the Vaio all-in-one 22" LT series. I sold it because I didn't realize I'd be using Pro Tools M-Powered which really likes 4 hard drives to perform well (OS, 2 audio, 1 samples) until version 8 came out. But I had it long enough to like it and wish I could have kept it as an office machine. Sony uses top shelf components, so no worries there. Sony definitely uses a TI chipset, so no worries there - it showed up clearly in the system properties. Now, I'm not familiar with the JS series. You could easily add another hard drive to the LT series I had - you're going to want an second drive for audio to do any serious recording. Mine was Vista 32-bit Business which ran Reaper just fine. You want to stay away from 64-bit systems for now, so you have to double check what that box is running (though I'd spend a little more for the LT series as it has a wow factor - they're discontinued so you can score a deal). Mine had 3 gigs and flew with a 9300 processor. The one you're looking at has 4 gigs so no worries. I would worry some about the processor as its getting long in the tooth. So if I was doing the light to medium recording I thought I'd be doing, I would have stuck with the LT and been a happy camper. I like the idea of getting an all-in-one for the mobile purpose you describe. You are definitely not crazy to consider it for recreational recording. It's not going to support future expansion but you probably already realize that.