Sony's VAIO desktop PCs have always provided high-end multimedia performance. VAIOs delivered excellent multimedia power, but often shipped with equally high-end price tags. Now, Sony is shipping their VAIO RB series of desktop computers for home users that still pack in the multimedia goods but start at a price that more home users can afford.

Their new VAIO RB64G is priced at not much more than a grand, and comes chock full of cutting-edge components and features. On the inside of this home desktop computer you'll find an Intel Pentium D 920 Dual Core processor with twin 2.8GHz cores on a single chip. It's a 64-bit processor that's ready for the next wave of operating systems and applications. Sony pairs that CPU with 1GB of 533MHz DDR2 memory inside, providing enough RAM for serious multitasking, 3D gaming, and even video editing.

VAIO is still all about the multimedia, so this desktop computer runs Windows XP Media Center 2005 and comes with a Giga Pocket engine with TV Tuner. This combination turns your home computer into a personal video recorder (PVR) and lets you input a television signal--you can watch and record your favorite TV shows with your VAIO. There's a TV-out port to send your VAIO's signal to your television. This desktop computer easily becomes the centerpiece of your home theater setup.

Sony knows you'll need a lot of storage space for recording video, so they included a 250GB 7,200rpm SATA hard drive inside the RB64G. It provides a great amount of room for not just recording TV shows but for game installations, MP3 file storage, and more.

With the DVD+/-RW DL drive, you can burn recorded video onto DVDs that play back in other DVD players. This DVD writer handles Double Layer media, which store up to 8.5GB worth of data or four hours of high-quality video on a single disk. A basic DVD-ROM drive is in the second external drive bay, so you can easily copy video and other files from disk to disk.

The VAIO RB64G ships with ATI's Radeon X300 graphics board. While not a top-of-the-line board, the X300 is still a decent PCI Express gaming board with 128MB of dedicated video memory, and plays the latest 3D games with most of the special effects turned on.

This home desktop doesn't ship with a floppy drive, but it does have a multimedia card reader that supports formats from Memory Stick to CompactFlash to XD Picture Card. It's easy to transfer photos and files from your PDA or digital camera by just popping the flash memory card from your device into your VAIO.

Sony includes a basic pair of stereo speakers with the VAIO RB64G. They're adequate for PC use, and if this VAIO integrates into your home theater setup, you'll probably hook it up to your surround sound receiver anyway.

The input devices are rather plain, but they get the job done. There isn't a monitor included with the RB64G at the starting price, so if you won't be connecting it to your TV you might want to look at Sony's options.

Sony bundles a great set of software with these home desktop computers, including their SonicStage application for downloading and managing music (tied to their Connect Web site). They include their DVGate Plus digital video editing software and Click to DVD burning software. Microsoft Works Suite 8.5 and Quicken 2005 are part of the bundle, giving you some basic office and financial software as well.

Sony offers a one-year warranty on these home desktop computers that includes toll-free technical support and on-site service if it's needed.

For a little over a grand, you can bring home a multimedia powerhouse that watches and records TV, burns high-capacity DVDs, and provides the core power to perform these tasks without breaking a sweat. Sony's VAIO RB series of desktop computers for home users puts high-end multimedia control in the hands of the budget-oriented masses.

Pro: Excellent multimedia performance, good components
Con: No monitor included

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Sony Electronics
3300 Zanker Rd.
San Jose, CA 95134
877-865-SONY
http://www.sonystyle.com

Ratings:
Value: 4
Performance: 5
Ease of Use: 4
Features: 5
Overall: 5

Warranty
1-year limited