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I am planning to buy this netbook, Sony VAIO VGN-P530H/Q Lifestyle PC.

I don't know much about computers, will Windows 7 run smoothly on it?

6 Answers 6

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Sony insists, the Vaio P is NOT a netbook! And rightly so, because it would give netbooks a bad name. :)

I had the 'pleasure' to 'toy' around with a Sony Vaio P for a couple of days, it comes with Windows Vista by default and despite the 2 GB RAM the Atom Z series CPU (originally developed for MIDs) isn't really up to the challenge (and that was the 1.6 GHz variant), Windows XP is much better suited for such a 'low end' CPU.

But most annoying is the display, 1600x768 on an 8" screen is a JOKE ... no matter how far you crank up the DPI settings. :)

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It should run on there fine... "smoothly" depends on what you actually do, do not expect it to be a top notch performer and run major 3D games or anything intensive, but for Office and general internet usage, it should be fine.

That being said, lose the Vista no matter what - but, Windows XP should be a lot faster on that specification computer in my honest opinion.

Also, I would advise against Sony, for that price and what you are getting - I am shocked... Core Solos are not very good and I would either get a dual core Atom at half the price or wait for the next product refresh.

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If it runs with Vista, it will sprint with Windows 7

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Not what the poster answered but consider giving a "netbook mix" Linux distro a shot -- I got Jolicloud downloaded and running from the SD slot in under an hour on my wife's Toshiba netbook, and she hasn't looked back. The nice thing is you can see how it performs before you modify anything on the hard drive (or SSD as the case may be)

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Windows 7 should run quite well on it. Many netbooks come with Windows 7 Starter, and the GPUs should handle Aero. The Vaio series is a little overpriced I think, though - there's quite a few that are more value for money.

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  • most netbooks have an Atom N series processor, Sony's gadget has an Atom Z, BIG difference!
    – Molly7244
    Dec 24, 2009 at 1:40
  • just to give you an idea with what we're dealing here, Eee PC 701 (Celeron M 900 MHz) vs Sony Vaio P (Z530 1.6 GHz not 1.33) on 2m caculations with SuperPi: Eee 701 206 seconds, Sony Vaio P 304 seconds. now i wouldn't consider the Eee 701 exactly as 'Windows 7 material' yet the olde celery processor is running circles around the Vaio P. and with that Intel GMA at 1600x768, there is nothing smooth about Aero. believe me, i've been there and dunnit. :)
    – Molly7244
    Dec 24, 2009 at 2:04
  • the celeries are rather aweful . My ecperiences with the atom were with a 330 series mini itx, and a dell mini 10, both of which worked magnificantly.
    – Journeyman Geek
    Dec 24, 2009 at 5:51
  • well, the 330 is a dual core atom, the mini 10 has the N270 (which performs comparable to the 'awful celery', some tasks it performs better, with others, such as multimedia, the celeron has the edge :). anyway, you can't compare those 2 processors with the Z series Atoms (Silverthorn), which were designed for mobile internet devices (MIDs). i tested the Vaio P and even with the faster 1.6 GHz processor it was 50% slower than the celeron, nevermind the 1.3 GHz variant. THAT's how bad it is. :)
    – Molly7244
    Dec 24, 2009 at 11:32
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Windows 7 will be faster than Windows Vista on any machine. On most netbooks, I would have no hesitation about running Windows 7, particularly with 2 GB of RAM. The slower prpcessor, though, is a factor in favor of running Windows XP or Linux to try to squeeze every bit of performance out of it. I would still try running Windows 7, perhaps use the release candidate, which is still good for a few months, and then buy Windows 7 if the performance is acceptable.

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    the Vaio P is not a netbook, it's a 'lifestyle PC' ... whatever that means. and while you "would have no hesitation about running Windows 7", the Vaio P will have plenty 'hesitations'. :D
    – Molly7244
    Dec 24, 2009 at 11:41

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