Product Reviews

Sony's FX series of notebooks has won plaudits in PC Pro, thanks to its no-frills combination of solid performance, build and functionality. The PCG-FX301 (see Reviews, issue 85, p157) is a case in point, offering all of the basic functions you need from a portable computer for a reasonable outlay. Sony's PCG-FX405 takes this a step further by incorporating AMD's latest Athlon 4 mobile processor running at 1GHz, partnered with 256Mb of RAM, making it a viable desktop replacement.

The FX405 is actually Sony's first VAIO notebook to feature the Athlon 4 processor, which incorporates AMD's PowerNow! technology for extending battery life. Also bang up to date is the OS, as Sony has decided to go with the Home Edition of Windows XP. The functions of PowerNow! are actually built in to the latest versions of Microsoft's new Windows XP operating system, so dynamic processor stepping works without any additional settings or software. It's worth noting, however, that early releases of Windows XP may need patching to activate this feature.

At £1,364 the FX405 weighs in at the heavy side of reasonable in terms of price, but Sony has packed in quite a lot for your money. For starters, there's a 20Gb hard disk, which should be ample for most use - unless you're planning to make use of the i.LINK port for a spot of video editing, in which case it might be slightly restrictive.

There's also a DVD/CD-RW combo drive, capable of eight-speed DVD read, 24-speed CD reading, eight-speed write and quad-speed re-write. This is a great addition, which not only provides DVD movie playback, but also offers a resource for data backup. On the opposite side, Sony has fitted two PC Card slots, which can double as one Type III slot.

The FX405 may have the next-generation operating system and mobile processor, but Sony has still sensibly kept some legacy support. Around the back can be found parallel and serial ports, plus sockets for the integrated V.90 modem

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and 10/100BaseTX Ethernet adaptor, as well as the more modern USB and i.LINK ports. There's also a VGA D-SUB for output to an external monitor and a TV-out too. My main cause for concern, however, is the flimsy plastic flap covering the rear ports. It wouldn't take much to tear this off accidentally, and although this wouldn't impair functionality, it would make it look less sleek.

Next to the DVD/CD-RW combo is a floppy drive, which is useful for transferring small files, but if you'd rather not have it, you can replace it with a secondary battery. This wouldn't be a bad idea as, like the FX301, the FX405's battery life is appalling. In our rundown tests the battery lasted a pathetic 34 minutes. Even with the power settings configured for maximum battery life, I still only got just over one and a half hours' working time out of it, and this was under fairly light stress.

This is a shame, as the FX405 is actually a very capable performer. The powerful 1GHz Athlon 4 processor, coupled with 256Mb of RAM, led to an overall PC Pro 2D benchmark score of 2.95 and an impressive graphics score of 4.04.

That said, it's not such great news if you're interested in stunning 3D performance, as the 8Mb ATi Rage Mobility-M1 isn't up to today's multimedia demands. The 3DMark2000 score of 604 at 1,024 x 768 in 16-bit colour can't compete with notebooks fitted with Nvidia GeForce2 Go graphics, but at least there's limited 3D functionality there if you need it.

However, for the office-type applications that the FX405 is better suited to, it's difficult to fault. The 15in XGA screen is bright and sharp, and well protected behind a solid lid. Plus, the keyboard is tactile and responsive, with a sensibly sized Return key.

There's some scope for upgrading too, particularly for memory expansion, which can be upgraded to 512Mb. Sadly, both SODIMM sockets were occupied with 128Mb modules on our model, and it would have been better for Sony to have fitted a single 256Mb SODIMM, making future upgrades easier.

The Sony PCG-FX405 isn't going to set your world alight, but it's an honest, hard-working notebook with all the requisite features. The extra grunt supplied by AMD's Athlon 4 processor is very welcome, as is Windows XP Home, which together make the FX405 a thoroughly modern machine. The biggest concern is battery life, which really does hamper its usefulness as a mobile computer: I'd also prefer more than the one-year collect-and-return warranty. These matters aside, it has almost everything at an affordable price.