Sony VAIO VGN-NS20E/S in Laptops

This Sony's name might not ring any bells, but it's nonetheless a rather familiar face. It looks, to all intents and purposes, identical to the old NR-series of laptops.

That's a shame, because those were never particularly pretty machines. Finished all in silver, the dimpled shell almost looks like machined aluminium from a distance. Get up close, however, and it's just plain old plastic.

Look past the less-than-stylish exterior, though, and the VGN-NS20E/S has plenty to recommend it. The core specification is beyond reproach. An Intel Pentium Dual-Core T3400 processor, 3GB of memory and a 250GB hard drive are all as good as you can get for the money, and achieved a fine score of 0.95 in our benchmarks.

Only the Intel integrated graphics prove a mite disappointing, juddering through our Crysis test at an unplayable five frames per second.

While gaming might not be on the agenda, the Sony's display makes a fine job of any image. The 15.4in display opts for the usual 1,280 x 800 pixel resolution, but its quality is beyond reproach. Colours are surprisingly natural for such a budget panel, and good contrast helped it make a fine fist of even the trickiest test photos.

Spend any amount of time with the Sony and its quality soon shines through. The VGN-NS20E/S's Scrabble-tile keyboard might look strange, but the crisp key action and spacious layout makes for comfortable typing. Better still, it's matched with a responsive trackpad and buttons that respond with a light click.

The Sony's great ergonomics and crisp display are enough to win it friends, but battery life isn't half bad, either. The 4,400mAh cell can't compete with the Lenovo's huge battery, but more than four hours of light use is still respectable.

Factor in the addition of Gigabit Ethernet and draft-n wireless, and the Sony does more than enough to justify its price. Its plasticky looks may be a stumbling block, but what lurks underneath is a fine budget laptop.

Author: Sasha Muller