VAIO VGN-TX2

The VAIO VGN-TX2 is a subnotebook, or ultraportable, computer made by Sony Vaio. It stands out by its quiet operation, long battery life and low weight compared to similar models from other manufacturers. This required a low-power processor to be chosen, and as a result, the clock speed remained at 1.1 GHz for the "HP" and 1.2 GHz for the more expensive "XP" model. The other difference between the two models is that the HP has 512 MiB of RAM and the XP 1 GiB. To achieve the low weight, Sony chose a carbon-fibre case. It was released in late 2005.

The TX has been released into four types in North America, with the 600, 700, 800 and TXN series. The 600 series comes with a 1.2 GHz Pentium M processor and 60 gigabyte hard drive. The 700 series is similar, except it has a 1.3 GHz Pentium M processor and 80 gigabyte hard drive. The recently released 800 series has the same hard drive as the 700 series but now has a 1.2 GHz Core Solo processor, giving it even longer battery life than its predecessors. This newest iteration of the TX line also has a built-in fingerprint reader. The TXN model is only available in North America and is similar to the TX800, except it has a built in Sprint EVDO modem and antenna whereas the TX800s do not have either. The previous TX600s and TX700s have built in Cingular EDGE modems and antennas. The TXN models are also slightly heavier and thicker than all other TX models to accodomate the built in Sprint EVDO WWAN modem.

The TX series use 1.8" hard drives with most units having 512 megs of ram built into the motherboard and one ram slot free to be upgraded to 1.5 gigs of ram max whereas some higher end models have 1 gig of ram built in and so can be upgraded to 2 gigs of ram max.

They also have an instant-on feature, which has become a common feature in notebooks since HP introduced it in their notebooks in late 2004 which lets you play DVD movies, view photos from a memory stick or SD card or play music cds without booting up to Windows.

It has different model names outside North America. The VGN-TX2 is the European/Japanese equivalent of the VGN-TX7XXP for instance and the VGN-TX3 is identical to the VGN-TX8XXP.

All models use the older PCMCIA card standard whereas some of its competitors have opted to use the newer Expresscard format.

Like most VAIO notebooks, this model has a widescreen display, in this case with a resolution of 1366x768 pixels and 11.1 inch diagonal which gives it a 16:9 aspect ratio vs 16:10 for most other widescreen notebooks. It weighs 1.25 kg. Within the VAIO range, its weight is undercut by the VAIO PCG-X505, which weighs only 780g and the recently released Vaio G series. However, these latter models do not have a built-in optical drive.

The TX also can be fitted with an extended battery which has roughly twice the capacity as its standard battery. The standard battery has roughly 7800 mAh capacity.

The latest release of the TX such such as the VGN-TXN2X series known in North America and VGN-TX5 in Europe are preloaded with Windows Vista Business edition instead of Windows XP Professional.

The TX series has been superseded by the TZ series which features ULV Core 2 Duo processors, Expresscard slot, and other updates. It retains the same LED backlit LCD and AV Mode/buttons.

External links

* [http://www.learningcenter.sony.us/Notebooks/TXSeries TX Series Home]