Hot? Sony VAIO RX753 P4/512/DVD-RW $1099

[luks0r]

This looks like a Hot Deal, but it's shrouded in mystery. Take a look at this Sony VAIO Desktop system:
Sony Vaio RX752 Intel® Pentium? 4 2.0A GHz/80GB/512MB/DVD-RW/CD/NIC/56K/XP
That system retails for $1449 - $100 rebate at Outpost.com.

Now look at the following system:
Sony Vaio RX753 Intel® Pentium? 4 2.0A GHz/60GB/512MB/DVD-RW/CD/NIC/56K/XP
This system retails for $1099?!

The ONLY difference I could tell after going into both product pages and doing a side-by-side comparison, was the the $1099 model came with a 60GB HD instead of an 80GB one. Same processor / speed / RAM / Optical Drive (DVD Writer!) / NIC / Modem / OS.

To make it even more interesting, this configuration here is $100 more than the RX753 (before a $100 rebate), and does NOT include a DVD-RW, only a DVD/CDRW combo drive, with all of the remaining specs the same:
Sony Vaio RX755 Intel® Pentium®4 2.0A GHz/60GB/512MB/DVD/CDRW/NIC/56K/XP

I searched for "RX753" on the internet, and found only one Sony page with a reference to the model but no system specs. Finally, I found this promotional offer:
Free DVD-R Media with purchase of a VAIO Desktop with a DVD-RW drive which shows the RX753 as a qualifying model (but not available through sonystyle.com). This promotion confirms that the RX753 indeed comes with a DVD-RW drive, so that piece was not a typo.

So how is Outpost selling a machine that I can't find anywhere else with specs that are BETTER than the RX755, but CHEAPER? That's the mystery. At any rate, this looks like a Hot Deal to me.

 

[BlackNinja]

That's weird. 350 difference for the 20 Gigs ... They need to redo their pricing and rebates. It's probably out of place

 

[stevef]

outpost.com seems to be out entirely...

 

[IgoByte]

Does it have an AGP slot?

 

[luks0r]

According to the Outpost.com product page (linked in the first post), it says it has an AGP slot. One thing I should probably mention: the other models (RX752, RX755) are pretty much standard prices across most stores; check out BestBuy.com, CircuitCity.com, Amazon.com, etc. and you'll see that Outpost's prices for these machines are in line with the other retail stores.

It's the RX753 that (1) I can't find at *any* other store on the 'net, and (2) whose pricing seems astronomically low compared to the other standard configurations.

I'll post the specs here for those who want it:
Sony Vaio RX753 Intel® Pentium? 4 2.0A GHz/60GB/512MB/DVD-RW/CD/NIC/56K/XP

For $1099 [+tax in some states, free shipping last I checked] you get all this:


* Intel® Pentium? 4 Processor 2.0A GHz
* 512MB PC-2100 DDR RAM (expandable to 1 GB)
* 400 MHz Front Side Bus
* 60 GB Ultra ATA/100 hard drive
* DVD-RW / CD-RW Drive
* CD-ROM Drive
* High-speed Internet ready with 10Base-T/100Base-TX Fast Ethernet
* Front and Rear Accessible i.LINK® (IEEE 1394) Interfaces and USB connections
* SIS650 Integrated Graphics with Real256?
* 2D/3D Graphics Accelerator
* 32MB Shared Graphics Memory
* VAIO Smart Keyboard
* V.90 compatible data/fax modem
* Wheel mouse
* External Stereo Speakers

Specifications:
* Processor: Intel® Pentium? 4 Processor 2.0A GHz
* Cache Memory: 512 KB Integrated On-Die Level 2
* Front Side Bus Speed: 400 MHz
* Standard RAM: 512 MB PC-2100 DDR RAM, expandable to 1 GB
* Hard Drive: 60 GB Ultra ATA/100 Hard Drive
* DVD-RW Drive: (2x/1x/4x) max.
* CD-RW Drive: (8x/4x/24x) max.
* CD-ROM Drive: 40X max.
* Floppy Disk Drive: 3.5" 1.44 MB Floppy Disk Drive

Video & Graphics:
* SIS650 Integrated Graphics with Real256?
* 2D/3D Graphics Accelerator
* 32MB Shared Graphics Memory
* Modem: V.90 Compatible Fax/Modem
* Ethernet: 10Base-T/100Base-TX Fast Ethernet
* Expansion Slots:
* Three PCI (one occupied by Modem)
* One AGP
* Memory Stick® Media Slot

Expansion Bays:
* Two 5.25" Half-Height (two occupied)
* One External 3.5" (occupied)
* Two Internal 3.5" (one occupied)
* Port Connectors:
* Four USB (two front/two rear)
* One PS/2® Mouse
* One PS/2® Keyboard
* One VGA monitor port
* One Serial
* One Parallel
* One 6pin i.LINK port (rear)
* One 4pin i.LINK port (front)
* One Headphone Out
* One Line In
* One Microphone

Supplied Accessories:
* Speakers (Stereo)
* VAIO Smart? Keyboard
* PS/2® Wheel Mouse
* RJ-11 Phone Cord
* Power Cord
* Power Requirements: 100-120V -3A (50/60Hz)
* Power Management: ACPI 1.0 Compliant
* Dimensions (CPU): 8.0"(W) x 14.2"(H) x 14.6"(D)
* Weight (CPU): 28.5 lbs.
* Service: One Year Limited Express Repair Service (upon registration; 90 days without registration)*
* Limited Warranty: One Year Parts and Labor (upon registration; 90 days without registration)*
* Telephone Support:
* Hardware: One Year
* Software and Operating System: 90 Days

Software:
* Operating System: Microsoft® Windows® XP Home Edition
* Sony Original Software:
* DVgate?
* SonicStage® for VAIO®
* MovieShaker?
* Smart Capture
* DigitalPrint
* PowerDVD
* Simple DVD Maker

Other Software Applications:
* Adobe® Acrobat® Reader®
* Adobe® Photoshop® Elements
* Sonic Solutions DVDit!® for VAIO®
* Veritas® RecordNow? DX
* Apple QuickTime®
* Corel WordPerfect®
* Intuit Quicken® 2002
* Microsoft® Outlook® Express

Online Center:
* America Online®
* VAIO Support Agent
* EarthLink TotalAccess?
* Anti-Virus & Recovery Software:
* Trend Micro PC Cillin®
* Sony Application Recovery CD(s)
* Sony System Recovery CD(s)

 

[MrHappyMonkey]

wow it has a DVD-RW drive for $1099? So 1099 - $300 (what the drive is worth) = $799 for the computer which is pretty good considering the specs.

 

[luks0r]

Okay I ordered one and I just got it in today. It's legit!! DVD-RW, 512MB RAM, P4 2 GHz, and an AGP slot I can put my GeForce4 in! Gonna enjoy the weekend, yes I am....

 

[luks0r]

 

[luks0r]

Oops. Sorry about that blank post. Stupid computer.

Okay, I was gonna say: Fry's just updated their site today. $50 rebate on this machine!!
Linky