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Sony Vaio U series

December 03, 2023

The Sony U series of subnotebook computers refers to two series of Sony products the PCG-U and the VGN-U. The later VGN-U were, at their release, the smallest independent computers running Windows XP and the most powerful high-end subnotebooks at the time. The VGN-U50 and VGN-U70P models are roughly the size of two DVD cases stacked on top of each other.

The first models of the series to come out were the VGN-U50 and the VGN-U70P in Japan. The American model is the VGN-U750P. A VGN-U8G model was introduced for some south Asian countries.

Technical specifications edit

Model Year introduced CPU Display GPU RAM Storage Dimensions Notes
PCG-U1 2002 Transmeta Crusoe TM5800 @ 867 MHz 6.4" w/1024×768 resolution ATI Mobility Radeon M6 w/8 MB VRAM 128 MB 20 GB 1.8" HD 184 mm × 139 mm × 46 mm, 860 g
PCG-U3 2002 Transmeta Crusoe TM5800 @ 933 MHz 6.4" w/1024×768 resolution ATI Mobility Radeon M6 w/8 MB VRAM 256 MB 20 GB 1.8" HD 184 mm x 139 mm x 46 mm, 860 g
PCG-U101 2003 Intel Celeron M @ 600 MHz 7.1" w/1024×768 resolution ATI Mobility Radeon w/16 MB VRAM 256 MB 30 GB HD 178 mm × 139 mm × 34 mm, 880 g
VGN-U50 2004 Intel Celeron M @ 900 MHz 5" w/800×600 resolution Intel 855GM 256 MB 20 GB 1.8" HD 167 mm x 108 mm x 26.4 mm, 550 g
VGN-U70P 2004 Intel Pentium M @ 1 GHz 5" w/800×600 resolution Intel 855GM 512 MB 20 GB HD 167 mm x 108 mm x 26.4 mm, 550 g
VGN-U8G Rebranded VGN-U50 for the Singapore market
VGN-U8C Rebranded VGN-U50 for the Chinese market
VGN-U750P Intel Pentium M 733 @ 1.1 GHz 5" w/800x600 resolution Intel 855GM 512 MB 20 GB 1.8" HD 167 mm x 108 mm x 26.4 mm, 550 g
VGN-U71P 2004 Intel Pentium M 733 @ 1.1 GHz 5 inch 800x600 Intel 855GM 512 MB 30 GB HD 167 mm x 108 mm x 26.4 mm, 550 g

Additional specification for VGN-U series

  • Display: 5 in (127 mm) SVGA, 800×600, 16 million colors, touchscreen
  • Keyboard: 87 keys, English/Japanese layout (connects via USB, does not attach to unit)
  • Expansion ports:
  • Soundcard: PCM 16-bit audio, mono speaker, stereo headphone jack
  • Mouse: TrackStik (trackpoint-like) with 2+1 buttons (left, right, middle)
  • Handwriting recognition software: RitePen; also compatible with third-party alternatives such as PenOffice

Other:

  • LCD for headphone remote, time display
  • 1 USB 2.0 Port
  • Power supply: AC 100/240 V (50/60 Hz) – DC 16 V/2.2 A/? W
  • Size: 167 × 108 × 26.4 mm
  • Weight: 550 g (incl. battery)
  • Hard disk drive
    • 20 GB Ultra-ATA100 [U70p/U750/U50/U8g]
      • Toshiba MK2004GAL (DC 3.3 V, 500 mA)
    • 30 GB Ultra-ATA100 [U71p]
  • Floppy disk drive: None (optional accessory)
  • Optical storage
    • None (optional accessory) [U70p/U50/U750/U71p]
    • DVD+/-RW Drive (external slim) [U8G]
      • PCGA-DDRW2 (Firewire – DC 10 V, 1.5 A)

Docking station:

Advanced technical information for the VGN-U series edit

CPU edit

The Pentium-M series CPU (1.0 GHz, 1.1 GHz) supports SpeedStep, which allows the processor to slow down when not under load, using less power and prolonging battery life. The 1.1 GHz is a Dothan generation processor, and has a 2 MB cache, whereas the 1.0 GHz is a Banias generation CPU with only 1 MB of cache. The 900 MHz Celeron-M does not support SpeedStep, and has only 512 KB cache. Despite the Celeron-M's performance shortcomings, benchmarks show the arithmetic performance difference is marginal. Much of the performance increase seems to result from having a total of 512 MB of memory. Battery life of the Pentium-M series is said to be anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes over the Celeron-M model as a result of having SpeedStep.

Display edit

The internal display has a resolution of 800x600 pixels. The integrated i855gm graphics card can display a maximum of 16 million colors. Connecting an external monitor to the VGA port of the docking station enables a maximum resolution of 1600x1200x16m. The graphics supports display cloning or extended desktop when using an extended monitor, and also supports OpenGL and Direct3D hardware acceleration, with a performance approximating that of a Radeon 7000 or a GeForce 1. With updated drivers from Intel, the ability to rotate the screen in 90, 180 and 270 degree modes is enabled.

The brightness of the internal display is adjustable. The brightness control has nine levels, and also the ability to turn the backlight off in direct sunlight.

The display is very small, roughly 5 inches (127 mm) diagonal; it may cause some eyestrain if used for prolonged periods. The high DPI resolution offers excellent viewing of images and video.

Keyboard edit

Sony VGP-KBC1 Foldable Keyboard, The compact USB keyboard resembles a laptop keyboard. It folds in the middle, and has a TrackStik mouse pointer in the center. When folded, the unit is approximately the same width and height of the U-series unit, and about half the thickness. Original U50 and U70p units had a faulty Synaptics driver which sometimes caused USB HID input device conflicts. Recent driver updates have resolved this issue.

TrackStik and mouse buttons edit

The pointing-head is on the right side of the unit below the directional pad. The mouse buttons are on the left side of the unit, no matter what orientation it is used in. When rotated into portrait mode, the options key, brightness, and onscreen keyboard button are remapped to the mouse buttons, and the previous mouse buttons become the new modifier buttons.

The TrackStick has a rubber tip that can be worn out after repeated use. You can get a replacement tip from Sony parts.

CompactFlash slot edit

This slot will accommodate a Type-II CompactFlash device, provided there are Windows XP drivers for such a device. It will accept all valid CompactFlash memory cards. Some memory cards pulled from sealed MP3 devices such as iPods have been crippled as so not to be fully compliant as a regular memory card, and may not work.

Memory Stick slot edit

The Sony Memory Stick slot is underneath the CompactFlash slot. It will accept only Memory Stick memory storage cards; Wi-Fi and Bluetooth cards will not work as there are no Windows XP drivers for any such Memory Stick IO devices at this time.

Headset connectors edit

There is one headset connector on the left hand side of the unit, above the button-hold switch. It also has an extended port for a headphone remote control unit, which allows one to control audio playback and read current track information. There are a couple extensions available to allow Windows Media Player and Winamp to display output to the controller unit.

Rechargeable battery edit

There are two OEM batteries available, and now some aftermarket enhanced models. The stock one that comes with all units lasts approximately two to three hours, depending on usage. An extended battery is available as an option, is about twice the thickness of the stock battery, and lasts approximately twice as long as the stock battery.

Power supply edit

The iGo Juice and other third party adapter manufacturers make power supplies that are compatible with the U series. The power tip is compatible with many other Sony models, including the Z505, and possibly some Fujitsu models. Please check voltage, current and power ratings to ensure maximum compatibility.

RAM & upgrading edit

On all models, the memory is on a proprietary daughtercard manufactured by Sony. This card has a proprietary interface, and is incompatible with all currently known memory cards. The memory is DDR 266 MHz. On models with 512 MB, the memory is maxed out. On models with 256 MB, the memory card can be removed and replaced with a 512 MB card, currently only available in Japan, but occasionally rarely found in the United States, and usually at extremely high prices.

Since the U series uses a proprietary memory module and not a standard SODIMM, if a vendor claims to have U-series RAM for sale and it is a SODIMM, it will not fit in the U series. There are various vendors claiming to sell U-series RAM but the vast majority are selling incompatible DDR SODIMM. There has been no report of modules larger than 512MB as of August 2014.

i.Link Firewire port edit

i.Link is Sony's name for IEEE 1394; the port is compatible with 4 pin FireWire cables, and is unpowered. 6 pin firewire cables will need an adapter. The i.Link port on the docking station additionally has a power jack next to the 4 pin jack, used only for Sony compatible CD and DVD drives. Only drives compatible with this extended power jack are capable of booting CDs and DVDs on the U series. Other drives may work once booted into the OS, but will not boot setup CDs or DVDs. There are at least four Sony drives that will work: PCGA-CRWD2, PCGA-DVRW1, PCVA-DRW3, and PCGA-DVD1/A.

(Note that the Sony DRX-510UL drive can be used to read/write discs once Windows has booted, but the red text halfway down the page says specifically, "The DRX-510UL cannot handle [i.e., be used for] system recovery (the reinstallation of the OS).")

Models and prices edit

The VGN-U70P was produced in 2004 in Japan. It was not available outside Japan, but it was available via import retailers. Only Sony Japan sold the VGN-U70P version directly, while both Sony and other Japanese vendors sold the lower model VGN-U50. A memory upgrade for the U50 is rumored to exist in Japan at an extremely high price.

As of approximately January 2005, Sony Japan had discontinued the U70p, and introduced a new model, VGN-U71P. The upgraded features include a 1.1 GHz CPU with 2 MB of cache, and a 30 GB hard drive.

In December 2004, Sony USA introduced an American model, the VGN-U750P. It is identical to the U70P, but has an upgraded CPU of 1.1 GHz with 2 MB of cache. It forgoes the Japanese Sony DoVaio media application for an English version of Sony VAIO Media as its media player application. In mid-February 2005, Sony USA's website stopped selling the U750P.

In Hong Kong, Singapore, and a few other south Asian countries, Sony had introduced a regional localized model, the VGN-U8G and VGN-U8C. The U8G is identical to the U50, except it came with an external DVD+/-RW i. Link drive.

Availability edit

All models of the Sony Vaio U series have been discontinued in lieu of the new UX series.

For a limited time, models U50/U8G/U8C/U70P/U71P/U750P were still available from vendors. As all U models preceding the UX have been discontinued as of 2006, availability of any of the aforementioned U series models on the following websites is either nil, scarce, or sporadic.

Due to their unique design and still-considerable computational power the U series remains in high demand, evidenced by the numerous internet fan communities and the consistent high prices they fetch on online auction sites.

External links edit

  • Sony press release
  • Sony Japan VGN-U50 and VGN-U71P Site
  • Sony VGN-U750P Site
  • Greyhat Sony U-series FAQ site
  • PCG-U1 review
  • Installing Linux on the PCG-U101
  • Sony PCG-U1 Spec Page

December 03, 2023
sony, vaio, series, this, article, includes, list, references, related, reading, external, links, sources, remain, unclear, because, lacks, inline, citations, please, help, improve, this, article, introducing, more, precise, citations, 2023, learn, when, remov. This article includes a list of references related reading or external links but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations May 2023 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Sony U series of subnotebook computers refers to two series of Sony products the PCG U and the VGN U The later VGN U were at their release the smallest independent computers running Windows XP and the most powerful high end subnotebooks at the time The VGN U50 and VGN U70P models are roughly the size of two DVD cases stacked on top of each other The first models of the series to come out were the VGN U50 and the VGN U70P in Japan The American model is the VGN U750P A VGN U8G model was introduced for some south Asian countries Contents 1 Technical specifications 2 Advanced technical information for the VGN U series 2 1 CPU 2 2 Display 2 3 Keyboard 2 4 TrackStik and mouse buttons 2 5 CompactFlash slot 2 6 Memory Stick slot 2 7 Headset connectors 2 8 Rechargeable battery 2 9 Power supply 2 10 RAM amp upgrading 2 11 i Link Firewire port 3 Models and prices 4 Availability 5 External linksTechnical specifications editModel Year introduced CPU Display GPU RAM Storage Dimensions NotesPCG U1 2002 Transmeta Crusoe TM5800 867 MHz 6 4 w 1024 768 resolution ATI Mobility Radeon M6 w 8 MB VRAM 128 MB 20 GB 1 8 HD 184 mm 139 mm 46 mm 860 gPCG U3 2002 Transmeta Crusoe TM5800 933 MHz 6 4 w 1024 768 resolution ATI Mobility Radeon M6 w 8 MB VRAM 256 MB 20 GB 1 8 HD 184 mm x 139 mm x 46 mm 860 gPCG U101 2003 Intel Celeron M 600 MHz 7 1 w 1024 768 resolution ATI Mobility Radeon w 16 MB VRAM 256 MB 30 GB HD 178 mm 139 mm 34 mm 880 gVGN U50 2004 Intel Celeron M 900 MHz 5 w 800 600 resolution Intel 855GM 256 MB 20 GB 1 8 HD 167 mm x 108 mm x 26 4 mm 550 gVGN U70P 2004 Intel Pentium M 1 GHz 5 w 800 600 resolution Intel 855GM 512 MB 20 GB HD 167 mm x 108 mm x 26 4 mm 550 gVGN U8G Rebranded VGN U50 for the Singapore marketVGN U8C Rebranded VGN U50 for the Chinese marketVGN U750P Intel Pentium M 733 1 1 GHz 5 w 800x600 resolution Intel 855GM 512 MB 20 GB 1 8 HD 167 mm x 108 mm x 26 4 mm 550 gVGN U71P 2004 Intel Pentium M 733 1 1 GHz 5 inch 800x600 Intel 855GM 512 MB 30 GB HD 167 mm x 108 mm x 26 4 mm 550 gAdditional specification for VGN U series Display 5 in 127 mm SVGA 800 600 16 million colors touchscreen Keyboard 87 keys English Japanese layout connects via USB does not attach to unit Expansion ports Sony Memory Stick CompactFlash Type II can be used as 16 bit PCMCIA with proper adapter Soundcard PCM 16 bit audio mono speaker stereo headphone jack Mouse TrackStik trackpoint like with 2 1 buttons left right middle Handwriting recognition software RitePen also compatible with third party alternatives such as PenOfficeOther LCD for headphone remote time display 1 USB 2 0 Port Power supply AC 100 240 V 50 60 Hz DC 16 V 2 2 A W Size 167 108 26 4 mm Weight 550 g incl battery Hard disk drive 20 GB Ultra ATA100 U70p U750 U50 U8g Toshiba MK2004GAL DC 3 3 V 500 mA 30 GB Ultra ATA100 U71p Floppy disk drive None optional accessory Optical storage None optional accessory U70p U50 U750 U71p DVD RW Drive external slim U8G PCGA DDRW2 Firewire DC 10 V 1 5 A Docking station 3 additional USB 2 0 ports i Link 4 pin FireWire port 10 100 Intel ethernet VGA portAdvanced technical information for the VGN U series editCPU edit The Pentium M series CPU 1 0 GHz 1 1 GHz supports SpeedStep which allows the processor to slow down when not under load using less power and prolonging battery life The 1 1 GHz is a Dothan generation processor and has a 2 MB cache whereas the 1 0 GHz is a Banias generation CPU with only 1 MB of cache The 900 MHz Celeron M does not support SpeedStep and has only 512 KB cache Despite the Celeron M s performance shortcomings benchmarks show the arithmetic performance difference is marginal Much of the performance increase seems to result from having a total of 512 MB of memory Battery life of the Pentium M series is said to be anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes over the Celeron M model as a result of having SpeedStep Display edit The internal display has a resolution of 800x600 pixels The integrated i855gm graphics card can display a maximum of 16 million colors Connecting an external monitor to the VGA port of the docking station enables a maximum resolution of 1600x1200x16m The graphics supports display cloning or extended desktop when using an extended monitor and also supports OpenGL and Direct3D hardware acceleration with a performance approximating that of a Radeon 7000 or a GeForce 1 With updated drivers from Intel the ability to rotate the screen in 90 180 and 270 degree modes is enabled The brightness of the internal display is adjustable The brightness control has nine levels and also the ability to turn the backlight off in direct sunlight The display is very small roughly 5 inches 127 mm diagonal it may cause some eyestrain if used for prolonged periods The high DPI resolution offers excellent viewing of images and video Keyboard edit Sony VGP KBC1 Foldable Keyboard The compact USB keyboard resembles a laptop keyboard It folds in the middle and has a TrackStik mouse pointer in the center When folded the unit is approximately the same width and height of the U series unit and about half the thickness Original U50 and U70p units had a faulty Synaptics driver which sometimes caused USB HID input device conflicts Recent driver updates have resolved this issue TrackStik and mouse buttons edit The pointing head is on the right side of the unit below the directional pad The mouse buttons are on the left side of the unit no matter what orientation it is used in When rotated into portrait mode the options key brightness and onscreen keyboard button are remapped to the mouse buttons and the previous mouse buttons become the new modifier buttons The TrackStick has a rubber tip that can be worn out after repeated use You can get a replacement tip from Sony parts CompactFlash slot edit This slot will accommodate a Type II CompactFlash device provided there are Windows XP drivers for such a device It will accept all valid CompactFlash memory cards Some memory cards pulled from sealed MP3 devices such as iPods have been crippled as so not to be fully compliant as a regular memory card and may not work Memory Stick slot edit The Sony Memory Stick slot is underneath the CompactFlash slot It will accept only Memory Stick memory storage cards Wi Fi and Bluetooth cards will not work as there are no Windows XP drivers for any such Memory Stick IO devices at this time Headset connectors edit There is one headset connector on the left hand side of the unit above the button hold switch It also has an extended port for a headphone remote control unit which allows one to control audio playback and read current track information There are a couple extensions available to allow Windows Media Player and Winamp to display output to the controller unit Rechargeable battery edit There are two OEM batteries available and now some aftermarket enhanced models The stock one that comes with all units lasts approximately two to three hours depending on usage An extended battery is available as an option is about twice the thickness of the stock battery and lasts approximately twice as long as the stock battery Power supply edit The iGo Juice and other third party adapter manufacturers make power supplies that are compatible with the U series The power tip is compatible with many other Sony models including the Z505 and possibly some Fujitsu models Please check voltage current and power ratings to ensure maximum compatibility RAM amp upgrading edit On all models the memory is on a proprietary daughtercard manufactured by Sony This card has a proprietary interface and is incompatible with all currently known memory cards The memory is DDR 266 MHz On models with 512 MB the memory is maxed out On models with 256 MB the memory card can be removed and replaced with a 512 MB card currently only available in Japan but occasionally rarely found in the United States and usually at extremely high prices Since the U series uses a proprietary memory module and not a standard SODIMM if a vendor claims to have U series RAM for sale and it is a SODIMM it will not fit in the U series There are various vendors claiming to sell U series RAM but the vast majority are selling incompatible DDR SODIMM There has been no report of modules larger than 512MB as of August 2014 i Link Firewire port edit i Link is Sony s name for IEEE 1394 the port is compatible with 4 pin FireWire cables and is unpowered 6 pin firewire cables will need an adapter The i Link port on the docking station additionally has a power jack next to the 4 pin jack used only for Sony compatible CD and DVD drives Only drives compatible with this extended power jack are capable of booting CDs and DVDs on the U series Other drives may work once booted into the OS but will not boot setup CDs or DVDs There are at least four Sony drives that will work PCGA CRWD2 PCGA DVRW1 PCVA DRW3 and PCGA DVD1 A Note that the Sony DRX 510UL drive can be used to read write discs once Windows has booted but the red text halfway down the page says specifically The DRX 510UL cannot handle i e be used for system recovery the reinstallation of the OS Models and prices editThe VGN U70P was produced in 2004 in Japan It was not available outside Japan but it was available via import retailers Only Sony Japan sold the VGN U70P version directly while both Sony and other Japanese vendors sold the lower model VGN U50 A memory upgrade for the U50 is rumored to exist in Japan at an extremely high price As of approximately January 2005 Sony Japan had discontinued the U70p and introduced a new model VGN U71P The upgraded features include a 1 1 GHz CPU with 2 MB of cache and a 30 GB hard drive In December 2004 Sony USA introduced an American model the VGN U750P It is identical to the U70P but has an upgraded CPU of 1 1 GHz with 2 MB of cache It forgoes the Japanese Sony DoVaio media application for an English version of Sony VAIO Media as its media player application In mid February 2005 Sony USA s website stopped selling the U750P In Hong Kong Singapore and a few other south Asian countries Sony had introduced a regional localized model the VGN U8G and VGN U8C The U8G is identical to the U50 except it came with an external DVD RW i Link drive Availability editAll models of the Sony Vaio U series have been discontinued in lieu of the new UX series For a limited time models U50 U8G U8C U70P U71P U750P were still available from vendors As all U models preceding the UX have been discontinued as of 2006 availability of any of the aforementioned U series models on the following websites is either nil scarce or sporadic Due to their unique design and still considerable computational power the U series remains in high demand evidenced by the numerous internet fan communities and the consistent high prices they fetch on online auction sites External links editSony press release Sony Japan VGN U50 and VGN U71P Site Sony VGN U750P Site Greyhat Sony U series FAQ site PCG U1 review PCG U3 specification Installing Linux on the PCG U101 Sony PCG U1 Spec Page Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sony Vaio U series amp oldid 1183061009, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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