Sony Vaio PCV Series is the first line of products of desktop computers introduced by Sony under their VAIO brand in 1996.[1] The series would be introduced to the Japanese market the following year, with the introduction of the mini-tower computer, PCV-T700MR on July 15, 1997.[2]

Sony Vaio PCV Series
DeveloperSony Corporation
ManufacturerSony Corporation
TypeDesktop Computer
Release date1996; 28 years ago (1996)
Discontinued2005; 19 years ago (2005)
Operating systemMicrosoft Windows
CPUAMD Athlon, Intel Celeron, Intel Pentium, Intel Pentium II, Intel Pentium III, Intel Pentium 4
GraphicsATI Rage series, NVIDIA GeForce, RIVA TNT
SuccessorSony Vaio VGC Series
RelatedSony Vaio SVL Series, Sony Vaio VGC Series, Sony Vaio VGX Series

History

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After a long hiatus from building consumer PCs, Sony announced the re-entering into computer manufacturing market with the introduction the VAIO brand in 1996 while in Japan the following year. Sony's first lineup of VAIO desktop computers, the PCV-70 and PCV-90 would be introduced at the 1996 PC Expo Trade Show in New York.[1][3] While in Japan, Sony introduced PCV-T700MR mini-tower computer, and two notebook computers for the Japanese market.

PCV Lineup

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The PCV series are broken into various sub-series variants, each focusing on specific consumers that fits their needs. Despite the variants introduced, the PCV series introduced 10 numbered models before adding a suffix to differentiate its future lineup. The letter(s)/suffix that starts before or after the model number indicates which sub-series it belongs to. The list below describes each suffix.

Sub-series Lineup

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The sub-series consists of 18 variants:

  • DS series (Digital Studio Series)
  • E series (MicroTower series)
  • HS series
  • HX series
  • J series
  • JX series
  • L series
  • LX series
  • M series
  • MX series
  • P series
  • R series
  • RX series
  • RZ series
  • S series
  • T series
  • V series
  • W series
Model Number Processor Memory Graphics Optical Drive Floppy Drive Storage Drive Operating System Release Date
PCV-70[4] Intel Pentium (166 MHz, 256 KB Pipeline Burst SRAM ) 32 MB EDO RAM (standard), expandable to 128 MB ATI RAGE 3D (2 MB EDO RAM) 8X CD-ROM 3.5-inch Micro Floppy Disk Drive (1.44 MB) 2.1 GB HD Microsoft Windows 95 1996
PCV-90[5] Intel Pentium (200 MHz, 256 KB Pipeline Burst SRAM) 32 MB EDO RAM (standard), expandable to 128 MB ATI RAGE 3D (2 MB EDO RAM) 8X CD-ROM 3.5-inch Micro Floppy Disk Drive (1.44 MB) 2.5 GB HD Microsoft Windows 95 1996
PCV-100[6] Intel Pentium MMX (166 MHz, 256 KB Pipeline Burst SRAM) 32 MB EDO RAM (standard), expandable to 128 MB ATI Rage II (2 MB EDO RAM) 16X CD-ROM 3.5-inch Micro Floppy Disk Drive (1.44 MB) 2.5 GB HD Microsoft Windows 95 1997
PCV-120[7] Intel Pentium MMX (200 MHz, 256 KB Pipeline Burst SRAM) 32 MB EDO RAM (standard), expandable to 128 MB ATI Rage II (2 MB EDO RAM) 16X CD-ROM 3.5-inch Micro Floppy Disk Drive (1.44 MB) 3.8 GB HD Microsoft Windows 95 1997
PCV-130[8] Intel Pentium MMX (200 MHz, 512 KB Pipeline Burst SRAM) 32 MB SDRAM (standard), Expandable to 256 MB ATi Rage II+ (4 MB EBO RAM) 24X CD-ROM 3.5-inch drive (1.44 MB) 4.3 GB HD Microsoft Windows 95 July 1997
PCV-150[9] Intel Pentium MMX (233MHz, 512 KB Pipeline Burst SRAM) 32 MB SDRAM (standard), Expandable to 256 MB ATi Rage II+ (4 MB EBO RAM) 24X CD-ROM 3.5-inch drive (1.44 MB) 4.3 GB HD Microsoft Windows 95 July 1997
PCV-210[10] Intel Pentium II MMX (266 MHz, 512 KB Pipeline Burst SRAM) 32 MB SDRAM (standard), Expandable to 384 MB ATi 3D Rage Pro (4 MB SGRAM) 24X CD-ROM 3.5-inch drive (1.44 MB) 4.3 GB HD Microsoft Windows 98 1998
PCV-230[11] Intel Pentium II MMX (300 MHz, 512 KB Pipeline Burst SRAM) 64 MB SDRAM (standard), Expandable to 384 MB ATi 3D Rage Pro (4 MB SGRAM) 24X CD-ROM 3.5-inch drive (1.44 MB) 6.4 GB HD Microsoft Windows 98 1998

References

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  1. ^ a b "A Look Back at the Golden Age of Sony VAIO PCs". PCMAG.
  2. ^ "Sony Global - Press Release - Sony Introduces VAIO Series PCs Leading-edge multimedia desktop and notebook PCs for the home". www.sony.net.
  3. ^ Warren, Tom (February 6, 2014). "Sony VAIO: a visual history". The Verge.
  4. ^ "Sony Computing Products: PCV-70". May 3, 1997. Archived from the original on 1997-05-03.
  5. ^ "Sony Computing Products: PCV-90". May 3, 1997. Archived from the original on 1997-05-03.
  6. ^ "Sony Computing Products: PCV-100". July 4, 1997. Archived from the original on 1997-07-04.
  7. ^ "Sony Computing Products: PCV-120". July 4, 1997. Archived from the original on 1997-07-04.
  8. ^ "Sony Computing Products: PCV-130". July 4, 1997. Archived from the original on 1997-07-04.
  9. ^ "Sony Computing Products: PCV-150". July 4, 1997. Archived from the original on 1997-07-04.
  10. ^ "Sony Computing Products: PCV-210". June 26, 1998. Archived from the original on 1998-06-26.
  11. ^ "Sony Computing Products: PCV-230". June 26, 1998. Archived from the original on 1998-06-26.