Taking apart the Vaio TP1
The Sony Vaio TP1 is an entertainment desktop for the living room. According to Sony Asia product planning manager for the Vaio Business Group, Katsuki Fuchu, the round shape symbolizes togetherness like a family dining table. This fits into the TP1 theme as the nerve center for the family's multimedia needs.
Credit: Sony
Fuchu holding the Vaio TP1 wireless keyboard and standing beside a Bravia LCD TV. He explained that the diameter of the TP1 is exactly the same as the Bravia LCD TV stand, hence allowing it to sit next to each other.
Credit: Darius Chang, CNET Asia
The dismantling begins.
Forget about easy-to-open panels. The Vaio TP1 is a solid unit held together by a series of screws and catches. With the exception of the memory slot, none of the internal components are user upgradeable.
Credit: Darius Chang, CNET Asia
A view of the memory slot. Notice that the inserts are stacked above each other to save space.
Credit: Darius Chang, CNET Asia
If your unit gets to this stage, your warranty is already null and void. You can see the harddisk peeking out of the copper grills in this picture.
Credit: Darius Chang, CNET Asia
The top cover is held down by screws and a clever catch system. In fact, it is so clever it took three Sony executives to finally open the lid for us.
Credit: Darius Chang, CNET Asia
The fruits of our labor. Here you can see the harddisk enclosure as well as the fan, both of which are desktop components sitting on a notebook chipset.
According to Fuchu, the mainboard was specially designed and cut to fit in the round chassis. So forget about using a third-party motherboard for upgrades.
Credit: Darius Chang, CNET Asia
We prepare to open the harddisk enclosure and show you a secret inside.
Credit: Darius Chang, CNET Asia
Keen-eyed readers will notice that there are two springs poking out of the hard drive. In order to keep the TP1 as silent as possible, the storage device is encased in a metal cage lined with heat-conducting foam. Together with the springs, this allows Sony to use a desktop drive while keeping the unit as silent as a notebook harddisk.
Credit: Darius Chang, CNET Asia
Fuchu proudly showing off a Vaio TP1 stripped down to its basics. Surprisingly, fixing it back took considerable less time than it did taking it apart.
Credit: Darius Chang, CNET Asia
About the author
Tracking laptop and PC trends since 2005, Darius Chang may have been knee deep in bits and bytes but is certainly not a binary person. Under that big and soft exterior holds a marshmallow core which dotes on his god-daughters and nephew. Suspected of ADD, his interests span disparate fields such as sustainability studies, diving, sports, politics, etc. A true jack of all trades, but master of one (maybe two).
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