thoughts on this laptop?

lee · 01-31-2006, 07:59 AM

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1109234018290

anyone heard anything about these?

seems like a very reasonable price for what it has...

my current laptop was purchased in august of 2000!.. its a gateway, and has served me VERY well.. i take very good care of my computers, and i want a good replacement.

thanks for any opinions

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Epic Ed · 01-31-2006, 09:30 AM

I have a Vaio that I bought two years ago and I've been very happy with it -- excellent clarity on the screen, and I love the Centrino (Pentium M series) processor. Mine has excellent battery life and you can always upgrade RAM to help speed things up in the future. I currently run with 1GB of RAM and it looks like that's the standard for the model you listed.

I'm an IT guy, so I see all kinds of laptops. We deploy Compaqs, HPs, Dell's, and IBM's for our field users. Sony doesn't really make a business class model, but I have been more than satisfied with how mine has performed and held up over the past few years and it gets quite a bit of abuse. My second choice would be an IBM ThinkPad (model T42 or T43p in your price range). When I was looking for a laptop, I wanted something that was powerful, light weight, but not so small that I couldn't get all the features of a full sized laptop. The Vaio fit the bill nicely and I haven't been disappointed.

Ed

lee · 01-31-2006, 09:56 AM

thanks ed, appreciate your thoughts.

heres the thing: i have been working in IT for 3 yrs... we recently purchased a thinkpad as a traveling, general use laptop for everyone in the office (this is a very small business, so 2 laptops is sufficient). the thinkpad has held up quite well but its not what im looking for as far as its graphics card, sound card and screen size are concerned (its a 14" screen).

my laptop i mentioned before (gateway) i bought in aug of 2000! and it still runs quite well. it came with win ME, i upgraded to XP. it has a p3 1.3ghz processor, 512 mb ram, etc and was VERY VERY top of the line when i bought it.

thus i have learned a valuable lesson: you get what you pay for... and i want to be sure i am buying a product that is feature-rich.

i went to best buy on my lunch break and saw a similar model.. and this one looks like its right for me.

thanks again.

Epic Ed · 01-31-2006, 10:46 AM

Yeah, I think it's a great consumer model. You'd have to step up to an IBM T42/43p to get a better graphics card and screen resolution (1600x1200 UXGA capable for the IBM, compared to the 1280x800 resolution WXGA on the Sony). But it would cost about an extra grand.

Ed

CynicX · 01-31-2006, 02:08 PM

What are you going to be using it for? Seems a little extreme for spread sheets and typing up documents.

Determine exactly what you need and you'll be able to save yourself a ton of cash.

Do you need a really really long battery life? Or is 4-5 hours more then enough...if so a celeron could save you alot of money compared to the centrino

Are you going to be playing any high end games? If not you wont really need 1 gig of ram or the high end graphics card.

Is this a desktop replacment? Will you be burning DVD's on it? Dual layer at that?

Do you need a screen that large? I have a 15.4" screen and its nice around the house but a bit of a hassle trying to watch a movie and a long flight in those little seats. It also has to be quite a bit larger in size which makes it more annoying to carry.

I'm really really happy with my Toshiba Celeron 1.5ghz 512ram CD burner with dvd player, 80 gig hard drive, wifi wireless g/b 108mbps. Considering it ran me a whole 650 bucks and it does everything I need it too plus more. All I do is internet browsing, music downloading, my taxes, typing up documents, watching dvd's on long flights.

I wouldnt even consider anything higher end unless I was going to be gaming.

If battery life is of extreme importance if you travel around alot I would look into a computer without the the best video and a smaller screen. Something with Centrino and a 14" screen and as light as possible.

Epic Ed · 01-31-2006, 02:30 PM

Everyone certainly has their own preferences. I wouldn't recommend anything with a Celeron processor. They are a cheap way to get into a PC, but anyone who has multiple programs running, or even a few browser windows open will quickly get frustrated with the performance (unless an owner just doesn't know any better and has nothing to compare it to).

Battery life ranks as one of the most important criteria for a large percentage of laptop users, according to CNET. Long hours traveling and the inablity to connect to a power source used to leave business travelers frustrated and incapacitated, but it's much easier to find a laptop with considerable battery life these days and it's not a bank-breaker for most models.

I don't know what the OPs wants or needs are, but I know when I was shopping for mine, I wanted to most laptop in the smallest package that I could possibly find and I wanted to stay with the 15" screen size. There are several "mid-level" laptops on the market now that fill this niche nicely -- full featured but not too bulky or bloated.

It's all about individual preferences. Where you find the 15" screen too big on flights, I've found that I have plenty of room and wouldn't want to watch a flick on anything smaller.

Anyway, just my opinion. YMMV.

Ed

lee · 02-01-2006, 06:50 AM

no celeron for me... ed's comments sum up why i stay away from celeron like the plague.

i need it for much more than typing documents and using email.

i am in IT and web development, thus between creating large proposals, i do graphic design work, and more recently have gotten into flash 8.0... so i need the ram.

i do like video games as well, but thats more of a passing fancy here and there depening on if a game like sim city comes out.... thats the kind of pc games i like.

i will definitely be making use of that dvd burner as well.. and yes i do need a screen that large, my current one is 15.4 and i cant live with anything smaller... it will be mostly immobile, but id like to use it wirelessly around the apt.

like i said, i bought my current laptop in 2000 and it is still running strong due to the fact that i made sure it had higher end components, and would be able to withstand upgrades and years of abuse....

im gonna get this laptop i think.. just need to put the money together.

thanks for the discussion

lee · 02-01-2006, 06:54 AM

looks like they removed it from the site!

Epic Ed · 02-01-2006, 07:40 AM

Looks like they sold out. I'm sure you can find it around some where else, though.

Ed

CynicX · 02-02-2006, 07:14 PM

Celeron haters! hahah I have 4 browsers open, bittorent, limewire, aim, Realvnc, an I just got done burning a dvd as I was browsing this forum. I could still open browsers windows almost as fast as my AMD 64fx desktop in the other room.

It cant play games like the AMD. It does alright though, I had quake 3 going at max res. around 70 fps....w00t heheh

01-31-2006, 09:30 AM	#2 (permalink)
Epic Ed Registered User Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 654	I have a Vaio that I bought two years ago and I've been very happy with it -- excellent clarity on the screen, and I love the Centrino (Pentium M series) processor. Mine has excellent battery life and you can always upgrade RAM to help speed things up in the future. I currently run with 1GB of RAM and it looks like that's the standard for the model you listed. I'm an IT guy, so I see all kinds of laptops. We deploy Compaqs, HPs, Dell's, and IBM's for our field users. Sony doesn't really make a business class model, but I have been more than satisfied with how mine has performed and held up over the past few years and it gets quite a bit of abuse. My second choice would be an IBM ThinkPad (model T42 or T43p in your price range). When I was looking for a laptop, I wanted something that was powerful, light weight, but not so small that I couldn't get all the features of a full sized laptop. The Vaio fit the bill nicely and I haven't been disappointed. Ed __________________ '95 4Runner\|32x11.5 BFG TA KOs\|Hi-flow Cat\|Dynomax muffler; 2.25" exhaust\| Downey Headers\|4.88 gears \|Detroit EZ locker \|Detroit TruTrack\|BJ spacers\|Downey HD coils\|2" rear spring spacers\|Rancho RS9000X/RS5000s\|WARN hubs\|TJM T15

01-31-2006, 10:46 AM	#4 (permalink)
Epic Ed Registered User Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 654	Yeah, I think it's a great consumer model. You'd have to step up to an IBM T42/43p to get a better graphics card and screen resolution (1600x1200 UXGA capable for the IBM, compared to the 1280x800 resolution WXGA on the Sony). But it would cost about an extra grand. Ed __________________ '95 4Runner\|32x11.5 BFG TA KOs\|Hi-flow Cat\|Dynomax muffler; 2.25" exhaust\| Downey Headers\|4.88 gears \|Detroit EZ locker \|Detroit TruTrack\|BJ spacers\|Downey HD coils\|2" rear spring spacers\|Rancho RS9000X/RS5000s\|WARN hubs\|TJM T15

01-31-2006, 02:08 PM	#5 (permalink)
CynicX Contributing Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Maryland Posts: 2,371	What are you going to be using it for? Seems a little extreme for spread sheets and typing up documents. Determine exactly what you need and you'll be able to save yourself a ton of cash. Do you need a really really long battery life? Or is 4-5 hours more then enough...if so a celeron could save you alot of money compared to the centrino Are you going to be playing any high end games? If not you wont really need 1 gig of ram or the high end graphics card. Is this a desktop replacment? Will you be burning DVD's on it? Dual layer at that? Do you need a screen that large? I have a 15.4" screen and its nice around the house but a bit of a hassle trying to watch a movie and a long flight in those little seats. It also has to be quite a bit larger in size which makes it more annoying to carry. I'm really really happy with my Toshiba Celeron 1.5ghz 512ram CD burner with dvd player, 80 gig hard drive, wifi wireless g/b 108mbps. Considering it ran me a whole 650 bucks and it does everything I need it too plus more. All I do is internet browsing, music downloading, my taxes, typing up documents, watching dvd's on long flights. I wouldnt even consider anything higher end unless I was going to be gaming. If battery life is of extreme importance if you travel around alot I would look into a computer without the the best video and a smaller screen. Something with Centrino and a 14" screen and as light as possible. __________________ 06 Subaru WRX

01-31-2006, 02:30 PM	#6 (permalink)
Epic Ed Registered User Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 654	Everyone certainly has their own preferences. I wouldn't recommend anything with a Celeron processor. They are a cheap way to get into a PC, but anyone who has multiple programs running, or even a few browser windows open will quickly get frustrated with the performance (unless an owner just doesn't know any better and has nothing to compare it to). Battery life ranks as one of the most important criteria for a large percentage of laptop users, according to CNET. Long hours traveling and the inablity to connect to a power source used to leave business travelers frustrated and incapacitated, but it's much easier to find a laptop with considerable battery life these days and it's not a bank-breaker for most models. I don't know what the OPs wants or needs are, but I know when I was shopping for mine, I wanted to most laptop in the smallest package that I could possibly find and I wanted to stay with the 15" screen size. There are several "mid-level" laptops on the market now that fill this niche nicely -- full featured but not too bulky or bloated. It's all about individual preferences. Where you find the 15" screen too big on flights, I've found that I have plenty of room and wouldn't want to watch a flick on anything smaller. Anyway, just my opinion. YMMV. Ed __________________ '95 4Runner\|32x11.5 BFG TA KOs\|Hi-flow Cat\|Dynomax muffler; 2.25" exhaust\| Downey Headers\|4.88 gears \|Detroit EZ locker \|Detroit TruTrack\|BJ spacers\|Downey HD coils\|2" rear spring spacers\|Rancho RS9000X/RS5000s\|WARN hubs\|TJM T15

02-01-2006, 07:40 AM	#9 (permalink)
Epic Ed Registered User Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 654	Looks like they sold out. I'm sure you can find it around some where else, though. Ed __________________ '95 4Runner\|32x11.5 BFG TA KOs\|Hi-flow Cat\|Dynomax muffler; 2.25" exhaust\| Downey Headers\|4.88 gears \|Detroit EZ locker \|Detroit TruTrack\|BJ spacers\|Downey HD coils\|2" rear spring spacers\|Rancho RS9000X/RS5000s\|WARN hubs\|TJM T15

01-31-2006, 09:56 AM	#3 (permalink)
lee Contributing Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: boston, ma Posts: 6,756	thanks ed, appreciate your thoughts. heres the thing: i have been working in IT for 3 yrs... we recently purchased a thinkpad as a traveling, general use laptop for everyone in the office (this is a very small business, so 2 laptops is sufficient). the thinkpad has held up quite well but its not what im looking for as far as its graphics card, sound card and screen size are concerned (its a 14" screen). my laptop i mentioned before (gateway) i bought in aug of 2000! and it still runs quite well. it came with win ME, i upgraded to XP. it has a p3 1.3ghz processor, 512 mb ram, etc and was VERY VERY top of the line when i bought it. thus i have learned a valuable lesson: you get what you pay for... and i want to be sure i am buying a product that is feature-rich. i went to best buy on my lunch break and saw a similar model.. and this one looks like its right for me. thanks again.

02-01-2006, 06:50 AM	#7 (permalink)
lee Contributing Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: boston, ma Posts: 6,756	no celeron for me... ed's comments sum up why i stay away from celeron like the plague. i need it for much more than typing documents and using email. i am in IT and web development, thus between creating large proposals, i do graphic design work, and more recently have gotten into flash 8.0... so i need the ram. i do like video games as well, but thats more of a passing fancy here and there depening on if a game like sim city comes out.... thats the kind of pc games i like. i will definitely be making use of that dvd burner as well.. and yes i do need a screen that large, my current one is 15.4 and i cant live with anything smaller... it will be mostly immobile, but id like to use it wirelessly around the apt. like i said, i bought my current laptop in 2000 and it is still running strong due to the fact that i made sure it had higher end components, and would be able to withstand upgrades and years of abuse.... im gonna get this laptop i think.. just need to put the money together. thanks for the discussion

02-01-2006, 06:54 AM	#8 (permalink)
lee Contributing Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: boston, ma Posts: 6,756	looks like they removed it from the site!

02-02-2006, 07:14 PM	#10 (permalink)
CynicX Contributing Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Maryland Posts: 2,371	Celeron haters! hahah I have 4 browsers open, bittorent, limewire, aim, Realvnc, an I just got done burning a dvd as I was browsing this forum. I could still open browsers windows almost as fast as my AMD 64fx desktop in the other room. It cant play games like the AMD. It does alright though, I had quake 3 going at max res. around 70 fps....w00t heheh __________________ 06 Subaru WRX

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