College buyer -- need common advice

Some of you may have seen me on this forum asking question on the Asus W3V and Sony S5XP, well I need some last advice.

I'm 17 and in college, now I have two options which I want you to vote for;

a) I buy the Asus W3V because it is £450 cheaper than the Sony S5XP, and use it for a few years, when I'm older and have a job I'll get more money and be able to afford a better one (Also, I could upgrade on the way)

b) I buy the Sony S5XP and make it last for years and years (I doubt the battery will last more than an hour after 3 years)

Make your choice!
p.s. the asus i belive has better battery life, which is a big issue for me, but then again weight is also a big issue....

 

W3v?

No reason why not, if weight is the only issue. 5.5~ lbs isn't really alot..

(Start working out )

 

I would describe the W3v as inferior to the Sony.

 

Whichever computer you can buy, soon there will be something that is better and, probably, less expensive. In two years time whatever you buy now will be well behind whatever is available and you will be wanting something much newer and, whatever you buy now won't be worth much second hand.

However, the Asus is easier to upgrade than the Sony and a new Asus battery is less expensive than for the Sony. I would also be more confident about finding Asus parts if they are needed. Sony is changing its models so frequently that maintaining a parts inventory must be a nightmare. Asus currently has a 2 year warranty in case there is a problem.

If you think you will be carrying the computer around so much that you can get the benefit from the Sony's smaller size within, say, two years, then go for it. Otherwise the W3 is still a very portable machine compared with many and you have the benefit of rarity value (light-fingered people are less likely to "borrow" a relatively obscure brand).

John

 

So basically it would be better to buy a cheaper laptop now and then get another later than to buy a really expensive one now that wouldn't last long enough to beat the latest specs on laptops coming out in a couple of years or more.
Laptops arent evoloving as fast as desktops though, I paid £1,200 for my desktop in 2002 and it has 80gb hard drive, 512mb ram and 2.56ghz processor (ofcourse now it has 1GB ram coz i upgraded)

Also, does the W3V have any problems playing games with its widescreen? How big are the dreaded black lines on the side when the game forces you to play in a smaller ratio than that of a normal screen.

 

I agree with John Ratsey, Asus is much better for future upgrades, though a low end graphics card, but if you dont see yourself playing much hardcore games I think it's the perfect choice.

 

The sony has the GeFroce 6400 which is the equivilent to the X600, and both are irreplaceable or in-upgradable (if that is a word) i belive, please correct me if i am wrong

 

As far as I know, both GPUs are non-upgradable.

Honestly, I'd go for the W3V...not because I'm bias to Asus, but because I feel you get more for your money. Keep in mind Asus's 2 year warranty (which is actually 1 year now...but if you buy the older W3V, then you get 2 year) and the bag + wireless mouse it comes with. I don't think the Sony comes with these extras...

But like everyone has said, both notebooks will be inferior in about 2 years... maybe a little longer. both laptops and desktops evolve very fast.

 

Yes I think it's alot better to get a cheaper laptop and just do the same again and again to keep up with the latest technology (Im talking about 2-3 year gaps) than get a really expensive one that will go out of date at the SAME time as the asus (im talking about the sony s5xp)

thanks

oh p.s. what and how exactly does "Power4 Gear" work?

 

Don't you mean the other way around? I thought you were a great support of the W3V!

 

Power4Gear automatically configures your laptop in different modes, on A/C, you can choose whether to maximize your performance or to keep it nice and cool but still usable. On battery, it clocks down the CPU, and on different modes, like DVD/Movie, or Presentation, it sets modes so you can save on battery life

 

Excellent, so it looks like the W3V it the lappy for me, I was thinking that the wireless mouse would be good to use for powerpoint (to click next slide) coz i got a presentation coming up in college


p.s. is the W3V really less height than the Sony S series? I cant belive it, but everywhere i look it says w3v is 32.7cm in height (lid closed) and the sony s5xp is 35cm high (lid closed)

 

Make sure you buy it quick, the new shipments don't have the extra warranty, mouse or carrying bag...

 

For god sake's why! Do you know how quick I have to be? (Date-wise)

I want to buy it for myself for xmas, sounds a bit selfish I know, lmao, but I want to get it like December 1-15 or something, whatever, maybe before. Then give it to my mum and SHE can give it to santa to wrap!

 

From what I've heard, the new shipments 'now' are the ones without the warranty/mouse/case

So check your resellers to see if they have any in stock.