Sony SE Owners' Thread

Is that sold in the US? I'd never heard of it, so I googled it, and I'll I'm seeing are articles about some $4000, Japan-market-only laptop.

I should have clarified that "on the market," for me, means "on the US market," since I'm in the US.

 

Or you could say "for less than $1000 US".

 

Yeah, quadrupling the price to reduce weight by 7% seems like a poor trade-off.

 

Its build quality is much better as well. "Let's Note" is what Panasonic calls the Toughbooks in Japan.

But don't get me wrong, I am *not* at all interested in getting a Panasonic B10. Besides the prohibitive price, its Japanese keyboard is another deal breaker. The Sony SE, on the other hand, is something I can imagine myself buying.

 

Has anyone tried gaming on the SE yet? I'm not looking to play the most demanding games on max settings, but if it can perform competently on the likes of Starcraft 2, Total War series, and Diablo 3 when that comes out, I might be sold.

 

I need your advice on customizing the new SE.

Does it really matter which CPU to get, i5 2.4Mgz or i7 2.8Mgz ? I'll only use it for business (spreadsheets, Access databases) and watching Blu-ray movies. Is there any noticable difference in performance justifying an extra $150?

Is silver keyboard difficult to see, especially for a color-blind person? I prefer silver color to black, but I wonder if the grey-on-silver keys are not as comfortable vs. the white-on-black?

P.S. I was torn between the F and Z series (they both have the best looking screen among today's laptops, IMO), but F was too heavy while Z was too small. I'm so glad the new S series turned out a happy medium - with full HD screen, not too small, not too heavy, just perfect! Now I just have to decide on CPU and color, LOL.

 

I was under the impression that dual-core i7s were basically never worth it. Minimal performance gains over an i5. An i5 is perfectly good for the sort of activities you're mentioning.

I think that's going to depend on your type of color-blindness. For red-green colorblindness, it wouldn't be an issue, but if you have a different sort of colorblindness that can interfere with distinguishing shades of grey, I'd strongly suggest trying to track down some sort of silver or grey Vaio to see what you think. If the SE isn't available in grey near you, check out the SA/SB/SC, or maybe the F?

Yeah, between the Z, SA, SE, and F, Sony's now got an excellent lineup of premium laptops that should have something that's right for most buyers.

 

Thanks! Yeah, I better track down the new S in silver and make sure I can see the keys...

One more thing - I assume a faster HD is better? I was going to order 500GB 7200 rpm vs. 640GB 5400 rpm. Is it really faster though?

 

When I upgraded my 5400 rpm HDD to a 7200 rpm, I noticed that some things did happen faster. It wasn't night-and-day, but it was an improvement.

However, I also noticed an increase in noise from the HDD. An HDD is simply a lot louder at 7200 rpm than it is at 5400. It's not "holy cow" loud--far from that--but it makes noticeable noise more often.

 

Hmmm, I don't like noise... But faster is better...

Btw, what's a Vaio F23? And why in December?

 

I'm thinking that 6GB of RAM should be plenty for multi-tasking lots of apps at once... but is it really worth an extra $80 for the 8GB > 2GB more?

 

If you're doing CTO, and you already saw how easy it was to remove the back, just order the 4GB onboard and buy memory elsewhere for much less to upgrade to 8GB.

 

^^That's what I thought, thanks.

 

Product: US-VPCSE190X-LBOM
Component: Internal (4400mAh) + sheet (4400mAh) lithium polymer batteries
Component: Black
Component: Fresh Start
Component: No additional AntiVirus Software
Component: Adobe Bundle (Free - $448 value)
Component: CD/DVD player / burner
Component: Intel® Core™ i5-2430M processor (2.40GHz / 3.00GHz with Turbo Boost)
Component: 4GB (4GB fixed onboard + 1 open SDRAM slot) DDR3-SDRAM-1333
Component: Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64-bit
Component: AMD Radeon™ HD 6630M (1GB) hybrid graphics with Intel® Wireless Display technology
Component: 15.5" LED backlit Full HD display (1920 x 1080)
Component: Microsoft® Office 2010 Starter (Click More Info for details.)
Component: 500GB (7200rpm) hard drive
Per Unit Price: $1,199.99
Quantity: 1
Total Price: $1,199.99
Description: 15.5" S Series Customizable Laptop
Ship Method: Express
Estimated Ship Date: 10/17/2011
Extended Service Plan: 2-year Express Ship Service Plan for Laptops
Price: $124.99

 

save ur money on fresh start... something u can do yourself. I'd swap the HDD myself too if i were u.

 

Is this available in Canaa yet? I can't seem to find it on the sony.ca website...

 

Last I check fresh start was free, but you do lose out on the full version of Adobe Photoshop Elements, I think.

 

EDIT: Just curios why you would want to swap for a 5300 RPM drive, even though they have more capacity?

500gb is fine, especially when it spins at 7200RPM, I don't have the money for an SSD. I only filled half of a 500gb drive on my f11 in a year & a half. $50 for windows professional & not having to uninstall everything - especially Norton is worth it to me.

 

@wbglider:

I'd stick with the lower capacity 7200 drive rather than pay more for the higher capacity 5400 drive. I think 500gb is enough for most users, any big files I keep on an external drive. The desktop notebook I am replacing only has a 40gb HD and my MBA only has a 128GB SSD. SSDs will be cheap soon so just wait and spend that money later.

I forgot what the Amazon price was to go from Home Premium to Pro on Win7. Fresh Start is free and I think you still get the Adobe package but you should confirm that with the online chat agent.

Have you thought about using SquareTrade or a different 3rd party for your warranty?

 

I'm definitely waiting for SSD's to come down in price.

My configuration shows the same Adobe package as with the other ones, but I'll try to verify.

I thought about 3rd party warranties, but assumed that Sony would deliver on the service side if you purchased their warranty.

 

The F23 is a mildly-updated F-series 2D with a bigger hard drive and a faster CPU; it's just coming out now and they're phasing the F22 (the current F-series 2D) out.

December because that's when I can afford it! I'll be buying it with an end-of-the-year performance bonus I get at work, not my biweekly paychecks (which go towards food, bills, mortgage, etc).

 

I inquired about Fresh Start recently on these forums. You still do get the Adobe bundle, and you get all necessary hardware drivers, but you don't get Vaio Picture Motion Browser, Vaio Gate, Vaio Media Gallery, and I don't think you get Vaio Care.

 

if the SE had a quad core I would be sold. I'm still waiting on a review of the samsung series 7

 

Why not get the F then? The SE is supposed to be the slim, portable yet powerful laptop, not a desktop replacement. I'm happy the SE comes with dual-core since quad-core is overkill for daily tasks. This laptop is not meant for intense professional work.

EDIT: Also, I hope someone will do a temperature comparison between similarly-spec-ed SA and SE.

 

After seeing the screen on the Samsung 7 series (unfortunately sitting next to an F22) I've decided to go ahead with an SE (so tempted to buy an F2X though)

The problem is I want the HD6630, I want it soon, and I want a return policy w/o restocking fees. I've looked at Frys, Amazon, TigerDirect, and Sony and it seems the best compromise it to buy a CTO model from Sony and wait a couple of weeks as Frys, TigerDirect, and Amazon either won't allow a return or charge restocking.

Any other options? (The Sony store near me closed recently)

 

Why not just get the F2 with the 540M? The 540M will outperform a 6630 (slightly), and it sounds like there's one right where you live, just waiting to find an owner...

 

Its true! There's an F21 and F22 each for $1249 but there are times when I sit on the couch w/my laptop and would like something less awkward w/better battery life.

 

With the extended battery, the F2's battery life should rival that of the SE (without the SE's sheet battery, of course). As for the weight, yes, it's heavier, but...how do they say it..."cowboy up"? Just giving you a hard time, of course.

 

I returned the $999 model to Fry's today without any re-stocking fee. Reason for return was legitimate - that the cursor froze intermittently even during browsing, plus I only had it for 4 days. Now the long wait till my CTO arrives - Ship date of 10.17 - Maybe they'll ship sooner...

 

am just curious. does SE got any extra space for a second hdd?? i mean without removing the optical bay?

 

Here are some more pics of the SE:
?????????? SONY VAIO SE17 - SONY VAIO SE ??? - ePrice.HK

 

I am very interested in this new Laptop because of the used IPS display.

Maybe some owner can profile his new toy and load here the icc profile?

Thanks, Walter

 

I don't think so, with that thinness, it's tight enough as it is... although you might think there is some extra space because it's wider than the SA with similar internals.

There is this HD caddy at newmodeus.com for the Sx Series (not sure if it's compatible with the SE) that's pretty cool because it's modular. You can slide in the extra HD or the optical depending on your need.

 

I went today to Sony's store to check out the silver colored model. I'm happy to report that even with my color-blindness, the keys were very easy to see.

So off I go to order my new toy.

 

Excellent!

Incidentally, I've decided to pull the trigger as well, just not on the SE...ended up not waiting until December like I said a page ago. Check the sig

 

@mitlov:

What made you get it earlier than later?

My local Sony Store still doesn't have a silver SE to check out in person and they said they do charge a 15% restocking fee so I might just CTO from Sony or buy an Amazon one to save on taxes and shipping.

 

My MBP 15 is now officially on suicide watch. Figured I didn't want to risk pushing the machine for another three months. To make a long story short, it seems like everything is going at once on it. So I did what needed to be done financially to push the Vaio purchase two months earlier than planned.

I just did my Vaio F2 as a CTO from Sony and I have no complaints. I liked being able to configure it just how I wanted. And ground shipping is free for any new Vaio. Don't know about taxes because we don't have sales tax in Oregon.

After placing my order on the online thing, I had a question about it, called their customer service number, and was pleasantly surprised. There was literally no wait to speak to someone, and the person I spoke to was US-based (I don't mind the concept of foreign telephone operators, I just can't understand them sometimes because of the accent), and wasn't tied to a script, but instead just asked me what I needed help with and answered all my questions.

In short: I wholeheartedly would recommend dealing directly with Sony based on my experience so far.

 

I'm trying to determine which is the best memory upgrade. My understanding is that when you buy matched pairs of RAM the performance is better. There are a couple of available RAM upgrades for the SE.

I think that this is the right one, but I'm not sure:
Module Size: 8GB Kit (4GBx2)
Package: 204-pin SODIMM
Feature: DDR3 PC3-10600
Specs: DDR3 PC3-10600
CL=9
Unbuffered
NON-ECC
DDR3-1333
1.35V
512Meg x 64
______________________________________
Module Size: 8GB Kit (4GBx2)
Package: 204-pin SODIMM
Feature: DDR3 PC3-10600
Specs: DDR3 PC3-10600
CL=9
Unbuffered
NON-ECC
DDR3-1333
1.5V
512Meg x 64
___________________________

Module Size: 8GB Kit (4GBx2)
Package: 204-pin SODIMM
Feature: DDR3 PC3-12800
Specs: DDR3 PC3-12800
CL=11
Unbuffered
NON-ECC
DDR3-1600
1.5V

 

Hi I've been following this topic for awhile and I'm definitely interested in the new 15" SE. My 16" HP HDX will be two years old this Nov. and I've been looking to upgrade to something thinner and lighter.

I've always found the HP Envy series subpar and while I got excited earlier this year when I saw that the Dell 15z was coming out--first true 15" thin and light 15" (with an optical drive), the reviews citing poor build quality and other problems were disappointing.

It's really great to see that, not one, but two new 15" thin and lights have been released this month: the Sony SE and Samsung Series 7. Originally I was torn between the two, but now I'm leaning towards the Sony since I'm a Sony fan in general and because it has a CTO option (a must-have for me).

I am confused about one thing however, relating to the SE's thickness. The reviews on CNET and Engadget say it's the same thickness as the 13" model--0.95", but on Sony's website the specifications diagram puts the height at 1.32". The text beside the diagram puts the height at 0.95" though. All the other Vaio models, including the 13.3" S, have the same numbers on the diagram and in the text. So I'm wondering where the 1.32" came from and if that's an accurate number or not?

 

I think that's an error on Sony's site... maybe they are including the optional battery slice.

I've seen it in person and it's definitely closer to the SA thickness... even Amazon has it listed as 0.97".

 

From my brief time at the store, I don't remember the SE being nearly as thick as 1.32". I think 0.95" is accurate; 1.32" sounds more like the thickness with the sheet battery installed.

 

Absolutely, that thickness is with the sheet battery. It's 0.95" thick and 4.4 lbs with just the standard battery and 1.32" thick and 5.77 lbs with the sheet battery attached.

For comparison, the front side of the Vaio F is 1.31" thick...there's no way that the Vaio SE without a sheet battery is the same thickness as the front side of a Vaio F.

 

heyy thanks a bunch for the newmodus news. i hv been waiting since april and they kept tellin me it will be available in a months time. after aug i stopped chking their website. already placed the order for a caddy for my SB. if SE sure have an IPS display, i am gonna sell off my SB and buy the SE when its released in asia. thanks again.

 

Neh, the Samsung Series 7 is only 1600x900 and weighs 5.05 lbs. The Sony SE is far better.

Think about it, even with the sheet battery, this Sony SE is still lighter than most 15.6" 1080p laptops!

 

Yea but it has a far superior graphics card

 

I just registered for the forum to say thanks for all the posts here and on the Samsung 7 thread. Based on all I have read I decided the Sony SE is the laptop for me and ordered it early this week as a CTO. As of yesterday it is "being built". So hopefully I will have it soon.

I did not select Fresh Start so I would get the Vaio software, so when the computer arrives it will be my first attempt at removing bloatware and partitioning the hard drive. I am looking forward to learning these things and more to get the most out of the new laptop.

Thanks again,

 

More SE pics:
?????????VAIO SE16 - Mobile01
http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=258&t=2375076&last=31111861
http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=258&t=2375250&last=31123124
http://kunkoku.livedoor.biz/archives/51966094.html

 

I assume this is the same model number that everyone else has?

CTO | Customize | Sony Canada

It seems to have just come out in Canada, but that looks like a great price!!

 

OMG, $819.99 only! Of course, you guys have to pay more taxes than we do, but still.

 

So it is the correct model I'm looking at then... The specs seemed right, but the price seemed lower than I was expecting so I thought it might have been some sort of dumbed down version.

Thanks!