About to pre-order a Sony Vaio FZ-4000

• Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T8300 (2.4GHz)
• Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
• 3 GB DDR-SDRAM (DDR-667, 2GBx1 + 1GBx1)
• 200GB SATA Hard Disk Drive (7200 rpm)
• DVD±R DL / DVD±RW / DVD-RAM Drive
• LCD 15.4" WXGA (XBRITE-HiColor™
• NVIDIA® GeForce® 8400M GT
• WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n w/Integrated Bluetooth®
• Polished Mosaic
• Standard Battery (BPS8)
• 3 Year Express Ship Service Plan with Accidental Damage from Handling Protection for Notebooks
• Sony VAIO® Neoprene Notebook and AC Adapter Case
• VAIO® Urban Messenger Carrying Case

$1942.96
- $300 (discount)
---------
1788.64 (included with sales tax...approx)

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SYCTOProcess?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&LBomId=8198552921665308446

I was in the market for a Macbook Pro...but, I would be saving over a thousand dollars going with this upcoming Vaio...and it is similarly spec'd (and comes with updated Penryn Intel chip). My best friend recently bought a Vaio and says he loves it. He does tech support for a living and was also considering a MBP and went with the Vaio. The more I mess around with Vista the more I am comfortable and with service packs the more it will become better. Hell, even XP started out rough...then again - its M$ product. But, its not as bad as many make it out to be.

My question is before I preorder it. Would it be good enough for myself to do my graphic designing (i.e. running Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator) and some minor video editing (like converting mini DV to media formats). I just want it to run smoothly for those purposes. And the difference between 8400mGT and 8600mGT isn't that big of a gap...or is it? I am going to be using it for Adobe Programs and minor video editing like I said. Which would currently be the major difference in terms of spec between the MBP and this.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=148184&page=3

Depending on memory and app the 8600gt will run 30% faster and up. Sizable to me. A huge omission to me is the exclusion of the 8600gt in their new laptop when others have been running it for some time now.
A great laptop otherwise

 

Graphic design, such as Photoshop and Premier, are highly dependent on the processor rather than the GPU. The GPU can help, but get the fastest processor you can afford first.

 

So is my configuration good for what I my intended use? Please...feedback is greatly appreciated before I preorder!

 

I ordered an FZ4000 a couple days ago. T8300, 160GB HDD, Blu Ray reader, 2GB RAM, HiColor display, polished mosaic.
The GPU differences will be seen in 3D gaming and other 3D applications. For 2D, you want CPU power and RAM; both of which you are configuring highly. If your cost isn't a huge issue, go for the 2.5GHz T9300 which has a larger L2 cache size of 6MB instead of 3MB. If it's a $$ stretch though, don't worry about it.

If you're mildly hardware savvy, stick with the 2GB RAM and order a 2GB stick from somewhere like http://www.newegg.com for around $35. You can install this 2GB stick alongside one of the installed 1GB and keep or sell the spare 1GB. $35 instead of the Sony $100 and you have a spare 1GB. That's what I'm doing at least.

Lastly, I skipped the sonystyle warranty and bought one from filipp here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=195737
3 years, onsite service, accidental damage for $180. Although that might be part of the discount deal on sonystyle. Good luck!

 

How did you get a $300 discount? I was on a live chat and the guy said they are not discounting that model.

 

Accessory bundle discount I think?

 

You realize you are spending close to 2 Grand on a 1280 x 800 screen.

WHAT THE HELL SONY? Where is the 1680 x 1050 or at least 1440 x 900 OPTION???

 

I checked that but it dosent add up.

 

sl4vik, I noticed that too, however forgot after having already ordered it yesterday. Is that typical for all Sony VAIOs or is it just with this specific model? When I ordered mine, I hadn't been able to afford it with the highest processor, ( My previous computer is slowly dying so I'm stuck using my work's comp.) Is there a way of upgrading to a higher processor? Also, would we be able to upgrade to blu-ray if we hadn't selected that option before? I'm in the same predicament as RiCEADDiCTBOY, so figured I'd ask a couple more questions, Thanks!