Calling all SB/ SA owners. Is $399 difference worth it?

Ok, I know the SB has its issues, but I am pricing the sb as compared to the sa and have come across an interesting discovery. With almost the same setup and an education discount (yay! free slice battery), the SB is pricing out at $1064 and the SA is $1463. This is a $399 difference! Is this worth it?? Here are the specs

SB

Intel® Core™ i5 2520M processor (2.50GHz) with Turbo Boost up to 3.20GHz
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Black
13.3" VAIO Display with LED backlight (1366 x 768)
AMD Radeon™ 6470M (512MB VRAM) hybrid graphics with Intel® Wireless Display technology
500GB (7200rpm) hard drive
4GB (4GBx1) DDR3-SDRAM-1333
Blu-ray Disc™ player
Standard capacity battery

SA

Intel® Core™ i5 2520M processor (2.50GHz) with Turbo Boost up to 3.20GHz
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Jet Black
13.3" LED backlit display (1600x900)
AMD Radeon™ HD 6630M (1GB VRAM) hybrid graphics with Intel® Wireless Display technology
No Mobile Broadband Built-In
500GB (7200rpm) hard drive
4GB (4GB Fixed Onboard + 1 Open SDRAM Slot) DDR3-SDRAM-1333
Blu-ray Disc™ player
Standard capacity battery

I know the SB has issues, but I am hoping some SB users can elaborate on them, particularly the heat and noise issues. Have the bios fixed these issues? Also, is the hinge really that bad? A wobbly hinge will drive me nuts, but these seems like a big time deal to me. Anyone else want to comment?

 

i didnt vote but...if your a gamer, id check the performance difference between 6630M vs 6470M...if it's significant...i think the 6630M + better resolution + material (i don't think it's carbon fiber tho)...just barely meets the $399 premium (really depends on the gpu performance increase)...if your not a gamer or if the gpu isn't that much better...and you can live with the 1366x786 (or don't value the extra real estate on 1600x900)...save the money and get the SB.

i'd probably get the Vaio SA tho between the two...i like to go all out... higher resoltuion + better gpu + better material....even if it's over priced by like $199 or whatever...lol

If you think about it...even if it's not "worth" the $399 premium...it is "worth" something...so the real/true difference is more like $399 - better screen/gpu/material = $xxx <--depending on how much you value the improved features

you know what i mean? the real question is are you willing to spend the extra $xxx?

 

Well, the extra money isn't a big problem, I have been planning on buying a $1,500 laptop, its just that I have an issue with paying for something that is not worth it. No matter what I choose, it will be a massive upgrade for me (I'm on a vaio fw140 right now). I am not a gamer, I keep saying it would be nice to have the ability, but I know I won't really game, I'm more into consoles. So... that being said, any other responses?

 

I've not seen any SA models advertised as having carbon fibre. Prior to the launch of the SA Sony documents seemed to indicate that the SA would be made out of carbon fibre and AL.It was delayed for some time because of issues with the chassis. It was also speculated to weigh 3.2lbs.

The SA that was launched was heavier than expected and specs ommited any mention of carbon fibre. May be Sony ommited it because of the issues they were having with the chassis. Whether the lid is made out of the same materials as they SB though i'm not quite sure.

Some forum members have also reported that the SA hinge is looser than the SB.

If the lower res and graphics card is ok for your needs then may be go for it. You may though end up wishing that you went for a higher res screen down the line.

 

Can anyone verify the SA hinge is looser than the SB? That will be a total deal breaker for me.

I'm starting to feel like I just need to go over to lenovo or toshiba, bc it seems like as much as I want a sony s (they are sexy), both models seem to have glaring problems....am I crazy for thinking this??

 

I am all about premium. Don't look at the sticker, just get the best. The only time I have buyer's remorse is when I didn't spend the extra money to get the best thing. I HATE having the second best whatever. I will either get absolute top of the line or the cheapest possible crap I can find.

I didn't vote because I don't really know anything about these specific models. Just go for it. What is $400 when you are going to have the laptop for a year or two. $400 over two years only works out to $17 a month. I usually look at cost of ownership as what it will cost per month over a couple years. It is a very easy way for me to justify spending more money.

 

I suggest that you read the first page of the SA review.

 

The hinge is indeed looser than the one on the SB.