Considering a SZ, have a couple questions

I am choosing a notebook and I merged it down to sony SZ, IBM T60, HP DV2000T, or Asus W3j.

Should I cusomize the laptop online, or buy it in the store? (local store carries the SZ 460)
I already asked someone, but what is the battery life of it with the extended battery?
Is it worth getting the accidental warranty?
Should I get Windows XP/Vista™ Business?
Is there a mojor difference between the magnezium, and the carbon, or is that just a marketing gimick?

here is the config I would like
- ~2ghz c2d
-2gb ram
-100-160gb hd (5400rpm)
-normal + extended battery
-webcam
-the thin screen

 

bump, i have the same questions too.

 

well customize if you don't see the model w/ the specs you want. Personally I went with the SZ360 at the time because had all the specs I wanted.

Warrenty is like anything else... They make money off of it... unless you are accident prone. I never buy it, but that is me.

XP/Vista again is personal preference. I use programs that are not yet suited for Vista so I will not upgrade as of now. Maybe in the future I will. But if you are not program specific go ahead with Vista. Vista is still new so might have some bugs, but nothing major.

magnezium and carbon, is for looks. the weight is the same. and they both use the premium lcd screen. again this is preference on how you want your lid to look. I got the magnezium because I really don't think that much about the looks of the lid. personal preference...

so I think a lot of your questions are personal preference... good luck. I love the SZ cuz its so small.

 

I got the 460 + extended battery, I relly like it, I get 10+ hours of battery with both the batteries combined, I also got the 3 year accidental warranty, I use the hell out of laptops, no laptop ever lasted more than 2 years for me, so I will hopefully get a new model in 2 years, lol

Vista seems to run most of the programs xp does, so its a smooth change, althou I thinks its a little battery hog.

 

Magnesium and carbon is not just for looks. Carbon is slightly lighter but more importantly has the LED screen which the magnesium models do not. Furthermore the carbon models feel more solid and gives better protection for the ultra thin screen.

I do not recommend the dv2000. I bought it before the SZ and had to return it for poor quality and being too heavy to carry daily. Never seen the Asus in person but have heard only great things.

 

Sony SZ > Lenovo T60 > Asus W3j > HP

The thing I really like about SZ is its light, thin and good battery life. I did not get the extend warranty because I treat my laptop very carefully.

I also really like IBM T60 cause its a tough little puppy. Its built like a tank with very good keyboard.

 

You will love your new SZ!

If you are a careful person, there should hopefully never be an issue where you would need to use that expensive warranty. Sony, along with others, wants to use this opportunity to get as much money as they can. If you do decide to buy this warranty -- read very, very carefully about what it protects you against. Does it protect against water damage? What about if you sadly dropped the SZ and cracked the LCD?

As Ch28 said: the battery is a good one -- and lasts longer than my FE. If you are away from AC for more than 4-5 hours, I would buy the extended battery.

 

Quoted for truth. Couldn't agree more.

I originally ordered a customized SZ340, and had several issues with it. I don't know how different the building process is for CTO VAIOs versus the pre-configured ones, but my 340 had, among other things, a not-so-good keyboard (very loose and flexy --- esp compared to in-store models) and a very very very annoying electronic buzzing sound that was associated with the LCD monitor (basically I couldn't have it on anything other than max brightness and plugged into an AC outlet to avoid the buzzing sound).

The 360 I replaced my 340 with (at Sony's cost) has none of these problems, and the screen is much brighter. The unit also feels sturdier as a whole (magnesium vs carbon).

YMMV

 

So you don't have any of those problems with the premium one?
I really want to get Home Premium instead of Business.
The only way to get the specs I want & Vista HP is to customize SZ-440 which is not SZ Premium series.

 

Nope --- I am perfectally satified with my SZ360. I'm not trying to imply that *all* CTO VAIOs are rife with problems.. just that my experience was less than ideal. I'm also excessively picky about idiosyncratic things.

 

Or you can customize a SZ480, which features the carbon fiber lid & LED backlight.

 

If u travel a lot Sony is the best of 4 choices becoz of the weight. I tried all kind of brand laptop b4 and have to admit that SZ really got it right (other than price). I own a lot of laptops (HP, Dell, ASUS, IBM, Gateway, etc) and do travel frequently but I have to admit SZ is really a + when it come to weight. I wasn't a Sony fan b4 but after using SZ, it really work well 4 me but I still prefer IBM keyboard. For performance & bang for the buck, Dell/ASUS is a better choice. HP is pretty good also but they r much heavier and support is moderate. Good luck on your choice, enjoy (@^___^@)

 

If u like the weight to be light, try this Sony 12'1

http://www.sonystyle.com.hk/ss/vaio/product/vgn_g118gn_b/index.html

 

VERY nice little system, but only shaves barely a tenth of a pound off. The smaller power supply would be nicer though.

Hmmm...I read a bad website on weights, yes the G is a lb lighter. Very nice. And the power supply is even lighter...very nice.

 

The Vaio G is 2.5 lbs (power supply is .37 lbs) Total for both is 2.87 lbs

The SZ carbon is 3.7lbs (power supply is .92 lbs) Total for both is 4.62 lbs

The G looks nice but too bad it's not available stateside yet!

 

Now Sony got 11'1, 12'1, 13'3, 15'4 & 17', when will they brignt back their 14'1 (Pentium M to C2D)?

 

if you want a g1, you can always order from dynamism.com

 

http://www.dynamism.com/g1/pricing.shtml

A quick read about G1
http://www.laptopmag.com/Review/Sony-VAIO-G1.htm