Deciding on a new laptop for school..

I currently am stuck with a Toshiba Satellite A135-S4527 which plain and simple is a piece of crap and I hate the weight, speed and poor battery life. Now I want to replace it with a smaller more portable laptop and have been looking at the Sony Z and SR. The Z is stretching my budget and is really more than I want to spend hence the SR becoming a leading choice for me. I would like this computer to last me through college as I am a sophomore now at University of Miami.

I was considering this build on the SR:
Intel P8600 (2.4GHz)
4GB RAM
320GB Hard Drive (5400rpm)
Intel Graphics (got a PS3, Wii, and X360 for when I want to play games hence on-board graphics)
Standard Battery
3 year ADH warranty
Night Black finish
Vista Home Premium

With all the promotional discounts and choosing 2 of the neoprene cases (cheapest accessories available) it came out to like $1,545 before tax. Now is it worth getting the extended battery for $100 if the most I would use it for on battery would be maybe 4hrs, if that, while I'm in classes typing notes? During that time the most workout on the battery would be like Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Wireless Internet, Firefox, and maybe a game like Solitaire or Texas Hold 'Em if the class gets really boring and no girls are sitting next to me.

Also, I noticed that Sony has 12 months no interest, no payments but it says the offer expires today the 12th. Does Sony run that promotion all the time or is that something that does actually go away?

Finally, overall how are people liking their systems? The crapware issue I'm not concerned with as I've always found a way around them in the past.

Sorry for the long post and jumbling. It's 3:10am and I'm tired but I wanted to ask so I could hopefully have answers by the time I am outta classes later today to make a decision whether to buy or not in time for these promotions.

 

Just looking at your needs and specs alone, I'd swap out 2 gigs of ram and pick up the extended battery.

Are you sure you need to be paying for the sony premium? Seems as though there are other brands that will suit your needs just fine and get you a much more reasonable price.

 

I want the 4GB of RAM since I will be using the laptop for quite some time and have become used to 4GB in my desktop. Plus its only $50 for the difference with the promotions.

With regard to the battery, that was my biggest dilemma to justify if it was wortwhile or not. I will try to get over to best buy today to play with it and make a decision then.

 

You won't need a bigger battery if you need it for four hours. Assuming you don't upgrade (or downgrade in your position) to the ATI discrete graphics card.

 

There's very little value in getting 4 GB RAM, since 32-bit Windows can use only about 3.2 GB of that. If you can get 3 GB RAM and save some money, do that.

 

The original user said it's $50 difference for the RAM so it doesn't make a huge amount of difference to the price.

I personally wouldn't go for the extra battery. The standard should last 4 hours if you're only going to be using it for office

The offer I don't think comes too often

 

I won't be going with the ATI graphics, the only games I play on a laptop are the kind they bundle with Windows. This is why I bought a Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, and built a gaming desktop over the years so I could game on those and don't need to on a laptop.

The option for 3GB of RAM is there. I'm surprised I forgot about that problem since that was the sole reason for going 64-bit on my desktop given I have 4GB in that. You'd figure OEMs would pre-install 64-bit if you select 4GB of RAM?

I should be ordering around 4:00pm my time after I talk with my mom and explain it all to her. I just need my roommate to wake up now that I'm outta class to check out Best Buy. I'm curious to see the weight in my hand and actual size in person of it - not to mention examine the build quality for myself.

EDIT: How is the weight of the extended battery versus the normal battery?

 

FYI, the neoprene case is junk. Just spring for the smart protection case...its great! It actually protects your notebook! If your carrying it in your bag with other books, smart protection case is the way to go! After the bundle discount it was like 16 bucks. It absorbs shock, protects the notebook, and looks snazzy.

Also, i dont think they carry the SR at best buy... not anywhere around me at least. The only place people were seeing them was at the sonystyle stores...

 

Is the case you're talking about the 69.99 one normally? Looks like leather? Grab me a part number if you can please. I am going to be ordering it when I am out of class so I'll check out the one your talking about.

The extended battery is still up for grabs if I want it. The thing that keeps reeling me in is how much it will cost if I want it later versus just buying it up front for $100 more and already having it just incase. It would definitely be nice for flights home on breaks which can take some time since I book the cheapest flights possible.

 

I believe SonyStyle Visa is also offering a $150 rebate as well if you have good credit. This is different from Sony Financial Services please note

 

Ya, I will be looking into that - my credit is basically perfect since I don't spend frivilously and am smart about my finances.

 

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...-1&productId=8198552921665487058&tab=Features

On the packaging it shows you how it is designed... too bad it doesnt show this on the webpage, and it has some interesting tech(honeycomb wall+hard shell+foam) to absorb around 1/3 of shock and equally distribute impact from shock to reduce damage. Also, its not leather, its like a smooth nylon+polyeurathane material.

It still looks/feels expensive, i love the case.

 

I am on my blackberry so I can't really view the page now. I'm going back to my apartment now so I will look.

As for leather, I would prefer it not leather so that its not is good to hear.

 

Just placed my order. Here are the specs from the Order Confirmation e-mail:

Product: V1NBSU08-LBOM
Component: Microsoft® Works
Component: No Fresh Start™
Component: Photo Standard
Component: 320 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [5400 rpm] [Regular price $150]
Component: Large Capacity Lithium-ion Battery (BPL13)
Component: Video Standard
Component: No Engraving
Component: Trusted Platform Module / Biometric Fingerprint Sensor
Component: QuickBooks Simple Start
Component: DVD±R DL / DVD±RW / DVD-RAM Drive
Component: 13.3" WXGA (XBRITE-ECO™ technology)
Component: Windows® Live OneCare 90-Day Trial
Component: Night Black
Component: Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium with Service Pack 1
Component: 3 GB DDR2-SDRAM (DDR2-800, 2GBx1 + 1GBx1) [Regular price $100]
Component: Wireless LAN (802.11a/b/g/n) with integrated Bluetooth® technology
Component: Mobile Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD with Intel® Clear Video Technology
Component: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40GHz) [Regular price $50]
Per Unit Price: $1,549.99
Quantity: 1
Total Price: $1,549.99
Description: VGN-SR190 Configure-to-Order
Ship Method: Standard
Estimated Ship Date: 09/22/2008
Extended Service Plan:
3 Year Express Ship Service Plan with ADH
Price: $112.96

I'm so excited for it to arrive now!! I already can't wait!

For accessories I went with the Neoprene and Protective cases, this way I can choose my favorite and sell/keep the other.

 

Why did you not choose the Fresh Start, which would have shipped the VAIO without a lot of the usual crapware?

 

Because I had to select Vista Business and I wanted Home Premium which doesn't offer fresh start. I'm going to delete all the stuff anyways so I don't mind too much. I just can't wait to get it in the mail and play with it. The days are going to go by slowly until it gets here...

 

Why do you prefer Vista Home Premium rather than Vista Business?

 

It's a really nice laptop for school either way. ^I guess he just wants the media stuff which is nice if you're staying at university

 

I suggest you not to buy sony. You are just paying for nothing. I was very crazy about brand and I bought sz450 one year back with $2150. Since then I had lot of problems with it. Once fan failed then HD failed. I do not know why my laptop is superior to my friends hp laptops with just $900. I do not have multimedia buttons, svideo port.... Every body is thinking that I am crazy to spend $2000 on useless laptop.

 

Yup, I still do movies/music and stuff on it as I am a college student - I just don't have a NEED for Vista Business to justify spending the extra money when I'm already stretching myself to get this laptop.

I've owned a few Sonys before including desktops and laptops over the years and can't complain about them or their quality. My father still has a Sony VAIO desktop with a 1.5GHz Pentium 4 running perfectly and its about 8-9 years old now maybe more. Anyways, I'm a sucker for a sexy laptop and there is no denying the nice looks of these machines to compliment their performance.

 

What does Home Premium include that Vista Business does not? (I'm interested, as I thought that the Business versions contained more features than the Home versions.)

 

Here's a comparison. Home Premium offers more media things, like the Media Center, while Business offers more network connectivity and things like ShadowCopy. I'm tempted by Ultimate, but I personally a little worried it'd suck down resources even worse than Home Premium.

http://www.helpwithwindows.com/WindowsVista/vista-which-version.html

 

That is why I want Home Premium and not business. I need more media things as a student when I'm home and we shoot car meets/underground races to edit/burn. I thought I read business can drain hard drive space which I'm not a fan of even with 320GB since capacity matters to me.