Finally Pulled the Trigger - FZ4000 CTO

After laboring (way to much) over 15.4" vs 17" (and the corresponding sizes of the FZ vs. the AR) and after sending a Dell 1720 back due to a horrible monitor, I decided to go with an FZ and I will probably add a 19" monitor for my desk. Specs:

Intel® Core 2™ Duo Processor T8300 (2.4GHz)
WLAN (802.11a/b/g/n) with integrated Bluetooth® technology
NVIDIA® GeForce® 8400M GT
LCD 15.4" WXGA (XBRITE-HiColor™) with integrated video camera
DVD±R DL / DVD±RW / DVD-RAM Drive
160GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [5400 rpm]
2 GB DDR-SDRAM (DDR2-667, 1 GBx2)
Microsoft® Windows Vista® Business with Service Pack 1
2 year Express Warranty with Accidental Coverage (mainly spill insurance for me!)

$1509.00 and 12 months no interest on a Sony card.

I opted for a smaller HD to offset the higher cost of the extended warranty. I was going for the 200gb/7200rpm or the 250gb/5400rpm (+$70), but I currently have a 80gb that is only about 2/3's full. I'll off load to a network drive if needed - or just upgrade the drive later. I also went for 2gb memory as I will add more on my own - the 3gb option was an extra $100.

It is supposed to ship on 4/17. Does anyone know the typical Sony route/time line? The 1720 shipped on a Wednesday and I had it 2 days later.

 

Sony's shipping roughly takes 5-7 days. It depends upn where you live. I got next day shipping for $5 when I ordered.

 

I just bought almost the same vaio, only difference was I got the 200 GB 7200 RPM HD. Sony said it would ship on the 10th of April, it shipped last Friday and is scheduled to be deliver on the 10th. Hope this helps you with the shipping question. Really excited for the hi color screen, I hear it is pretty nice.

 

thanks guys - ground shipping was free, but the 3 day was $69 and 2 day was $89.

john9384 - I wrestled with the drive decision almost as much as I did with the warranty. Had the 200/7200 too, then changed it. I am planning on buying a mouse, another display and some additional drives for backup (will have 5 PC's in the house), so the $70 upgrade savings will be used elsewhere.

 

bubbatex,

I purchased a Dell 1530 when they first offered the high resolution screens and returned it because I just didnt like the computer. Basically I was expecting better quality. I just recently purchased a FZ4000 and couldnt be happier. I will happily spend a little more for quality. I absolutely love the screen. I think you will be happy with it.

 

Man, it sounds like Dell is getting a lot of returns right now due to the crappy displays. After returning the 1720 - I took about 4 trips to Fry's looking at the FZ and the AR and comparing those to everything else. I have a FS-550 now that is 3yrs old (very similar in size to the FZ and the same resolution), but the screen is still great. It is hard to beat the Sony display - and the nice style doesn't hurt either.

 

Bubbatex, Got mine yesterday, hi color screen is very nice. I wasn't sure about the relatively "low" resolution but now I really like it. My experience has been great once I removed most of Sony's horrible bloatware. Going to be upgrading it to 3Gbs of ram next week.

 

Congrats! Got an email today that mine is in production. Actually the resolution is perfect for me - I'll even crank up the DPI a bit. I have had the same basic screen (VGN-FS550) for 3 years now.

BTW - I was going to buy a 2gb Crucial stick to make the move from 2gb to 3, but saw this on newegg. It is $25 more than the Crucial 2gb and you get the full 4gb of the same memory. I am thinking I am going to go ahead and order this kit. That way, if/when I move to 64-bit, the memory will be done. FYI - I also got a Logitech VX Revolution mouse today at Tiger Direct for $40, but there is also a $20 rebate. $20 is not bad for that mouse!

 

i live in australia.

sony usa online customisation is really impressive and tempting, except it can only be delivered to a US address. Now waiting for my frd who may be able to go to the States in May and bring one back to Aust for me.

Plan to get:
2.4 or 2.5ghz
4gb ram
250GB 5400rpm or 200GB 7200rpm
DVDRW
hi color
vista ultimate
hi cap battery
Under US$2000 is my budget

you guys have chosen the polished mosaic or FZ Standard (that is white color) keyboard ? i have been searching all forums in english and chinese for a white keyboard photo but couldnt find one. any pictures to share ?

considering the sony CR or FZ, what do you guys think ? CR looks prettier abit but less powerful than FZ. FZ graphic card looks gd, its only slightly heavier than CR but 15.4" (CR 14.1")

wont get SZ as nowadays with the lightness in laptop, i can already accept CR and FZ's weight and plus its always just sitting at home on a desk.

I have experienced the prompt and professional repair service of IBM and Toshiba in London and sydney, you guys have any comment for Sony repair service ?

 

The CR does not have the hi color screen I believe, another thing to look at, I did 2 gb of ram on sony, the option to go to 3 gbs was $100, so I bought a 2 gb stick on online for $36 to get to 3 total, I would imagine this would be even better for 4 gb.

 

Gee - TODAY (the day AFTER mine ships) the 3gb is on sale for $0 and 4gb is $50. Darn - gonna send an email and see if they will do anything.

snoopy - I have seen the Polished mosaic on a FZ at Fry's and I did not like it. That pattern you see on CTO is actually a dimpled pattern and is rough, IMO. Nothing seemed "polished" about it to me! Have not seen white.

 

FZ vista nowadays all come with hidden partition and it easily chews up 15-20GB from your C:\, say eg a 200GB 5400rpm. Does Sony provide a free recovery cd in the first 12 months of purchase like IBM ?

I miss the olden days of sony where they automatically split into C:\50 and D:\150Gb, so that when you recovery C:\ it will only takes 40-60mins to recover a fresh install windows and you dont have to worry about all DATA (doc, mp3, movies, pictures) in D:\

Do you guys know if you use something like partition magic to create another partition, will hidden recovery restore successfully to C:\ still ?

 

Well, I am really thinking about sending mine back - the difference in price is $220. That is significant, IMO. They will not do anything but I can return it for a full refund.

 

Maybe mine was left out, but I can not find any cd/dvds with my fz. Not even a recovery cd.... Anyone else have different?

 

i think i have been reading alof of pages in this forum discussion board as well as the sony USA FAQ, they dont do recovery cds anymore, you can either go by burning on a DVD using VAIO centre, but they warned not to use DVDRW, otherwise just have to use something like GHOST to make a image

i have seen white from another user on this forum but i forgot which thread it is, but heres the link http://vaio-g.blogspot.com and http://www.vaio.sony.co.jp/Products/FZ1/

i think im going for the White, which is what they called FZ STANDARD. Will be good for a change with my existing IBM T41p

guys, is it true that vista business or ultimate sp1 will only read up til 2GB or 3GB RAM at this stage ? even if you have 4GB it will only take 3102MB or something, read sth like that on microsoft http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929605

 

Yes, Vista 32-bit (any flavor) will only use about 3.2gb. 64-bit will use 4gb+.

 

but i also read duo core only read ram as a pair, so does that means there is not much point for 3GB (2x1) or still worth it ?

i dont mind paying extra as long as its useful for performance, because anything compare to australia and asia, US sony laptops r always cheaper given the exchange rate

 

snoop - I never heard/read that - there are a ton of laptops sold here in the US w/3gb RAM, so I am sure 2x1 works.

 

OK, I guess I will keep the one I have intransit. They must have gotten a lot of calls yesterday (they tolds me they had been "dealing with this issue all morning" when I called) and made more changes in the way the CTO prices out, today it is only $120 cheaper for my same configuration. Considering it is going to cost me about $25 to send it back, it's not worth it to me now for $100.

 

I read your post and double checked, mine is still $220 more than I paid for it a week ago. I sent them an e-mail and hope that they are smart enough to fix it without making me ship this thing back.

As for the rest of this post- the screen is AMAZING and this laptop is AWESOME. Definitely worth the price!

 

You must have ordered 3gb RAM? I ordered just 2gb as I felt it was cheaper to upgrade myself - now 3gb is the same price as 2gb!

They will not do anything on a CTO product. I called twice to confirm. They said "sorry, send it back"!

 

I m lucky that i waited, i was gonna buy it last week. Now i just have to wait till tues-thurs for free shipping.

 

Yep, I ordered 3GB of RAM...I sent an e-mail and have still not heard back- I lashed out pretty well. If I don't hear anything in the next day, I think I will send it back...though it's a lot of hassle, especially since I just got all the bloatware off.

 

I hope they give you something - it would be really easy to do, IMO. But for $200, I would do it. For $100, meh....

 

smason, How is the 200gb at 7200 rpm hdd? Is it noise and battery consumption that bad?

 

I'm also considering the FZ due to the current sale.

-Does anyone know If Sony will sell you an FZ with a 64-bit version of Vista? Preferrably Home Premium.

-How do you find the portability of the unit? I'm considering one of the new Toshiba Satalites (the M305) at 14.1 incfhes. Although it's a little smaller I think the FZ is just as thin, if not thinner. Screen size is nice until it impeads portability IMO. Plus the Toshiba has a brutal graphics engine.

 

No, Sony is not selling 64-bit versions yet. And they are only supporting 64-bit drivers through the UK site - which you can find in this forum by searching on "64-bit" - there are some good threads to read. Some have persevered and got it to work, others have given up!

 

No noise, haven't checked the battery sorry.

called sony and they are giving nothing. i think i will return it on friday and save $220

 

Katner- they do not sell a 64 bit version (I wanted one too). Also, I've traveled around the globe with a smaller Dell computer for work and I can say that this laptop, while a bit bigger, is just as light as that baby. Considering that it would just be in a backpack, the size wouldn't matter to me- only the weight.

Go for it! Also...if you have an old laptop, do the trade in program if you want, I got $300 for my old Vaio that was in horrible shape after ~4 years.