Help deciding on a Vaio

Hello,

I am looking to buy an SZ series Vaio notebook. I like everything about the VGN-SZ430N/C except it comes without the carbon fiber shell (looking for the all black look). Since they don't seem to make those, I am now looking at either the VGN-SZ450N/C or the VGN-SZ480N/C. I was able to find a VGN-SZ480NW1 - which as far as I can tell is identical to the standard 480 except it has a 100GB hard drive and only 1GB of DDR (1 x 1GB PC4200). I found a place that would sell this to me for $1,750 with free shipping, so this certainly seems like a good deal. Here's where I need some help:

I would like to have 2GB of DDR - and a quick google search reveals that a second 1GB PC4200 DDR would only run about $50. So, my question is: what is the compatibility of these third party sticks are with the ones issued by Sony? I'm not wondering if it will work, rather how non-identical DIMMs will affect memory bandwidth by possibly disabling dual channel memory function (Keep in mind I'm only assuming the motherboard supports dual channel memory - I know little about this when it comes to either notebooks or Intel).

Second question: I would eventually need a larger hard drive. What is the compatibility of other notebook hard drives with this type of notebook? Would switching from the standard 5400rpm to 7200rpm affect anything major in the notebook?

Thanks for your help

 

first question: i have no clue either.

as to your second question, you can probably find cheap(when i say cheap, i mean money-wise, not brand-wise), large hard drives on sale at newegg.com or best buy or other retailers. switching from 5400 to 7200 will speed up load times, and faster load times are always favorable.

 

Thanks for your input

I'm sure it will increase response time, which is as you said always good, but I'm worried about the extra heat, decreased battery life of the computer.

While on the subject of hard drives: Is the G-Sensor Shock Protection a feature of the hard drive, or the notebook? I.e., if I remove the hard drive will the notebook retain this feature?

 

G Sensor Shock Protection is a feature of the notebook. The sensor is close to the hard drive.

You can replace the hard drive and the notebook will still retain the feature. I've replaced my SZ's hard drive twice now.

 

does anyone know what the interface in the sz notebook? Serial ATA150?