How happy are you with your Sony SZ?

thank you very much

 

Finally got myself an SZ28GP/C.
2ghz, 1 gb ram, 100 gb hdd, cam, BT, wifi, carbon fiber, nvidia card, etc. cool!!! Love it so far.

AMK

 

I actually don't have the Sony SZ but I am looking at buying one. I have one question for all you owners. I want to get one for law school but am worried about the noise level because I heard it is loud. Do you think it is too loud for a classroom(all I would be doing is typing notes)? Thanks.

 

I also got one SZ240. Everything is fine, except the 13'' screen is not convenient for me to keep seeing for a long time. My eyes got tired.

 

Nah, I don't really think it's that loud at all. I use mine for doing work in Office about 75% of the time and I barely notice it. Of course your mileage may vary depending on how sensitive your hearing is and how quiet an environment it is in the classroom.

 

My SZ is very quiet, even when the fan is on it is not loud at all . I had an Acer Ferrari 4005, now that was a loud laptop.

 

I solved this by buying a Gateway 21" widescreen LCD monitor and wireless keyboard and mouse. Acts like a desktop, yet when I take it with me the size and weight are much appreciated.

 

My experience with SZ is a horror story.

First I bought a SZ1HP(SZ120). Build quality was really bad: loose plastic sides (and dvd-drive cover), convex/bent screen frame... but as it was the first I saw, it was OK for me. 3 weeks later, a big spot of dust under the screen appeared.

Exchanged it on the store for a new one, perfect build quality... but one stuck blue pixel in the middle of the screen.
So I didn't even bring it home and asked for another.

Next week the new SZ arrived, but I had a mixed feeling about it's build quality: everything was perfect except really loose dvd-drive cover and completely uncentered screen (3mm in top and left border, 0mm in right and bottom border)... and a new problem: a whining hard disk, which made me return this one too.

Now I'm waiting for my fourth SZ

PD: Sorry for my bad english

 

Non-premium szs (SZX40 and below) are a piece of crap. Premiums on the other hand don't have any problems.

 

(^_^) I think you'll have problems convincing a few premium owners of that.

 

You may have trouble convincing a few non-premium owners of that as well. I have yet to have any major issues with my SZ-120P/B.

 

OK. This notebook is rather good from my point of view. Of course, it has some minor defects, but critisizing Sony for a clumsy replicator port is like accusing BMW for an awkward cigarette lighter.
As for me, I don't have any problems with it at all, but... there is one "but". After having done a clean install of Windows XP on my SZ-110 (man, that was a great deal of troubles! my laptop started to freeze at shutdown or hibernating.
The reason of this is somewhere inside of a stream.sys file in winXP's system directory. I can't fix it with the HotFix Microsoft provided, cause I use not an English version of the OS. Could any of you please help me, publishing this file here, please? "So, if you help me... that would be very am... helpful" (c, monty python - holy grail).

 

I'm quite happy with my purchase. Got it for less than $1500CND, which is really good since they sell for over $2000CND in sony stores. Runs well, baterry life not so great, but it'll do.

 

I'm very happy with my 3 week old SZ2HP (thats the best non-premium model) with BT and cam etc. I didn't want the premium because I found the screen too slim and saw it bend when opening. Mine does not do this. I've no problems with the brightness, I use level 3-6 on mine. Level 9 already burns my eyes ;-) so I can't imagine to use the screen any brighter. Besides the premium is much more expensive. Negatives are that I have a dead (all blue screen shows one black spot) blue pixel (but it can only be seen when very close and directly in front of it so no real problem - but you know when you know its there it kinda annoys you anyway) and the built quality of those plastic tube where the LEDs are in. That fitting problem is kinda annoying.

But overall I love mine. Fast, lightweight and great screen. I can't find any better laptop for my needs. Don't wanna haul around 6 pounds or more every day. Besides the built quality is great when you used to see a macbook. I tried 3 macbooks and 2 macbook pros in three weeks before I switched to the SZ and boy they were bad quality wise. The SZ is rock solid compared.

 

Curious as to what problems came with the 3 Macbooks. I am considering either an SZ, Macbook, or something smaller like the Asus SF6 or the new Vaio TX850 with core solo.

 

Oh, those macbook had bad bad build quality (all of em) with parts pulling apart and deforming because of the heat. Some parts on the macbook are only glued together and that glue suffered from the massive heat the macbook creates so the screen popped loose on the 2nd day of use on my first. The second one had wide gaps between the keyboard and the lower part - so wide I could stick a credit card in and developed those famous staines on the white wrist rest on day three. The third became so hot that the plastic near the fan actually deformed. The macbook pro were no better. Model one produces uncomfortable noises (whining) and became so hot that you could barely touch it. Model two had its screen die (colored lines all over) on day three. That was the point where I lost my patience and got my money back. I bought the SZ2 two days after that and I'm most pleased with that since that day (four weeks now of heavy use all day).

I considerd the same machines but the core solo is too slow because I need to do some HDV video editing from time to time. And the Asus lacks a firewire port I need for my HDV camcorder. So the SZ2 was the best solution, light weight with pretty good build quality and very fast and don't forget that genius dual graphics thingie. And the screen is great! Best I've seen yet on a laptop, sharp and bright and very colorful.

 

Im very happy altought I think a better battery life would be good as well a s video out so I could concect it to my tV all the rest works very fine for me , even for the games was a good surprise I play winning eleven and nascar type of games and all worked with no problem at all very smooth.

 

i am every happy with my sz240p, 1 year ago i started looking for a 13.3 or smaller notebook that could game, needless to say that didnt happen, then the sz came along. GRAW plays nicley on it and only crashes once in a while cause microsoft has so many things running all the time that dont need to be, but im working on that. i like the keyboard. if i go back to my desktop for somthing quick i cant belive how much i hate the keyboard. it may not be a ibm keyboard but its very nice for a laptop and i like it. a 4lb 13.3 in laptop that can game at medium/low on demanding games is amazing.

The spacebar my not register if you dont hit it near the middle, but thats no problem since i keep my right thumb on the middle of the spacebar.

 

Paint on either side of the palm rest has rubbed off (see other threads for links to pictures), paint on Felica pad has started to rub off (leaves nasty grey pustic underneath), keyboard screw fell out, DVD caddy doesn't close/fit properly, 4mm lid wobbles about (I'm waiting for the hinges to break).

<edit>= I have removed my WXP/HMC rant because it was inappropriate for this thread and had little to do with the actual SZ

Wish list: Came with WXP disc/recovery disc / No preinstalled crapware / Svideo out / Line-In

 

I own the SZ 260p model.
Would be better if:

1. no more junk application and advertisement. eg.AOL.
2. The special button S1 S2 would allow more function to it.
3. Enable/Disable Touchpad with hotkey.
4. Comes with physical recovery disk and user manual. [I am sure Sony
saved a lot of money by not doing so.]
5. at least 2 more USB ports.

Nothing else I could think of now. It's a decent laptop.
Surprisingly Made In Japan!

 

SZ260 and SZ370 are great laptops. Have had them both.
the SZ370 has fixed keyboard issues aka space bar..etc.

The higher end 260s and 370's have a much better screen and refresh rate
and much less eye strain than the 230.....but again, you pay for what you get.

 

sony is frustrating. the screen is kinda messed up on the bottom corners, the software bundle is horrendous. plug-n-play usb mice/keyboard refuse to install. all the latest software from microsoft dont run at all (ie7b2, msngr live). programs keep crashing and freezing, and then restart won't work half the time. the camera is nasty. it is nowhere near comparable with the hp, or the apples. other than that, its pretty fast, it looks nice, and very light.

 

I have had a custom built sony sz-240 from sonystyle AND an SZ-260 purchased from J&R in New York and both laptops had the prickly electric shocking sensation described here http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=45008

yow! consistently painful and attention stealing

I want to get the sz-360 next week but Come on, 0 for 2 is sketchy.

 

Another unhappy customer with Sony here. Seriously unhappy, especially considering how much I shelled out for the VAIO SZ 110 (and yes, I know there are many that are much more expensive).

I spent almost 2 months just trying to get familiar with the lingo on these boards to research my different options (sidenote: what a headache for those of us neophytes! I'm a-scrambling here but I'm pretty sure I have a lot of detailed information on specific game cards and how to re-install a clean windows on Sony....but take me beyond the specifics that are so often discussed here, and I'm lost as to even the basics of computers

Anyways, I ended up with the Sony Vaio in March because 1) power and portability. At the time, no other manufacturer was making something so small yet with the core duo internals and 2) I couldn't resist the sleekness of the package (screen, chassis, etc) after having plodded around with a good ol' reliable but boring Thinkpad from 2002.

My issues with it ended up reflecting a lot of people's complaints on the board:
1) That inability to do a clean install sucks. The excessive bloatware really, really sucks. I hated seeing 16 programs (or whatever the number is) installed on my computer without knowing exactly where the overlaps were and what I'd potentially kick myself for deleting in the future.
2) This leads us to the fact that Sony doesn't give you discs to re-install anything, and you've actually got to purchase it. I hate feeling gyped like that!
3) The keyboard (and I've got great hands, I'm a former professional pianist) really is cramped and uncomfortable. The spacebar is also prone to mess-ups.
4) Let's see what else....speakers weren't great, the wireless reach (or whatever you want to call it) wasn't as good as my roomates' Dells, the warranty sucks...*sigh* but I still was drawn to it and content until it just started malfunctioning on me.
5) Dealing with a malfunctioning computer within 4 months of you playing with it REALLY, really sucks. I'm just getting angry all over again. ok, granted, I messed up a little (yeah, accidental sugar water on the keyboard. my bad, I admit)....BUT beyond that, I'm just pissed it's hard for me to rework this computer (hard to get to the internal components, hard to re-install etc) to attempt to fix it.

I give up. I'm going over to Asus. Or maybe even back to Thinkpad. As pretty a machine as this is, reliability at the end of the day counts.

 

What screen does the Sony one come with?

dL

 

Pretty happy with this machine. Having upgraded from the Z1 and T series it's a decent machine for wot i'm looking for in a laptop. It's the sorta in between model i've been looking for...more portable than the Z1 but not as small or underpowered as the T series...great compromise..
though what really annoys me is that the fact that in aus u can't customize anything on the SZ series like u can in the states or in japan...u'r stuck with two models (Premium and Standard) which is wot Sony Aus "think" most consumers would want...

 

96% before fixing space.
100% afterwards.

I have one SZ and used another briefly. The best laptops I've ever handled.

 

I just got a sz260p/c and I'm loving it....no problem at all with the spacebar BTW.

 

Loving SonyStyle no matter what!

 

I have just received my sz381 and am happy with it. For me I would rate it an 8 out of 10. There are a couple of areas that would make it an even better machine for me.

* Gb Ethernet
* Higher resolution screen
* More WWan choices
* 4GB memory option (I run vmware with a few virtual machines)
* DVD drive replaceable with extra battery
* Smaller form factor
* Easily replicable hard drive

I was looking for a very portable laptop with lots of power and the SZ seems to fit the bill. I needed a machine that had 100+GB disk and at least 2GB of memory with a reasonable cpu. I do a lot of consulting work and I often need to directly connect my laptop to other servers and a GbE port would allow me to do this without carrying an extra cross-over cable. I also would have liked the ability to easily remove the hard drive and swap it for another one with a different OS.

I think they could possibly reduce the size of the machine slightly because there is a fair amount of boarder space surrounding the screen bezel.

 

I just got my SZ220P 2 weeks ago, as it was a gift from my parents for university/institute use. I'm quite happy with it, although i got a few questions.

1. As you guys all know the notebook has a T2400 1.83 Ghz processor, after a while when i check on the system properties it changes to 989 MHZ. I'm just wondering where the rest of the other hertz went. Is this a defect or a normal thing.

2. The ram displays at 0.99 instead of 1.00 GB of ram. I know it's just 0.01 MB of a difference but still. I'm quite curious as of what's happening to the system.

Other than those question, I'm quite satisfy with the notebook

 

If you want the laptop to perform at full speed you must adjust the settings in my Control Panel/Performance & Maintenance/Power Options Properties and select "Power Management Off"

You may also want to check the Vaio Control Center/Performance and make sure your Memory Bus is set at max.

Right clicking on My Computer may still get you a slower CPU speed if the laptop is not plugged in when you reboot. I suspect it may be a software error; checking CPU with a different software may give a full speed CPU result if I remember correctly.

The RAM on my laptop reads .99 also

 

Thanks for the Tips. I just realized that when I switch to "Stamina mode" it does that, but when I change it to "Speed mode" it changes back to the full perfomance. By the way, thanks for the help.

 

I've had my SZ110B for 9 month and it's been great. No problems whatsoever.

 

I with klas - I've had this notebook for 9 months, and it's been the best performing and most durable laptop I've ever owned (and I've had 10+ laptops). It's my first Sony, and I'm obviously very pleased with my purchase.

Javier

 

Guys, do you know if I buy my SZ from SonyStyle and if there is soemthign wrong with it (ie. scratches during shipping and handling), can I refund it at a Sony Store?

 

I have an SZ1VP (we are on SZ3 now), which I am extremely happy with.

There are now other notebooks available with similar power and size to the SZ (there were not when I aquired it), but I would not swap the SZ for anything. It has style, power, a great screen, and is very light weight.

I did think about going Apple this time, after seeing a guy get burned by his Macbook Pro and have Apple tell him it was a 'notebook' not a 'laptop' and it says in the instructions not to use it on your lap I'm pretty glad about my choice.

It took a while to get the SZ to a configuration I was happy with, some install/remove programs, a bit of registry tweaking, lots of power management settings adjustment (battery life is amazing). For me there is no better laptop, ok - I'd like a bigger screen and a larger keyboard in a smaller, lighter chassis but that just isn't going to happen.
I'll might upgrade the RAM next year.

 

I just bought the SZ360P and I was quite shocked to discover that the metal armrest is electrically charged!!!!

Unbeknownst to me, this has apparently been a known problem of the SZ series, but Sony has ignored to properly ground the housing and prevent this. Although a 3-prong power supply may rectify this problem, the Canadian models do not come with the 2-prong outlet. Having spent CA$3000 for this laptop, I cannot justify purchasing a separate brick which may or may not solve this problem.

I'm extremely disappointed in Sony and intend to return this otherwise great laptop.

Can anyone suggest a comparatively similar laptop?

 

The Asus W7J would probably be perfect for you.

I sent you a message with more details, lol.

 

Have had my sz360 for 2 days. The good: screen is much brighter than on my s260. I like the mousepad configuration better. Palm rest is ergonomically comfortable. Really like the fingerprint sensor. Speakers have better configuration although they don't seem to sound any better. Seems faster but is not loaded with too many programs yet. The bad: Grrrr, the dvd/cd drive emits a loud buzzing sound if I move the laptop even the slightest bit, although it thankfully recognizes both dvd's and cd's. My extended onsite warranty is not in effect yet and the only Sony service center is cross country from me, no time to send there and get back before my business trip. Battery is in the same stupid location so dislodges easilywhen I use any of my laptop desks. Wireless adapter seems weaker than on my s260 - side by side, the sz360 reports a low signal while the s260 reports a very good signal from the same wireless router, although connection speed seems to be the same. Palm rest has a weird tingly feel. Camera resolution is awful, no way to adjust out the graininess. Too many junk programs to uninstall. Runs hotter than my s260? Not sure yet. Sony tech support is ludicrous. Did they really think using the Bios setup utility and uninstalling and reinstalling the dvd/cd driver would solve that lound buzzing that they could hear over the phone????

 

Sony really is doing an excellent job of embarrassing themselves lately, what with all the electrical shock and explosive battery problems.What I find laughable is that sony says they have never heard of the electrical shock problem on the palm rest.How could you have not heard of it, there are major reviews of the notebook which clearly demonstrate the problem and thousands of customers complaining about it.Yet they have never heard of it?You don't do an isolation check on your chassis before you ship them?Nice Quality assurance, deny it till the end that's a great company motto.Sony really has turned to crap over the years.

As to an alternative you might want to check out the dell m1210 or one of the many asus models.The asus W3J is sweet, it is far superior to any of the comparable sonys.

 

Which country offers the 3-prong power supply?

Does anyone know?

 

Moved from an ASUS W3V to an SZ last week. Very happy with it. (The Asus was just a tad big and too heavy for me.

Software is a bit bloated, but I can live with it.

They do a 3 prong power brick in Australia for those who are interested.

 

you can purchase a 3 prong after market power supply, although i'm not sure whether this would solve the problem.

your local bestbuy sells a 3 prong Kensington 120W power supply for $149+taxes (more expensive at futureshop). if you try it and it eliminates the grounding problems, pls do let us know. i haven't yet tried this solution -- i can't justify paying for a separate power supply to correct a manufacturers defect when i just coughed up $3000 for the product.

 

I meant to say mine came with a Sony 3-prong powerbrick. Guess we must be lucky in Aus

 

Dam the Sony Vaio SZ381 P/X with the intel core 2 duo seemed the best notebook on the market to me...But after reading these comments im quiet worried about purchasing it now....if at all

 

After a week of ownership, I am pretty happy.
I wish it had a slot loading DVD and a little bigger mouse pad area along with one more USB.
No shock or space bar problem yet and I am getting about 3.4 to 4.15(wifi off) hours on the battery with stamina mode and screen brightness set to 2.
No problems with the deleting of bloatware.

 

is there a function to disable the touchpad while typing? that s essential for me

 

Yes, there is.

 

Yes, goto program files and click on Sony folder.
Then click on Setting utilities series folder, and click on VCC pointing device.
You can also copy the VCC icon and put it on your desktop for quick access.