Inspiron 1520 VS Vaio FZ?

From the looks of it, the Vaio FZ is about the closest thing I can find to the equivalent of the Inspiron 1520 (sig), in terms of specs and price. I've already ordered my 1520 but I'm thinking of canceling for the Vaio. Anyone have some advice on this? The Inspiron is cheaper and has a better warranty plan, but I like the looks of the Vaio more.

 

Both systems are nice. It really depends on your style and use. The vaio is definitely more attractive, lighter, and made of better materials (alloy vs plastic). However, it is nice to see the 8600M GT in the dell..however, you should make sure the video memory is ddr3..I've heard complaints about people receiving ddr2.

I've had my vaio FZ190CTO for three weeks now I love this machine. I haven't had any problems except:
-when connecting via sony bluetooth, the middle click/scroll button on my microsoft presenter 8000 mouse does not magnify/instant view (it works if I attached the usb doggle that comes with the mouse - I just hate the usb doggle sticking out)
-having problems connecting at 108mbps (wireless N) speed using my dlink dir655..I think it is a vista issue though...

Overall the FZ190CTO has excellent performance (games, work, video & photo editing, surfing, and watching movies), looks very sleek, light for its size, and made of good materials. The hi-color screen option is excellent - very crisp and bright.

I've bought many dell products in the past but after buying my second notebook from sony, I don't think I'll buy another dell computer.

Good luck!

 

I have the same mouse, and it works fine with my Dell 1520's built-in Bluetooth. Does your wheel work at all? To verify that it's not another Intellipoint bug, you might want to try binding the wheel button to just plain old middle-click in the mouse control panel applet. (Also make sure the correct mouse is selected.) Then run the program "mousinfo" in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Intellipoint. That program will monitor what you're doing with the mouse and tell you if it's registering middle-clicks.

The 1520 is my first notebook, and I'm not real pleased with the quality of the display, particularly the vertical viewing angle. I've seen the FZ180E with the XBRITE HiColor display in stores, and it seemed really nice. What's your impression of the display?

 

My wheel scrolling works fine; however, the ability to click the wheel to activate the magnify or instant view features do not work. I ran the mousinfo program and all the buttons registered, even the clicking of the wheel. I think it is a software issue between the bt controller in the fz and the mouse. I'm not sure what I can do to resolve this issue.

I really like the display on the FZ - its beautiful. The vertical and horizontal viewing angles are good on the FZ hi-color screen. I don't see any distortions nor light bleeding. I have an vaio SZ and I find the FZ screen to be just as bright as the LED screen of the SZ. I really like the alloy casing of the FZ, it looks and feels solid. Only thing that I would have liked is the availability of hybrid graphics (like the SZ series). Did you get the 8600M GT gpu with your 1520? If so, does it have DDR3 video ram? How is the battery life on the 1520?

 

I had fz-190 for a week and returned it back coz of the high pitch noise. I agree that Dell 1520 can't even near sony vaio FZ in design and build quality. The touchpad in the vaio seemed a little uncomfortable for me. It's because of the fact the base/ palm rest area is super thin(0.98").

If you want value for the bucks go with dell. If you want style go with vaio FZ.

I just oredered a vostro. I don't know how that is.

 

Oh, I feel comfortable placing all the blame on Intellipoint. The 6.x series has so many problems, from causing windows to repaint themselves (aka "flicker") as you move the mouse from one program to another, to the magnifier that doesn't work properly in Vista, to the accelerated vertical wheel scrolling that has no effect (at least when the "base" wheel speed is set to the minimum, which needs to be done in order to scroll one line at a time when scrolling slowly), and so on.

The FZ HiColor did stand out from all the models on the CompUSA floor. I later went to BestBuy and tried to guess if I was looking at Eco or HiColor, and I guessed right 3/3 times; the BestBuy models were all Eco. Maybe Office Depot will have another HiColor on display.

I did get the 8600M GT, and I kinda regret it now. It was $200 extra, and it's kind of like using an audiophile amplifier to drive a cheap pair of speakers. I don't know about the memory; the consensus seems to be that it's DDR2, despite Dell specifying DDR3 at some point. I haven't drained the battery yet, so can't say for sure, but it did seem to go rather quickly from a 5+ hour estimate to 3+ hours.

The 1520 has got a lot of good points, but I have to decide if I can live with the display. Adjusting the out-of-whack defaults for brightness/contrast/gamma in the Nvidia control panel helped quite a bit with the overall washed out appearance, but there's nothing that can help the narrow viewing angles. Viewing a totally black screen, it's like the worst backlight bleeding I've ever seen, except it shifts around all over the display with minute movements of my head. The desktop is just barely usable, but I tried watching a movie, and that was pretty miserable. I expect gaming to be similarly bad.

 

Did you try any of the workarounds? Some people say rmclock can help; others say there are BIOS settings to control the CPU power saving, which is supposedly the culprit. Some people are reporting their 1520s are whining; mine is not, but I do have the headphone noise issue everyone is talking about. Oh well, I hope you have good luck with the Vostro.

 

What about the HP dv6500t? I am mainly trying to decide between these three. How is Sony's warranty and durability? How long as your Vaio lasted you? Any long term problems or cons? I really like the sleek look of the Vaio as opposed to the bulky Inspiron.

 

Thanks. I sent my vaio for a repair as adviced by sony and after a week they sent it back unchanged and making scratches all over the lid. That's is the only reason I returned my vaio back without even trying RM clock. You can't change CPU settings in the sony vaio bios.

Now I am not worried about the high pitch noise/buzz.

 

lol, i have a inspiron 1520, get the FZ instead. I still like the inspiron but i guess a sony is better?

Inspiron has tons of problems: Grainy screen, noise problems, Microphone issues, Build quality (is good but not THAT good)

 

Sony FZ
Pros
----
Breathtaking screen (bright and crisp, the best in the market)
Super light weight
Mg alloy casing
Sexy and stylish
Sony build quality
Blu-Ray option available
HDMI output

Cons
-----
Pre-installed bloatware
Screen resolution only WXGA
No remote control
Some machines have a high pitched noise issue (the majority don't, only some)
Video card is only 8400 GT
Sony service is not the best

Dell 1520
Pros
----
8600 GT video card
Screen resolution upto WSXGA+ available
Blu-Ray option available
Customisable lid color
Low price
Only the software you select will be installed
Nice international warranty


Cons
-----
Bulky, thick and heavy
Boring looks
Not the best build quality
Screen quality is below par; people are reporting grainy screens
No HDMI output

HP dv6500T
Pros
-----
Nice touch sensitive media button features
HD DVD option available
Remote control available
Good support and service

Cons
-----
Glossy casing attracts lots of fingerprints
Video card is only 8400 GS
Has heat issues

 

I would suggest against the HP. The ones I saw at bestbuy seemed fairly flimsy and cheap. Of all the computers at hand they come with the weakest Graphics Card and the least amount of customization (unless they drastically changed it in the past 3 weeks). The Inspiron 1520 reminds me a lot of my 4 year old Inspiron 5150, which I have never been particularly happy with. It appears to be quite a brick and from the first published benchmarks the better graphics adapter does not perform all that much better than the FZ's 8400M GT. I might be prejudiced but I think the FZ is the best choice. It's light and sturdy (more so than the FE which it replaces), has a great screen and runs pretty smoothly. I personally find the rougher texture below the keyboard quite comfortable for typing. It makes for a good alround computer, as it not only allows efficient work but also has the power and screen for watching DVDs and playing games.
However, it does come with an annoying amount of junk software and a few people had fan and noise issues.

 

I still would not buy a Dell Inspiron laptop, but at least now they are made of Aluminum magnesium alloy and not plastic. Furthermore I found this, Construction

The VAIO FZ seems to be mostly made of a rigid plastic material for the case, with some magnesium in the lid for extra protection.

http://www.reviewpub.net/2007/06/sony-vaio-fz-re.html