Okay guys: SonyStyle Outlet Refurbished Z11: Buy or don't?

All right... I'm thinking about pulling the trigger. Please let me know NOW if there is any reason at all I should not be getting this refurbished computer from the Vaio outlet:


Display : C50876001 (1600x900)
Color : Silver
Processor : Intel® Core™ i7-620M processor (2.66GHz) with Turbo Boost up to 3.33GHz Memory
8GB (4GBx2) DDR3-SDRAM-1066
Hard Drive : 512GB (256GBx2) Solid State Drive with RAID 0 Technology
Optical Disc Drive : CD/DVD Burner
Battery : Standard Capacity Battery
Channel : C50876059
Warranty : C50876063
Operating System : Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64-bit
Software : Microsoft® Works
Software2 : C50876093
Photo Software : No additional Photo Editing Software
Video Software : No additional Video Editing Software
Base Unit : C50876420
Battery Color : C50876493
Limited Warranty Term : 90 Day Limited Warranty
+ 1 Year Express Ship Service Plan

= $2,519.94
+ $147 tax

= $2,666.94

YES/NO?

Thanks all!

-Steve

 

expensive for a refurbished system. I'd like to go with specs wise updated version 1390X CTO since 512 SSD is way too much and Z11 is 8 months older.

 

Thing is, I think I need the 512 GB. I do regular video/photo editing and am a very heavy user. After all, beyond that, are there any other notable differences between the Z11 and Z13?

There is a 30-days return policy on the refurbished units according to Sony for any reason. Doesn't that mean there's really not much of a reason to concern myself about it?

 

then go for it. actually found it well priced after some researches... but the thing is that Z11 is the 1st batch and i'm trying to skip it to the next batch, probably they have fixed some issues.

 

why would you buy a refurb if you're spending 2.5k?

 

Why not get the Z113 new for $1150 and use the other $1000 towards upgrades? 8GB of ram is only like $150 and you could sell the builtin 4GB to recoup some of that. Get a 500GB HD to replace your DVD. The sum total would only be like $1400 for a Z113 with 8GB of DDR and 128GB SSD + 500GB HD.

 

from where?

 

Yeah, and that's the only other thing: in spite of being a pretty experienced tech, I really am not keen on making a lot of modifications to this machine. The DVD-to-HDD mod isn't something that's really on my radar unless absolutely necessary.

Is the "refurbished" tag really so negative for a Vaio? I was under the impression that it was at least comparable to that of the Dell Outlet situation...

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...12-824-microsoft-yesterday-2.html#post6819686

 

unfortunately, the offer isn't available for online shoppers, just in store as written in the thread. could u get the offer by calling them?

 

Yeah, and also, it's limited to the 128 GB black model...

 

The SonyStyle Outlet online store last had a 30% off coupon (that applies to VAIO notebooks) promotion in April. I'm not sure if it will be offered again. You might want to wait for that if you're buying from the Outlet store.

 

Was it stackable? Because it appears this particular discount is still pretty decent. A similarly priced new Z12 costs more like $3,300, even if you discount the RAM upgrade to $150 (its aftermarket price). That's almost $800 more!

I guess my question is, considering my needs (512 GB drive, preferably i7-620/640 or i5-580) is this worth the cost? I really don't know how Sony's refurbished stuff holds up against their New, but I was under the impression it was extremely comparable...

 

I just recently purchased a Z119GX (1190 CTO) with the i7 620, 4GB x 1 and 256GB SSD from the outlet. I paid 2039 and it took me awhile to make this choice, I also purchased a 2 year warranty with ADH... I bought the 4GB x 1 of RAM so I could upgrade that myself for $80 instead of the $300 they charge.
I too do a lot of photo editing (Lightroom and Photoshop) but only use my laptop for sorting, deleting and basic editing, I then export to catalog, and import to my Lightroom on my desktop for real editing, storage and backup, so for me I felt 256GB would be enough. Also if in a year or 2 I want to upgrade the SSD, the prices will be so much cheaper.
the machine came perfect, not a scratch, its fast, quiet and so light it doesn't seem right. I've only had it for one week, so I have a few more to decide if I am going to keep it - but so far there is nothing not to like, and it is the same as the 1390, except the choice in processors.
I went for the i7 due to its larger buffer, as from what I have read, that helps photo processing.
hope this helps.

 

Wow, I'd first price-check against the Canadian sony store (sonystyle.ca). It seems in the U.S. they're charging *way* more for some upgrades. In Canada, customizing a 1390X, the difference between 256GB drive vs. 512GB drive is $600. On the U.S. site it seems to be a $1000 difference. :S

Still, $600 difference between 256GB vs. 512GB seems like it can't possibly be worth it, IMO. Just get an external enclosure; they're slim and portable and waay cheaper, and you can upgrade as much as you like, and enjoy the benefits of fast-dropping SSD prices.

Edit: Wow, it looks like the U.S. store is absolutely gouging customers, compared to the Canadian store. Definitely price-check, and think about how the Canadian dollar is (not much, but still somewhat) valued less than the U.S. dollar. Of course there'd be taxes, and the hassle of getting a Canadian to make the purchase for you and then ship it... but geez at the price discrepancy it looks like it'd probably be worth it.

** NOTE: Canadian store sells the VPCZ1390, whereas the U.S. store sells the VPCZ1390X. What's the "X" for? Is there a difference??


Anyway, Canadian store:
VPCZ1390
Intel Core i7-640M
Colour options: Black/Silver, or for $50 get either Premium Carbon Fiber or Glossy Premium Carbon Fiber (no Bordeaux option!)
4 GB ram (or for $140 go up to 8GB)
256 GB drive (or for $600 go up to 512)
1920x1080 display
$2166.99 CDN

U.S. store:
VPCZ1390X
i7-640M
Colour options: Silver, Bordeaux, or for $50 get Premium Carbon Fiber (no Black or Glossy Premium Carbon Fiber option!)
4 GB ram (or for $300(!) go up to 8GB)
256 GB drive (can choose 128, or for $1000(!!) go up to 512)
1920x1080 display (or save $100 to get 1600x900 -- Canada does not have this option)
$2449.99 USD

*definitely* if I were in the U.S. (although certainly in Canada as well), I would get the lowest possible amount of RAM and then just upgrade on my own. I see 8GB (2x4GB) of DDR3 1066 notebook RAM on the Canadian market for $165 CDN; that's *half* of what Sony wants to charge you to *upgrade* from their 4GB to 8GB option in the U.S.