Questions from a newjoiner in VAIO world

Hello all,

My wife and I have decided (at least) to buy a notebook as our main computer. I already use a professional one given by my firm (Dell D600) but we both "felt in love" with Sony Vaio notebooks.

Now it's time to choose between them ... our current and future use is quite clear: essentially office applications, web browsing and so on. We both just play one only game: Civilization IV, then the laptop will have to make it run as well as possible.

Could some of you help me in the choice between the distinct Vaio series and models? You already know far better than me what is worth watching and what must be avoided at all costs.

Thank you very much for your help!

(PS: if someone knows a little bit more about the two VAIO prestige models which are Sony VAIO VGN-TX1XP/L and VGN-S5VP, please feel free to share!)

 

Civ IV doesn't have very high video requirements does it? Anyway, you need to settle in on a size of machine first, though I think it's a mistake to buy Sony based solely on looks. Odds are you're going to overlook something that fits your needs better.

 

I agree with Brian. I’d start considering size/weight/dimension/battery life that better suite your needs first. Do you need a machine that is customizable, I mean you want to decide which components in terms of HDD, Memory, CPU,… you're going to have installed or do you prefer that Sony decides for you, going with a non customizable model? Do you travel a lot and need an ultra-portable? Are you going to use this notebook for gaming or multimedia tasks primarily? Are you in the market for a desktop replacement?

Sony covers a pretty wide range of notebooks:

T Series: 3.04 pounds 10.6 inches WXGA screen (not customizable)
TX Series: 2.76 pounds and 11.1 inches WXGA screen (not customizable)
S Series: 4.2 pounds and 13.3 inches WXGA screen (customizable)
FJ Series: 5.3 pounds and 14.1 WXGA screen (not customizable)
BX Series: 14.1 inches SXGA screen, 15.4 and 17.0 inches (customizable). BX notebooks are going to be available from mid-November.
FS Series: 6.17 pounds 15.4 WXGA screen (customizable)
A Series: 7.1 pounds 17.0 inches WUXGA screen (customizable)
AX Series: 8.8 pounds 17.0 inches WXGA screen (not customizable)

Personally I love Sony S-580 because is customizable and cause it is a great combination of power, weight, balance and ergonomics

 

I will let you know Civ IV runs great on my S-580 with the Geforce 6400 and 2GB Memory. But definetly make sure the S-Series is right for you. And if you do decide to buy it, upgrade the memory after you buy it from Sony. They charge an extra $700+ to upgrade from 512MB to 2GB memory.

 

Just for your own information, beware of Sony tech. support (I hope you don't have to go through them, but it's best to avoid them). They are regarded as one of the worst in the industry.

 

Word of advice: get a laptop with more than 512MB of memory. Got the FS-760 and returned it because it was running sluggishly slow.

 

I agree with Brian that you might want to think a little more on what you need the computer for, but if you really have your heart set on Sony, here is a couple tips that help you decide.

1. You mentioned two European Sony model, so I am going to assume you live in Europe and are going to use the laptop in Europe, where I happen to be staying for the moment (business trip). I am going to throw A and AX out of window immediately just because you live in Europe and a 17" laptop is just too large and immobile to be considered normal, unless you plan to use this computer as TV or a heavy gaming machine.

2. I happen to have a D600 issued by my company, so here is how to decide how big a screen you want. If you think D600 screen is just right, then you go with BX or FJ. D600 is too small, go with FS. If you think D600 screen is too big and D600 is too heavy, you want to do the following experiment.

Find a piece of paper and block off the top 3 cm of your D600 screen. Open a word document and type a paragraph in font size 12 and another in font size 10. If the reduced screen size and the font size 10 feel ok, you can go with S series. If you want even smaller machine, then you will go with TX.

3. D600 is also a good indicator for weight because it comes in at 5+ lb. FS series will be heavier, BX and FJ will be comparable or slightly lighter, and S, T, TX will be much lighter.

4. The battery life of D600 should clock in between 2 to 3 hrs, depending on how you use it. There are no firm battery life review on the BX and FJ yet, but it will be almost impossible to extend FS's standard battery life above 2 hrs. On the other hand, S, T, & TX all have good battery performance with a minimum of 3 hrs.

5. Use your D600 for a while, just regular applications, and touch your left palm rest. It will be pretty hot. My S170 only gets this hot (or above) during intense gaming, but the newer S5 series runs a little hotter than the old S. If you find the heat in D600 unbearable, smaller machine like S and TX may get close to your tolerance limit.

6. In my D600, I rarely hear the fan (probably why it's so hot), although the fan flow is noticeable. I think all Sony machines will be louder than D600, with the exception of T and TX. There are reports that current TX models have faulty fan control that makes it louder than it should be, so T series will be probably a safer bet now.

Hopefully the above tips could get you narrow down to one or two lines based on your personal experience on D600. Once you narrow down to one or two particular Sony model, I am sure others will be happy to share some more details of that model, including comparable models from other manufacturers.

 

Thanks a lot for all your answers.

I shall spend some time this week-end to gather and think about it, and maybe ask some more questions. Anyway I couldn't think of so many interesting inputs, so thank you very much!