Returned my sz120 should I get the sz160?

Ok, I got about 8 hours to deside before I have to call a friend to pickup an sz160 for me. This is what I see and it scares me a bit:

I found in CA a sz160. $2499.+tax(8.25%)=$2706
(about+shipping).

IF I got this, I went from $1874(sz110+tax4.16%) to a $1978(sz120 +tax 4.16%) to $2706. Or in other words, I ended up spending $832 MORE. Ouch... And this doesnt include the $230 I paid on the 2GB memory for it.

Is the unit seriously worth almost $3k?

 

Man, stick with the 120. that price doesnt justify anything. And CA sales tax is 7.75%

 

Lol really? The Frys guy quoted me 8.25% for tax.

And too late. The unit went back. I was at compusa and the guy verfied the battery issue and case voltage. Since this was the second unit I brought back, he had the techs check it b4 giving me back my money. Believe it or not, the unit really did have about 1-2.7v running on the outside.

Btw, 2:40min to watch a dvd is GOOD. The Macbook only gets about 2hrs on a dvd movie. But principle for me says if Sony says 5-6 hours and just by NOT touching the unit it hits around 4, I returned it. It didn't help Sony that I really felt the static charge on the palm rest. Gaming was perfect. Screen was average.

 

Some cities have added sales tax.

 

yeah i live in Ca, and best buy charged me 7.75% plus a %6 ca recycling fee.

But i bought my very first notebook at compusa back in 2000, needless to say never again will i buy from them. Next week i expect the price to go down on the 120, which is good for me because within 30 days bestbuy will match any price and beat it by 5%

Personally i feel the best store you can walk into, to buy a notebook is circuit city. They by far have the best service plans. And when they say they'll give you a new one within 3 years.......they **** well mean it. I bought some subs a few years ago, $400 each i bought 2. I blew them 8 times in a span of 2 months. They kept swapping them out like they were batteries. And then when the model was discontinued , i got the new ones.

 

hey starstreak which battery problem did they verify the drain when off or the quick loss of power in standbye or the short battery life vs. the claim.

as for the 160 now that apple has released bootcamp i'm gonna get the macbook pro 13/12 inch model when they release it. which is whenever. i think the build quality of the sony 160 is far inferior to my powerbook. i like the lighted keys on the powerbook and i prefer osx and love the idea of using both

 

To me, no. I was lucky enough to avoid sales tax. But I wouldn't pay 3k.

I would love to get a 13" macbook, but if you are like me, you need a notebook now. And somehow I feel it wont come with as many features as the sz160...dual layer burner, decent gpu, and maybe only a core solo. But who knows. I wish apple would have released the 13" model before the 17" monster.

 

Star, you ended up returning the old one, but did you buy the new one?

If you need a laptop and can afford $2700 I would say go for it. You wont be disappointed with it otherwise you can return it. Or if you buy the Sony warranty and it breaks they will have to replace with another one or give you the newer model. Either way you are covered.

It could be 2 months (or longer) to see if the 180s come out. If you need a laptop now I think the 160 is the best one out there. You can always play the waiting game but you will end up waiting forever. There is always something new on the horizon.

Buy it and dont look back for a couple years until you need another one.

 

Well, I called my friend in CA. I desided NOT to pick it up. I do have a 17in xps2 that I have, I guess I can lug it around for now. THANKS FOR THE HELP/IDEAS!

Poweruser- I can afford the $2700, but I know if I wait and look around, I should be able to find it for like $2399 (like the Sony store in CA) and maybe a local store to get it in and I would be able to pay the 4% state tax.

 

Check out the specs on the MacBook Pro. It has a has a similar feature set to the Sony SZ. It has the 2GHz core duo, an ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 graphics processor and a DL DVD superdrive. No fingerprint reader and it's heavier, but then it has a bigger 15" screen and nice lighted keyboard. They're in the Apple stores now.

 

The main reason I bought this laptop over other laptops is because it offers much of what bigger notebooks offer in a smaller lighter package. A 15" laptop is not something I want to take with me to school and work every day.

I don't think there is another 13" notebook that has these features.

 

Portableone now is a Sony reseller and they are one of the most reliable companies out there. Unfortunately, they are based in Cal. so you have sales tax there, but their customer service is unparalleled. Since Sony service is reputably lacking, having them for customer service is a biggie and their prices are definitely competitive.

 

That's exactly why I ordered the SZ160 instead of the MacBook Pro.

 

The SonyStyle stores here in CA have it for $2499, not $2399... You're gonna have to look online for anything cheaper, and good luck with that - they're pretty much sold out everywhere you look.

Javier

 

I had it on hold at Sony style a few days back for $2399. THen when Compusa forced me to buy another I lost that one. So then I had one on hold at Frys for $2499. And thats when I gained my thoughts and stopped looking for now...

 

How about the sz150? $2155 at Buy.com, and you can get $43 back from Fatwallet. Just picked up one myself (will post by thoughts about it as soon as I play around with it some more). Differences between sz150 and sz160 are minimal (20 GB HD space and 512 MB ram).

 

The perfect SZ premium for someone that's going to upgrade anyways.

**** i want one.

 

sz150? Missing the LED backlighting and 256mb vid card tho right?

 

nope it comes with a 80gb hdd opposed to a 100gb and only 512mb of ram.

 

None of the SZ's have a 256 MB video card - it's the same across the whole series. They all have 128 MB video cards with "Turbo Cache."

Javier

 

Great minds think alike!

 

Repeat post, but it does belong in these areas.

Ok! I did this way this time.
100% power, booted into stamina mode with 5 out of 8 screen brightness, 45% volume with wifi switch set to off, nic port on off and 1394 on off, harddrive shut down set to 3mins, vaio set to ultimate battery and USB FIX without a/c power. 98% when I started movie. I watch King Kong. Made it to the end of the movie! 3 hours with 19% battery remaining. Btw, if I don't touch the laptop for 5 mins after closing the movie player, It still says I can get 1:04hr of life left. But take that with a grain of salt as I'm not doing anything on the laptop. For kicks, I turned on full brightness. 3 mins later of doing nothing, and it still says 58 mins! Oh turning on wifi DROPED the time by 9mins. So its a heavy drain. And doing outlook for a few mins droped it another 4mins for about 2mins of use. So take the time reading with salt again.

This was worth the upgrade! Woohoo! Unlike the Apple, I can sit the unit on my lap with hardly any heat! I'll give apple one point, the blacks are still darker.

Man, after going through 5 laptops and doing mini reviews, I deserve 100+ rep power. lol