Should I buy a Sony FZ or wait?

I need to get a laptop for college and i was just wondering if i should wait or pick up a FZ notebook right now. For a little over $2000 i am getting this.


VGN-FZ4000 CTO Configure-to-Order
VGN-FZ4000
Customization Details

* Black
* WLAN (802.11a/b/g/n) with integrated Bluetooth® technology
* NVIDIA® GeForce® 8400M GT
* LCD 15.4" WXGA (XBRITE-HiColor™) with integrated video camera
* Blu-ray Disc™ Read Only Drive
* 200GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [7200 rpm]
* 4 GB DDR-SDRAM (DDR2-667, 2 GBx2)
* Microsoft® Windows Vista® Ultimate with Service Pack 1
* Intel® Core 2™ Duo Processor T9300 (2.5GHz)
* Norton 360™ All-In-One Security (60 Day Trial)
* QuickBooks Simple Start
* Video Standard
* Photo Standard
* Microsoft® Works
* No Engraving
* Extended Battery (BPL8)


is this laptop worth $2000? Or should i really wait for the new platform to come out before buying any laptop?

 

The biggest improvements in Sony FW series will be a 16,4" inch screen with a higher resolution (720p or 1080p) and battery life.

If you value those things it would be wise to wait.

 

What do you need all of that horsepower for? First thing that comes to mind when I see a college-bound person buying a high-end system is "gaming". One of the only knocks I think could be said about the FZ is the screen resolution. Sort of low for gamers. I think the 8400M GT is also in that same boat (but I am not a gamer). There WILL be new models out, but that is still probably 3-4 months away. If I had $2K to spend and did not need it immediately, I would wait.

Also - you can save a little by only getting 2gb RAM and upgrading yourself - unless they have the 3gb option for the same as 2gb. 3gb is all you can use anyway, no use to pay for 4gb.

EDIT - Yes, what Phil said ^!

 

I think it's a bit closer on the horizon. I mean here in Netherlands the prices are known and it can already be pre ordered: http://www.hd.nl/p/SONY/VGNFW11ENL3

3 different configurations, that's the cheapest one.

 

It really isn't worth the money, the 8400 GT is a low-end card and the Intel T9300 is unnesecary as gaming would be bottlenecked by the graphics card.

 

sorry guys i forgot to mention that stuff. I am a gamer but nothing special. That 8400 GPU will be plenty if not more than what i need. The latest i can wait till is the end of july because i am going away to college in late august and i would need to order my laptop so it arrives on time. I dont want to spend really more than $2000 and this laptop is around that. The other thing i was also reading is that the new platform will only be in the T9600 which will most likely be too expensive for me. Will they have the new platform out by the end of july and do you think it will be cheap enough for me to put into my laptop? thanks

 

Hard to say. Europe seems to be ahead of US this time.

As you can see from the link you can get the FW with T or P8400 and it will be cheap enough.

You may want to have a look at Dell M1530, you can get a much better configuration for $2000.

 

If you are a gamer, that makes it even less sensible. If the 8400 is more than what you need (What games were you planning on playing?) then that makes the CPU serious overkill.

 

Thanks Phil for the link - and I agree that you could probably get a better deal on a Dell and also have a better choice of screens.

 

is the FZ known for having a poor screen?

 

No. The screen is good, the resolution is just low. If you are satisfied with 1200*800 it's a very good screen.

Review: http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=3843

 

horsepower?lol,where? actually,2000 is too much for that sony,get something like xps 1530 or hp dv5

 

i would prefer the M1530 and on top u can use a coupon to lower the price
but if u can wait wait
althought u dont need 2 the new laptops will b expensive and will have flaws mayb and it will b a long time till u can use cupons

 

a dv5 would be a good option too but when will it come out?

 

It sure looks like it now. FW100 is now listed on Sony support USA.
http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/mod...00&region_id=1

 

If you are a serious gamer, I won't go for Sony. Try Dell or maybe Asus. I have both laptops, and sony fz.

 

The FZ series notebooks have amazing screens. The resolution may not be as good though. It is only 1280x800. The upcoming FW series promise 1080p and a higher resolution screen (1900x1200).
The notebook you configured is not worth the price. The notebook is overpriced. You can easily get a notebook with a 8800GTX graphics card, with all of the other specifications remaining the same for about $2000. The notebook I'm talking about is the Sager NP5793, if you are in a rush to get a notebook. Otherwise, I think that it is worth the wait. A lot of new notebooks will be coming out this summer. If you get a notebook now, you're system will get old pretty soon.

 

I was looking around and i found one on ebay that is similar. The only difference is that is comes with Microsoft Office Small business and Vista Ultimate. How much would it be worth bidding on this laptop? thanks

 

get refurbished FZ, save a lot of $$

 

the FZ is brand new. Still in an unopened box. Do you think it would be worth bidding $1500?

 

If you really want T9300 CPU or above for some serious number crunching, I wouldn't recommend Sony simply because Sony tends to charge more than other manufacturers on the high-end CPUs. Wait till there is a promotion on CPU, like the one on AR right now, before you buy Sony with high-end CPU.

Some of your options, like Vista Ultimate and 4GB RAM, are also not the most cost-effective choices either. Waiting for a good promotion, regardless what brand you buy, is definitely a good idea if these are what you have to get.