Should I buy a VAIO FZ21z

Hey people,

this is my first post here, so forgive me if any of this is already answered. Looking to spend about a 1050 uk pounds.

I am looking to buy the VAIO FZ21z laptop (cost is 1040 pounds)
2.2ghz, 300gb drive, 15.4" Screen, Blu-ray writer
http://vaio.sony.co.uk/view/ShowPro...21Z&site=voe_en_GB_cons&category=VN+FZ+Series

how is it, have people had problems with it? any other good alternatives out there? is it worth it?
also considering the Vaio AR51m, any opinions?

the laptop is for home use and mainly needed for movies, music, browsing and once in a while gaming.

 

I've got an FZ21s and personally I think the Z model is a waste of money unless you specifically need to write BluRay discs. The only difference I have noticed is the larger (but much slower) hard drive... the 21s has a 5400 RPM drive while the 21z has a 4200 RPM drive. To be honest, I think 200gb is way more than enough so I'd go with the extra speed any day to get better overall performance. You can get the 21s for under 800 pounds.

 

yeh, iv had my FZ21S for a couple of weeks now..and its an amazing machine.. its got a 200gb disk, 2.2ghz cpu, 8600GS card, runs COD4 great.blu-ray drive.. i got it for £800 on ebay brand new unopened.

 

the driver in the Z is not slower , it runs at a slower speed but has a higher density , read and write speed are about the same as a 5400 rpm drive. But i also think there is a big price difference. I bought the Z becaus i work at a computer store en get great discounts , otherwise , go for the S model

 

Definetly agree with the majority of posters so far - the 21z is a waste of money. The 21s gives the best balance of features and money. Its actually a good deal from Sony <----- which is very, very rare.

 

thanks guys for your help.
how is the screen on the f21s?
what are the main diffrences between the f21s and the f21z, is it just the hard drive capacity?
and is the 2gb ram sufficient or would you suggest i buy an extra 2gb ram? which model of ram is suitable for fz21s..any links would be helpful

 

The screen on the 21s should be the same as the 21z . Both use the same X-Black technology also include the 'premium' double lamp.

You get an extra 100GB capacity on the 21z (300 compared to 21s 200) however the 21z has a lowly slow 4200RPM hard disk while the 21s has a current norm of 5400RPM.

2GB is more than enough to handle Vista. I'm currently using 40% of my 2GB - and thats still with some bloatware running.

 

cheers mate...one more last question...do you think the price would drop if I buy it after christmas/new years or is it better to get it now?

 

Well, its upto you really. If you can wait, and put up with the desperation of getting the laptop!! , then I'd take a risk and buy after christmas as prices may fall.

Then again, the 21s is currently good value for money anyway. Btw, which country will you be buying from?

 

buying it in uk..btw any recommendation for a bag for the fz21?

 

If your buying in the UK, the cheapest place you'll get it from is laptopsdirect. Costs only £900 there.

I haven't got a bag myself but there is the official bags on sonystyle I think - obviously these would be expensive. You can also buy sleeves for the laptop.

 

microwarehouse have it for around 880
http://www.microwarehouse.co.uk/catalogue/item/SONB0218

not too sure about laptopsdirect...the user reviews dont seem too good.
did you buy from them?
looking for a place that gives good support incase something goes wrong....any suggestions?

 

I got mine from laptopsdirect... I can't complain with the service, the laptop arrived at my office the very day after my payment was authorized. Having said that though, they somehow forgot to actually put my NAME on the delivery package, so I was lucky that the receptionist went around asking everyone in the office if they ordered a laptop lol...

 

I've got a Dicota sleeve for mine (14UKP). It fit's it well as it is not so tight that it's an effor to get the laptop into it but it's not so loose that the laptop slides about.

I'm also looking at getting the Dicota Aluminium case for it (70ish UKP)