Sony TX owners - please advise

Giving serious consideration to the Sony TXN15B and could use some advice from owners. I searched the last dozen pages in the Sony forum and there weren't many threads relating to this series.

My main concern is with the overall quality of this model. I was just about set on getting an SZ for its power+portability before reading about all the quality control issues that have been discussed here. Not willing to take such a crap shoot on a $2k laptop.

I've seen the TX at Best Buy and the build quality looked pretty decent, given its weight. I can live with the screen size and keyboard size. I mainly need to be able to get online from wherever and update/admin my websites. The built-in EVDO modem (Rev A) is perfect for that and as an employee it doesn't cost much for service. Battery life is killer. The PC card slot is a nice bonus since I don't want to be stuck with Expresscard.

The SZ was my first choice because of its bigger display and Core 2 duo processor which are better suited for light graphic design and video editing. I don't see the TX being well suited for either unfortunately. The pixel density of the 11.1-inch screen (1366x768) is less than ideal for graphics work (my current laptop has a 15-inch screen at 1920x1200 and it's just too much - windows doesn't scale up well even with DPI adjustment) and I expect the low-voltage Core Solo processor is significantly underpowered for video processing.

My current machine weighs around 10 pounds with power brick and it's a PITA to drag around. It has a 2.8Ghz Celeron - would a 1.2Ghz Core Solo be much slower, or about the same? I'm hoping the slow clock speed is offset by the faster architecture.

Some other questions:

Does the TX have any common hardware issues like the SZ?
Any problems with wiping the drive for a fresh install of XP?
Are you satisfied with the quality of the screen? (brightness, viewing angles, color accuracy)

Thanks much for your time.

 

I'm a graphic designer working full time on my new SZ330 (Photoshop, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Flash, and Fireworks primarily). I haven't experienced any problems with its build quality or anything like that. What issues have you been reading about? I did a semi-clean install following the guide on this website, and after a bit of tweaking, got it all just like I want it. I'm thrilled with the brightness and clarity of the screen (and this isn't even the premium model with LED backlighting), the speed, the size, the cool temperature, and the fact it works with my external 1680x1050 monitor.

I've noticed the fan runs pretty much non-stop, although it doesn't bother me, and it's pretty quiet.

I haven't had any tingling wristpad issues or loose battery issues like some others have. All components seem to be functioning well and I'm really happy with this laptop so far.

 

That is good to hear. I understand that not all of SZs are problematic and the number of problems reported here are likely not representative of the whole. The grounding issue on the palmrest is my main concern (seems to be very common) but also for reports of a loose battery, uneven lighting on the screen, keyboard flex, and the difficulty in making a fresh install of XP (wtf?). Granted, some QC issues are unavoidable, but it seems like there may be more than normal with this one.

I don't know, the SZ still high on my list, and there aren't many like it. I just really want to avoid a problem, like shock.

Thanks for your input.

 

Are you limiting your choices to a VAIO? Since you seem pretty apprehensive about the SZ which I would think fit your needs better than the TX, perhaps you should fill out an FAQ in our What Notebook to Buy forum.

I've been able to play with the SZ and TX for a little while in the store and liked both. I was actually probably a little more impressed with the TX myself.

 

Yes, I would like to say unfortunately with my older model TX790P, the fan turns on a few minutes after the notebook boots into Windows and will keep running nonstop, constantly as long as the notebook is on, no matter if its on battery power or connected to AC, whether the processor is running at 1.3 ghz or 600 mhz, etc.

I am very impressed by the screen, very bright, above average viewing angle, its a pleasure to work on, the keyboard also has no problems for me either.

All I know is that the Celeron Ms for instance will perform roughly twice as fast as a standard desktop Celeron, so a 1.2 ghz Celeron M will perform about as fast as a 2.4 ghz Celeron processor. I will assume the 1.2 ghz Core Solo will perform roughly as much as the 2.8 ghz Celeron you are currently using. Don't be fooled, these mobile processors are faster than they look!

The build quality to me is just fine, of course not rock solid as an IBM or Panasonic Toughbook, but with regular usage, I do not expect this notebook to crap out on me suddenly, I have no qualms with the build quality. And despite the thinness of the screen, it is much sturdier than it looks to my great surprise. I remember seeing how thin the screen was on a display model and thought to myself how it would crack so easily in no time but that is not the case.

Keep in mind these TXs use the smaller 1.8" hard drives used in Ipods for instance which only spin at 4200 rpm unlike the SZs which use standard laptop hard drives which can go up to a speedy 7200 rpm and offer much more storage capacities. The TX's hard drive is also much harder to replace than the SZ's as well. I know that a 100 gb 1.8" hard drive has just been announced still running at 4200 rpm whereas a 300 gb 2.5" hard drive has been announced also at 4200 rpm.

Overall, I would recommend you choose the SZ over the TX for your uses.
Are you only limiting yourself to these two models or are you open to more choices?

 

I love my TX850. The screen is gorgeous. Very bright and excellent color. So bright, as a matter of fact, that I had to turn it down even before I started tweaking for battery life. DVD's look fantastic.

The build quality seems to be quite good. The only issues I've seen that come up now and again are ...

1) A "flexing" or slight raising of the keyboard in the area of the "s"/"d"/"x" keys. I do have this as well, however it is *very* slight and hardly noticable. It does not affect the keyboard at all and the keys are very responsive. I like the keyboard a lot.

2) Some reports of the screen getting rubbed by the keys when the lid is closed. I do NOT have this problem. With the lid closed, I can, albeit it "barely", see daylight all the way through. I'm careful when I carry it and don't press on the back of the screen nor do I put anything on top of it or put anything in the case that could press on the top of it. As a final precaution, I keep the piece of thin foam paper that came with it in place between the keyboard and screen when it is closed.

3) Fan noise. On battery, the fan does not come on at all while I am word processing. Watching a DVD on battery, the fan comes on and off repeatedly and is somewhat annoying. Also the noise of the DVD spinning up periodically (presumably load the next section into memory) is a little bothersome but the DVD play is smooth and constant with no pausing or stuttering, even when that happens.

Those are the only three issues that I've seen brought up by more than one TX owner.

I don't know about a completely clean install, but at least one TX owner has had success doing the partial clean install discussed frequently in this forum. I have not tried it yet.

I've never had a Celeron processor so I can't comment on how the Core Solo compares. That said, my TX seems fairly quick and I have not been disappointed with the speed. I do not use it for internet purposes so don't know how it handles that task.

I chose the TX over all other contenders because of its small size, light weight, and incredible battery life. The premium price for those features gave me pause, but that's what I wanted so I had to pay for it. I have not been disappointed AT ALL and am very happy with it.

Good luck with your decision.

 

Yes, if you look closely at the keyboard at a level angle, you will notice that the keyboard will seem "wavy", not completely straight but this is only a cosmetic issue, the keyboard works 100% fine.

I also have not had any problems with the keyboard rubbing on the screen.

I am wondering how for you Fotogrfr, the fan doesn't come on all the time? Perhaps Sony rectified this with the newest Core Solo TXs? I know for me at least, the fan is ALWAYS on, no matter what. Its a bit annoying to say the least but I get used to it.

The TX8XXs and TXNs are the exact same except that the TXNs have Sprint mobile broadband built in with an antenna on the side whereas the TX8XXs do not have this at all. Also, I myself have noticed that the TXNs are slightly thicker than the other TXs models and have also noticed this in the official specs for the different TXs.

I would also like to say that even after running my TX for hours continuously, it had never gotten hot at all, I would only feel a slight bit of heat on the bottom, but not even nearly enough to be uncomfortable, its a very cool running notebook.

 

I had T150 for 9 months, old model of TX series.

The keyboard took me awhile to get use to.

Screen, viewing angles, color accuracy similar to SZ. (very good)

If you use it for typing + internet + chat, this is the perfect machine cause this thing never run of of battery.

 

Yes, but he said he'd be doing some graphic design and video editing. The larger screen on the SZ and its faster hard drive will help him substantially in that.

 

If you love your laptop, you won't notice the problem.

Yes, I can only feel the tingle if I purposely try to feel it. When you are busying working, you won't feel it at all.

1.5v running through your body keeps you awake! Hehe

 

I just upgraded from the SZ260P (which I am selling by the way) to the TX850P and I love the TX series - I wanted something very small and light. In fact I cleaned the HD and installed Vista on it and it works great - only the finger reader does not work. This thing will run for hours and will also run vista aero interfact with no issues what so ever - I did upgrade the RAM to 1.5GB and use a 2GB Sony Memory Stick as a ready boost drive. Good luck.

 

Well, I don't know. Perhaps the Core Solo's do run that much cooler than the Celerons in the previous models. All I know is that I can sit in my bedroom at night typing away and the fan does not come on. I don't know if the software has any affect but I do use Open Office, not Word. And, as I mentioned, even watching a DVD on battery, the fan only comes on intermittantly.

I'm thankful that I found this forum and was alerted to the fact that there was a TX850 and that the Core Solo would be a noticable improvement. I had originally picked up a TX750 but returned it after some very helpful people here mentioned the 850.

 

Thanks for all of your input. I don't have any reservations about the TX series now.

Anyone know a good "hard case" for the TX, one that I could throw in a bookbag full of other crap without worry?

 

I purchased the sony leather case, while expensive it looks great and fits very well. Additionally www.sfbags.com, (Waterfield Designs) make some nice cases and sleves, however these are all "soft" cases. Good luck - you will love the TX.

 

I bought this case for my TX. Not a hard case but very protective nonetheless.

http://www.buy.com/prod/Samsonite_L...ptops_DVD_Players_and/q/loc/101/10362592.html

 

I'm getting this case for my TX tomorrow. http://www.pelican.com/cases_detail.php?Case=1080 I'm going to redesign the inside for a customized fit for my TXN15P.

 

Sony was offering that 007 package with a TX. It came with a hard aluminum case. Perhaps you can buy one from them? Or maybe find out what brand it is from their website.