Switching to SZ360P/C from M1210...a few questions:

Well I've had my M1210 for a few days but have been looking at the SZs and finally decided to snag one off Ebay. Total for a "used once" standard configuration SZ360P/C came out to $1625, and after the 1% discount from Fatwallet this is only about $100 more than my loaded refurb M1210 cost. I hope the LED screen makes me feel this was worth it...

Anyway, a few Q's...

1) Sony says the max ram on this model is 2GB, however I did read somewhere on this forum that you can actually install 4GB. What's the deal?

2) The tingly palmrest issue...is this only when the laptop is plugged in with the standard power brick, or also when on battery?

3) I've read about problems people have with doing a clean OS install on these machines. Will it be possible to successfully do a clean XP Pro install on this machine? Can anyone point me to a thread outlining this?

4) To add to #3, I realize Sony doesn't ship an OS disk with the system. I have an OEM XP Pro disk from another system. Can I use this disk to do a clean install, and then just use the key on the bottom of the Sony to validate?

5) My M1210 has the 9 cell which gets about 4-4.5 hrs. What can I except on the SZ in stamina mode while on the intel GPU?

6) Anyone know of any good third party companies that offer accidental warranty coverage on these machines?

Thanks for any help!

 

If you still have the XPS m1210 I suggest sticking with it. Or at least don't use the sz near any windows (you might end up throwing it out). I personally hated Sony's keyboard comming from a dell. It is however lighter and has a wider screen and some people actually like the keyboard. The dual graphics card is also a big plus.

1.The maximum amount of ram that would be supported by the motherboard is 2gb so even if you install 4gb, 2gb is the maximum you would get. Mayble a little more. Not sure exactly but with the macbooks, 2.3gb is the maximum. So if you install 3gb you would only get 2.3 = not worth the money (.3 for the price of 1).
2.What tingly palmrest issue? Like with the MBP?
3.Can't find a thread but yes you can and I would recommend deleting the hidden recovery partition all together.
4.Yes you may but would need drivers.
5.You'll be able to get upto 6 hours on the extended battery.
6.Nope.

 

Sony has atrocious driver support, rather, they don't provide drivers at all (almost)...good luck doing a clean XP/Vista install on a Vaio!

 

1) It depends on the BIOS, it's northbridge (945) supports up to 4GB, so it's a matter of flashing to the lastest version.Just make sure such upgrade is availible before upgrading.
But, there is little performance to be gained from upgrading to 4GB.The current applications can't make good use of it.Also, make sure you have a Core 2 duo inside, because 32-bit CPU (e.g. : Core Duo) can support only 3gigs of RAM.
On top of that you'll need a 64-bit OS which is a true pain.Because the X64 versions of windows despite what it's claimed have very poor support for 32-bit applications.Currently there are almost no firewall/anti-virus software that works with 64-bit (only a few are out now.And many are in beta currently)
So I suggest you first use 2GB's of ram and upgrade when you feel the need.
(Also the 2GB sticks are expensive now...)

2)The tingling happens when your power brick is not grounded (e.g. the faulty ground connector on the plug).So as long as your ground works.The tingling will not take place.

3)Sorry I don't own these.But the claimed problem should be with two things:
a)Getting drivers for everything.
b)Many laptops are partitioned in a funny way.Sometimes the slightest editing in the partitions will cause the recovery partition to stop working.And since sometimes some laptops don't come with a recovery cd.Losing the recovery partition will mean losing 50$ or more.
4)No you can't.(It's against the law)Also, the drivers will not work on the vaio.

5)Read the review.It depends on the age of the laptop battery plus what you'll do(wifi,etc.)

6)Sorry I don't know.
Good luck.

 

Hi Limit. I'm thinking about snagging an M1210 from Dell, but I had considered the SZ as well.

Could you please tell me the reasons why you want the SZ instead of the M1210?

Thanks!

 

Thanks for the replies!

SoundsGood, they are really both great machines and it's impossible to say which is better. I decided to go w/ the Sony mainly because I felt like I got a good deal on the premium version with the superior LCD. I'm a screen junkie and I've read the LCD w/ the LED backlighting is beautiful.

The screen on the Dell isn't bad (if you get a good one, there are 3 different brands you could potentially get). Mine had a Samsung screen, which was fine. I wouldn't have bought the regular Sony SZ over the Dell; it was just the LED screen and carbon casing + the weight of 3.7 pounds that made me jump.

There are plenty of things I'm sure I'll miss about the Dell...the keyboard, smaller footprint, 4 usb ports rather than 2, the built in EVDO antenna, Dell's better warranty and tech support, etc. Hell, I may regret not sticking with it. We'll see.

Are you sure? When the SZ arrives I will have a second valid XP Pro key. I don't see how it'd be illegal to use my old xp disk to reinstall as long as I have a valid key to put in. I just want to know if it will be feasible in that I will be able to find drivers to get everything back up.

 

Yeah, the keyboard is a weak point of the sz. It is not good if you write a lot with no external keyboard.

Although Sony says 2GB max, 3GB works perfect. Just get one 2GB module plus one 1GB module. If you install 2x2GB it is not fully useable. You get at least 3GB, but not much more. It will run slightly faster with 2x2GB because you have 2 modules of the same size, but it is propably not worth the money.

 

Anyone else notice that most of the folks responding in the thread don't have Sony? To me that seems a tad odd...

 

Sorry for the slightly off-topic question, but does anyone know if the keyboard is better (i.e. less mushy) in the premium versus regular versions? I've only ever tried the regular version's keyboard and I found it very disappointing for such a high-priced laptop.

 

I just bought a Vaio C..just haven't edited my siggy..
here's my horror story BTW
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?goto=newpost&t=111827

 

I came pretty darn close to deciding on a Sony... but now I'm leaning towards the Dell.

 

I actually disagree. While the SZ keyboard is, of course, different than many other laptop keyboards out there, I find the full-size and key-type to be very comfortable and accurate to type on. When I'm typing on my desktop computer at work, I find my hands getting tired much quicker than they do when I'm clacking away on my SZ360.

YMMV, of course. I wouldn't flat-out discount the SZ keyboard though.

The LED backlit screen IS super-nice. You won't be disappointed (assuming that your ebay SZ is in good shape, of course! ). I used to have a SZ340 (the non-premium, non-LED type) ---- the difference is immediately noticeable, both in screen quality, 'look' of the screen (profile-wise), and general awesomeness. I couldn't be happier with my SZ.

--

EDIT: I noticed someone asked about the difference between premium and non-premium keyboards on the SZ series. The keyboard on the SZ340 I owned was flat-out awful. Super-squishy, flexy, and a big, big headache for me. I think this had more to do with my computer being a CTO one (maybe? who knows..) but, in any case, I like the keyboard on my 360 just fine.