Thinking to purchase Sony VAIO CS Series

Hi, I'm planning to purchase Sony VAIO CS Series. These are my requirements:

1. Screen must be great ( dead pixel free ). 14.1" 1440x900 resolution.
2. Intel Centrino 2 C2D P8400 Processor
3. 2GB or more RAM
4. 200GB or more harddrive.
5. 9 Cell battery or better

I purchased a Lenovo machine and I'm returning it solely because of dead pixels on the screen. I hope Sony has a better quality displays.

My budget is: $1100 ( with taxes + shipping )

I'm in the Atlanta, Georgia area. If there are resellers where I can see the notebook before I purchase it and within my budget I'd want to purchase it.

I can settle with another notebook of a different series which fits my specs. Not specifically CS series notebook.

I'm a grad student so let me know if there are any educational discounts available for us.

TIA!

 

There used to be a $300-off extended warranty + 2 accessories campus deal, but that seems to have gone for the moment. Sony generally has good screens, but they find anything less than 8 dead pixels acceptable. It's basically a bit of a draw of the luck with *any* manufacturer, though.

It's not yet available on their site, but you might check out Portable One (portableone.com) and see when they start carrying the CS series. They offer a service where they will inspect the screen for you to ensure that there are no dead pixels.

 

Lattice, i couldn't find that service. Is it possible for me to ensure that when I order from sonystyle, they dont fit me with a messed up display. The CS series has exactly what I want. When is it going to be out? Also, why is there no option to configure the system to order on sonystyle? I could configure a CR series system but not a CS series system.

 

you can always return if you order through sony

 

It was released in Japan on Sept. 13, but so far, I don't see it available on Sony's website yet. Newegg has it, but their return policy (or lack thereof) is definitely not good if you're picky about dead pixels. I'm guessing it should be out soon, though.

And hmm. That's odd. I was almost certain the screen inspection thing used to be there. Try the Portable One forums and post a question there. Ivan will likely reply to you with their official policy on this.

And no, you can't guarantee zero dead pixels from Sony Style. Search around, someone has complained about a dead pixel in their SR and Sony's not fixing it. So far, the solution seems to be just to return the product and re-order if you get a dead pixel.

 

Is it possible to build the CS / SR series notebook for sub $1000? I dont mind going in for a 13.1" screen either.

Edit: and what are the possible ways to get discounts from sony?

 

Somebody said they got a discount when ordering by phone after he/she mentioned they can get a discount elsewhere....

It may be able to negotiate one if you can claim one from another place...

 

The SR can't be had for anywhere near 1000 bucks, youd have to go up to 1300 for the minimum settings. You can pre-order the CS on the sonystyle webpage, and they will deliver it to you as soon as it's available. The model from newegg, most likely is a pre-release model. They did the same thing with the SR, they had a different model name SR on newegg prior to it's official launch on the sony webpage...

 

i got mine new on ebay for $1085 shipped though my deal-winning is exception to the rule, I just got super lucky

 

haha, don't be an jerk. I meant in a retail outfit. but, eitherway, congrats on the SR with 1085! What are the specs just out of curiosity?

 

The CS series currently up on Sony's website looks very lucrative at around $1200 but I want something that'll be a little less than that. I really dont want a 320GB HD or 4Gigs of RAM. 2Gigs will be fine for me. I'm sure if these two parameters are reduced it'll come down to around 1050 or so... right?