Vaio SA series durability?

I am looking for a new business class laptop. Most of the other laptops in this class all have reinforced magnesium frames, i can pour water on the keyboards, i can stand on the laptop without cracking screen, and if I drop the laptop from the 15 feet it can withstand the harddrive has an accelerometer to shut off the harddrive.

Does the SA series compete with any of these selling points. I don't see much mentioned other than "WOOT! ALUMINUM MACBOOK PRO LIKE SHELL! DURABILITY!"

I am so on the fence cause this is a beautiful laptop but I just have to have something that lasts me and with withstand a beating.

-zack-

 

Ya the SA is not a toughbook, this would not be your notebook of choice.

 

the SA is no toughbook, thinkpad W, elitebook or probook for durability. no heavy framework or reinforcements.

 

thats what i figured... i mean dont get me wrong i dont need to drop my laptop off the roof. but it would be kinda nice to be able to accidentally step on it or spill liquid on the keyboard. or even toss it on the floor from 5 feet like my macbook. starts moving accelormeter detects movement and shuts harddrive no problem. I thought this was a standard thing. It seems like sony left it out counting on you using SSD

the SA is just wayyyyyy tooo sexy im so torn

EDIT: I guess after the crying and whining my next question is "Is it tough enough to through in my back and drag around all day? Possibly hitting the ground a little too hard at times?"

 

I'm wondering about this, too. Against my own better judgment, I let myself be seduced by an SA and ordered one instead of the Thinkpad X220 I was planning to get. It'll be here tomorrow ... and I'm scared I'm going to break it.

 

Foremost: if your intention is to use (whatever) laptop in a business orientated way, please do consider getting a SSD.

Having said that, I do agree with the formerly posted. It is not a Toughbook, nor is it a x41 or x61 ultraportable Thinkpad. Although compared with the new Lenovo X series, it is remarkably similar in build quality (sigh... if only the SA had a trackpoint, it would have been the perfect machine!).

I guess I'd say x series if we're talking purely business orientated - the trackpoint, anti-spill layout, portability, and battery life (+ easily swappable battery) takes the cake for business use. On the other hand the SA offers a higher resolution, better keyboard (imo), and nicer design (imo).

 

^SSD, check.

What about those silicone keyboard protectors? Do they actually work?

 

The SA with HDD does have the free-fall sensor so that part is covered. The case is pretty tough, standing on it should be OK (cosmetic damage might happen though) but it will not break in half. Spilling a glass of water is not a good idea, but the same is true for your macbook example. Both will die from that.

But I would recommend the SSD setup, safer and much, much faster!

 

Having a thin, slick, lightweight laptop is a trade off for its lack of durability. The SA laptop is definitely a piece to be carefully handled and taken care of. This is the choice you make when you decide to get it. What else is to say about it?

 

Mine arrived. Build quality is impressive, but it's definitely no tank. Luckily, it's light enough with enough sharp angles to hold onto that I think I'll be able to keep it in my hands. I used to drop my Dell all the time because it was heavier and made of slick, rounded plastic. I'm a little worried about the hinge for the screen holding up over time, but I'm just going to have to get used to the idea of treating this thing with kid gloves because it is WAY too nice to consider trading in for something else. I'm smitten.

 

Don't worry about the hinge. The SA hinge is deliberately engineered that way. That's the overal consensus of the SA/SB/SC/SD owner's thread.


The SB and SC hinged are linear, and have the same resistance all the way though. The SA has less resistance, specifically around the 80-100 degree angles. The only reasonable remaining explenation, is Sony spent time and engineering resources to make the hinge have more play at those angles. Admittedly, it did make my SA hinge easier to flick open with one hand than my SC did.

Have fun

EDIT: also of note, the SA was released after the SB and SC were released.

 

Does SA have heat/noise issues at all? Almost ordered a x220 but now can't decide between x220, vaio sa, and ultrabooks.

 

The Vaio SA certainly is louder than the Z1.

Both quieter than Macbook Pros.

 

Honestly, the SA feels very durable in my opinion. I have two situation which made me think it is durable. 1) When i was sitting down, i accidentally knocked my laptop on the corner of a table, now there is a slight scratch that is no where near visible unless u know exactly where u hit it. 2) I had my SA in my backpack (touching the back padding of the backpack), and an hour later, i noticed a footprint on the back (so basically stepped on my SA) with a very solid print. However, my SA was not harmed at all

 

My SA is very quiet unless you really get the CPU or vid card cranking (like doing a Benchmark test or something). I can see where if you were doing heavy gaming on this laptop, it would be annoying unless you wore headphones. I don't game at all, so I'm not worried about it. So far, mine has ONLY made fan noise when doing a benchmark test and when installing 42 Windows Updates at once. The rest of the time, it runs utterly silent, even in speed mode.

ETA: No heat issues so far. If it's on, it feels room temperature. If it's off, the metal casing gets COLD really fast.

 

Ok. But what processor does it have?

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk

 

i5 2410, 2.3 ghz.

 

Mine is i7-2640M and at 40% it makes the vaio fan sounding like it is about to take off.
No problem, will keep it down with kensington leash ))
Just kiddin'

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk