Was this a good deal? VPCZ1290X - $1489

I just purchased a Refurb VPCZ1290X from Sony Style for $1,391.96 + NJ Tax (7%) = $1489. (I used a EPP discount + an additional 20% Discount)

Here are the main specs:

Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-540M processor (2.53GHz) with Turbo Boost up to 3.06GHz
Display: 13.1" VAIO Full HD Premium Display (1920x1080)
Graphics Card: NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 330M GPU (1GB VRAM)
Color: Black
Memory: 4GB (2GBx2) DDR3-SDRAM-1066
Hard Drive: 256GB (128GBx2) Solid State Drive with RAID 0 Technology
Limited Warranty Term: 90 Day Limited Warranty

I also ordered the docking station from Amazon for $168.

 

Excellent deal. Congrats on your purchase.

 

I'm slightly worried about the Warranty period. Do the VPCZs have a lot of problems? I had a VGN-Z and it worked perfectly fine, I'm just worried about the VPCZ (since theres so much power loaded into such a small space)

Should I purchase an extended warranty from either Sony or Squaretrade?

 

I agree with Speed, excellent deal... i paid ~2k for mines and no 1080p . The VPC-Z can have some problems, nothing major. (ie. fading palmrests, loose hinges, possibly dead pixels). You could buy a warranty if you want, it'll give u peace of mind. I'd also recommend SquareTrade (although see if they cover factory refurbished).

 

Pretty nice deal, mostly because of the 256 GB SSD. Mines cost nearly twice of yours ($2600), with the major differences being the i7 and the RAM (you can upgrade the RAM for like 50 USD or so, and the i7 isn't that much better anyway)

Because it's refurbished, try to find a program to wipe the data on the SSD so you can give it a "fresh start". It's probably been worn by a little bit already.

 

how are th epp and 20% stackable? any trick?

 

Yeah, could you let us know where you got the coupon. Also, what color is your vaio?

 

There wasnt a coupon actually. When you add the Vaio into your cart from the Outlet, it automatically adds a 20% off discount. I just logged in with my EPP account and it added an additional discount on top of that.

The Vaio I ordered is black.

I might just do a clean install of Windows 7 Professional 64-bit (might purchase the $30 Student version from Microsoft).

 

I just pulled the trigger on a refurb there as well.

VPCZ1390X CTO
Silver
i7
256 GB SSD
6 GB RAM
Full HD

$1615 after a 20% coupon, before tax. This is my first time buying anything refurbed. Unless it shows up with a crack or a huge scratch, I feel like I made out pretty well. Even then, you get 30 days to return it.

The 90 day warranty scared me, but then I found out that a Visa signature card will extend the warranty to 3 years for $115. You have 6 months to decide to do it. They also have a 4 year option for a little more.

 

Yeah I was hesitant buying a Refurb too, but I really wanted the Z model with the Full HD screen. They had a few that were lower priced, but they only had a 128gb SSD (which after installing Windows and a few more programs def isnt enough)

Hopefully there isnt any physical damage to the unit. I might just purchase a 3-year Squaretrade warranty (i've never used Squaretrade before though).

 

If you're a student... depending on your major you can get Win 7 professional for free (otherwise, the Win 7 Pro for $30 is best).

 

Other than the paint peeling off and the hinges needing tightening, it's holding up right fine. It sure ain't no Lenovo though. My 4 year old Thinkpad that's been through hell and back a few times is in better shape.

 

I'm a huge fan of Lenovos, but I'm also a huge fan of High-res screens. When I saw that the original VGN-Z had a 1600x900 screen available, I immediately sold my Thinkpad T61 to get it.

If Lenovos had high resolution screen options on laptops below 13.3", then I would without a doubt buy one of those. (Especially because their docks are also much better than Sonys)

 

Yeah thats how I actually got my first copy of Windows 7 from Rutgers. But I'm actually including that copy with the VGN-Z that I'm selling on ebay:

Sony VAIO Z VGN-Z720 13.3" Notebook, 8GB Ram, 320GB HDD - eBay (item 330562283614 end time May-18-11 11:18:23 PDT)

 

Unfortunately, the SONYs are not lenovos, refurbs always have scratches, I bought 2 and end up 2 with scratches - signs of wear and use. So expect for the worst to happen

 

now im worried

 

I just hope SONY has as good an outlet store as lenovo

 

I wouldn't let one persons experience worry you. Its a game of chance, I'm sure many returns are completely free of any defect. If you don't like what you get, just send it back within 30 days.

 

I ordered a vpcz1190x two weeks ago. It had a very tiny scratch on it, so tiny I had to look for it. I paid $1234(USD) for it from the sony outlet.

VPCZ1190X CTO
Silver
i5-540m
4GB RAM
256 GB SSD
1600X900



So basically I've gotten the same deal as you two but minus the full HD screen for 200 bucks or so..

The laptop seems fine, I've run benchmarks ssd's seem to be where they should be (around 330 MBPS average). My PCMark Vantage score was 9792 Which I think is pretty dang good. This is the fastest pc I've ever used when it comes to launching programs and just getting things done. Wonderful screen.

 

Hm... It's alright, especially for 256GB of SSDs. But it has been available for new cheaper, much cheaper. I got the Z11 I'm typing on now for about $1200. Even that was about 50% more than the all time low of $824.

 

ho you guys getting that 20% off coupon, I don't see it when I add a z to my cart?

 

I got one at MS Store at about 800 before and give it to my mom.

My current one is about $1200 pretax, bought around thanksgiving at sony outlet, has 256G SSD, 17-640m, 8G memory

It all depend on how much you spam the outlet website. current price is just OK - consider the new Z is due out in a couple of weeks

 

I just pulled the trigger on one for my wife.

VPCZ1390X
512 SSD
2.66
4GB
1600x900

1981 Shipped!

My only cringe is the screen. I have only seen the 900p screen a handful of time and use the 1080p screen daily. I posted for comments and remarks about the 900p screen in the Z13, but did not receive much feedback.

After constantly digging, I found several different takes. I found one thread that claimed that the 900p screen was actually better quality than the 1080p screen.

We find that our eyes become fatigued at times with the 1080p screen. However, the freaking colors, no matter how blown out on the 1080p screen, are truly amazing!

Any thoughts on my order? I can make a change before they ship.

 

man, I cannot believe you bought this one, you can really be better off buying a new z by waiting couple of weeks

it is a nice system, but maybe worth about 1500-1600

 

Problem I have with buying a new Z is the 512 SSD. Its expensive to say the least. Even looking at the 256 versions, removing my dvd drive, then putting a caddy and new drive inside, it would cost much more. Also lose my drive.

We like the all in one approach vs the multi part unit we have been hearing about with the new Z. Is there anywhere I can purchase a new Z with a 512 SSD remotely close to this price? I would rather have new.

 

For 512 SSD, you got a great deal.

 

For current SSD prices, I felt that was the case.

Any comments on the screen? Is it going to be a letdown?

 

GRR. Wasted all that time googling EPP. If anyone doesn't know what that means (like me 10 minutes ago) it's Employee Purchase Program. So, this deal won't affect most people.

 

I have dealt extensively in refurbs, and particularly in Sony Z refurbs. All of the deals quoted are excellent - the most expensive probably the best because it has the 512GB SSDs. The single most important consideration is that you can return it for a full refund within, 14-30 days, in case its physical or operating condition is not acceptable. Other than that, you need to get a Square Trade (or similar) warranty, which with this computer will generally mean that you will get all your money back if anything significant goes wrong, as they are generally into "totalling" computers that cost a lot to fix. Still, you can't go wrong, just have to start from scratch again. Unfortunately, you can't get an ADP warranty on a refurb - from anyone.

 

generally right but I dont really think sony refurbs are as good as Lenovo's, which are way cost effective and better conditioned. no returns though

 

Despite the good deals with the employee discount, isn't the outlet running a 20% discount right now?

 

Here in the US, Sony's 2 year ADP is 200 after 20% off right now. SquareTrade will only do refurbs priced under 2k.

 

EPP and the 20% they are not stackable as I tried, if you try to stack, it is about 22-23% off, not 30%

 

maybe wait for the new Z to come

 

Ah I was wondering why I was confused. I was logged on under SPE (Sony Employee Product)- no I didn't mix up the acronym, I don't know why it's SPE and not SEP- as well and saw discounts anywhere from 10-33%. One of those high end Z configs is only 10% off.

 

Curious to know what exactly you are expecting from the new Z? I understand the concept that this is last years model, but from what I have read, the new Z seems to be a mixed bag.

Dont you feel that the move away from an all in one solution is a PITA more than a convenience? Thunderbolt will be nice, but even a dual core sandy bridge has little gain over the current chipset. (Power consumption aside)

Pricing of the new Z is going to be outrageous compared to these Z deals. Especially if you want a good sized SSD, and the additional dock for the dedicated GPU. Even if the GPU is better, we still dont have clarification on overclocking said GPU as its an external device. In addition to that, added FPS on games are not worth the hassle to carry around another piece of equipment to run an ocasional game or two. Not to mention possible proprietary Sony software that may be required to run and hamper the performance.

Also, buying the first revision of any laptop is not the best idea. This was another reason I went with the Z13. I decided to wait it out for the next cycle to see if it is truly a worthy upgrade to the current Z.

Just my 2 cents.

 

I believe Sony's ADP does not cover things like keyboard spills. Also, is it available for refurbs? Finally, I have heard that a Sony warranty gives you a "legal" claim to service, but that getting any actual service out of them is dicey at best. True? (any and all)

 

this makes sense. nobody knows about the new Z yet - I am just saying that why not wait for it - since refurb Zs are periodically on sale, I got mine at about 1200 it has 256G ssd, i7 640 and 8G memory.

Anyway congrats on your 512G system, the ssd itself is going to worth over 1000 dollars.

Aside from this, sony service is really bad to say the very least, compared with HP and IBM

 

Service for refurbs really suck, I dealt with them before.
Power cord is not connecting well/broken within a month, ask for a replacement, denied and wasted me 2 days hanging around their agents, finally I bought one elsewhere myself

 

I believe Sony's ADP does not cover things like keyboard spills. Also, is it available for refurbs? Finally, I have heard that a Sony warranty gives you a "legal" claim to service, but that getting any actual service out of them is dicey at best. True? (any and all)

 

Service is the main reason I want Apple to make a high end 13". Alas, cows will be jumping over the moon before that happens.

As for the extended warranty, its best to get a marine/personal articles policy from State Farm Insurance for $45 bucks per year. That covers lost, stolen, damaged and software/viruses. $100 deductible, but it also covers any upgrades you put in your laptop as well. Keep them receipts!

 

right sony is good on products but short on services

 

The problem is their Yen is too strong.

 

what is Yen?

 

The Japanese currency. Technically it isn't the Yen's problem, it's the USD's problem. Being in Hong Kong I'm suffering too, as HKD and USD are pegged.

 

definitely, I get your point

but Japanese products are always expensive like hell

 

I'm hoping there wont be a heavy amount of cosmetic flaws. If there is, I will probably return it. (I'm going to have to return the dock that I ordered from Amazon too, the VGP-PRZ10)

Any suggestions on laptops in the similar price range that have docking station? I def would like at least a 1600x900 screen and under 14" inches (I guess that really only leaves the Z series as an option lol)

 

The only option you will have is the IBM X61/X61s with AFFS 1440*1050; which is better in design, durability and screen, but worse in overall performance

 

what are these discounts you people are referring to? Can anyone purchase these? Is there a link?

 

Is this confirmed "a couple of weeks" ??