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    What is CTO ??

    Discussion in 'VAIO / Sony' started by hamud, Sep 27, 2008.

  1. hamud

    hamud Notebook Evangelist

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    and what is the difference between normal VAIO SR and VAIO SR CTO ??
     
    hamud, Sep 27, 2008
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  2. Rahul

    Rahul Notebook Prophet

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    CTO means its a custom made laptop to what specifications you choose like the processor, screen, ram, hard drive, etc. as opposed to a fixed config you'd find in a retail store.

    For some Vaio models like the TZ and Z in America at least, the CTO models are assembled in China/America whereas the retail models are entirely assembled in Japan. I'd assume its the same for the SR. Many here say that the retail models are of better quality.
     
    Rahul, Sep 27, 2008
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  3. night_cruise

    night_cruise Notebook Enthusiast

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    I didnt know that. ...better quality ?! hmm
     
    night_cruise, Sep 27, 2008
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  4. Greg

    Greg Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    Not necessarily. It depends on the company and/or its manufacturing capability.

    CTO just means that you can configure a lot of the notebook. It doesn't guarantee anything else.
     
    Greg, Sep 27, 2008
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  5. Andy

    Andy Notebook Prophet

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    CTO: Configure- To- Order

    Retail Notebooks normally come pre-built direct from the ODM, whereas CTOs, the manufacturer gets a barebone from the ODM, and customizes the GPU, CPU, HDD etc etc as per the User's needs.
     
    Andy, Sep 27, 2008
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  6. ILoveMoogles

    ILoveMoogles Notebook Evangelist

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    Not quite Rahul.

    My VGN-SR129E/B, Retail, is made in China. The pre-configured SRs are indeed made in China. The US CTO SR's are made in America (along with other CTO's ordered in the US.)

    There are some Sony Vaios that are indeed made in Japan, but I'm not sure which ones.
     
    ILoveMoogles, Sep 27, 2008
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  7. hamud

    hamud Notebook Evangelist

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    thank you every body !! i got what i need !!
     
    hamud, Sep 27, 2008
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  8. sleey0

    sleey0 R.I.P. AW Side Topics

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    Z is made in Japan, except for the Z540 and Z590 (those are CTO's that are configured in San Diego).
     
    sleey0, Sep 27, 2008
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  9. AFD

    AFD Notebook Consultant

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    My CTO TZ says "MADE IN JAPAN" on the black label on the bottom, and on the box it says "Assembled and printed in the USA".

    So I'd imagine that most of the parts are manufactured in Japan and then everything is put together in San Diego. Think someone else said the same thing in an older post on the subject.

    As for the quality of retail vs CTO.. mine seems decent. Wires were already routed properly when inspected for the recall. Only complaint on build quality is that there is a 2" wide area to the left of the camera module, where the bezel and lid press together about 1mm and make a creaky noise - like there is an empty space there. Probably nothing major, but I notice it everytime I open the lid.

    Is yours like that too Rahul??
     
    AFD, Sep 27, 2008
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  10. DetlevCM

    DetlevCM Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    My European SZ71VN/X is made in Japan.

    I suppose they only manufacture the high end models in Japan...

    (Although if I'm picky, I bett that the Intel wirelss for example is made in China....)
     
    DetlevCM, Sep 28, 2008
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