sz360 or sz650??

I'm looking for a sony sz laptop and have narrowed it down to these 2 models.

I need to have XP as my OS...so....

is it better to go with the 360 with windows preinstalled or the 650 and use the sony windows downgrade disc?

Either way, I will probably want to reinstall the OS to eliminate the bloatware. And..can you even do a clean install with the downgrade disc?

Are there any other reasons the 650 is superior to the older model??

Thanks!

 

Doesn't the 650 have an LED screen?

If you order from PortableOne, they'll install XP on any SZ model they offer and clean out any bloatware for you.
http://laptopsinc.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=SSZ

 

Both the 360 and 650 are premium models with carbon fiber lid, and LED back light.

The downgrade disk that Sony provides actually doesn't include all the bloatware from what I've read it's a lot better then the recovery partition they include.

The 360 is superior in terms of weight. Some thickness was added to the 650 and it now weighs 4 pounds compared to the 3.7 of the 360. Otherwise the 650 is the better choice, bigger HD, faster processor, two better graphics card, and its look is a bit different compared to the 360. It has a all black interior/exterior while the 360 has more of a grey touchpad and exterior. It really depends on what you're planning to use it for and your budget.

Take a look at this user review of the SZ: http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4113
It shows some spec comparisons/photos the SZ61WN(650 in US) to the SZ1VP(160 in US) Granted the 360 has a better processor then the 160 you can still get some kind of idea of the differences.