Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

From my media arts teachers recommendation and from my own impression, it looks like Sony VAIO computers and notebooks are one of the most reliable brands around. Currently ive got an offer for a sony vaio PCGFRV35 http://www.sonystyle.ca/commerce/ser...09n32160n32162 laptop (P4 2.66GHz, 40 gig HD, 512 mb RAM) sitting for 2081 Canadian. The MSRP off of the sonystyle.ca website is 2199 (read 2200). Im planning to make use of this for light video editing, i.e. uploading and editing while at regionals, and then compiling everything on my desktop but also for general school work etc, especially in the next couple of years when i get to university. The only qualm i have is its 64 MB of shared video memory.. i dont plan to play many games on it, but im just wondering what the system performance would be like when running something like Adobe Premiere?

There's also a Sony V505H thats around 200 dollars more with a centrino based processor, but im not sure if its worth that much.

There is also a system im looking @ from directpc.ca.. mostly customized to around the same specs, with not-well-known manufacturer, but a better video card. for 2050.

My question would be are the Sony VAIO's the best choice for this type of operation? i.e. Multimedia Editing with general specs.

Thanks CD readers =) i dont belong to any computer forums, so i figured this was good a place as any!

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

I have a sony VAIO desktop that i bought in may. It only has a 64 mb card in it and premere runs fine. I bought it just because of the DVD burner and giga pocket recorded (plus firewire and memory stick slot) So it is a really nice system for video. I would say if your main function will be editing and capturing, then go with the VAIO. I'm not sure of its battery life, but i'm sure its pretty good.

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

From what you describe you plan on doing with it the Vaio will be more than adequate. Sony also includes good software with their Vaio's and they're a very durable laptop. You could also add some more memory if the shared memory is concerning you. My sister has a Vaio that is about 4 years old (733mhz running windows 98) that she has never had a problem with. The battery life on hers is about 1 1/2 hours but Sony has more than likely improved on this in the past 4 years.
As a side note I'll tell you I'm replying to this thread on my laptop a Toshiba Satellite (1.6 ghz, 512mb ram, 30 gig hd, dvd-cdrw combo drive) that I bought a year and a half ago. To be honest I could have done better overall with a Vaio for the same amount of money. The Toshiba has been a great computer so far but I didn't get any software besides Lotus (which I never use). There's two personal reasons I went with the Satellite, it's all we use at work and I felt better typing on it with it's larger keyboard compared to others I tried out at Best Buy.

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

Thanks for both your replies! I was thinking that if system performance did ever get too slow i could upgrade it either way. But it looks like the vaio it is =) plus this discount isnt too bad either ! :D

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

Hello,

I just wanted to tell you to stay away from Sony laptops. My current laptop is a Sony GRX-500k (P4 1.8 GH, 512 MB DDR, 40 GB, 16.1" TFT, DVD / CD-RW, LAN, 56K, 1394, win2k) has been in the shop 2 times, and will be going into the shop for a third time. The motherboard is dead, again. It is jus over 1 year old and dead, sony will be getting a call from me on Monday. I recommend Toshiba laptops and Panasonic Toughbook series. Both brands are hardy and will get the job done. My last 2 laptops Toshiba CDT 610 ( 133mhz, 89 MB ram, 1.7 GB, 24.4 modem, 12.2" TFT active matrix, win95) and a Toshiba Satellite Pro 4600 (P3 900, 256 MB, 30 GB, LAN, 56k, 15" TFT, DVD/CD-RW, win2k) were both great machines.

~Jacob

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

I've also heard of many problems with Vaio's. From what I hear, the break alot (as was said :)) and they aren't too rugged. Also, that 1x DVD-R is slow as it would take about an hour for a 4.7gb burn. Ouch. I'd recommend an Apple Powerbook. :) They may be a little bit more expensive.. but man, I am so happy with my brand new 15" PB. I've been around so many computers and laptops that it's hard to decide which is best. But not in this case, the powerbook has to be the nicest laptop I've ever used.

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

I would second the recommendation towards the Apple Powerbook. It's a very solid machine, and very fast....

On the PC end I agree with Jacob that Sonys are crap. They're great when they work....but they commonly seem to fail.

Good luck on your purchase.

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

Yikes.. two for and like 3 against.. heheh... yeah, the dvd burner in the vaio isnt the most attractive feature, especially considering i could at least get an external for a couple hundred and have no worries about the speed. the reliabilty issue troubles me

I was also considering a powerbook, but the base model closest to what would be ideal is another 150 dollars.. = T.. my family cant get over buying a mac.. i use em in school in media arts and very much like the idea of getting a powerbook, but just wondering, find it easy to cross over documents/apps from a mac based system into a pc world? heheh

thanks for the advice again!

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

Acer Ferrari 3000 http://www.acer.com/APP/AKC/INTERNET...E?OpenDocument



Any thoughts on this? looks amazing.. 60 gigs .. AMD XP-M 2500+ processor.. i can get it at a decent price compartively.. hehe.. now im in over my head =D

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

make it 3 to 3. I wore out my first sony laptop after 3 years of HARD use - it is now being used by my daughter, and i am on my 2nd. I treat it like crap, have only turned it off to restart, and am on it when i am not sleeping, teaching, driving, or building things. I vote for SONY, but in the end, you should get what you want/need and not let people's opinions dictate your choice. If you use a mac, love it, does everything you want and more, then get it. Just be ready to spend more for software and have problems cross platform - not as many problems as in the past.... but there are still problems. (my lab is full of macs.....not my choice).

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

That Sony is big, heavy, and has poor battery life.

The Acer is lighter, which is good, but isn't much better in the battery life department.

A lot of times, people new to buying laptops try to buy them the same as buying desktops. They look at processor speed, ram, and display, and often ignore the fact that the faster processors and bigger displays make the laptops less portable (where portability is a function of size, weight, and battery life). Maybe that is what you want, I don't know.

If you want laptops with good specs, and are also more portable, look at the Dell Inspiron 600m or the IBM Thinkpad R series. I think you should be able to get one in your price range if you sacrifice a few of the other specs.

Also, remember that laptops break much more often then desktops, and you can't fix them yourself. So, make sure you can afford a warranty for as long as you want to be able to use the laptop, or make sure you can afford a new laptop the month after the warranty runs out.

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

With the Powerbook, it can interact with Windows quite well. In fact, Microsoft makes Office X for the Mac. I'm also quite sure Adobe makes all their products for Mac, too. Most files on a Mac are common. Probably the only thing is the filesystem and compressed filetypes. That doesn't really matter since you can create a SAMBA share on the network or use FTP or something. Also, something like winrar can probably open .sit and .dmg filetypes.

Also, Apple offers a great educational discount. It knocked a few hundred off my Powerbook. (Also, if you do go the powerbook way and are looking at the 15" without the DVD burner.. you'll get a nicer laptop by selecting the 15" w/ DVD burner then in the customization part, removing it. That way, you get the 1.25ghz processor, backlit keyboard [gorgeous], and built-n Airport Extreme (802.11g))

You might try picking up a copy of PC World. I'm pretty sure they have a a section in the back of their top laptops.

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

Im just going to shortly plug Hewlitt packard/Compaq notebooks.

The one I'm on now is an AMD based system with comparable specs to what is being kicked around, and cost me just a bit over $1000 before rebates. The only problem I have had was with the power adapter plug coming loose from the MB, which I was able to fix my self and I hear has since been resolved on new models. It even has a serial port, a rare thing on notebooks, which I have found beyond useful in dealing with microcontrollers. USB converters are a poor substitue for classic 1980's tech.

My battery life is about and 1 hour to 1.5 hours on this battery, which is getting a little tired. But then, the display, processor and optical drive are all very beefy and I see it as a fair trade. Same for wieght and shear size. She's big, but powerful. If you want to work on graphics and video, you can't get a large or bright enough display. Keep that in mind.

I could go on about my system, but I would suggest that you at least take a look at HP.

-Andy A.

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

Our company has several Sony laptops, and I inherited one. It is HEAVY, though it has a nice display. I did hear that our in-house support people said "No more SONY's!". Apparently repairs or parts are a hassle, so I'd check into this aspect of ownership. Wish I could provide more solid info.

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

All I can say is I love my Hewlett Packard pavillion ze5185 :D . I bought it a year ago to replace my desktop, and it has far surpassed all my expectations and needs. 2.4Ghz, 512MB ram, 60Gig hard drive, CD burner, DVD, 64MB video card, 15" SXGA screen, and all the goodies. And best of all, the keyboard, power button, and touchpad are all backlit with blue LEDs! Our team has been using it to do all the animations, autodesk, and programming, and it has never crapped out....yet. :cool:

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

Adobe has stopped making Premiere, but only in relation to Apple bringing competition to their badly maintained version. Microsoft has announced a new release (2004) of Office for Mac as well. As far as cross-platform compatibility, I personally own two Macs and a PC, and have few issues at all going back and forth between them. Aladdin Systems makes a Windows version as well, although all new Macs (using Panther, OS X 10.3) the default archive method is the cross-platform favorite zip files. Macs can read all PC media as well.

The backlit keyboard is awesome, as are the laptops themselves. Good luck with your decision......

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

I have a PCG-FRV23.

I bought it for the multimedia capabilities (firewire and video out). I'm not terribly impressed by it. It heats up. The fans seem to alway be running. Whats with the 5 gig mystery partition (the one with no letter, that was sacrificed for SuSE Linux)?

I have a celeron which is both good and bad. Good because the battery lasts forever (3 hr+) when typing or browsing, but premiere chuggs at times, even though theres 512 MB of DDR in it. BTW, the there are two memory banks, both filled with 256 each, so upgrading doesn't seem economical (buying a 512 stick and effectivly only getting 256 MB more for the 512 price).

The hard drive is really slow (seems to be running @ 4.6 MB/s max), however the burner is superb; flawless burns every time.

I've had it since October of 2003 and I've had no need for taking it in, even though it averages about 6 hrs of use every day.

My recommendation for getting more speed out of your Vaio: run Linux!

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

If you can go Mac, do it. Sure, they look slower, but they run much better than any PC I've used. M 1.8ghz runs slower than my friends 1.2ghz PowerBook. Go for the 15" if you can, or the 12 for portability. The iBook G4 is also good, but still slower and a slower system bus, lower L2 cach, etc.

For a PC, I'm not very happy with Dell recently, I'm kinda pissed at some of their new notebooks. I'd go HP, but not Sony.

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

After reading more of the posts since I posted last in here I can't believe people were having a lot of problems with Sony. I will admit that I based my recommendation on experience of my sisters Vaio which hasen't given her any problems in the 4 years of ownership. I wonder if they cheapend them up over the past few years or she has been lucky with it.
Like I also said, I've been (and still are) happy with my Toshiba Satellite 1905-S277 (1.6 ghz, 30mb harddrive, 512mb ram, 15" lcd screen, 56k, nic, combo dvd/cd burner, Windows XP home) that I bought 1 1/2 years ago. Just that for what I paid compared to others I didn't get any software other than Lotus. I did get a good laptop but it's more of a "work" model than "entertainment". The dvd player is great but the dual (stereo) speakers I would rate as just "decent". I don't play many dvd's or cd's but the few times I do it lacks in the sound department compared to others I've heard. This isn't the Toshiba brand as a whole, I've heard other Satellites and Tecras with good sound. It's just that the entertainment factor wasn't what I was going for or intending the laptop for when I went looking for one and the dvd player with this model was only a side bonus. I'm starting to ramble on here so my main point is to decide what you want in a laptop (the features, plus what you're planning to do with it), the amount you're willing to spend, and above all how you feel with it. I'm not just talking about wieght but also stuff like the keyboard (another reason I bought this model) and how to move the cursor. Do you prefer the "eraser head" or "touch pad".

There's also a good website (among others out there) that bases thier reviews on average people than magazines who sometimes base thier recommendations on thier advertisers. Unfortunately they don't do complete systems but only parts and periphials. Check out www.sysopt.com/userreviews/

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

one again, thanks to everyone for their replies =) what i love about cd. you can ask about almost anything and get a wealth of helpful and objective replies. who loves a self-policing board! = )

im seriously considering the Acer Ferrarri 3000Lmi.. not just because of the styling (personally the red and silver to me is a good color fit, but the red is a bit too striking, something like black or white with the ferrari logo would have been better, but you gotta please the tifosi) but for the price and the amount of components it packs in. I have some worries about the AMD processor, but with a 2500+ (1.8 ghz to my understanding) it looks to be alright, and properly used it should be fine.

Unfortunately, the apple is a bit too expensive for me, im only able to purchase it online and am not eligible for the student discount -__-"! since im still in high school. Then again, the Acer 3000 would only be around 100 dollars less, but with likely no tax and NO shipping or handling with it. Apple im looking around 24 to 2500, while the acer will top out at 2400.

Dont get me wrong, i really love apple specs, the RISC processor and the overall stylishness combined with many multimedia features blow me off my feet, but my family seems to not really like macs.. which is a pity. perhaps an iPod Mini will help to allay their fears =) but i guess for simplicity's sake, PC based systems will at least let my parents use it without them whining about how to use macs. pfft.

I have also heard extremely good things about toshiba's and HP's, and many many bad things about compaqs.. but lol. that will be that

I think down to it, it is mostly personal preference, but as can be attested to, it never helps to have some constructive opinions!!

I'll let everyone know how the purchase works out =)

anything with backlit lcds or fancy lights is cool. seems FIRST noticed that too. muahahahaha.

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

The online Apple education discount can be achieved simply by clicking on the Apple Education store link, it works if you're still in high school.

Just click on buying for individual, and find your high school.

That's how I got my iMac G4.

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

The Acer Ferrari is very cool. Check out Velocity Micro. Basically, they make systems that look identical to Alienware's (Alienware might even contract their systems out to them), but a lot cheaper. Check out theNotemagix b50

I configured it identically to yours, except with a 1.7 ghz Centrino processor, and a Radeon 9600 64mb. It came out to around 2300. With that extra 300 you could upgrade to a 7200 rpm 60 gig hd, more RAM, etc. also, check out CNET. Check out the Notemagix's review Ferrari Review One really great thing about the B50 is it has a 5 hr battery life.

I was looking ahead for a laptop that Im going to get for college in a few months. Ive narrowed it down to a Dell Inspiron 8600 (Im iffy on this one) the Acer Ferrari, and the Velocity Micro Notemagix-B50. I took a look at Alienware and Voodoo. Theyre certainly really cool, but WAY expensive.

Cory

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

yes =) given the choice between an AMD Athlon XP-M and Centrino, i would take the centrino just cause of the proven track record. It really seems like the ferrari is controverisial because of its styling, not so much of the specs, which beat out the Velocty Micro base one. However, that notemagix is very very very cool.. and a lot cheaper than the alienare equivalent (heh it would be funny poor man's alienware) but the 2300 i was talking about was in CAD. so with the tweaking it comes out to 2300 USD which is like 2500 CAD + SH + TAX. sigh -__-".. i have some miffs about dell too.. but it seems the main issues with the ferrari is the heat and customer service component.

still.. cant beat a ferrari =)
argh! voodoo is a canadian company and its still way expensive.. blah!! =D

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

For $2159 USD, you can get the NoteMagix (If youre even considering it) with a 1.6 ghz Centrino instead of a 1.7. I think it'd still be faster than the Acer's Athlon.

Cory

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

Yes, but $2159 USD is >$2800 canadian, which is well out of his price range. He's looking for approximately a $1500 laptop USD.

Re: Sony Vaio Laptops?
 

unfortunately that only works for K-12 US schools. Im going by the apple.ca site, which only offers discounts for faculty of K-12 schools, or students/staff of college/universities. what a big letdown = )

i would really consider and probably go after the notemagix if it was in canadian dollars, since the centrino is superior to the Athlon XP-M, but as mentioned, 2159 + Tax + SH + currency conversion, im looking at well over 3000 dollars = ( .. even with a $0.7633 exchange rate

2,159.00 USD = 2,818.66 CAD