Sony Vaio Laptop.....Good Deal or Not?

I'm looking to purchase a laptop and I'm considering purchasing the following for $1,290 (including tax):

Sony Vaio (Model#: vgn-cr240e/b)

w/ CD/DVD burner, 200Gb drive, built-in webcam

I'm looking for some feedback/opinions regarding the Sony Vaio laptops and if this is a good deal or not?

Also if there are better laptops out there.....I'm open for suggestions.

This is going to be my 1st laptop purchase so any/all feedbacks are greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

Hello,
I would not buy anything Sony ...
Considering their "good" reputation.
Mrk

 

tbh id go with a dell vostro or dell insperon
dell vostro
the sony isnt to bad but the dell is a better deal with more custom options.
you can choose up to a 2.2ghz processer and better wireless card.
dell insperon
plus with those you can get windows xp if ya want.
lodore

 

for god sake don't buy Sony Laptop...

my previous Sony Vaio VGN SZ470 is disposed in ebay because i'm not fully satisfied with their support and their build quality (lots of gaps in laptop, etc)

go look with Asus Laptop, they have very good quality BUT very cheap laptop. Mine is Asus G1S and i'm very satisfied with it.

browse this forum, this will help you a lot. http://forum.notebookreview.com/

 

If I was going to spend that sort of money on a laptop I would just go for a Mac. But if you are buying a computer it may be a good idea to wait for Black Friday, if you are in the US. Lots of deals will be out then.

 

Anything? ...I wouldn't go that far. Imho, they make the very best TVs!

But regarding laptops, I've been using a Dell Inspiron 6000 for the past couple of years and like it a lot.

 

Take your time, read up, understand the term "proprietary" as it applies to replacement, compatibility.

Best bet, peruse "mobile computing" on the bigger hardware board's. Take note support based commentary, as touched upon by fce. Given comparable technology, I feel they're doing a bit of name selling, charging folk's too much in the process. Consider option's beyond the deal. Hey, I like my Sony, but it's not a laptop.


GF

 

I have pretty much boycotted Sony since they attempted to pass out rootkits to their unsuspecting customers.

I have a Dell Vostro right now (just less than 4 months old) and so far have had no problems with it. It was the most computer I could get for the amount of money I wanted to spend and it was one of the only computers I could find that I could still get with Windows XP instead of Vista. I was also able to get it without any of the usual bloatware that comes on most new PCs.

 

Hi, folks:

Buying a brand new laptop is like buying a new car; Although Name Brand is important, please do not let it be the only deciding factor. You need to examine maker's warranty policy(most are 1 year labour and part), and reseller's extended warranty. In Canada, major resellers, such as Best Buy, Future Shop or Staples, do offer two more extended years part/labour insurance for an reasonable fee( between $100-200). Keep in mind, laptop is not build to last forever, i will eventually break down beyond repair. With most extended warranty policy in place, the first three years could be just 100% worry free. Beyond that just keep your fingers crossed, any good PC could just fail you w/o any warning. I would look for part compression among all makes, and also its depth of discount. Someone told me, PC's shelf life(new product) is about 6 months; that means newer model will replace current one in just 6 months of time. You may be able to pick up this kind of deal . In August I picked up SONY VAIO VGN-C140G 13.3 in with Intel duo 2 core T-5500 processor for just CAN$ 850.00 (regular CAN$ 1150.00), it was introduced last Oct. With $ 150 extended warranty, I have a top-grade PC , 3 years worry free, IMO it is a good deal. SONY or DELL Or ...does not matter, they all are made to preform their duties and will die someday. Take care.

 

Just about every poster had a valid point. I have been a Dell fan since I switched from Compaq in the late 90's. My desktops are Dell. When looking for a laptop last year, I considered many manufacturers, but settled on Dell again. I purchased the E1705 on ebay, new, in the box for $1200.00 below Dells cost. All I needed to do was to transfer the warrantee. It's been trouble-free ever since. I needed an OS & re-install discs, I called Dell and they were sent to me, no charge. I complained that the battery wasn't lasting more than 3hrs., I was sent a new battery. I've heard horror stories about Dell tech support, rerouted to India. I rarely need tech support on my machines, but when I did, tech support was OK. This is why I stay w/ a product. The manufacturer makes owning one of it's products easy. First, by making a reliable product. Second by standing behind their product.

Recently I purchased a Panasonic Toughbook CF-18. It's a great little notebook / tablet, 10.4" screen, built for harsh enviorments... I sent Panasonic two e-mails, asking general questions. I've yet to get a reply. This immediately takes Panasonic off my top ten list. I love their products, I also own a Panny Plasma TV. They may be trouble-free, but at least give me the respect of a return e-mail if I went out of my way to ask you a question.

That's what separates a good company from a great company.

my .02 cents,

...screamer

 

I would go for Toshiba or Dell, then HP\Compaq. I would never buy Sony; you can fine way better performance for less money.

dja2k

 

Hi, folks:

My other laptop is Toshiba, bought over 3 years ago. Within 5 days, motherboard failed, reseller exchanged it for a brand new one. Then after one year, HD crashed, again reseller's extended warranty kicked in, cost me nothing. In these two incidents, reseller's policy helped me, not Toshiba. But I will not advise friends not to purchase Toshiba again. Any solid-built PC will have its down-days, users just have to well prepare for its coming. Again, PC is not made to last forever. Names are not top essential, we need to be smart and wise to choose proper protection(to protect your investment and interest). Take care.

 

nice support from Dell.

this is opposite with Sony. when i send my laptop for repair (noisy/annoying hard disk sound, defective NVIDIA driver causing BSOD when playing games, etc) their techie staff only do REFORMAT!

i send my laptop three times ....they just reformat my HDD. No replacement or repair description, they just reformat my HDD.

beware of Sony Vaio.

 

...from the point of view of a certified all-brand laptop repairer & an old goose in IT, i would agree to what "cfe & g_Force had indicated herein!

Being practical on the other hand & talking of experiences.. These are my ranking in terms of "ease-of-repair; parts availability; robustness & cost-effectiveness" (not in chrono orders) ~

From scale of 10 to 0 (whereas '10' is the best & lowest is worst. In alphabetical order). Level 10~7:
Asus; Benq-Siemens (in USA, aka: Acer); Fujitsu; Toshiba;

Level 7~4:
Dell (but they seems prone to 'badCap' problems on models out from 2002-2005); IBM-Lenovo; MAC; Neo; Panasonic;

Level 3~0:
HP-Compaq; Sony Vaio (a nightmare on repairs, a maze of 'proprietary' OEM drivers)

These are my personal views based on experiences, here in Asia Pacific region. You also have to considered your budget & locality.

 

My work laptop is a HP and its OK apart from having terrible quality screen.
At my last job we had Dell laptops and the Latitudes we all pretty reliable, most of the time it was the inspirons that developed faults.
I really rate the quality of the Fujutsi Siemens, parents have one and so does my friend and my Aunty, all got as good build quality as my Latitiude (and my latitude has been dropped a few times and still works fine) and prices were good.

I know from 1st hand experience of having on site support that Dell techys are good (worlds apart from their phone support), but also Fujitsu Siemens.

 

Thanks to everyone for their feedback/reviews/opinions.

I've pretty much decided to go with a DELL Laptop, but unsure whether I should select a INSPIRON notebook or a VOSTRO notebook?

Also what add-ons/upgrades do you guys recommend? I'm going with the Vista Home Basics OS and I'll be mainly using this laptop for internet and multi-media use.

Thanks.

 

take a look for a higher RAM (2GB or higher) and good graphic card driver for your multi media use.

 

vostro 1500 with at least 2gb of ram, consider a processer upgrade.
also think about the advice from xfe about graphics card.
true life screen with a decent resolution.
lodore

 

Any specific reasons to prefer Vostro over Inspiron?

 

I have a Sony Vaio from 2003 and its still running strong. The only thing that has died on me is the built in webcam. My only main gripe is it didn't come with a windows disk, instead they just provide recovery disks which allows you to recover windows along with all the pre-installed crap. I don't know if modern vaio's still have this problem.

Its also good to consider the future when getting a laptop. Make sure what you are getting will suffice now and in the future as upgrading can be very hard.

 

they don't supply recovery disk at all.

you need to use VAIO recovery center (pre installed) to recover your windows or re-image your system.

the problem is, if you can't boot to your system, pre installed recovery system is useless.

Vaio sucks bigtime!

 

Man, that sux. I'm glad i switched to dell who provided a windows install disk with my current laptop.

 

Hi, Hallo:

If I were you, I would not jump to this conclusion so hastily. These are why:
Although SONY VAIO does not provide user a set of recovery CDs, they do have secured partition within system allowing user to (1) make a reboot-able DVDs and (2) use F 10 hot key to save the bacon. I personally have made such reboot-able media , after I wrongfully accuse SONY not providing these DVDs. I also personally assist a friend of mine recovering from disaster by using F 10 hot key. IMO, SONY VAIO does not suck anyone, instead, just some people shot their own feet. Take care.

 

SONY Vaio are built like a tank, this is my third one and none of them have given me any trouble, they are built quite well and can take some punishment as well. Also check out Panasonic, they are among the most rugged laptops build, can take heat, dust and moisture with ease.

 

dear friends.........

i love computer not just as a hobbie but its as a part of life.
my everyday computing allow me to go for good models........friends pls tell me if i wana go for vaio cr26gn . should i go for it....the price is good.....the features r also attractive...but they r not providing recovery cd's......