I’m getting a new laptop but can’t work out really what is the better option, at first glance the Sony one looks better, but i could be getting deceived some how.
Sony VAIO spec:
CPU Type : Intel Core i5 460M
CPU Included : Core i5 460M / 2.53 GHz
VGA Chipset : ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470
VGA Memory : 512 MB
Memory Type : DDR3 SDRAM - 1066 MHz
Max. Memory : 8Gb
Memory Included : 6Gb
Optical Device : DVD±RW (±R DL) / DVD-RAM
Floppy Drive : No
USB : USB2.0
No. of USB Ports : 4
Firewire : No
LAN : Gigabyte Ethernet / Wireless b/g/n
Sound : Dolby Home Theater
PS/2 Ports : No
Parallel : No
Serial : No
Infrared Port : No
Card Reader : 5-in-1 Card Reader
Power Source : Lithium Ion
Battery Life : 2.5 hour(s)
Screen Size : 17.3"
Screen Type : 1600 x 900 ( WXGA++ )
Operating System : Windows 7 Home Premium
Colour : Silver
Dimensions (wxhxd)-(mm) : 410 x 32 x 274
PC Card Slot : ExpressCard/34
Modem : No
Carry Bag : No
Special Features : 500 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm
Special Features : 0.3 Megapixel Webcam
Weight (kg) : 5.00
Price : £634.99
NSPIRE Spec:
15.6" Intel i5 2540 Mobile Processor - 4GB DDR3 - 500GB Seagate Momentus XT Hybrid SSD SATA Hard Drive - NVIDIA GT520M Graphics
£599.99 (no operating system… although an OS doesn’t matter to me as i have a legit version of Windows 7 Ultimate anyways)
It looks like the Sony is better cos i get 17" screen and more RAM, but could it be lacking in other areas to compensate where as the Nspire is better in other areas? I’m not sure
I recommend Asus or Acer brands.They have better specs and battery life.
Sony VAIO has only usb2.0 it’s better to get usb3.0 it’s faster. It has no firewire.Battery life is too low 2.5h for Sony.Modern laptops can get at least 5h. It’s good to get 4-8gb of RAM memory for speed and dual/quad core cpu for multitasking.
Windows 7[32-bit] A 32-bit operating system can address a maximum of 4GB of memory.Windows 7 Pro[64-bit]you can configure your computer with the maximum amount of memory available.
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Check some laptop reviews here:
[url=http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/laptops/]http://www.bit-tech.net/[/url]
[url=http://www.maximumpc.com/]PC gaming hardware | PC Gamer
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Laptops with Windows for music production:
[url=http://rainrecording.co.uk/products/livebook/]http://rainrecording.co.uk/products/livebook/[/url]
[url=http://www.dv247.com/synergy]Search Results | DV247
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Gaming laptops:
[url=http://www.alienware.com/]http://www.alienware.com/[/url]
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I hope that helps.
asus + acer for the WIN imo. usually a good price and much higher quality then they used 2 be.
Roben mate tbh very similar specs i have to say, personally i think , knowing Sony , you will prob be paying more just for name’s sake.
Also depending on what OS you have Win7 x32(4gb) or x64(6gb) , you can’t use all the RAM anyway , due to Windows capping it you can try to hack it and allow more RAM but problems may start to arise.
Also maybe try for an intel chip i7 instead of i5, but ey it’s up to you 
[quote]UnitedVision (01/06/2011)[hr]asus + acer for the WIN imo. usually a good price and much higher quality then they used 2 be.[/quote]
I still have a 4 year old acer I use for work and hooking up to my TV. Never had any problems- can even run Live at a stretch
Going to buy another acer later this year
My old boss had a viao - it was ok but as said before your buying the name more than anything else
Yep yep know all about the 32bit cap on Windows, that’s why I’ll be using my 64bit Windows 7 Ultimate
Thanks for the heads up, do you have any links to the Acers / Asus ones?, i’m only looking to spend around £600 though really. I have Acer monitor and you certainly get a lot of bang for your buck quality to cost wise i have to admit.
Here is the NSpire one I was looking at, seems pretty good as you can save money as you can buy without Windows…
[url=http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/laptop/range/nspirepro2540.html]http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/laptop/range/nspirepro2540.html[/url]
The Sony one i mentioned is here:
[url=http://www.eclipsecomputers.com/product.aspx?code=NBS-C3S0EWI&af=50]http://www.eclipsecomputers.com/product.aspx?code=NBS-C3S0EWI&af=50[/url]
Some of those i7s you linked me looked great but at nearly £1k+ a pop it’s just not do-able for me.
[quote]Roben (01/06/2011)[hr]Yep yep know all about the 32bit cap on Windows, that’s why I’ll be using my 64bit Windows 7 Ultimate :D[/quote]
Roben - I would think twice about going the W7 Ultimate route. If you need to join a Domain, which seems unlikely, you should get Pro. Ultimate really just gives you a load of encryption tools which most people don’t need. So either you will not use them, in which case it will be running in the background slowing your PC down. Or you will turn them off, in which case you have wasted you money buying Ultimate.
Also, to buck the trend, I don’t like Acer - I think they are cheaply made (but to be fair I haven’t used one for a few years).
I supply laptops to my clients as part of my day job.
I like Asus. I like Sony (although they tend to be the higher end of the market, I’m not that keen on their cheap options), in fact all my own laptops are Sony.
For around the price range you are looking I like HP laptops, and this is what I supply 9 times out of 10. I probably sell about 150 of these a year.
Also take a look at this site, prices are usually competative:
http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/
…
the sony is the better out of the 2 and i know you have windows but as it has 6 gb ram it will have 64 bit windows. Looks like a good system to me and no the other will not have anything the sony wont - its all standard stuff.
I would shop around however cause you might get somethinig better for that price.
Any specific recommendations for my price range? Looking for something that will be good for music production on the move basically.
I’m really lost in the vast selection of laptops on laptops direct, plus it’s annoying because i’ll find i5 for ridiculous money such as £800+ where as the one i found was £599?
[quote]gofunk (01/06/2011)[hr]the sony is the better out of the 2 and i know you have windows but as it has 6 gb ram it will have 64 bit windows. Looks like a good system to me and no the other will not have anything the sony wont - its all standard stuff.
I would shop around however cause you might get somethinig better for that price.[/quote]
Unfortunately when i posted i didn’t realise the price didn’t include the VAT! Duh what a spaz lol.
Thanks for the link, that’s interesting to check out actually! I forgot to mention with the NSpire laptop they’re using the new mobile version Sandy Bridge chips, what’s your thoughts?
Here it is: [url=http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=50072]Intel® Product Specifications
Yeah, the processor is clearly a lot better than the 460M, but I have never heard of Novatech - I wouldn’t buy one.
[quote]TheAnt (03/06/2011)[hr]Yeah, the processor is clearly a lot better than the 460M, but I have never heard of Novatech - I wouldn’t buy one.[/quote]
My current PC is from them, i bought their barebones package and kitted it out with the parts i wanted 
I’ve had no issues which is why i was kinda interested in buying again from them, but i think i may just try shop around, it’s just difficult because like with the laptop direct website i was swamped with selection, just couldn’t work out which was best for the money.
I’m also wondering whether it would actually just be better for me to wait out till I’m in America then buy one when I’m over there? Probs be cheaper wouldn’t it?
Or is that a bad idea you think?
Yes wait till you go to the states - only thing is your warranty may not be valid but you would save a packet just don’t get stopped by custons on the way back 
It happened to me once - but luckily my girlfriend at the time just burst into tears and we got away with it
What happened to you? You got stopped by customs? What are customs likely to do? Whack on loads of tax or what?
[quote]Roben (03/06/2011)[hr]What happened to you? You got stopped by customs? What are customs likely to do? Whack on loads of tax or what?[/quote]
Yeh - we came back with loads of jeans and trainers and stuff like that - since my folks used to live in the states I used to go with an empty suitcase and just buy my clothes out there - but for some wierd reason I forgot to take the labels of loads of ****
But since it was xmas and my girlfriend in tears the nice custons lady just let us off and said don’t do it again
Yeah they would add tax - but they are not going to ask you where you bought it if you don’t bring back in a box or anything like that
Ok thanks mate, so if i i just bung it in my handluggage with no sign i’ve bought it over in the states and as if it’s a laptop i’ve had for months, i shouldnt really have a problem?
I guess the fact it’ll be an America plug socket could give the game away haha.
Actually on that note… we use different power than in UK than the USA, would i find issues using the laptop back in the UK on our power sockets? I can get an adaptor plug obviously but will the laptop just blow up or something due to the amount of voltage?! lol.