is sony viao a good buy?

arunk · 10th December 2007, 17:00

I know it is pricier, but i am looking for good build and mobility. I own a mac and thought of going for a windows machine when the need arised for a second one at home. what do you guys think?

hyper-VTEC · 10th December 2007, 19:26

I have the CR11GH and bought it for 54,990/-. It has Core 2 Duo 1.8 Ghz, 1 GB RAM (Max 2 GB), 80GB HDD, 14.1" Widescreen, Inbuilt Camera and Dual Layer DVD Burner. It comes packed with Vista Home Basic.

I had a HP dv2000 which was Centrino Duo 1.6Ghz and same config. Somehow my HP was much faster and stable. One reason could be i was running XP. I tried to downgrade to XP...but there were no available drivers for this particular model. Even Sony Cust Supp. was not able to help me. Then i installed Vista business. It's good to look at but doesn't live up to my expectations. I used my HP for 14 months, never shut it down (always hibernated it)....even for weeks i have kept it ON. It never got frozen or gave any errors. With this Vaio i need to reboot everyday.

My system guy is unable to understand the problem. Its not stable. I would love to go back and get a HP Business series laptop for 62,000, but have to wait for sometime as i have invested a lot on this one.

Not worth the money!!! Go for HP Compaq series Business Laptops

mobike008 · 10th December 2007, 19:32

Sony Viao are most popular for its dashing looks and nothing else

agspins · 10th December 2007, 19:50

hey arun u can opt in for viao quite a good buy....you can try CR22 at around 45k is good buy....
you can also think about mac lappy with intel chip ....it costs around 60k

kartikkumar · 10th December 2007, 20:00

Why don't you look at the low end macbook which is priced at around 60k if I remember right. You can load a licensed version of parallel desktop on it which will let you install windows (XP or XP Pro) and run the two simultaneously. Also, you will not be burdened with a Vista machine which to me is a huge relief.

Can give you a contact for the macbook if you would like, to help get a better price than MRP. PM me if you would like the number.

Cheers!
K

da MotorHead · 10th December 2007, 20:59

Hi Arun,
Call me biased and its purely my opinion, but once you start using a mac you just can't get back to widows. I use leopard on my mac and its so hassle free. PLus with low price versions and the facility to run windows simultaneously like kartik mentioned, it a whale of an offering ., .Think about it..

Cheers, dMH

DirtyDan · 10th December 2007, 21:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by arunk

I know it is pricier, but i am looking for good build and mobility. I own a mac and thought of going for a windows machine when the need arised for a second one at home. what do you guys think?

I would try to find out if SONY really makes it or does some generic company make it and put the SONY badge on it. If badge and you like that machine you might find the same machine under a different badge for a lot less money. If you buy SONY, you buy a name. Dell and Lenovo are the 2 well known dependables in India. But you are going to pay a price for them.

wolfinstein · 10th December 2007, 21:45

Toshiba are stable and best in reliability, Have 4 bought over different period of times...No issues.

Last one was a gift which lasted 12 hours before it got stolen.

Jaggu · 10th December 2007, 22:10

i use viao since 2004 and trust me if you are used to a mac i wouldnt recommend viao. machine hardware is delicate not even worth comparing it to a IBM or a Toshiba they have more robust hardware. coming to software, things will be fine till you install something new, so if you are not an obsessive compulsive update freak, things will be fine.

so in shorth if you want jazz and sleek gizmo go for viao, or else stick to a mac or a Toshiba/IBM machine (am not sure of lenovo though).

unknown · 10th December 2007, 22:19

Yes you can run Window's on Mac via bootcamp , apple will announce new range of mac's in jaunary 2008 but as you said you already have an mac then i'll buy the sony vaio/toshiba.

iTNerd · 10th December 2007, 23:56

Arunk, you haven't specified which particular vaio model you are planning for. If you are getting the high-end ultra-portable TZ (11.1 inch), there is no comparision to any available laptops in India. If you are planning for the NR and to some extent CR models, the I would seriously advise you to go against it. Besides, the premium you have to pay, the build quality is not that great compared to DELL m1530 and m1330, ThinkPad 61 etc. And you will get aweful lot of bloatwares too. My recommendation is either to go DELL XPS m1530 (15.4") or m1330 (13.1") as these are premium DELL brand and built quality is much better than the CR and NR Vaios. On top of it, you get the latest hardware with the ability for further customization.

So, a point regarding mac. If you are using the old IBM powerPC CPU, then you can't load windows. In that case, I would recommend you to either go for MacBook or MacBook Pro. Just 3 weeks back, I got my first Mac, a MBP 15.4" with Leopard. Amazing stuff. Loaded win XP pro via Bootcamp for pure gaming purposes and it just simply rocks!... so much that I never want to switch to my other windows based laptops..

RX135 · 10th December 2007, 23:58

I have always been using IBM/Lenovo Thinkpads. They look so understated (no fancy looking stuff like Vio or Mac), but they are the best ones at job.

IBM or Lenovo, there is not much difference, though people like to believe that Lenovo is a cheap chinese brand compared to the blue giant. So, if you care for real sturdy, durable, light, performance oriented laptop, think no further than Thinkpad. I would rate them higher than even Toshiba/ HP /Dell /Compaqs.

Shan2nu · 11th December 2007, 10:43

I'm really not sure. My cousin's Vaio had some prob with the LCD screen. Sony said he'd have to shell out 20K (even though it was under warranty) to get it replaced since it had been spoilt due to moisture. After threatening to take them to task, they finally agreed to do it under warranty. I dunno what these Sony guys are playing at.

We've got a high end Vaio laptop and i really hope we don't face any of these probs.

Shan2nu

a4_attitude · 11th December 2007, 11:28

Last week I bought Tz sony vaoi now I think my need of the best laptop ends here, I paid the price for this ultimate machine and also got upgraded to 2gb ram, it has 5 hours of backup et lese you want in life, and yes i also switched from mac to windows my reason was few designing softwares..
for more reviews log on to download.com and check its reviews
Cheers
Wadhwa Ajay

Jaggu · 11th December 2007, 11:31

oh i forgot the good part, bloody thing has amazing battery back up. mine runs for 6 hours straight with continuous wifi usage, without wifi i think it should stretch by another 1.5 hours i guess.

10th December 2007, 17:00	#1
arunk BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: kochi Posts: 108 Thanked: 0 Times	is sony viao a good buy? I know it is pricier, but i am looking for good build and mobility. I own a mac and thought of going for a windows machine when the need arised for a second one at home. what do you guys think?
	() Thanks

10th December 2007, 19:26	#2
hyper-VTEC BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Bengal...ooroo Posts: 648 Thanked: 243 Times View My Garage	I have the CR11GH and bought it for 54,990/-. It has Core 2 Duo 1.8 Ghz, 1 GB RAM (Max 2 GB), 80GB HDD, 14.1" Widescreen, Inbuilt Camera and Dual Layer DVD Burner. It comes packed with Vista Home Basic. I had a HP dv2000 which was Centrino Duo 1.6Ghz and same config. Somehow my HP was much faster and stable. One reason could be i was running XP. I tried to downgrade to XP...but there were no available drivers for this particular model. Even Sony Cust Supp. was not able to help me. Then i installed Vista business. It's good to look at but doesn't live up to my expectations. I used my HP for 14 months, never shut it down (always hibernated it)....even for weeks i have kept it ON. It never got frozen or gave any errors. With this Vaio i need to reboot everyday. My system guy is unable to understand the problem. Its not stable. I would love to go back and get a HP Business series laptop for 62,000, but have to wait for sometime as i have invested a lot on this one. Not worth the money!!! Go for HP Compaq series Business Laptops Last edited by hyper-VTEC : 10th December 2007 at 19:27.
	() Thanks

10th December 2007, 19:32	#3
mobike008 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 11,702 Thanked: 14,822 Times View My Garage	Sony Viao are most popular for its dashing looks and nothing else
	() Thanks

10th December 2007, 19:50	#4
agspins Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: MH-31 Posts: 1,652 Thanked: 508 Times View My Garage	hey arun u can opt in for viao quite a good buy....you can try CR22 at around 45k is good buy.... you can also think about mac lappy with intel chip ....it costs around 60k
	() Thanks

10th December 2007, 20:00	#5
kartikkumar BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bangalore...not Bengaluru Posts: 214 Thanked: 2 Times View My Garage	Why don't you look at the low end macbook which is priced at around 60k if I remember right. You can load a licensed version of parallel desktop on it which will let you install windows (XP or XP Pro) and run the two simultaneously. Also, you will not be burdened with a Vista machine which to me is a huge relief. Can give you a contact for the macbook if you would like, to help get a better price than MRP. PM me if you would like the number. Cheers! K
	() Thanks

10th December 2007, 20:59	#6
da MotorHead BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 122 Thanked: 0 Times	Hi Arun, Call me biased and its purely my opinion, but once you start using a mac you just can't get back to widows. I use leopard on my mac and its so hassle free. PLus with low price versions and the facility to run windows simultaneously like kartik mentioned, it a whale of an offering ., .Think about it.. Cheers, dMH
	() Thanks

10th December 2007, 21:45	#8
wolfinstein BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 994 Thanked: 20 Times	Toshiba are stable and best in reliability, Have 4 bought over different period of times...No issues. Last one was a gift which lasted 12 hours before it got stolen.
	() Thanks

10th December 2007, 22:10	#9
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,215 Thanked: 15,906 Times	i use viao since 2004 and trust me if you are used to a mac i wouldnt recommend viao. machine hardware is delicate not even worth comparing it to a IBM or a Toshiba they have more robust hardware. coming to software, things will be fine till you install something new, so if you are not an obsessive compulsive update freak, things will be fine. so in shorth if you want jazz and sleek gizmo go for viao, or else stick to a mac or a Toshiba/IBM machine (am not sure of lenovo though).
	() Thanks

10th December 2007, 22:19	#10
unknown BANNED Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Earth Posts: 439 Thanked: 23 Times	Yes you can run Window's on Mac via bootcamp , apple will announce new range of mac's in jaunary 2008 but as you said you already have an mac then i'll buy the sony vaio/toshiba. Last edited by unknown : 10th December 2007 at 22:20.
	() Thanks

10th December 2007, 23:56	#11
iTNerd Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Imphal/Noida Posts: 1,241 Thanked: 1,214 Times View My Garage	Arunk, you haven't specified which particular vaio model you are planning for. If you are getting the high-end ultra-portable TZ (11.1 inch), there is no comparision to any available laptops in India. If you are planning for the NR and to some extent CR models, the I would seriously advise you to go against it. Besides, the premium you have to pay, the build quality is not that great compared to DELL m1530 and m1330, ThinkPad 61 etc. And you will get aweful lot of bloatwares too. My recommendation is either to go DELL XPS m1530 (15.4") or m1330 (13.1") as these are premium DELL brand and built quality is much better than the CR and NR Vaios. On top of it, you get the latest hardware with the ability for further customization. So, a point regarding mac. If you are using the old IBM powerPC CPU, then you can't load windows. In that case, I would recommend you to either go for MacBook or MacBook Pro. Just 3 weeks back, I got my first Mac, a MBP 15.4" with Leopard. Amazing stuff. Loaded win XP pro via Bootcamp for pure gaming purposes and it just simply rocks!... so much that I never want to switch to my other windows based laptops..
	() Thanks

10th December 2007, 23:58	#12
RX135 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: pune Posts: 2,106 Thanked: 75 Times	I have always been using IBM/Lenovo Thinkpads. They look so understated (no fancy looking stuff like Vio or Mac), but they are the best ones at job. IBM or Lenovo, there is not much difference, though people like to believe that Lenovo is a cheap chinese brand compared to the blue giant. So, if you care for real sturdy, durable, light, performance oriented laptop, think no further than Thinkpad. I would rate them higher than even Toshiba/ HP /Dell /Compaqs.
	() Thanks

11th December 2007, 10:43	#13
Shan2nu Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Hubli - Karnata Posts: 5,533 Thanked: 125 Times View My Garage	I'm really not sure. My cousin's Vaio had some prob with the LCD screen. Sony said he'd have to shell out 20K (even though it was under warranty) to get it replaced since it had been spoilt due to moisture. After threatening to take them to task, they finally agreed to do it under warranty. I dunno what these Sony guys are playing at. We've got a high end Vaio laptop and i really hope we don't face any of these probs. Shan2nu
	() Thanks

11th December 2007, 11:28	#14
a4_attitude BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: New Delhi Posts: 508 Thanked: 101 Times View My Garage	Last week I bought Tz sony vaoi now I think my need of the best laptop ends here, I paid the price for this ultimate machine and also got upgraded to 2gb ram, it has 5 hours of backup et lese you want in life, and yes i also switched from mac to windows my reason was few designing softwares.. for more reviews log on to download.com and check its reviews Cheers Wadhwa Ajay
	() Thanks

11th December 2007, 11:31	#15
Jaggu Team-BHP Support Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bangalore Posts: 20,215 Thanked: 15,906 Times	oh i forgot the good part, bloody thing has amazing battery back up. mine runs for 6 hours straight with continuous wifi usage, without wifi i think it should stretch by another 1.5 hours i guess.
	() Thanks