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Advice on considering a second laptop: Vaio vs. mac

macjonny1

macjonny1

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 10, 2006
556
117
OK I'm not really interested in arguing the pros and cons of OSX vs. Windows 7, but I've found a good deal locally on the following laptop:

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-VAIO-VGN-FW465J-16-4-Inch-Laptop/dp/B0027P9BYW

I was considering a second 15" MBP but the specs on this computer seem to be much better. I always thought that at the upper end the specs for a PC vs. Mac would be similar for a given price but this has the MBP beat in almost every way save for the OS. I could use a Windows machine for the odd programs or games that I can't run on my Mac. I currently have a 2007 17" MPB which runs great and would still be my main photo/video editing machine.

Am I missing something? Seems to have really good specs even at the amazon price, 1GB video memory, Blu-ray read only, etc. Only thing missing is a backlit keyboard.
 
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Seems like a nice machine.

Depends what you are gonna use it for, if you get is as a secondary machine I would rather take a machine with higher battery time usage, since the VAIO seems more like a desktop replacement, than a notebook.
The Vaio is also heavier than the 17 inch MBP.

It got a nice GFX card, but the 1GB is a bit overkill on that card anyway, especially on a lappy, but the 4650 is indeed slightly faster than the 9600M GT.

What you'll loose compared to a MBP is probably 3 hrs battery life difference.
 
Thanks for the reply. I'm not too worried about battery life as this will for the most part be at home plugged in..
 
macjonny1 said:
Am I missing something?
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Nobody can say. It's got some sweet specs and no macbook can hold a candle to it. It's got a short battery life but you already said that's not important.

You'll have to decide if the build quality and customer care is up to par with what you're used to with Apple.

But since this is a second machine that will stay at home I don't understand why you aren't looking at a quad core desktop system which is even cheaper.
 
Richard1028 said:
Nobody can say. It's got some sweet specs and no macbook can hold a candle to it. It's got a short battery life but you already said that's not important.

You'll have to decide if the build quality and customer care is up to par with what you're used to with Apple.

But since this is a second machine that will stay at home I don't understand why you aren't looking at a quad core desktop system which is even cheaper.
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Well part of the situation is I have someone I know who is selling it for even cheaper than retail, that I can buy from locally. As far as the desktop situation I do want some portability mainly to watch movies/hook it up to the TV, give to the kids and let them work on it, etc so more portability around the house. Thanks for the suggestion though. Also, I wouldn't put a desktop in my house that wasn't an imac or a macpro due to the aesthetics....even if those were MUCH cheaper!
 
macjonny1 said:
give to the kids and let them work on it, etc so more portability around the house.
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:eek: Laptops + kiddies? That's what the Wal-Mart brands are for. :D

Also, I wouldn't put a desktop in my house that wasn't an imac or a macpro due to the aesthetics....even if those were MUCH cheaper!
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I'm quite the opposite. When my kids were still kids, I wanted a desktop right in plain view where I could see at anytime what they were doing.
 
macjonny1 said:
Well part of the situation is I have someone I know who is selling it for even cheaper than retail, that I can buy from locally. As far as the desktop situation I do want some portability mainly to watch movies/hook it up to the TV, give to the kids and let them work on it, etc so more portability around the house. Thanks for the suggestion though. Also, I wouldn't put a desktop in my house that wasn't an imac or a macpro due to the aesthetics....even if those were MUCH cheaper!
Click to expand...

it sounds like you're already gearing towards the vaio which is a fine machine, so just go for it. its a mac forum, so you'll get steered towards the mac, not that you don't already know this.
 
Outrigger said:
it sounds like you're already gearing towards the vaio which is a fine machine, so just go for it. its a mac forum, so you'll get steered towards the mac, not that you don't already know this.
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So basically it sounds like there is nothing wrong with it and since I can get a good deal I'll bite. I haven't purchased a PC in at least 7years but I have one at work that I use every day. I much prefer macs too but having the windows machine for those odd programs and the blu-ray player is a nice bonus.

Thanks for everyone's input!
 
Vaio are probably the only PC manufacturer who can be fairly compared to a MacBook!

They have a solid build quality, despite still being plastic and the specs are always good. Plus, like Mac's they're often a little over priced making the comparison all the more fairer! lol
 
DO NOT BUY!!! I had the same machine early this year and it had problems from the begining! I opened the box and it worked for 2 weeks then the speakers didnt work. So I brought it back to Best Buy and wanted a refund. But since the 2 week return period was over buy 2 hours they wouldnt take it back. They did fix the speakers though since it was under warrenty. Ok I thought but a month later the bluray drive went and this time they told me I had to deal with sony. So I called them and they said okay they'll send a new drive but it took them 2.5 weeks to send it. I got it and installed it, worked fine. Then 3 weeks later I opened the lid and heard a loud crack the power button snapped. It didnt come completey off rather it was loose. But it still worked. Then a week later I was using the laptop and it just shut off and wouldnt go back on. So I called sony and they said they'll send someone to repair it. Well the guy came looked at it and said he has to order parts and will be back in a few days. Well he came back with a new logic board and top case. I sat with him for 3 HOURS while he replaced everything and then he turned it on and it booted then just shut off. Well he called sony and they said they'll send a box to return it to them. I did and got a call a few days later saying the bill to repair it would be $2200. I only payed $1200 in the first place. Their reason: water damage. Mind you their technician was just their and just replaced the parts they said had water damaged. They emailed me pictures of a water drenched computer and the bill. I called them and after arguing for 2 hours they agreed to fix it for free. Well 4 days later fedex dropped it off and I went to turn it on and it didnt work. Called them right back and they sent another one. It finally worked but I put it right on ebay and bought my MBP. I will NEVER buy a PC ever again. Hope this helps in your decision.
 
Windows is windows, no matter how you cut it.
viruses, dll hell, the registry.
No thanks, Apple products are a cut above, be they hardware and/or software.

You get what you pay for, OSX, a wonderfully stable OS that runs fairly fast. Windows, an OS that phone's home because it doesn't trust that you're not a pirate. Has plenty of security holes and viruses that spawned a cottage industry.
 
For $1149, that's definitely a great laptop. You just have to ask yourself if the extra $600 is worth the better lookin mbp15'' with lesser specs (minues the processor). For me, this is what would make me choose the mbp

-multitouch--I can't ever go back to any of those pc laptops simply because they don't support the very useful multitouch features I can't live without in a laptop nemore. My sister's lenovo, my viao SR, dell m1210/1330... laptop touchpad multitouch is a must.

-batterylife. I actually started off with the replaceable battery model unibody 15'' (late 2008) and immediately sold it and picked up the latest 2009 built-in battery. I literally went from my normal use of 2:45 to 7:45. I kid you not. I can't live without the batterylife for my use on campus, and just the general psychological lift of not having to worry about my batterylife... I plug it in at night, unplug and take to class in the morning and dont worry about it at all until i get back in the evening. love it.

that's about it.. I use xp partition for most of my things at home when its plugged in, and use SL for class, but its not really a big difference. I just use SL since xp forces the discrete grphx to work = less battery. Ive actually hung up SL four of five times this month, and only froze my xp once. I wouldn't consider OSX a plus in my case. I'm more xp saavy. Can't say much bout w7. Don't listen to maflynn. He's your typical dupe who can't spend an hour online to get his windows up to par. Just because osx comes with the newb protections built in doesn't make it better. Contrarily, I find it god damn annoying regarding osx's permissions and security hurdles among other things. Makes me feel like a lil kid who needs a parent to control his own goddamn OS. If you plan on getting the viao or any pc: avgfree, ccleaner, defrag, firefox ad block plus registered to easyserver and you're on par with osx stability and protection with more freedom and more games to play.

But the main and fundamental reason you'd get a mbp, is for hte looks. Design over function. Functions are just a plus if they so happen to come with the design =D. Mbp's are the best-looking laptops out there. The new hp envy copycat tries to look it, and i still think it doesn't look as good as my mbp15''
 
I would change it to an IBM vs. a Mac.

If you're going to miss out on the cool things OSX has to offer, at the very least, do it for a machine that won't break if you spill a drink in it.
 
Thanks for the balanced pictures guys, and making the decision harder now! :D
 
Seeing as the OP said that the computer is going to be at home plugged in most of the time, I really dont think that weight/portability and battery life really matter, and he seems to understand that. Spec wise the Vaio beats the MacBook Pro, and he clearly understands that Windows is not OS X and vice versa. All said and done, I would say get the Vaio purely because of its specs, but if you want durability take a look at some Lenovos's those are BUILT. Just remember where you asked the question so of course there are going to be those that say get the Mac. Also at that price, it really doesn't make sense to get the a MBP.

My $.02.
 
Consultant said:
Spec does not equal to usability.

Try to use a pc when virus scan is running.
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................

MAN im so tired of idiots who can't use windows that they automatically declare osx as superior when all osx does is make things easier for idiots. OSX is better in much better ways than assuming the stupid things u guys call out windows for that merely reflect your ineptitudes.
 
dudeitsjay said:
................

MAN im so tired of idiots who can't use windows that they automatically declare osx as superior when all osx does is make things easier for idiots. OSX is better in much better ways than assuming the stupid things u guys call out windows for that merely reflect your ineptitudes.
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What?? I thought this was a fanboy-safe zone! :D
 
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