Vaio laptops - any advice?

[mocap]

I've just had to dump my second laptop in three years and I want something a little more top of the range. Spent a couple of hours with those awfully clever people at the Sony Centre (battery life's important to me as I do a lot of coach travelling) and they want me to buy one of their new TX Vaios, which seem very impressive. I know they're quite recent on the market but has anyone any user experience before I take the plunge?

[shadytree]

I've just bought an S5 and love it's power and quality screen, but the battery life is poo. Not sure how long the new TX's are?

[hustlebabe]

Looked at Sony but went for Toshiba Qosmio G10
More for the money if you are spending that sort of dosh

[mocap]

Hi shadytree.

It's the first thing I looked for! It's about 7 hours with the standard battery pack and 11 and a half with extended.

[mocap]

Thanx, hustlebabe - must have crossed postings! I'll have a look at it and compare

[shadytree]

mocap said:

Hi shadytree. It's the first thing I looked for! It's about 7 hours with the standard battery pack and 11 and a half with extended.

7hrs sounds pretty good to me. Even the Dell Inspirions which have the best batteries on the market are about 7hrs. Mine is only around 3hrs.
But I never get the coach

[800]

My Wife has a Vaio, it is an unmitigated pile of poo. In three months its broken down twice. My Daughter's Babie has better build quality. I think its one of the models low down in the food chain, never the less, I expected much better of Sony.

Thank heavens for my Apple PowerBook

[siamblue]

I have had my VAIO now for 18 months PCG-GRT915M PENT 4 2.8, hasn't broken down once, only downfall is the battery only last for 1 hour on wireless networking,

Will upgrade in the next 6 months, for another VAIO,

[mcflurry]

shadytree said:

mocap said: Hi shadytree. It's the first thing I looked for! It's about 7 hours with the standard battery pack and 11 and a half with extended. 7hrs sounds pretty good to me. Even the Dell Inspirions which have the best batteries on the market are about 7hrs. Mine is only around 3hrs. But I never get the coach

My Inspiron lasts 3 hours tops, 1 hour if the wifi card is going..

[puggit]

I too have a Vaio (PCG-9NIM) - battery life is shocking, I think due to the fact that the fan comes on after around 2 mins and stays on

less then 1hr

[bigtone]

I get an hour and a half out of mine, an A397XP, but tend not to use it only on battery too often, so maybe that has a bearing. Top peice of kit though, the 17" widescreen version, brilliant display and all the bells and whistles, but i's mainly used for design/image work so well suited to its role. I wouldn't have said it's the most portable thing around though, weights quite a bit, but it does wonders for your arms!

[JonRB]

We've got a VAIO GRT796HP. Weighs a ton (4kg) and very poor battery life (around 1hr) but does allow you to swap out the DVD drive for a second battery which gives you around 2 hours, but increases the weight still further. We managed to source a reasonably-priced 2nd battery on eBay. In addition to all this weight, the PSU is like a brick too, so the actual luggable weight all-up is appalling.

Upside is a true P4 running at 2.88GHz, 512Mb RAM (1Gb max), CD-RW / DVD-ROM combo, 60Gb HDD, GeForce4 GPU and a 16.1" TFT screen running at a decent 1400 x 1050.

We've had it about 2 years with no problems at all other than the fact the screen recently packed up and we're currently running it on an external screen.

In short, it is a good desktop replacement / luggable (which is what I bought it for) but a poor on-the-road performer due to poor battery life, high weight, and a tendency to give 3rd-degree burns to your legs when being used on your lap.

[Size Nine Elm]

Had a Vaio for about 5 years. Nice enough machine, but the battery life shortened very quickly - after a couple of years it really had to be on the mains. (Although I guess battery technology has come a long way since then ).

Now got a new HP nx thingy. Seems pretty good.

[digga951]

I have a vaio PCG GRT815M and think its an amazing machine. Awesome screen which is far better than my 19" sony trintron crt jobby. 2.8Ghz P4 is mega quick even by todays standard, DVD writer very handy, build quality very high. Very pleased with it, however the battery is next to useless, like mosts peoples in this topic!

A quick tip though that I have since learnt. If you only use the battery occasionally, charge it up to around 60% capacity, remove it from the laptop and store it in the coolest place possible. Some people opt for the fridge which is apparently a good place. This should help preserve the total life of the battery (by that, I mean the number of useful years life). The thing that damages the battery the most is excess heat (ie from that fast processor...) and constant charging/draining. Also, with modern batteries, the old trick of draining them and charging them to recondition the cells is a myth - this actually helps to destroy the battery very rapidly! So, for occasional battery users, half charge them and store them somewhere cool until needed! Should last for years then!!!

Back to topic, the vaio gets my vote as a very good choice in laptop. The screen alone is enough to win me over, and afterall, it is the thing you look at all day! Just compare it to other laptops in PC world and you will see what I mean. I understand Toshiba are doing similar screens now - may be a cheaper alternative?

Dan.

[munky]

I know a few people with sony laptops and they all say... don't buy one. Things break, keys stop working, hard drives fail, pixels on the screen drop out, and the battery deteriorates rapidly (most common fault). Get a laptop from someone known for making computers rather than TVs and tape players.

[406]

I have a PCG-FR414B. Battery life is about 1 hour on WiFi but 2-3 hours without. Great machine, only downside id that the finish on the left mouse key has worn through. I use it 16 hours a day so it is understandable I suppose. CDRW / DVD FDD, 40gig HDD, 3 USB ports and 2 PCMCIA ports. Down side is it weighs a ton. Would I buy another Sony Vaio? Yes I would.

Dave

406

[ultimasimon]

I too have a 4 year old Vaio and have had battery problems. The power sloped off from about an hour to just 10 mins very recently

Solution? a new technology battery from ebay store for £44 - Sony wanted £96

Now lasts 3 hours WITH Wifi and Bluetooth switched on. Its better than it was when it was new

[Plotloss]

Any advice?...





...Yeah, buy a thinkpad

[Podie]

Plotloss said:

Any advice?... ...Yeah, buy a thinkpad

Good advice.

[munky]

Quite a few large companies use thinkpads, Dells & Toshibas, but I don't know of any that use Sony laptops. There must be a good reason for this!