I'm traveling for 10 days & decided this is the justification I needed to pick up the laptop I've wanted for years. I figure I'll get enough work done while I'm away to have it pay for itself. When I return I'll probably use it as my home office workstation instead of this old Pentium 233 MhZ dinosaur with 128 megs of ram.
I need to grab one quick since I leave Saturday, so I am choosing from 2 available at Costco. Costco allows returns up to 6 months which is nice.
First the more tempting one for features @ $1599:
Sony Vaio NV190 w/ P4 1.7 GhZ processor, 30 gig HD, 256 RAM, XP home, 15" screen, DVD/CDR combo drive & a floppy drive that can swap out for the included keyboard extension or sub-woofer.
Second the more tempting price @ $999:
HP XT118 w/ Celeron 1.6 GhZ processor, 30 gig HD, 256 RAM, XP home, 14" screen, DVD/CDR combo drive, & No floppy drive.
Posted by Bob Rochon (Member # 30) on :
No decision here,
Go Sony all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by Doug Allan (Member # 2247) on :
That's what I would like to own, but any good $600 rationalizations to help me out with?
Posted by AlanD (Member # 1461) on :
We have had a Sony Viao laptop for a year and it's so nice that I went with a Sony desktop when I just replaced my old computer system. Sony tech was very helpful when I called them (about some things that were more a problem of my software, not the hardware).
The only real problem we had was a loose power connection inside the case that caused the laptop to revert to battery power (and thus a slightly dimmer display) even when plugged into an outlet. But they sent a special FedEx box for us to ship it to them, and it was back to us in just a few days; no charge under their warrantee.
Despite the price, if you have the choice, I would recommend the larger screen. Since you're doing graphics, every bit of screen space is valuable.
Posted by Amy Brown (Member # 1963) on :
Sony P4.
Celerons suck!!
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
celeron processor are limited on the front side bus to 83 or 100, i got a IBM 433 its slower with 128 ram then my desktop 350 cyrix(thats old) got a freind who has the sony laptop...SWEEEEEEEET MACHINE......only problem XP(my opinion) does full screen vids....and seems to have good battery life....the pentium 4 is i think a 400 megz front side bus...so its 4 times faster then the celeron outa the box....but celerons are dependable....and no real heat problems...faster you go..hotter they get....hope this helps..
Posted by Kimberly Zanetti (Member # 2546) on :
The Sony has a bigger screen too...an inch may not seem like a lot but you notice it in a laptop.
Posted by TJ Duvall (Member # 3133) on :
I just got a HP ze5170 for $1599 (after rebates). It has P4 2.0 Ghz with 512 MB ram. Plus all the other features the Sony you mention. Good deal in my opinion.
Posted by Howard Keiper (Member # 1250) on :
Doug... We, at Graphtec use Sony's across the board. Furthermore, I've always felt that you tended to get a lot of bang for the buck when buying at Costco anyway. hk
Posted by Doug Allan (Member # 2247) on :
I think I got enough ammunition to satisfy the devil on my shoulder whispering to "go cheap"
I did check TJ's laptop on HP.com it does measure up in all specs incl. price, w/ the additional .3 gig of processor speed (2G, over 1.7) & 512 RAM over Sony's 256. The one on the web has no floppy drive, but offers $50 rebate for a $50 external drive. I just pay shipping & handling.
Anyway, no time for mail-order. Besides I have Costco's Sony Vaio 2G desktop here at work & I love it, so thanks for the comments everyone, I'll get the Sony!
[ December 03, 2002, 03:55 PM: Message edited by: Doug Allan ]
Posted by Mike Pipes (Member # 1573) on :
Looks like ya made yer decision but I was gonna suggest the Sony as well, mainly because HP has gone cheap and unstable with their consumer items over recent years.
The extra .3GHz and RAM won't make a difference with that HP over the Sony, cause the HP needs the "higher numbers" just to move them off the shelf. Makes you wonder if the HP performed just as well as the Sony, why is it cheaper?
