better than tecra a6? (decided on MBP)

[urbanvanilla]

I've been hunting around for a laptop for Uni and I was looking at a sony vaio SX model for 2999. it was similiarly specced to a tecra A6 (core duo model, not the S513) but was 1.9kg as opposed to 2.26kg or whatever. Now, I've switched over to liking the tecra a6 more, however, seeing as I have up to 3000 dollars to spend, are there any options that are as light and battery lasting as the tecra a6 but with slightly better specs if i do not mind paying up to 3 grand?

I assume there may well not be, and the 800 dollar difference in price between the vaio and the tecra is made up by the weight difference. (the model up from the vaio i was looking at had better specs and was lighter, but cost 700-800 dollars more. hence out of my range) but i might as well ask

[hlokk]

why dont you state what specs you want? e.g. screen size, max weight, processor, etc. Some things that you might not care out may drive up the cost of a comparable laptop (if that sentence makes sense).

I'm guessing the vaio you were talking about was the sz15, the one up being sz17 (lighter (carbon fibre), thinner, faster, fingerprint scanner and some other stuff i cant remember atm)

[urbanvanilla]

well like I said, I want it as light as the tecra a6, but I want anything else better.
size is not as big a deal as weight. the tecra a6 has a t2300 core duo, an 128mb x1400, a 60gig harddrive, half a gig of ram and some extras like bluetooth 2.0, and finger print reader etc.

[McbLt]

*edit* didn't read it properly sorry...

[hlokk]

Originally Posted by urbanvanilla

well like I said, I want it as light as the tecra a6, but I want anything else better.
size is not as big a deal as weight. the tecra a6 has a t2300 core duo, an 128mb x1400, a 60gig harddrive, half a gig of ram and some extras like bluetooth 2.0, and finger print reader etc.

just checking all those are actual requirements. E.g. will you need a duo core or need a x1400? Think your only other option is the sonys. Few small laptops have integrated graphics, less with integrated graphics and core duo. Once you go above 14" the weight will be more.

[urbanvanilla]

Originally Posted by hlokk

just checking all those are actual requirements. E.g. will you need a duo core or need a x1400? Think your only other option is the sonys. Few small laptops have integrated graphics, less with integrated graphics and core duo. Once you go above 14" the weight will be more.

im assuming you mean dedicated graphics. i do want the core duo. thats kind of why the tecra hit the sweet spot there. just. i thought i might ask if theres a step higher.

[mordy]

the sony warrantee is 1yr only ... tecras come with 3yr business warrantees, and toshiba has the fastest turn-over in australia

peace of mind is important

[McbLt]

I'm pretty sure the Toshy warranty is only 1 year. The 3 year warranty is extra...or at least mine was

[Kharn]

15.4-inch TFT display with 1440x900 resolution

1.83GHz Intel Core Duo with 2MB shared L2 Cache 1

667MHz frontside bus

512MB (single SO-DIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM

80GB 5400rpm Serial ATA hard drive

Slot-load SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)

ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128MB GDDR3 memory

full-size backlit keyboard

AirPort Extreme wireless networking (802.11b/g)

Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, ExpressCard/34 slot

dual-link DVI video out

Gigabit Ethernet

USB 2.0 and FireWire 400

optical digital and analog audio in/out.

2.54kg

Under 3k with a student discount. Also runs both windows XP and OSX. The Macbook Pro is a good compromise of specs and weight. Also it has the best design of any laptop and a good battery life.

[turanga]

As much as I hate pretentious Mac users, that is pretty tempting due to the weight/very slim build...

[Kharn]

Originally Posted by turanga

As much as I hate pretentious Mac users, that is pretty tempting due to the weight/very slim build...

With a little Apple Bootcamp you can become one too.

[hlokk]

Originally Posted by urbanvanilla

im assuming you mean dedicated graphics. i do want the core duo. thats kind of why the tecra hit the sweet spot there. just. i thought i might ask if theres a step higher.

yes, sorry, dedicated graphics. You wont get smaller/lighter with the sony afaik if you want dedicated graphics AND duo. Theres some asus laptops you might want to look into which have duo core (12" too, but some larger later i think). Theres a few 14" laptops with dedicated graphics (e.g. asus w3v/w3n, or benq s72) but not duo.

Though why the duo? Is it just for leet factor? I wouldnt of thought say the duo 1.8 was huge amounts faster than a solo 1.8 pentium m. If you just look for decent performance rather than a specific chip it might open up your options a bit.

[Kermalius]

a) duo == 20% less power consumption than previous gen centrino

b) duo helps a lot with mutlitasking if you happen to be doing any simulations or the like.

c) tecra A6 is nice, but the battery life is a little sub par. I get 2.5 hours on average use, 1.5 hours if i'm playing WoW over wireless. More if i turned down the stats, but the screen brightness isn't as good as some other models.

Overall, i'm really pleased with mine, just three complaints vs similar spec sonys etc:
i) battery life
ii) screen brightness
iii) it's just a *little* bit to thick on the base side for extended use

[urbanvanilla]

Originally Posted by Kermalius

a) duo == 20% less power consumption than previous gen centrino

b) duo helps a lot with mutlitasking if you happen to be doing any simulations or the like.

c) tecra A6 is nice, but the battery life is a little sub par. I get 2.5 hours on average use, 1.5 hours if i'm playing WoW over wireless. More if i turned down the stats, but the screen brightness isn't as good as some other models.

Overall, i'm really pleased with mine, just three complaints vs similar spec sonys etc:
i) battery life
ii) screen brightness
iii) it's just a *little* bit to thick on the base side for extended use

hmm, battery life's a pretty big deal.
but, to conclude my journey, i think, as of that bootcamp announcement, I have decided the macbook pro is a very nice choice.
looks nice (saw one in person)
good battery life, i hear
sneakily been revised by apple in response to some dodginess reported
relatively light to other laptops, (heavier than tecra but, much much better hardware)
in my price range
both operating systems. (i've been meaning to try out mac os X for productivity)

[Kelvin]

SOny makes nice pretty machines.. yes...

But parts later are very very expensive and there's always the warranty issues over 1 year...

My old Sony SR9 was a nice ntebook.. but to replace the battery is $599... (and its always been this price for the battery)...

The best is not always the best.. ue the old BEta / VHS debate...

It is always better ot go with a more common notebook / laptop.. cause parts and batteries and gneral informaiton about the model will be cheaper and easier to come by..

Originally Posted by urbanvanilla

I've been hunting around for a laptop for Uni and I was looking at a sony vaio SX model for 2999. it was similiarly specced to a tecra A6 (core duo model, not the S513) but was 1.9kg as opposed to 2.26kg or whatever. Now, I've switched over to liking the tecra a6 more, however, seeing as I have up to 3000 dollars to spend, are there any options that are as light and battery lasting as the tecra a6 but with slightly better specs if i do not mind paying up to 3 grand?

I assume there may well not be, and the 800 dollar difference in price between the vaio and the tecra is made up by the weight difference. (the model up from the vaio i was looking at had better specs and was lighter, but cost 700-800 dollars more. hence out of my range) but i might as well ask