Please help me choose between these two laptops!

[rezpower]

I have chosen 2 laptops and would like to ask which one you guys would choose?

The reason I chose Vaio F series is that Only F series now have firewire and I need
firewire for my external M-audio sound card. Appel has firewire too. Not for that I would go for a 15inch sony and not 16!

First one is a Sony Vaio F series customized :

Intel® Core™ i7-2760QM quad-core processor (2.40GHz / 3.50GHz with Turbo Boost)
Microsoft Windows® 7 Home Premium
16.4" Full HD LCD display (1920x1080) with LED backlight
750GB (7200rpm) hard drive
NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M (2GB) dedicated graphics
Blu-ray Disc player
6GB (4GB x1 + 2GB x1) DDR3-SDRAM-1333
Bilingual (English/French)
Standard Capacity Battery
This one will cost me 1499.99 Canadian dollars (1130 euros)

Next one is an appel Macbook Pro:

Specifications

2.4GHz Quad-core Intel Core i7
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM — 2x2GB
750GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm
SuperDrive 8x (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
MacBook Pro 15-inch Hi-Res Glossy Widescreen Display
Backlit Keyboard (English)

This one costs $2,428.95 (canadian) 1,834.12 EUR


Which one would you choose? If you would get both for free which one would you take!? Damn sony is much less expensive but seem to have better hardware!!! Oh if you have something better then these two please let me know!

 

[mattatcomputer]

I am no expert but if it was me I would say that the first is better. However, it really comes down to what YOU want. Therefore, your choice depends on whether you play games, and if you refer an Apple design/operating system to a Windows set-up?

 

[Proximon]

Several questions come to mind.

1. What are you going to use the laptop for?

2. What laptops have you used in the past?

3. Would this be your only computer?

4. Do you understand that the Apple OS is completely different than the Windows OS? That they require completely different software programs?

 

[omega21xx]

In hardware, the first laptop (windows) is much better, the apple variant is priced rather high for what you get. If you are familiar with Mac/OSX and you love it, you probably don't want the windows laptop however.

On a side note i've never see such a high "apple tax" in recent memory. They seemed to be bringing down the prices last i checked, guess not.

If i had to pick between the two, i'd have to get the sony. What do you plan to do with the laptop anyway? If we know what your plans are for it, we can maybe provide a better laptop or i should say a better priced one for what you need.

 

[rezpower]

Ok guys, So happy you responded and it seems you will finally Help me choose as I
am not able to decide.


What computer I had before this?

I have a Sony VAIO VGN-FZ180E that I took with me everywhere and did almost
all I needed. But it just let me down due to GPU bug "Nvidia 8400M GT . Sony
recognized this problem and extended the guarantee for 3 years but mine died
2 months after the 3 year extension I was unlucky

What Do I Do and want to do With it?

Well I do a lot with my laptop! I connect it to my firewire audio interface and record
singing and piano for hours. I do a lot of web browsing. I download sometimes for
2 days non stop. I convert and edit Videos and music. I watch every night an HD movie and for this I connect the laptop to my HDMI Tv. I am not a gamer but like to
play games from time to time and love car racing hd games.

Yes this would be my only computer and I count on having it for few years. I am not
rich! so if I have decided to by a good and expensive laptop its because I want it to
last a while.

And about MAC/OSX I had not even seen one till I bought an iphone! I love my iphone! But I have been using pc.s for all my life! my first windows was 3.1 then 95 till now that I use windows7.

 

[rezpower]

Btw I have chosen these two laptops with my limited understanding but please feel free to propose something else if you think that for the same price I can get something better!

I also was thinking about intalling windows7 on the macbook if I took it! I was told it run quiet stable!
maybe same could be done on the sony! I could install Mac/Osx!?

 

[scout_03]

the first one with dedicated memory for video will permit you to play some games,mac is intended for more office work,check around if you dont sony other brand with the same kind of parts

 

[omega21xx]

It sounds like you may be fine with an AMD A8 in a laptop to handle the light gaming you do and have plenty of power to do everything else, you'll also get better battery life with the decent IGP this chip has compared to a discrete card.
Since you are used to Windows i'd suggest sticking with it as an unfamiliar OS can either be nice or horrid and at that price a scary decision.
As for build quality Lenovo, ASUS, and some of the sony lines are good and reliable. I know plenty of people who have had sony take in their laptop to fix or replace at no cost past warranty because they have been a loyal customer. Maybe you could bring that up if you go the sony route again?

 

[Proximon]

Yep, you don't want the Macbook. It's not just for office stuff, the Macbook would handle media well. But it's not going to be as flexible as the PC, and as mentioned the dollar/performance ratio is poor.

The Sony sounds fine as long as you have a good warranty.

 

[rezpower]

Thanks a lot guys. It seems everyone here go for the Sony then.
I will have to finalize the order very soon now. So please if anyone
Has something to add do so before its too late. Also a little last question for you:
For 50$ I can have a windows7 professional instead of family. Is there any
differences in performance ? Should i get the pro?
Thanks again for your precious help. I was totally lost when got here

 

[omega21xx]

Pro adds extra networking features and a few other things,
Domain Join
Remote Desktop - more powerful than remote assistance
Location Aware Printing
Group Policy Editor
Encryption
Network Backup
Support for Windows XP Mode
Microsoft will support Windows 7 Professional for up 10 years, while Home has a life cycle of about 5 years.
If those things don't matter to you then go ahead and save 50 bucks. Performance is no different and it doesn't use any more space (from what i can tell)

 

[Proximon]

I use Pro because of the ability to back up to network drives. This can be done with 3rd party software in the home edition, but I find the built in Win 7 backup and restore to be quite good. XP mode is not too useful really.

 

[rezpower]

just called dell and here is there proposal :

Looks more expensive then the sony and not any better!?

Mobile Precision M4600:

Processor:
Intel® Core***8482; i7-2760QM (Quad Core 2.40GHz, 6M cache,with Turbo BoostTechnology 2.0)


Operating System:
Genuine Windows® 7 Professional, No Media, 64-bit, English


Memory:
4.0GB, DDR3-1600MHz SDRAM, 2 DIMMS

Primary Storage:
750GB 7200rpm Hard Drive


Graphics:
NVIDIA® Quadro® 1000M with 2GB GDDR3

Media Bay Devices:
8X DVD with Cyberlink Power DVD***8482;, no media

LCDs:
15.6" UltraSharp***8482; FHD(1920x1080) Anti-Glare LED-backlit with Premium Panel Guarantee

2150 Canadian Dollars = 1600 Euros

 

[Proximon]

A Quadro 1000M is a professional video card for people who do CAD and 3D work. That's what you are paying for in that build.

 

[rezpower]

the only other choice you have with the dell is to go AMD® FirePro® M5950 Mobility Pro Graphics with 1GB GDDR5 [subtract $150.00]

but again with all that I hesitate between this and the vaio !!!
the big disappointment for me with Sony are:
I want a 15inch and sony F is 16
seems batteries on Sony are not great but I am most of the time connected
to electricity at home or in a hotel!
Also I am victim of sony defective gpu ( reason I need a laptop is my sonyFZ-180e
with problematic NVIDIA® GeForce® 8400M GT chip just died! )
Sony knows the problem and extended guarantee but mine died 2 months late and I have no guarantee!

 

[omega21xx]

the only other choice you have with the dell is to go AMD® FirePro® M5950 Mobility Pro Graphics with 1GB GDDR5 [subtract $150.00]

but again with all that I hesitate between this and the vaio !!!
the big disappointment for me with Sony are:
I want a 15inch and sony F is 16
seems batteries on Sony are not great but I am most of the time connected
to electricity at home or in a hotel!
Also I am victim of sony defective gpu ( reason I need a laptop is my sonyFZ-180e
with problematic NVIDIA® GeForce® 8400M GT chip just died! )
Sony knows the problem and extended guarantee but mine died 2 months late and I have no guarantee!

From the work you do, you really wouldn't benefit much from a workstation gpu. I still suggest the sony and bringing up loyality if warranty falls off as that's helped plenty of people i know with sony. I still think an A8 would be a cheaper better choice and to go with a company known for build quality like lenovo or ASUS. Save money and know you are getting good QA/QC.

 

[rezpower]

thanks for all the precious info and replies. I finally called sony today and ordered
this customized Sony F:

Intel® Core™ i7-2760QM quad-core processor (2.40GHz / 3.50GHz with Turbo Boost)
Microsoft Windows® 7 Professional
16.4" Full HD LCD display (1920x1080) with LED backlight
750GB (7200rpm) hard drive
NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M (2GB) dedicated graphics
Blu-ray Disc player
6GB (4GB x1 + 2GB x1) DDR3-SDRAM-1333
Bilingual (English/French)
Standard Capacity Battery
Platinum Silver

It cost me 1550 CANADIAN Dollars!
Compared to many other products I studied, the price looks very interesting for the
hardware I get and I am sure its more then enough for my needs.

I hope I did the right choice anyway

 

[omega21xx]

thanks for all the precious info and replies. I finally called sony today and ordered
this customized Sony F:

Intel® Core™ i7-2760QM quad-core processor (2.40GHz / 3.50GHz with Turbo Boost)
Microsoft Windows® 7 Professional
16.4" Full HD LCD display (1920x1080) with LED backlight
750GB (7200rpm) hard drive
NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M (2GB) dedicated graphics
Blu-ray Disc player
6GB (4GB x1 + 2GB x1) DDR3-SDRAM-1333
Bilingual (English/French)
Standard Capacity Battery
Platinum Silver

It cost me 1550 CANADIAN Dollars!
Compared to many other products I studied, the price looks very interesting for the
hardware I get and I am sure its more then enough for my needs.

I hope I did the right choice anyway

Congrats! hope you enjoy it.