Customer Reviews

Sony VAIO VGN-S560P/B 13.3" Laptop (Intel Pentium M Processor 750, 512 MB RAM, 100 GB Hard Drive, DVD+R Dbl Layer/DVD+/-RW Drive)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm a university student with an eye for a good deal and advanced experience with hardware and troubleshooting. I've been looking for a good laptop for at least 6 months. I identified the Sony VAIO line as a good one from an early start, but I was disappointed that they were so expensive. I'd also had good experiences with in-store demos. These things are stylish and popular, and have the performance to back it up.

When the prices came down and there was a $250 rebate around Thanksgiving '05, I sprung for it. So far, I am VERY satisfied. It really is lightweight and stylish. Sony's use of dark and metal accents, and discreet LED indicators on the front looks modern. It's also fast and approaches the ease-of-use of a Mac (that is, it does it's best to work around my mistakes!). I'll be using this for notetaking, websurfing, e-mail, movie viewing, and light gaming. The specs make sure this will be a breeze.

So far, I've only noted two moderate downsides. First, it seems to run hotter than most laptops I've worked with, so consider a USB-powered cooling pad. And second, that its price remains high for its class unless a significant rebate is available.

I bought a Sony VAIO laptop for £1,350 in 2003 having chosen the machine mainly for its large, high-resolution screen (16inch, 1600 x 1200) and in the belief that Sony laptops were some of the most reliable on the market. However, when the computer was just over 14 months old (not quite three months out of warranty), the keyboard failed completely, and I had to purchase an external USB keyboard to be able to continue using it. I wrote to Sony, arguing that such a major fault was unacceptable, and asked them to repair the product at their own expense. Their response was to offer me a derisory 10% discount on the cost of repairs.

Then, about a month later, the screen flickered briefly and died completely! I was left with an expensive laptop that was effectively reduced to a desktop machine that could only be used with an external keyboard and an external monitor.

So, here was a laptop that had been used carefully for about five hours a day, in a benign environment, had never suffered any kind of physical damage, and had only been taken out of the house on a handful of occasions, and yet had developed two major faults in the space of just sixteen months! Sony's response to my complaints was simply to argue that their machines "are some of the most reliable available on the market".

Not one, but two major faults in just over a year. Reliable? Judge for yourself. Maybe Sony have moved on since then, maybe their VAIO range is now more reliable, maybe they now offer better customer care....who knows? My advice: think very carefully before purchasing a Sony VAIO laptop - unless, that is, you intend using it as a desktop machine.

Unfortunately, the port replicator was purchased for its DVI output, yet the port replicator does not work. When returned to Sony, they advised the current chipset in the Sony model does not support DVI. I bought the Sony specifically for the availability of the DVI output on the port replicator

I also bought this one (for my lovely wife) with $250 rebate during the Thanksgiving season. The display is crystal clear which is unbelievable. No complains so far after using it for 2 weeks. One recommendation, the port replicatior is a good buy with DVI output. I got that to hook up to my Dell 2005FP monitor with digital signal. My wife is so impressed and love this tiny laptop.