Is this a good deal? - Blu-ray Forum

Living Near Shamu · 01-23-2008, 09:33 PM

Someone is selling this and I'm thinking of buying it.

"This ad is for a Sony Vaio VGN-AR290G laptop. It is well taken care. It's just like brand new, because I like to take good care of my things. I would like to sell it to someone who likes to take good care of things as I do.

Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GHz
2 GB RAM
200 GB Hard Disk
256 MB Video Memory
17" WUXGA (1920x1200) Display
Ethernet
Modem
Bluetooth
Wireless
TV Tuner
Blu-Ray DVD RW
Integrated Camera + Microphone
3 x USB ports
IEEE 1394
Lithium-ion Battery (2.0 - 2.5 hours battery life)
8.4 lbs
Windows Vista Home Premium
Carrying Case
Unit comes in original box, with everything it came with (battery, ac adapter, power cord, remote control + IR receiver, RF cable, HDMI cable, HDMI to DVI-D Adapter)
3 Months old (9 Months left of Warranty)"

$530

Would like your feedback on something like this. I've been looking to buy a BD-capable laptop and this seems like a good deal. Anyone heard anything negative on this?

Grisle · 01-23-2008, 09:36 PM

Of course...if I didn't have a computer I'd definitely pay for that.

kpkelley · 01-23-2008, 09:39 PM

Is the video decoding done on board or by an add-on? If by an add-on you should list what card it is.

Also what tv tuner is it?

Do you have the full cpu specifiactions? T7200 or T7300, etc.

Living Near Shamu · 01-23-2008, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kpkelley

Is the video decoding done on board or by an add-on? If by an add-on you should list what card it is.

Also what tv tuner is it?

Do you have the full cpu specifiactions? T7200 or T7300, etc.

Uhm, I'm not selling this, I'm trying to buy it. But if I get the info I will post it here so you can tell me if this is good or not, lol

seto · 01-23-2008, 09:43 PM

For that price tag it is a pretty decent deal. However, from my personal experiences and lab tests that we have performed on Sony VIAO products I find it hard to recommend purchasing any Sony PC. They are latent with bugs, tend to underperform, and their support is poor.

181 · 01-23-2008, 09:44 PM

Be careful of purchasing a laptop from an online seller (stores are ok). I have been scammed before for an IBM laptop. The seller kept delaying the shipment and finally said that a storm fried his computer so it would take even longer. It wasn't until I reported my case to the IFCC and the Attorney General of his state sent him a letter that I got my money back with an apology. It's easier than you think to scam people online, even with sites like eBay.

eBay didn't do anything, nor did the service through which I made the payment. I went straight to the feds to get my money back and I did eventually.

Living Near Shamu · 01-23-2008, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seto

For that price tag it is a pretty decent deal. However, from my personal experiences and lab tests that we have performed on Sony VIAO products I find it hard to recommend purchasing any Sony PC. They are latent with bugs, tend to underperform, and their support is poor.

Ah, this is exactly the kind of feedback I'm looking for. Thanks.

kpkelley · 01-23-2008, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Living Near Shamu

Uhm, I'm not selling this, I'm trying to buy it. But if I get the info I will post it here so you can tell me if this is good or not, lol

Assuming your a HD afficionado these are important questions. The tuner may not be for OTA hd broadcasts. Vista is extremely graphics intensive, so it would be best to offload the video from the cpu to a good graphics card. Not all cpu's are created equal.

Toshiba tends to make sturdy laptops at a relatively cheap price. If all things were equal I would go with them over a similar Sony.

OokieSpookie · 01-23-2008, 10:02 PM

Looks word for word like a scam I saw on Craigslist

181 · 01-23-2008, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OokieSpookie

Looks word for word like a scam I saw on Craigslist

I agree. Especially this part:

Quote:

It's just like brand new, because I like to take good care of my things. I would like to sell it to someone who likes to take good care of things as I do.

Why would he give a sh*t or bother to mention that? He wants to sound like a respectable person to gain your trust.

w_tanoto · 01-23-2008, 10:08 PM

I hate to say it, but the processor is a bit low. Get 2.2GHz

This was one of the laptop I wanted, but it's so out of date. Looking at the price, though, it's a good deal

OokieSpookie · 01-23-2008, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 181

I agree. Especially this part:

Why would he give a sh*t or bother to mention that? He wants to sound like a respectable person to gain your trust.

To the OP, they are in the UK aren't they?
They will ask you to use some odd company to do the payment and shipping if it is the same scam.

Jim L · 01-23-2008, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by w_tanoto

I hate to say it, but the processor is a bit low. Get 2.2GHz

This was one of the laptop I wanted, but it's so out of date. Looking at the price, though, it's a good deal

I have a VAIO and I like it, except for Windows!

This machine looks good. I don't necessarily think that the CPU speed is that low.

The biggest bottleneck is memory and the hard-drive. You'll definitely want to bump the memory up to 1 GB.

A 200 GB HD is good, but if the drive speed is 5400 (or 4800 rpms

) you will be very frustrated with it. Most laptop drives are the slower speed. I upgraded mine to a Hitachi 7200 rpm and it is much better. It will cut your battery life a little, but that is not a problem.

Elandyll · 01-23-2008, 10:43 PM

The price seems way too low for this kind of laptop.
My general rule is, If something looks too good to be true, it generally is.

Even second hand, this kind of laptop would easily be at $1000+ imho.
Unless stolen, or worse.

Living Near Shamu · 01-24-2008, 04:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OokieSpookie

To the OP, they are in the UK aren't they?
They will ask you to use some odd company to do the payment and shipping if it is the same scam.

Funny you mention a scam involving craigslist, this is a local listing there and it even gives a picture of the laptop. I thought it was too good to be true as well but figured that since the seller was local (unless they responded by saying they would ship it instead) I would be safe.

OokieSpookie · 01-24-2008, 04:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Living Near Shamu

Funny you mention a scam involving craigslist, this is a local listing there and it even gives a picture of the laptop. I thought it was too good to be true as well but figured that since the seller was local (unless they responded by saying they would ship it instead) I would be safe.

Respond to them, ask them how they would want payment and ask something about the laptop like "does it have hdmi out" or "how many usb ports does it have".
A legit poster will go back and forth with you.
The one i ran across was local, until I contacted them and then they said "oh i moved to england but ..."
I then googled lines from the ad and it seems it pops up all over in different areas with the same gimmick.

01-23-2008, 09:33 PM	#1
Living Near Shamu Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Oct 2007 Location:Austin, TX Trading Score:42	Is this a good deal? Someone is selling this and I'm thinking of buying it. "This ad is for a Sony Vaio VGN-AR290G laptop. It is well taken care. It's just like brand new, because I like to take good care of my things. I would like to sell it to someone who likes to take good care of things as I do. Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GHz 2 GB RAM 200 GB Hard Disk 256 MB Video Memory 17" WUXGA (1920x1200) Display Ethernet Modem Bluetooth Wireless TV Tuner Blu-Ray DVD RW Integrated Camera + Microphone 3 x USB ports IEEE 1394 Lithium-ion Battery (2.0 - 2.5 hours battery life) 8.4 lbs Windows Vista Home Premium Carrying Case Unit comes in original box, with everything it came with (battery, ac adapter, power cord, remote control + IR receiver, RF cable, HDMI cable, HDMI to DVI-D Adapter) 3 Months old (9 Months left of Warranty)" $530 Would like your feedback on something like this. I've been looking to buy a BD-capable laptop and this seems like a good deal. Anyone heard anything negative on this? Last edited by Living Near Shamu; 01-23-2008 at 09:42 PM.

01-23-2008, 09:44 PM	#6
181 Active Member Member since:Dec 2007	Be careful of purchasing a laptop from an online seller (stores are ok). I have been scammed before for an IBM laptop. The seller kept delaying the shipment and finally said that a storm fried his computer so it would take even longer. It wasn't until I reported my case to the IFCC and the Attorney General of his state sent him a letter that I got my money back with an apology. It's easier than you think to scam people online, even with sites like eBay. eBay didn't do anything, nor did the service through which I made the payment. I went straight to the feds to get my money back and I did eventually. Last edited by 181; 01-23-2008 at 09:46 PM.

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01-23-2008, 09:36 PM	#2
Grisle Power Member Member since:Sep 2007 Location:Northern California 4K collection:18 Blu-ray collection:18 Trading Score:12	Of course...if I didn't have a computer I'd definitely pay for that.

01-23-2008, 09:39 PM	#3
kpkelley Blu-ray Ninja Top contributor Member since:Aug 2007 Location:Framingham, MA 4K collection:385 Blu-ray collection:2478 Digital collection:113 Blu-ray reviews: 152	Is the video decoding done on board or by an add-on? If by an add-on you should list what card it is. Also what tv tuner is it? Do you have the full cpu specifiactions? T7200 or T7300, etc.

01-23-2008, 09:43 PM	#5
seto Senior Member Member since:Jul 2007 Blu-ray reviews:1	For that price tag it is a pretty decent deal. However, from my personal experiences and lab tests that we have performed on Sony VIAO products I find it hard to recommend purchasing any Sony PC. They are latent with bugs, tend to underperform, and their support is poor.

01-23-2008, 10:02 PM	#9
OokieSpookie Banned Member since:Nov 2007 Trading Score:1	Looks word for word like a scam I saw on Craigslist

01-23-2008, 10:08 PM	#11
w_tanoto Blu-ray Samurai Top contributor Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Hatfield, UK / Jakarta, Indonesia Blu-ray collection:37 Blu-ray reviews:47	I hate to say it, but the processor is a bit low. Get 2.2GHz This was one of the laptop I wanted, but it's so out of date. Looking at the price, though, it's a good deal

01-23-2008, 10:43 PM	#14
Elandyll Blu-ray Knight Member since:Aug 2007 Location:MD Blu-ray collection:188 Trading Score:1	The price seems way too low for this kind of laptop. My general rule is, If something looks too good to be true, it generally is. Even second hand, this kind of laptop would easily be at $1000+ imho. Unless stolen, or worse.

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