Blu-ray Laptops

[CassilineKnight]

Okay so I'm looking to get a new laptop since my old comp died horribly. I want one with a Bluray drive so I can watch my Bluray movies on them.

I see that Dell, HP, and sony have them available. I was leaning towards HP but I don't like the color of the laptop. The sony vaio's look pretty sweet and they look pretty powerful in terms of specs...however I feel like they're overpriced.

Specifically I'm torn between the Sony AR700 series. vs the HP dv9700t...

Which one do you guys think is better? And in terms of graphics/resolution what should I be looking for to make sure that my Bluray movies look awesome on my laptop (as close as possible to an HDTV).

The sony ones are 17 inches diagonally which is okay right?

[Zod]

The Dells have a Hi-def screen option and would be cheaper than the Sony. Stay away from HP. If you get a Vaio you'll have to remove alot of bloatware, not sure how much bloatware is on the Dell.

[david2189]

dell are your cheapest option, but id personally go for a sony just for the fact dell is dell and sony are sony

[Zixxer]

i'd go with vaio. you should be able to find them for 30% off or more if you have the patience to look around for a couple weeks. i havent bought a computer in years now, but i did know of some reputable sites with great deals. ill see if i can find some of 'em.

[CassilineKnight]

Originally Posted by Zod

The Dells have a Hi-def screen option and would be cheaper than the Sony. Stay away from HP. If you get a Vaio you'll have to remove alot of bloatware, not sure how much bloatware is on the Dell.

How do you get rid of bloatware?

And thats funny cuz I was reading a bunch of different reviews and most people seemed to say that HP has a lot of these random fluff extras I'm guessing you're referring to as "bloatware".

And this is based on my personal experience as well. My current HP comp still has a bunch of random programs that I've NEVER used and I just want gone...safely. Both icon and the program itself.

Is there a safe way to remove all these "bloatware" things you're talking about?

I was looking at the Dell XPS M1530 but it seems like Dell has lost a lot of its luster lately. I thought they had good quality electronics but it doesn't look like they reach sony's level yet.

[dadkins]

If a factory Refurb is acceptable, you can get some good deals on them here:

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...Price+Ss+%3E+0

[CassilineKnight]

Originally Posted by dadkins

If a factory Refurb is acceptable, you can get some good deals on them here:

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...Price+Ss+%3E+0

Thanks but this is going to be my first laptop and I want to be brand spanking new...

[dadkins]

*THIS* VAIO had Norton, AOL, Nutscrape, some "Discover Games" thing, and Quicken trials that I removed rather painlessly.

[dadkins]

Originally Posted by CassilineKnight

Thanks but this is going to be my first laptop and I want to be brand spanking new...

Ok, well... Shoot the Moon then!

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...52921665291455

[reider]

I have Acer Aspire 7720-6395. And I am REALLY happy with it so far.

[Siberian29]

I have a Dell that I bought 2 months ago for $919 via a $400 off 1299 or more coupon found on xpbargains.com The Dells are great if you use their coupons but the 14" and 17" models are the only ones that really let you configure them. Their 15" series have a blu-ray option but no Graphics Card upgrades at the moment and the Intel X3100 it not something I would want to try with Blu-ray. I love the Dells since they are customizable with coupons and even offer the new 45nm processors. You won't find to many Sony coupons on customized models. i prefer Sony but Love a good deal even if it is made in Malaysia as opposed to Japan.

[CassilineKnight]

Originally Posted by dadkins

*THIS* VAIO had Norton, AOL, Nutscrape, some "Discover Games" thing, and Quicken trials that I removed rather painlessly.

Yeah but how exactly if you don't mind my asking...

I'm not an expert when it comes to messing around with my comp. I can do a few things. Uninstall some stuff but there are times when I think I've gotten rid of something and yet its still there.

@ dadkins

I went for the CTO option. I'm closing in around $2,000. However I get a discount with the company I work for so I'll be saving a lil bit of money AND I've gonna apply for the "No Interest/Payment for 12 months" deal if you sign up for a sonystyle credit card...

[dadkins]

I removed all "trials" via Add/Remove Programs - painless.
NOTE: I did not let Norton initialize.
I closed it as it was asking to run for the first time, and promptly uninstalled it.

I have a friend with the AR370CTO w/Blu-ray. Works fine!

[Ectoplasm]

Do these all have HDMI outs these days? How well do they do the audio? I know that the Blu-ray drives for regular PCs have had audio issues in the past.

[dadkins]

Originally Posted by Ectoplasm

Do these all have HDMI outs these days? How well do they do the audio? I know that the Blu-ray drives for regular PCs have had audio issues in the past.

This vintage June 2006 VAIO has HDMI...



Worked fine the few times I have used it.
Friend's AR370CTO has HDMI also, he says exactly like the above image.

[cktb2793]

When I was thinking of buying an Inspiron a few weeks ago, I called Dell to verify what I read in their specs.

The Inspiron line ONLY has super video out.

The XPS line ONLY has DVI out.

NEITHER line has HDMI.


Pretty STUPID on Dell's part, if you ask me.

[CassilineKnight]

So I've decided much to my surprise that I want to get the Sony Vaio laptop. The model I'm getting is the Sony Vaio VGN-AR770 CTO Series Notebook.

I'm currently deciding on some certain features in terms of customization and I wanted to get other peoples opinions as to what I need or should have in it.

Now of course I want it to be able to read and play Bluray movies. Sony offers a Bluray Disc Read Only Drive and a Bluray Disc Read & Write Drive. I just want to know if I opt to get the READ ONLY drive will I be able to burn regular DVD's if by some chance I feel the need to burn some something onto a physical format? I really don't see a situation where I'll need to burn that much information onto a disc so to me the Bluray Read Only drive sounds best. I just want to be sure that I'll still be able to burn old school DVDs.

My 2nd concern/issue is Hard Drive. I know that Vista requires a lot of space and I want to make sure that Vista will run as smooth as possible on my new laptop and that the Internet is pretty fast and reliable. I"ll also be downloading music on this laptop. I just wanted to know which one you think is the best and why. These are the options I've narrowed it down to.

1) 240 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [5400 rpm]
2) 320 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [5400 rpm]
3) 400 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [5400 rpm]
4) 400 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [7200 rpm]

Also are there real tangible differences between 5400 rpm vs 7200 rpm? Like will the 400GB Hard Drive be better and will it lead to a better Bluray experience if its running at the higher rpm?

The last topic I need guidance on is the Memory. Again I want to know what you guys think would be okay to good for Bluray movie watching, internet surfing, and general student activities/assignments (such as writing, powerpoints, spreadsheets, etc). The options are below. I'm leaning towards being safe and getting the 3G just to be safe.

2 GB DDR-SDRAM (DDR2-667, 1 GBx2
3 GB DDR-SDRAM (DDR2-667, 2GBx1 + 1GBx1)
4 GB DDR -SDRAM (DDR2-667, 2 GBx2)

Sorry about the long a$$ post but obviously this is a huge investment and I don't want to make a wrong or stupid decision I'll regret later. I'd appreciate any information/help anyone can give me. Thanks.

[dadkins]

The HDDs in the AR series are dual HDDs in RAID 0
240 GB* (2x120GB @ 5400 rpm)
320 GB* (2x160GB @ 5400 rpm)
400 GB* (2x200GB @ 5400 rpm)
400 GB* (2x200GB @ 7200 rpm)


HDD is irrelevent to Blu-ray playback.
Pretty sure that the BD ROM drive will still burn DVDs abd CDs.

Memory... PC2-5300 is not that expensive.

Crucial 4GB Kit is $95.99, Sony wants $300...
http://www.crucial.com/store/listpar...GN-AR770%20CTO

Save some money and get it with 2GB and max it yourself for less.

[cktb2793]

Originally Posted by CassilineKnight

So I've decided much to my surprise that I want to get the Sony Vaio laptop. The model I'm getting is the Sony Vaio VGN-AR770 CTO Series Notebook.

I'm currently deciding on some certain features in terms of customization and I wanted to get other peoples opinions as to what I need or should have in it.

Now of course I want it to be able to read and play Bluray movies. Sony offers a Bluray Disc Read Only Drive and a Bluray Disc Read & Write Drive. I just want to know if I opt to get the READ ONLY drive will I be able to burn regular DVD's if by some chance I feel the need to burn some something onto a physical format? I really don't see a situation where I'll need to burn that much information onto a disc so to me the Bluray Read Only drive sounds best. I just want to be sure that I'll still be able to burn old school DVDs.

My 2nd concern/issue is Hard Drive. I know that Vista requires a lot of space and I want to make sure that Vista will run as smooth as possible on my new laptop and that the Internet is pretty fast and reliable. I"ll also be downloading music on this laptop. I just wanted to know which one you think is the best and why. These are the options I've narrowed it down to.

1) 240 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [5400 rpm]
2) 320 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [5400 rpm]
3) 400 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [5400 rpm]
4) 400 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [7200 rpm]

Also are there real tangible differences between 5400 rpm vs 7200 rpm? Like will the 400GB Hard Drive be better and will it lead to a better Bluray experience if its running at the higher rpm?

The last topic I need guidance on is the Memory. Again I want to know what you guys think would be okay to good for Bluray movie watching, internet surfing, and general student activities/assignments (such as writing, powerpoints, spreadsheets, etc). The options are below. I'm leaning towards being safe and getting the 3G just to be safe.

2 GB DDR-SDRAM (DDR2-667, 1 GBx2
3 GB DDR-SDRAM (DDR2-667, 2GBx1 + 1GBx1)
4 GB DDR -SDRAM (DDR2-667, 2 GBx2)

Sorry about the long a$$ post but obviously this is a huge investment and I don't want to make a wrong or stupid decision I'll regret later. I'd appreciate any information/help anyone can give me. Thanks.

1) Yes, the Blu-Ray read only drive will still allow you to butn onto CD's and DVD's. You just will not be able to burn Blu-Ray discs.

2) How fast your hard drive spins, will have no effect on how your blu-rays look on the computer.......HOWEVER, I would go with the 7200 rpm hard drive if I were you. You're getting a very powerful computer and a 5200 rpm hard drive will just cause a bottleneck and slow down everything else on the computer.

3) For the BEST viewing of Blu-Ray, you definitely want to get the better WUXGA display because it is 1920x1200 and supports Full 1080P.
While the WXGA+ is only 1440x900 and does not.

4) The amout of memory you should gets depends on which version of Vista you are getting. Vista home Premium is 32bit and can only use up to 3GB of RAM anything more will just not be used and would be a wast of money with Vista Home Premium.
Vista Business and Vista Ultimate are 64bit and can fully utilize a full 4GB of RAM. So if you are going to get 4GB of RAM, you should also get one of those two.
YES, I would get as much GB of RAM as you can for whatever version of Vista you choose to get. You can NEVER have too much RAM.

HOWEVER, if you get the least amount of RAM possible from Sony when you order.......you can buy the RAM much cheaper online and upgrade it to 3GB or 4GB yourself for much less.

[CassilineKnight]

I just bought this laptop from Sony and I just wanted to get peoples opinions on it and a lil clarification on Vista.

Whats the difference between 32 bit Vista and 64 bit again? Is one really better than the other? The Sony phone operator said that I would getting the 32 bit...I would get the 64 bit if I knew it were better quality and available I guess. I think he said that no laptops out right now have 64 bit...is that true?

Anyways here are my laptop specs:

Description: VGN-AR770 Configure-to-Order
Product: B1NBSP08-LBOM
Component: Extended Battery (BPL9)
Component: WLAN (802.11a/b/g/n) with integrated Bluetooth® technology
Component: No TV Tuner
Component: LCD 17"WUXGA (XBRITE-HiColor™) with integrated video camera
Component: Blu-ray Disc™ Read Only Drive
Component: 400 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [7200 rpm]
Component: 2 GB DDR-SDRAM (DDR2-667, 1 GBx2)
Component: Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium with Service Pack 1
Component: Intel® Core 2™ Duo Processor T9300 (2.5GHZ)
Component: Norton 360™ All-In-One Security (60 Day Trial)
Component: QuickBooks Simple Start
Component: Video Standard
Component: Photo Standard
Component: Microsoft® Works
Component: No Engraving

Ship Method: Standard
Estimated Ship Date: 04/16/2008

Subtotal: $2,509.99
Tax: $169.41
Shipping Charges: $0.00

I'm not sure if I should go ahead and get a Computer Protection product lke McAfee or Norton once it arrives. In your opinion do you think those programs will hurt or help my laptop experience? And if they help which ones do you think I should consider?

Last but not least I'm debating whether to get the latest MS Office (2007) or just stick with the old one.

Thanks so much for your patience and help with this. I'm sure all these questions are pretty boring and noobish of me....