Sony VAIO vs. HP

[stunna]

Was using my HP DV6812nr the other day and it shut off on me and wouldnt restart. I figure the motherboard or something is gone bad so i'm just going t have to buy a new laptop. After this experience with HP i'm not sure I want to buy another, so what do you guys think is the better, HP or Sony?

[i2006]

Im not sure, I havent had any experience with either brand in laptops, but I've always wanted a Sony laptop, a lot of their things are real durable, they last a long time too. I have a Gateway laptop I've had for 3 years now.

[Kayos]

I've had a dv6602nr for two years and it worked pretty well. No real major issues.

That said we've gotten a dv2200 in at work a few days ago and it had a fried video card.

As for Sony laptops...I've always considered them over priced so I steered away from them.

[zapzack]

I like HP better.. I have found HP computers to be more reliable.. I stopped buying Sony Viao's after I found out that they overheat after 4 years.. At least mine did.. My HP Pavillion has been running for 5 years and runs Vista well.. No issues..

[deltavolt]

I've always liked Sony laptops but if you're going the high-end route get a MacBook Pro instead.

Now, before I get attacked by people saying Macs are overpriced - you get what you pay for. Though you may find it hard to believe I was also one of those people who swore by Windows and argued that Macs are for the "creative" and no real computer user would ever be caught with one - until I actually got one and fell in love with it. It's more capable (thanks to Boot Camp) than a PC and there have been a bunch of articles which compared the specifications of a Mac and a PC had the Mac come out as the cheaper. The software you get with a Mac is also top-notch and included in the sticker price.

[alexandgruntz]

If software shipped with the laptop is a factor, they're both as bad as each other. :rant2:

From my experience (which is very little with Sony :drool, then HP is the winner, but it'll only work properly if you format the hard drive as soon as you open the box.

[ichwar]

But it'll only work properly if you format the hard drive as soon as you open the box.

If I want to give the notebook a quick spin before I format the harddrive, is it spoiled for life?

[deltavolt]

If software shipped with the laptop is a factor, they're both as bad as each other. :rant2:

From my experience (which is very little with Sony :drool, then HP is the winner, but it'll only work properly if you format the hard drive as soon as you open the box.

But unlike software that comes with Windows, Mac software is the full edition and actually very nice. You get the iLife and the iWork suites completely free. iWork is the equivalent of Microsoft Office (though I prefer it a little bit more due to the user interface, I have it and Office installed on my MacBook Pro just in case). iLife gives you applications like iPhoto, Garage Band, and the like - you are, however, free to delete anything you don't need or like. I'm a big fan of Picasa so I use it instead of iPhoto.

If I want to give the notebook a quick spin before I format the harddrive, is it spoiled for life?

I don't believe so. You should be able to reformat at any time. This link covers the information, I think:
http://forums.cnet.com/5208-12546_10...hreadID=235425

[jmcgowan]

My last two laptops were HPs and I've loved both of them. However, expect lots of crapware from an HP. Both of them had a bunch of programs that just waste space. That whole formatting the harddrive idea mentioned above isn't a bad one. On the plus side, my first HP laptop lasted 5 or 6 years before I replaced, and to be honest, if I bothered to track down all of the system disks and did a good reformat on it, it would probably still have a year or two left in it.

My current laptop is only a little over a year old, but the past 7 months or so I've been in Iraq, and it's held up quite well. Given the heat (occasion power outages kill the a/c, making the room an oven of sorts...) and the sand that seeps in through the window and coats everything, I'm surprised, but it hasn't crapped out on me yet.

[goldblue]

I prefer sony.