Sony VAIO F13Z1E/B vs Dell studio XPS 17 2.93 i7

zonker84

I am about to buy a new laptop, and after having done a little bit of research I think I've narrowed it down to two decent options. I run a lot of applications at once so I was looking for at least 8GB of memory with a decent processor. I would rather the laptop didn't become obsolete immediately so don't mind paying £1000+.

I could buy this one: http://www.play.com/PC/PCs/4-/17278659/Sony-VAIO-F13-Z1E-B-Intel-Core-i7-740QM-1-73GHz-8GB-500GB-Blu-ray-Combo-16-4-inch-Windows-7-Home-Premium-Laptop-Notebook-Black/Product.html

from Play.com. If you customise that model from Sony it costs more, plus you can get decent cashback if you buy at Play.com.


My other option was this Dell from eBay: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290532879614&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Better specifications and cashback available from eBay too.


I'm a bit torn which way to go. I've had a Dell desktop before, which I didn't find that great with pretty average build quality. Looking at online reviews, apparently the Dell Studio XPS laptops get very hot and can make crackling noises. I've had a Sony Vaio laptop, which was pretty good except that the battery died pretty quickly and wasn't cheap to replace. Vaios outside warranty are pretty expensive to repair by all accounts.

I guess what I really want to know is; has anyone got one of these Dell Studio XPS laptops and if so have you had any problems? I could get the Sony Vaio but is it worth paying more money for lower specs? The general assumption is that Sony have better build quality than Dell, but some reports say Dell have improved this over the past year or two.

madonnamustache

Hi,

Check this forum for Dell XPS discussion, lots of good info there:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-xps-studio-xps/532182-dell-xps-17-l701x-thread.html

Remember to use a discount voucher and cashback is you buy from Dell directly. Let us know what you decide. Good luck!

closed

cut your budget in half, then you can buy a better one again in a few years. It takes a long time for a machine to be obsolete.

custardy

what are you using it for?

zonker84

Thanks for the replies.

madonnamustache wrote: »

Hi,

Check this forum for Dell XPS discussion, lots of good info there:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/dell-xps-studio-xps/532182-dell-xps-17-l701x-thread.html

Remember to use a discount voucher and cashback is you buy from Dell directly. Let us know what you decide. Good luck!

Thanks for this, although already purchased the Vaio.

closed wrote: »

cut your budget in half, then you can buy a better one again in a few years. It takes a long time for a machine to be obsolete.

Could've done, but the cost wasn't a big issue. For half the price what you get isn't great.

custardy wrote: »

what are you using it for?

I needed the decent spec for running software that takes up a lot of memory. Having it running slowly isn't an option.

closed

What software needs that spec?

zonker84

I have software that I designed myself which connects to Betfair's API (application programming interface for those unaware) and carries out typically between 3,000-5,000 transactions per minute depending on the time of day and year. I have a very powerful desktop PC to do this for me while I'm at home. If you try the same thing on a lower spec PC, it just grinds to a halt very quickly, or you have to use several PCs. I would like to be able to run the same automated software occasionally if I am not at home.

Buying a £500 laptop to do this would be like trying to be competitive in a Formula One race driving a road car.

custardy

zonker84 wrote: »

I have software that I designed myself which connects to Betfair's API (application programming interface for those unaware) and carries out typically between 3,000-5,000 transactions per minute depending on the time of day and year. I have a very powerful desktop PC to do this for me while I'm at home. If you try the same thing on a lower spec PC, it just grinds to a halt very quickly, or you have to use several PCs. I would like to be able to run the same automated software occasionally if I am not at home.

Buying a £500 laptop to do this would be like trying to be competitive in a Formula One race driving a road car.

cant you do it via remote log in to your home PC?

zonker84

I can but it's a bit fiddly. It's easier just to have copies of all the files on a laptop so they can be edited and adjusted as and when easily, and then applied to the API.

Got the Sony Vaio delivered this week and it does what I want as quickly as I want it to, so quite happy with it.