Sony VAIO VGN-SZ691N/X 13.3-Inch Laptop (Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7700, 2 GB RAM, 200 GB Hard Drive, Vista Business)
 | List Price: $2,599.99 Our Price: $2,599.99 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Average Customer Rating:   |
Features: Sleekly designed, lightweight notebook with 13.3-inch screen (with Webcam), 4-pound black carbon fiber case
2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T7700 processor, 200 GB hard drive, 2 GB RAM (4 GB max), dual-layer DVD drive
Connectivity: 2 USB, 1 FireWire, 1 VGA, Quad-mode Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth, multi-format memory card reader
Hybrid Graphics System lets toggle between NVidia GeForce Go 8400M (up to 831 MB shared) and Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 (358 MB shared)
Pre-installed with Windows Vista Business; ready for Sprint Broadband WWAN service (subscription required)
Editorial Reviews:
Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile Processor T7700 / 2GB DDR2 667MHz RAM / 200GB HD / WXGA XBrite LCD Display / Bluetooth / MS Vista Business
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Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great laptop but too much bloated software
Comment: What I like
- Light weight, sleek design and very thin screen
- Discrete graphics card that can handle multi functions: games, graphics editing, movie ...
- Bluetooth, finger reader, high-resolution camera
What I really hate
- Windows Vista - One among worst product from Microsoft, I wish i could replace Windows Vista by XP (doing that, we will get trouble with drives)
- Too much bloated software, i took me 1hr to remove all of them
Customer Rating:
Summary: Service is a disaster--I will never buy Sony again
Comment: You should be able to find good reviews of the computer elsewhere, so I won't go into that.
But I will share with you my nightmarish experience with their service.
About 6 months after buying it, I dropped the computer from a low height. Totally my fault, though because it's a delicate machine it was damaged. I've dropped Dells and Acers in my life and not had problems.
So I paid $800 to have them fix it at their repair center. They did fix it, but they sent it back to me with a host of new problems. The battery didn't work, the screen would flash unpredictably, etc. It was unusable.
I called their support line (and suffered through the typical long wait) and they told me to send it back to their repair center. I protested--I just did that, and I had to wait a week for it to come back, and when they did send it back it was broken. Why would I do that? But they told me I had no choice. So I send it back. They wouldn't charge me for it.
Guess what? When they sent it back to me it was still broken! I called them back to report the issue. They want me to send it back to their support center. Why, so I can wait a week to have them send it back to me broken again?
Every time I deal with their support people it takes 30 minutes and is very painful.
I will never buy Sony again.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Comments from a three year SZ user
Comment: I have been a vaio sz user for more than three years (~3.5), have bought one for my wife and brother as well. I have used different versions, 160, 330 and 650 last. It is surprising to see so many negative feedback as I did not experience anything that bad past three years with so many different computers.
I mainly use the computer for research and simulations. As regards to performance, it is fast indeed. Even if you are running many programs together including matlab, mathematica, photoshop, office programs etc. high speed mode can handle them pretty easily. I don't see the reason why people are getting troubles with speed.
Yes it is coming with lots of software junk however I don't understand what those people uninstalling for three days. Come on, if you are a little patient you can get rid of them in an hour after you first turn on the computer. It might be handy to have some these software too though if you don't have your office or adobe cds ready, you can use the trial versions in the meantime for a while...
The overall design is really sleek, and keyboard really feels soft and nice, your fingers are sliding on the keys. The downside is after a year of frequent use there is a slight wear that you can guess from the outer look which keys are used most frequently (may be this is a problem in all computers out there). It is still fully functional however a better material should be used.
Some people say it doesn't come with a restore cd, well it has a very nice restore program, you can just say go and it restores the computer to after factory state, and if you like you can burn your own DVD's too. It would good to have an xp downgrade cd though for those who want to use xp.
As it comes to the service I don't have experience with other brands to make a comparison however I can comment on my personal experience. In the past I have sent my previous computer for the fan had started making too much noise. The next day I called sony service, a prepaid overnight ups box arrived to send the computer to them and the computer came back within a week with the fans cleaned up and problems fixed.
As to compare between different models although initial models had some problems, it is improving in time, going quieter and faster.
The only problem I have is that I have to pay attention extra care to protect the lcd as the casing is pretty thin and doesn't feel strong enough. I wish they made it a little more sturdy.
In the overall it is definitely a fast, sleek and very portable computer. I would definitely recommend this computer if you want a portable one yet you do not want to sacrifice performance.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Sony should do better than this for money - poor value
Comment: I had this notebook for about 8 months - all of the problems with bloated software described by other reviewers hold true - but I can deal with that hassle.
I have a hardware failure that involves the hinge on the notebooks screen this failure is related to poor workmanship - ie: cheap flimsy screen and hinge. The hinge is loose and will eventually fail - this problem is well described by others on the web. I sent it in for warrenty work and Sony wants close to $700.00 to replace it - looking at what others have posted on the web this seems typical of their level of support.
I am sorry I spent the money on what was billed as a break through product that really is just a product that breaks. If you are hoping for a level of support that justifies the premium price you will be disappointed in my opinion.
Customer Rating:
Summary: not the best laptop
Comment: I love the computer for its weight (or lack there of) but I have had more problems with this laptop than any of my previous computers. It freezes often, the mouse sometimes goes on the fritz (operates in reverse, won't let me click, does this random skipping around the screen thing), and it often will have problems updating (BTW-updating and tech support have yet to make these problems go away). It may be because I use this laptop everyday for at least 16 hours, but still, this laptop had problems within the first month.
Accessories:
 | Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2009 |
 | Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Standard |
 | Quicken Deluxe 2009 |
 | Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 |
 | Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition FULL VERSION with SP2 |
Technical Details
Binding: Personal ComputersBrand: Sony
CPU Manufacturer: Intel
CPU Speed: 2.4
CPU Type: Intel Core Duo
Display Size: 13.3
EAN: 0027242716520
Feature: Sleekly designed, lightweight notebook with 13.3-inch screen (with Webcam), 4-pound black carbon fiber case
Floppy Disk Drive Description: None
Hard Disk Size: 200
Is Autographed: 0
Is Memorabilia: 0
Label: Sony
Manufacturer: Sony
Model: VGN-SZ691N/X
Modem Description: Fax / modem
Native Resolution: 13.3
Processor Count: 2
Publisher: Sony
Studio: Sony
System Bus Speed: 800
System Memory Size: 2000
System Memory Type: DDR2 SDRAM
Warranty: 1 year warranty
