[HDMI]

Iam looking for a new laptop around £400 in the past I have always had a Sony vaio and up too the last one they were always free from problems Should I buy another or are there better ones out there any advice please regards David

[TheBigM]

PLEASE DO NOT WRITE IN CAPS, IT IS CONSIDERED SHOUTING!!!!!

Sony Vaios have always been expensive, if you're buying at £400, you're going to get an underpowered one.

Acer have always had good vfm at that price point and Asus too. Checking on John Lewis there was a reasonable Asus and Lenovo at your price point.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Personally I've never found Sony Vaio's particularly reliable, I wouldn't buy any more of them - and I work at a Sony dealer!

[barky99]

all these low end £400 laptops are more or less just as good as each other ... often same bits inside & out + made in same place ... just pick a name you've heard of

[s2k]

I doubt you would get a Sony Vaio for £400 anyway unless it was 2nd hand.

As barky99 says, anything new around that price bracket is generally gonna be the same kinda thing in terms of build quality.

If you really cant stretch above £400 then Lenovo and Acer have in my experience had the best offerings for the money at that end of the market.

[mred2000]

ARE SONY VAIOs USUALLY THE BEST LAPTOPS?

No. Some of them look nice but they're generally over-priced for what you get.

[psionic]

They certainly are not 'the best' - especially the budget ones. But you occasionally get great deals with some of the high end ones being heavily discounted when a later model comes out.

[cnbcwatcher]

No I don't think so. They're overpriced for what you get really. Same with their TVs.

[dmp]

Hi HDMI I have sent you a pm.
Dave

[HDMI]

Sorry dmp how do I open a pm I've never had one

[mac2708]

Originally Posted by HDMI

Sorry dmp how do I open a pm I've never had one

Go to the top of this page and click on User CP (Control Panel)
When this opens scroll down to List Messages

[JulesandSand]

I've had several and only had a problem with a failed HDD in one, other than that they've been fine, but a recent experience with Vaio 'support' has put me off them.

As has been said they are pricey but I've always found quality to be good.

[mincepie]

No, I don't think so, maybe more of a bit of a 'style' icon.

Best laptops are probably the corporate ones - Lenovo Thinkpad's or HP Probook / Elitebook range .

You won't see these in PC World type places though.

[call100]

Mines been running perfectly for the last two years. Your own experience tells you they are reliable. I doubt they are any more or less reliable than the other top 3 or 4 manufacturers. I would definitely buy one again, but, guess the cost would be over your budget as it stands.

[Stiggles]

I've never rated Sony stuff really.

I had an HP laptop that broke and the insurance company replaced it with a shiny new Samsung Series 7 Chronos. Its an absolute beauty. I had a Samsung laptop years ago and it was crap. Seems like with their phones they have really upped their game with them.

[neo_wales]

Can you get a Vaio for £400? I spent over a grand on mine but I did spend on upgrades. Mine has been good, no problems but I dare say there are 'better' out there. At £400 you need to shop around for the best deal and specs based upon what you want to use the laptop for; you may need to compromise on various features to get the performance you desire.

PS, don't USE ALL CAPITALS, its considers 'shouting' online.

[HDMI]

I have now been told off twice for using capitals sorry i did not know didnt mean to shout

[Si_Crewe]

Must say, the VAIO's I've had have always been nice machines but they were the >£1,000 ones.
The cheaper ones never seemed like they were particularly better than anything else.

On the negative side, Sony are utterly shit at providing after-sales support.
Try getting a 3 year old VAIO repaired at a Sony centre and you're likely to be SOL.
Sony are also often rather clunky with driver updates etc too.
If you buy a W7 laptop, for example, don't expect Sony to produce W8 drivers so you can update your OS at any point in the future.

Personally, I've been stung by Sony too many times (with their inability to repair items that are a couple of years old) to ever give them my business again.

[neo_wales]

I've used Sony products for many many years but sadly I think the quality is not what it was, I've a bloody great Sony TV and I'm not all that impressed with the overall quality

Best overall quality laptop I've owned was an IBM Thinkpad, cracking machine and a solid build and performance for its time.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by neo_wales

I've used Sony products for many many years but sadly I think the quality is not what it was, I've a bloody great Sony TV and I'm not all that impressed with the overall quality

Don't compare it to the alternatives than

Sony and Panasonic quality is streets ahead of the rest of the TV manufacturers.

[neo_wales]

I don't know Nigel, I've got various brands of TV's in the house, four beddrooms, study, kitchen, lounge, 'TV' room and the better quality of the big Sony is not glaringly obvious to the naked eye; the 42" LG gives a wonderful picture to be honest. I'll certainly shop around more next time, I got this Sony on impulse to be honest based on past Sony experience.

[Nigel Goodwin]

Originally Posted by neo_wales

I don't know Nigel, I've got various brands of TV's in the house, four beddrooms, study, kitchen, lounge, 'TV' room and the better quality of the big Sony is not glaringly obvious to the naked eye; the 42" LG gives a wonderful picture to be honest. I'll certainly shop around more next time, I got this Sony on impulse to be honest based on past Sony experience.

Try looking inside them

Sony (and Panasonic) are better made using better quality parts - which is why both of them are losing money

[neo_wales]

May well be the case but I'm just relying on what I see on the screen lol. I do miss ye olde days when a name meant good quality, Grundig springs to mind along with Revox, Akai, Uher and Teac (I have owned reel to reel made by them all in the past)... happy days

[Stiggles]

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

Don't compare it to the alternatives than

Sony and Panasonic quality is streets ahead of the rest of the TV manufacturers.

Completely disagree.

I've had a few Panasonic tellys in the last few years the most recent one a 3D (with an LG panel) last year and had to be returned twice because of the dire streaky picture quality on SD and HD.

Picked up a Samsung ES8000 and it knocks spots off any Panasonic telly i have seen since. Design and build quality the Samsung feels and looks better as well.

Sony im not sure of since i don't like any of their designs.