Laptop Advice: Sony Vaio TR5MP...

Rameses · 5 Feb 2006 at 19:58

Hi guys,

Just some advice really. Basically I'm on the look out for a new laptop (or rather a sub-notebook as they are called).

I've had the TR1MP, but sold it...and now I miss it.

The replacement to the TR series is the TX, currenty TX1...but TX2 is due soon. Both will a price tag of 1500+.

If you care to have a quick look at vaio's website and the current TX1 spec, and compare it to the TR5MP spec:

Detailed specification:

General
Weight 1.4 kg
Processor Intel Pentium M 1.1 GHz
Core Voltage Technology Ultra Low Voltage (ULV)
Data Bus Speed 400 MHz
Chipset Type Intel 855GM
Cache Memory Type L2 Cache Installed Size 1 MB
RAM Installed Size 512 MB / 1 GB (max)
Technology DDR SDRAM - 266 MHz
Hard Drive 40 GB
Optical Storage Type DVD-RW
Display Type 10.6" TFT active matrix
Max Resolution 1280 x 768
Graphics Processor / Vendor Intel 855GM
Video Memory Shared Video Memory (UMA)
OS Provided Microsoft Windows XP Professional

What I am asking...is it worth the price tag the TX holds? I mean, yes, its very nice and of course more upto date etc...but will the TR5MP hold up just as good? I accept the Graphics are poo, and are little better on the TX, but thats not what I'm looking for.

What ya reckon?

Sanzy · 5 Feb 2006 at 21:34

Can Get these for cheaper then £1500 ive seen them at around £1200 have a look around

Rameses · 5 Feb 2006 at 21:55

Regardless of how much the TX can be had for, its the spec and what I should go for?

Hamish · 6 Feb 2006 at 11:00

I've got an IBM X31 and although its a little bit bigger its still tiny and you get a lot more power for your money. I got mine 1.5 years ago and its 1.6Ghz 512Mb 40Gb etc and it was only £1000 i'm sure they are much cheaper nowadays.

The IBM X40 is even smaller. If the reason you want a small laptop is because you do a lot of travelling then I would get an IBM just for the build quality alone.

Rameses · 6 Feb 2006 at 19:01

Even though IBM have a long history of Laptop building I still do not like the look of them...

Spec is ok'ish, but the whole design is just awful...

I'd like to stick with Sony to be honest...

Anyone else have input of the 2 Sony laptops?

Jeff Crawly · 6 Feb 2006 at 22:33

IBM's design, build & engineering quality is far superior than Sony's..... FACT!

BoomAM · 6 Feb 2006 at 22:35

Another vote for the Thinkpads.
Theres a review in my sig of a Z60M.

Rameses · 7 Feb 2006 at 19:10

Blimey

What I mean is the look of the laptop, no one can say Sony's TR and TX aint better looking than IBM?

Like I've said, they have a long history of laptop building but the TR just PWNED the look of any IBM laptop...and the TX is right up there along side the TR.

Anyway, back to my question:

Will there be any jump in performace from the TR5MP to the TX1 and TX2 to justify the price tag they hold? Or should I go off in search of a TR5MP on ebay and save myself £600+

BoomAM · 7 Feb 2006 at 20:41

Looks & Design are subjective.
And i'd be willing to bet that the Sony isnt as well made as the Thinkpad.
I dont know what they use to make the internal chassis on the Thinkpads, but they dont creak. They dont flex. And they are hard to scratch.
I'd go as far to say, that excluding a ToughBook, they are the toughest lappys out.

BoomAM · 7 Feb 2006 at 20:57

Why exactely do you want such a small laptop anyway?
Small laptops are just a novelty for the most part, anything under 14" and its a pain to get anything meaningful done.

Rameses · 7 Feb 2006 at 21:49

I had the TR1MP and that is what I call a laptop. Maybe hard to understand for whatever you use it for but to me it was fantastic. 10.6" VERY clear screen, very light, long lasting and looked great?

Main uses were for music/dvd/downloard episodes of whatever...it had been with me to all of my spain holidays etc and fulfilled what it was meant to do. convient package which is very easy to carry and could handle whatever program you wanted.

:s

I'm fancing a TR5MP even more tbh!

Just read the TX1 has major fan problems in the sense it spins up and down all the time, and the TX2 fixes said problem while being fanless and bigger HD. The spec remains the same?

Now does that justify and 1500 tag? to the TR5MP?

Hades · 7 Feb 2006 at 21:53

Sorry but another vote for the Thinkpad X series...

Rameses · 7 Feb 2006 at 22:06

Reyt then,

Show me a IBM laptop which is small and sub 2.0kg.

Hamish · 8 Feb 2006 at 00:42

IBM X31 - 1.66Kg

Reviews:
http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.html?i=1809
http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk/hardware/notebooks/0,39023985,10004986,00.htm

BoomAM · 8 Feb 2006 at 01:08

roflol.

matt100 · 8 Feb 2006 at 01:12

I have a T1xpl from work and its proved absolutely bulletproof.. it gets hammered and has never put a foot wrong.

A lot of guys have the tr series as well and I can;t pick anything between them apart from the silly camera on the older ones.. mine seems to be aging better than a lot of the others too.

The screen depth on the replacement tx I think is just silly.. its like a sheet of paper.

Rameses · 8 Feb 2006 at 19:01

I'm sorry but that does not look good one bit

Spec is fine yes, but it just looks nasty as all ThinkPad's do...

It has to be sony, and nothing else.

Now let me say again...Looking at the TX1 and TX2(fanless and bigger hd to the TX1) compared to the TR5MP which is about a 1 and 1/2 old. Should I save money and go for that or one of the TX's? Based on spec alone.

:confused:

BoomAM · 8 Feb 2006 at 19:11

PAC2006 said:
I'm sorry but that does not look good one bit

Again. Its subjective. Completely subjective.

It has to be sony, and nothing else.

Do you not think your being a little restrictive?
At the end of the day, the device is there to function, not look good. And if you go for looks over fuction, you'll only end up disapointed.
Why get a device that, in your opinion, looks better, but doesnt perform as well as a differing device that costs less?

Cybershot · 8 Feb 2006 at 19:30

My TR5 has broken *again*. A £1.5k laptop shouldnt have it's DVD-RW tray held in with masking tape

Rameses · 8 Feb 2006 at 19:33

Sony have style? what more can I say?

The function, you say, is the same, yes. The style is something that doesnt even come into it when you refer to a Thinkpad. Remember, I had the TR1MP and that was a good spec, all housed into a very fine design. What I am asking is when the spec between the TR5MP and the TX's range is compared, does the TR5MP (being as its over a year old) still have a comparable spec? As far as I can see they answer is yes.

All be it the TX2's cpu is .100mhz faster and the HD is bigger. The display is 4mm thick and even thinner and lighter than any other model before it.

The price for a TR5MP can vary, between 600 and 800, and the TX2 looking like 1500+???

Whats worth my money?