I use to like HP and Compaqs, but the build quality seems to have lessensd(as with many mid range laptops) so I guess the Sony with the i5 is going to be the best value. Also, as you say, I can go and try before I buy.

Thanks for the advice.

Went to John Lewis this morning, tried and ordered the Sony i5 and should be in possession tomorrow.

It is blisteringly quick in relation to what I am used to and seemingly far better built than any of the HP and Toshiba entry level i5 machines, which (due to the three year warranty offer) are actually more expensive than the Sony.

Thanks to everyone for their advice.

Sounds good, please let us know how you get on with it when it's up and running.

The sonys are really nice to use. A fam member has one of these.

I'd be interested in seeing if you ever get any random mouse lag as my sisters does for no obvious reason. If not I'll advise her to send it for a repair.

& for the price that's a fab spec. With the warranty it's a steal!

In reply to a post by ukhardy07:

..... I'd be interested in seeing if you ever get any random mouse lag as my sisters does for no obvious reason....

Is it an Alps touchpad? These do seem to suffer such problems.

Edited by Deadbeat (Sun 03-Jun-12 15:07:17)

In reply to a post by Deadbeat:

In reply to a post by ukhardy07:

..... I'd be interested in seeing if you ever get any random mouse lag as my sisters does for no obvious reason....

Is it an Alps touchpad? These do seem to suffer such problems.

Yes it sure is. I updated the drivers but it still does it. I guess this laptops probably different as hers is a good 6 months old now. It looks the same though...

Any known fixes? She finds it really annoying & Sony say all laptops do it... (which is bull)

I have a set of drivers here that behave most of the time. I'll up them for you somewhere and PM you later.
In the meantime, try cleaning the touchpad with a little vinegar on a tissue and wipe clean with a dampish cloth. When it really plays up, trywashing your hands, thoroughly rinsing and drying them before using the touchpad.

Is Paint Shop Pro or any other Corel product that uses the Protexis Licencing system installed?

I think all Sony products seem to be well built, but overpriced for their specifications. I would have been happy with an i3, but for me this deal proved too difficult to resist.

The touch pad felt really responsive, but I'll let you know if it gets laggy at all. That's part of the reason I went to John Lewis in the first place. Shouldn't be too much aggro if it plays up. Famous last words mind!

In reply to a post by ukhardy07:

The sonys are really nice to use. A fam member has one of these.

I'd be interested in seeing if you ever get any random mouse lag as my sisters does for no obvious reason. If not I'll advise her to send it for a repair.

& for the price that's a fab spec. With the warranty it's a steal!

Well, have been playing around with it for about a week now and have not had any lag issues with the pad as of yet. The mouse buttons feel a little "loose" though, for want of a better word. Not really an issue, but for that reason I will reserve judgement on the pad for a while.

One dissapointment is that it does not have an illuminated keyboard. I incorrectly assumed it had, as you can see the little LED (or so it appears) under each key. There is also a lot of bloatware, Sony this and Vaio that, but no more than my last HP.

All in all it's a really nice machine at a really good price for an i5 with the 3 year warranty. Not a machine worth making a song and dance about, but still, a nice machine.

Still getting used to Windows 7 and digging around stuff. Found this in the "Windows Experience Index" gumf:

If your computer has a 64-bit central processing unit (CPU) and 4 gigabytes (GB) or less random access memory (RAM), then the Memory (RAM) subscore for your computer will have a maximum of 5.9.

This machine is 64bit, 4GB yet gets a Memory (RAM) subscore of 7.2 out of 7.9. Why the contradiction?

Edit: Just out of interest

Processor: Calculations per second 7.0

Memoery (RAM): Memory operations per second 7.2

Graphics: Desktop performance for Windows Aero 4.7

Gaming graphics: 3D business and gaming graphics performance 6.1

Primary hard disk: Disk data transfer rate 5.9

Edited by mrnelster (Tue 12-Jun-12 20:49:08)