Budget 35-52k: Sony CB45 or not (Asus K53SM-SX010D)? Owners please help.

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pbaner

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Hi TEmates,

I'm going for MBA and will need a laptop for web browsing, MS Office, watching movies (mainly 720p and below), photoshop/lightroom (do photography), and occasional gaming (I used to be a die-hard gamer a few years ago). 15.x" screen is a must.
· What's your Budget? 35-52K
· What will be your primary usage for the notebook be? Mentioned above in Bold
· What size and weight considerations do you have? 15.x” widescreen (weight around 3 Kg max)
· Any brand that you prefer, or any brand that you detest? Detest Toshiba (have bad experience with my first laptop)
· Any other considerations? Intel Core i5 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] Gen, Full Keyboard with Numpad

Please keep in mind that I’ve created this thread specifically to clear some doubts I have regarding the models I’ve shortlisted (below) and I would like to have some honest feedback from owners/users of these laptops. I understand that there are similar threads going on in the forum; I’ve gone through them, and my questions are quite specific.

I'm considering these two:
Sony CB45 - 51k
ASUS K53SM-SX010D - 37k

I happened to check the CB45 at a store yesterday. Here are my views and a few questions targeted at users who already own (or have used) the CB35/45 (JuGGa and others):
1. (IMPORTANT question)FHD screen is great although highly reflective (very high IMHO). Granted that the FHD had to be crammed inside 15.6", the font size seemed to be too small for my liking (I had seen FHD only on 22" and above). Will increasing the DPI (to say 120) solve this problem (of mine :) )? Will the text look unusual or out of place after increasing the DPI?
2. (IMPORTANT question)The touchpad did not seem to be very accurate IMO. The mouse pointer did not seem to move accurately and I was taking a few milliseconds more to zero in on a point to click than I would have liked. Also, the mouse pointer seemed to move slowly. This might be due to the large FHD screen estate it has to travel; still somehow it did not seem to work properly. Has anyone experienced the same? Will increasing the mouse pointer speed from control panel fix this?
3. How hot does the system get under load? I’m asking this because I'll use it on my lap a lot and also because I’m thinking of overclocking the GPU slightly. I’ll do that only if GPU temps are low by default.
4. How much battery backup can I expect? The screen is expected to guzzle energy. Are there any battery-upgrade options (to 8 or 9-cell)?
5. Backlit KB is good but I won't need it much as I can touch-type.
6. (Very IMPORTANT question) Is there any noticeable difference when watching a 720p (or even 576p) video on this FHD screen compared to a 1366x768 screen like the Asus K53SM? I’m unlikely to watch much full hd stuff.
7. I’d be playing games occasionally. Less demanding games like FIFA 12 and NFS The Run will be played more often than higher ones like BF3 or Max Payne 3. Will the 6630M deliver in the long run? Still I’m eager to play FIFA12 in full HD glory. Will also try out some old games in full HD (like PoP 1-3 :)).

If the above points do not turn out quite in favour of the CB45, I’ll go for the Asus K53SM-SX010D which I feel is a great bang for the buck. Again there are a few doubts I would request K53 owners to clarify:

  1. I’ve heard that the screen is pretty ordinary. The ordinary 768p resolution aside, how are the contrast and brightness?
  2. How is the keyboard and are there any heating issues (also during gaming)? Any other info which might be helpful is welcome.
I’m also open to considering other brands/models in this price bracket if the above pointers are satisfied. Although I’d reiterate that gaming won’t be my prime concern, I won’t go below the HD6630M/GT540M level.
 
Thanks for your reply, Mac.rock7. The models you have suggested have nice specs.
However, as I said earlier, I'll spend about 50k or more only if there's something special like the FHD screen in CB45. Otherwise I feel that the i5+4gb+630M in K53SM-SX010D is enough for my needs as of now (I seriously doubt how much time I'll get for my multimedia/gaming chores during MBA :) ). I'm especially waiting for owners of CB45 (and K53SM) to help me with answers to my questions.
BTW, if you own the Asus, can you tell me about the screen and working temperatures?
 
Using sx010d from approx 15 days........best bang for the buck.....if u r in Delhi ..u can easily get it for 37k in Nehru place......I also got it from Nehru place only for 36k........the laptop works like a charm....I also bought a 4gb ram stick....so the total Ram is now 8gb......games work as Smoothh as butter....and this laptop is equipped with asus's ice cooling technology.....which keeps the laptop cool even in very heavy usage.....

I wud recommend this laptop to u .....my total expenses were 37k....but get only from Nehru place....

The laptop is great value for money.....I wud say go for it..
 
@bking Appreciate your feedback mate. The Asus is my alternate choice. If not CB45, it will most probably be that one. I'm in Kolkata right now but will be in Haryana next month. How is the screen contrast and brightness compared to other laptops in the 40k range? Did you try overclocking the 630M?

I watched the Sony Live Webcast on new launches for FY12 and was quite disappointed to find that there's no successor to the CB45 this year in the same price range :(. With the Ivy Bridge laptops already coming in, I feel the graphics solution in those machines should have been upgraded. The HD4000 already kicks some ass and easily defeats the 520MX/610 GPUs. Wonder how well the 6630M will hold up with time .. :unsure:
There has even been no price drop since last year when the CB45 was launched. Even the older CB35 retails for about the same price (if found, that is) .. WTF!
 
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1) Yes it is much reflective (I mentioned this in my review too), but shouldn't be a problem as long you're working indoor.

Watching movies would make difference only if you watch 720p and above. Not 1080 necessarily. After 720p and above, you'll start feeling the difference automatically, and it is by a good margin. 1080p is in another league.

2) Touchpad is accurate, but a bit too soft. Still I find it best among the laptops I used. Some people said that only Macbooks have got better touchpad.

Moving pointer slowly may be due to 2 reasons:
  • Mouse sensitivity set to low from CPanel as you guessed.
  • System is infected by virus.

I don't faced this problem ever.

3) In this summer season, upon using laptops for whatever duration, if you don't game, it never exceeds 55 degrees. If you game, GPU temps are somewhere 65-72 degrees on 1080p gameplay. See, the thing is every laptop has tendency to heat up gradually as day passes. Dust accumulating, thermal paste drying up, wearing up of components, etc. But till now I never saw temps of 75+ no matter however I stressed the laptop. Still, OC the GPU only if you find the performance underpowered, as its a mainstream laptop, not a gaming laptop.

4) In initial days, expect battery back up around 4:30 to 4:45. Its been 7+ months for my laptop, and I'm getting 3:55 with WiFi + Bluetooth always on, but brightness set to 20%.

5) You can disable it from Vaio Control Centre.

6) Yes. Very much. Now whenever I use any 720p screen laptop, I find everything strechted, from icons, to smileys, to everything. I'm so addicted to 1080p. *sigh*

7) As long as your priority is not gaming, it will definitely run long. I get ~30 fps in MW1/GTA:SA @ 1080p with absolutely no lag.

Questions about K53sm-sx010D:

1) The display of all Asus' budget laptops is very average. When Asus rolled out its laptops, many users faced display issues, such as faded colors, dark spots, dead pixels, and likes. I had formed a feeling that Asus compromises with its display to cut costs. But recent models have not been complained. So I guess it fine now.

2) Heating is minimal in Asus laptops.


pbaner said:
I watched the Sony Live Webcast on new launches for FY12 and was quite disappointed to find that there's no successor to the CB45 this year in the same price range :(. With the Ivy Bridge laptops already coming in, I feel the graphics solution in those machines should have been upgraded. The HD4000 already kicks some ass and easily defeats the 520MX/610 GPUs. Wonder how well the 6630M will hold up with time .. :unsure:
There has even been no price drop since last year when the CB45 was launched. Even the older CB35 retails for about the same price (if found, that is) .. WTF!
Click to expand...

It sad that Sony isn't rolling out a CB45 update; at least an IB iteration would have been preferred. The pricing is always on the upper side for Vaio laptops, but you can get for it much less in local shops or online sites.
 
^
CB45 successor would be coming on later after 2-3 months. Appearance wise its similar to the 15" E with the wrap around design theme. Comes with IB CPUs upto i7 quad core in the higher end versions, but of course the CB45 successor will use i5 IB dual core. GPU is AMD 7670M 1 GB.
 
Thanks for your feedback JuGGa. That helped a lot :hail:. Just wanted to be sure that the thermal design of the chassis is not too bad, as is the case in certain laptops (even Intel based). My current Toshiba laptop (Celeron M, more than 6 years old) used to be a laptop but is now a desktop literally :annoyed:. Most components have gone kaput like battery, KB, ODD and some ports. It gets heated up to more than 70 degrees externally! Internally it goes more than 90 within minutes of booting up. But somehow it still works :p.
I'll probably buy the CB45 now considering that I may not buy a laptop in the next 3-4 years after this purchase .. a powerhouse desktop most definitely when I've completed my MBA :happy26: . A long way to go till then.

randomuser111 Are you a tech from Sony? Really want to know. I have to buy now, hence the newer one (if it comes), won't be an option for me. The newer one will probably be priced a lot higher. Moreover, the 7670M is not very high up the ladder and comes in about the same class of cards, albeit a lot faster. Call it grapes are sour :p

Wish there were more FHD models to choose from in the <55k bracket.
 
^Glad it helped you @pbaner. Well, 6 yrs is a loooong looong duration for a lapotp to sustain without breaking a sweat. Just make sure you opt for extended warranty, so that you will remain safe for at least 3 yrs, if not 6. And lastly it depends on how good you are at handling and maintaining your laptop, as most cases turn out to be PEBCAK. Still I can vouch for my laptop :captain:.

And @randomuser111 is not a tech from Sony, he's just quoting his speculations on the basis of models Sony already launched out of India. :p
 
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Ah great! @JuGGa actually, the battery had died just after a year of use. The keyboard and odd followed suit within another year. I've used it (had to) like a desktop since then. Got it serviced once but using external components seemed more feasible to me..

Hmm. @randomuser111 is a normal user then :p. Actually today I watched a live webcast of new laptop launches by Sony for FY12-13 in India. There were no full HD models announced in this price and quality range. So, it's a curtains closed for this year. The new IB models announced were of other series and the fhd ones will be priced above 60k. New S, T, Z series laptops were revealed.
On a side note, I hate the VIP worship thingy that happens in our country. Press people kept on asking Kareena (brand ambassador of the Vaio lineup) personal questions and there were absolutely no tech questions on the laptops themselves :annoyed:. The MD of Sony India stood smiling stupidly while the chaos went on before it ended.
It's high time that the govt brings in some reforms so that technology in our country gets a major boost and more people get familiar with tech. Only then we can expect a good range of products to choose from and at least sound questions in a tech product launch!!!
 
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This is the 2012 Vaio C.

8-1.jpg

17-1.jpg

14-1.jpg
 
^It seems there's some issue with photobucket, can you please change the host to imgur please ?
 
Thanks, its a lot better design IMO.

---------- Post added at 05:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:12 PM ----------

But its a 14" model, what about 15"6. Also source ?
 
randomuser111 That's the Vaio E Series, not C. They are 14" models with 1600x900 resolution. I checked with the Sony flagship store today. They said that the C Series is being discontinued and there will be no new models for the time being. That means no more Full HD in this price bracket.
Supply of CB45 is already very very low. The lowest offer I got was 52.9k (in Kolkata) today :(.
 
^You can't get low than that. Grab that. I got a lowest quote of 51.7k, but taxes vary.
 
Well the Sony "flagship store" people are the biggest idiots out there !. Its a shame really that they have no info about Sony products and new products/future launch strategies. The C series won't be discontinued.
Also the pics are of the new C, the new C and E have similar design.

As of now the plan is to have IB hardware in 14" C and SB in 15.5" C. Let's hope Sony decides to get IB in the 15.5" model as well.

The C would be discontinued temporarily, if at all. The new C should be in India by around September

P.S. Let me confirm the info once again, I will post when I get any update from my source at Sony. :)
 
Hey, but @randomuser111 , you're still speculating, right? Or do you have any concrete info? As far as product launches for this year are concerned, I watched the FY12-13 projection given by Sony India's MD via a Live Webcast two days ago. New launches have already been in the E series and will only be in the S, T and Z series in H2 this year.
As far as the flagship store is concerned, well they seemed to have fair knowledge as they get first info directly from Sony (they're not resellers). We can never be sure of salesmen, though ..

---------- Post added at 11:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:17 AM ----------

[/COLOR @randomuser111 Sorry, had missed out on your P.S. :p

Sure, do check and let everyone know if there's any new affordable full HD 15.5 aka C series is coming in this year or not. It's time for me to buy though and I'll have to go with the CB45, can't wait :(
 
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^
Haha I wasn't talking about salesmen but Sony Flagship Store/Sony Center guys :P
Will let you know soon about the new C :)

And they only unveiled the Vaio Summer 2012 line up. There are many more Vaio models to come in H2.
 
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