Sony v. Dell -- Is Sony worth the extra $$

[jessi1185]

I have narrowed down my laptop hunt to two models: Sony VAIO CW21FX ($800-850) or a Dell Inspiron 1464 series ($600, on sale).

Both have comparable specs: 14.1'' screen, Core i3-330M, 4 GB DDR3 Ram, 500 GB SATA, Windows 7, etc. The CW Series has a few "extras": A dedicated graphics card, Gigabit ethernet, Firewire port, Bluetooth enabled, HDMI output, B/G/N Wireless (Dell has a "g half mini-card").

I don't doubt that the Vaio is a "better" system, but my question is ... is it $250 better? Will it last longer? Is it really worth the extra money? Extra features aside (as I really don't need bluetooth, hdmi, etc.), is it still worth paying $250 to have a Sony system over a Dell?

Thanks in advance for your comments / opinions

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This laptop will not be used for gaming, just standard personal work (Firefox, Word, Excel, iTunes), plus multi-tasking with Photoshop / Dreamweaver / InDesign, etc.

 

[frozenlead]

If you don't need the extra features, then the Dell will be just fine. Those few things won't really make it last much longer..and if you don't need them anyway, then they really don't matter.

 

[sunnyangel37]

If you don't need the extra features. The dell is just fine.

 

[runswindows95]

To be honest, I haven't seen anything about a Sony that makes it worth the money. They use the same components as everyone, but then charge you more because it's a Sony.