This is the final straw...in finding a new laptop.

[JHop19]

My 4yo Toshiba Satellite screen broke a month ago. I ordered the "perfect laptop" (Sony Vaio) about 2 1/2 weeks ago from Bestbuy to replace mine, and just yesterday I got an email saying the laptop is not available anymore So I got my $700 refund.

To no avail have I found anything like the Vaio, so I am posting here knowing that the people on this forum are intelligent and actually know what they're talking about thanks in advance...

1. What is your budget?
~$700 (don't want to go too much over because I want to get a protection plan)

2. What is the size of the notebook that you are considering?
Preferred: 14"
I will accept 15"

3. What screen resolution do you want?
Higher screen res is better, not a deal breaker
Touch screen is negotiable

4. Do you need a portable or desktop replacement laptop?
Portable

5. How much battery life do you need?
~4hrs

6. Do you want to play games with your laptop? If so then please list the games that you want to
with the settings that you want for these games. (Low,Medium or High)?
Minecraft, SW: Old Republic, TF2, Assassin's Creed 4 (if possible), Portal 2, Halo 2, L4D2
High would be nice but I know my budget isn't big. Medium is ok.

7. What other tasks do you want to do with your laptop? (Photo/Video editing, Etc.)
Premiere pro, Photoshop

8. How much storage (Hard Drive capacity) do you need?
Absolutely no less than 500gb.

9. If you are considering specific sites to buy from, please post their links.
No

10. How long do you want to keep your laptop?
A few years

11. What kind of Optical drive do you need? DVD ROM/Writer,Bluray ROM/Writer,Etc ?
OpDrive would be nice but not a deal breaker.

12. Please tell us about the brands that you prefer to buy from them and the brands that you don't like and explain the reasons.
Good
Sony: good designs, slick

Bad
Toshiba: poor build quality based on my Satellite experience (plasticy)
HP: Slow based on 2 PCs I've lived with

I will go any brand, I know brands change qualities and whatnot over time.

13. What country do you live in?
USA

14. Please tell us any additional information if needed.
1+ USB 3.0

Laptop-that-I-purchased-but-it-turned-out-wasn't-available-and-that's-why-I'm-posting-here specs:
http/www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-geek-squad-certified-refurbished-vaio-14-34-touch-screen-laptop-8gb-memory-gunmetal-vintage-gold/7809174.p?id=1218860883315&skuid=7809174&sellerId=

Sony Vaio
i7- 3632QM (Quad-core)
Radeon HD 7670M hybrid (2gb dedicated graphics)
8gb RAM
14" 1600x900 Touch
1tb HDD
DVD/CD drive
6-cell lithium ion

I know it says that this computer is available but it is not, said the same thing 3 weeks ago when I ordered it.

I know my budget seems low for the specs and games I want to run but I found this Vaio for $699 having everything I want so I have hope.

I WILL GO REFURBISHED

 

[ish416]

I would never buy a Sony laptop. They are poorly designed when it comes to performance and are known to overheat.

For that kind of money, here is what I would buy.

It has a better CPU, much better video card, with everything else being the same except the screen (lower resolution and not touch). Also, the Lenovo is a much better engineered laptop than the Sony and for $119 Lenovo offers a 2 year warranty and accidental protection.

From Dealnews.com

http/dealnews.com/Lenovo-Y410-p-Haswell-i7-Quad-14-Laptop-w-2-GB-GPU-for-749-free-shipping/870671.html

Lenovo offers its 5.5-lb. Lenovo IdeaPad Y410p Intel Haswell Core i7 2.4GHz 14" LED-Backlit Laptop, model no. 59369912, for $1,249. Coupon code "USPY412103" cuts it to $749. With free shipping, that's $20 under our August mention and the lowest total price we've seen for a Lenovo IdeaPad Y410p with a Haswell i7 CPU. It features an Intel Core i7-4700MQ 2.4GHz Haswell quad-core processor, 14" 1366x768 LED-backlit LCD, 8GB RAM, 1TB hard drive, DVD burner, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 2GB graphics, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, webcam, 6-cell battery, and Windows 8 64-bit. Deal ends October 11.

 

[JHop19]

I would never buy a Sony laptop. They are poorly designed when it comes to performance and are known to overheat.

For that kind of money, here is what I would buy.

It has a better CPU, much better video card, with everything else being the same except the screen (lower resolution and not touch). Also, the Lenovo is a much better engineered laptop than the Sony and for $119 Lenovo offers a 2 year warranty and accidental protection.

From Dealnews.com

http/dealnews.com/Lenovo-Y410-p-Haswell-i7-Quad-14-Laptop-w-2-GB-GPU-for-749-free-shipping/870671.html

Lenovo offers its 5.5-lb. Lenovo IdeaPad Y410p Intel Haswell Core i7 2.4GHz 14" LED-Backlit Laptop, model no. 59369912, for $1,249. Coupon code "USPY412103" cuts it to $749. With free shipping, that's $20 under our August mention and the lowest total price we've seen for a Lenovo IdeaPad Y410p with a Haswell i7 CPU. It features an Intel Core i7-4700MQ 2.4GHz Haswell quad-core processor, 14" 1366x768 LED-backlit LCD, 8GB RAM, 1TB hard drive, DVD burner, NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M 2GB graphics, 802.11n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0, webcam, 6-cell battery, and Windows 8 64-bit. Deal ends October 11.

Wow thanks for that find! I have been searching around on that site now, this is by far the best I've seen. If I end up going with this one I will let you know.

 

[jaguarskx]

Note that 14" Lenovo IdeaPads tends to run hot when playing games. The CPU typically hits 90c - 92c most of the time, the one exception, at least for me, was GTA 4 which actually caused my Y470 to overheat (at 99c) and start throttling after 1.5 hours of gameplay. High temps for the Y470, Y400 and Y410p when playing have been confirmed owners of these laptops.