Laptop hot deal - Sony VAIO PCG-FXA36 for $1150 ($1010 possibly?)

[madasambrani]

Hi all,

I was looking at this laptop. Sony VAIO PCG-FXA36 on sale at Best Buy for $1399.99. I was looking at buying this at circuit city for $1499.95 and using their $150 mail in rebate and the $100 Sony rebate. The total comes to $1250.

Now, if I use AMEX for a pricematch to take another $100 off, the final total would be $1150. Is this a hot deal for a 20GB, 15", DVD-CDRW, 1GHz laptop - not to mention its a cool looking Sony VAIO?

Best Buy description of the laptop

 

[madasambrani]

This might be even hotter if you can get the Best Buy pricematch during the 10% off sale 1/11-1/13 at bestbuy (found on the forums here). That would reduce your price a further $100.

Best Buy price - $1400
10% off - $140
Net price for pricematch - $1260

Price at Circuit City - $1500
Circuit City rebate - $150
Sony rebate - $100
AMEX pricematch - $240
Net price - $1010 + tax

Will this work?

 

[drti]

no, amex will not pm 10% everything in store kind of deal, except that bestbuy have this laptop in their ad for that price.

 

[madasambrani]

But AMEX should pricematch any store price right? And wouldn't the price be $1260 + tax with the in-store coupon?

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

I just boutght this laptop for 1300 at Berst Buy using Visa...hmmmmm

no way to get it cheaper?

 

[greenant]

Is that Celeron processor or Pentium 3 ?

 

[greenant]

Best Buy 10% off preferred customer weekend coupon wouldn't work for this laptop.

link

It doesn't mention laptops

 

[madasambrani]

Its got an AMD Athlon 4 - 1GHz processor. I just bought one from CC. They said they wont be able to pricematch to a Best Buy store if the item is not in stock. Hopefully Best Buy would get this back in stock in the next 30 days for me to pricematch at CC - That would make this deal sweet....

DeathByAnts - how did you manage to get it for $1300? Are you including the Sony rebate of $100 also?

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

<< Its got an AMD Athlon 4 - 1GHz processor. I just bought one from CC. They said they wont be able to pricematch to a Best Buy store if the item is not in stock. Hopefully Best Buy would get this back in stock in the next 30 days for me to pricematch at CC - That would make this deal sweet....

DeathByAnts - how did you manage to get it for $1300? Are you including the Sony rebate of $100 also? >>



yup, Best Buy has it in stock here on Long Island last I was there

 

[onegauss]

LOL madasambrani! I recognize what your nick means.

Funny name, yo!

If you turn your PM on, I'd PM you.

Just a hello to a fellow ATer.

 

[madasambrani]

onegauss, guess you're from my part of town eh? Turned PM on

 

[Thunderbirdaholic]

This does look like a good deal if it goes through.

 

[Egret]

Free 128MB Upgrade Promotion!
With Purchase of Select Fall FX and FXA VAIO® Notebooks

Purchase an eligible VAIO notebook between November 12, 2001-January 31, 2002 and receive a 128MB memory module for FREE (shipping and handling charges apply).

Eligible Models for 128MB (brings total memory to 256MB)
PCG-FX340 PCG-FX340KPCG-FX340PPCG-FX310
PCG-FX310KPCG-FX310PPCG-FXA33PCG-FXA32

To Receive Free Memory Upgrade
1. Go to www.kingston.com/sony128 and enter the promotion code SV128
2. Enter information about the model you purchased;
3. When the entry is deemed eligible, Purchaser will have a $0 balance for the memory and will be asked for credit card information to pay the shipping and handling charge. This charge will vary depending upon method of shipment requested and geographical regions.

 

[Egret]

Buy any Sony VAIO® PC and get an Epson Stylus C40UX Ink Jet Printer (retail price of $49) for FREE, after mail-in rebate. Or buy any Sony VAIO® PC and an Epson Stylus C60 or C80 Ink Jet Printer and get $49 U.S. back by mail.

Eligible Models
Any Sony VAIO notebook or desktop PC purchased through Sony's direct channels (www.sonystyle.com or 1-888-595-VAIO) within the promotional period is eligible.
The Epson C40UX, C60 or C80 Ink Jet printer purchased through Sony's direct channels (www.sonystyle.com or 1-888-595-VAIO) within the promotional period is eligible.

Terms & Conditions: This offer is valid for qualifying purchases of the EPSON Stylus C40UX, C60 or C80 ink jet printers, purchased in the U.S.A. by the first retail end user only from SonyStyle.com. OR by calling Sony directly at 1 (888) 595-VAIO. Rebate applies to product purchased between January 1, 2002 and January 31, 2002. Claim must be accompanied by a valid invoice or receipt of purchase and postmarked no later than 2/28/02 and received by 3/15/02. Offer does not apply to products purchased for resale or for refurbished/ used/demonstration products. In the event customer has paid less for the product than the specified rebate amount, customer will only be entitled to receive a rebate check for the actual amount (before taxes) paid by the customer. Purchaser responsible for all taxes. Not valid with any other Epson offer for a cash rebate. Only one claim per Epson product purchase. Epson and its agent have the right to substantiate sales receipts and serial numbers and to reject claims that do not comply with the terms of this offer. Epson is not responsible for lost, damaged, incomplete, invalid, damaged, postage due, or illegible requests. Rebate payable in U.S. funds only. Rebate is not valid if product was acquired from a retailer where the rebate amount was deducted at the time of purchase. Rebate checks are void if not cashed within 90 days of issuance and cannot be reissued. Sorry, Epson cannot deliver rebate checks to P.O. boxes. Keep copies of all materials sent. You should receive your rebate within 6-8 weeks. Availability and terms of offer may change without notice. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR WISH TO CHECK ON THE STATUS OF YOUR REBATE, PLEASE CALL: 1-800-277-6187. Sony and Sony VAIO are registered trademarks and Sonystyle is a service mark of Sony. EPSON and EPSON Stylus are registered trademarks of Seiko Epson Corporation. CPD-13361 PDF

 

[Egret]

Buy any Sony VAIO® notebook PC, sign a 12 month contract with GoAmericaSM wireless service and get the first 30 days FREE along with a FREE wireless PC modem!


Eligible Models
Any Sony VAIO notebook PC purchased within the promotional period is eligible.

Promotional Period
July 1, 2001 ? January 31, 2002

To Receive the GoAmerica Wireless PC Card

Purchase any Sony VAIO notebook PC within the promotional period.
Call 1-877-409-5910 and provide the UPC code and serial number of the Sony VAIO Notebook PC you purchased to the customer service representative when asked or redeem online at http://www.goamerica.net/html/channel/sony
Sign-up for the 12-month wireless service plan.
Once the contract is completed for wireless Internet service, your Wireless PC Card will be mailed to you within 10 business days.

Customers must complete all steps above, including purchasing a Sony VAIO Notebook PC by January 31, 2002, in order to qualify for promotion. Wireless service contract with GoAmerica is required, and contract with GoAmerica must be initiated by February 28, 2002 in order to qualify for this promotion. Early cancellation fees apply (see http://www.goamerica.net/html/policies/terms.html for details). Offer valid while supplies last.

 

[CKDragon]

I don't have much to add to this thread...

But I am one of the nosiest jerks you'll ever meet!

I was just curious what his name meant... hehe

CK

 

[madasambrani]

Egret,

I think the 128 MB upgrade does not apply to this model, as this already comes with 256MB. Also the printer is available only if you buy from sonystyle.com directly not from Best Buy or Circuit City. I think the Sprint wireless modem deal was better as it required no activation.

The only downside to this laptop I saw were:
1) It does not have an IR port
2) The resolution is kind of fixed at 1024X768 - other options do not seem to scale well
3) Its got a clickety click sound at times - wonder about the hard drive's reliability
4) There is supposed to be a problem with Direct 3D games - don't use it so can't confirm

But other than that I think this is a great laptop - happy so far

 

[uns]

This laptop comes with a 8x4x32 cdrw/8x dvd drive. I ordered mine from a reputable ebay dealer. Too bad this deal didn't come sooner

AMD, Gotta love it!

The Specs

 

[johnjk]

madasambrani, where did you hear there is a problem with direct3d games. I've got the fxa 32 and I'm having a problem running any games. Also, I bought an external usb 4x4x8 burner and it will not burn at 4x only 2x. I've tried it on 4 other computers (2 laptops) and they all burn fine at 4x. I think there is a problem with the usb port on these.

 

[madasambrani]

johnjk,

I read it on epinions - Link to article. The author seems to suggest that the problem is a software driver problem for XP and not the laptop itself. You may want to try the sony vaio club site for drivers and updates for the USB problem you're having.

 

[johnjk]

Good information. Thanks.

 

[AU Tiger]

I have the FXA32 and haven't tried any games, but I guess I better run it through a few games to make sure I am happy before my 14 days are up at best buy. I did try the dxdiag program and it passed all tests and I had read that some people had trouble completing the tests. Its a $150 if I return it, but I may be willing to lose that if I am not happy.

 

[johnjk]

Well, I tried mine and it fails the direct 3d test. I've already downloaded the latest video driver from sony's site. I guess i'm screwed unless they come up with a better driver.

 

[gang]

Is this laptop a desktop CPU?

 

[Mattster]

Its not a desktop processor. Its the mobile version of the Palomino core (someone correct me if I am wrong!).

Matt