Vizio Announces Sleek New 14" and 15" Notebooks Discussion

[Khoiboi]

According to the VIZIO Support Q&A, the RAM, SSD and Battery are NOT user replaceable or upgradeable. The case of the Ultrabooks and the 15.6" Notebook are all 'sealed'.

So all Ultrabook configuration, whether 14" or 15.6", or i3/i5/i7, will have 4GB of RAM. The i7 version of the 15.6" Notebook has 8GB of RAM, while the i3/i5 models only have 4GB.

Awww =[ that sucks... Hopefully they're not doing something proprietary... I'm very interested in buying the 15.6" T&L A1 version (based on their site) and I still am after hearing that. Hopefully someone figures out a way to upgrade the ram, which is my only major concern really... that and the keyboard.

Also, what is your opinion between these two:

15.6" Ultrabook CT15 A2 - $1,249
15.6" Notebook CN15 A2 - $1,199

My main concerns are speed, portability, battery life, and price, in that order. The ultrabook is 1.3 pounds lighter and has a 256 SSD, so in my opinion, it should be slightly faster. Also, because of the ULV CPU, I assume that the battery life on the ultrabook will be better.

The notebook, on the other had, has 8gb of 1600mhz ram, a better CPU, and is slightly cheaper. Although the notebook also has a discrete graphics card and 1tb more memory, I already have a newly built gaming desktop at home that has plenty of memory. Also, due to the heavier specs on the notebook, I assume that it'll have worse battery life.

Which one would you guys choose (assuming that you can't do upgrades to the RAM)?

[SGMD1]

Awww =[ that sucks... Hopefully they're not doing something proprietary... I'm very interested in buying the 15.6" T&L A1 version (based on their site) and I still am after hearing that. Hopefully someone figures out a way to upgrade the ram, which is my only major concern really... that and the keyboard.

This is the picture that interests me when it comes to user upgrades/repairs:



As long as one of those faces can be lifted, everything inside seems to be fairly easily accessible.

[crpcookie]

Man. I am tired of the trend of silver-color laptops.

[Pseudorandom]

Accessible, but wil you be able to replace anything? RAM/SSD are probably soldered on.

[Khoiboi]

Accessible, but wil you be able to replace anything? RAM/SSD are probably soldered on.

How many companies have actually soldered on their RAM? I know Apple did, but I'm pretty sure they're in the minority here. Before this latest iteration of Mac Book Pros and Airs, changing out the RAM in the older Macs were possible too. For a company that is just starting out, I highly doubt they'll make a move that would jeopardize their standing with consumers when they haven't even established a steady following.

[Matthias Phage]

According to a Vizio respresentative on their Facebook page, on at least the Notebook the RAM is upgradeable, but doing so will void the warranty. Not sure about the Ultrabooks, however.

[allfiredup]

How many companies have actually soldered on their RAM? I know Apple did, but I'm pretty sure they're in the minority here. Before this latest iteration of Mac Book Pros and Airs, changing out the RAM in the older Macs were possible too. For a company that is just starting out, I highly doubt they'll make a move that would jeopardize their standing with consumers when they haven't even established a steady following.

Soldering the RAM to the motherboard is fairly common on some netbooks. The main reasons are to simplify the manufacturing process (which reduces costs) and because many ultra-thin designs can't accomodate conventional RAM modules.

If Vizio had made 8GB of RAM standard on all the Ultrabooks, I wouldn't give it a second thought! But with only 4GB and no upgrade option, it could be a real issue for more demanding users!

As much as I love the Vizio Ultrabook designs, the inability to make user upgrades or replacements is VERY troubling to me! I refuse to buy any Apple products for this very reason!!! I won't be forced to return to the manufacturer for something as simple as replacing the battery! As much as I still want to make an exception for these Vizio products, it would be hypocritical to do so....

So I've been taking yet another look at the SAMSUNG 7-Series 14" and they have everything I want and no hassles or compromises to worry about...and they're on sale for dirt cheap now! I'm looking at one for $799, which is $380 off MSRP!

[sergofast]

Soldering the RAM to the motherboard is fairly common on some netbooks. The main reasons are to simplify the manufacturing process (which reduces costs) and because many ultra-thin designs can't accomodate conventional RAM modules.

If Vizio had made 8GB of RAM standard on all the Ultrabooks, I wouldn't give it a second thought! But with only 4GB and no upgrade option, it could be a real issue for more demanding users!

As much as I love the Vizio Ultrabook designs, the inability to make user upgrades or replacements is VERY troubling to me! I refuse to buy any Apple products for this very reason!!! I won't be forced to return to the manufacturer for something as simple as replacing the battery! As much as I still want to make an exception for these Vizio products, it would be hypocritical to do so....

So I've been taking yet another look at the SAMSUNG 7-Series 14" and they have everything I want and no hassles or compromises to worry about...and they're on sale for dirt cheap now! I'm looking at one for $799, which is $380 off MSRP!

I chated with one of their reps. All of their laptops are upgradeable to 16GB or Ram. Both the notebook and the Thin+light model have user upgradeable ram. The SSD drive is a standard Sata3 2.5" bay.

[kDrum]

I'm eyeing either this or the new XPS 15. Both seem really nice, but the Vizio seems to hit a nicer price point. XPS 15 has way more connectivity options, but I only need HDMI and a few USB ports (and a hub isn't that big of a deal). I'm hoping to find some reviews, but I'm very excited for what Vizio is doing.

[kDrum]

Awww =[ that sucks... Hopefully they're not doing something proprietary... I'm very interested in buying the 15.6" T&L A1 version (based on their site) and I still am after hearing that. Hopefully someone figures out a way to upgrade the ram, which is my only major concern really... that and the keyboard.

Also, what is your opinion between these two:

15.6" Ultrabook CT15 A2 - $1,249
15.6" Notebook CN15 A2 - $1,199

My main concerns are speed, portability, battery life, and price, in that order. The ultrabook is 1.3 pounds lighter and has a 256 SSD, so in my opinion, it should be slightly faster. Also, because of the ULV CPU, I assume that the battery life on the ultrabook will be better.

The notebook, on the other had, has 8gb of 1600mhz ram, a better CPU, and is slightly cheaper. Although the notebook also has a discrete graphics card and 1tb more memory, I already have a newly built gaming desktop at home that has plenty of memory. Also, due to the heavier specs on the notebook, I assume that it'll have worse battery life.

Which one would you guys choose (assuming that you can't do upgrades to the RAM)?

If you have a gaming tower, I'd get the ultrabook, assuming you don't need the space. 256gb SSD's are pretty fast, and a ULV CPU is fine, Ivy bridge has really increased the turbo on them.

Battery life on the ULV will be better, but the normal gets 6 hours or so of battery, which is respectable by itself. I'm getting the notebook (if I buy vizio) but that's because I don't have a desktop and need something portable.