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I'm not expecting to change the CPU or video chip in my notebook

I've upgraded the video card on a Dell laptop before but that was because it was a daughterboard which could be swapped in about 5 minutes.

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My point about Sony compared to Dell/Compaq/IBM is that those latter vendors often make it a design goal to allow the user to perform the basic upgrades. Sony's designs regarding upgrades often range from not caring to seemingly going out of their way to make it difficult.

Dell appear to have the design goal that it's easy to upgrade purely because the system is built to order and only happens when you place the order. It makes it easier for their staff to construct the laptop from the various interchangable bits.

Very few laptop manufacturers actually make the laptop. They usually contract it out to one of the big laptop manufacturers like Compal. Unless they want a specific design like Apple then they can buy an off the shelf kit as it were. Nearly all the Dell models are off the shelf. You can find no name ones which look nearly identical.

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Sony makes customer unfriendly choices in other ways, too. I remember reading complaints that Sony didn't make XP drivers for their proprietary hardware which shipped with Windows ME even though these were still relatively new machines when XP became MS's consumer OS.

No problems like that for my old VAIO. Took a month or two after XP to come out and they released a new BIOS and a set of drivers and applications for XP. Just need to log into the Club VAIO site and download it.