Service is just all right in Sony as long as its in warranty, the handling charges will give out a shock if you need service after the warranty period expires. The prices are way too high considering the features but the flaunt value of a Sony, ruggedness and looks make it worth to some. If you want value for money HP might be a better choice. The basic components like CPU, graphics card, hard disks will be same as that of an HP for same config, Sony gives you some good softwares to manage your laptop but similar are always available as freewares on internet except Sony's supposedly very advanced power management features.