R600 vs Sony TT

Except for the Toshiba's extra screen inch, these seem to be reasonably similar, with about the same weight, functionality, speed, features, etc. With SSD they're also close in price.

I need an ultralight traveler that can double as a desktop (with monitors) at home and office. My existing unit is a Sony TX (11.1", single core processor) that works fine, but the grass is always greener and it's time for an upgrade.

What might influence your decision one way or the other?

 

Screen legibility and keyboard usability are a couple of considerations which might lead you to the slightly bigger R600. IMO, dedicated page up and page down keys are very useful.

The Toshiba display is usable in bright sunshine but isn't the best for normal indoor use (although the R600 may be better than the R500 I have - see link below for review). The R600 has the advantage of using a standard 2.5" HDD so you can currently go to 500GB for your storage if you don't want to take the SSD route. There's also eSATA/USB 2.0 Sleep-and-Charge and a docking station port.

The TT may give longer battery run time but I don't like Sony's very wide displays when web browsing or working with documents benefits from height.

There's a good review of the R600 at Trusted Reviews including some comparisons with the TT.

John

 

That is a perfect response - thank you. I read the Trusted Reviews data and was impressed.

Because of the 2.5" HD form factor, it's tempting to buy the non-SSD R600, and then to upgrade in a few months. SSD products are very volatile right now as to reliability, performance, and price.

I use a Mogo mouse when traveling, and cannot find a spec defining the size of the slot on the R600 -- the image seems to be 54mm - is it?

 

Yes, I wouldn't buy an SSD now. They will be bigger / faster / cheaper in 6 months time. The 2.5" form factor does give you more purchasing options.

The Express Card slot is 54mm. See page 2-4 of the user guide. The slot is under the optical drive so some cards will block the drive when in use, but I think you are just looking at the storage for your mouse.

John

 

I think the TT is way better!

 

This depends on individual requirements, which is what we have been discussing.

John

 

The manual helps - thank you.

I've been told that the conventional hard drive in the R600 spins at 7200rpm. If so, that will blur the differences between magnetic and solid state drives.

I'll find a source for this, and if there's a choice will specify the smallest magnetic HDD at 7200rpm.

Again, thanks for the guidance.

Lon

with Sony SZ, TX, and desktops...

 

This UK datasheet shows the 200GB HDD is 7200rpm whereas the 160GB is 5400rpm.

Personally, I would prefer the 160GB version in the hope that is is one of the recent single platter drives which has very good transfer rates and low power consumption. However, the model with that HDD doesn't include WWAN.

John

 

Toshiba usually doesn't use the best in class screens. Sony does. That's why I would pick the TT.

But the TT is only 200 grams lighter than a Sony Z. Sony Z has a lot more to offer.

 

The Sony Z does offer a lot but I don't like the current letter-box shaped display. The physical height is no more than on the R600 while there is about a 40% greater weight. Also, I can't see the dedicated page up and page down keys.

I agree that the display is probably one of the R600's drawbacks but the OP will be using an external display when at home.

John

 

I was looking at the Sony Z11 or Z21 but have been put off by the battery issue (all Sony's discharge by about 10 to 15% overnight). So now seriously considering the Toshiba R600 - as long as its powerful enough for serious web browsing using active x plug ins and Java. Any comments also is the screen really poor or just slightly worse then the Z series

Cheers

Barney

 

We have several Sony laptops, and haven't encountered that self-discharge problem.

I have yet to find any retailer, etc., that can show me the R600 - but the screen should be like that of the R500, which is very good but not quite the match for our SZ and TX laptops.

 

Just search for "Vaio Battery drain" and look at all the posts. Appears to happen with all Sony laptops. Really puts me off as I don't often use a laptop but when I do the last thing I want is to find it has run out of juice!

Cheers

Barney

 

As described by Trusted Reviews, the R600's screen is its weak link. There are similar comments here. The screen on my R500 is slightly sparkly, which I assume is related to the transflective technology and viewing angles are worse than average. You can get a good impression from my R500 review (link below) since I think the display is the same.

However, it should also be remembered that the TT's screen is 52.6 sq.in in area with around 141 pixels per inch while the R600's screen is 62.8 sq.in (19% bigger) with 125 pixels per inch so, at default settings, text on the R600 is bigger and easier to read. There's almost an inch more physical height to the display on the R600 which, in my view, improves the usability.

John

 

So basically, is the screen so bad that you wouldn't have bought it in the first place if you had known, or is it that when comparing to the best screens its just not quite as good. My sister has the R500 and she loves it (unfortunately she lives 500 miles away so I can't just pop down to see it!)

Cheers

Barney

 

The R500 / R600 screen is fit for the purpose of one person mobile computing. Indoors, it doesn't stand up to comparison with a Sony screen, but if you fancy sitting in the sunshine then it would show its strength. It also provides better privacy, if that is a benefit.

I also suspect that my R500's screen is one of the less good ones. I've looked at one on display in Dubai airport and it seemed to be better (but also cost twice as much - I bought a refurbished unit). I know for sure that the TT's small pixels would make my eyes hurt and if I enlarged the fonts then i wouldn't get much on the screen.

I would buy the R500 again based on the overall package and accepting that the screen could be better. The fan getting noisy under full load is a bigger grumble. Perhaps the CPU in the R600 will run a little cooler.

John

 

I have seen the R500 and found no fault with the screen. Viewing angle is not a factor for me. Transflective is a great thing for computing-in-the-park.

But side-by-side with, say, a Sony SZ - the Sony wins.

I would like to have the R600 with the magnetic HD, but want to lay hands on it first...

 

Now I am confused. My capable assistant - still young enough to know everything - says that there is another choice:
A605 ---
12.1" display (probably not transflective) with a 1.4 GHz SU9400, 3 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, DVD Drive, Vista Premium

I think it's a centimeter thicker, but in other respects is comparable to the R600. With the 250GB mag drive, it costs much less.

 

notaguru someone posted a comparsion picture of the Sony Z and A605 in the Sony forum. It might give you some idea about the A605's display and yes the A605 display is matte.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=327507

A forum member also posted this in the Sony forum, the colour reproduction of the TT is meant to be very good.
http://www.sonyinsider.com/2009/01/06/color-reproduction-difference-between-vaio-tz-and-vaio-tt/

You are used to the screen size of the TT so i would suggest that you go for that because the TT i think has more to offer features wise.

 

My wife and I use our 2nd gen R500 as our only computer on a daily basis. While the display is noticeably not as nice as laptops and desktops we've had in the past (my wife said, what's wrong with the color?) its perfectly suitable for accomplishing any task we've thrown at it (web, email, photoshop, flash, etc). I've not once regretted this laptop display.

I picked the 2nd gen R500 over the A605 due to weight and size. Price is almost the same since the R600 has caused the R500 prices to drop.

One other note. The R600 is essentially the 3rd gen R500. I think most of the complaints of the 1st gen R500 (build quality, bugs, etc) have been worked out. The Sony Z and Sony TT are 1st gen, completely new designs. I'm not a fan of 1st gens and typically don't get them. I recently took a gamble with a 1st gen Dell M1330 and lost. I have no doubt the Sonys will have some initial ups and downs too, hopefully not as bad though. I think of it like waiting for SP1 before upgrading to a new OS. My two cents.

ps. I'm planning on getting the Sony Z next year after its refresh and prices have come down. There is no way I could ever tolerate an 11" screen as my only computer. Its amazing how much that extra inch makes a difference to me personally.

 

For info only, just been notified by our supplier that the Toshiba R600-101 (the model I was interested in) has been discontinued. Wonder what it will be replaced with?

Barney

 

So to summarize the differences:

• Weight, dimensions and performance of the R600 and TT are very similar
• TT has a superior display (at least indoors), while the R600's slightly larger display may be better for more aged eyes
• R600 has a larger keyboard
• Battery life: TT outperforms in "productivity" mode; R600 better in "read mode" (double R600 numbers in review to compare 6 cell batteries). But TT also has a 9 cell option, while the R600 does not.
• Some people complain about the TT's build quality
• TT is superior for watching movies -- wide screen display, Blu-ray option
• Toshiba's SSD has been called slow
• When comparing equivalently featured models, R600 is significantly less expensive
• The R600 has a 2.5" SATA bay, making it possible to upgrade the HD with stock components -- possibly interesting given the speed at which SSD technology is changing

Any comments? Anything I've missed? Anything just plain wrong?

 

We have TX and TZ, and have evaluated the TT. We also tried the R500 before settling on the R600. Our usage is nearly 100% business.

Your summary is correct. The Toshiba gets functionality points due to keyboard dimensions and outdoors transflective screen (I like to work in the park, and with the illumination OFF the battery lasts forever). The 2.5" HDD bay is important, as you've suggested. Hence our decision...

However, the Sony is more impressive when resting on a board room table...

 

Thanks Nota!

I read in a different thread that you were trying to add a 2.5" SSD to the R600, but you never posted the results. Any chance you can tell us how that worked out?

 

We tried, but failed repeatedly. There may be time next week to fool with it. The problem is that I want to use XP, and the install disk doesn't include SATA drivers. nlite might solve that. I wish there were some way to get an imaging app to do the job, but (so far) that hasn't worked.

Disassembly is easy on this unit, though there is one point where only force will separate the magnesium panel from the plastic one. Really empty inside, too...

 

nLite seems to have solved a similar problem here. in fact, I wouldn't try to install a standard XP on a current computer without using nLite.

John

 

Thanks Notaguru. Good luck with the installation.

It is proving surprisingly difficult to find head-to-head speed comparisons between the SSD/standard HD versions of the R600!

 

Nothing crazy like Sony's stuff, huh? If I get a R600 I'm considering upgrading the drive myself. I'd like to get the cheaper one and get a better drive.

 

So I've pretty much decided to go ahead with buying an R600. I saw one "in the flesh" today, and found it to be nicer looking than in the photos, sufficiently robust, and despite rumours to the contrary, the screen was fine.

But some questions:

• I'm inclined to get Vista 64, which is what I run on my desktop. Is there any particular reason I should not do this? (The alternative being Vista 32 - I actually like Vista, and don't want to 'downgrade' to XP.)
• I'd like to upgrade the memory (beyond the default 2 GB.) Is there any (significant) battery draw when adding more memory?
• I liked the keyboard, but found I kept hitting the '\' key when I meant to hit enter. This was on a french keyboard, which is not what I'll be buying. On the standard US/English keyboard, is the enter key in the correct place? This would drive me around the bend and would be enough for me to reconsider the purchase.
• I was really unimpressed by the amount of crapware it came loaded with. I assume this is just a matter of uninstalling it all?

Thanks as always for your helpful comments, folks!

EDIT: I've been answering some of my own questions. I moved the follow-up to a more on-topic thread.

 

Were you guys adding an additional 2.5" hard drive to the laptop?

 

Never got it done. I want to use XP, which needs third party SATA drivers that I wasn't smart enough to install via nlite or whatever, so the system couldn't find the SSD.
Might do it again this weekend.

And there's ONE 2.5" bay.

 

If you are happy with your present OS installation and just want a bigger / faster HDD then clone it as explained here.

That's how I upgraded the R500 to 320GB.

John

 

I just came across this thread and thought I'd add my three penn'orth because I've used my R500 as a travelling laptop for 11 months and I think it's great.

For me the transreflective screen is one of it's best features (apart from the weight!) as I especially wanted something that would work outdoors without washing out. OK, you don't get the same clarity of display as compared to a good backlit screen indoors, but it beats other screens I've used outdoors and the extended battery life is a useful bonus. You pay for this with a restricted viewing angle, but that's almost an advantage as well because it gives you more privacy.

I fitted an Intel 160GB X25-M to it several weeks ago and now it's even better (see post at http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=367467). It's noticeably livelier and I can now use Power Saver mode for most taks. In that mode the fan hardly ever comes on, so it becomes totally silent as well as giving longer battery life. (Even when it's on, the fan is pretty quiet). It wakes up ready for use from Standby in less than 10s. And all this is while using Vista Aero with transparency etc.

My main computer is a Tecra M5 with a 160GB conventional drive and both contain all my files synchronised together. After putting the ssd into the R500 there's no dramatic difference in performance between the two, and the R500 wins hands down outside.

Nothing's perfect, but the R500 with the Intel SSD is the closest I've got to an effective go-anywhere, do anything laptop.