A Few Basic Vaio Z Questions

Hi Guys,

I'm very close to picking up a new Sony Vaio Z CTO but had a few questions that I've had a very hard time finding an answer to through searching.

1. Is the actual chassis material different between "Silver" and "Premium Carbon Fiber"? I assume it is since the PCF is $50 more but I know that Dell for instance charges more simply for a color swap on some of their models. Is the PCF indeed a more durable material and therefore worth the premium?

2. Is the large capacity battery either heavier or bulkier than the standard? Also if I were to buy it later as a standalone part, how much would that run me?

3. I'm having trouble deciding between the i5 and i7. My main concern with the i7 is that I might take a battery life hit due to the more powerful processor. Does anyone have any experience and/or data on the difference between the two with regard to battery life?

4. Is the RAM slot easily accessed? I'm leaning toward the 1x4GB option which I can then supplement on my own with a 4 GB stick. Any particular limitations or can I just purchase any DDR3-SDRAM-1066 stick?

Thanks for your help and sorry if these have been answered elsewhere I just haven't found them and that owner's thread is too massive to go through entirely.

 

Hi metalzo. Check out this thread http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=477806. If the information's not there ask the OP to add them in - it would benefit everyone including you

 

Yeah I saw that thread...none of these questions are answered there but I will add them to that thread as well. Thanks!