Advice needed on the Vaio SR.

Hello,

I wasn’t sure where to post this but figured people here would have more knowledge and advice on the Sony SR.

I’m looking to get the laptop soon and went to look at it in the store. The Z caught my eye but it’s a little on the pricey side. My limit is around $1,500 and with all the discounts/coupons figured I could save around $400-$500 worth. When looking at the specs on the SR I just want to get the best I can so it lasts. I chose the SR over the Z because I’ll be doing a lot of typing so the smaller palm rests on the Z put me off ( Also heard windows 7 won’t be supporting hybrid graphics systems ). My last Sony was a FS and has lasted me a while, I figured the SR could last me just as long.

I’m torn between:

Dedicated -ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3470 with HDMI™ Output
Integrated -Mobile Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD with Intel® Clear Video Technology

I mostly do web browsing , messenger, Dvd/Youtube use but also work with Photoshop/Dreamweaver and want to play a few 3D games ( Example is WoW ). I can’t stand Lag and I multi-task a lot. Will the integrated GPU keep up?

I heard the Dedicated produces more heat and since I travel and use the laptop on my lap, I’d rather avoid any heat problems. Is it very noticeable? I had a HP Before my last Sony and the heat was unbearable. If I go with integrated is it likely to become outdated quickly or should I go for dedicated since it’s possible to upgrade? I plan to keep this laptop for a couple years.

Second question is about the processor. Is the P8400 ( 2.26GHz ) enough to handle what I want to do? ( Without Lag ) Or should I invest in the P8600, T9400 and T9600? I want this laptop to last and after reading around on the forums here decided it best to invest in processor first over RAM/HD which I could upgrade later on.

Third is about RAM/HD. The models I’m looking at come with 2GB to 3GB of Ram. Is it okay to start at 2GB ( Since we can add more ), or should I go directly for 3-4GB to avoid slower speeds?

Considering HD, 5400rpm vs. 7200rpm. Are the ones with 5400rpm enough to handle what I want to do? I heard 7200 makes more noise/heat since it spins faster, is it true? If so, is it noticeable? Is 250GB enough to start with? It’s possible to upgrade later?

Sorry this turned into an essay. Any help/advice is appreciated.

 

The graphics card option is mainly about what you need as far as battery life. If battery life is crucial to your needs I would stick with the integrated graphics. I have an SR with the integrated and it runs photoshop and fireworks just fine.

As for the processor, if you need good battery life, go with the highest processor with a P in the front. The P8400 and P8600 will be plenty fast. I myself have the P8600.

I would recomend upgrading the RAM yourself later on down the road or as soon as you get it. Doing this easy task yourself can save some money. Sony wants 100 for 4gb when you can get 2X2 for around 50$.

The hard drive option also comes down to if you want battery life or not. If battery life is not an issue go with the 7200RPM drive. If it is go with the 5400RPM. I have the 5400RPM and its plenty fast.

 

i would go with the dedicated graphics. more and more programs are using dedicated graphics. get the p8400. get the base ram and hdd and upgrade later. get atleast 2gb ram and a 320gb 7200rpm hdd

 

1.) The heat is not a problem, it is only a little tiny bit hotter than the Intel IGP.
I have a SR with the HD3470, and my laptop's temperature is usually only around 30C.
But SR with the HD3470 only gets about 3 and a half hours of battery life.
and a SR with the Intel IGP will probably get close to 6 hours of battery life

2.) If battery life is not a concern for you, I would say go for a T9400 or even a T9600 even you can afford it.
But if battery life is a concern get the P8600 or P8400, they use less power than the "T" series CPUs.

3.) RAM and the Hard Drive can be upgraded very easily by yourself, there are two easy access panels on the bottom of the SR, they let you change the RAM or the HDD in a snap.

a 5400RPM HDD will handle everything just fine, a 7200RPM HDD will load applications, startup windows, etc.. faster, but usually at the cost of more battery consumption and more noise.
I have a Western Digital Scorpio Black 320GB 7200RPM HDD, but it is about just as quiet as my old Toshiba 320GB 5400RPM HDD, and the battery life is just about the same for me..

Hope it helps

 

6 hours sounds a but steep. 5 is more realistic I think.

 

That's what I thought too,
But somebody from the SR thread told me he can easily get 6. :/

But yeah I think 5 sounds about right..

 

Argh. I must clarify!

XP/Vista/7

None of these OS have built in Hybrid/SLI/CrossFire support. All support for video drivers is from the GPU manufacturers themselves. This is normal.
In order for the VAIO Z's graphics switch to work, it's a VAIO driver IIRC, since Vista doesn't have any configuration like that built in anyways. Same applies for Hybrid SLI/Crossfire.

This is something that was basically reported on poorly. It's a misconception that Windows 7 not natively supporting Hybrid SLI/Crossfire or switchable graphics is a bad thing. If you think about a clean install of an OS onto any laptop you buy, more than likely when you first go into windows after the OS install, all the resolutions are messed up. This is because you haven't installed the drivers yet.

If any windows version after a clean install located your video card, and automatically booted up in the maximum resolution possible of your monitor/GPU, then Windows would have native video card support in general, which it does not. Basically... what they've really said is:

"We don't have video card drivers pre-installed in Windows, and we're not about to start add Hybrid graphics support either."

Look at it this way. Do you want Microsoft to be developing drivers for your GPU hardware to work? Especially when they didn't even develop said GPU hardware in the first place? Probably not.

It is a good thing that 7 isn't natively supporting these GPU functions, since they'd just bloat up the OS. Additionally, I would think that drivers released by the actual GPU companies would be better than anything Microsoft could make.

 

Thankyou so much everyone for the advice! It's been great help, you answered all the questions the sales people in the stores kept dodging around.

I think i've decided on:

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P8600 (2.40GHz)
Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium 64-bit
Night Black
2 GB DDR2-SDRAM (DDR2-800, 1GBx2) - Will upgrade myself
160 or 250 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [5400 rpm] - Will upgrade when needed
13.3" WXGA (XBRITE-ECO™ technology)
ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3470[/B] with HDMI™ Output
DVD±R DL / DVD±RW / DVD-RAM Drive - tempted on Blue-ray but it adds $500 to the price so still deciding

Thanks also TemJinZero for explaining what's up with the Windows7 and Hybrid graphics.

Debating between ordering online ( coupon savings! ) Or at the store. I think i'll order online as the SR they're selling in the Sony Style store here has NVIDIA instead of ATI. I read somewhere the older Sony SR's had NVIDIA so it must be old stock.

Thanks again!

 

I just received my SR with around the same specs minus the dedicated graphics. You wont be disappointed! Blazing fast!

 

almost the same specs as mine. i have the sr190 currently and love it. i have the 3470 and have not managed to get more than 2:30 hours battery life though, please advise tony.

 

you should get even longer battery life than me since you have a "P" series cpu and a slower hdd..

Did you try turning off all the unneeded windows features and background processes, turn off indexing, turn off scheduled defragmentation, disable system restore, and try undervolting..

I get 3:30 all the time when I'm in school.. taking notes with Word, browsing on the internet, iTunes playing music through headphones, and brightness of (6/8) with Aero running and the SideBar off..