Considering Z22

Hello!

I have several questions depending the Z22!
I now own a Z11 with i7, 8GB, FHD, 256 SSD...

I want to give the Z11 to my girlfriend and want to buy me a Z22 for university usage!

My questions referring the Z22 are:

How is the reallife batterylife with doing office tasks, watching some youtube and surf around the web?
How is the reallife batterylife with the extended battery?
Does the Z22 get hot on normal usage?
Are the fans of the Z22 loud on normal usage?
Is it possible to run on the PMD one USB 2 external HDD and one USB 3 HDD and have on both good speeds?
Is it real that the PMD only has VGA out? Is there a possibility to use DVI Monitors with the PMD? Or is HDMI the better solution?
How is the gaming performance with the PMD and without. Is it possible to play on the run games like Anno 2070 or Skyrim?

Some questions for assessoires:

Is there a keyboardprotector for a german vaio Z? Just called Ebay and they offer only for american versions...
Are there some good protecting cases for the Z2 like there are some cases for the MBA? Or can I use just the stuff Sony is offering?

 

Im speaking for the z21 which is about the same i guess.

How is the reallife batterylife with doing office tasks, watching some youtube and surf around the web?

- about 4 to 5 hours (rather 4) if you don't turn the brightness to max. (which isnt needed because its so damn bright ;> )

Does the Z22 get hot on normal usage?

- no.

Are the fans of the Z22 loud on normal usage?

- dont know whats normal usage for you. but watching youtube hd videos is as silent as a calculator most of the time. An important factor is the surface you place it on. If its hard the construction of z22 lifts the base so that air can go in from below. The laptop is very silent then.

Is it possible to run on the PMD one USB 2 external HDD and one USB 3 HDD and have on both good speeds?

- yes, why not?

Is it real that the PMD only has VGA out? Is there a possibility to use DVI Monitors with the PMD? Or is HDMI the better solution?


- The laptop got 1 VGA + 1 HDMI, PMD adds another VGA and HDMI so you got 4. No DVI. HDMI is better than DVI and transports audio as well. So theres no reason to use DVI anymore (afaik).

How is the gaming performance with the PMD and without. Is it possible to play on the run games like Anno 2070 or Skyrim?

- Theres reports that skyrim runs kinda well on low/medium.
- Without PMD you can still play Games like Fifa2012.

Are there some good protecting cases for the Z2 like there are some cases for the MBA? Or can I use just the stuff Sony is offering?

This was just discussed here. I think that bag looks like some insane price/value: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony-owners-lounge-forum/590723-official-sony-vpc-z2-vaio-z-2011-series-owners-thread-241.html#post8208010



Hope that helps.

 

One clarification, the laptop VGA and HDMI can't be used at the same time. So the max display outputs is 3: Laptop HDMI, PMD HDMI, PMD VGA.

 

Just to nitpick, but the the laptop screen itself is an output so you actually have 4 monitors at a time: the laptop and 3 externals.

 

@otulp88,

HDMI is >not< better than DVI. Because of Sony's omission of dual-link DVI (or Displayport) we are stuck with having to hack the monitor drivers and input custom DTD settings (35 Hz refresh rate) in order to drive 2560x1440 or 2560x1600 monitors.

DisplayPort would be the best compromise (size of the connector and capability) but for some reason Sony is just boycotting anything higher than Full HD already for few generations of their laptops.

 

A few things to consider:

The keyboard has very low travel. I personally find it a real chore to work with. Others say it isn't a problem. Try it out before you buy.

The PMD is really not that great for gaming. I find that it's fine for older games, but anything modern (e.g., CoD, SWTOR) requires the resolution and other settings to be cranked down.

Between the PMD and the main unit, you have two HDMI connectors, and so can drive two 1080p monitors. HDMI to DVI adapters only cost a few bucks if you already have a DVI monitor.

I personally would not pick up a Z2 if I already owned a Z1. At the very least, look at what's coming out of CES next week. Leaks hint that there will be some (non-Sony) machines that give the Z2 a run for its money at a much lower price-point.