F Series versus Z Series

I am trying to decide between the F series and the Z series. Anyone else been debating between these two laptops? Any thoughts?

 

Yes, I was debating between these 2 models too, but finally decided on the F-series. The 2 things that swung the pendelum in the F-series's direction was the availability of the Quad-Core CPUs (i7-720QM and i7-820QM) which simply cannot be added into a small chassis like the Z-series (who at most gets the dual-core i7-620QM) and also the availability of faster DDR3-1333 RAM (which the F-series gets), which the quad-cores are optimized to fully utilize (the dual-core CPUs that the Z-series gets, can only utilize upto DDR3-1066 RAM that the Z-series gets).

I do a lot of photo and video editing and the Quad-cores available in the F-series was the point that finally made me choose the F.

However, if portability is the primary consideration, then nothing beats a product like the Z-series for the sheer power that is packed into such a small and light chassis. Hope this provides one more perspective.

 

Yes it helps. Did you go with the SSD harddrive, were you able to justify the extra expense? Any options on the F that are a must have? I tend multi-task, with lots of memory hogs.

 

Also, did you go with the business vaio or were they the same. I have been told the business models were built different.

 

I have a Z590, and my wife has an FW590.
Feature-wise, they're pretty comparable. The Z has faster CPU and memory at the same clock speed, while the FW has a faster 3d card (although the new Z changes that). Speakers are way better on the FW, but it's still not even close to real speaker quality.
The resolution is the same, the keyboard type is the same, they both have HDMI out, same amount of ports.
The main difference, though, is the size and weight. It's like comparing a 10 stone lady with a 16 stone lady.

 

My config includes:
i7-820QM
8GB DDR3-1333 RAM
1920x1080 "premium" screen (US version) with 330M GPU with 1GB VRAM
256GB SSD
Sony Vegas Pro 9.0
Backlighting

While doing a back-to-back photo processing comparison with the older FW series (with P9700 dual-core CPU - 2.8GHz, GPU with 1GB VRAM and 8GB DDR2-800 RAM), the newer F-series (with 820QM Quad-core processor, GPU with 1GB VRAM and 8GB DDR3-1333 RAM) took around 3-6 minutes for tasks that the FW took 30-45 minutes to complete.

That is a HUGE difference in performance, assuming you are running jobs/programs that can utilize the multiple-cores and multiple-threads on the new Quad-core chips.

A few stats about the new Quad-core chips (the new F-series gets the i7-720QM and the i7-820QM) are as follows:

i7-820QM:
Max Turbo Boost Frequency
4 Core: 2.00 GHz
3 Core: 2.00 Ghz
2 Core: 2.80 GHz
1 Core: 3.06 GHz
Core Frequency: 1.73 GHz with DDR3-1333
LFM Frequency: 1.2 GHz
Shared L3 Cache: 8MB
Cores: 4
Threads: 8

i7-720QM:
Max Turbo Boost Frequency
4 Core: 1.73 GHz
3 Core: 1.73 GHz
2 Core: 2.40 GHz
1 Core: 2.80 GHz
Core Frequency: 1.60 GHz with DDR3-1333
LFM Frequency: 0.933 GHz
Shared L3 Cache: 6MB
Cores: 4
Threads: 8

Then there is an Extreme version of the Quad-Core i7 processors (called i7-920XM), that is not present in any of the consumer models, whose specs are as follows:

i7-920XM:
Max Turbo Boost Frequency
4 Core: 2.26 GHz
3 Core: 2.26 Ghz
2 Core: 3.06 GHz
1 Core: 3.20 GHz
Core Frequency: 2.00 GHz with DDR3-1333
LFM Frequency: 1.2 GHz
Shared L3 Cache: 8MB
Cores: 4
Threads: 8

 

I went with a CTO F-series model. With Windows 7 Pro and chose "Fresh Start", along with the other specs listed above.

I don't think there are any build-quality differences between the F-series models (whether business or otherwise), even though the specs on a business machine might be different from the specs on a pre-built F-series. Rarely does the business version get to maximize things like RAM or have the higher-end CPU etc., since "business" users don't need such high powered specs (unless we are talking about photo/video professionals).

 

The only issue I have with the F series is I wonder about its quality. It doesn't seem to be made out of the same magnesium alloy chassis w/available carbon fiber lid and brushed aluminum keyboard deck that accents the Z. The screen I'm sure is great (1920x1080), but I would have liked to see something better than a GT330 in such a large laptop. The Z has a 1gb 330 at only 13". Admittedly, it does possess the very powerful Core i7-820, which is certainly its highpoint. Pricewise, the F comes in significantly below the Z which is a good thing. Does anyone know if the F is a "Made in Japan" model like the Z (Or to my understanding, Made in Japan, assembled in Japan and America for the CTO), or is it china produced and assembled like some of the lower models?

 

Pretty much agree with your comment.
How sufficient the cooling of this new Z can manage powerful NVIDIA GT330, quick someone review the temp lol :/ i hope it doesnt turrn out like the current Z. Maybe it can works with gpu intensive software, but not recommended for long run with this gpu.

iinm, only the ultra-portable lineup like Z and X are Made In Japan. it doesnt matter to me anyway D:

 

The F-series is indeed made of a magnesium alloy chassis but the outside is of course plastic (I am guessing here, even though it does feel cool to the touch). The pricing of the product does reflect that. However, there is no feeling of cheapness in the F-series at all. It feels very solidly constructed.

All the F-series CTO models that are delivered in the EU, get assembled and shipped out of Japan. Of course the CTO models in the US state "Made in USA", as it does with other CTO models like the Z-series etc. I am not sure about the pre-built US models, however.