Help me decide on either P or X

I am in the market of buying a new portable netbook. Something I can use to email, excel, PDF and watch video on the go, mostly on airplane and between flights.

My decision is between the new P and X with similar configuration (2Ghz / 2GB / 256GB SSD). I like ultra portable factor of the P, which let me keep it in my hand bag instead of a laptop bag. But my experience with previous P model wasn't pleasant. My 2ghz P runs at 800Mhz 90% of the time due to thermal limitation. The pointer is unresponsive and difficult to navigate. Most importantly, obscured battery life (1.5~2 hrs with light use).

The X on the other hand, has excellent battery life, a touch pad and heat fan. The only down side would be its size and lower screen resolution 1366x768 compare with 1600x900 (yah… I have excellent eye sight and love high density screen).

Owners of new P and X… can you guys share some experiences with each model? I particularly interest if the new P or X can run at 2.0Ghz constantly. Also, did the increase in size cause any inconvenience to an ultra road warrior.

Again, many thanks in advance

 

IMO I am surprised you liked the P series. Dont get me wrong, it's great piece of engineering, but the new features on the P are not efficient for everyday purpose. X on the other hand, while not a powerhouse either is usable far more than P for everyday things especially if you're doing excel because a big screen will be pleasant. I wouldnt mind going for X if Z wasn't my first personal choice. X will fit nicely in your luggage

 

Thank you for the input. I will be using this netbook primarily for watch video on boring flight or web task in hotel. The weight and size of P allow me to hold it in the air while I am in bed (watching video). Occasionally, I need to modify some excel files but usually I have my 17" laptop for this purpose.

But you did proof ur point. Maybe I can ditch the 17' and just bring the X with me next time I travel.

 

I doubt anyone can see significant improvements between the VAIO P & X series simply because of the fact that they're using the same series of Intel Atom CPUs. However, which one will suit you better depends on your preference of the form factors of these 2 notebook series.

 

Correction, P has a 1600x768 screen, not 1600x900. So they have the same number of vertical pixels. I'd expect you to be able to see more information and work more comfortably on X's bigger screen.

 

I understand both models are using Atom Z550 2.0Ghz CPU. But my previous P runs at 800Mhz instead of 2.0Ghz 90% of the time due to thermal limit. Most P owner are experiencing this problem. In P's case, instead of Atom 2.0Ghz, you actually have the performance of an Atom 800Mhz.

Does anyone know if the newly design P or X has better thermal capacity than previous P? Can they run at advertised clock constantly?

 

X unless price is a factor then P. It's been < $400 a few times already. The last time was about a month ago. The lowest price was like $250-$300.

 

i hope u can wait for GMA600.

 

sorry to barge in.. where does the P usually go on sale for that price?

 

Get the X, more pratical. And with the extra battery has a VERY long battery life.

 

Are you sure the P runs at 800 mhz instead of 2.0 due to thermal throttling instead of idle power saving mode? In other words, does it run at 800 even with 100% cpu usage? Is the power setting set to "Performance" or "Adaptive" instead of "Battery Saver"?

 

I would get the X. Like Corrado said its not a powerhouse. But if you had the P in your options. Power is obviously not priority. The X ix almost skinnier I believe and a lot sexier. A lot more eye candy. The keyboard on the P series looks worse and doesn't even have a trackpad to accomodate the small space. Even net books have have them and they're only a bit larger.

 

I can confirm it is due to thermal throttling instead of power saving. Yes, it runs at 800Mhz even at 100% CPU usage and maximum vcore voltage. Just ask any P owner with a Atom Z550 and they will verify my story.

Unfortunately, P was designed with "ZERO" cooling. There is no fan or heat sink attached to the CPU and GMA500. Both chipsets are bond to a razor-thin small aluminum sheet. Then the heat was passed onto the chassis, along with heat from WWAN, SSD, PSU and etc. It takes no more than one minute for CPU raise to 70c and that is when the thermal throttling kicks in.

Now, I have investigated the disassembly picture of the new P11. It appears there is no improvement in cooling design other than few holes were drilled on the chassis. It should help heat from bottom pass through chassis and then vent through keyboard. But I highly doubt it will lower CPU temp much.

There are various models of P on the market. The price for a used last generation P is from $400~$1250. The 1.33Ghz / 60GB HDD / without WWAN probably go for around $400 on eBay. An used 2.0Ghz / 256GB SSD / unlocked WWAN can easily go above $1000, check this auction Sony Vaio P Signature Series Edition 2ghz w/ 256gb SSD - eBay (item 250704092295 end time Oct-06-10 11:19:07 PDT) USED P799 sold for $1276 It doesn't even have the VGA/RJ45 dongle Asia model includes.

The current US model which fits my requirement is the P118, priced at $1499. Which is similar to X's price of $1499.

 

OK... I think I will go with X instead P. Mostly because X come with a CPU cooling fan it just doesn't make much sense to purchase an atom 2.0ghz but it can only run at 800Mhz.

The PATA 128GB SSD X is inadequate for my need so I am going to replace it with the old 256GB samsung uSATA SSD.... has anyone did SSD upgrade in their X?

 

Here's my viewpoint...

I had the Vaio P first, and used it for travel (in tandem with my corporate Thinkpad). Great size and weight. All I used it for was personal surfing, documents, watching movies on airplane, mapping, etc.

However, on a few personal trips with my fiancée, she found the screen far too high resolution and fonts far to small to be comfortable. Knowing she'd want a laptop for the living room and moving around the house primarily, we bought a Vaio F series. Big screen, lots of power, and just plain BIG. It's great for the car and on longer personal trips due to the BR player and other items but battery life is terrible and it weighs a ton.

I recently bought a Vaio X with her blessing because of my extensive business travels (no more Vaio P, sold it). I honestly have to say, the SSD, bigger screen (lower resolution), weight, size, and the extra X battery is absolutely awesome. I picked up my Vaio X up here in Canada -- it was a demo model but I got $150 off plus two free years of extended service plan. Can't complain at all. While the Atom 2GHz processor is indeed slower than the iCores, I don't need the power for what I use it for. With CCCP codecs, I can watch 1080p/720p video, etc without any slowdown.

Oh yeah, the X will always get more attention than the P -- if that factors in

 

Just scanned an earlier post on this thread about holding the Vaio P like a book. Yes you can do that -- with the extended battery it's a bit harder but the extended battery is worth the extra weight/price.

However, with just the regular or L battery in the Vaio X, you can easily hold this notebook with a single hand. It truly is light as a feather. I don't even mind the X battery onboard when I can sit it on an airplane tray or on my lap with my feet up.

 

Used on ebay?!?!? Only newbs from Kansas pay those rip off prices. Sorry Kansians. You can get P's new a few times a year at Sears for < $400. It's where American shops or is that KMart? It's all one big happy corporation now.

The last time was in early Sept. I passed since at $399, it was too rich. Once you've seen them for $200, $399 doesn't seem so cheap even if it's much cheaper than the MSRP.

Sony VGN-P688 8" Mini Laptops $399 @ Sears - SlickDeals.net Forums

 

$399 is a very good price for p688, Sony probably dumped to Sears right before introduction of the new P11. not sure if the one Sear sells is refurb or not.. either ways it is a steal.

however, the eBay link is for p799 with 2.0Ghz / 256GB configuration. the price difference between 64gb and 256gb alone is about $300. not to mention the cost of 2.0ghz is much higher than entry level 1.33ghz. also there is the novelty value of fastest P on the market (even the 2.0ghz runs at 800mhz 95% of the time ) and being a "signature edition"

$1276 for a used P is high but not completely outrageous. the currently signature series P11 with 2.0ghz / 256gb ssd is selling for $1499 on Sonystyle.com. I guess this is what justified buyer's decision.

again, Sony buyers are much less sensitive to price... so I am not that surprised.

UPDATE: I just purchased a p118 with 2.0Ghz / 256SSD from sonystyle.com. I am going to see if heat dissipation on the new p improved or not. if not, I am returning it for a X.

X is a great machine. but it is not pockable size....