Is VAIO any good?

I know that this question seems strange, but I would be really glad, if you share some experience with me.
In August/September (may be a bit later), I'm going to buy laptop for me (light gaming, business, Internet surfing). Going to go for top of the line, like 3.06ghz, 8gb of ram, etc. But the question is - are Sony really any good? They look fine and when it comes to price, are a bit expensive.
Going to go for VAIO Z (unless you suggest something else). I would really appreciate your comments, especially pros and cons.
How does it compare to Dell or Mac? (personally I think Dell is ugly and Mac is for girls and guys to show off).
Please comment.
Thanks!!!!

 

read the threads, and if you're looking at the Vaio Z, look at ummmm.... the Vaio Z owner thread, i think you'll find plenty of info there on people opinions on the model, just a hunch

 

You can't compare brands just like that, you have to compare models. For example, it would not be fair comparing a Dell Inspiron, the budget-basic consumer model, to a Sony Vaio Z, the top-of-the-line ultraportable for road warriors.

The Vaio Z is a fine laptop, although it is quite pricey. For your uses - "light gaming, business, internet surfing" you do not need the specs that you listed - 99% of users do not need 8GB of RAM, and a 2.5+GHz processor is also sufficient for 90% of users. They won't even give you a performance boost in some of your applications, such as web surfing - that's limited almost entirely by your internet connection.

I suggest that you go to the "What Notebook Should I Buy?" sub-forum and post a filled-out copy of the FAQ, so we can suggest a laptop that is actually appropriate for you.

 

The Z is amazing. Hands down the most perfect blend of power and portability. I recommend it over pretty much everything. The only other company worthy of comparison in my opinion is lenovo with its X/T series, sadly none of them really come close to the Z in terms of design and Size/weight. I suppose you could say the X200 does but it doesnt have a disk drive so meh. I agree with you about Macs, its more about "having a mac" rather then actually having a machine that does what you want. If you got yourself a Z you would not be sorry.


I do have to agree with MidnightSun though, the specs you listed are total overkill. I have a 2.53 with 4 gigs of ram and I can run two VM's while still having perfect operation in the tasks you listed.

 

Z has the following flaws:

a) no way to enable VT, hence no way to run 64 bit guest OS at all, and no performance boost for 32 bit guest OS;

b) only compatible with specific memory modules if you upgrade it to 8gb yourself;

c) 9300M GS is about the same performance as Geforce Go 7400, and worse than Geforce 8400M; the temperature of 9300M GS is extremely high - usually around 90 degrees centigrade when playing games. I strongly doubt it will be defective soon.

 

as for light gaming, the intel 4500hd is sufficient enough to manage the game. im using the first batch Z and ive played cod4(abit lag in certain area), cod2, cs:source, guitar heroes III. as for current Z i believe it will manage smoothly as Intel HD gpu rely on RAM and processors power which the current Z is far more superior than the first batch.

though, im abit disappointed with 9300gs temp, i understand that the size and weight which sacrifice alot of cooling system on the Z. you wouldn't notice the heat if you put the notebook on your lap even you are using nvidia, but if you monitor the temp (e.g: HWMonitor, GPU-Z) you would be surprise that you are currently running the nvidia at high temp.

but in your case, if light gaming means to some old school game (year 2006 ~ 2007 era) i believe its fine.

build quality, its sturdy on top and bottom same goes with the palmrest, but at the back Z where the hinge located (rollcage thing) is kinda fragile since its plastic material. it would certainly crack if you drop the Z at this area.

as for conclusion, im satisfied with Z as im using it for mobility when im at office and also as my main computer when im at home.

 

Thank you for your answers!!! I'm a bit surprised, though, that you don't recommend to go for top specs. I just think, that laptops cannot be upgraded - hence if you go for a top laptop, it'll be still modern next year or even 2 years after. Last year I bought HP DV2700 SE with 2.53 proc + 4gb of memory with 32 bit vista. Still modern.
Now about your suggestions...
sniper_sung suggested, that GPU isn't good... Unfortunately, I have to agree, but VAIO Z is not like a gaming laptop... Besides, I hope that soon they will refresh this card. But as Miyabi suggested - I'm mainly in to old school gaming + strategy games and they usually do not need much GPU power at all
Really glad to hear that someone - InspecterJones, thinks the same as me about Mac
But could you tell me please - is the price really justified? I have seen Mac 13.3 - wasn't impressed at all, Lenovo is ugly (looks do count as well), others do not have internal drive, etc. So, as far as I think - it's the best one, when it comes to portability+power? Or am I wrong?
Besides, does anyone experienced problems with bad screen + dead pixels on Sony?

 

A top of the line Z is a expensive venture. I'd say do whatever you can to find a SonyStyle store and check out the Z out in person. Then you'll know what to do.

 

Vaios are the best for 2 things the displays and carbon box. Once you get used to these you dont like anything else, ask Mac users with dented MBPs (and nearly every power user will have more or less f..d up box). Thinkpads are not ugly, just boring, good for insurance salesman perhaps, displays are terrible,fake/wrong colours, dark good enough for Excel and other boring sh.. of boring owners, well build and with better cooling then Mac or Sony but for anyone doing visuals - useless.
Since I am artist it was/is only - Mac or Vaio. Apple became too neurotic, dont know where they go- remove firewire then bring it back ,release "pro" models that have no express card, gave up their dedicated "creative users" base for wanna be Jessica Parkers and Paris Hiltons.
Z is the best all rounder but if you dont need the huge CPU power TZ/TT might be good choice too, for me 13` is perfect size for mobility vs. visibility and dual card let me choose between batt life and performance whatever I need.

 

Aviray - thanks a lot!!! Great reply!!! Only one question - if you don't mind. Is it difficult to read on Z? I mean - 1600/900 is excellent resolution, but when it comes to work - are all the words, menu, etc is small? Without scalling of course.
Thanks a lot!!!

 

The following link may give you a rough idea:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=370180

Hope it helps.

 

Wow!!! Just what I was looking for!!!
Thanks a lot!!!

 

Dell? i believe u r really kidding me~ dell is far to compare with sony. regardless of the quality, function, weights, looks, material, of course plus price.

if u wanna know any cons about sony, i may only say sony is really over price.

 

Can you please elaborate on that? What specific Vaio models do you think are overpriced?

 

I think the main point is that for the price of one top-of-the-line notebook (we'll say ~2500€ and above), you could get two fairly powerful laptops. And that 1250€ laptop in 2011 will be more powerful than the 2500€ laptop you buy today.

But you do get more if you have the money. It's usually the overall build quality and materials that differ with cheaper and expensive stuff. Manufacturers usually spend more time designing the really high quality models and you most likely will not find any wear and tear after a few years of use.