Is the Vaio Z (2012) for me?

I'm thinking about buying a Vaio Z (2012) but I'm not in a particular rush to do so, I'm trying to figure out if this machine is a good fit for me and whether to buy it now or wait for a refreshed model in the spring.

First some background, I'm a software developer/architect/consultant that works at different clients and I typically live out of my backpack for work in the sense that anything I need to use at work gets carried into work in the morning in the backpack and then back out again at the end of the day, nothing gets left at the office. I bought a Clevo laptop almost two years ago from a reseller (Mythlogic) and it has served my needs very well. Due to the nature of my work I tend to need a lot of power and the Clevo is a bit of a beast (quad core sandy bridge i7, SSD and hard drive, 16GB RAM, GTX 460m) and has served the role well. I also game occasionally, particularly when I'm on the road and need to kill time at the hotel, and the GTX 460m in this machine is great.

However I'm feeling the need for a change, not because my current laptop is inadequate but just to try something different. Like many folks here my laptop is the tool I spend the majority of my life using as I'm on it anywhere from 8 to 12 hours a day and I'm just starting to feel a bit tired of the Clevo and thus looking to something fresh, otherwise my current laptop would easily last me another year or two. I'll also be completely honest and say that some of this is driven by the fact that the Clevo is a bit of a brick in terms of aesthetics and not particularly sexy and I'd like something with a bit more of a wow factor when walking into meetings with clients. A bit superficial of me I know but I always suspect this is partly why Apple is so successful with their laptops

Anyways, back to the Z3. It seems like it would fulfil my needs well. While it is only 13" laptop versus my current 15.6" one, considering it has a full (non ULV) quad core processor, SSDs and a 1080p screen it maps pretty well to my current Clevo in terms of horsepower. The memory is a little lighter in the Z at 8 GB but I can live with that . The Z is obviously very sexy and lot more portable then my current Clevo which probably weighs close to 10 pounds including the massive power adapter it uses so it addresses those concerns. I also particularly like the Z3 because of the separation of the GPU in the Power Media Dock (PMD), I don't need the GPU at work and being able to lighten the laptop for day to day portability is great.

The concerns I have with the Z3 include the following:

- Can I live with the keyboard long term. The Clevo chiclet keyboard on the 150em variants like mine is no great shakes IMHO and yet it never bothered me personally. I tried the Z3 keyboard at the store and it seemed fine despite the lack of travel however I wonder how the feel holds up over the course of a day, is it tiring? I don't want to lug a keyboard with me to work every day though I can sometimes find a spare one at clients if necessary

- The small screen size. I tried it at the store with the font setting to smallest and it looked fine and eminently readable, but again I wonder if the eyes get tired using it all day. Anyone here use the internal screen 8 hours a day at the smallest font setting and if so how do you find it? I don't have any issues with 1080p on the Clevo but it is a 15.6" screen.

- I'm debating to get it now or wait with my thinking being I wonder if a refreshed model will use a standard copper version Thunderbolt port for the PMD instead of the current pretty much proprietary to Sony Light Peak version of Thunderbolt? Using the standard version of Thunderbolt would potentially add some flexibility once Thunderbolt becomes more prevalent and help future proof the machine.

- Any issues with the Z3 in driving multiple displays both when it is standalone and when using the PMD? Sometimes I get lucky at a client and score the use of a monitor so I would like to be able to use the internal screen and an external monitor simultaneously off of the internal Intel 4000HD. When using the PMD at home I have two monitors (1920x1200 and 1920x1080) that it would need to be able to drive.

- How well does the Z3 hold up to constant wear and tear of travel? While my Clevo looks like a brick it has also held up like a brick as well. Other then some shininess where I rest my palms and on the space bar there is no obvious wear on the machine. None of the key lettering has started fading, no scratches on the case, etc. Will the Z3 hold up as well with respect to my lifestyle?

 

What about 3D rendering - some architects like to show their clients what their design will look like and give them a virtual walkthrough. You'll need 3D horsepower for that.

Consider getting a dock, a monitor, a mouse and a keyboard for the office. Use the laptop as a plug in desktop, basically.

 

From your description of your work I think the Asus U500 would be a better fit for you. It's also 1080p but a 15.6" IPS display instead, and it has a dedicated GPU (GT 650M).

If you don't need that much color accuracy the Vaio S15 could work too.

Then again if you use it that much (and for work) I might consider a workstation...

 

Thanks guys, by architect I mean software architect so no 3D rendering required. All my work is in the Java enterprise applications space.

I can't get bring a dock, keyboard and monitor with me to the office as I work mostly temporarily out of client offices and I'm often flying in on Mondays and back on Fridays so the machine itself has to be useful.

Thanks for the tip about the Asus U500, I'll check it out.