Is the new SA worth the $1,350 price tag?

I am wondering if the Sony SA laptop, with its base configuration at $1,349, is worth the money over the Dell XPS 15z, which is $1,100 with the 1080p screen? They both have similar specs, the dell is just larger... (I will be needing this for college so is a 15 inch laptop too large?)
Thanks for any input!

 

For me a 15'' is too large. Aside that I dont like the xps 15 at all, nor like the 15z when it came out.

So yeah I would grab the SA.

Basically you are going to pay for portability and a little bit more gpu performance on the SA. BTW blu ray is standard on that config

 

You're the only one that can answer if 15" is too large for you. I find 13" the perfect size for me, as I like to use my Z in University. (Actually I like using the 8" P more). I find anything bigger than 13.3" to be too big. But some people have 15" computers and think the size is fine. It's really up to you.

As Mr MM says, in general: the smaller you go, the more you pay.

 

Having just bought the SC at Best buy, I have always used 15" and larger laptops and I am LOVING the portability, weight, and everything else that comes with a 13.3-14" and will probably never buy anything bigger in the future. I love that they don't sacrifice the keyboard size on the S series at all. I played around with Toshiba's 13" in microsoft stores and the slightly smaller keys were VERY annoying to get used to, though I know I would over time.

I would LOVE the SA, but honestly it is way more than I need...even the SC is almost way more than I need, but I wanted something nicer than other laptops had to offer in the 13-14" range.

 

Vaio SA is the only laptop that small to be that powerful on a 1600x900....it has no real competition in a sense...so yeah $1350 is justified. its a very top of the market premium laptop imo...

 

Would anyone recommend spending the extra $20 to get the 500gb 7200 rpm hard drive as opposed to the base 5,000 rpm one?

Also, is there a difference in build quality between the SA and SB? Or is it mainly just the better screen and blue ray drive that makes up the difference??

 

if ur not getting the SSD Drives than yes, id def. get the 7200rpm for $20.

As for quality...screen is the main thing, but im pretty sure there were some minor tweaks..nothing super serious.

FYI - Dell xps 15z is also good..but if u plan to carry/take this laptop around classes...Sony Vaio SA is def. better.

 

Doesn't make much of a difference, I'd rather save that money for a briefcase or a sleeve. If you want speed, rather invest in a SSD, it is really worth it.

 

^ i disagree.

YouTube - ‪Comparison 5400RPM HDD VS 7200RPM HDD‬‏

 

In fact 7200 will be faster than 5400 in most of the cases but for 20$, its not worth the upgrade since you get a new good samsung 500GB 7200 drive alone for 45$.

 

yeah i guess that depends on whether he wants to upgrade it himself or not. Also 7200rpm will most likely run a little hotter..but for $20..id still get it..performance benefit is worth it...and you'd avoid the hassle of upgrading yourself, unless you want to upgrade it yourself with a OEM HD.

 

I think I would go for the upgrade to the 7200 rpm, that video was very helpful!

Does anyone know how good the screen and build quality is compared to the SB model??

 

eeeerrrrr, senseless upgrade.

nobody knows about the build quality, its supposed to be carbon fiber, and the screen.... we dont even what it is, my guess is that sony encased some leprechauns, so the colors should be vivid and pop

 

I think something between 12"-14" would be ideal for college, simply because of the fact that you can fit the notebook in your bag without too big of a problem. A 15" should work fine, but I wouldn't pick anything over 15" to be honest.

 

$20 is well worth reducing the hassle. If it takes an hour to change the disks, plus the time waiting for shipping, you could go work at McDonalds and make much more than $20.

As for speed difference I think it's significant enough to notice.

 

In regards to screen size I have a Vaio FW and that's a 16+ inch screen. It's heavy to carry around but I'm used to it. Getting a new laptop soon and definitely getting a 13 inch screen without question.

 

sincerely disagree, most spinning drives are speed limited, while going SSD avoids that.

Im simply saying that upgrades across the HDD line up dont make, and the same is right for SSDs, now to go into one group to the other it makes a whole lot of difference

 

The 7200rpm drive is a worthwhile upgrade. It makes a better external drive after you slap a decent SSD in there.

Bronsky