New Vaio 2008 model listing with indication prices - FW - Z - SR - BZ

Where did you read that the 9300GS will consume less power than the 8400GS card?

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-9300M-GS.9452.0.html
http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVidia-GeForce-8400M-GS.3709.0.html


Edited to add:
I would also guess that the x4500 graphics card would consume more power than the x3100 graphics card.

 

Too bad, if true, since it would be nice extra. Dell even included it on its Studio line.

Hmmm... Question for you guys:

The only reason I want to upgrade my D420 laptop is so I can edit AVCHD video (just family videos), and AVCHD editing is pretty intensive stuff. Other than that, my little D420 is perfect for me -- although I wouldn't mind having a slightly larger screen.

Anyway... which Sony do ya think would be " good enough" for my situation? The SR or the Z?

Thanks!

 

Both.

They both have the CPU power and more than enough GPU power for what you want. So it comes down to whether you value the bonusses that the Z series has to offer; lighter weight, higher resolution and a carbon fibre chassis.

Battery life of Z is likely to be a bit better due to the possibility of integrated graphics.

 

Lighter weight = big plus. I've gotten pretty spoiled by the lightweight D420 (about 3 lbs).

Higher res: I'm fine with 1280x800 on a 12.1" screen, so I'd be fine with it on 13.3" screen. I could probably live with 1366x768 on a 13.1" screen, but 1600x900 on a 13.1" screen would just put money in my optometrist's pocket.

Carbon fiber chassis: Makes no difference to me.

One attractive plus to the Z is the HDMI output. I currently have a docking station, but would most likely not buy one from Sony (too expensive). Therefore I'd want the quickest way to hook/unhook up an external monitor. An HDMI plug has gotta be quicker & easier than a VGA plug.

EDIT: Extra battery life due to integrated graphics is a plus, BUT I've read that integrated graphics is a no-no with AVCHD editing. Seems a dedicated card is the better way to go for that.

 

If I went with an "old" processor it would have been the Core2Duo 2.5 GHz T9300. How does the new p8400 compare to the T9300 ?

 

Wait, am I reading the pricing on the Sony VGN-FW11E(VGN-FW190U-H in the US) right?? Is it really only going to be $2,149.99 for a top end one of these? That seems a little bit under-priced considering it is a Sony laptop... but I will not be complaining if that really is how much it is. Also, anyone have an idea of what the prices for the Z will look like in US$ or Japanese￥??

I have been a big fan of Sony's X505-style keyboard for a long time now; the spacing between the keys (which prevents you from accidentally hitting 2 keys at the same time as much) and their integration within the unit itself (which keeps stuff like food / pet hair from falling under the keys) is absolutely great, not to mention it has a cool look.

However, with Sony's being expensive and not the best gaming computers, I have not been able to allow myself to purchase one yet... but with this new series I am finally thinking about making the buy with a decked out FW or Z, but I am not sure if they will be able to handle Blizzard's new upcoming line of games (Starcraft 2 / Diablo 3). Will these things be able to handle new generation games do you all think (the system requirements for the games haven't been specified yet, but any guesses)?

Thanks~ v(^o^)v

 

The performance gain from the higher FSB is estimated at 5% I believe, so I'd think the T9300 will be faster than P8400. It will be close though. But realitiscly speaking you won't notice the difference unless you're running a benchmark.

Yes, that was the price listed on Circuitcity. (it's not the FW11 E but FW198U/H)

 

It is probably old news now but Littlewoods in the UK have the FW models listed. They are always priced about £100 more expensive than every where else. You can find 20% of coupons for them though online which will bring the prices down.

http://www.littlewoods.com/rf/navigation/spreadDsbs.do?categoryId=7618516

 

LOL, Thanks for bulletizing. So now we all wait to see if we get sold on its DESIGN and GREAT LOOKS...

 

Thanks!, Great Comparison Spec Sheet on the Z's.

 

One swedish site now has the SR19VN listed for 14990 SEK.

The site also has several pictures of the computer:



Edit: Hosted them on imageshack instead.

 

Thanks, LoL:laugh:, for taking the time. SLR it is. I'm saving your recommendations, now back to the subject at hand.....

 

What happened to the black SR? or are they all silver now?

 

There's definitely a TZ4 underway, this Fall, so if you really like that model, there should be a series of TZ released example, TZ450, TZ470, TZ490 etc. etc., at least through 2009. I see your point. The Z is so close to the TZ that maybe if the Z does very well, the TZ may be phased out completely. Wait for both Z and TZ to come out, then make your decision so you don't have any regrets. That would be playing it SAFE. If you read the entire thread, there's speculation based on the manuals (on front page of thread) that the Z will closely resemble the TZ.

I like the TZ, but its too small for me. So the Z will be a nice compromise for me.

 

US warranty is only 1 year. They do sell us an extended warranty. We can select 2, 3, 4 years. And it can range anywhere from $199-$399. And if you tamper with any of the configurations, you void the warranty.

I heard too that in Europe, you receive a 2yr warranty from Sony as you just stated. That's terrific.

 

I don't think Sony will do the mistake of discontinuing the TZ. Is for different kind of people, more portability (but of course much more performance than netbooks) and great battery life. I expect in September a Montevina TZ with even more battery life because of the Montevina chipset. But the Z is very similar to the design of the TZ and the specs are much better....Difficult choice.

 

The SR is looking better and better. Do you have access to any links to photos on the Z. Please post if your able. Thanks.

 

Easy choice for those of us that can't live with 1366 x 768 res on an 11.1" screen.

 

Sony doesn't offer the 2 year warranty everywhere.
In England you would also only get 1 year.

In Germany we get 2 years (by law) (1 year or 6 months for the battery though).

However, if I leave let say Germany for England, I will only get 1 year in England. In the second year I will have to travel to Germany.

By the way, Aldi offers you 36 months

 

how many here will place their orders on July 15?

 

No sorry they only have the SR listed so far on that site.

 

There will be a Black SR. Those pics you saw were from US Circuit City and the Silver just recently released are photos from Europe, would it be ok to assume that it will be offered in both colors. The thread mentions that the SR is marketed to where it will offer a variety of colors just like the CR.

We just need to see more and better photos of the Z.

 

Agreed. So is the Z. It's a shame that a Sony laptop will cost so much more than a Dell laptop (thanks to Dell's better deals/coupons/EPP/etc). The better pricing always pushes me to a Dell... but I wouldn't mind trying a Sony Z on for size.

 

Considering what you get with FW11ZU (and considering it's a VAIO!!), the £1399 ($1755) price tag is a bargain....2.5GHz, ATI 256MB, 4GB RAM, 300GB HDD, Blu-ray recorder. Subract £100 and WOW!!

Hopefully the FW screen quality is tolerable compared to SR & Z.

 

I won't be ordering a Z, I've got my SZ, and I'm happy with it

(and I also prefer it)

 

The pricing is amazing! The FW series looks promising.
Sony should improve on battery life and heat management though. The FZ series had a lot of issues...

 

Sony should have offered a backlit keyboard . The Dell Studio line-up offers such an option STANDARD.

 

Including a substandard screen (at least for Sony). That's why I'm worried.

 

Whole heartedly agree. I have a Macbook Air with LED backlit keyboard and it's so handy when using in a dim room (like when watching a boring TV show!!). Why wasn't this thought of YEARS ago?

 

Maybe Sony will come up with a newer model that offers a backlit keyboard. Then we could replace the ones on the FW series notebooks...

By the way, many of the people who own a Dell XPS notebook are purchasing the Studio backlit keyboards seperately (as a part) and are replacing their XPS notebook keyboards. The power output is the same and it fits in perfectly!

It's such a useful feature and yet most companies are not implementing it in their newer notebooks...
Unless other companies start doing it. It will spur some competition...

 

I guess everyone has different desires when it comes to notebooks. I don't care for Bluray drives, backlit keyboards and heavy GPUs. If it was possible I'd go for a Z with SSD and without DVD drive. I'd rather not have any rotating disks in my laptops.

 

This is the reason why Sony should offer different options for their notebooks upon customization. People have different preferences/needs.

Although a backlit keyboard is not absolutely necessary, it would be very convenient at certain times. I'm sure that there are a lot of people who would want a backlit keyboard in their notebook.

Besides, you can turn it off if you don't want to use it...

Anyway, anything else worth speculating about?
It's only a few more days until the FW, SR and Z series are officially announced.

P.S. It's somewhat amusing to be having such a conversation, with each of us living in such different parts of the world, whether it is the U.S., the Netherlands or Ukraine.

 

I seem to be another "odd creature" when it comes to notebooks.
I want a lot of power (so I can use it for a few years) and nowadays lightweight as well.

In that respect the SZ is perfect for me, and the NVidia Card, great when I wnat to play Age of Empires III or Anno 1701.

I don't need more, in fact, if I couldn't get it, I would not have been to bothered either.

The "spinning disc" issue is another matter - I haven't got a desktop, and I don't want one... However I've got external HDDs and (DVD broke on my previous laptop before it got replaced under warranty) an external CD/DVD drive.

Yet when I travel I don't want to carry them around as they only cause complications.

So having a CD/DVD drive is a must for many people - including me.
Blue ray is arguable.

And to be honest, I preferred installing Age of Empires III from 3 CDs to installing Anno from 1 DVD... think it was faster, however, for backuo, nowadays either HDD or DVDs are a must, so a DVD capacity is usefull.

The ideal notebook is thre one that is able to cater to the largest customer base.

In that respect I can say an SZ is ideal for me, and (excluding the price tag) possibly for most of the other laptop customers.

Regarding Blue Ray, well, I'm going to stick to good old DVDs as long as possible.

In fact, I miss VHS - its just handy if you want to record something running on TV.
Or am I supposed to buy a DVD-recorder?? The VHS player works fine.

So maybe Blue Ray has a future, I don't wish to deny that, I don't need it, and I think many people feel the same. I've never heard anybody complain about the poor Image qwuality on a DVD, thus you buy a blue ray player more as a thing to show of rather because you need it.

And all the people who say you see a difference, yes, you will, if you compare them side by side, but I doubt its going to change a lot in real life.

My Grandmothers Plasma, I believe is HD ready... and I am fine with the "old resolution".

So, somehow, I think thisd discussion about whether a laptop schould include blue ray or not can go on for ever...

And wasn't this thread meant to talk about upcomming laptops? I beleive so, now its turned into a general discussion thread...

All the best

 

I completely agree with you. I want more performance out of a notebook and more high-end configurations so that it could last me at least a few years. Technology is changing at a very fast pace...

In terms of blu-ray, I don't see any convenience. These companies are just making it more difficult for us and are making us spend a lot more money than we really need to.

I, for one, have many DVDs and I wouldn't want to throw them all a way to get Blu-ray instead. I'm perfectly fine with DVDs. The quality is just fine.

Also, we already know what the upcoming notebooks will be. We're just waiting for the official announcement on July 15. That's why this thread became more of a general discussion...

P.S. AOE III is one of my favorite games as well!

 

Yes, it is pretty cool. We're all hooked together by a virtual web and a global economy and common needs and common appreciation for the finer things in life (err, I mean laptops, heh, heh). What's with these anti-globalists anyway??

 

Ok, ok. No more Blu-ray talk (even though I would have pulled the trigger on an SZ months ago if it wasn't for that unmentionable optical device).

 

What can we expect from the most expensive configuration of the FW series?
Can we expect an nVidia GPU later on, considering the problems nVidia has been facing lately?

 

From looking at the spec-sheets that have been posted/offered for download in here, it looks as if they are all going to run on ati.

 

the wait is killing me... I gave away my FZ to my sis and currently without any laptop. All I want really is nice design, enough power for HD encoding and good screen. I can't decide if I should go for FW or DV4t or SR... I am worried that FW will be too big while SR will be too small... and yet DV4t seems to be a perfect balance of power and size, but design is somewhat blah...

 

can you elaborate? is the optical drive on the SZ useless?

 

Niet, its just that this person is looking for a blue ups... drive.



Well you know what I mean. We had a discussion about blue ray drives, and it was just that some people believe them a must have, others don't want them (me!!).

For CD/DVD the SZ's drive is perfectly ok. (It doesn't like DL DVD-R though)

 

do you guys know if SR will have better CPU options or p8400 is the max?

 

For CTOs, I'm sure they'll have faster CPU options. For preconfigured models, looks like Sony is keeping SR looking lame so they can sell expensive Zs.

If you need HD encoding, I would go for FW with fastest possible CPU, fastest HDD, highest-end ATI card (ATI HD series provides hardware-assist encoding), and a bleep-bleep burner.

 

4 More Days. Yay.

 

I'm going crazy over their ultraportable notebooks to come in the fall, I wish they would at least announce them now so I can plan ahead and see if they are worth getting.

 

I'm waiting and wondering whether I should get the FW series. This is Sony's first 16.4" notebook and I hope they solve the issues of the FZ series, particularly battery life and heat management. Otherwise, I may be getting a Sager 8660 (a.k.a. Clevo M860TU) or the MSI GX630.

In terms of CPU options, I'm sure Sony will offer other options besides the P8400 upon customization.

A few more days to go until these notebooks are announced!

 

It looks like there's nothing else to talk about. Nobody's posting on this thread...

Let me revive the topic.

Is there a possibility that the new 320GB 7200RPM hard drive will be offered as an option when customizing?

 

Sure. No reason not to offer that option...200GB 7200 RPM is offerred so why not 320?

 

Why is Sony heading to that weird keyboard on all of their models?
I have a SZ780 and I love the keyboard, what's up with the new Z model (and all others) with that spaced out buttons on it? It looks ugly to me, I tried typing on a 14" sony the other day and doesn't feel good.

Other than that I have no complains about what I see about the new Z, and I might still get it with the weird keyboard, now I am just trying to decided between the Sony Z and the LG P300. It looks like the P300 will have a much better video card (and I really like that), plus it has a regular laptop keyboard. The minuses I only see is 1-no docking station, 2-no fingerprind reader and 3-might be too hot/warm for it's own good.

I like Sony Vaio a lot, and never had an LG before, so I have to do some thinking. What do you think?

 

I'm looking for a New 13 inch and I find the New offerings DISAPPOINTING.

The new 13.3's don't offer really ANY difference from the current sz780 line, on which the 200GB 7200 RPM drive is Already available. (and up to 4gbs)

NOR, as I had hoped, did they even cut the weight from 4/4.1 to perhaps 3.5 Pounds.. Instead the Weight actually went UP a bit to 4.2 lbs!

What the SZ successor Line Also needed was an SSD option, as the TZ has. A more economic one at that- as the prices are coming down.
OR..... How about a Hybrid with at least a 4gb Flash drive (more than the current 256mb on the 160gb HHD) (EEE PC's have em!)
This a good and highly used size by business who could well afford these Needed speed options.

Even the 13.1 inch new wide model-- also has NO SSD, tho it is a bit lighter. Of course, a wide screen 13.1 has less square area than a taller format 13.3.
This I guess is their 'Vaio Air Book'... with no SSD.
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