New Y model with CULV CPU: Sony Vaio VPC-Y11

New Sony Y model has been spotted on a dutch website: Sony Vaio VPC-Y11



Specs:
* 13,3 inch LED backlit
* SU7300 Intel Core 2 Duo CULV
* 4 GB memory
* 320 GB hdd
* Windows 7 Home Premium
* Intel GMA 4500
* Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
* 0.3 megapixel webcam
* HDMI
* 1780 grams
* 9 hours battery life

Price about US$ 800 / € 800 (Sony laptops tend to be more expensive in Europe)

http://www.laptopshop.nl/product/87016/sony-vaio-vpc-y11s1e-s.html

Credits to SpaceCowboy for finding the specs, Resinman for finding the picture.

 

Most people were looking for an 11.1-11.6. May be those are still to come though. This looks interesting. It is strange though that they have gone for last gen specs. May be they will stick with it or change it down the line. It looks like a mini FW.

So there will be 2 13.3 notebooks and possibly a 13.1 although it waits to be seen what Sony will do with that.

 

Sucks that this still uses C2D, too bad no ulv Arrandale. And the first Arrandale ulv's are supposed to be expensive, so a Sony would have been perfect for one.

 

I think that they went for the last gen CULV chips is that the CULV C2D chips has a TDP of 10W (for the SU7300) and the CULV Arrandales consume about 18W of power, probably due to the Intel HD GPU being integrated into the CPU.

Going with the significantly lower power consumption would mean less heat generated and either increased battery life or the ability to opt for a smaller battery pack, allowing for less weight.

C2D CULV:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...-low-voltage.2C_45_nm.2C_Small_Form_Factor.29

i5 CULV:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...Arrandale.22_.28ultra-low_voltage.3B_32_nm.29

At least, that's my 0.02.

 

The 18W TDP of the Arrandale ulv's (cpu+graphics+southbridge) is actually less than that of a C2D+Northbridge+Southbridge. In the end, the Arrandale uses less power despite its TDP being higher.

 

^Again it was my 0.02. I don't work for the tech industry.

 

Great news!

So, this is a brand new model correct? Not refresh of an old one? The SR has been replaced with the S, the FW with F. Looks very nice the Y series, little strange all these 13.3" models. The Z, the SR, and now this? It doesn't have any Speed mode right? Nice the 9hrs of battery life and the HDMI. I know I shouldn't grab a X, CULV is much better than an Atom and the half price! Put SSD and I'm sold.

 

I'm between this and the S

I need to see this S...

oh man xmas is coming soon!!

 

Ooh, interesting

 

Definetly

 

Hopefully this has a screen more like the Vaio Z/TT line than the SR line.

 

At €800 this is not high end so i won't be expecting the screen to be outstanding by any means but it might be better than some similar lines in the market.

May be for a while the ULV Arrandale processors will be used more in the upper ultraportable market like the x301 and the Dell E4200.
May be the i5 will be used in some budget lines but that waits to be seen.

 

this is what the S should be....just jack up the CPU

 

Another 13 inch notebook from sony...

 

While it may seem weird, each model targets a specific market:

S: Cheap consumer model
Z: Business powerhouse
Y: Light & travel

 

i really hope it has backlit keys....is that spec out?

 

guys, a question about the CPU

how does it stack up against my P8400 2.25ghz? All I ever do is surf the web, stream movies on my network / download movies, listening to music on itunes (its a big library), and do school work (so word, spreadsheets, pdf files, etc.)

is this enough to handle all of that seamlessly when I need?

 

Read reviews of other CULV models like the ul30a or t3810.

For example:
http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/asus-ul30a.aspx (the Y will have a slightly faster culv chip)

The CULV is good for basic tasks and is not a cripple like the atom. But is is slower than the normal P or T series processors, and you should not get a CULV machine if you plan of heavier duty work like video transcoding or major number crunching. Very good for basics though.

Also, as a side note, the culv chips run at 800mghz. So if the machine comes with 1066mghz RAM it will overclock very well 33%. This is standard in the ASUS UL80tz and UL30tz, and really helps the processor to be at least near to the p8400 in terms of processing power: http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptop/asus-ul80vt-a1.aspx

 

awesome news then, because i doubt i even graze the potential of the p8400 at the moment.

outside of what i said above, i don't do anything else on my laptop. this is just for listening to music, maybe downloading a tv show, going on forums and chatting on msn

thanks for the links btw

looks like i'll be alright with the downgrade

 

Yeah but S is not cheaper than Y.

 

Why will the Y have a slightly faster processor when the laptop in that review uses a SU7300 processor the same processor that the Y series is using in Phil's first post. Asus have provided overclocking software and have enabled this at BIOS level. I have a TT with a SU9600 and 1066mhz ram. I've not read anything about this easy overclocking. It is mostly speculation that i've read about this.

 

slap in something like a geforce 210m thats currently in the asus ul30vt line and id give this laptop a serious thought.

 

Not exactly. Since S was first introduced in 2004 as the first 13.3" laptop with powerful CPU & GPU (Radeon 9700), S has always been aimed at the best performance and multmedia capability in a 13.3" platform. There was actually a Y series released in Japan early 2005, with 12", Intel GPU, and no internal optical to make it slightly more portable to complement the S series for business market.

Through evoution, S becomes SZ (improvement all around over S) and then separated into Z (even better in portability) and SR (cheaper, heavier, but better GPU), while Y was (very quickly) replaced by G. Note that in Japan, S/SZ/SR are all called Type S, signifying their family heritage.

So, if Sony stick with their way of mudding the alphabetical soup, Y is intended to complement S for business market (or market that doesn't need the abundance of power in S or Z) and more related to the current 12", ULV powered G.

The interesting thing is that, at 1780 gram, Y is really heavy for its size (given Sony's design capability). I think there are two possibilities here:

1. Price-point design and cheap material to keep the cost down
2. Magnesium casing and reinforced design for business purpose. Magnesium is still cheaper than carbon-fiber in Z and G, so technically going to magnesium can also be a cost-down.

Also, it makes how Sony is going to replace TT and G more interesting. It seems that with X, Y, and Z all clustered around the market for TT and G, these two series would have to converge into only one, brand new design.

 

If the picture is real, the Y looks like slimmed down SR to me.

The weight (100 grams lighter than SR) also confirms this.

 

The last Y series looks like a chopped S (cut out the width that make S 13.3" wide to make a 12.1" 4:3 laptop) as well, so I would not be surprised if the new Y looks very similar to the current SR.

On the other hand, you should (i. e. Sony definitely can) get more weight saving by taking out the optical.

 

Wow Sony are reaching a point where their 12-13 inch notebooks are starting to cannibalize sales from each other at the same time neglecting the mainstream 14-15 inch market.




The Y series specs are almost identical to the new $900 Lenovo ThinkPad Edge 13, The $800 price point of the Y with the same specs as the edge appears unlikely.

 

If you have a low wattage 800mghz CPU and 1066mghz RAM you should be able to overclock 33%. As I pointed out, ASUS does this out of the box. I Can't say why others are not doing it. Maybe someone more knowledgeable tan myself knows of a technical issue that I'm not aware of?

 

Cannibalization is better than losing the sale to an external entity, right ?

 

I can't believe I am saying this, but silver trim on a ThinkPad? FAIL!!! Kudos to Lenovo, I thought you can't make ThinkPad any uglier.

 

maybe but Customers will stop caring about the CONFUSING and bloated product range and buy elsewhere. Sonys current product range is alphabet soup.


SONY woldwide

AW Series
FW Series
NW Series
NS series
CS Series
CW Series
SR Series
TT Series
X Series
Z Series
BZ Series
G Series
W Series
P Series


APPLE worldwide

MacBook
MacBook Air
MacBook Pro

 

Maybe true. But I know exactly what I want (and will be buying), out of the alphabet soup: the Z-series.

 

Yeah, but Sony does offer wider range of sizes for the consumer, like 12in and 14in devices that Apple stopped offering. Just saying.

 

options are a GOOD THING.

If all of sony's offerings are confusing you, maybe going Mac is a good idea for you, lol

 

Name me a 14-15.9 inch mainstream multimedia vaio notebook.

Vaio FZ?[discontinued]

 

For some people it does not seem to be that easy. I think for most people it is best to buy this as it is and if you can overclock take that as a bonus.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5467352&postcount=788
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=438415
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=419313

 

Macbook
Macbook Air
Macbook Pro 13
Macbook Pro 15
Macbook Pro 17

But hey I'd rather have 20 models instead of 5.

 

Since when was choice such a bad thing? I'd rather have a choice of models and pick a model that suits my needs than be given an option of just a few models.

Sony caters for virtually every type of user and more importantly there are more cheap and affordable Vaio models than ever - which can only be a good thing!

 

Too much choice leads to indecision. You understand what those specification differences mean, many simply do not. When faced by a multitude of options they can't come to a decision, and could eventually decide to look elsewhere, where the decision is more simple.

Anyhow, the above doesn't mean every brand should cater to the lowest denominator. There are also plenty of people who appreciate options, like yourself, and know enough to easily spot which product lines are of interest to them, and which not. I prefer Sony's approach over that of Apple, as the models are more attuned to specific needs.

 

No they don't. They predominately cater for the user who wants to purchase another pointless niche sub 13 inch laptop, $1300 for the 11.6 inch atom equipped vaio x netbook? No thanks. There inst a single multimedia premium 14-15.6 inch notebook in sonys product lineup after they discontinued the Vaio FZ, Apple has got the 15inch MacBook Pro, Samsung R620 etc.



Apple can dominate the premium market with 3 product lines so i think too much choice is bad as it fragments Sonys product lineup.

 

Dude, just don't get a Vaio, nobody cares if you want to switch to mac or if you just hate Sony's business tatics. I'm sure the company you're a CEO for has never made a mistake, lawl. This a SONY VAIO forum, we like our Vaios. I don't give a damn if joe six pack doesn't know the dif between a Z and an SR, he was gonna get an HP anyway because it's super shiny and glossy.

dominate?
http://www.tuaw.com/2009/01/02/apple-market-share-tops-10-windows-share-lowest-since-tracking/
gaining ground maybe, but that's one small piece of pie

stop trolling

 

From now on on topic please: VAIO Y series.

 

Qwaarjet seriously grow up I am not a troll, you sound like a neo vaio fanboy. I was just giving out some constitutive criticism because It frustrates me that sony releases another compromised 11-13 inch
laptop-< Phil> into the bloated thin and light market.
sony should go back to the simple product lines circa 2007.


First impressions I'm not not liking the new Y series at all. it's an expense copy of the $799 ASUS's UL30Vt thin and light. The only difference being the ASUS packs a nvidia G210M.

 

Who knows Sony may release a higher end Y with a dedicated Nvidia card...

 

yeah, it's not like sony has any customizing options for their laptops

 

...which is just as likely as OS X becoming the dominating Operating System, i.e. not very.

Oh so you've used a retail sample?

What were your personal impressions of it? How did you find the battery life? What was the screen like? After your obvious extensive use of the Y series to make such a statement, is it worth the estimated retail price?

 

Vaio Y pictures and info at Sonystyle
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...1&categoryId=8198552921644693499&N=4294953514

 

No ... The Y isn't a CTO!!! Why??

And what happened to the S?

 

my guess is CTO options will come out later on

 

I like the idea of something comparable to an Acer Timeline series, but with the build quality of Sony. Cheap, faster then atom and reasonable weight. I would swap my piece of crap E4300 Dell for one in a blink.

 

Price needs to go down like 50-100 bucks or they need to include a better gpu at that price in order for it to be a bit more competitive. Not to mention the battery life is a bit low when you think about it. Granted my TT is 11.1in, but I have the same cpu/gpu combo, but with a matte screen, and optical drive yet, I can get 6 hours with optical drive on and more with wifi and the optical drive off. Hell, I have heard people with silent battery saving mode getting closer to 10 hours on the TT. I was expecting more out the battery life on the Y.