Pros and Cons of the 13inch Viao Z

So guys ... give it to me straight, what are the pros and cons of the 13inch Viao Z ... I'm really digging it and would never thought I'd buy a Sony

and If I like what I see/hear ... damn if my budget didn't increase to $2600

 

dude, there's hundred of posts on the subject. don't be lazy and start reading

 

sorry for my poor english, I hope you can understand:

Pros :

- Very light (3.07 lbs) Lighter than Apple macbook pro 13
- Powerful cpu (core i5 540, i7 620)
- Powerful video card (gt330M, play l4d2 native resolution (1600x900) smooth.
- Very slim, the carbon version is very good lool
- SSD very fast ( I tool 192 gig (3x64 gig)) Loading os, games, application, very faster than normal hd. Windows is more reactive too (when I go to install program, I don't have to wait to see the list of applications)
- Screen very light, good color, the best screen I saw for a ultra notebook.
- Good build quality (that's my impression when I compare with others laptops I had before), look very high class (luxuary, normal, thats the serie of Sony)
- Keyboard have a clean layout, good quality too
- Not hot in bottom (little warm near where the heat go out, but the rest is cold) the air is hot, surprising how Sony handle very well the heat. It's not like the Dell xps 13!

Cons :

- SSD not standard (it's a new invention of Sony, with that, Sony was able to put 2 standard SSD in a 13.1) but it will be difficult to change or add ssd in it in the future!
- No trim for raid ssd for now (technology limit for all raid 0 with ssd, I hope intel will fix that soon. (ssd : when you delete files and the system want to write there, it needs to erase the old file before, the write operation is longer because of that,
with trim, in background windows can erase the marked deletes files) if you really want trim (and the lost of performance is not matter for you) you can change it in the bios (but you need to reinstall everything)
- no blu-ray player for this model, and the blu-ray writer is just too expansive.
- Expensive of course, it's like a Ferrari, it's more expansive too
- No esata/ usb3 port !

I waiting 1 month before I bought it because it's expansive, etc. but when I got it, I don't understand why I waited for!

 

I wouldn't go for the 13 inch, way too small and way too expensive for the specs, check out something a bit bigger like a 15inch which has a better graphics card and processor and handle all your day to day needs, and ready to game whenever you need it. Look at the hp envy or Alienware m15x.
I personally dislike sony, plenty of bad experiences, although we have 2 at home.

 

How can you say that when you don't even know what the OP's needs are? Some people don't want to carry a 15" around with them every day, especially not a 9 pound Alienware.

 

This is biased advice. And *bad* biased advice at that.

Who are you to determine what is "way too small", especially for the specs? If anything, it's amazing that Sony got the specs into something this small. It's the ultimate portable machine.

I had an Envy 15. I liked it. The Vaio Z is *much* better.

 

I just had bad experiences with sony, and i have always hated the way the 13 inch model was around 2K+ for that price he can get a desktop replacement, although that is not what i am suggesting to him. He can look at other models and compare models and specs before purchasing something he might soon regret. BTW an alienware does not necessarily have to be 9 pounds, he can look at the 11inch model, which is 4 pounds, and my little brother has that model, i have seen him use it for 7 hours on battery life. If he wants a little gaming all he has to do is push a little button to switch graphics. Combined with 4GB of ram and a decent hard drive and a 3 year warranty, that is not so bad for 1100 dollars on a laptop. I personally have three different laptops, and the one i enjoy the most is the alienware.

It is just a suggestion to look to another direction.

 

Right, so the 13.3" Z is too small, but the 11.6" m11x isn't?
The VAIO Z is lighter and thinner, too - the m11x is a brick at 4.5 pounds, and its size is more in line with 12-13" models than 11.6". I mentioned the 9 pound figure specifically because you brought up the m15x.
While I agree that the VAIO Z might not be the right computer for the OP (filling out the FAQ would help), you're suggesting gaming laptops when the OP never even hinted at gaming. Besides, as a gaming machine, the Alienware m11x will be soundly beaten in every regard by the upcoming Acer 3820TG.

EDIT: the OP has filled out an FAQ after all.

 

I believe i said, way too small and way too expensive for the specs. I did say it was too small for every day use, but then you said maybe he does not want to carry around a 15" laptop so i merely suggested to loop at an alternative that can be compared.
For example, the Vaio Z and the m11x have been compared previously, Who was the winner in the comparison? M11x. Why? The Price. The m11x is not meant for heavy gaming, you have the m15x and m17x for that. I suggested Alienware because i recently purchased two of them, and enjoying them so far. He can look at any other 13" and compared it to the Vaio.

 

The m11x beats the VAIO Z only as a gaming machine. Otherwise, it has a poor screen, poor CPU, and 4.5 pounds is heavy - it's close to the weight of most 14" laptops. Guess what? The OP isn't even interested in gaming on this laptop. With the upcoming Acer 3820 having HD 5650 configurations, I wouldn't recommend the m11x to anyone unless I hated them.
Once you consider that it includes SSDs, the VAIO Z isn't actually all that more expensive than other options, and the high-quality, lightweight construction and high-resolution screen make the cost justifiable to many people.

 

Are you sure about that? Someone posted some 3Dmark scores comparing the Z and the M11x. I thought they were pretty close if not better for the Z. In addition the Z has a much faster processor and SSD drives.

 

He mentioned "would like a very good mid range GPU" +"1366x768 would suffice". It is the weight of most 13" laptops, but who cares about weight?
BTW , you put up a smooth argument. +rep

 

3Dmark is overly CPU dependent, especially '06. For most games, the midrange GPUs in these machines will be much more of a bottleneck.

There's a comparison of the Z and m11x here; the m11x wins overall, though the results are similar. For example, in Arkham Asylum with PhysX off the Z looks better due to the higher minimum framerate of 25. I guess that's the m11x's CPU letting it down there.

 

A gaming laptop can basically do anyything a normal lapto can do. Learned that the hard way. Check benches in sig, they dont even compare to the xps m1330 in 06(loool.... 600 3dmarks)

 

Thanks for the +rep, by the way. Even if weight doesn't matter (I think it does, though, or the OP wouldn't be looking at 13.3"), the CPU and screen are still letdowns in the m11x.

However, the upcoming Acer TimelineX models look to be very strong indeed. Apart from slightly lower weight, all the VAIO Z will have left to set itself apart once the 13.3" TimelineX is out is the high-res screens, while the only advantage to the m11x will be cooling.

 

When Acer releases the TimelineX, I'm sure Alienware will have something new up there sleeve for the m11x, or perhaps they plan on looking at something more in the 13" range, I'll be the first inline . Call me an alienware fan boy, but they have a reason for calling there laptops the "All Powerful" . I have compared my m17x to quad core desktops that can't even compare, an i7 965 pulls 24k in 06.

 

Say what you will, but until they at least announce a real competitor to the TimelineX, I can't recommend waiting for one. Considering they don't have the HD 5870 on offer yet, Alienware don't seem to be that good at keeping up with the times.
As for comparing to desktops, that comparison is dead in the water if you spend an equal amount on both.
In any case, that's enough for this discussion, since the OP wasn't interested in gaming in the first place.

 

Every one of us that are old enough now that actions creak louder than words.

 

Like allowing you to work through a transatlantic flight?

 

Compared to the refreshed Macbook lineup, my $2000 vaio z (i5 540m, 4GB (1x4gb) RAM, 128GB SSD) was a bargain. It's got a gorgeous screen, equivalent graphics, and a blazing fast drive. Plus I don't have a laptop that looks identical to 50% of the laptops around campus. I also just got 5 hours of battery life out of the standard battery while on campus.

GET THE Z!

 

You guys all forget the big difference of the Z, the built in optical drive. IMO that makes the 11x no comparison.

At 1699-1899 the Z112 is a bargain. Remember the M11x gets to $1200 pretty quick once you get a decent cpu and upgrade the ram, hdd, etc.

 

You can't get a decent CPU in the m11x; the difference between the SU4100 and SU7300 is negligible.
True, an optical drive is a standout feature in a 13", especially given the Z's weight, but the importance of an optical drive is a matter of personal preference. I still wouldn't call the Z a bargain, though.

 

I think it's a bargain relative to other options out there, especially considering the SSD. Spec out a comparable config (ignore size and weight)...with the cpu, gpu, switchable graphics...raid 0 ssd. I think you can get pretty close in cost with nowhere near the design.

 

I don't think there's that much point to RAID 0 SSDs; it doesn't help the random access performance of the drives. I'd rather have a TimelineX 13.3" with the HD 5650 and replace the HDD with an SSD myself than get a VAIO Z - it would save a few hundred bucks and I'd have a more powerful GPU. To me, the VAIO Z's internal optical drive is only worth the $50 it would cost me to buy an external one.

As I said before, to some people the extra cost of the Z might be justified, but calling it a bargain is going too far.

 

Raid0 isn't designed to help random access in any application...regardless the SSD's are faster random, sequential, etc. than any spinning drive out ther.

Timeline is heavier, thicker...and if that 13.3" panel is anything like the old timelines or the msi x-slim it'll be hard to look at (blue/green cast and terrible contrast).

Acer builds a good box for the price, but it's no comparison to the Z.

I'll agree with you that "bargain" may be a stretch for the Z...but it's not as crazy expensive as everyone makes it out to be.

 

I know that, it's pretty obvious... However, random access is the most important aspect of storage performance for most people's day-to-day use, and so for most people RAID 0 SSD's aren't worth the bother compared to a single larger SSD.

The screen is definitely the Z's biggest asset. If they offered a proper international warranty and a more powerful video card, I might have bought one already.

In any case, I agree that the base model Z isn't "crazy expensive" once you consider what you get for your money. The higher models enter into that territory, though, especially the $4500 signature model.

 

I definitely agree.

 

There are only two cons I can think of:
-No USB 3.0
-No global 3G

 

Where are you guys getting that information from?

 

I too am on the fence, but it's a bit pricy for me. I ordered a HP Envy with a $450 coupon and will try it out. If I don't like it, it will be the Z for sure.

But I do have some concerns. The screen is very important to me. IMO, the Macbook Pro 13 has the best looking screen in its class. I am primarily concerned about posterization, color gamut, contrasts, etc (things you notice in HQ video playback). How's the screen of the of this Z compared to the MBP 13?

 

Z > MBP 13

I had an Envy. It was nice. I liked it, for the most part. But I returned it in favor of the Z. I've had the Z for four days now. It is the best machine I've ever had. I have had many machines, most Dells that were very reliable and well-made.

This machine is *amazing*. Seriously. I'm losing sleep because I enjoy using it so much.

 

Thanx guys for the input

Originally my budget was $1,400. but I think ima do some overtime these next couple weeks

I been reading on the Z ever since yesterday and the Pros do outweigh the cons so it's a debate between:

The Viao Z and Asus U30JC ... lol it's a no brainier huh

 

You have the expensive FHD Sony Z...can't really afford that...but I may get the normal Z as I am primarily concerned about screen quality and weight. But I hear the FHD is a lot better than the 1600x900 z screen.

I ordered the Envy 15 to see if I like it, but it's 15' ...I prefer 13-14. So I will see since there's a 21 day return policy.

 

I'm happy I chose the Z mainly because i do photo editing on it and the screen it has is really excellent. I didn't go for the full HD screen mainly because I also game on it and it'd be just too much. EIther the 16x9 or 1920x1200 will be great, though the higher res screen is probably more color accurate according to the specs.