Ready to Pull Trigger - Sony Vaio Z or SR - Need Your Advice Please!

I have seen some of the threads so please do not redirect me to endless banter that is irrelevant to my specific needs. I am not a notebook guru and will not be clocking my CPU, adjusting the fan and messing with internals.

I want a nice executive, lightweight notebook they will last for 2-3 years. Looking at overall quality, not necessarily price/value. Lightweight and high quality display is a huge plus. I do not play games but need a powerful processor for multi tasking in MS Office and I do photo editing. I have a powerful desktop so this will not replace main computer. I ruled out:

ThinkPad X301 - nice business machine although styling is boring, main problem is LV processor not powerful enough for needs
Dell E4300 - initial reviews not too impressive . . . I want a great display, good keyboard and nice style and the Dell seems to fail at all of these.

Here is my completed Questionnaire - http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=303603

On the Z model, I would not be ordering Blue Ray or SSD. I would order the Z570 Configured, 2.53Ghz / 4GB Ram / 200GB, 7400 / 1366x768.

I am leaning towards the Z but concerned about the battery drain issues and battery life (I need 3.5 hours). Will the display delta (13.1" vs 13.3) make any difference on viewing?

Other than this it seems like a winner. Please let me know what you think. Ready to pull the trigger with latest Sony Offer.

Special Offer from Sony
http://b2b.sony.com/Solutions/lpage...&name=VAIO SMB&XID=O:smbbundlebanner:all#sofs

To help ensure you get the most out of your new VAIO® notebook, when you purchase any Z, SR or BZ Series notebook between October 1, 2008, and December 31, 2008, you can receive your choice of one of the following accessory bundles at no additional cost (bundles valued at up to $369.97!):

Productivity Bundle
Docking Station
Wireless Bluetooth® Mouse6
Stick AC adapter

Mobility Bundle
Additional standard capacity battery
Carrying case
Stick AC adapter

*Accessories may vary in appearance from what is shown above depending on notebook selected

Redeeming your accessory bundle is easy! You just need to purchase your preferred VAIO® Z, BZ or SR notebook and then go to sony.com/VAIOSMB to review the terms and conditions of the offer as well as the instructions on h

 

Z all the way

 

I agree. From what you've said, the Z seems the better choice. However, both of these models suffer from "the battery drain issue". Personally I use my Z too often for this to be a noticeable problem, but some folks seem to be very upset by it... so it's up to you how important it is that you're able to leave your laptop charged for several days and have it keep all of its charge.

I have a similarly specified Z to the model you're looking at, but mine has a 320GB/5400rpm HDD and I have the higher res screen (1600x900).

For photo editing as a secondary machine, I find the extra real estate on the display to be invaluable... but for text the pixel density can seem a little tiny. For me, it's just perfect and it's nice to have room in Photoshop for all the palettes, etc, as well as a decent working area. But you should check yourself to see if the higher resolution is too small for your eyes - the 1366 model will stil have the excellent colour qualities of the Z screen and be easier on your eyes for text/browsing but might feel a bit cramped if you're used to editing photos on a much larger resolution.

 

IM thanks for your response. I labored on the screen resolution but with my 50 year old eyes I can no longer work with high resolution screens, especially with Outlook. Can change Excel/Word rather easily. I had a T43p 15" with a display of 1600 x 1200 and had trouble in the last 12 months with the resolution. I think the 1366 x 768 is a nice compromise between 1280 x 800 and 1600 x 900.

I have no problem leaving my laptop charged if this will help solve battery drain issues. I largely commute from office to work and around town with an out of town trip 2x a month so this isn't a real bad issue. Also will get AC/DC charger and extra battery for suitcase.

 

if $ is not a problem
of cos go for Z !

the built qualities are different
SR is mad in China while Z is made in Japan
and Z is a lot more portable!!!!

as for the display
13.1 u will feel that the screen is a little bit thin
its not a "normal" res rate, and u will need time to get used to it
which 13.3 is better for tpying, web surfing, etc

 

If possible, you should also go to a store and try typing a bit on the Z before buying it. There's a thread with several users reporting a double-typing problem on certain keys. Not everyone is experiencing this problem, so I think it may have something to do with users' habits in placing their hands or something similar, but it doesn't seem to be an isolated incident and I think it's worth checking out in person before you buy.

 

Good recommendation but there are no local stores around her who stock the Z. I aksed the big box stores like Best Buy and Circuit city and they do not expect to stock the Z model in the near term. Closest Sony Style store is 7 hours away.

The authorized B2B dealers I have dealt with before, provide a 20-30 day "no questions asked" return policy with no restocking fee as long as original packing is in place. Have utlized before with no problems.

 

The Z and SR are very similiar, if cost is not your concern, then the Z is a better option.

with that being said... the maxed out options on the SR is more powerful then on the Z, the 2.8 ghz proccesor, the 256mb 3470 with HDMI, etc will blow the Z out of the water performance wise. But the Z is more portable and lighter, and the standard battery provides more hours...

 

I think the resolution on the SR is limited to 1280 x 800? Can someone please confirm.

 

yeah, from the SR190 that i owned for a week, this was the max resolution

 

I'm another one who recommends going with the Z.

 

May I ask why you only owned it for one week? What did you ultimately settle on?

 

Go for Z!!

 

Babydarklord, can you expand why?

 

i think its a common concern of all sony, not just Z
but yet i think you should try that out
AWAIK, ppl need time to get used to it

 

The SR is like a Toyota Supra
The Z is like a Lexus SC 430.....

Both are fast, the supra is faster, the SC 430 is much more refined and classy....

there's my obscure comparision

 

If you want to try the keyboard, one of the Best Buy stores near me has the Z520. According to bestbuy.com it should be widely available at Best Buy, although only one out of three in the near vicinity have one. (I am in Raleigh-Durham area in NC.) I tried it there and didn't have any problems for the few minutes I spent typing. They do not have any models with 1600x900 screen.

 

um.... I thought ATI 3400 series only have 128MB dedicated memory. this why the max resolution is lower than the Z590 line, which have 256MB. Also, Z has DDR3 while SR uses DDR2.

other than that, the LCD of Z is more saturated and true to color than SR.

 

the new SR refresh is supposed to have 256mb
but you're right, for now the only option is 128mb

and quite honestly, having owned both, the SR ran TF2 a lot smoother than the Z with 256mb..
not sure if it because it was running at a native resolution and it didnt require rescaling.. but.. still.. it was a lot smoother on the SR

 

Favorini,

Can you tell me which BB in Raleigh you saw the Z model?

TC

 

They are available now. The SR290 CTO and the SR2xx pre-builts are available and have the 256mb 3470 with HDMI. The 128mb 3470 on the SR was better than the 256mb on the 9300, the 256mb 3470 will stomp on the 9300....

The best buys in MA also have the Z available on display