Return VAIO Z and buy VAIO SR

I have just bought a VAIO Z (VGN-Z11MN/B) but I think I will return it and buy an SR, but before I retrurn it I will hear your opinios please.

Z Advantatges
- It's 0.5 Kg lighter
- I like the carbon fiber. Build quality is very good.
- Has DDR3 RAM and 4GB
- 4GB RAM
- It's design is very beatiful.
- Dedicated and integrated graphic card (I really have enough with the integrated card)

SR Advantatges
- It cost 600€ less than the Z in SPAIN
- Has integrated fingerprint reader (my Z model dosen't)
- The WXGA Screen is a little greater

Ther are 2 thinks I really don't like from my Z:
- Fan noise
- Don't has fingerprint reader

What's your opinion? Do you think It's better return my Z and buy and SR?

For 600€ less I will lose 1GB RAM, DDR3 vs DDR2,0.5Kg and better build quality, but will have fingerprint reader and a bigger screen. I don't know if the SR fans make the same noise as the Z model.

 

The SR, as all sony's have some fan noise. This is mostly remedied by tweaking vista settings. The fan is usually being overactive because vista is doing some bizarre process in the background that spikes cpu/ram usage). The screen on the Z is higher resolution and dual lamp(brighter). The build quality on the SR is excellent, but expect a tiny bit of palm rest flex on the right side of the SR.

I think it's worht it 100%. but, i did not buy a Z(do i dont know what your downgrading from), performance wise, they will be identical(the ram isnt as significant of a difference as you think.. 5-8%. That can be remedied by getting a 2.4ghz proccesor instead of the 2.26ghz, which also is a 5-8% increase...

I for one, am very happy with my SR and don't think you will be disappointed. Plus, 600 euros is quite a bit of cash savings! That's 1000 USD! I paid a total of 1450 for my SR with savings, bundles, etc. Which is about 1000 Euro. I'd say a pretty good deal!

 

uhm, also, take in consideration if you're going to sale the laptop out within a year or two. Your SR will worth close to nothing and your Z will be somewhere around 50% of what you paid originally.

 

fingerprint reader is a toy IMO

 

How, may i ask, did you conclude that? (that the Z will retain 50% of its value)

 

Don't forget the SR comes with a glossy screen. I like that but many people don't.

If you take the SR with Intel X4500 and tweak it a little, fan noise should be minimal.

If you take the ATI HD3470 you're gonna get some fan noise though.

 

Well, in my mind, the Z has more new technology packed in it from the start compared to the SR. 1-2 years down the road, those will count a lot. BTW, 50% after 2 years is probably a stretch but other than that, the Z will hold some value.

 

Sounds like you just wanted the fingerprint reader, not the SZ - why dont you just get an sz with a reader.

Not sure which processor you have, but my 2.8ghz with 4gb ram is pretty zippy. ddr3 ram makes a real difference.

 

It doesn't, the difference is so small, you can't even notice it.

 

to me, the price difference is not worth it... if i were you, i'd get the sr.

you'll notice in my sig that i'm getting the z. the only reason is that after i configured an sr to how i like it, i found a z for only about $40 more. if that wasn't the case, i'd be getting an sr right now, and be happy with that.

 

after using the Z-screen you will be so much dissapointed with the SR screen. same with the built-quality and the battery life. you will regret it, trust me.

 

I was playing with a Z with the 1600x900 screen for a long time a couple days ago at a best buy, and i dont regret getting the SR at all... they are not that different IMO...I didn't have the Z side by side with my SR.. so I cant say for sure, but I wasn't impressed

 

try sz.........lol

 

Once you adjust the color saturation on the SR the two screens don't look much different minus the glare. The Z's higher res display would be nice, but the real deal killer for me was the craptacular Alps touchpad and the overactive fan on the Z.

 

yah, that's a bummer... you'd think they'd throw a synaptics in there since the z is one of their high-end models.

 

abibiano,

sorry mate, but I don't understand why you didn't do some research BEFORE you actually bought Z?

It is important what you need, and NO, you don't need to give away high quality material. Instead of Z you can also get SZ in carbon (same screen as SR) but with premium material and top spec (2.5GHz, 4GB RAM, 250GB HDD 5400rpm...)

BR
Miki

 

i woulnd't undersign this. i was comparing them about an hour, of course you can do something with adjustements but this screen is big bit crisper and more colorful. what issues with the touchpad are you talking about? never had any issues with it. works flawless and nice. but never mind, if he likes to downgrade, do it. for me, there is no better alternative on the market.

 

Guys we've had this discussion before. I think ThreeD has seen a poor sample of a SR screen or he may not like glossy screens.

The one SR screen I've seen was superior in vibrance and contrast to the Z screen. Notebookjournal's measurements confirm my observation. Contrast on SR is higher.

 

i don't understand the part about you losing the 1GB memory (4GB vs 3GB). if you are using 32bit vista os, you are not really losing 1GB right? the os can only address 3gb+ish memory, even if it shows 4gb installed.

 

32-bit Vista can support 4GB of RAM. but, because your gpu, as well as other things also take up ram, vista will only address around 3-3.5 gb of ram from your ram sticks.

 

so it's the same before and after sp1 isn't it? previously it reported what it can address, now it reports what is installed.

 

I've read different. Vista 32bit can only address 3,2GB.

Vista SP1 will recognize 4GB, but it can not address it.

Having more than 3.2GB with Vista 32 can be useful for two reasons:
-Dual channel performance when using 2x2GB of the same make.
-IGP can address the leftover 0.8GB.

 

what is IGP, is it integrated gfx? so integrated gfx x4500mhd can address the leftover 0.8gb?

i am currently on 3gb and i am not considering 4gb, unless there is any advantage to do so. everything is running very smooth and quick even without disabling aero effects. BUT photo slide show has some jerking during transitions - i am not sure why...

 

Z contrast - 400:1
SR contrast - 496:1

Z illumination:
http://www.notebookjournal.com/storage/show/image/image48b2bb13bb18a

SR illumination:
http://www.notebookjournal.com/storage/show/image/image48a9a1c7deac7

So SR has better contrast, but Z has slightly better illumination, so the winner is.....don't know (what is more important illumination or contrast?)

Are you sure about this? I would be nice, but how do you instruct GPU to use "leftover" and not first 3.2 GB?

BR
Miki

 

i can't even find anywhere to allot memory to the gpu. is the allotment fixed (i assume it is based on % of installed memory)?

 

I like high contrast screens but the Z is suited for outdoors, the SR is not really suited for outdoors because the screen is very glossy.

I am not sure. This is what some people said on the hardware forum. They know a lot but they could be wrong.

We've had a couple of threads about memory allocation of Vista 32 and IGP.

yes

that's what they said.

Does not sound like you need 4GB. It may be caused by slow harddrive.

I think it's not something that you need to do, it's being done automatically. IGP uses the memory. It will use less memory for low resolutions with few colors. It will use more memory for high resolution with high color.

 

anyone knows if the SR can use DDR3 1066 mhz ram?

 

No it can not, only 800Mhz

Both DDR2 and DDR3 are 240 pin, but the notch in the DIMM is not in the same spot, so the slots are different. Base DDR3 is 1.5V vs DDR2's 1.8V

 

No it can't. And there's no point as DDR3 1066MHz does not perform better than DDR2 800MHz.

It may save 5-10 minutes battery life though.

 

what about DDR2 1066mhz if there is such a thing? because i asked the merchant i bought from if i could use 1066mhz ram in future and he said yes - i guess he was lying or speaking without knowing the facts

 

DDR2 is either 667 or 800 MHz, there is no 1066MHz DDR2 module.

I have DDR2-800 on my SZ but it runs at 667 as Santa Rosa FSB is 667MHz, so I was a fool buying "faster" memory. Learn from my mistakes.

Cheers,
Miki

 

Well technically he was not lying, because if 1066MHz DDR2 ever becomes available it will work in the SR.

 

Like PhilFlow said few posts earlier, you won't get much of increase in some sythetic tests 4-7%, but real benefit is that DD3R runs cooler, so less heat in your housing (and beneath it) and slightly prolonged battery life.

 

I wonder if the guy simply got confused with the desktop PC2-8500 DDR2-1066 RAM? (As far as I can see, this is not available for laptops?)

 

Q: What's the difference between a used car salesman and a computer salesman?

A: The used car salesman knows when he's lying.

 

ok so paradoxically the computer salesman is an honest liar...

 

and i also wouldn't undersign and i am very critical about test results from notebook journal. wait for reviews from notebookcheck. and btw. who needs a glossy display

 

First of all, thanks for all answers.

Answering your questions…

…I have done a lot of research and posted few questions in this forum before buying. The problem is that there are think you don't see before you work some hours with the laptop. About other questions some people asked me, I have to say that in Spain we can buy only preconfigured models, and there are very little available. The only Z model available with WXGA is the model I bought. (The rest has WXGA+ and I don't like for my work this resolution because fonts are to small I don't want scale DPIs)

After testing some more hours my Z, reading your posts and examining a SR in a shop, I have decided to return today the Z and buy the SR.

My reasons:

• Fan noise (After hearing the 2 models, I think the SR fan makes less noise)
• Screen (I don’t want the Z model with superior resolution. WXGA is perfect for me and the screen on de SR is a little greater)
• Built quality (Z is better, but the SR is sufficient for me)
• RAM (As some people says, difference between DDR2 and DDR3 is not appreciable)
• Weight (Ok, Z wins, but for 600€ I can put 0.5Kg on my bag).
• Other accesoris (The Z model with WXGA has not fingerprint reader. The rest of specifications are similar. I really don’t need the fingerprint reader, but 600€ is a lot of money only for carbon fiber, DDR3 and 0.5Kg)

 

sorry men, u miss the HDMI connection which is a future use

 

Well, it might be different in US where z550N costs only $1700
and it also comes with the fingerprint reader =]

 

In SPAIN:

VGN-Z11MN/B Core2 Duo P8400 2,26GHz 4GB RAM 200GB LCD 13,1" (1366 x 768) without TPM -> 1.899,00 €

VGN-SR19XN Core2 Duo P8400 2,26GHz 3GB RAM 160GB LCD 13,3" (1280 x 800), TPM, GMA X4500MHD, -> 1.299,00 €