SONY VAIO SZ6 with SANTA ROSA IS HERE!!!

So is the XPS M1330 better because it has 128mb, or is Dell lying?

 

in terms of graphics, the m1330 will beat the sz because it has double the dedicated memory. - and dell is not lying.

same card, just less dedicated memory on the SZ

 

does the dell also share memory from the system ram?

 

yes, with 2gb of system memory, both systems share 767mb

however the dell has on top of the 767, 128mb dedicated, while the sony only has 64mb on top of the 767

 

So when can i have one ?

 

When will these be available at other online retailers?

 

It's been said that it would be available by the next week (probably 29th). Check this thread out:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=132776

kickace, thanks for your information. It's quite disappointing Sony didn't use the same dedicated memory. I just don't know if it will make much difference compared to the XPS.

I'll have to wait for some reviews...

 

This computer won prizes in 2006 both from PC Magazine best of the year and Laptop magazine innovation awards, I think Im still gonna buy the SZ6 over the dell xps1330 but I dont think this kinf of update is exactly gonna get awards this year.

When could we expect to get a redesign? Maybe with the Penryn processors by the end of the year or beginning of next....

 

also If I do buy it now, I can run Vista Ultimate right -providing I upgrade of course-? I mean smoothly with a lot of multitasking

 

yah u'll be fine, just get 2gb of memory and it will run smooth, or more

chris

 

Are you sure thats right ? How can a dell with same spec be more expansive than a sony ? if your referring to the previous post - about the sz650 being $2049.00, thats base price aka starting price. dell's 1330m starting price is way lower. If indeed this is true please, link us where you spec'ed the sz650 and m1330, so people can see it for themselves.

 

This is the link for the SZ650N/C

http://b2b.sony.com/Solutions/product/VGN-SZ650N/C

it is priced at $2049... really tempting. Another difference is the SZ has gigabit Ethernet.

 

i dont know how you link to a dell quote directly, but i just went to dell.com and home & home office -- there are no promotions for xps systems right now

SYSTEM COLOR Tuxedo Black edit
PROCESSOR Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T7500 (2.2GHz/800Mhz FSB, 4MB Cache) edit
OPERATING SYSTEM Genuine Windows® Vista Home Premium Edition edit
LCD AND CAMERA Slim and Light LED Display with VGA Webcam edit
MEMORY 2GB Shared Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz edit
HARD DRIVE Size: 160GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM) edit
OPTICAL DRIVE CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW Drive) edit
VIDEO CARD 128MB NVIDIA® GeForce™ 8400M GS edit
SOUND OPTIONS Integrated Sound Blaster Audigy HD Software Edition edit
FINGERPRINT SCANNER Biometric Fingerprint Reader edit
My Accessories
BATTERY OPTIONS 56Whr Lithium Ion Battery (6 cell) edit
WIRELESS CARDS Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card edit
BLUETOOTH OPTIONS Built-in Bluetooth capability (2.0 EDR) edit

that came out to 2184 -- you can spec it yourself
those are the closest specs to the sz650n/c (as shown on the b2b sony site)
-- sz650 specs linked in post above

but like i said coupons and etc can lower it immensly

for example -- i have a 6% off for school and then an additional 3% for fatwallet so my total would come out to 1968.13 (the school also took $25 off the base price)

also it does not make sense to compare starting prices to each other -- it makes sense to compare similarly spec'd systems to each other -- though you can't get exactly the same specs on the dell; these are the spec that match the sz650n/c the closest

in fact as mentioned in my previous post the differences were outlined (though i did miss the gigabit in the sony)

 

Anybody know which is right for the 200GB HD speed, some pages state 7200rpm, others 4200rpm...

 

so cool,I expect it would come to china earlier,That'll be hot!

 

According to the specs, the SZ691N/X has a 200GB HDD 4200rpm. But it seems to possible to customize the SZ680N/C with a 200GB HDD 7200rpm. Here's the link: http://b2b.sony.com/Solutions/product/VGN-SZ680+Build-to-Order+Series

Will have to wait for a confirmation, though.

 

I'm just wondering why there appears to be a 4200 rpm HDD in the flagship SZ691, while the SZ670 has 5400 rpm?

 

What is the difference with the SZ691, the case is made from a different material? If it looks nicer I am getting it. Except of course if it has a 4200 rpm HDD.

4200 rpm+Windows Vista=BIG MISTAKE

 

Maybe Sony has an overstock of 4200 rpm HDD's.

 

Well then they should throw them at the lower end models, this makes no sense specially since your computer is only as powerful as it's weakest component. We are talking of a lot of money here!

 

because your average run of the mill consumers have no clue what 4200rpm vs. 5400 vs 7200 is. all they think is wow, 200GB is more than 120GB, so thats why it costs more. The enthusiasts market that knows all the in's and out's makes up a very tiny percentage.

 

One Question the SZ series come with Vista business edition but is this 64 or 32 bit? Can I upgrade to ultimate 64 bits without major compatibility issues anyone out there is running this version of vista?

 

It's 32-bit. I doubt Sony will support 64-bit, but I could be wrong.

 

like above post said, it is 32-bit. there is no support for 64 bit from sony at this moment.

 

This means I cannot update the laptop to ultimate 64 bits? I was going to do this as soon as I get my hands on an SZ6

 

Probably not right now, but possibly in the future if Sony decides to support 64-bit OS's (don't bet on it being anytime soon).

 

Just to be clear, the SZ6 can support 64bit operating systems, and support for up to a maximum of 4GB of ram.

 

If it'd really be 4200rpm that is just not on anymore for such a high-end notebook. Ok the temperature of the system will be elevated with 7200rpm but even 5400rpm a fast system down quite a bit I find.

 

is sonystyle.com getting update with the sz6 series???

 

Yes, I talked to Sony e-support last thursday and according to them this will happen on July 29th.

 

Did they mentioned when it will be on store?

 

No, but it shouldn't take long. I think there are some stores "accepting orders" at the moment.

Probably by the next week they'll be available...

 

Amazon.com is taking pre-orders, stated release date August 1st.

 

I went to sony's flagship store in NYC and they "don't know" when it will be available he said "one or two weeks or who knows maybe more" he said. Since he didn't know about a new SZ how could he say one or two weeks? so you can get a better idea through amazon than through sony's flagship store? Bizarre

He wanted to sell me the 400's. Hated the rep. I clearly know about the launch and the differences on the model so there is no point in trying to sell me what I won't buy.

I'm leaving the country on the 30th afternoon and I was hoping to get one before that, seems like I won't

Anyone else going to buy one right after they come out?

 

Going to buy as soon as Dynamism gets it, been bugging them with e-mails the last few days. They have no idea when it is in though.

(Have to buy from someone that ship to Europe)

 

Hehe, same here, one that ships to Europe pegon do let me know what you find

 

If Dell takes too much longer on my m1330... I'll switch.

 

After watching the message boards (for dell m1330 and viao sz6) at notebookreview.com I finally decided to create my first post.
I ordered m1330 2 days ago but looking at the delivery date, I am all skeptical about my choice.
I love to own a vaio, its just that I found m1330 quite attractive and powerful... but I am really not a dell fan .. in fact since the time I made the order, I started thinking of canceling it. But again I dont see any other good laptops for me.

What I am looking for: Ultra portable (atleast below 4 lbs) and high performance 13" machine.
My budget is $2000 but for vaio I can add another 100 bucks... its just that I am not sure which one to go with.
The sz6 series looks good but again quite confused whether to stick with m1330 (ordered for $1670) or spend some more and get the machine I always dreamed of.

I would appreciate some help.

I will watch this thread closely..

 

Why the Dell may be better:

Longer warranties
128mb 8400GS
Comes with cds for reinstalling programs
Has room for a Turbo memory card (if ever deemed useful)
Has guides to taking apart the laptop

 

Get the machine you've always dreamed of, or you'll regret it. Spend the extra cash to get exactly what you want. Otherwise, you might as well stick to your old one.

 

You can add longer warranty to Sony as well, and they are both options, not default. Sony has 8400GS as well, and X3100 for battery-saving mode as it uses hybrid system, something Dell doesn't have. I saw SZ and 1330, and SZ has more sensible port layouts and such IMO, too.

Dell's advantage would be
CD for reinstalling things
Less bloatware
Slightly better keyboard - new Fujitsu 13.3inch has better keyboard than both though, IMO.

 

Damn, 4200rpm is no good( Is there any way you can change it to a faster drive?
I am no pro so I am a bit confused when it comes to dedicated and shared video memory. I mean when it comes to dedicated video memory, dell is twice as powerful as new SZ is. But if we are talking about shared memory, dell is 7% better than sony is. Do these 64mb make a difference?

 

Do not think there is a great difference between the two, the shared memory will let you play the games that demand 128mb.

Will do

 

So how does this thing work? Is it like 128mb are always used for graphics and up to 767mb of operative memory can be used for the same purpose? Is dedicated memory in any way more efficient than shared memory?

Tnx in advance

 

it has 64mb of dedicated memory and allocates system memory for extraneeds, dedicated is a lot more efficient than shared memory, especially if the dedicated is ddr3. suffice to say, even for the 128mb version of 8400gs, you wont be cranking the graphics up in any of the current or up comming games.

 

I understand that, SZ is not an Alienware, I have a PC and a PS3 for games)
I was just considering playing some old stuff like Rome:Total War if I get bored on a plane.

What about games that have 128mb as a video requirement? Will I be able to play them with medium video settings on SZ6?

 

You should be able to play them. I've played lots of games on my old vaio which has 64mb dedicated Ati radeon (no shared) and they work fine.

Half Life 2, NFS underground 2 worked really well, Fear works.. but obviously the more dedicated memory the better. I don't want mine 8400 to share any if possible..just the 128mb it has (xps m1330 ordered)

 

Thanks
I played NFS Carbon and NWN 2 on my Fujitsu N6010 I am used to poor perofrmance)

BTW is there any chance that it would be possible to get rid of the WWAN antennae? This thing does not look good on the laptop at all!

 

The SZ650N/C will most likely not have the antenna, as would the SZ680 Build-to-Order without the WWAN option. The pictures of the SZ6 series on the Sony business site are all of a generic model (you can zoom in on the model number below the screen and it reads (VGN-XXXXX). The SZ450N/C did not have the antenna either, I believe.

 

rgn08

Great news! I knew SZ650 will not have WWAN, but I thought it is compulsory for SZ680.