Sony FE (new buyer) & Creative Audigy 2 ZS compatible?

Hi,

I'm new to laptops and am ordering next monday the following Sony Vaio FE series ( http://laptopsinc.com/Merchant2/mer...VGNFE690P08&Category_Code=SFE&Product_Count=2 ) Is this compatible with the Creative Audigy 2 zs notebook, i mean does the card fit? ( http://mt.europe.creative.com/shop/product.asp?category=25&subcategory=1&product=743& )

Also, the store page states the FE notebook has a G73M notebook..which is a 7600....is this right?

I'm sorry but I am a new laptop user.

regards
Anthony

 

i believe the FE does have an PCMCIA slot so; i don't see why not. if it doesn't there is this audigy nx; an external soundcard which connects through a USB

 

The G73 in the FE is the 7600 (128mb). And yes, you can use the Audigy card.

 

thanks for the replies

 

hi again, so the expresscard/34 mentioned in the sony fe review ( http://www.notebookreview.com/defau...+VAIO+FE670G+-+Core+Duo+T2300+1.66+GHz+-+15.4 ) is the pcmia slot that is used by the audigy 2 zs?

thanks and sorry for asking such a clarification

 

No problem Macachia. Well, the link you provided in your first post from Portable One states that it has a PCMCIA slot, which is what the Audigy card is, although the review states that it only has an Expresscard 34 slot, which is NOT what the Audigy card is. If I were you, I would call Portable One for clarification. It is possible that the 590 from the review and the 690 from Portable One have different configurations. They should be able to answer this definitively for you.

 

hi again,

thanks for the reply Does the dell 9400 / e1705 have this so called pcmia slot?

thanks

 

Hi Macachia,

May I know why do you need the Sound Blaster Audigy?

Is it because you use MIDI or you need to have some digitial input?

Because if you're thinking that the Audigy is going to help make games run faster or have better sound production, it is very debatable.

The travel versions of the Audigy are riddled with a lot of noise issues one would be questioning why Creative had the audacity to actually brand them as the same family of cards. (Yeah, the desktop version of Audigy do help unlike the notebook versions.)

For what it's worth though, I believe the Dell 1210 has the Audigy built in. This could be a better offering although I have yet to hear it from anyone with a professional soundcard testing background...

 

Just an FYI. The Audigy in the 1210 is software that uses the integrated standard sound chip, it's not hardware like the Audigy card in question.

Macachia, the Dell 9400/1705 does not have a PCMCIA slot, just Expresscard. Although it is a really good system, you should check it out. Just make sure you can live with the LCD.

Creative should be releasing an Expresscard version of the Audigy soon I would think.

 

whwtan - i have gigaworks 7.1, which i will be attaching to the laptop when i'm at home. This laptop is a desktop replacement really

kgbeezr1 - so the audigy 2 zs is completely incompatible?

thanks for any info

 

Right...it's 2 totally different formats. If the purpose is to run your 7.1 system at home only, maybe you should really look at the NX that Wobble suggested. It connects through USB...problem solved. It may actually perform a little better too, i'm not sure. Might be worth looking into.

 

Hi kzbeerzR1,

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

I have never actually asked anyone regarding the Creative chip on the M1210 but I have championed it as a "value added advantage" for the Dell 1210 on many occassions.

You telling me that the Creative chip is actually software driven makes it no better than the Sound Reality chip. (And the SR chip is actually really good since I have compared the output quality of the SZ against the Fujitsu competition like the P5xxx, P7xxx, S7xxx series.)

Very interesting information.

I am way happier with a Sony SZ than the Dell M1210 now...

 

Hi Macachia,

If you're considering a desktop replacement, why not look at the FE series?

Asus also produces a lot more notebooks which look quite decent and you get a lot more bang for the buck.

The reason why I'm so obsessed with the SZ is because I travel extremely often and SZ is the only notebook out there which is below 2kg, has great sound capability, looks fantastic and sports a dedicated graphics card. There is absolutely no other notebook in the world with these specifications all lumped together.

Had weight not been the issue for me, I'd have been looking at the offerings by Asus.

You're looking for a desktop replacement right? I believe weight isn't the main issue for you? There are great offerings out there...

You may want to ask in the notebook recommendation section for better advice as I do not know as many desktop replacements as some of the experts there.

 

The Audigy software on the Dell does have some interesting sound processing effects that can have a good effect on some sources, but for the most part it's a lot of heavy synthetic processing. Definitely not good if you're an audiophile wanting high quality 2 channel music reproduction. It's good you didn't choose the Dell over the Sony for that reason alone.

I like Dells, but without a doubt, if I could afford an ultra portable to go with my AR, i'd take the SZ anyday. The 1210 just seems a little rough around the edges to me, and i think Sony's dual graphics setup is brilliant. I don't think I could live with the 1210's lack of a built in optical drive eithier, seems like it almost defeats the purpose of an ultra portable when you have to carry a separate external drive.

 

Hi Macachia,
I have a Vaio FE 570G and am using it right now with Creative Audigy2 ZS PCMCIA and it sounds so great and it gives you a lot of connectivity. All FE series comes with PCMCIA, and a friend of mine bought a DELL inspiron 9400 and give it to me for setup and after using it for a day, i persuade him to return it. The FE series are way better than the 9400.

 

Hi kgbeerz1,

The M1210 has the DVD drive built in...it's not that bad in paper specs.
Though there are a few reasons why I'd have the SZ over the M1210 anytime.
1) The M1210 is FAT. It's a 12" machine which is as thick as the SZ...*ouch* I call it the ultrafat ultraportable. It is extremely ugly to me...to lug such a fat machine around.
2) M1210 12" screen vs SZ 13.3" XBrite screen...no challenge.
3) SZ allows you to use the IntelGMA which gives you the same battery life as the M1210 despite having a bigger screen.
4) Pretty good sound output. I have tested them beside each other and the SZs speakers do not distort like the M1210 does.

 

Oops, yea it was the Latitude D420 that didn't have the optical drive.

I don't think the 1210 is very attractive either...kind of reminds me of a boxy Thinkpad from 10 years ago. Sleek and refined definitely weren't words on the minds of the Dell designers when they designed the 1210.