Sony SA Series Discussion Sony's next new 13.3 laptop

SB weights way more than SA.

 

What is the weight on it vs the SA and the Z? Will it look like the SA, S, or totally different because those don't show any pics.

 

This division really reminds me of the SZ series with the premium and more consumer models.
The weight of the SB is still light at 1.69kg 3.718lbs V 3.2. Remove that 2.5HD and put in a USATA probably like the SA and the weight might be around 3.4lbs. May be the SB doesn't have carbon fibre as well.

The SA seems to comes default with RAID drives so no question performance is superior in everyway to the Z.

 

Looking at these benchmarks on PC Mark It seems the dual core's have finally become more powerful than the quad cores of a previous gen.

i5-2410M @ 2.30GHz 3028
vs
Intel Core2 Quad Q6600 @ 2.40GHz 2976

Amazing...

 

Maybe in tasks that only take advantage of either the single or dual core. But, I bet in a test/application that can take advantage of all 4 cores, the older core 2 quad will do a good job holding its own.

 

^ yeah!! and it's mobile!!

 

what do you guys say between the i7 and i5, is i7 worth it?

 

hmm.... if your software/application badly needs (not kinda need, maybe need or nice to have) the i7 power then go for it. Otherwise just buy the less expensive i5 and change to newer laptops/computers more often bye.

 

First off, thanks for all the info you're posting!

I have a question though, will the SA feature WiDi or HDWI or any kind of wireless hdmi solution? I think I read that all sandy bridge will support it, but is it up to the manufacturers to implement it in their models?

With that feature i'd be in love with this laptop. Thanks in advance

 

So it looks like it will be SA and SB. i5 and i7 options and SSDs to boot.

Nice.

Depends on the price differentials between the models and the CPU speed offerings that come out. Very interested in reviews on the display of the unit. Seems like they upped the resolution to 1600x900 which is very nice with a premium display on the higher end model.

VPC-SA1X9E/XI Intel Core i7-2620M Processor, Windows 7 Professional 64bit, 4GB DDR3 SDRAM Memory, 128GB Dual SSD (RAID 0), 13.3″ WXGA++ (1600×900) VAIO Display Plus, AMD Radeon HD 6630M + Intel HD Graphics 1GB, DVD SuperMulti Drive, HDMI, 802.11a/b/g/n £1,570.97

SA is the one to get with the i7 because of the premium VAIO Display Plus @ 1600x900 which isn't offered on the lower end model. Hopefully the display quality of this is very nice.

"On selected entertainment notebooks, VAIO Display Plus adds anti-reflection and wider viewing angles to your viewing pleasure.

On professional-level VAIO notebooks, VAIO Display Premium adds extreme brightness and high colour saturation."

Wish it had both display plus and premium. Will have to see how the reviews are on the different models but knowing Sony the higher end VAIO notebook will probably look really sharp. The dual raid model with the premium display if it looks well isn't bad at all. Pricewise its 2149.24 dollars. A premium notebook with all the frills for a premium price but it only includes 2 128 SSD's which is small and only 4GB memory for that price.

I have to see how the models come configured since I can build the SSD raid on my own but the SSD RAID 0 concept is ideal for performance and Sony has met the challenges here.

Awaiting specifications of models I can order. I was trying to hold out longer but I may go with the notebook with discrete video if it has switchable graphics on the AMD.

Glad to see the SSD Raid, backlit keyboard and the 1600x900 display which is very nice indeed. Looks like a really nice notebook on first glance extremely well configured to my liking.

 

NEW INFO Sony VAIO SA and SB show up at European e-tailers with 13-inch screens, Core i5 / i7 CPUs, SSD options -- Engadget

Looks like Sony is preparing to freshen up the top end of its laptop range with a pair of new VAIO series, the SA and SB. An Intel Core i7-2620M is found populating a listing for an SA1X9E/XI model, alongside 4GB of DDR3 RAM, 128GB of SSD storage, AMD Radeon HD 6630M graphics, and a 1600 x 900 resolution squeezed into a 13.3-inch screen. All that for a measly £1,571 (nearly $2,500). What's intriguing about that 2.7GHz dual-core CPU is that Intel lists a February 20th launch date for it, potentially giving us a hint as to when Sony will put the trigger with its refresh. The VAIO SB laptops are set to be the tamer offering, being built around the latest Core i5 chips, though we've yet to know for certain what any of these new machines will actually look like. So, for your speculative pleasure, we've embedded a video after the break with some prototypes spotted at CES that could end up slapped with the SA / SB labels.

 

Unless you are doing real 'high-end' stuff, no. I use a variety of PC's extensively, pushing them to the edge and I find the i5 more than capable. Price vs performance, i5 wins every-time as it offers better value for money whilst performing nearly as good as it's i7 counterpart in the real world.

Benchmarking is a load of toss. When you use this stuff in the real world you can gauge the performance properly.

My new desktop PC uses the new i5 2500K. The minuscule performance boost the i7 2600K offered wasn't worth the extra £100!

 

Except that the source for the Engadget story is this very thread!

 

So, I guess
- SA (with Intel processor) and SB (with AMD processor) will be successors of S
- YA (with Intel processor) and YB (with AMD processor) will be successors of Y, even they will be 11,6" size.
It's not bad but I wonder how the screen's quality is, compared to Z or TT.

 

is it going to be a world wide launch or just europe first?

 

The only difference between the 2500k and 2600k is that the 2600k has hyperthreading and more L3 cache.

So the question of which one to buy comes down to this: do you use alot of heavily threaded software?

Yes? Go 2600k.
No? Go 2500k and save 100 bucks.

Things like gaming isn't really heavily threaded, not compared to say, Logic Pro 9 which is designed for massive cpu parallelism. If you just don't have a heavily threaded workload, 100 bucks will give you more bang elsewhere. Put it towards an SSD or a nicer graphics card or a nicer display. Things that you will really notice every day.

Even if you look at the first generation Core i lineup from the i3 all the way up to the i7, they are all essentially the same cpus more or less. Some of them are clocked higher sure. The only real difference is things like turbo boost, virtualization, hyperthreading, unlocked multiplier etc. With the exception of turbo boost, all of these things have niche use and they only benefit people who use them. So why pay for something you don't use?

 

According to the specs SA will have i7 and SB will have i5, i.e. both will have Intel CPUs.

Anyway, I also see them being the successors of S. The only thing that I don't understand in this case is, why did Sony release and advertise the VPC-S in the US as a new model (in the beginning of January 2011), when SA and SB are coming in a few weeks.

 

I have Vaio FW and want to buy a Portable Vaio , I would like to have a VAIO Z Silver with core i3 and 4 ram is enough for me

 

Hello,

Is the z14 the new generation of the Z or just an update on the last model of the current Z series of this generation?

 

Just an update. AFAIK only change is the 1TB SSD option.

 

When they mention 128 dual ssd raid does that mean 2x64g cards?

 

Having seen the SA specs is making it harder to decide whether to wait for it or just get z13. At the base level the SA1x9e is about £400 cheaper than a similar z on the uk cto website but the toprange SA1z9e is about the same price as the z13. Which seems strange if Sony are going to release an update to the z series in the summer unless it's a different firm ie 12.1.
Looking at the SA while light and thin I'm guessing the footprint will be about the same as the current s series so it's a question whether the newer sandybridge processors are thatmuch better or if the current i7 in the z with 8g ram would be fast enough.

 

New article about SA in Engadget: Sony VAIO SA and SB show up at European e-tailers with 13-inch screens, Core i5 / i7 CPUs, SSD options:
Sony VAIO SA and SB show up at European e-tailers with 13-inch screens, Core i5 / i7 CPUs, SSD options -- Engadget

In case it gets pulled out, I just copy and pasted the text here:

From engadget.

 

The new Intel and Micron SSDs are due out in February. Micron c400 has one 512GB drive in production right now assuming it is not a typo for the larger of the SSD drive sizes.

The initial specs seem decent and 1600x900 or greater resolution is a must have.

SA with SSD RAID premium display and all the frills is the way to go.

Anyone know the etailers which have them?

 

Buy SA1X9E/XI Intel Core i7-2620M Processor, Windows 7 Professional 64bit, 4GB DDR3 SDRAM Memory, 128GB Dual SSD (RAID 0), 13.3 WXGA++ (1600x900) VAIO Display Plus, AMD Radeon HD 6630M + Intel HD Graphics 1GB, DVD SuperMulti Drive, HDMI, 802.11a/b/g/

found it. Seems like websites are posting preorder linkages to the models but it isn't available or in stock yet anywhere. Will be out later on. (Feb 20th and later)

 

It'll be available in early March.

 

The SA, SB or both Beaups? Can you at least give us some clues as to what the SB may look like?

 

^For SA. SB is news to me. I don't think it's US-bound...or it's an exclusive somewhere (IE how the S used to be).

 

And SA has both i5 and dualcore i7 configs.

 

I'll consider the Sony when its out presuming its rated well with the best display option.

The SSD drives I want 256 with RAID 0. 128 is too small. I also want 8GB Ram and I want fingerprint reader. Backlit keyboard isn't a must but is nice if they offer it.

Other than this, seems like its all I'll need. I presume AMD has switchable video. The rest is just a choice of waiting for Ivy Bridge or buying now.

 

It will be very interesting to see how the SA stacks up against the Lenovo Thinkpad t420s. In many ways they are similar.

 

How does the AMD Radeon HD 6630M perform if you compare it with the nvidia 330 of the Z?
Also the screen must be great, because if not this model is out of the picture
for me!

 

indeed, and in many ways both have slight advantages over the other.

I just want the best build quality.

 

Screen won't be great on the basic models. The question is if the screen is great on the upgraded models.

Vaio S came with one display which was not rated well which you can see right now for yourself @ Bestbuy stores.

However the SA models have an upgraded Sony screen and one will need to test these out.

 

There was a healthy 20-15% difference between the gt 330m that is equipped in the z and the 5650. Now we dont have any benchmarks or fps comparing the new 6600 series. But I would expect more than 10% increase of the 6600 series against the 6500 (which are the rebadged 5650 and 5700 series)

The gt 330m was already weak when it was launched.

 

is it going to have a good docking station?

 

beaups could you shed some light on this?

 

I haven't seen the SA dock, sorry.

 

How about renaming the thread, since we know that SA is NOT "the next generation of Vaio Z"?

Also beaups, have you seen the dock for the new Z, is the design final already or the work is still in progress?

 

One post up.

 

Seen it, yes...definitely a WIP still. It's very atypical, but still has most of the usual disappointments. That's about all I can say.

 

Can you ask around a bit about the SB, like what countries it will be released, and if it will look like the SA or not?

 

Beaups, I think you said before that you would recommend getting current z over waiting for a successor. Not sure if you meant SA or this Z successor. Would you suggest the same to owner of z720 that is planning to upgrade anyways within 6 months?
Do u know if premium 1980x1200 screen will be offered on either new SA or replacement Z?

 

You're making me even more curious
I just really hope that the Z will keep its performance (i.e. the new Z won't be a ULV or a luxury netbook like the X, or lose its ODD, etc.).

 

All I care about is that:

A) They don't go stupid and start getting glossy,
B) The screen is of equivalent quality to the current screens, and
C) They go with Sandy Bridge and hopefully USB 3.0.

I know C is pretty much a given. Since I'll be doing heavy video rendering, a laptop with Sandy Bridge/Quick Sync Video and hopefully also NVIDIA Cuda support is very important!

Fingers crossed on this one, as I am skipping out on current models in hopes that we see some solid 13-14" Sandy Bridge laptops with excellent (and outdoor-viewable) screens by, say, May. I hope.

 

I hope that Z replacement series to be released later in the summer will not come with integrated/non-user replaceable batteries. Or will they?

 

Wait!....lol. You gotta give us just a little more information. Will the New Z still have the cylinder hinge or will the design be similar to the S and F Series? You did say "BIG CHANGE". "Big Change" as in very unique? As in, Sony has never design anything quite like the "ever"?

A. Will it still be a 13.1 inch screen?
B. Still have the cylinder design as VPC-Z?
C. Heavier or lighter than 3.04lbs.
D. When you say, "Some Won't", what's really not to like about any of the current and Z predecessors? Usually, in the past, some individuals have had concerns with the material used for the palmrest, or issues to the location of LED Displays, or the way ports are positioned, Lid Design, etc. Its usually one or two things, but never about the overall design, right?

E. What month in summer can we expect the Z?
F. Will the battery be integrated like in the MB Air? I hope not.
G. 3D-Capable?
H. Most Importantly, Will it be of better QUALITY?

Thanks.

I was going to upgrade my VPC-Z11 (128SSD) to a Z12 (256SSD). Advice me, should I not?

 

Given that beaups had said that "New Z design is a very big change, some will like it and some won't," I'll dare to speculate with confidence that the cylinder hinge design is definitely "gone for good" in the near future.

Since you're thinking of upgrading to a Z12, I'm curious why not the Z13 instead? The Z13 comes with the TPM chip & I believe I read somewhere on this forum that the Z13 also comes with a "better" card reader with more support for higher capacity cards.

 

There was a clearance of Z12's with 256SSD for $1710. Used to be a $2499 notebook at SonyStyle. I know of those upgrades on the Z13, but the space (256SSD) capacity was more important to me.

But now that I'm so hyped up about this New Z, I may pass on the Z12 altogether. Have always been a fan of 13inch. Vaio's since my S-660 and I've never looked back at any other screen size and model. So, I'm certain I'm going to be one of those that will like the New Z without ever seeing it.

 

I kind of with we got the Z state side with the HDD base because I am pretty sure I would be able to get an refurb Z12 with an HDD for a good deal. Otherwise I may take a look at the SB if it comes stateside with a screen quality is good like my TT, or Z(even the older C2D Z), specially if the price is fair.