Sony SA Series Discussion Sony's next new 13.3 laptop

From my point of view Z is more of an "all in one unit" because of the great display quality (don't need to use an external monitor for image-editing).
If you're talking about the Z without optical drive, which is more affordable than Z with OD, then I agree. Frequency of optical drive usage is lowering, but when you need it you really need it. External OD kind of defeats the purpose of having a laptop (depending on the type of user of course).

 

It's also got external dedicated graphics and is reported to total about 4lbs with the external unit. The external unit will include the optical drive and gpu.
The SA just works better for me. I do hope though that the display will be very good.

More about the battery, a 4520 mAh battery with a 11.1 is only going to result in a 50whr battery. The 4400mAh battery is 48.7 or something like that and rounded up to 49whr. A difference of 1.5 is not going to yield a difference of 1hr on its own.

 

Ordered my SA today. i7 2620m, 512gb SSD, 8 gb DDR3, Win 7 pro, fresh start, black. Yeah I probably overpaid but I don't want to monkey around with aftermarket parts. I'm looking forward to leaving my 15.4" 7lb monster at home.

 

Dammit, we need reviews!

 

I forgot about the new Z. I agree, SA does seem more "all in one" than the new Z.
I myself don't need the graphics power at all though. I'm looking at SA and Z because of the high resolution. Even 14-inchers with 1600x900 screen are rare. Could be even said the same about 15-inchers.
If SA won't have the same poor display as almost everything else, then I'll definitely get it. I want at least ~300:1 contrast ratio, but that's just numbers. Currently I have a 4.5-years old 17inch MBP, so while Sony's SA is BIG improvement for me, my MBP will most likely still have a better display.
Just for comparison: almost every laptop including SB has ~130:1 contrast ratio. Those that have good displays have ratios from 500:1 to 1000:1.

 

If I install an SSD hard drive and RAM later by myself, will the warranty be voided?

 

is there any user review out there about the SA? or nobody has an SA yet?

 

unless sony decided to send review units out, im sure we'll have to wait until the pre-ordered pre-config models ship out

i wish sony would tho, like lenovo or apple who are reviewed before release dates by engadget and people so consumers know

 

This is very odd. There is no way I'd drop $1,300+ on an un-reviewed laptop, sight-unseen.

 

Right on, friend!

 

The SA is basically an SB with better screen resolution and a couple minor things....go read an SB review, close enough.

 

For those that do not care about display quality SB's reviews might be efficient.
But I think quite a lot of us are waiting for display tests. If SA's display is good then a lot of people will buy it as an affordable Z alternative.

 

I care very much about display qualities but with Sony's 30 day return policy I'm not too worried. If it has the same horrid screen as the SB I will box it up and ship it back.

 

sadly I imagine if it had the premium display Sony would advertise it,

 

Forcing blu-ray to get a 1600x900 screen is BS.

 

isn't everything too small with a 13.3'' 1600x900 screen? I've never seen one like that, and I don't like to push my eyes

 

I actually think that one of the points of SA is that it doesn't have a "Premium Display", which makes it less expensive than Z. But I hope that the screen quality will be different compared to SB simply because its screen has a different resolution, which makes it a different screen model.

But, based on other laptops and some common sense, we can assume that change in screen quality at higher resolution is much more pricy than same change at lower resolution, so we could say that:

price = resolution * quality

instead of

price = resolution + quality

Base SA config is $390 more expensive than base SB config. We should also take into account that resolution probably isn't the only difference between SB and SA (haven't really studied CTO pages). So higher resolution actually makes it less likely that quality is noticeably better.
All this was pulled out of thin air of course. But I think it's valid reason not to get our hopes up.

 

If you match an SB config to a base model SA you will see the difference in price is $150. The only things different as far as I can tell is the SA has a fingerprint scanner, different materials for the case, a HD webcam, and a higher resolution display.

 

SA is also a bit thinner and lighter if that matters.

 

Anyone knows if SA is available at sonystyle stores already ? (in US) I'm going to have a look at the south coast plaza here in California this weekend.

 

I checked yesterday and today at the one in the Millenia Mall in Orlando, FL, and they only had SB models.

 

So I guess the 1600x900 display being IPS is out of the question?

 

im thinking of ordering the SA this weekend..however i got a question...

SSD is really expensive right now...id have to spend like $600 to get 256GB ...is that enough for a laptop??? I wish I could have 1 small SDD for OS and 1 normal HDD for the rest of the laptop....but i dont think that is an option on the sony website...

1x128GB SDD would cost me $300...that's not enough space for a laptop...

I think I might just get a 500GB 7200RPM HD....and than a year later upgrade it with like a 500GB SDD...or something..when prices fall.

So basically it's: very low GB with SSD (expensive but fast!) vs a lot of space with HDD (and upgrade later to SDD when prices fall)..hmmm....

only if I could get like...75GB SDD for OS and like 500GB HDD for the rest...at a fraction of the cost =/

Can I just get the laptop with 500GB HDD and buy a small cheap SDD drive and install it in myself?? Or will there not be enough space??

What you guys think?

BTW: Large capacity sheet battery is only $99 until May 31st...I assume this is a really good deal?? def. worth getting?

 

Is there a way to connect dual monitors to the SA (without some kind of eternal graphics card)?

 

I'm definitely gonna get a high capacity 7200 RPM for now, and then switch to SSD later unless I upgrade the entire computer first.'

But if you don't plan to use the optical drive you can swap it out for a hard drive or ssd. But that would require some aftermarket parts, including the drive

 

Yeah I'm thinking I might just get the 500GB 7200RPM right now..and updating to SSD when prices fall...

are you getting the Large capacity sheet battery?? it adds like a pound and its like.. 1/3 inch thick...but for $99 ....i think its a good deal...i think standard price is a lot more..unless im wrong.

I just hope the Vaio SA doesn't heat up when gaming..that is my only real concern.

 

I would get the base SA, which is at 1350.

SSD? Add later a 300gb intel 320 retails around 550. A 120gb SSD is around 200 bucks.

There is no need to pay that for RAID 0 ssds. and lose trim support.

Another thing you could do is to try to get a intel 310 SSD and put it in the pcie slot that SA have (dont know how many, you have to check at the SB forums if there is no left) so you can get a 80gb SSD and retain the space of up to 750gb HDD.

Another option is to get a 120gb (or lower) and get a ODD caddy, while doing this you are going to lose the blu ray drive, however you are going to get the best of both worlds.

I have conflicted views about the sheet battery, while for people on airplanes this is a great thing, for the usual go out and do things a charger makes more in terms of space and weight, since you are going to have a dc out somewhere to plug it

PS: if you want to upgrade memory latter, just get 4g or 8g dimm (this laptop only comes with 1 dimm, the 4g that comes with it, is already soldered to the board), and do it latter, paying the cto price is almost a crime

 

Thanks Mr. MM - I think ill take your advice and just stick with the HDD for now and upgrade to SSD later. I also plan on just taking the standard 4gb..and adding another 4gb later if need be for much cheaper (but to be honest...I think 4gb is enough for me).

Im still unsure about the sheet battery...the standard price is about $149 or so...so only a $50 discount...not that amazing. I think ill pass the sheet battery for now...keep the laptop thin and light..and if I feel like i need more battery i can just fork over the $149 ro so and get the extention.

I'm also just getting Win 7 Home...i don't really think Professional is worth it for me ($50)...however, i really would like the Fresh Start feature!!!

Only thing left to figure out if I need extended warranty...

2-year Express Ship Service with Accidental Damage from Handling for Laptops - [ $299.99 ]
3-year Express Ship Service with Accidental Damage from Handling for Laptops - [ $399.99 ]
2-year Express Ship Service Plan for Laptops - [ $179.99 ]
3-year Express Ship Service Plan for Laptops - [ $249.99 ]
No additional coverage - [ $0.00 ]

thoughts?

 

The sheet battery is a good concept and all but I'm going to forego it and get the dock instead, as that would be more useful for me. 5-6 hours battery life is plenty for me. My current XPS M1530 can no longer hold a charge at all and even at its best it could only go a little over 2 hours. So this will be a whole new experience lol

If you think you will use the extra battery life then go for it, it is a really good deal

 

for how long do you want to keep your laptop? Get the one that resembles that number of years. I would read carefully what the accidental damage covers, if its worth it get it.

With fresh start you are giving money 2x, one since the bloatware companies give sony, and another for giving sony again, to remove the bloat.

and yes you wont need the pro edition. nor you would need or feel the increase in power to the 2520m, if the difference is lower than 50, I would get it. But remember to always account the price of the warranty when giving the final thought. and always think on the margin

 

Looks like I might need to sell my Samsung Series 9... The one thing that I miss from my 1st generation Z is the extra resolution (1600x900) on the display. I'm just hoping I'll be as happy with the screen on this SA as I was on my Z.

Anyhow, I'm planning to purchase the CTO with no upgrades for $1350. For myself, I've never found processor upgrades worth it, and I can always pop in a SSD and/or additional ram later. That said, I had a quick question.

Should I be concerned with the CTO's from Sony not being built as well as the pre-configured models? I remember there were some people on here that would only purchase the pre-configured models when the Z first came out saying that the CTO models were put together elsewhere and don't have the same quality control or something like that. Just curious if this was simply exaggerated and was ever or is still an issue.

Would appreciate if anyone has an opinion on this. Thanks!

 

I have SB and the screen is not nearly as high-quality as in Z. It's a matte screen so it's a big plus from me but otherwise it's horrible (I mean, really, especially the viewing angles). The SA screen may be better but since SA is not that much more expensive, I wouldn't count on it. Wait for reviews or see it yourself if you're unsure.

 

when you go to checkout the SA there's 98 USD os taxes... why is that?? is there any discount code I can use?

 

i was actually also wondering if anyone had a discount code...or if it would be better to buy over phone (haggle? lol)

 

also when is the first ones expected to receive their SA? what was the first "expected shipping date" is sony USA/CA website?

 

I ordered one today, and the "Realistic" date a sales rep told me was mid June (around 15th).

He continued to emphasize that the SAs are shipping from Asia and that the "Express shipping"
is not so much fully "Express" as the shipping from the Asia to the States is "Standard",
and then from US to residential is "Express" via Fedex.



I'm crossing my fingers that the SA has a much superior Screen than the SB.
It better, or why the hell is Sony charging around $300~$400 more?!
(for the same CPU, same GPU, slightly thinner build, and a weaker battery)

I know the res is higher on the SA screens than the SB, but Hi-Res is useless
if you can't even see what is going on screen because the viewing angle is so horrid
(not to mention the dull colors)


Also, I'm hoping the cooling is at least on par with SB (dB/noise wise), since if it became
any worse than the SB, I'd be kicked out of the campus library with friends, for making
too much noise while we are playing some good ol L4D2.

SB + old Z + Some chickish Asus wood/bamboo laptop + SA = Boing 747 lift off?

 

Their expected availability is 06/03/2011 for their pre-configured models on the website. CTO's ordered today are estimated to ship 6/09/2011.

I was going to wait for reviews on the SA's display but after the phone rep offered me a $75 student discount I couldn't hold back and ordered myself a base CTO with no upgrades. My total came out to be $1351.

Now I'm just hoping it ships sooner than expected.

 

Congrats, I will be ordering mine as soon as the screen is confirmed to be better than the SB (viewing angles and contrast were pretty bad on SB)

 

If you build an SB just like an SA the SA is only $200 more.

 

guys..should i get the 256GB SSD for $600 more...which basically increases pc performance by x2.

its so tempting..but expensive!

compared to aftermarket i think the price is quite decent. And i really don't want to deal with the hassle or aftermarket purchase and me trying to do it myself.

what you think - SDD worth the $600 premium??

 

no as I already answered in another thread, get the 300gb intel 320 for 550, more storage and cheaper, while you still keep trim

 

sorry, what is trim exactly? eh..ill google it actually. lol

EDIT: found it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRIM

 

Defraging and clean up for SSDs.

Bronsky

 

Does Sony offer any software similar to lenovo's power manager for specifying thresholds for when the battery should be charged? I'm the type that likes to leave the a/c connected, so this is really important for prelonging the battery life...

 

Yes, it will only charge to 80% if you select the option.

 

What i meant was, is there an option to charge only when battery capacity is below x%? So, rather than being fully charged 24/7, you can cycle it as if it were disconnected from the a/c while in fact it is not.

 

For me personally, it comes down to how easy/hard it is to open up the Sony SA and install an aftermarket SSD....if it's easy..ok. If it's hard, i rather just pay Sony. =/

 

Maven - can you explain this a little more? It sounds like the SSD Sony gave you only worked for that Z laptop?? Is that right or am i reading that wrong. So you recommend getting the HDD and doing aftermarket upgrade.

 

I don't believe Sony offered any software of that kind. The feature he was referring to was that you can choose a maximum charge percentage for the battery to extend it's overall life (fully charging all the time is harder on them apparently). I do know that if it was on A/C power and it was at 80% (the default option for the battery saver software) Windows would report that it was not charging the batter - if I'm not mistaken, it will run off A/C at that point and not discharge the battery. You're describing a minimum, which I would see functioning a little different, though for myself I prefer it to always charge up to some maximum if I'm plugged in, so that I'm ready to go if I need to leave. You're saying it would run battery only until 25% or so, and then charge back to full?

 

I believe he's referring to the fact that some of the versions of the Z series used a special form-factor for the SSD's (not standard 2.5" drives). The SSD's would work anywhere (unless they're soldered down, which from what I've read is slowly becoming more common), though they will not be able to fit without shims, or an adapter into a normal HDD slot. This means if you buy a standard Intel (or other) SSD, it will not fit in the HDD bay. They did this in particular for their RAID-0 configs, where they had to stack 2 HDD's in an area roughly the same as one normal disk. Likely on the inside of Sony SSD's, they're the same chips as usual - in fact, almost all modern SSD's are quite small and are just put into a 2.5" shell for compatibility.

I do apologize if this is totally off base. However, this is a concern of mine when buying a Z, because the OEM always charges a ton for their SSD's when you can buy very nice SSD's from Newegg for much less.