Sony VAIO TT Series vs Z Series

I am looking to get a lighter laptop for travel and work...

I was considering the TT series, as it seems to be lightweight and have everything needed...

However, the Z series also seems to be the same except for the bigger screen and a half pound heavier.


Does anyone have any reccomendations on either of these... Why the Z might be better.. or I should go with that instead of the TT....

(beisdes price)

Thanks
Mike

 

I would personally go with the Z as its not much larger than the TT, but offers the same Intel integrated graphics in the TT as well as Nvidia Geforce 9300M GS graphics. Its processor's options are much more powerful as well and the higher end models offer a 1600x900 screen option, which isn't for everyone though. You get a lot more raw power in just a slightly larger case which I find impressive.

The benefits of the TT are the smaller size and lower weight of course and higher battery life due to its more power efficient but also weaker components.

 

Rhaul thank you for the info. I am going to pick both of them up (to literally lift up) at the Sonystore tomorrow... to feel the weight difference.. I mean its a half pound... but the screen is also bigger on the Z

It appears the TT comes with a Hard Drive AS WELL as a Solid State Drive... is this true? Does that mean I would be able to get 256 GB SSD and 320 GB Hard Drive to equal 576 GB total storage space?

Or am I missing something?


If I got the Z.. it seems the option would be for the 320 GB hard drive (I need the space).. which is faster than the TT (7200 rpm vs 5400 in the TT).

 

Yes, the TT has the option of getting an SSD and HDD in the same case, and the Z does not. There is a model of the TT with a 256gb SSD and 320gb HDD.

Remember that the HDD replaces the optical drive (DVD/Blu-Ray), so if you wish to read/write discs, you'll have to get an external drive. Though I'm sure the TT models with SSD and HDD come bundled with an external drive.

 

Wait a sec...

The specs for the TT show you can get both drives and Blu Ray as well.... Not external.. buillt in...

Is this not the case????

The Z seems to only allow a 256 SSD with Blu Ray option or a regular drive...

 

I laboured over this debate for a while. Really they are two very different machines.
My opinion. If you JUST want a machine for office tasks, and maybe occasionally something a little more demanding, then the TT might do you. Its wonderfully light, is that much smaller than the Z to make a difference to how it FEELS.
BUT - the Z is truly an awesome machine. Mine is now the most powerful PC I have in my house. The TT would have been the least powerful. And that 1600 screen (if you choose that) is just awesome.
I think in reality the difference in size and weight wont make much difference to carrying them, and the Z really will do absolutely everything you throw at it, premium games aside.

I bought the Z, but also have a small netbook which I use for taking on Photo Shoots to back up photos and access email/internet etc. The netbook I bought is an MSI Wind Variant, <£300 (UK).

And as I said, the TT and Z are quite different machines, I now have both bases covered, and indeed take the MSI Wind when I fear the PC might get knocked about a bit, or stolen/lost.

My 2 penneth

 

I owned the a TZ for a while, in my experience 11.1" is too small to really work comfortably.

Go for the Z.

 

Can you show me where the specs show that? Its a mistake. To get the TT with both the SSD and HDD, you have to sacrifice the built-in optical drive and have it external. There's just no room in that small frame to fit in all three drives. It's also the case for the previous TZ series.

 

I'm torn between the two as well, though I'm starting to think that the TT is maybe a little too close to a netbook... as philg2000 said, maybe it makes sense to have a Z for most purposes & then have a netbook for the occasional trip where size/weight are the #1 concerns.

I'll say one thing -- this is my third Vaio upgrade cycle, and each time I've always been torn between the 12-13" 4lb-ish form factor model, and the 10-11" 3lb-ish model. The first time it was the Z505 vs... well, I can't remember what the 3lb model was called at the time; the second time it was the S170 vs the TR series; and now the Z vs. TT. The prior two times I went with the slightly larger, more powerful model (Z505 and S170). As a result I was able to wait 4+ yrs before upgrading, each time, because the processor was still very usuable... so ultimately I ended up getting more for my money, than if I'd gone with the smaller, less powerful models. And this time around, instead of a 1lb weight difference, it's only a 0.5lb weight difference, so that makes the decision a bit easier.

 

Hey, MrT-Man, it was SR7 against Z505 at 2000 time frame, when I bought my Z505...funny how we share the same upgrade cycle and also how now Z is a pound lighter than SR...

Anyway, hope you get your Z soon. I am using mine now -- got a good deal and then with $300 to trade-in my S170, it's just too much for me to resist.

 

I was doing this a few years ago also. I went with the smaller SRX87 and when the TR3 came out with DVD built in it was a no brainer, both TR3 and SRX series where 10.6" screen with 2.5lb'ish weight. When the SZ came out it was hard to go with the smaller 11" counterpart, at that time, because the SZ was not only had a 2" bigger screen but it was more than twice as powerful. The TT will have slower hard drive, much lower cpu, and lower graphics. For me, I would carry an extra pound of computer if it was better in every performance category and in the case of the Z it is. I would have the TT if I could afford both but if I could only afford one I would go with the more powerful laptop. The 13" models can be a desktop replacement when powerfully equipped.

 

The CTO section shows it available with dual SSD drives plus optical drive or Bluray. There isn't an option for SSD + SATA hard drive + optical that I could find? I saw SSD = 2 x 256gb RAID and Blu Ray together but it is very cost prohibitive for me at over 4k.

 

Yeah, funny how we're on the same cycle -- lol.

I've been close to pulling the trigger a couple of times on the Z -- was waiting to see the new MacBooks, & then the TZ replacement... now deciding whether it's worth waiting till the first refresh of the Z, given that I've already waited *this* long!

 

You are right.. I almost missed that.. I went for the more expensive CTO and thought Blu Ray was there.... Ugh...

So the biggest drive is the 256 GB SSD internal... with Blu Ray...

I was at the Sony Store and looked at a TZ and a Z (They didnt have the TT) just for form factor and weight and size...

I gotta say I like the TT (TZ)...

I have a Dell 1420 now that is brick weight... It also has a 320 GB HD which is great but 5400 rpn is Not.. takes forever to boot and access (ugh)

The Z would have a better processor and up to 320 GB hard drive which is good....

But the TTs real light size and factor is nice.. and I actually felt mroe comfortable typing on a TT then a Z... The keys being spaced out on the Z is not what I am used to from my Dell...

I am mainly using this for travelling... on a train in a hotel.. Email Buirn a Blu ray now and then... nothing that big....

Anyone have a TT and really love it?

I am still on the fence but need to jump off soon!!

 

Here's a nice review of the TT,Z and TZ ... in japanese (but there are a lot of pictures).


http://kunkoku.livedoor.biz/archives/51536026.html

 

I am not Japanese so can not read that...

I am leading towards the Z for several reasons.. although my main reason for GETTING a new laptop is weight and size as I will need to lug it around many days..... which means the TT makes more sense... but the weight difference is less than a pound it looks like.. difference I have found to lean towards the Z....

- Config for TT with 256 GB SSD and features I want is 4800... 3600 with Z

- Better Processor with Z

- Bigger Hard Drive with Z (320 vs 256)

- Discrete graphics

However... the TT size is right up my alley... its so nice and small and compact.... plus the TT has gotten excellent reviews it seems...

SO I am still on the fence... anyone have anything good to say about the TT who has used both?

Thanks for the input
Mike

 

From my view and feeling, the TT has better build quality than the Z. More solid. I had the same feeling when I campared TZ and SZ.

 

Is the Z series due a refresher anytime soon? I mean the TT has just came out, which is a newer version of tz.
Or has the Z series only just came out?

 

The Z is a new laptop in Japan when I bought it directly at Japan at the end of September. Since then the stores in Japan no longer see it as new, but the TT is still classified as new. So there you have it, new Z wont be here for awhile however I have seen many brands refresh their models in <6mth timeframe which is crazy.

 

There is one thing that is not much discussed here is the battery life. It is a main difference between the TT and the Z and a difference that causes the big difference in perf, the TT has a low voltage processor whereas the Z has quite a monster under the hood.

I have had a TZ for a bit more than a year now and I must admit I am annoyed with the crappy perf of the 4200rpm ATA hard drive I have. That's why I was considering the Z as a replacement.

Do you know how is the SATA 5400rpm 160GB in the TT ? I would still go for SSD...

Although for the real travellers, the 2 inches difference between the Z and TT might be between fitting in the front pocket of your cabin luggage and not fitting... Also the battery life is staggering. On my TZ, normal usage with bluetooth on an optimized settings, I can get up to 7 hours. It is so amazing when you see the windows warning because your battery fell under 10% and you actually have more than an hour left

 

The 160gb drive in the TT is ok but not great. Day to day use, it's not bad at all, but do anything that's drive-intensive and it feels like a bottleneck. I'll definitely stick an Intel X-18m in there once they get cheaper.

Re the battery life, that was a deciding factor in getting me to buy a TT over the Z. But I also like the better build quality, the fact it runs very cool & quiet, and, of course, the lighter weight.

 

I was looking for a small "high end" Ultra Portable. Picked up the Sony TT yesterday and so far I am loving it! I was close to getting the Sony Z but I have a MBP and needed the smaller size. I wanted the Blue Ray disk but it is not an option in Canada also we only have the 1.2GHZ model. Must say "Sony has some Awsome Notebooks"

 

It is all about need really. I own a 13.3 SZ with a 1280x800 res and I own a 11.1 TX with a 1366x768 res. I think i would struggle to use my TX or another laptop with a 11.1 screen as my main computer for the things i do. I spend a lot (and i mean a lot) of time reading journals in pdf and writing in word and after a while i seem to need the bigger screen size of my SZ.

My 11.1 is great for portability though and battery life.

Probably by the end of this year my needs will change again as i won't be doing the reading that i am doing now and i might be able to manage an 11.1 as my main computer. I actually ordered a TT and was going to use it as my main laptop but i cancelled it and hung onto my SZ and bought a TX as a travel laptop because i mainly was not sure how i would cope with the 11.1 doing the type of work that i do right now.

 

the solid feeling that you're referring to is probably flex, and because the Z is made of carbon fiber, there is a certain amount of flex to it, this adds to durability

the TT is also made of carbon fiber, but it is smaller and therefore has less flex, this is probably what you mean by it feeling more solid

what i have learned from laptops is.. the smaller it is, the more solid it feels