Sony Vaio Z vs Sony Vaio S?

I am currently in the market for an ultraportable laptop that while easy to carry and move around, they are powerful and able to handle 3D model rendering and video production/editing/making, playing games like Minecraft and TF2, and daily tasks (watch videos, type essays, browse the internet). I came across two Sony laptops that do exactly that-The Vaio Series S 13.3 inch and the Vaio Series Z. However, I am not sure which one to get, even when I selected specs exactly or extremely close to being the same with both of them. Specs are blow-

Processor-
Intel® Core™ i7-2640M processor (2.80GHz / 3.50GHz with Turbo Boost)

Operating System-
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit

Display-
Z= 13.1-inch LED backlit display (1600 x 900)
S= 13.3-inch LED backlit display (1600 x 900)

Graphics-
Z=AMD Radeon™ HD 6650M (1GB) graphics
S=AMD Radeon™ HD 6630M (1GB) hybrid graphics with Intel® Wireless Display technology

Hard Drive/SSD-
128GB solid state drive with RAID 0

Memory-
6GB (4GB + 2GB fixed onboard) DDR3-SDRAM-1333

Optical Drive-
CD/DVD player / burner

Battery-
Z=Internal lithium polymer battery (4000mAh)
S=Internal lithium polymer battery (4400mAh)

Sony Final Price-
Z=$1959.99
S=$1619.99

I cannot any major differences between the two laptops. Please tell me the differences and which one is better in your opinion, and why. You may also wish to pick a different ultrabook that you think is better, but meets my requirements. Thanks!

 

The Vaio Z is thinner and lighter. It has a separate dock which carries the optical drive and AMD graphics card separate from the rest of the laptop.

The Vaio S has all parts built in, but it's slightly heavier (1.65KG vs 1.15KG).

It is said that the Vaio Z's screen is of much higher quality than the Vaio S's (better colours and viewing angle). Also note that the Vaio Z's hard drive and RAM are not upgradable. As for the Vaio S, there are the SA and SB series. I can't recall which of those has an upgradable hard drive if you want something larger than 128GB.

All of the tasks that you mentioned (model rendering video editing), as far as I know these tasks rely mostly on the CPU so both should give similar performance. Daily tasks will be handled fine by either laptop. I'm not sure about gaming, but the Intel card might be doable..

Might be best to try visit a local Sony store and see which you like better.

 

^Some diffs:

Z is noticeably lighter.
Z w/PMD can natively handle more monitors.
Many say that the Z has a much better screen.

 

The z separates its gpu and odd from the laptop. So if you require them will you will have to lug around the power media dock which can be a bother. The s puts it all into one neat package and so it is more portable than the z+pmd. Otherwise, if you don't mind carrying around the pmd and all the cables that comes with it (keep in mind you will have to carry 1-2 power bricks as well) - then the z may be what you want and the display on the z is superior to the s.

 

The Z is good, if you don't need graphics on the go as you can just set up your PMD somewhere, and grab your Z and go if you need to be someplace else, so it's benefit is that you don't have to carry the extra weight of the PMD, but you sacrifice an ODD and discrete graphics on the go. Also, the Z has a nicer screen and the option to go to a 1080p screen

The SA is an "all-in-one" compared to the Z. It weighs a bit more (although at 3.3lbs, you're not breaking any backs compared to the 4.5lbs MBP). It has a worse screen than the Z (most people here hate the SA screen, but that's because they've been spoiled by the Z's, but compared to most panels out there, it's pretty nice). The SA is also slightly larger at 13.3"

OH! and the Z's RAM is soldered on, so no aftermarket upgrades and the SSD too I believe. The SA is much easier to fix yourself and upgrade because it uses regular parts (2.5" HDD and ODD can be swapped with HDD/SSD as well as RAM)

 

For $30 more, you can get VAIO Z216 i7 256 GB 1080p Blu Ray for $1989...

Amazon.com: Sony VAIO VPC-Z216GX/L 13.1-Inch Laptop (Blue): Computers & Accessories

 

Is the extra $340 worth buying the Z over the S? Or should I just buy the S? And where can I get the Vaio SB?

 

my suggestion if you want to get the SA or SB: get one with 4GB of RAM and a regular (non-SSD) hard drive; you can always upgrade those parts much cheaper by yourself. also, you won't notice the difference between the i7 and the i5, and considering the heat i7 will produce in such a small chassis, it's not worth paying the extra $100-$200 just to get the i7; i5 is strong enough to do everything you throw at it. with these, you can grab a CTO SA from SONY store for about $1200 to $1300. if you're a student, you're also eligible to get a 5% discount online from SONY.

and yes, i can confirm that Z's screen is better than SA's. but i personally don't care about it much. SA's screen is good enough for me.

 

I'm going to highlight the things that have already been mentioned that I think are worthy of emphasis as you make this decision. Since I can't get to sleep right now, and I am well versed in these models, I'll give it all I've got! Start with this knowledge that may surprise you:

As close as these two models are in size and as-configured specs, they are as different as night and day and the SA has it all over the Z2 when it comes to flexibility, portability (when discrete GPU and/or DVD use are required) upgradeability and, to a much greater degree than your data show, price (more like $700 than your $300 if you follow nearly universal recommendations for the SA to purchase a base model with a mid-hi Core i5 cpu, the same standard AMD 6630 GPU, 4GB RAM and the base HDD and upgrade RAM and to SSD (if desired) with aftermarket products.

If I sound like I favor the SA, I don't! I am a hopelessly addicted Z user primarily because the difference in display quality which is very important to me and is far greater IMO than has been characterized by others here. The Z's displays (either the 900p or the 1080p) are pretty much the finest 13" displays on the planet and - only if such things matter to you a great deal- you should be aware that the SA's 900p z
high end" screen's only virtue is its relatively high resolution; it otherwise it couldn't be more different than either of the Z's screens due to its very low contrast, washed out colors, far worse viewing angles and limited usability outdoors or in bright lighting. For me, and many Z owners, this becomes a primary deal-breaker (there are others, but many can be worked around; this one can't) for the SA vs. Z decision, but this presumes that you can spend the money for the Z and that you care a great deal about display quality and - see below - don't care much about portability with GPU/optical drive or ease of (well, this year, "possibility of") upgrade post-purchase. Read on for some additional pros/cons of the two models, issues about Sony support and some general suggestions for getting even more guidance from NBR for making your best choice in an ultraportable laptop, not just between these two Sony's.

Key differences between the SA and the Z:

1) Battery life. I believe the Z2 has significantly better battery life with both it's built in battery and its sheet extended battery - both models have these. You'll need to check the brand specific forums or threads devoted to the subject (use Google to search; this forum's search engine is highly flawed) but I'm quite sure I've read many complaints from SA owners that battery life fell far, far short of expectations (vs. just "far" short of expectations for the Z, lol!), but you may be looking at as much as 1-1.5 hrs with built in batteries and perhaps 3+ hrs total each with it's sheet battery. "YMMV" and I don't own either model but I read these threads extensively (no life ) and I think I'm on the right track.

2. Fan noise: here again, you'll have to check the threads devoted to each machine or even to the issue w/each machine, but I've noted more complaints about "unbearable" fan noise from the SA under any kind of load. Both models have "screechy" high pitched whining fans, which some just can't live with. Again, check w/owners as to the amount and character of fan noise and how much load it takes to make it noticeable.

3) Price: I just want to emphasize what others have alluded to by saying this: buy a base configuration with a mid-hi Core i5 cpu and the AMD 6630 discrete GPU and a the base HDD for a price closer to $900 (seen it at $799!), and upgrade with separate purchase of SSD ($150-$200 gets you an fine 128GB SSD and prices for 3gb/s models are falling fast - though I recommend you consider a 256GB, available starting near $300.

[A needed digression on SSDs for these machines as relates to price and performance: I know the Z2 SSD is 2X64 in RAID0 and likely 6gb/s (some early Z2s had 3gb/s SSDs) for lightening speeds while the SA may have only 3gb/d SSDs (easy to check; I'm just not sure) also 2X64GB in RAID0 but half the speed, and the recommendation to use an aftermarket SSD in the SA instead will land you with a non-RAID solution (a diy approach is messy), technically slower than the RAIDED SSD's but for most people, indistinguishable in user experience. Finally, on SSD's, if you buy the SA with the small, base HDD you will have a perfect bay for any 2.5" SATA SSD to add now, and easily upgrade further - SSD prices are starting to fall rapidly. Then, if you don't need an internal optical drive, you can swap the DVD out for a $50 "caddy" that likewise accepts any off the shelf 2.5" SATA HDD or SSD. Many here get smaller SSDs(128GB to 160GB) for the OS and programs, which benefit greatly from the added read speed, and put a 500GB-1TB HDD in the DVD bay for very cheap access to very large libraries of media files should you own them.]

Finally, you upgrade RAM (virtually $5/GB anywhere online) and spend closer to $1,300 total for a better equipped SA than is the Z2 you have spec'd for nearly $2,000 or the SA for some $1,600.

4) Flexibility of the SA vs. Z, mind the advice that the Z configuration is absolutely unalterable after purchase - you can upgrade NOTHING! - whereas you I've explained ad nauseum how you can easily add RAM, upgrade base HDD/SSD, add a second HDD/SSD. You can do none of this to the Z2, though if your initial configuration as you list it is likely all you will need for a couple of years, this upgrade flexibility is of lesser value but the cost savings would be in the $300 range on the SA, now $700 vs. the Z you specd.

5) Display. Covered above. The single most noticeable difference between the two machines. Regrettably, the SA's display is not just worse by comparison to the Z's "legendary" 13" screens; it is at most barely average for budget laptops other than the fact that 900p is a high resolution for a 13" LCD. For some, a laptop screen is either rarely used or is considered simply a utility to view content, not close to the most important feature of a computer since the vast majority of content is visual.

5.5 - oops!) Audio - Forgot this one. Tough topic. Audio played through the SA's speakers - everything from music to movies to the audio portion of a Skype chat - is, like the screen only more so, way below average for even a budget laptop today. It can be used for quiet background music or for things you need to hear, such as a Skype call's audio or a YouTube how-to or review video's sound. The audio on the ultra-premium Sony Vaio Z2 line is, on the other hand...the absolute WORST on any laptop computer (or cell phone) I have used in virtually 15 years! Yes, it's that bad! Barely usable for more than hearing warning beeps. It is so tinny and screechy and devoid of frequency response that you'll be relieved to learn that it can't get loud enough to hear above the sound of the unit's own fan under load. Read this thread; decide for yourself. In case you're interested, the previous (2010) Sony Z had similarly sub-par audio and buyers were aghast at the incongruity of a $2,000+ computer with available with a gorgeous 1080p screen and a blu ray player would have such poor audio; the current Z's audio is so much worse than the 2010 model that more than a few owners of the current model would kill to have the Z1's audio back!

6) SSD speed. Again, as alluded to above, the 128GB Z2Xxx is mostly equipped with a proprietary 2X64GB SATA III 6Gb/s pair of SSDs in a RAID0 array and its performance is beyond lightening fast, about 3X the speed of a low/mid priced aftermarket single 128GB SSD. For most people the difference would not be important, or even noticeable (a midrange SSD is 3-4X faster than an HDD for reading and writing large files and 20-30X faster to read and write small files - the latter being the majority of storage operations in normal usage. So, the Z2 models are amazing speed demons (SSD performance does figure greatly into many benchmark testing programs)

7) Sony [non] Customer/Tech Support. Again, read the numerous threads about user experiences with Sony from the immediate post-purchase problems to warranty claims. All people complain on forums such as this one about their "deplorable" customer service experiences and no brand is immune. But anecdotally I have never experienced nearly as many nor as bad stories about a company not backing its products, refusing to provide warranty service at no cost to the customer, claiming that "customer mishandling" was responsible for all manner of product defects. Read these forums and other surveys of support across all major computer brands and decide for yourself if you sense Sony to be no worse than most. I have not had any negative (or positive) experiences with Sony support as I have thankfully never needed it. I recommend not buying Sony's extended warranties if you want protection - especially for accidental damage from handling - beyond one year. Instead, consider an extended warranty from Square Trade, the exclusive (or preferred) provider of extended warranties on sites such as Amazon.com and eBay. They have a stellar reputation and a commitment to resolve all warranty repairs in 5 days or less, or they send you a check for your original purchase price.

Generic buying decision advice: as you're new to NBR, I recommend you seek threads specific to each issue, each model, not the "Owners' Lounge" for specific models; the lounges are not very heavily trafficked. Also note the FAQ "sticky" threads at the top of the list of Sony Forum threads. Don't hesitate to ask any specific questions of the community within threads titled specifically to your concern. Finally, finally, consider filling out the form with all of your minimum requirements/wish lists, etc on the What Notebook Should I Buy forum here on NBR. This forum is quite well trafficked by both avid members and site moderators and you'll normally get lots of advice. Don't hesitate to mention if you are primarily or solely interested in these two Sony's, but I would recommend you get the benefit of some members' encyclopaedic knowledge of everything in the market as of, like, yesterday! Note my caveats above regarding Sony product support in considering alternates that members may recommend according to the requirements you state in the form required for access to that forum.

Good luck!

 

@ lovelaptops, thanks a lot for your Info. This is great. I am doubting between a Z and SA series, and i love the Z because it is much lighter, but it has less possibilities of expansion(memory, HDD/SSD)
So wehen i am done with exams at school i will read this very carefully

Great work!

 

I think the gist of it is if you can afford getting the Z with 8GB RAM and 256SSD from the get go, you'll have no need upgrading anything in the future and you'll have the best ultraportable 13" on the market. If you don't want to spend around the 2K mark for a computer, the SA is your next best option and we'd recommend getting a base RAM and HDD model and to perform those upgrades yourself.

 

At max i can aford a notebook of 1500€, so a 8GB ram is out of order, so it would the base model.
Now on my home notebook. Running Virtual pc, media player and firefox i use around 3 GB ram...so i thing i could settle with 4..

But i still want to find a store where i can listen to the sound, because i usually will use headphones for 70% of the time.
But i can be a good deal, only i can't get the student discount on the base model

And there is promotion where i can get the extra betery for free ..

 

I looked over the Z2 at "Media Markt" here in Dortmund.
I found the sound output in the Windows 7 promo videos was for me not so bad... I think for the go it will be okay!

 

Others can advise you better as to RAM, but I am inclined to believe that most would tell you that, well, 8GB is the new 4GB, in the sense that it should be considered the minimum RAM in your power-computer as developers will likely get sloppy (and creative) with the expectation that soon any new computer over $750 will easily and affordably accommodate 16GB RAM. I'm not saying you will need to grow to 16GB (though others might) but I think it's a questionable to spend $2,000 on a new computer that will never have more than 4G of RAM.

But here's the good news if you are really salivating for the Z2: prices are already falling and will likely continue to over the Spring and Summer as IB models are being readied and, according to a well placed source on this forum, because slow sales of the Z2 have been a disappointment for Sony. I recommend that you check both eBay (for cut-rate resellers) and the Sony Outlet for price cuts on "clearance" (translation: slow selling inventory) and even refurbs - though since few 8GB Z2s have been sold, there may not be many coming back as refurbs. In the past month or so, people on these threads have reported being able to sweet talk their way to 20% discounts off of both CTO and Outlet models, getting new 8GB Z2s for under $2,000. The 5% student discount may or may not be applied on top of these other price cuts, but you won't need it.

 

@lovelaptops. Thanks!!! That pretty much answered all the questions I had.

I am picking the Vaio Z over the SA, but I am hearing people saying the 2010 Vaio Z is better than the 2011 Vaio Z model. Should I get a Vaio Z1 or Z2?

 

^There are so many threads on this issue already that it would be shame to start yet another one.

 

Okay... now the Z1 vs. SA and Z2 is another argument altogether as its form factor is closer to the SA. I'd get either the SA or Z2 because they have better GPUs and Sandy Bridge is much more power efficient compared to Arrandale.

 

see below

that's one, perfectly defensible, p.o.v.

That ^ nails it! Please search through the many threads here on that very question. Keep in mind, new Z1's are pretty much gone from the market, so if you decide after reading that it suits you better, hit eBay, the NBR Marketplace and my PM if you're looking for a used Z1.