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    Sony Z or CS?

    Discussion in 'VAIO / Sony' started by Karado58, Feb 17, 2009.

  1. Karado58

    Karado58 Notebook Guru

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    Sony Z or CS?
    I have about 1800.00 to spare.
    I need it for travel; movies, graphics and some general gaming.
    What processor speed and memory config should I go with?

    Thanks.
    -Joseph
     
    Karado58, Feb 17, 2009
    #1
  2. SPEEDwithJJ

    SPEEDwithJJ NBR Super Idiot

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    Does size & weight matters to you?

    I personally would recommend getting a Vaio Z, if you can get the config you want within your budget. Good luck.
     
    SPEEDwithJJ, Feb 17, 2009
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  3. Karado58

    Karado58 Notebook Guru

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    Amazon is selling this for $1,599.99
    Sony VAIO VGN-Z520N/B 13.1" Laptop (2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 Processor, 3 GB of RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, Vista Business) Black

    And $1,648.88 for this:
    Sony VAIO VGN-Z550N/B 13.1" Laptop (2.40 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 Processor, 3 GB of RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, Vista Business) Black

    Is it worth for the extra 50.00??
     
    Karado58, Feb 17, 2009
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  4. SPEEDwithJJ

    SPEEDwithJJ NBR Super Idiot

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    It is your call whether it is worth the difference of $50 between Z520 & Z550.

    The only difference between the 2 models is just the CPU.
    Z520 - Intel P8400 2.26GHz
    Z550 - Intel P8600 2.4GHz

    I doubt you're going to "see" the difference in their max. speed for like 85% of the work you're going to do.
     
    SPEEDwithJJ, Feb 17, 2009
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  5. Karado58

    Karado58 Notebook Guru

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    In your opinion, is VGN-Z520 an all-round good travel system?
    Is $1,599.99 a good price?


     
    Karado58, Feb 17, 2009
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  6. SPEEDwithJJ

    SPEEDwithJJ NBR Super Idiot

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    Yeah, I think the Z520 is quite a good travel laptop.

    By the way, do you mind buying a CTO (configured to order) Vaio Z? Try playing around with the configuration in the following link. You never know, you may find a better config for the price you're willing to pay.

    Try the Z690 or the Z540:
    https://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wc...0151&langId=-1&categoryId=8198552921644569397
     
    SPEEDwithJJ, Feb 17, 2009
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  7. markhedder

    markhedder Notebook Deity

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    The Z550 also comes with a 256 bit GPU while the Z520 comes with a 128 bit GPU.
     
    markhedder, Feb 18, 2009
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  8. SPEEDwithJJ

    SPEEDwithJJ NBR Super Idiot

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    I'm not sure about the 128 bit or 256 bit GPU thingy.

    The Z550, just like the Z520, comes with 128MB Nvidia 9300M GS GPU.
     
    SPEEDwithJJ, Feb 18, 2009
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  9. tovani

    tovani Notebook Guru

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    Sony just release the new Z690 ! The Z5xx model would be on sale now.
    You can find your best deals by search for Sony Vaio Z on shopper.cnet.com
     
    tovani, Feb 18, 2009
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  10. Karado58

    Karado58 Notebook Guru

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    Thank you tovani, and SPEEDwithJJ!!!

    I went with VGNZ690-CTO:
    Z690
    2.66Ghz with 6MB Cache - P9600
    320GB 7200rpm HD
    4GB DDR3 SoDimm
    Premium Carbon Fiber
    2 Year Extended Warranty with Accidental Protection
    2 Neoprene Cases

    -300.00 Warranty Promotion
    -10% Student discount

    Subtotal: $2,028.36
    Tax: $171.24 (#%$# CA Tax!)
     
    Karado58, Feb 18, 2009
    #10
  11. markhedder

    markhedder Notebook Deity

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    Is that so? I seem to recall reading in the monster Z thread, in their discussion that the Z550 was the only 1366 resolution unit to come with 256MB VRAM. You may be right as I probably can't find the info anywhere anymore.
     
    markhedder, Feb 18, 2009
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  12. arth1

    arth1 a҉r҉t҉h

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    AFAIK, all 1366x768 models come with 128 MB VRAM, while all 1600x900 models come with 256 MB.
    However, looking at the pictures of the Z's inside, it looks like the VRAM is in two slots, in which case it might be possible to upgrade (at the additional expense of voiding the warranty). I could be wrong, of course.
     
    arth1, Feb 18, 2009
    #12