Think twice before changing S into SZ !

I was expecting for a long time the new SZ Premium.... but when I received it I discovered:

- disk speed is the lowest available at the market 5400 RPM.... previous version S had option of 7200 RPMs the SZ don't have it....
- the keyboard is ****ty comparing to the S version
- the layout and desing is ****ty comparing to S version
- I can't see any speed improvement in new SZ160 Dual Core 1.8 Ghz comparing to my previous VGN S 1.5 GHz....
- battery life is improved but again I feel like cheated with these 6-7 hours... where indeed you can work not more than 3 hours.... (in version S, sony as well hugely exagerated the lifetime of the battery)
- it is BIGGER than Vaio S
- it is not less heavy - or at least I do not feel it, and it comes with TWICE bigger power supply than in VAIO S


All this brings me a certain disappointment with the price of this computer.
Still I have to admit that it is a descent computer with integrated camera, fingerprint reader, card reader but in some areas there is no improvement and some of the solutions are even worse than in S model....

cheers
Paul
Owner of VAIO S 1.5GHz, 1G RAM, 40G disk (two times during the year the graphic card had to be changed because warming effect, now it is the third time and probably I will have to pay)

Owner of VAIO SZ160 1.8 , 1G RAM, 100 G disk (not bad but as I said - for the price we pay - nothing special)

 

hey paul,

its a shame that u feel that way. it is true ill agree the price tag on the SZ is just a bit too much

but i feel that the sz outperforms the S quite easily

- its is only marginally bigger than the S ( i can fit my sz int omy dads specifically designed s case)

- i find the keyboard quite good and so have many people that have seen and used the laptop ofcourse this is all personal judgement but i think its great

- i feel the sz is very stylish much more than the S and layout is great maybe not better than the s but not worse

-it is lighter i have held both one each in hand and u can tell the differnece although it is not the amazing difference that sony may have made it out to be

-all the points above i believe are completly upto personal prference but the speed i really dont know how you havent noticed. i can leave and burn DVD's in the background or virus scans while sitll using ,multiple programs such as msn firefox and word with great responsive times - the best is i dont have to hear the computer almost dying trying to handle these tasks


i have had a few annoyances with the sz so im not saying it is perfect by any means but i think if you are thinking about getting a new laptop definitly jump for the sz!

sorry to hear u werent as impressed

thanks

 

Fangoes,

You may be right. Many from the poins I wrote are subjective. SZ is a good computer. I would just expect it better. Less heavier , having at least 5 hours battery life ( 5 hrs in specs and 5 hrs indeed would be great... better than 6-7hrts in specs and 3 hrs indeed). And I 'd expect it to be bit faster with faster disk.

Still I do not regret buying it, but I wouldn't have changed from my old S version if he was still working properly.

 

What about the heating issues in sz?
You wrote "two times during the year the graphic card had to be changed because warming effect". I have a S580 (S5M) where my only problem is the heat around right palm-rest although I get used to it.

 

The sony VGN-S I have, heats up and hangs up with blue screen. It was twice repaired by Sony but now it happend third time and I have no more guarantee on the computer. It works only in VGA mode.....

 

I think, it is a special case ??? (I worried about in general) ???

 

no problem, sony SZ is much colder than Sony S ! because it use duo core !

 

rather than general heating, I mean the palm rest area, S has hdd on the right palm-rest side but as far as I see SZ has hdd on the left palm-rest side. how is the heating issue on that side? (also comparision with S5???)

 

Almost *no* laptops ever come with a 7200rpm disk. 5400 is the standard and quite commonly they would use a 4200 rpm disk.

There's only one brand doing 2.5" 7200rpm with a capacity over 60GB

JY

 

hm.. threads like this make it difficult for people to choose which
laptop they want to / should buy..

oh well.

too bad you didn't like the switch, but can't you return your sz
if you dislike it that much and use the money to buy something
different?

 

-5400 RPM hard drives are not the slowest available - 4200's are. As previously stated, 5400 RPM hard drives are quite standard, and the drive included with the SZ performs quite well. I am not upgrading to a 7200 RPM drive for noise and heat issues.

-I own an S560, and I find the keyboards DIFFERENT, but not better than each other either way. In fact, the more I use my SZ keyboard, the more I prefer this keyboard to that of the S.

-I think you're dead wrong when it comes to layout/design of the laptop. This is the most attractive laptop I have ever personally seen, but that is of course only my opinion...

-I can see a DEFINITE improvement in performance over my S, primarily in the area of multitasking. Then again, that's exactly what the core duo processor is designed for!

-Battery life has a lot to do with how you configure/use your laptop. I routinely use my SZ for 4+ hours with screen brightness at 4-5 bars, wifi on, etc... You're right, the battery life is not as advertised, but it's still better than my S560, and its very good especially when compared with similarly equipped notebooks.

-As far as size goes, it depends how you look at it. The S560 is thicker than the SZ, and thickness counts a lot for me as I carry my notebook in a business-style leather briefcase that's not specifically designed for notebooks. The dimensions of the laptop are such that I can really put this unit in a variety of cases and bags.

-My SZ is NOTICEABLY lighter than my S560, so I'm not really sure how you're gauging that, but you're absolutely right about the power adapter - I wish it was smaller too! The camera also SUCKS, and I don't even count that as a feature, as it's barely useable...

-S series VAIO's are not cheap - I paid almost $2000 for my S560, and I feel that for the additional $500 or so I'm getting a lot - dual core processor, FAR superior screen, fingerprint reader, and a dual graphics solution. This combination of features is not available in any other notebook on the market right now.

Javier

 

Oh, and let's not forget the heat that the S series produces. The handrest area generates a considerable amount of heat, and is a frying pan when compared with the always-cool SZ...

Javier

 

Actually, two. Seagate (the Momentus 7200.1 line) and Hitachi.

 

I don't quite understand, IMHO the SZ is the lightest laptop in its class at 1.67kg! I actually find it pretty amazing that Sony managed to shed some more weight from the already light 1.9kg of the S Series. To find something considerabely lighter you will need to be looking at 12inch subnotebooks which mostly come with Intels ULV processor and integrated graphics.

I can't remember a 7200 drive ever being an option on the S Series either, but I have to agree, in notebooks today I feel the harddrive has become the bottleneck. I'll never be able to complete any task that involves copying large files to the harddrive nearly as fast as my desktop computer although specs give the notebook an advantage.

 

FAR SUPERIOR SCREEN? I dont understand if your talking about screen brightness or acutal screen thin size?

otherwise, thought S-series and SZ series uses both xbrite etc..
Are you saying there is a superior improvment S -> SZ in terms of screen brightness or contrast?

 

I'm actually talking about BOTH. The display on my SZ160 is much better than my S560, and thinner to boot. I often have to turn the brightness DOWN on the SZ because it's TOO bright. The S560 display is very, very nice - one of the nicest I have ever seen, as a matter of fact. However the SZ simply uses a different lighting technology, and the whites are "whiter," and more evenly lit.

Javier

 

The only hitachi currently commonly available is 60GB.
There 100GB one is very hard to find, I doubt they can deliver them in quantity.
obviously this will change as time pass.

JY

 

This is my first sony laptop (I have sz110) and i'm loving it. I previously owned dell laptops. After reading all the complaints about the sz series, i haven't encounter any problems at all..not even the heating on the palm-rest area..and the fan is extremly quiet too...I must be lucky to have one w/no problems.

The only thing i don't like about sony laptop is that after perform a clean install, people will have trouble installing the drivers. Also, the screen is ok, not as good as dell true-life screen.

 

I like my s560p but when sony improves the sz i'll get one for sure... as long as I don't get electricuted and the keyboard is improved than I definitely will get one...

 

Actually, the keyboard is not _that_ bad once you get used to it (I came from a R505GL -- go figure). It is too bad that it doesn't feel rock-solid like my R505GL does, but still, it is a great machine. There's nothing I would change so far. Keyboard is just "different" -- and I like that.

 

i just dont think i have ever had a machine or seen someone elses machine attract so much wow factor from people. i really think sony did a good job (might be biased as i am an avid sony admirer) - no one can believe the amount of features in a light slim package

 

This was true months ago but not now. The 100GB ones are very easy to come by on the 'net. I generally don't buy that stuff in a CompUSA unless I have to since they tend to charge a bit more.

The Seagates are readily available. Could be a Hitachi problem, but I don't think so.

 

The SZ (SZ140 and below in the US; SZ80 and below in Japan) and the SZ premium (SZ150 and above in the US; SZ90 in Japan) use two different screens. The normal SZ is basically normal XBRITE, where the SZ premium is not. Do a few searches in threads here. It's different technology.