VAIO Trade-off: Display Quality vs Portability

As a student, I want a relatively portable notebook (15,4" max. and maybe(/likely?) even smaller, and preferably a relatively long battery life), but on the other hand I also want high-performance (I hate slow notebooks) and I want to watch some films now and then and be able to play some games (no big games though; CS, Halflife). Hence, display quality is really important to me as well.

Now I know the VAIO models come with three types of display technology (from least good to best): "WXGA LCD", "XBRITE-ECO™ Technology" and "XBRITE-HiColor™ Technology". However, XBRITE-HiColor for instance, only comes with the bigger models and presumably soaks battery life.

I thus have to make a trade-off between display quality and portability. What would you advise me here? Which model (series) should I buy? Relevant, related questions are; Is there a big difference between XBRITE ECO and XBRITE HiColor, concerning both display quality and battery life? How is watching films on a 14,1"?

 

The best screen on a Sony Vaio comes in 11,1 inch format. It's the TZ. It's the best loooking screen I have ever seen on a notebook. I have had both TZ and SZ.

You have been misinformed. Batterylife varies, I suggest you look at how many hours you really want.

I think the SZ650/680 suits your need best.

It has 13,3 W-LED screen, it weighs only 1,79 kilo including 6 cell battery.

You could also look at the CR series, 14,1 inch screen but 2,5 kilo.

To really know the difference between the screen quality of TZ,SZ,CR etc you have to see them in real life.

 

I'm an FZ owner (15.4), and it's actually not too bad if you just carry around the notebook (weight wise), but if you add in the brick and a textbook, it's a bit too much to be walking for extended periods of time (I never have to walk more than 10 minutes between classes).

I've seen the FZ with the Hicolor screen and the Eco display and there is a difference. The Eco display is still a good screen, but the color reproduction and white balance just aren't as true or impressive. If I were you, I would definately be getting the high-color screen if you opted for the FZ..it really shouldn't eat that much more battery.

Also, if you really care about portability and screen size, and are willing to sacrifice gaming performance for it, then go for the TZ. It has an LED screen, which I've heard are amazing.

 

Thanks for these useful replies, guys!

I have got two more question though:
- How is watching a film on a 14,1" or a 13,3" screen instead of watching on a 15,4"? Does it make a big difference?
- How would you judge the heat and noise the models of the TZ, SZ and CR series, respectively, produce? Can you watch a film while having the notebook on your lap? Or could that get really (too) hot?

@ ATP

What do you mean exactly with this? Is the display quality of the TZ not as good as for instance the FZ's? Or is the overall performance not as good? Sacrificing some gaming performance is not that a big problem, actually, but I really do want to be able to multitask rather heavily without any problems; e.g., watching a film, while downloading, browsing the Internet and using a text editor.

By the way, do you mean with "sacrificing gaming performance" that I would then probably not be able to play relatively new games, or do yo mean that the TZ would likely also have problems with older games, like CS, Halflife, etc.?

 

As to the question of display quality vs. portability you have to ask yourself "will I be spending more time carying this thing around or using it?"

Gary

 

I walk about a mile between classes everyday. I have a Vaio FZ. My backpack weighs a total of 30LBS!!! I weighed it last week. I really dont care if I save 1-2 lbs in a 30Lb bag. I much prefer the larger viewing area of the 15.4 inch screen over the others. This is especially apparent now because I used to borrow my GFs macbook. I felt like Id go blind using it for just a couple hours a day.