VAIO Z or VAIO SB?

Hi there, I'm new to these forums so please do point out if I'm doing anything wrong like posting in the wrong section or whatever. I'm not a native english speaker so my english isn't perfect either, so sorry about that. I'm currently deciding if I should keep my VAIO Z (late 2010 model), or trade it for the VAIO SB (March 2011 model). Skip the part in bold if you don't want to hear the background of the story.

Although this is a bit irrelevant, you may ask how I did I come to a scenario like this. I bought my VAIO Z in december 2010, and it served as my laptop for school ever since then. However, given to the enthusiastic nature of young people I have had quite a few close calls with people almost smashing my computer head on (luckily, they haven't). Given that the VAIO Z is flimsy and poorly built (I even had to put a cloth between the screen and the keyboard to avoid damage), it gives me a certain amount of unrest and insecurity.

I discussed this issue with my dad, who just bought the VAIO SB yesterday. He agreed that if I would want to, I may trade my VAIO Z for the VAIO SB. Given that he works in a much more disciplined environment, his computer would be less prone to any damage. Therefore he agreed to trade the SB for my Z, only if I want to.
Anyways, lets go through the specs of each computer:

VAIO Z:
Intel Core i7-640M @2.8 ghz (Turbo boost @3.46 Ghz)
8GB DDR3 Memory at 1066 Mhz
NVIDIA GT 330M w/ 1 GB DDR3 video memory
1920x1080 Resolution
256 GB SSD
Price: 19980 Hong Kong Dollars (~2600 USD)

VAIO SB:
Intel Core i7-2620M @2.7 Ghz (Turbo boost @3.4 Ghz)
8GB DDR3 Memory at 1333 Mhz
ATI Radeon 6470M w/512 MB DDR3 video memory
1366x768 Resolution
500 GB HDD@7200rpm
Price: 13000 Hong Kong Dollars (including RAM upgrade, ~1700 USD)

Advantages of each over the other:

VAIO Z:

The most notable advantage of the VAIO Z is the SSD, obviously. It offers great boot up times along with great file loading times. However, the SSD life expectancy does scare me a bit.

Another advantage of the VAIO Z is its graphics card. It has a slight advantage over the 6470M given its larger video memory. The 6470M, though, does support DirectX 11 if I got my research right (The 330M doesn't)

Weight. A full 300 grams lighter than the SB.

VAIO SB:

The VAIO SB excels in the CPU and RAM areas, in which it has a faster CPU (~17% faster than the 640M as intel states that a 17% difference when comparing Nehalem with Sandy Bridge processors with the same clock speed)

Faster RAM speed

Better integrated graphics (The intel HD graphics 3000 is MUCH better than GMA HD)

Better build quality

Replacable hard drive (standard form factor). I can easily remove that HDD for an SSD when those get cheaper.

Conclusion:

I don't know guys, what do you think?

 

Hey, I am new 2.
Anyway, I recommend the Vaio Z all the way, CPU performance isn't that much of an upgrade, and consider that my giving away the Vaio Z you are giving up a Full HD screen. Priceless. If you are worried about RAM speed, upgrade the ram yourself, its cheap and easy.

If it was up to me I would keep the Vaio Z. A really good computer. And after having used SSD's in the Z series the SB is going to seem a lot slower even with the new SB processor.

 

Coming from the 1080p, the low resolution SB might bug you. It does for me at least, whenever I look at another computer screen. Performance-wise, I don't think you'll feel much difference. There's hardly anything out there that the 640M can't handle already. And lastly, although the Z feels flimsy, it's actually pretty well-built. The screen can bend quite a lot but it doesn't seem to damage anything. See for yourself, there are hundreds of posts here of people saying how flimsy it is, but I have yet to see a single post of someone saying they broke theirs.

 

Is there a big difference between 1920x1080 zoomed to 150% and 1366x768 at 100%?

 

Scaling has never worked properly.

I'd opt for a Z with 1600x900. Full HD is too much for a 13" IMO.

 

It works great with 99% of my software, no squinting at all, no eyestrain. I have massive screen real estate when I need it, easily readable when having my Z 0.5m away on the desk. I'd never go with a lower res screen (like on the mbps ~ see avatar) again since I'm used to this uber sharp fonts when viewing pdfs in full page and absolute full-hd bluray pleasure. I run my 1080p screen with 125% dpi. Except my 40" BRAVIA, this is the only screen I use everyday.

 

I agree, 1600x900 Vaio Z is the way to go. Res is just perfect. As for the computer itself, I don't think i've ever used such an amazing laptop, use to be a heavy desktop user, since I got the Z, haven't used my desktop once. Screen is just gorgeous. wouldn't give up my z for any other laptop, until a Z2 comes out atleast.

 

I'm currently trying 1366 by 768 on my VAIO Z. So far so good I must say. Before that I was using 1920x1080 scaled at 150%. I am however, aware that the VAIO SB is using the VAIO display PLUS, while the VAIO Z uses the VAIO display PREMIUM. There's definitely a difference there. Does 1080p screens make videos look more crisp? I lowered the resolution to 1366x768 and so far it plays "Wildlife in HD" (pre-loaded to my computer) quite well. Maybe its only because the video is in 720p so I don't really see the difference.

 

1080P content on the 1080P looks simply stunning.

 

hey guys im currently under the same issue here in australia. i can find a brand new z138gg here locally for about 3500 which still is hella expensive but the new SB coming out which has similar specs and have wondered which one i should get.

dun forget the SB has usb3 and all the goodies and is only slightly more lower spec'd than the z and the SB retails here for 2500 for a ssd drive which is 1k less

 

You guys have the SSD SB model? Do you have a link? Thanks.

 

VPCSB19GG : S Series : VAIO Notebooks & Computers : Sony Australia

just sony australia page...256 ssd

 

just realised sony hk's sb doesn't havae ssd on their sb series ...going for 1300 AUD which is hella cheap though

 

Thanks for the link.
You are right...Sonystyle HK has the lower end models for low prices.

 

Oh boy I wish they had the higher end models! Ironically the mainland chinese have better options than we do! My dad wouldn't have opted for a lower end SB if when he can afford me a Z that costs almost twice as much.

Anyhow, I'm still in a dilemma trying to pick over the two. The USB 3.0, Sandy Bridge CPU, RAM and build quality of the SB still pulls me from the Z, but it does still have an SSD, graphics (discrete) and weight advantage.

Is a 7200rpm 500 GB drive, by any means, slow? And compared to the SSD in the VAIO Z?

 

lol dude...like i said
i'm in the same dilemmas
keep the z and use the ssd...
hdd are not cool and slow

 

The only thing that appears to be lower speced is the display as everything else seems to be an upgrade. The model you linked to has the 6630M graphics card which is better than the 330m.
I'm waiting for the SA as i want the higher res display.

 

Well the model here in Hong Kong only offers the ATI Radeon HD 6470M. Is it capable of playing Modern Warfare 2 at 1366x768? The NVIDIA GT 330M in my Z handles that quite well, but I'm not sure if the downgrade will be able to support it.

 

question is when the hell is the SA coming out...

 

What's the difference between SA and SB? I thought SB was supposed to be the Z replacement. Or was it the SA?

 

The SA has a 1600x900 display and it has a carbon fibre body.

 

Ok guys I think you have convinced me enough to hang on my Z. Also, it appears to me that my dad's SB turned out to be silver (IT LOOKS JUST LIKE THE MACBOOK PRO, YUCK!).

I just did a file transfer involving 80,000 pictures that is worth 4 GB. The transfer took an hour and a half from my SSD to my USB (which has 2.0). That would've been a horrifying transfer had that been an HDD. The speed of the SSD is just too much of a sacrifice.

Since my problem is now solved, feel free to use this thread to express your thoughts and comparisons between the VAIO Z and the VAIO SB

 

Great choice

 

Thanks for the compliment, I'll probably hang on to it until I reach university (which is roughly three and a half years time)

 

80,000 pictures at 4GB took an hour and a half?? It shouldn't take much more than 10 mins via USB 2.0. I think the USB stick you are using is absolutely useless if it really did take all that time.

Just as an aside, I have a USB 3.0 Expresscard for my VAIO Z & copied 25GB of data in about 8 mins!

 

that liks 0.75mb/sec which is incredibly slow, but considering there's 80,000 files, it's not that unreasonable. If it was just 1 4GB file, that would have been another story.

 

Well maybe it's my USB's problem then lol. It's a 16 GB toshiba stick that I bought in 2008 for like 260 HKD (roughly 33 USD). It does say USB 2.0 on the package though. It might be due to the amount of images I had to move (80,000). I managed to move all of my black ops game files to it (~8GB) in 15 minutes, that's closer to the speed you just mentioned.

 

dude after reading that speculation thread with the two part new z series laptop, i was considering the same thing as i've stated before..and today went out and finally got a late z series laptop last few ones in australia z138GG i7 8gb 1080p 256ssd and guys could not have been more happier...
had a look at the SB although cheaper but man z feels good..was a good choice
cheeeers

 

Sony still sells Z's in Australia? They've been removed from Hong Kong for more than a week now. The current Z is likely still comparable to a mainstream laptop in 2012 or even 2013, so its definitely a good investment.

 

last last few was hanging around the outskirts of the city..had to drive like about an hour out of my way to get to the bushy area, their database only showed 2 left in the country fully spec'd, some other guy took the new one i got the display which they put in a glass case...all in all was a damn good investment i think...was kinda banking on the factor if the next z wasn't something i liked with the two part thing.

 

I've picked up my dad's VAIO SB from sonystyle HK today. I had a test drive with it today.

Cons over the Z:

Boot speed was slower than VAIO Z. (Amazingly, the VAIO Z just got to the "Starting Windows" screen when the SB finished loading it already. Still, the Z managed to boot to a functional state faster.

Gaming speed was slower than VAIO Z (can't handle Black Ops on 900p, while the GT 330M on the Z could)

The system sounded as loud as a washing machine when a game is fired up.

Heavier than the Z

Pros over the VAIO Z:

More disk space

More durable

Better battery life

 

Latest may not always be the greatest. I'm not inclined chased technology by getting a so-so display, hdd and hot bottom even though it has Sandy Bridge with USB 3.0. An i7, SSD and FHD equipped Z could still be tops in 2 years. I'm no techy but I think I'm a better than average shopper.

 

Hi,
Thanks for the info.
Is the SB louder than the Z on full load?
What do you mean more durable?
How much longer does the battery last?

Thanks!

 

Brian, what specs did the SB have,

as for handling the 900p, did you use an external monitor? because the SB doesn't come with a 900p screen, but 768p.

 

I am guessing that this is the SB he bought.

VPCSB18GG - Sonystyle.com.hk

 

The SB is definitely louder on a full load. Remember that the SB has 2 sound emitting devices if you don't count the DVD drive (the fan and the HDD). The Z only has one (fan), because its SSD runs silent. As mentioned above, the SB sounds like a washing machine when gaming. The Z can just be described as moderately noisy (and relatively quiet compared to the SB)

By durable I mean the screen and chassis seems more durable. Makes sense since its heavier though. The screen can't twist on the SB when I bend it on both ends, but I can easily bend the screen using a finger on each end on the Z. Also, the keyboard seems to be redesigned as well, as its dented into the chassis as well. This is likely done to prevent damage to the screen when pressure is applied to the notebook when its closed.

Battery seems an hour better than the Z. It showed 6 hrs 12 minutes remaining at 99% (web browsing). The Z would show something like 5 hrs and a few minutes at 100% when doing web browsing.

The SB's specs are listed on the first post, but I'll list it here again. i7-2620M, 8 GB DDR3, ATI Radeon HD 6470M (512MB DDR3), 500 GB 7200rpm drive

And yes I did use an external monitor (my TV) for the gaming test. Wouldn't make too much sense to test black ops on 768p native because that's quite an easy job to be honest. I experienced slight lag on 900p and even worse on 1080p on the SB.

 

Of course it would lag, the 6470m is an entry level gpu, it should have the same power as the SB integrated gpu. Now if it was the 6630m, it should be a different league, since the 330m was behind the 5650, and the ones that came with the Z were even farther. Now since the 5650 was rebranded as the 6550 (with a slight overclock) and the 5700 were rebranded as the 6570, I would put all money betting that the 6630m is a good card and miles ahead of the 330m

 

my thoughts exactly, still it would be interesting to see a real world test performed to see how much better it is.

 

it'll be better than a mainstream lappy.

maintream lappies don't weight 3 lbs with a full power cpu, 1080p screens, and come standard with ssds.

 

Well I bought a sony vaio sb in malaysia. Worst laptop ever. The fan noise drove me insane. The fan really kicks in when you do some heavy multitasking (using over 8 programs at once), or gaming, or file converting. So I got my unit replaced and the problem persisted. Then I got a refund. I posted my complaints in the low yat forum (mobile computing).

My advice : Buy any mainstream computer over the vaio sb, or buy a sony vaio z if you can afford it.

 

wow my first sony would be a sony vaio x.......i really considered the sb but its too pricey for me right now...and $699 for a beauty like the X is really a steal...

i hope i made the right choice

 

Well seems that my claim of the VAIO SB's noise is "as loud as a washing machine" doesn't seem to be a hyperbole after all.

 

hahaha is is really that loud guys?
thank god i got the z man..
and i thought sometimes the z's fan was annoying at startup

 

Oh... the fan gets loud on the Z too... try playing a few games of Battlefield Bad Company 2, 93 Celsius on CPU, 94 Celsius on GPU... and that's with me "turning off" turboboost... otherwise... 100 Celsius CPU, 96 GPU (they share same heatsink). But yeah... the fan gets pretty loud... but i think that's why they bundled the noise-cancelling earbuds

 

Very true, but the 330M is sufficient to handle most games out there. If you're one of those COD fans (like me), then it'll be sufficient most people (even at 900p). If you play stuff like Crysis (Crysis 2, even), the 330M may just be at the borderline of handling it.

The 6630M is no doubt better than the 330M, but since the 330M can handle good games at 900p already, I don't think I'll need something better than that. The 6470M on the other hand, is a big downgrade from the 330M.

 

I dont like the 330m at all, since it is a downgrade in performance for me, i have a 4670m GDDR3, and that is the same power as the 5650. And the 4670m is not sufficient for most games out there, I like to play on high settings, and that is sometimes not achieved by it. I dont play fps, mostly strategy games.

 

Well for notebooks you can't do much about it, as you can't expect manufacturers to cram the best stuff into their computers. I understand that the 330M is not the best choice out there, but I'm already VERY impressed by Sony to fit a 330M with a Core i7-640M in the Z. Some manufacturers (Dell comes first in mind) can't even put a Core i7 WITHOUT a discrete graphics card into their computers, but Dell is mostly for budget users and people who dislike style anyway.

Just get a better desktop with a good graphic card to game on, that'll do the trick

 

If the SB's with 6470 is so loud then will it be even louder on SB's with the 6630?

 

I don't think so. AFAIK the SB with the 6630M comes with a 256 GB SSD configuration, so even if the graphics card produces more heat, it won't be as worse as a 6470M+500 GB 7200rpm combination. Most of the noise that came from my dad's SB during gameplay was probably from the HDD (characterized by its wicked spinning noise, just like a washing machine) and I don't think fans can make THAT much noise.

 

there are some notebooks that can game, but Im not interested in that, I use it mostly for college stuff, gaming is a secondary option, much like the thinkpad edge e420s commercial, serious stuff first than you can game .

Im impressed by the Z, but its a laptop that I would never buy, I value much more cooling than anything that it would offer to me, the temps are too high.
It basically operates near the heat threshold, I dont like that at all.

I dont own a desktop since my first graduation, it was 2006 when I bought my first lenovo.