Vaio SA vs Vaio Z

So between the Vaio Sa and the Vaio Z12/13, which one would be the better buy? They are almost the same price and i'm having trouble figuring out which one would be the better buy as a main laptop (I have a suitable desktop).

 

If both have 1600x900 screens, i'd go with the SA *only* because it has better specs... otherwise the Z is nicer, but i wish there was a 1080p SA... with as good quality panel as the Z... the 1600x900 panel on the SA apparently sucks.

for cpu performance, batt life and gpu performance, SA wins. Is the 1080p panel a deal breaker for you? Other intangibles also apply (especially at a laptop of this price)

 

Do you know if the SA speakers are better, equal, or worse than the Zs audio quality?

 

I've heard the SA has crappy speakers but I haven't tested them myself.

 

The vaio SB bests the Z in speaker volume but sound reproduction leaves much to be desired. In short, both of them suck, but the SA will be somewhat better.

 

Yeah both suck, but at least with all US VPC-Z1's you get a pair of noise-cancelling earbuds (they really work well, but don't work* with other things, ie. laptops, mp3 players, etc.)

*note: they do work, but you must keep them like a mm out from fully inside the jack because there's an extra ring that'll give you buzzing noise or etc.

 

The screen on the SA, even though 1600x900 is in a different universe than the Z1, 900p or 1080p. The SA screen is about on par with a $500 Acer (or Thinkpad Edge, as the reviewer says. See this review: Review Sony Vaio VPC-SA2Z9E/B (i7, SSD, HD 6630M) Subotebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews particularly this comment:

"Sony's 13.3 inch display has a resolution of 1600x900 pixels (WXGA++), thus higher than the SB models (WXGA 1366x768). This should be a resolution suitable for work for most (but not all) purposes since many windows fit on the desktop. The matt display can't convince us in terms of colors, though. The contrasts are weak and the color spectrum is narrow.
We assess a contrast of 151:1 with a black value of 1.9 cd/m². Higher contrasts deliver bright, vivid colors. Colors look dull and pallid on the Vaio SA. The Adobe RGB (t) and sRGB (t) color spectrums are failed by far (pictures 1 & 2). We place the "VAIO Premium display" of a Vaio Z13 next to it for comparison (AdobeRGB coverage). Picture 5 shows the comparison to a mainstream screen from a ThinkPad Edge for 400 euros (also 13.3 inch). Our Vaio SA1 only has a marginally larger color gamut, which is disappointing in the price range of over 2000 euros."


If you don't care at all about screen quality, and the price is the same, sure, get the SA because it has slightly better components, performance and battery life (though only incrementally), but if you care at all about screen quality, there is absolutely no comparison. The Z1 is also about .75 lbs lighter and is just a classier piece of work, even if its components are "last years." I'm assuming you're pricing a new SA vs a refurb Z1, so you're probably also comparing RAID 0 SSDs vs. a spinning HDD in the SA.


The SA is a fine piece of iron, but has nowhere near the finesse of the Z1 and the screen quality is pretty much best vs. worst 13" on the market, IMO.

 

Pros for both:

Z:
3 pounds, roughly .8 lighter than the SA
smaller footprint than the SA in terms of length and width
standard SSD in RAID0 (assuming we're talking about a US configuration)
Express Card 34 slot compared to no slot at all on the SA
thin bezel around the screen
arguably better aesthetics
ability to get a 1080 screen depending on configuration
ability to get a brushed carbon fiber lid design depending on configuration


SA:
better processor choices
USB3.0 built in out of the box
ability to attach a sheet battery to double battery life (while making the computer thicker and heavier at the same time)
HD webcam
SSD configuration can go up to 1TB compared to the Z's 512GB (although both are ridiculously priced- $1k or so)
marginally better discrete and integrated graphics cards


Now after having my Z for half a year and after seeing the SA in the store, I'm glad I have the Z and see no need to "upgrade." The SA just doesn't seem as nice of a computer as the Z in terms of its crappier screen and the build quality of the SA doesn't seem as nice. The screen is quite wobbly when picked up, and a member has complained about the chrome VAIO letter on the lower left of the keyboard to be coming off. The Z is also ligher and smaller. The only real selling points on the SA to me are the fact that the processor and graphics are marginally better than the Z, and the fact that battery life can be quite long with the sheet battery. The Z also has an extended battery, but it's pretty awkward to carry around as it protrudes from the back and tilts the computer quite a bit.

 

Probably the reason why the noise cancellation headphones were marketed so much, just to draw your attention away from the disgusting speakers. Heck, it even had a "focus point" section in Sony HK's website......

 

True, but I do like the earbuds... the noise cancelling was very helpful in a dorm room setting. If anyone knows where to buy another pair tell me (at a reasonable price, that is)

 

^
I also love the earphones.

 

Amazon or ebay? Does the SA also coming with noise canceling or is it based on location(like the TT in some areas came with it while other didn't even have the option for it)?

 

Can anyone say how much better the SA's cpu and gpu are than the Z's because right now those are the only things keeping from getting the Z. I'm doing a computer science major this year so i'm going to be doing a lot of programming and I do like to play a good bit of steam and source games. Is it possible to get an i7 Z in the sony outlet store or from somewhere that isn't Ebay or Craigslist?

 

The Z in Hong Kong was bundled with a pair of headphones but not with the SA. I haven't heard of the noise cancelling headphones being bundled with the SA's package in any country, so I guess not a single region has the offer.

Take a look at this page Computer Games on Laptop Graphic Cards - Notebookcheck.net Tech

and select the cards (6630M, 330M) and game (you pick) in question. Some common games (Starcraft 2, Modern Warfare 2, Black Ops) sees around 10-15% difference in fps in medium settings.

The CPUs are basically identical if you compare the i7 Z to the i7 SA, with benchmarks showing a mere 6-7% in score difference. There isn't too much difference between them.

 

Get the Z1 and a ViDock. http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/598920-z1-vidock-gtx-570-ftw-z2-pmd-killer.html

 

i choose a refurbished "old" Z for $999 vs. a new SA...the screen quality was more important to me than the more powerful hardware on the SA....which i decided for my usage...i wouldn't notice a difference. The screen quality....i differently noticed a difference. If they are the same price...than im not sure which i would of picked....but a $999 Z def. won it for me.

 

Well, I justed check the place I was looking at the Z and they don't have it anymore so my only real option for it would be from the sony outlet online for $1400, making it pretty much the same price as the SA. I'm looking at the Z12 btw because of the 1080p screen. The SA screen seems to have the same color quality as my desktop monitor (a dell ultra sharp monitor from 2003) but the Z screen that I saw was really nice.

With the eGPU set-up, im looking for a more all in one package. I have a desktop that I use for a lot of my work right now. Anyone have any other opinions that might help direct me?

 

Does the SA you are looking at have a SSD? If no, definitely go for the Z. SSD is a much better upgrade compared to even a 20% increase in cpu/graphics

 

Its doesn't have a SSD, it has a 500 gb 7200 rpm drive, but I was toying of the idea of install an SSD with the hard drive if I went with the SA. Doesn't an SSD drive really only help with start up times and loading programs?

 

Yeah, start up, loading programs, just file access in general. But usually that is what most people do, and you will most definitely notice the difference. A processor or GPU upgrade, you won't be able to tell the difference in everyday use, but you will with a SSD.

I suppose with the SA you can just buy a SSD later, they are getting somewhat cheap (I picked up a 96gb for $90 after rebate)

 

Z> SA anytime of the day!

 

Hi, Can i get an opinion on whether i should get the SA or the Z2?
Im buying from Singapore and theres a SA thats pretty much similar to the z2 in terms of the specs.

S: VPCSA28GG : S Series : VAIO Notebook & Computer : Sony Singapore
In comparison, a high end Z2 would cost about the same as well. My thinking is that that i should get the SA since i prefer a laptop without a dock like the Z2 with the PMD. Thoughts?

 

The SA is a good laptop...just take into consideration it has a worse screen than the Z2.

 

Some thoughts:

If cost is not the issue (doesn't seem to be the case with you), and if the inferior screen of the SA (compared with the Z) is not a deal breaker, then it's mostly going to come down to your usage pattern. Do you want something that is in the same weight/thinness class as the Macbook Air, but without built in optical, or something heavier (but still pretty light weight) but with built in optical? Do you expect to use the discrete graphics processor on the move, in which case the external PMD of the Z might be a tad inconvenient, or do you think Intel HD graphics is more than enough, in which case the Z comes out on top.

And so on.

Supposedly the Z is made in Japan, which should mean that its build quality would be superior to the SA, which is made in China. But this is probably a marginal thing.

 

Thanks for the reply. Diddnt know the SA is made in China. Forgive me for asking, why is the Z2 screen better than the SA? I thought both are 1600x900(Im not getting the 1920x1080)?

 

The SA screen is much inferior because the panel used is a cheap low quality one. The Z panel on the other hand is probably as high quality as TN panels can get

 

Thanks for all your help. I've been looking at both the past few days and am still having trouble deciding. I think I like the SA more for some reason (possibly because of the design but idk) but I know the Z is a much better computer. Are there anymore opinions that could sway me to one side or the other? Again, thanks so far for all the help.

 

Z is lighter, has a superior screen, and is in a smaller footprint. The glowing power button is also really cool. I'd go for the Z =]

 

I went to a Sony Store in London and I could compare both..Z was disposed close to SA so I put the same background image and I can tell you the difference is huge! Colors are cold on SA and look pale compared to Z ( I had exactly the same brightness, and even increasing SA to 100% did not make a difference). before I do this test I was going to go for SA, after having seen side by side both, SA is out. Problems I could see with Z2 are the keyboard, very low travel space, and the sound is terrible...

 

You really ought to go take a look at both machines for yourself. I was going to buy SA for its form factor, high res screen, sandy bridge, and moderately powerful graphics card, but at the time it wasn't out yet, and there were much speculation about its screen. As soon as it was out I went to sonystyle shop and took a look at it. The screen was very underwhelming, the lid wobbled, the body felt heavy (3.65lbs) and bigger compared to Z1's, and the design, though kind of nice, was not as good as Z1's (this one is subjective).

Z1, though a 2010 model, came with the older Nehalem chip, and a slightly weaker graphics card (GT 330m), won me over with its aesthetics, its light weight, FHD screen, built in ODD, powerful performance, and abundant connectivity.

I ended up paying more for an older tech, but I'm very very satisfied with it. I'll never ever trade this for an SA, not even a top of the line SA.

Or a Z21 for that matter.

This is a significant investment; what you buy will stay with you for a good 2-4 years. You better make sure there's a nice chemistry between you and your laptop

 

I keep seeing this thread get bumped and I can't quite understand why? What is the debate? There is no SA vs Z. It is all about the Z, there is nothing else to consider. There are things that could be better about the Z but the SA is not in the same league. Z1 vs Z2 makes for a pretty good debate.

 

Z2 is sooo 2011. I donno about Z3, but I think Z4 will return to Z1's root, sporting a barrel hinge that carries liquid fuel cell (unlikely because of FAA regulations and all), TRANSPARENT dark thin-bezel Pixel Qi sort of LCD display, unibody carbon fibre plus some weird metallic alloy flat design (no more of those wedge shape coz that's sooo 2011). No touchscreen keyboard coz that's just not how people of the year 2014 roll. It'll use Intel's Skylake processor with 32 cores or so. 64GB PCM RAM will be pretty standard. 16TB SSD in raid-0 is the norm baby. There won't be a webcam coz the LCD screen is THE webcam. The touchpad? heh. It won't be below the keyboard. It'll be ABOVE the keyboard. Two of them too. That solves the palm-touching-touchpad-while-typing problem while retaining the same travel distance.
Graphics? ehh. In 2014, they do this cloud render thing. So you game on the cloud. No ridiculous PMD external device thing. Granted, the graphics chipset in 2014 will be able to do general purpose computing, so it might as well be part of the CPU or something.
Speakers? Still weak and tinny. Nothing can be done about it.
Connectivity? Hey it's 2014. Everything's wireless. That includes the power cable.

Wipe your drool. I'm just rambling here

 

What he said.

Seriously, SA is NOT in league with a Z. Compare it to a Toshiba or Asus; those are its competition.