Vaio Z Replacements?

Hi guys! I've owned both a VPC-Z and currently own the last Z Sony released. The VPC-Z was always my favorite, but mine died a few years ago and I had to get the latest one. My problem with the latest one though is that it's sluggish with graphics, the keyboard isn't that great, and I feel like it could be faster. My brother's laptop also just broke, so I'm thinking of giving him my Z and buying a Z replacement. My question is pretty basic... if you guys replaced your Z's, what did you replace them with? Did the market ever get something that was comparable or better? I'm looking for the qualities of the Z, i.e. something lightweight (though it can be a little larger if necessary), with the full power, a graphics card like the VPC-Z, and of course it should look nice. Both Z's never had good speakers (especially the last one) so something with great speakers would be nice too. I'd also be interested in getting something that has a touch screen that you can draw on - have you guys made the jump to that?

 

The only device that really comes close is the Retina MacBook Pro.

Unfortunately the premium consumer notebook market ($1499+) is owned by Apple.

 

That's really disappointing. I wouldn't be caught dead with a Mac though, haha. Surely there must be some competitors out there.

 

I went for the XPS 15. It's heavier at 2kg but has a QHD 15" screen and pretty good specs. It has good speakers and can run silently (unlike the VPC-Z), and has a great screen and keyboard and battery life. The downside is that it doesn't have VGA and RJ45 nor a DVD. It's pretty much the PC equivalent of the macbook pro.

 

I'd get a Razer Blade 14, but my SVZ still does what I require. I'd be anxious to jump over if the logo on the lid was a little more toned down though.

 

Do you know how its battery life compares to the latest Z with the extended battery?

Also, question to everyone: are ULV processors just as fast as the last Z by now?

 

yep. and one model I am finding a bunch of former Z users moving to is the 14" HP Zbook 14 workstation

 

I vote for the Razer Blade 14" too. One of the few laptops in that size and weight that can sustain heavy workloads for extended periods of time without throttling/overheating. Aluminium, so a little heavier than the Z, but actually a little thinner. A little light on inputs and outputs, so if you need that stuff, that might be a deal breaker.

 

Not sure how it compares with a Z with extended battery. You can see the battery life here:
XPS15: Review Dell XPS 15 (9530, Late 2013) Notebook - NotebookCheck.net Reviews
SVZ: Review Sony Vaio SV-Z1311Z9EX Notebook - NotebookCheck.net Reviews

I get around 6.5 hours of normal use from it.

 

It goes to show how good of a design and performance the last gen Z was. I'm also looking for a Z replacement and closest I can think of would be a surface pro 3 or finding a duo 13 on amazon.

Although, a tablet with discrete gpu would be ideal. Any news of other competitors to the razer edge pro? Saw a mod were someone upgraded it to 16GB ram and 1TB msata ssd

 

maybe the duo core Z's but the SVZ with it's quad core (8 with HT) will still blow by any ULV duo core in any CPU related task. If you value CPU over GPU, the SVZ wins over any modern duo core ULV IMO.

 

The Vaio Z was truly one of a kind. ;_;

 

One of the reasons I am keeping my Z. With CoreI7 and 256GB SSD I do not really expect to be challenged in replacing it. Right now I am testing on a friends Z12 the BIOS Hack and if it performs nice I might be doing it as well. The main reason is that many "graphical" SW are tested on newer NVidia drivers and do not even start if You are on Sony's stock 190 drivers (Cinema 4D R16 being my major concern).

I would by the way take a look at ASUS Zenbooks though. They have versions with a very high res panel (Retina like) and the rest of the specs is also nice.

Timiboy

 

So what are our options now in 2015?

 

Still Razer Blade 14". New display, new GPU.

 

Yep, definitely seems like it fits the bill. It even has the graphics card we haven't seen on the Z in a few years. Are there any disadvantages to it compared to the old Z? How is the battery life, heat, Adobe RGB % thing, extended warranty, etc.? (I'm researching all of that now but am interested in anyone's personal opinions.) Seems like the screen resolution is insanely high too, which might be a problem for applications.

 

The only thing that's a downer is the weight - it is heavier than the Z because of the aluminium body. (Besides the price, of course!) You can choose the display resolution you want - not everyone goes for the highest available. Battery life and heat they've nailed - this is a gaming laptop, after all. They have also left out the other bits and pieces - card reader, etc.

 

If anyone is selling the latest Sony Vaio Z contact me, i've waited 2 years for a replacement and nothing comes close to the lightness, features and performance of the SVZ.

 

I just pulled the trigger on the Razer 14 QHD from the Microsoft store. I've had five laptops in my life, the last three of which were Sony, so hopefully Razer's weight and screen quality don't make me regret my decision. I'll report back here after I have it for a while so us orphaned Vaio owners know if we like the alternatives coming from such wonderful Vaio machines. I just wish Sony was back to 2010 and I wouldn't have to go to these other manufacturers.

 

Hmm.. we loved our VAIO(s) but don't forget the shabby way Sony always treated us, especially with regard to driver updates. My 2010 VPCZ1, still going strong, would have been useless were it not for this forum and the outstanding work done by the likes of Nautis and Andrew08, to name a couple of the many helpful people here. Who knows, VAIO might have survived had Sony put a link to this forum on their support page.

 

How's that Razer Blade 14 running???

Was looking at the specs this evening, wondering if it would be the successor to my trusty z13...

I don't think it'll fly tho as i need storage... i've got 512GB SSDs + 1.5TB HDD installed in the z13 and i'd like to have at least that going forward if i can...
If the Razer at least had 2 SSDs it might of been possible to have an expensive fast but smaller primary and a slower, cheaper but bigger secondary... as a workaround...

It's also at the limit of size/weight i reckon...
Shame about the lack of SD card reader... it's only a niggly problem tho...

It's sure got some welly tho... that's good.

Any other viable options around/on the horizon?