Vaio Z vs Asus UX31 now.

I'm debating on getting a(n):
(1)Z22 now and getting an Ivy bridge Ultrabook next year

(2)Asus UX31 now and a Sony Vaio Z3(or the latest build by then) next year.

What do you guys think I should do?
I'm planning (UX31/Z22) now, a nice powerful desktop for Christmas and then (Z3/Ivy Bridge Ultrabook) next year.

 

To each their own, but I don't understand the need for an ultrabook when you have a Z2? The Z2 is as thin, lighter, 1000000X better LCD and better specs.

 

The Z2 is thinner and lighter than the MBA13, lol (thinner than the MBA13's "hump," at lesat).

 

to be honest Z2 is better on every angle except price (and may be driver).

 

Z2 is the best ultra-portable notebook ever. If you can afford one why you are looking for an UX31 or any other Ultraportable.

Ultraportables are for us; who can not buy a Z2

 

I've made more jokes and jibes about the Z2 than most, but c'mon. The Zenbook may be fine if that's what you want -- it's a legit competitor to the MBA. However, it is no Z. It doesn't have either the capabilities or the price tag. They're not competitors.

Why not get the Z22 now, pass on the IB upgrade (which is mostly just a tweak and die-shrink of SB) and upgrade to Haswell/Z3 (or whatever it's called by then) in 2013? The processing power increase from SB will be about 20% which is too small for most users (yes, there are important exceptions) to notice. IB onboard graphics should be significantly better and battery life improved -- if these are key attributes for you, then you may want to wait for IB.

Haswell, by constrast, will feature a new architechture and should have significant performace boosts. By then, there should be no regular need for a PMD as currently designed although there will still be interest in high-end graphic power.

 

Though I try not to make it a habit to contradict Louche (fear of retribution), I can see the wisdom of waiting for the Z3. The Z2 is far from flawless and they may engineer out some problems in the Z3, and put a more powerful GPU in the PMD as well, these plus the integrated graphics and battery life improvements in IB. Or, you could wait for the Z3 to be released and buy a close out or refurb Z2 for half the price.

If you really don't need all the power of the Z2 now, the Zen may be just fine for your needs and it has the advantage of being drop-dead gorgeous, words I would use to describe the Z2. Major caveat: the Asus lacks a backlit keyboard which would be a deal-breaker for me. If you've caught the ultrabook bug badly, you may want to wait for the rest of the current crop to be released, especially the Lenovo U300, before making a purchase decision.

 

So do I.
.

 

^No he doesn't.

 

Yes I do. Now go away.

 

Post count increased: (3).

Victory is near.

 

I thought major issue with high-end GPU was cooling system, or better said, heat issues in such a small/thin body (like Z chassis). Do you think next gen high-end GPUs will overcome this?

Cheers,
Miki

 

I believe he is implying that IGP will be so far improved that there will be little need of a dedicated GPU (in the laptop or in a PMD). My guess is he's correct unless someone was looking for a gaming laptop.

 

^Don't we here that same story every time Intel introduces new graphics? And every time that happens, we quickly learn that it's lousy for gaming/opencl/opengl, but good for normal office use....

 

^That's pretty much my point, as Qwaarjet stated. The next-gen on-chip graphics should be sufficiently powerful for all but a handful of standard tasks so that the various issues with the PMD should be less relevant whether or not the unit/drivers are improved.

I mentioned high-end GPUs because there are gamers (and engineers, etc.) who will will still want/need an eGPU. Since I don't play games, I'm not very familiar with the game-related graphics issues.

 

I'm sure by the leaps done lately to get to the current HD 3000 level IGP, by the time haswell arrives, it won't completely suck anymore App support should greatly improve. Solidworks, and some other OGL apps

 

The HD3000 is roughly twice as powerful as the old HD4290 IGP. The HD4290 is an overclocked HD3200 IGP that "rocked" the world when it came out. Yet, we will ALWAYS demand more. Until games get "retina" (aka, we cannot see the difference anymore), we'll always want more.

I am happy Softimage is getting Ivy cert.

However, I will note... the HD3000's performance is boosted by the use of muddy textures, and AF disortion not seen since the old 9700 Pro launched a decade ago. I cannot even view simple Youtube videos without noticing it! Well, I can if I don't use Chrome, and tick all of the settings to max quality/power

 

Pardon my impertinence, but we have gotten pretty far off topic and, even if the OP's post left us with eyes rolling a bit - and, call me crazy if you must; you won't be the first! - I think the new, very slick and fast ultrabooks will be seen as alternatives to people who would otherwise buy Z's. Many Z buyers, IMO, buy them for: power/weight ratio, "cool factor," and exclusivity - due to price. I think that many mfrs have hired all new design teams to create some spectacular designs for just the first round of UBs (witness Asus, Toshiba) and that even the SB ULV models coming out this Fall will eclipse the Z on the power/weight ratio and "cool factor" criteria (eg, I have yet to see a production laptop from anyone that is nearly as gorgeous as the Asus "Zenbook" UX-31). Plus, as many will thrill at, the UBs will not threaten the price/exclusivity factor of the Z - they will cost less than 1/2. I'm not suggesting that these $1,200 UBs will be nearly as powerful as the Z2, just that they will fulfill the needs of many ultraportable buyers looking for lightening fast speeds, thin/light form factors and latest technology (USB3, etc) and that the Z's additional power and flexibility is not likely of consequence to these buyers. Display quality will likely continue to set the Z apart, but I read some pretty high praise of the UX-31's 900p display. And of course, the expected improvements to on-die IGPs in IB and Haswell releases going forward, could make it harder and harder to justify the price of a Z for some.

If anyone cares, I'd be interested in thoughts about this.

 

you're crazy

 

Not that you're wrong, but I want a second opinion.

 

You're as sane as me.

 

Though the Z2 appears to be a superior ultra-portable I think that the UX31 is relevant.

Why?

Instead of buying a $3k Z2, I can buy a $1.2k Asus for portability and a powerful $1.5k desktop system and have my documents in the cloud so I can switch betweem systems.

That way I have a much more flexible, powerful setup.

Any thoughts on this?

 

or 4 netbooks for $1.2k and you can just leave them scattered at your most frequently used locations that way you don't have to even carry them!

If you want a Z, your only choice is a Z. If you get something that you think is close enough to a Z, you will be left wanting assuming you've ever owned/used one in the past. Ignorance is bliss though!

 

as long as you're willing to sacrifice quality you can always find different options. It's always up to the end user as to what they feel is best for them.

I have my Z and a high end desktop, I couldn't do without either.

 

What he said.

For most people, the Z just isn't right for them. Whether because its too expensive, they need other capabilities or other reasons. Just because the Z isn't right for most people doesn't mean that the Z has any true competitors.

 

Incorrect.

The Z1 (of which I have 2, as well as the last 4 iterations of the "Z" [sz,s etc etc]) had no competitor.

The new Z is not a complete machine. The Graphics capability is limited to 1 place and, even then it is limited.

 

With all due respect, no. The Z2 has no competitor. There is no other lightweight (<3 lbs) notebook with a full voltage i5/i7, 8GB RAM, FHD, etc., on the market. Not from Apple, not from Asus, not from anybody but Sony.

If you regularly need an optical drive and/or eGPU, then you're just one of the many people for whom the Z for is not right. That, however, reflects on your computing needs, not the Z.

 

I'm willing to pay a premium so that I don't have to keep two machines synchronized vis-a-vis their software complements.

 

am i the only one that thought the PMD is an wonderful next step for laptops....???

Who really games ON THE ROAD seriously... even if your graphic allow it, the physical limitation of how much power you can hold in a given space is limited... intense gaming session on powerful enough laptop without an outlet lasts like 1 hour tops...

I would of jumped on the Z2 if I seen more solid support for the Light Peak technology, like a PMD2 upgrade for the Z2...

My old core duo laptop is enough for my office needs, but it's the graphics card that's pushing me to upgrade every 1-1.5 years...

I dont' understand why haven't other manufacturers adopted the Light Peak technology?? it lowers power consumption, allows for thinner laptop, and so much more benefits....

 

The one thing that really irks me about the Z2 vs the Z1 is the thicker bezel around the screen. Hate that.

 

The bezel doesn't really bother me to much (as long as it's not outrageously huge) but this is as long as the bezel is even, bezel's where the top is huge and the sides are smaller looks horrid in my opinion.

 

What he said (not the first he, the second one ^).

FWIW, the Z is very right for me; first notebook I've used continuously for more than six months in - more than six months! (actually, several years; I usually at least rotate, but not since I got my first Z1). My Z is pretty close to perfect for me and if there was something better (including the Z2), I would get it and dump the Z1 (gently). I do kinda think the Z2 has been changed too much to use the term "a Z" to categorize competition. The Z2 may be faster, lighter and thinner, but it forfeits the all-in-one exclusivity of the Z1, so it has to rest on its screen and SV SB cpus to separate itaelf from the pack. I used an MBA 13 (2010) for a month and that instant-on, very fast response thing (and that was with the C2D!), the paper thin hard shell were definitely better than the Z1's response times and (non) durability, but the screen wasn't even close and it had several other limitations and even if the new crop of ultrabooks improve on the forumula, I don't know if I could ever get used to an inferior screen and I doubt anyone will ever get close to the Z's in 13" or 14". Also, I'll decide for myself when I don't need an optical drive anymore, not "the industry," or the 99/100 people who insist that having one is a liability (?!); as of now, I still need one - as well as the potential add a TB of extra storage where that sucker is. But how long before the Arrandale cpu and 3GB/s SSDs will start feeling slow, or the bland-ish appearance of the Z1 not get too long in the tooth, I can't say. I can say that if my Z1 is stolen tomorrow, no question I will replace it with another one.

 

That's a good thing, right? Answer: Yes! (Thanks, needed that.)

 

That's the charitable way of looking at it.

 

I'm all about charity

 

I disagree.

Those specs are great but they have extremely diminishing returns on a cost/benefit ratio when you consider what a Z2 that is not connected to a PMD is capable of.

A non-PMD Z isn't going to significantly outperform the UX31 when it comes to a normal usage profile (email/internet/MS Office etc).

Is the Z2 better? Clearly.

Will I likely buy the Z2? Probably, unless something better comes out in my timeframe.

Does that mean the UX31 is irrelevant to the discussion as someone suggested? Not at all.

 

What he said ^ (extremely well)