Vaio-SZ Quick question....

Hi All,

Been browsing this site for a while and am at the edge of buying the Sony Vaio-SZ1XP (I am in europe so guess they are called differently in the States).... It has T2400, 100GB HD, 1024MB DDR-II Ram, Nvidia 7400 with 64MB, carbon Fibre case, the camera and Windows Pro installed....

I am at Glasgow Airport at the moment and they have it on offer tax-free, before I buy could you guys please answer me the following questions, thanks:

* Is the Vaio Vista ready??

* Is 64mb of video memory enough??? Or should I wait and go for the 128mb?
I am not intending to play many games on it but I would like it if it would be possible once in a while.

* Is the screen not damaged to easily?

* Any final remarks/comments before I buy? I love it because it is small and fast and think that the 13.3" screen is just fantastic, i will need in the air most of the times and it has an ideal size I think.

Thanks a lot and hope you guys can answer quickly...

Greetz from Glasgow

Vaio-Junkie

 

i've been looking at getting an sz for a while now, and i probably will within a month or so.

first off, it's definately vista ready. people here have already installed vista, and it's WORKING with the aero-glass effects, and from what i hear, the aero glass effects can even run off the integrated graphics (in stamina mode).

there's been debate about how much dedicated memory the graphics card has. i think it's 128mb dedicated, with turbocache being able to pinch some from the system ram if you have enough/it needs to (anyone, please correct me if i'm wrong). the sz can play games, from what i've heard without AA, but on high settings, which isn't a poor effort for such a light laptop at all. the slightly up-specced 2XP has this listed in its specs "NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 with TurboCache supporting 128 MB (NVIDIA TurboCache technology combines the size and bandwidth of video memory and dynamically available system memory for optimal system performance)". it's the same thing listed in the specs posted online for the 1XP. so essentially, exactly the same graphics card/memory in the newer model, and i doubt this is likely to change.

i haven't heard much about the screen being damaged, but maybe some people with hands on experience can comment.

the SZ, especially the premium model with the carbon fibre casing, and the LED in the screen looks and feels amazing. it's the best laptop i've laid my eyes on, it's incredibly light-weight, and the battery life is decent enough, especially in comparison to the competition.

if there's a decent saving duty free, i say go for it.

hope that was some help.

 

Hi Cloud,

Thanks for your quick reply,.....anyone else with an opinion/view??

The carbon is great and light and looks fantastic.....would like to hear more comments before I swipe my credit card on friday....

Thanx

Vaio Junkie

 

You should definitely go for the carbon fiber version. It weighs less and the screen is brighter and thinner. The screen is also very firm and sturdy. Pressing the back of it won't distort the image or create any ripple effects. The keys don't come into contact with the screen when the lid is closed, but they do if the lid is pressed, so use a Shaggymac to prevent any scratches.

 

On my SZ120, I've never noticed any evidence that the keys make contact with the screen.

I'd say the Premium's are better, but you have to weigh the the differences based on your own criteria of "value".

 

The screen on my premium doesn't touch the keys either but if you press hard enough they will come in contact.

 

Thanx a lot guys, I am convinced....off to buy one tomorrow, the carbon fibre one.....

 

...well bought mine this morning......it is fantastic!! The only thing i noticed is that the battery is somewhat loose when installed. It doesn't fall out but moved lightly. Don't find the fans too noisy and the screen is amazing.

Very happy with it. Thanks again for the tips

Vaio-Junkie

 

glad you're happy with your purchase.

check out this thread though: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=57924

it's got some fixes for some of the small problems with the SZ, including a way around the loose battery issue.