Will the New Sony Z Be Fast Enough for Me?

My work bought me a 15" Sony Vaio when I first started. Core i3 380M (first gen), 4gigs ram, 5400rpm drive - intel hd integrated graphics.

It was too slow so we upgraded the ram to 8g, and put in an intel 80gb SSD.

That sped things up quite a bit. However I'm noticing that it still dogs down when I have certain applications up. For example, my work requires me to have a few large spread sheets up, as well as a HUGE Google doc spreadsheet - and whenever I have that Google doc spreadsheet open my laptop starts to pant - and my work efficiency slows down quite a bit. I'm not sure what it is about the Google doc spreadsheet, is it super cpu intensive or what?

It's not HORRIBLE, but I'm used to much faster with my home desktop setup - Core i7 920, 6g ram, 120gb SSD. When I'm home, the above processing combo doesn't slow down at all.

Unfortunately I have to have a portable solution for work, so that's why I've got the laptop.

I told the tech guy at work that I need something quicker, and he suggested ordering a Vaio Z. The one option I REALLY like is the fact I can now hook up 3 monitors at work which will help my workflow much better.

I guess what I'm trying to ask is if the new Vaio Z series will be fast enough? I noticed it has a much slower 2620M processor. How would it fare vs my current desktop i7 920 ?

My work is willing to shell out some decent money to get a fast laptop, so I'm open for any suggestions if the Z series isn't going to be fast enough. I also don't like the fact that we're going to have to wait 2-3 weeks for the Z to ship in - I think I'd rather go down to best buy and get something that I can use today.

BTW - 15.6" is the max I can go.

 

Ahh, the bottleneck in your last computer was the 5400rpm drive. These drives will make your computer lag like crazy every once in a while. The 2620M processor certainly will not let you down. Although it may not look much on paper, it is definitely capable of handling the toughest tasks out there without too much trouble. Paired with the SSD, and you've got a very capable machine.

 

He also said he upgraded the HDD to a 80GB SSD.

You won't see the same performance as your desktop just because the i7 in the Z2 is UV. It will be a vast improvement over your last computer, I'll tell you that

 

Hey thanks for the reply.

We did upgrade the 5400rpm drive to an intel 80gb solid state (as mentioned in the original post).

That did speed things up quite a bit, but it's still slow if I've got a lot going on. My desktop i7 920 doesn't do this at all.

 

Should I just go with a non UV cpu then? There are some 15.6" laptops at best buy that have the 2630QM and that looks to be just as fast if not faster than my desktop i7 920.

I guess my main question is will the 2620M be fast enough?

I will probably have 3 24" screens, mostly editing spreadsheets and google docs spreadsheets, as well have having 1-2 browsers open (FF) with maybe 3-4 tabs within each browser.

Right my now current VAIO i3 isn't HORRIBLE, but I can still tell a very noticeable difference when I get home on my desktop. There is basically 0 input lag between switching to different spreadsheets / browser tabs at home. This is the environment I need at work, but powered by a laptop instead.

 

The Z2 is meant as a ultra-portable solution. If you are looking for something that is meant to just plough through work, try looking at some Lenovo or another brand. Other people here would know better than I since I've never owned a Lenovo or know about much its specs but I've heard a lot of good things and I see a lot of them in the IT industry.

 

i ran excel on my z1 (i7 620 1stgen), it worked fine (HUGE excel files ~100MB files with text and number only no picture) but take quite a while to load up (around 20sec)

never use google doc tho.

 

You can run Excel fine but when it comes to massive calculations, multiple sheets, references, and more then it becomes slow. I tried calculating over 2500 cells on my SA (and even my F) and it came to a crawl, not being able to use anything, taking over 2 hours to finally complete the task. The same task on my home desktop, AMD 955 , took less than 20 minutes and I could still run everything on my desktop including chrome and photoshop.

I just don't find the same power in CPU intensive tasks as a desktop. If you need that power, you would need a full voltage CPU or a desktop replacement laptop.

 

i see,

i only use to see a number and adjust a few, never do 2500cells calculation -P

 

Google docs? That'll depend on how efficient your browser is at executing javascript. You might try switching to another browser (Chrome? Opera? Firefox?) to see if you can get better performance. Or see if your work will let you switch out of gdocs and into Excel.

There are even commercial plugins that will automatically sync a nativ xls/xlsx file directly to gdocs for collaboration, while letting you work directly inside Excel (which I would argue is much better than being tied down to a browser).

 

Nothing from Sony really till 15.6". Only a quad core Sandybridge will provide you with equal or better performance than your desktop system.
Get a laptop with i7 2720qm or 2820qm CPU, I know of the Dell XPS 15, Asus G53SX, Macbook Pro 15 to name a few of the laptops in the 15.6" size that come with these processors.

Both the 2720qm and 2820qm are faster than i7 920 desktop CPU.

If you are okay with a 16 incher you can look at the Sony F21/22 with 2820qm, SSD, 8gb ram.

 

The Sony Z uses a UV processor? One of the plus points of the Z is that compared to competitors out there it's one of the few ultralight notebooks that is using a full voltage processor.

Currrently- 17W ULV 25W UV 35W FV

Intel® Core? i7-2620M Processor (4M Cache, 2.70 GHz))

Or am i missing something here?

 

Don't want to get flamed (I own a Z) but the Z is meant to be the fastest laptop in a small and light package. If you are willing to move up to a 15.6 screen then there are much better performing laptops out there. You could always get a 15 Macbook pro with a quad core i7 from your local worst buy and install windows on it.

 

Yeah, the i7-2620M will beat even last generation quad-core mobile processors in applications that aren't heavily threaded... If you're doing tasks that aren't heavily threaded in a laptop, the Z2 is good for you. As for the problem with google docs... I think there are other factors in there like the browser as well as the internet connection.

I don't really think your requirements are crazy high, but do note that because you're dealing with such high volumes of data, faster timed RAM + larger cache size is more important to you than raw processing power (IMO). You're not doing CAD or Video Compression/Encoding...

Try out the Z2, and be happy your work is willing to pay for it... (JEALOUS!). You can always return withing 30 days (here in the USA, that is)

 

30-day return in Canada as well

 

Thanks guys!

Think I'm going to pull the trigger!

Is there any way to get them here faster than ordering them through sony? The estimated ship date is 8/12 - 2+ weeks away. Can't you go into a store somewhere and get them, or get a prebuilt one at an online store??

Just don't want to wait 2-4 weeks to get one.

Thanks

 

^No way to get the Z2 faster. It has been delayed in every territory in the world.

 

It cetainly isn't an LV/ULV part. I don't know what caused ceffect to make that assumption.

 

Thought I read it somewhere in the speculation forum. Unfortunately I could not search through it with the function. Had to go through Google and search through it (kinda).

Made an assumption based on what I thought

 

I don't think anyone would pay $2k+ for a ULV/LV part, that wouldn't be Sony! Maybe samsung, but not sony!

 

You never know, there are always a few people out there who would

 

Well, I just talked to the tech guy and he ordered one for me - as well as 3 27" monitors to go with it.

Got all the bells and whistles and it came to almost $4000!! (not including the monitors)

I sure hope it's worth it, and I sure am glad I didn't have to buy it

And I SURE hope it's going to be fast enough for what I need, otherwise I'm going to feel stupid for spending all that money on my company's wallet

 

What? 3 monitors? from Sony? What brand are the monitors? and what res? and for how much? I feel you got ripped off...

 

His company paid $4k for a specced out Z2- monitors were not part of the price.

I don't believe Sony currently sells any monitors.

@daudi, did you get every single option for the Z? Maybe the Signature edition would be the one to get since it already has everything and the carbon fiber brushed lid. The CTO is just a flat black.

 

Does anyone have a screenshot of what the Windows Experience Index is for the new Z?

 

I'm pretty sure he got every single option. 512gb SSD, upgraded screen, processor, max ram, bluray, etc etc. It came to almost $4k when I saw the bill.

The monitors were Dell ultrasharp 27" and they were about $1k each if I remember right. I don't know the model #'s but he said they were basically the best 27" mainstream monitor out right now. I didn't really ask for them because we already had 3 24" Dell's but I guess they had to give them to someone else so I got the upgrades :yes:

I'm pretty stoked, and can't wait to get the Z in my hands. Should be really nice on business trips as well

 

Okay, tell me where you work, I'm going to apply right now! That's one sick company!

and yeah, 27" IPS dell panels are nice 2560x1440... but i'm not sure the new Z can run those... well, three of those...

 

Just out of curiosity, if you could get two docking stations, would you? One for the office and one for home.

 

Hmm that's a good idea! If it becomes a hassle I can probably get the tech guy to get me another one - are you able to buy them separate? Something to look into!

Yea the company is pretty sweet. They will pretty much get anything if you can talk them into justifying the cost. A quick 10 minute phone-call with the CEO, and I've got a sweet setup on the way.

Now that I've done more research I probably could have gotten away with a much cheaper set up - but our tech guy insists on Sony Vaio's so the Z was pretty much the only option as far as he was concerned.

Can't wait till it gets here - the next 2-3 weeks will be a long wait

Edit: BTW - I just asked our Tech guy and he confirmed it was the Dell 27" IPS monitors.

 

Currently, extra docks are not sold by Sony. I was only asking because you seem like the perfect demographic that would utilize multiple docking stations and I'm really baffled at why Sony isn't selling these units separately. This does, however, create the need for a secondary market of PMD (power media docks) in the United States (and other regions) where customers who buy a Z but don't find a need for the dock can sell it on the second hand market to other users who want more than one (or damaged their original one, etc.).

And maybe you can convince your CEO to get me one of these to "test out" for you first, and as a result become more productive in finding out what else you should order for yourself. ;] LOL Anyways, have fun with your new machine!

 

Can you ask the tech guy why he insists on a Sony Vaio ?

 

The new Z2 can run three of those just fine... @ 1920x1200

 

Sony Japan does:
?????? VGP-PRZ20C/B????? | ???????????????
?????? VGP-PRZ20A/B????? | ???????????????

Of course I understand it might be difficult for someone to buy directly from Sony Japan, but given that the parts are available, it might just be a matter of time before the PMD is offered seperately in other markets as well -- maybe after initial stock smooths out.

 

Holy crap that's $500 for the first one and $650 for the second one. I don't even want to imagine how much it'll cost a middleman to buy it, mark it up, and ship it overseas.

But for those in markets where the PMD isn't sold/ is bundled with the computer like the US, it may be worthwhile to sell the one that came with the computer if you want to alleviate some of the cost and don't find a need for it.

EDIT:
It looks like extra PMDs are for sale on SonyStyle USA. $400 for the DVD version: http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/st...productId=8198552921666366651&tab=featuresTab

$500 for the Blu Ray burner version: http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/st...productId=8198552921666366651&tab=featuresTab

The CTO price for the PMD is:
DVD incuded
Blu Ray reader $100
Blu Ray reader + write $200

Here, it's a $100 difference rather than $200.


But, it still may be worthwhile to sell your included PMD for obviously less than Sony's asking for.