Z13 i5 or SA i7

I was comparing a Vaio SA with i7 processor 128 SSD with a Vaio Z13 with i5 processor (VPCZ133GX/B). What I know is Z has a better built quality, better screen and good battery life. But SA has a better processor, USB 3. To me battery life, built quality, weight are important as I work between offices and mostly use ms office, google earth and some photoshop. Please advise.

 

The i7 version of the Z is virtually equal to the i7 version of the SA, the i5 isn't too far behind though. MS word and Google Earth is easily handled with the i5 processor but Photoshop performance on the Z might fall a little short compared to the SA if you use all those crazy plugins. I'd go for the SA for better all-round performance, and build quality isn't too bad either.

 

Eh it really seems like a tossup. I personally prefer the Z's design because it's lighter, has a smaller footprint (13.1" vs 13.3"), and IMO looks nicer. From what a lot of users are saying as well is that the Z has a superior screen (even though they're both 1600X900).

What you gain from the SA is a better processor and the option to go for a sheet batter that will bring battery life to over 10 hours (with the sacrifice of added weight).

After seeing the SA in the store I thought the hinge design was flimsy (the screen moves a few degrees if you tilt the laptop around). I also had bad luck with the Signature series they had on display because the mouse click button had poor quality. I could half press down and feel a false click- like something is loose.


In the end you'll have to choose for yourself, but the way I see it is that the Z is nicer because it's smaller. The SA will get you better processing power and battery life.

 

As for battery life, I got 2 9 cell batteries for my Z13 (one was a freebee-came with my refurb; the other cost $140, new) and it gets me 8-12 hrs. If the screen matters to you, and you are not doing outrageous things in photoshop, I think the Z is a total no brainer, but then I am very partial to the Z. The SA is probably a fair bit more durable, so if you need to travel a lot with it and can't always spare the time to handle it with care, that's a consideration - in fact, that's the only consideration I think is worth having unless you are truly a power user, in which case even the SA may be underpowered for you. Personally, I'd rather wait a few more seconds, even a minute or so, for the Z13 to finish a job just to get that screen. It's the screen, st---d!