Z3 vs Z13 - Difference in real terms?

Hi all,

I currently have a VGN-Z3 which is about 2 years old. It is an Intel Core 2 Duo CPI t9800 @ 2.93GHz and a 4GB RAM with a 256GB SSD memory.

I am considering upgrading to the top of the range Z13 (Z14 doesn't appear to be available here in the UK). I was looking at the Intel Core i7-640M, 2.8 GHz with 512 GB SSD and 8 GB RAM.

My question is what difference will I notice in day to day use in terms of speed, responsiveness etc? I use a range of "everyday" applications and typically will run Itunes/spotify, Dragon Voice recognition software, Outlook, Excel, Word and Firefox similataneously and will have a large number of open windows etc. I don't tend to do much intensive video/graphics work and I don't play games. I don't have a separate desktop so it is my "do everything" machine and I do probably spend at least 12 hours a day in front of it.

My question is particularly as I feel like there may be a limited window to order the Z series. Some threads on here suggest it could be discontinued in favour of SA/SB which appear much less powerful etc. Should I order now or wait and see what else comes out is what I'm trying to work out, and to decide that I need to have a feel for how much of an "upgrade" on my current machine it really is?

Very grateful for anyone's assistance on this.

Thanks,

Craig

 

The Z is already discontinued in the US, could happen anytime in the UK. The SA are definitely going to perform better, Sony would be stupid to downgrade, but people say that the looks aren't very appealing and the performance upgrade is minor, so I would prefer the Z13 but that's just my opinion.

 

Thanks for that quick reply Waleed. That's interesting. I had assumed that the SA wouldn't be as good in spec as the Z - is it definitely the case it will be at least comparable? In that case, I'll wait for the SA. Can anyone help with the Z3/Z13 (or SA - guessing at the specs) difference question in terms of performance?

Thanks again.

 

People will wax on poetically with synthetic #'s and what not but if you're not doing anything hardcore (ie. you're not gaming, you don't do editing, you don't encode) you won't notice ANY real world difference. The stuff you use, an old core solo would still blitz through. You already have the SSD.

Don't upgrade until it starts to slow down in things YOU use. Most of NBReview users are rocking an I7 to open up Firefox and MS Word. Take opening up the programs you listed. Firefox opens up in a split second on even my older Core 2 duo desktop (that's even with a mechanical drive). It opens up in a split second with my Z12. Zero quantifiable difference. What you have in essence is already overkill for those mundane tasks...

When it comes to everyday tasks, web, music, office...the biggest difference in modern computers is the SSD vs mechanical and you have that covered.

 

Yeah, I think your current Z is already so fast, there's very little point in upgrading to the topped-out Z13, unless you really have money to burn.

The biggest difference, in reality, might be the SSD speed. Perhaps the 2 year old SSD isn't quite as fast. But maybe it's not too bad, I don't know. The newest CPU is certainly much more powerful, but you won't notice that in everyday stuff. Only if you're doing really CPU-heavy stuff that takes minutes to execute.

 

Thanks both - that is very helpful. I guess I'll wait a while then and maybe see what is around in a year or so... Saved me a few £k there so thanks!

Craig

 

@delphys50
The apps you use don't justify an upgrade. Actually, the VGN-Z should be more than enough for your needs (I daresay too much...).

As mentioned earlier, an upgrade is only required only if you find that the lappie isn't performing as you want it to. Buying another (topped-out) laptop like the VPC-Z just to check Facebook and whatnot, to me, is more like making a financial statement. I'm sure there are some individuals around here who fall into that category but if they have the disposable income to burn, hey, it's their wallet... My two cents worth...

I bought my Z 'cause at the time it was the smallest / lightest machine capable of ok CAD performance with decent battery life (on STAMINA). These days, I'm more focused in virtual machines, and have modded my machine accordiningly. More RAM, and hopefully in the near future, a faster CPU and RAID0 SSD setup (*drooling*).

My suggestion to you; for the apps you use, just keep using your Z as it is. Heck, your SSD is rare even in today's lappie market and alot quicker than the market average. And considering the apps you use are more bottle-necked by HDD speeds than anything else, you have a fast machine as it is. Keep your Z, and be happy~