soon to be new sony VAIO owner (Z ser) need some advice please!

Hi all

After many days of thinking i have finaly decided to go with SONY VAIO Z series . (probably Z VGN-Z790 from sony website).
This will be my first ever laptop computer.
I just found this forum and i read as much i could but still have some questions unanswered...

Let me beggin...

I was going originaly to buy VAIO Z VGN-Z750D/B model from amazon, but when i checked sony website for same model it is not available there.
only VGN-Z790 model.
Amazon.com model iz cheaper 150$, but i guess VGN-Z90 model from sony website is newer version...
All specs looks same to me,should i go with newer version,is it worth extra money?

If i decide to buy it from sony i can customize that,
6GB DDR3-SDRAM (DDR3-1066, 4GBx1 + 2GBx1) for extra 220.00$,
BLURAY for 400$ extra
or Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P9700 (2.80GHz) for $200.00 extra.

Which option is worth the money?

Also,i dont play computer games but my son does,he plays battlefield 2 game,will this comp be able to run it at least on low resolution?

And most important question, should i wait for Windows 7 to be option on this laptop? I need laptop now,but i can probably wait 2 more weeks...

...and one more question i forgot.... this models have GPS device.
Is it possible to use it with GARMIN PC DVD ? I have Garmin PC USB device with DVD but i like idea that GPS is already instaled in my laptop. Only thing i dont know is if that intergrated GPS will work with GARMIN PC program. Thanx

thank u in advance!

 

Hi there,

Well done on a fine choice to go with the Z! If this is your first laptop, you won't really know how good it is until you buy anything else that's cheaper

Anyway, blu-ray is not worth the $400 price tag at the moment, unless if you plan to hook it up to your TV and make it your primary blu-ray player. You can easily get an external blu-ray player for a few hundred dollars.

I would recommend the P9700 processor for extra grunt and muscle - and to future-proof things.

6GB of RAM is nice to have but if you don't plan to do anything intensive on your laptop you could give that a miss... for now. Perhaps upgrade in the future when DDR3 RAM is cheaper.

Finally, I would wait two weeks for the Windows 7 version to come out. Just easier that way

PS - not sure about the GPS side of things. I will let others answer that!

 

thanx for reply!
hmm im just reading now other posts and someone mentioned if laptop has GOBI module then its possible to use it with other GPS providers other then Verizon.
But how i can find this model has it? I hope someone will help me with that!

And yeah,im thinking now about higher processor,200$ extra are maybe worth it!

Anyone tryed to order custom laptop from sony.com website?
i can see "Shipping Date is unknown" next to price of laptop on their website....?

 

Instead of dropping $400 on the blueray option, why not buy a PS3 for $300 and use it as a blueray player? I'm sure your son would love it.

Spending $200 on a minor CPU upgrade is probably not worth the money in 90% of the cases, but if you don't mind spending the money, definitely go for the upgrade. It's would surely make you feel better for the purchase, knowing that you've got one of the fastest processor out there. (I spend $250 to upgrade to my P9600. Can I tell the difference from a P9400? No, the machine is bottlenecked by the graphics card most of the time when under stress. Do I regret the upgrade? Definitely not. My out-dated Z690 CTO would be complete IMO, when I get a Samsung SSD in there. )

If you don't need 6 GB ram, I would recommend you to just settle for the 4GB option, or even 2GB. Prices for 4 gb ram sticks will drop like a rock once they get more popular. Since you are looking at a Z7xx, which is compatible with all brands of 4gb sticks, you can surely find rams a lot cheaper on the market within a couple months.

Seeing that Sony's probably not going to refresh their Z's with the announcement of Windows 7. It probably won't matter if you wait for the release or not. You would most likely do a fresh install of Win 7 anyway, since the factory installed OS is so full of bloatwares. Currently, I'm dual booting my Z with the factory installed Vista 64 x and Win 7 RC. I rarely boots my Vista OS, and Win 7 just works like a charm.

As for the GPS, it works great once it's secured the signal. It takes a little longer to find the signal when compared with my Garmin GPS. Microsoft Street & Trips that comes with the Z works beautifully. You do NOT need to pay for the Verizon Broadband service to use the GPS.

Hope this helps!

Z is a great little machine, it's pretty, light, and powerful. The biggest Pro for the Z is actually the battery life IMO, given how powerful the Z can be when fully unleashed. The battery would outlast most laptops out there if you do it right. Despite all the crazy advertised battery life on other laptops, I am more than satisfied with my 4-5 solid hours of battery life under light usage at school. As a college student, I can say that that the one of the most sought-after "things" on campus is a power outlet. It's wonderful not having to constantly keeping an eye out for power sources. You don't need a netbook with a puny Atom processor to get long battery life, we can do the same with our powerful Core 2 Duo's.

Edit: Don't worry about the estimated shipping date, most people get it in in around 2 weeks if not sooner. I received mine in exactly 2 weeks after I dropped the order because FedEx tried to deliver on Saturday, when my school's mailing room was closed (plus my midterm cramming sessions). The package sat in the mailing room for 2 days before I took it out.

 

thank u so much for ur answer!

The thing is,im not going to use verizon at all!
I travel to europe very often and need GPS.
I already have GARMIN MOBILE PC USB adapter and instalation DVD.
It would be nice to use already instaled GPS in my sony but i heard its connected to Verizon.
Thats the problem.

Also,im probably going to use other wireless company in US and Europe,so i will use probably external wireless adapter.

This sucks because this nice comp comes with all this features but all connected to Verizon,which im not going to use

 

Hehe.

Good news: I think you misread my post.

I said "You do NOT need to have Verizon Broadband activated".

I don't have mine activated. The GPS still works like a charm, because it receives the signal straight from the satellites, like a stand-alone GPS device.

 

oh thats good news!!

And you know what,i was going to order it now trough SONY website and -

ITS SOLD OUT!!!

How is this possible that one of their best models is sold out on their OFFICIAL website?? Is that maybe temporary?
They are advertising this computer on their main page but its - sold out?
Very strange,this morning i was able to make my custom model but now it says - please remove from your chart because model is OUT OF STOCK!
Even other model (not Configure-to-Order) is OUT OF STOCK!


hhhhh

 

Given that event at this minute, Sony is currently updating their website to accommodating the addition of X and CS. I wouldn't be surprised that they are temporarily suspending all transactions on their website. Have you tried other Vaio series? This doesn't seem like the suspension before a routine model refresh as the Sony Asia websites always gets the updated models first, and we haven't heard anything from Japan as of yet.

Maybe they would open the transactions by tomorrow. When they finish constructing the website. Apple usually suspend their online store during a keynote.

 

They're probably sold out because they are likely releasing the refresh (Z890) any day now.