Any current/upcoming rivals to Sony's Vaio Z?

[snewdle]

Hi everyone,

I am a current student in need of a new laptop. While I initially planned to purchase a 15.6" ASUS or Sager due to their gaming and processing capabilities, I have recently become more interested in the 13.1" Sony Vaio Z due to the inordinate amount of power it contains as a 13.1" notebook. However, before I spend $2,000-$2,500, I would like to ask a couple questions:

1. Is there any current or upcoming notebook that rivals the Sony Vaio Z in both size and power? My preliminary research through retailers, forums, and various online sites suggests no, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask those more familiar with current notebook technology.

2. Even though the laptop is proprietary, would I be able to upgrade the SSDs and RAM at a later date either on my own or through Sony? Or is this a question that depends on the individual laptop model/laptop producer? I only ask this because of the rapidly falling prices of SSDs and the fact that customizing a VAIO Z with larger storage greatly increases the price.

3. Do you prefer cake or pie for dessert? 😀

Thank you for any help you may provide. I did my best to make a lucid and relevant first post in the these forums and I look forward to some informative answers! :thumbsup:

 

[stipalgl]

Hello snewdle,

1. The only laptop that rivals the Sony Z in terms of specs and size is the Acer 3820TG, not to be confused with the 3820T, which is a more stripped down model.

The 3820TG is a 13.3 inch and weighs just under 1 pound more. Although it doesn't offer the same high end resolution on its screen as the Z series (only 1366 x 768), it can be shipped with a i5 or i7 series processor (not the ultra voltage series, the actual mobile ones instead), and equipped with a ATI 5650 video card, which trumps the downclocked GT 330M on the Sony Z.

Here is a thread with far more extensive information on the laptop:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/acer/464512-official-arrandale-timeline-thread.html

One thing that is important to note is that the 3820TG with the ATI 5650 has not currently been offered in North America, but is available in Asia and Europe, so if you want the full speced version, you will have to import it. Despite this, the laptop will still be far cheaper than the Z, coming in at around $1000 give or take a hundred.

2. You can upgrade the RAM as you like for the Z, however, for the hard drives, I believe they provide several in RAID, and at least one of them is integrated into the laptop, so you can upgrade your SSD, with the exception of one built in.

3. Fruit is the way to go. Natural sugar beats glucose any day.

 

[snewdle]

Hmm... ok thanks stipalgl. I also took a look at Anandtech's laptop buyer's guide for 14" and smaller. There are many other less expensive 14" alternatives out there with greater specs, but the problem is that almost all of them seem to lack the high resolution offered on the Sony model. Combined with the fact that the Alienare M11x also has a tiny screen (both physically and in # of pixels) as an 11" model and that it is beyond fugly, I'm back exactly where I started with the Vaio Z. The one drawback is the pricetag. :\ But thanks for your advice. That leaves only the following questions before I finalize my decision:

1. Are there any upcoming notebooks/technology jumps before September/October? I don't want to make a move only to find myself with an obsolete three month old laptop. Yes, I know technology is always on the move. But it tends to come in waves and I just want to make sure that one isn't imminent.

2. How does the laptop's video card fair with respect to what is currently available in today's portable video card market? I've come to temporarily conclude that it is a mediocre-midrange card capable of playing current games at medium settings, but outside confirmation/opinions from you geniuses would be nice!

And on a final note... how dare you select fruit! That was not an option!

 

[Zap]

1. Are there any upcoming notebooks/technology jumps before September/October? I don't want to make a move only to find myself with an obsolete three month old laptop.

IIRC ATI is developing switchable graphics, like NVIDIA's Optimus. Speaking of Optimus, it is supposedly going to be in more and more notebooks.

Besides that, if you get a Core i-something, then you should be good.

One way to make obsolescence hurt a bit less is to spend less to begin with. That is, if you go top end (such as a $2k Vaio Z) then it hurts a lot more when it becomes outdated.

 

[snewdle]

IIRC ATI is developing switchable graphics, like NVIDIA's Optimus. Speaking of Optimus, it is supposedly going to be in more and more notebooks.

Besides that, if you get a Core i-something, then you should be good.

One way to make obsolescence hurt a bit less is to spend less to begin with. That is, if you go top end (such as a $2k Vaio Z) then it hurts a lot more when it becomes outdated.

Yeah I considered the price tag relative to the highly dynamic nature of today's technology market. However, the fact that this notebook will have to last me 4 years makes me inclined to purchase a powerful one to begin with. But I appreciate the advice. I plan to make my purchase at the end of the month when I get paid! Hopefully Sony will offer a 10% student discount or something along those lines.

 

[Vignasty]

I don't really think so, but the alienware M11X should rival the Sony VAIO Z in gaming power, and it would be about $1000 cheaper then a $2000 Vaio Z. It would be a little heavier (4.5 pounds) it would not have a solid state drive (but a 250GB 7200 rpm) unless you paid more for that, but it should get 4-6 hours of battery life. The processor is a little weaker, but the 335m should mean you get about the same gaming performance.

Dell gives you about 10% off with a student discount (Alienware Only). , I think SONY is 5-7%.

The Vaio Z is kind of in a class of its own, as far as I know however. The M11X is a solid competitor though and I think you can snag one for a good 1 grand cheaper. That way instead of having to use the Vaio Z for 4 years, you can get a new M11X 2 years down the road. Because laptop technology gets outdated more quickly then desktop technology, that means the M11x 2 years from now would not only be cheaper, but higher performance then a Vaio Z. Personally instead of going for a laptop that costs twice as much for better specs (but you have to use it for 4 years) I would go for one that costs half as much but you only have to use it for 2 years. I would go for the Vaio Z though if you have a lot of cash, but if you want power 4 years is a long time (especially for a portable, if you got some Alienware M15x/M17x it would obviously destroy for a while).