Destroyed my Sony Viao Z. Need replacement.

[fuzzybabybunny]

From this thread:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2107573

There were a few things that I didn't like about the Sony Z after using it for a while, and was wondering if new notebooks have come out that are better at the Sony in these regards.

Pros:

Very lightweight - ~3.5lb?
Compact.
Excellent screen and excellent resolution (1920x1200).
Good battery life.
Very fast i7 processor @ 2.66GHz (not those slow ~1.8GHz i7's)

Things that I didn't like at all:

Proprietary SSD - they're in RAID, but they still suck. Bad controller, stutters, can't upgrade easily, can't drop into an external enclosure to back up if the rest of the computer gets damaged.

Aluminum build is very thin and not robust at all.

Price

Are there any new lappies out that can get very close to the pros of the Sony Z but can take regular SSDs? Or should I just re-purchase another Sony Z?

 

[corkyg]

Take a look at the HP Elitebook 2540p. It is a bit pricey, but, Max PC gave it a 9 "Kick Ass" award.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/01/hp-adds-elitebook-2540p-and-2740p-to-the-lineup-brings-the-powe/

 

[Emulex]

without a doubt the elitebook are the best enterprise laptops but that does not make them the best consumer laptop. that new Vaio Z that was on sale today at microsoft store does make the mb AIR look weak but you know there are the laws of physics and there is only so much you can cram into a small space (apple knows this best ala ipad pod phone) without running into heat issues. these issues have not gone away with the newest greatest laptops - they are just far more aggressive at downclocking everything (or shutting down) to prevent failure.

the new Z is quite awesome; just make sure you get a damn good warranty for it.