Sony Vaio Z 2011 Z2 Intel i7 VPCZ2190 - Why you should NOT Buy

[mellowcowism]

Why you should not get it: You're not a millionaire.

[DaSantosx]

damn but the fan sound like the jet of a airplane :S

[tedinoxford]

@mzahan SONY absolutely likes you, a customer who wants to differentiate himself but knows nothing about technology and design.

[mzahan]

I own it for like a month now. I'm really satisfied with it. The issues pointed out by Weng are valid, but they are minor nevertheless, imho. The only real problem is the external GPU. That would have been really nice inside. Fan, keyboard, screen lighting, bevel, all of these are of no importance for anyone buying this lappy for work and not for being fancy. Don't forget the two SSD drives in RAID0. Win7 Pro x64 (fresh) boots in like 5 seconds. Feather light, super speed, number one indeed.

[NSingh9389]

As far as the fan speed goes, can you comment about it while doing regular work? I have no intention to use it for encoding etc. It's primarily a laptop to be used for studying/work. With regard to you using it, is it quiet for the most part? I just bought a custom Vaio Z that'll be here in a week. Thanks for making these videos btw.

[WengsTechToys]

@NSingh9389 I wanted to do a test to see how loud the fan can actually go. Max speed its pretty loud but no where near the Toshiba Lappys when they first shoved an i7 full voltage CPU in. Doing normal work and assignments its pretty quiet - rather happy with fan noise. Not as quiet as the ultra low voltage i7 in a MacAir or Samsung S9 that has no physical fan but it wont annoy you or impact you when your procrastinating with a movie during your assignment.

[NSingh9389]

@WengsTechToys

For comparison, if you know, would a macbook pro be louder than this laptop?

[WengsTechToys]

@NSingh9389 The answer for this I dont know due to owning only a MacAir. However make sure you know you compare the same laptop with the same processor. Many think i7 are all the same however Full Voltage i7 heats up exponentially compared with say the MacAir ultra low voltage etc.

Good thing is that you can go to an Apple store and see if they have a new 2011 i7 Mac for you to test with.

[mgarciah]

it is really hard to shoot all possible unwanted items on such tiny device, If you have $3K for a laptop, you wont need a lot of USB devices, you are not going to share your video with somebody else (viewing angle) in fact you will use a special filter to avoid spying, you wont generate video on the run, your employees will be doing this. keyboard back lit is just to know where the keys are, not to see how bright the keys are, in fact you will have your finger over the keys.

[MercedesBMWPorsche]

Great review and disappointing build quality for Sony's flagship laptop....seems to be a step back from the previous Vaio Z11, Z12, Z13. The poor screen, lack of hybrid graphics, and fan noise are deal breakers for me, I'll stick with my Z12 for now.

[WengsTechToys]

@MercedesBMWPorsche Yea Sony could have done a lot better. Oh well. If you want raw speed and a slick laptop I guess this is still a number one choice.

[5YNT4K]

This is disappointing for a premium laptop :(

[tedinoxford]

@athlone07 ye

[sa8ra6]

still apple great !!!!!!!

[notebookplayer]

thanks for video, was good

[yuan3828]

who would look at their laptop at tht angle? wtf......

[WengsTechToys]

@yuan3828 I'm just letting users know... Even the person sitting next to you will start to see the difference in the colour. This may not be an issue for you but it may be of importance to others.

[tkjones01]

Very informative! Thanks! Wish I watched this before I ordered it last weekend.

Hope your exaggerating a bit there, but looks like I might be looking into Sony return policies.

[vamolospibes]

Sony Z11-Z13 real laptops...

[dmauleon]

Congratulations from Spain. I love your reviews. Keep on the good job. I would like to know your opinion about Chrome OS, android, your windows 8 laptop...

[WengsTechToys]

@dmauleon Thanks Man good to hear! Hopefully i'll get around to do many more different things. Short on funds at the moment but wish I could buy everything and test them all out :D

[DragonsSpirit]

@WengsTechToys

P1/2

Hi, great video and nice thing to actually say why not to buy a product. I really really miss such details in most other reviews.Question: I am currently testing the Samsung Series 9 and there is no way I could ever get something else BUT the Sony has a higher def display, series 9 is 13.1" default res which is the one damn point samsung fucked up in the concept, in my opinion. The screen provides superior brightness of 400+ candela, great black levels/color/contrast...

[WengsTechToys]

@DragonsSpirit I'm planning to test run a Samsung Series 9 too. I've been hovering over it for awhile as it seems like an overlooked laptop that should be looked into! Low profile power adapter? Score!

You seem to be really demanding in terms of display quality - I LIKE IT! haha =)

I use my Sony to cruch my videos that I make here. Previously Samsung really only did core i5 now they have core i7 but even then its low-voltage compared with Sony Full Voltage

[DragonsSpirit]

@WengsTechToys

p1/2

Hm yea the s9 deserves a lot more attention. However looking at the Zs screen in the videos I hardly believe it can match the s9 in terms of brightness and eventually viewing angles. I consider a purchase of the Z, I have 3 days left to refurbish the s9! Drives me nuts...I dont need a workhorse, if so neither of both would be my choice, but 1080p runs fine on the s9 and certainly Z, so the damn screen should have higher res. Again, the res is the only thing bothering me.

[DragonsSpirit]

@WengsTechToys

p2/2

And the price of the Z...I cant figure whether its worth it. But I tend to think it is not. I got 3 years warranty on the s9 now, including accidents etc. for appr. 1370€. There comes the Z and kills me with a decent 2000€ if I want that kind of service, and that dont even include more memory or the slice battery which makes it attractive. And only for the screen a 700+? And a weird keyboard...cant have everything, I suggest we found a new comp to approach perfection.^^

[DragonsSpirit]

@WengsTechToys

And thanks again for your reply, much appreciated. Sometimes I wonder if there will ever be a machine matching my demands and if so, would that include a fair price -.- Perhaps companies have contracts, "dont you dare to create a meaningful package of hardware to harvest all it can give you". Maybe if you get your hands on the s9, you may agree that (aside its own flaws) it would really be a complete winner if only they added a few pixels. Or even sAMOLED^^ ok thats too much...

[WengsTechToys]

@DragonsSpirit I hate to use Apple as an eg again but they do it real well. iphone 4GS/4s? MacAir with Core2duo then sandy bridge. I guess they cant release everything in one go or else they cant make money as a business. It all makes sense I guess. Apple makes billons per iphone so why not a 4s before a 5. Us consumers or 'sheep' are the ones who 'consume' and loose out haha. S9 has many good things but I see many flaws with it also. Hopefully I will get to make a vid about it soon!

[DragonsSpirit]

@WengsTechToys

Yes it has. Hard to make a solid point about this stuff, too much depends on individual preferences and needs. I would not buy a mac myself. In matters of air vs s9 I could consider it but then again, OSX no thanks and very limited energy-saving functions with windows on the macbook terminates one of the important details, long battery life. Apple products deliver very high build quality and finishbut the price/performance ratio is not ok imo. And they have their problems too^^

[DragonsSpirit]

If I was to get a mobile workstation it could never be a macbook pro. I have purchased Lenovo and HP elitebooks, and starting at a price range of 2k+, they will outperform the macbook completely IF design does not matter. Also very durable, also very solid and high quality materials but the CPUs, memory and graphics give you more for the money than with a macbook pro. the iPhone seems to be the same thing, It gives you nice design etc, but a samsung galaxy s2 or note can do more for less again.

[DragonsSpirit]

@WengsTechToys

p2/2

...but the res bothers me. I already saw the Vaio Z screen is not fully non-glare but rather like a mixture, like the "anti-glare" screens apple provides optional. Hows the quality of that panel? its very hard to judge from any video if not the video is layed out to benchmark the screen exclusively, and such a video dont exist. How about black levels? Contrast? Brightness in sunlight? and those lightbars seen in all videos about the Z? Strong? Minor? Annoying? Thanks :)

[WengsTechToys]

@DragonsSpirit Yes, you are correct. There is glare on the screen still but its not too bad. Its very much a mixture. Also the screen is recessed so some people doesnt like that either. Overall the quality of the display is amazing. Looking directly at it of course. Some people may think its a little contrasty but I also think its fine. Probably able to adjust which I havent done. I'm always in the office and dont use it in the sun. lightbars are minor + but noticable (more so to ppl like us!)

[d0ughboy07]

the only best thing about this is its portability. very lightweight. it's best for business professionals who travel a lot. i don't think this laptop can be used for long hours. if i pay $2000 for a laptop, it should have a GPU preinstalled at least. i would settle for a 15-inch macbook pro. price is similar but you get a lot more out of it.

[WengsTechToys]

The hardware and form factor for apple is amazing though. I know a few people who got a macair just for the hardware and looks. All laptops seem to have their pros and cons. Im currently testing the Samsung Series 9 and will see how that goes!

[mavenaz1975]

True. You can thank Intel and Apple for that. Dedicated GPU's are sadly on the way out. That whole if you want to game, get a console nonsense is ripping PC's down to basic levels. The Z1 was the perfect blend, but if they can get the PMD right, Important cool with it. At least its the only thin and light out there with the option. I notice the viewing angles in extreme conditions, otherwise best on market. Expensive, yes. But unlike Apples priced locked hardware, you can get these on sale. :)

[mavenaz1975]

All Sony needs to do in my onpinon is upgrade the video drivers. The PMD is really nice, but it has erratic gaming performance. While it plays Crysis 2 and BFBC2 fine, it struggles with other games like the COD series. If they fix this issue, I will be once happy camper.

[WengsTechToys]

@mavenaz1975 Yea I dont mind the PMD too much but personally I still prefer if Sony had the option to change graphics with a switch similar to the older Vaio Z models. I guess that would affect the size and weight of the unit maybe...

[milosgbg]

spot on mate! Having Z myself couldn't agree with you more :). I don't like that all connection ports are crammed on the right side, invading my mouse "comfort area". Also one big disadvantage is combo audio/mic jack, so you need to buy adapter to plug regular headset (I prefer 3.5mm headsets as they don't occupy USB ports). I would be nice if Sony implemented this in PMD, but no luck. Also trackpad is not responsive as it should be, plus those hidden buttons are quite hard to press.

Cheers,

[christog8383]

Love it, i always watch your stuff before I buy my stuff :)

[addelh]

this is also great!

[WengsTechToys]

@addelh Thank you thank you! Always good to hear :D