Sony VAIO VPC-Z112GX/S 13.1-Inch Laptop
Best Sony VAIO VPC-Z112GX/S 13.1-Inch Laptop Review
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- 2.4GHz Intel Core i5 – 520M Processor
- 4GB RAM (2GB x 2); DDR3-1066
- 128GB Solid State Drive; DVD/CD RW Optical Drive
- 13.1″ (1600×900) LCD/ (16:9 aspect ratio)
- Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
Best Sony VAIO VPC-Z112GX/S 13.1-Inch Laptop Review
Product Description
Built tough for business, the VAIO Z notebook offers the portability of a 3 lbs (with standard capacity array) form factor with the functionality and performance of a larger computer.
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Machine shhipped with some sort of keyboard defect. (If you have not guuessed yet, it randomly registers multiple keystrokes)
This wouldnn’t be so terrible except Sony technical support isnnn’t there. I called both their normal and after hours lines and they literally weren’t there, they were closed.
For a flagship product line this is an unacceptable issue.
Rating: 1 / 5
First, let me start with the build quality and performance. The machine is very light. Too light really. When I try to push the power button on the side of the computer, the whole machine slides across my desk! The screen looks very nice (much nicer than my Lenovo T410s), but has perhaps too many pixels for the small area. I guess this is fine if you scale up your fonts. The CPU (i5 520m) performance is exceptional, and the Samsung 128GB SSD is blazing quick. But, there are several major caveats:
The screen does look nice but it bends a lot when you pick it up from one corner, a lot more than my Lenovo T410s. The keyboard feels mushy compared to the Lenovo. There is not much resistance. This notebook puts out a crap-load of heat; the bottom gets uncomfortably hot and thus is not really a laptop. The T410s, in contrast, gets slightly warm (the absence of a high-end graphics card like the 330M is probably a major factor).
The solid state drive is not really 128GB. It is two 64GB SSDs in an Intel fake raid-0. Reformatting the disk still leaves you with two 64GB devices, not one 128GB device. YUCK, this is suboptimal. I don’t see how TRIM support (basically wear leveling, please right me if I am incorrect) can possibly work with this setup. Based on what I’ve read on the internet, the lack of TRIM will cause disk performance to gradually degrade over time. I thought that this SSD would be a standard 1.8″, but, it is NOT (it is a non-standard 1.5″, which you can’t find ANYWHERE). A better 1.8″ disk like the Intel X18-M WILL NOT FIT, BEWARE! So if the SSD croaks, you’re screwed and you will have to pay sony huge bucks to repair your laptop if it is not under warranty. Non-standard parts is a huge no-no in my book. If I buy a machine, I expect to have the option to service it myself. This makes that very hard.
The BIOS is the most locked-down I have ever seen! You can’t modify ANY of the CPU options (e.g., virtualization, hyperthreading). THe only thing it can do is change boot order. Pathetic for power users who know what a BIOS is.
Battery life seemed good in Windows, > 5 hours. Unfortunately, I could not get a single linux distribution (OpenSuSE 11.2, Ubuntu 9.10, Ubuntu 10.04, Linux Mint
to get the touchpad to work. This is ridiculous! Also, it is basically impossible to get both the discrete and integrated graphics to play nice in Linux.
Bottom line: If you only use windows and don’t care for Linux, don’t mind the heat, lack of upgradeability/serviceability, and ambiguous specifications, but like the high amount of power packed into a small very light (3lb) package, then this is your laptop. Otherwise, I would recommend something like the T410s, which has much better build quality/reliability and Linux compatibility, if you don’t care about graphics performance and a mediocre screen. If you do care, i’m sure there are alternative offerings from Lenovo, Dell or HP (like the EliteBook) which would do the trick.
This laptop was very disappointing for power users like me; I returned mine after a week and kept the Lenovo T410s instead.
Rating: 1 / 5
Well I have to say this is one of the most gorgeous machines that I have ever used. It is so light at only 3 lbs. It has a quick i5 processor, DVD Rom and a 1GB video card to boot. It has all the things that I am looking for in such a small package. It was this or and Apple macbook. I’m glad I point out this instead. You can not compare this quick machine with Apple until they incorporate an i5 or i7 in their macbook pros.
I downgraded the OS from the factory installed WIN 7 to WIN XP for software compatibility issues, but the largest down size to this is losing 1.5GB of ram. I can only use 2.5GB of ram as appose to the 4GB installed. Not sure if this will become a problem in the future, but only time will tell. I am typing on this right now and the keyboard is so comfortable. I would highly commend it just for the comfort of the keyboard and the nice back lit keyboard. I am able to see all the keys as they are illuminated.
Also just one more note, the largest mistake I made was not to make a backup copy of the WIN 7 CD before I stuck in the Win XP disc. There is no way to reorder the WIN 7 currently, so I will have to wait Sony or someone who buys the same computer to burn me a copy. So I highly recommend that you do that first before anything.
Rating: 4 / 5
I was the first guy to buy this laptop at the Sony store in Beverly Hills– I bought it hours after it arrived. I’ve had it for about six weeks now. It is an exceptional, very high quality and well built machine. It is visually gorgeous and the user experience is the best I have ever experienced with a laptop. It is incredibly quick– in fact with sophisticated benchmark programs it runs nearly as quick as my custom built desktop i5 machine. Even though it is pricey, it is worth the cash. In an odd way, at $1899, it is a excellent buy.
My only gripe is that there seems to be an issue from time to time with the video card or Dynamic Hybrid Graphics System. This system isn’t working out as well as I’d hope. If it was omitted from this machine, it would be a solid 5 star review.
When I first bought the computer it stalled and the video went black nearly every time I used it t play video. After I did the software update the problem went away for the most part. Now the video only crashes about once a week. This is why I am only giving it 4 stars. Overall though, I would by this laptop again in a second. It is light years ahead of everything else I checked out and I am not a Mac guy. They are less prone to software and software based hardware complications but they don’t advance as quickly and you pay a high premium for lesser hardware.
Rating: 4 / 5
A 3 beat laptop is essential to me. I can’t carry the huge guys especially when I’m running around airports. Since I’ve had incredible excellent luck with all my other Sony products, including a 2005 laptop which my lawyer son is still using to show judges videos in incite, and my Sony All-in-Ones, one bought in 2005 and given to the same son who is using it problem-free, and my current much larger All-in-One, I naturally turned to Sony again, after first trying Macs and Dells. This z-series is a dream. I’m using Windows 7 64 bit pro, which has the capability of XP imaging for 32 bit programs. I have 4 G of RAM, 500 SSD hard drive, 303 ghz speed, a long lasting array on which I’ve worked 6-7 hours and still had capacity left on it, a very responsive keyboard, essential to a writer, the bluray R/W drive, and have had nothing but praise for it. The person who downgraded this because it isn’t a Linux machine is absurd. It’s a Windows machine. You want to run Linux and fiddle with your own BIOS, fine. This isn’t for you. But if you want a machine that is light, swift, responsive, and does what all the huge guys do, this is your machine. Also, someone said it heated up as he worked on it. I work on mine in bed for hours, and it doesn’t get hot. I did, you note, pay for extras, so I paid more than the base price, but it’s worth it.
One word about reliability. In 2005, I bought a small Sony laptop and their first All-in-One desktop. I outgrew them, although they never gave me a bit of distress, and passed them on to my son, who is using them both in his law practice. I also have a Sony All-in-One PCV-AHIL, which is superb, marvelous responsive keyboard, blazing quick and in 7 months have never had a thing go incorrect with this either. Ditto my Sony HDTV and bluray player.
Rating: 5 / 5