Sony Notebook /
Laptop Reviews
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Those clever clogs at Sony have come
up with a brand new range of laptops which promises to deliver a "non-PC"
PC ... and they don't mean it makes fun of old people.
Design
As far as looks go -- yes, this is quite a stylish looking PC. Sony have
come some way to producing a lifestyle PC, but you won't be mistaking it
for anything but a notebook just yet. While Sony is producing some attractive
designs, we'd have to say that Asus and Apple have the better looking models
at present.
Despite this, we like the VAIO's textured
palmtop: it's reminiscent of a carbon-fibre weave. In combination with the
fluorescent green power button and bronze accents it makes this notebook
look like a piece of sporting equipment.
The screen is hinged differently to most
other notebooks in that the hinge extends out from the display, making the
screen look like it "floats" independently of the body. It still
seems quite sturdy, and means the screen can tilt back at almost 180 degrees.
Similar to other Sonys we've seen, there
is no catch to hold the lid in place. This is a good thing -- there is nothing
like fumbling around trying to unlock a notebook when you're in a hurry.
Features
The Sony features the most powerful of graphics processors produced for
thin and light notebooks -- the GeForce Go 7400. It's not the most cutting
edge, but it will certainly enable you to watch HD video, or play the latest
games with a modicum of success.
Four USB ports ensure plenty of connectivity
with external devices, as does the mini-FireWire port, S-Video connector
and D-SUB port. Ethernet and modem are included as per usual. The expansion
slot is the smaller ExpressCard/34 size meaning that the larger ExpressCard
Universal cards, and PCMCIA of course, won't fit.
The notebook comes with two memory card readers
-- one is a Memory Stick Pro reader which will take the smaller Memory Stick
Pro Duo cards, and the other is an ExpressCard adaptor which accepts xD,
SD and MMC.
Performance
The display isn't up to the very high standards Sony have set with their
notebooks of the past. In fact, even amongst its peers, the VGN-C15GP/B's
display is actually quite ordinary. The viewing angle is very limited, and
it's quite difficult to get a good degree of contrast out of it without
tilting it too far back to be useful. This is strange because it uses a
similar reflective coating to that found on most other Sony models -- we'd
suggest the backlighting is the problem here. The clarity of images and
text, however, is otherwise very good.
The keyboard is quite enjoyable to use, and
has an Apple-Macintosh-of-yore feel to it with its square keys. The touchpad
is similarly pleasant, and this is where they have the edge on their Taiwanese
competitors -- no horrible metallic scraping on the fingertips.
We ran the VAIO through a number of different
benchmarks and found that it was on a par for performance with one of our
other favourite laptops -- the Asus U5F. In the MobileMark 2005 productivity
test it returned a score of 169, which is quite good, though not as fast
as the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion you would have to play at a fairly basic
setting. To test the VAIO's ability with next-gen games we ran it through
3DMark 06, and came up with the, not unsurprising, score of 752 marks. This
demonstrates that it's not a great gaming rig, but can plump up its plumage
if needed.
We also used the machine to play briefly,
and informally, through the new RPG Neverwinter Nights 2. While not as visually
stunning as Oblivion it's still quite demanding, and we found the VAIO rendered
it quite well -- if a little jerky.
Battery life was acceptable for a portable
of this size, though certainly not exemplary. Using BAPCO's MobileMark 2005
it petered out just shy of three hours, with a score of 174 minutes. By
comparison, the Asus U5F can manage up to 323 minutes. The trade-off here
is the graphics processor -- the Asus has the barely acceptable (for 3D
graphics, that is) Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 instead of the GeForce
Go 7400. A gruntier adaptor means less battery life. An old, but sad story.
Review provided by www.cnet.com.au
The new VAIO VGN-SZ series are the first Sony notebooks
to use the Hybrid Graphic System, which will be described in detail below.
The base model, VAIO VGN-SZ15GP, runs on the latest dual-core Centrino
platform with magnesium alloy chassis, while the premium VAIO VGN-SZ18GP
has a lighter yet stronger carbon-fibre exterior with a faster processor
and security features.
Upside
Made from the same material as the chassis of race cars, the black carbon-fibre
exterior is very light, yet stronger and more scratch-resistant than magnesium
alloy. This notebook has an understated and classy black-and-grey theme
which sits well in an office environment.
The first in Sony's VAIO line-up to incorporate the Hybrid
Graphic System, the VAIO VGN-SZ18GP has the best of both worlds when it
comes to video rendering. To extend battery life, the integrated Intel
Graphics Media Accelerator 950 GPU is more than adequate for simple computing
tasks without consuming excessive power. But when it comes to intensive
graphics rendering, a flick of a switch and a reboot allow the dedicated
Nvidia GeForce Go 7400 processor to kick in and utilize 128MB of TurboCache
VRAM to boost performance at the cost of increased power consumption.
We feel this new technology breaks new ground as, increasingly, mobile
computers are used both for work and play.
Not forgetting its role as a corporate machine, the VGN-SZ18GP
has a fingerprint biometric sensor, Trusted Platform Module chip and hard
drive password protection up its data security sleeve. Because information
is vital to any business, the hard disk is physically protected with a
3D acceleration sensor that secures the hard drive if it detects sudden
drops or shocks to the system.
The addition of an integrated Webcam above the display also
makes video conferencing a breeze. With seven hours of estimated battery
life, offsite presentations should not be an issue with this thin-and-light
laptop.
Downside
For a AU$3,699 premium notebook with corporate features, the lack of an
S-video port is almost incomprehensible. This makes hooking up to external
analog displays difficult without the optional port replicator base.
The warranty terms are not too attractive for a premium
notebook, offering only one-year local coverage. For a thin-and-light
in this price range, it would have been nice to offer a three-year service
period. Though you can upgrade to international coverage, there is no
extended warranty option.
Outlook
Unlike the song, the best things in life aren't free and at close to AU$4000
for a thin-and-light, it may be out of reach for most people. However,
those with deeper pockets will be hard-pressed to find another notebook
which can offer the build quality and design of the VAIO VGN-SZ18GP, not
to mention the innovative Hybrid Graphic System that gives the user even
greater control options. For work or play, this VAIO notebook definitely
fills both shoes easily.
Review provided by www.cnet.com.au |
