Sony VAIO VGN-SZ270P Review
OverviewDo you want power, good looks, and prestige? The Sony VAIO SZ laptop may be your answer. This thin and light machine comes packed with portable power, a stylish design, and loads of features, while maintaining a light and thin profile. These attributes should definitely appeal to most business users who demand power and portability in a sexy package. The fastest model available uses Intel's Core Duo T2500, clocked at 2.0GHz with other models available in 1.86GHz. It is also equipped with 1GB DDR2 (supporting up to 2GB) RAM, up to a 120GB 5400RPM hard drive, and a beautiful 13.3-inch widescreen LCD with XBRITE technology. Powering the sleek display is a Hybrid Graphics System, allowing you to switch between a discrete NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 graphics chip and integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950.. It also doesn't fall short in the communication spectrum, with built-in Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g, Bluetooth and even Wide Area Network (WWAN) so you can surf online anywhere with cellular coverage. With these specs, one may find this machine ideal for both travel and as a desktop replacement, but the SZ weighs less than 4 pounds! But of course, with so many great things going for it, there are a couple of drawbacks that we'll discuss in this review.
This sleek machine is available in two versions: The SZ Premium model, which sports a Carbon Fiber case weighing 3.7 pounds and a razor thin LCD panel, and the standard SZ model which is wrapped in a magnesium alloy case and weighs 4.1 pounds. Speaking from my personal preference, this laptop fits the profile both as a perfect work machine for home and on the go. Add the optional docking station for additional connectivity including more USB ports and DVI to turn it into a portable desktop replacement machine. Of course, for a premium laptop, expect to pay a premium price. The lowest model sells for around $1800 and the most expensive configurations can reach up to $2600.
Design Portability
Mobility is in demand, especially for people who travel frequently where every ounce matters. Classified as thin-and-light, the VAIO SZ excels in portability. Measuring 12.5-inches wide, 9.3-inches long and only 0.9-inches thick at the front section and extending 1.3-inches thick towards the back, this slim notebook is made to slip easily inside most laptop carry cases or backpacks. At 3.72 pounds with the standard battery, the VAIO SZ (Premium) is intended to accompany you everywhere you go, best suited for heavy travelers such as students and business professionals. Even the 4.1 pound standard SZ model won't break your back.
VAIO SZ stacked on top of the Apple MacBook Pro
Case and Design
Like previous models, Sony assembled an aesthetically chic yet sleek modern business laptop. The two tone inverted color scheme keeps it sleek and refined, with black wrapping around the carbon-fiber top lid and bottom chassis.
Carbon fiber lid with VAIO moniker.
A brushed charcoal finish covers the surface around the keyboard and palm rest area extending around the hinge and the sides adding to its clean and smooth looks.
One of the striking design elements lies in the laptop's ultra-thin LCD panel measuring only 4.5mm (.18') thick. To accomplish this, Sony adopted LED (Light-emitting diode) backlight technology (more on this in the display section of the review). Even for such a thin LCD screen, the SZ manages to squeeze in a built-in web camera with microphone at the top-center of the panel.
So thin, yet so sexy.
For added durability similar to the VAIO TX, the VAIO SZ Premium model is encased in a multi-layered carbon-fiber casing, which is stronger yet lighter than other materials (i.e. magnesium-alloy) used in most notebooks today, including the SZ standard model. The top of the line VGN-SZ281P/X comes with the Premium Carbon Fiber. Go here for a comparison break down between the Premium and standard models.
Carbon Fiber Premium Carbon Fiber Magnesium
A status indicator panel is also built on the top edge of the keyboard area. In this set, you will find status for power, battery, hard drive, WLAN, WWAN, and Bluetooth which illuminates in blue, green and orange.
Between the indicator panel and keyboard is a set of hot keys, switches and the power button. The S1 & S2 are special-function buttons that are user-assigned to a particular function. At default, S1 button turns the volume on and off and the S2 button lowers the CPU speed to reduce fan noise. Of course, you can change these button assignments to your liking. Next is the Stamina/Speed switch, where you can select between the internal graphics (Intel GMA 950) for battery efficiency or external graphics (NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400) for robust graphics performance. And lastly, the wireless switch is to turn on Wi-Fi/Bluetooth or off to conserve battery.
Keyboard
In the past, I haven't been too fond of Sony's keyboard comfort level with the exception of the A series. However, the keyboard quality on the SZ has improved. The keyboard layout offers a spacious area for typing, with large-sized keys to prevent any type of cramping or even mistyping. I can type quickly, accurately, and quite comfortably. In fact, I'm typing this review on it right now. The keys aren't mushy or stiff by any means, but they don't offer the same type of 'soft' and 'quiet' comfort-level feel found on the keyboard from the Apple MacBook Pro. Thanks to the 3mm key level depth, it offers adequate depression levels to ensure a better typing experience. Noise generation is a bit loud when typing. Overall, this keyboard is sufficient for my level of typing, but doesn't match the quality levels of the MacBook Pro or ThinkPads.
| VAIO VGN-SZ270P Keyboard | |
| Number of keys | 86 keys |
| Number of rows | 6 rows |
| Key Pitch/Stroke | 19.05mm / 3mm |
| Special/Function Keys | Fn+F1: Wireless switching |
Touchpad
The touchpad measures 2.6-inches wide and 2.3-inches in length, offering sufficient surface area to allow comfortably gliding of one's finger. The silver flush surface is clean and smooth, sensitive to touch and responds accurately to movement. As with most touch pads, it also allows for tapping to execute an action if you prefer not to use the click buttons. You can also drag objects on the screen using this touchpad.
To the right edge of the surface area, the touchpad has a function to scroll vertically. This allows you to scroll in applications like Internet Explorer when sliding your finger in the appropriate direction. At the bottom edge of the surface area, the touchpad has a function to scroll horizontally. The two click buttons are appropriately sized and exhibit minimal noise when clicking. In between the left and right click buttons is the fingerprint reader, which could be used for vertical scrolling too. Everything here functions smoothly and accurately.
Design Continued Connectivity Options
Front
The LCD panel does not come with any type of latch mechanism to secure the display when shut and while it appears the hinges are strong enough to securely shut the display, users might worry about any loose items in their bag slipping in between the display and keyboard. The display opens very easily and lightly, thanks in part to the ultra-thin LCD panel. When shut, the screen hovers slightly over the keyboard and palm rest area, reinforced by six rubber pads to prevent the screen from touching the keyboard and wrist area.
Rear
The rear panel contains air ventilation, power port, and security slot.
Left Side
On the left side, you will find the microphone jack, headphone jack, air vent, i.LINK (IEEE 1394) S400 FireWire port, VGA monitor output, PC Card slot, and Memory Stick Duo/PRO Duo media slot.
Right Side
The optical drive, ExpressCard/34 slot, and two Hi-Speed USB 2.0 ports are present; although three USB 2.0 ports would be ideal. The Ethernet and modem jacks are protected behind plastic covers - which is odd since every other port on this machine is left out in the open. Perhaps Sony figures these aren't used as often in our high speed, wireless world?
The WWAN antenna is also mounted on the right side.
Express Card
The new ExpressCard format is becoming more prevalent on modern laptops, including the VAIO SZ series. It offers a smaller, faster solution than PC cards, utilizing the bandwidth of the PCI Express bus. This format is perfect for the new high performance, high bandwidth mobile devices like TV tuners and WWAN cards. The VAIO SZ comes with an ExpressCard memory reader that supports Secure Data (SD) and Memory Stick Pro/Duo.
Heat and Noise
Similar to the VAIO TX I reviewed earlier, the SZ suffers from the same type of fan issue - it is very noticeable and it never stops! The cooling fan on this machine operates based on processor load, and the fan noise generated from the VAIO SZ is moderately loud and noticeable under most circumstances, and highly noticeable in a quiet environment. When the fan begins to spin, it never ceases. This is attributed to the type of fan/thermal solution used in this computer. Comparing the noise level from the Apple MacBook Pro or a ThinkPad T42, this machine is noticeably louder.
At a frequency of 1.0GHz and undertaking tasks such as word processing, the fan noise is still noticeable but spins at a constant rate. During general Internet/email usage and word processing with the AC power plugged in, the fan begins to spin more noticeably and creates a low-pitched whooshing sound as the air passes through the system's vents in the rear. When using the laptop for prolonged use or when the processor is set to run at full-speed, the fan operates faster, thus noise level becomes substantially more noticeable. The good news is you can control the CPU fan, but to a certain & minimal extent in the VAIO Power Management application [more on this in the battery section]. Despite this option, Sony needs to work on its cooling solution to minimize the sound levels exhibited from the CPU fan.
Heat build up on this laptop is minimal despite its thin profile. Temperatures reached 53 degrees after prolonged use. The system becomes slightly warm during heavy loads, but never comes close to reaching uncomfortable levels like the MacBook Pro. Only the bottom section exhibits most of the heat build up.
Upgrading and Expansion
The only easily accessible upgrade component is the memory. The optical drive, hard drive, and CPU require that the user to fully disassemble the entire laptop. Due to this very shortcoming, we posted a step-by-step user guide to upgrade the hard drive here . The memory compartment is accessible at the bottom using a standard Philips screwdriver.
Features
Technical Specifications
The Sony VAIO SZ series uses Intel's Core Duo processor, our specific model the VGN-S270P being equipped with the T2400 clocked at 1.83GHz. Higher end SZ models come with the faster T2500 2.0GHz CPU. Intel's Core Duo sports a 2MB shared L2 cache, runs on a 667MHz Front Side Bus, and is built on a 65nm manufacturing process. The maximum power dissipation (Thermal Design Power, TDP) of the Core Duo models is rated at 31W.
To conserve power, the SZ is one of the first laptops to come equipped with a Hybrid Graphics System. This means it comes with the integrated Intel GMA950 graphics using 128MB dynamically shared RAM and a discrete NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 with 128MB memory. With a simple switch (labeled Stamina or Speed) located above the keyboard, you have the option to toggle between the integrated Intel chip to maximize power efficiency or select the discrete NVIDIA chip for enhanced graphics performance.
The SZ uses the Intel 945 chipset, which supports dual-channel memory. Depending on the SZ model, it comes with either a 512MB DDR2 PC4200 533MHz (expandable to 2GB), 1GB dual-channel (2x512MB DDR2 RAM modules) or 2GB dual-channel (2x1GB DDR2 RAM modules).
The hard drive included in our machine is a 2.5-inch 120GB from Toshiba, spinning at 5400RPM with 8MB cache using the Serial ATA interface. The hard drive operates silently, while both idle and seeking, and can rarely be heard even in a quiet room. Performance is excellent on this hard drive and the 120GB of storage space is extremely useful. Sony doesn't offer any of the SZ models with 7200RPM; but again, if you plan on equipping this machine with a faster 7200RPM hard drive, check out Laptop Logic SZ hard drive guide. To help protect your hard drive from loosing data or corruption, Sony employs their G-Sensor Shock Protection. The hard drive head will automatically park to protect the disc from damage when it detects sudden movement.
The SZ comes with a single speaker, placed above the keyboard along the hot key buttons. It's no surprise sound quality is nothing impressive, so I'd recommend using one of the external speaker solutions , a set of headphones, or the Creative Audigy 2 SZ PCMCIA for a better sound experience.
Display
One of the most striking features found on this thin-and-light laptop is its ultra-thin and wide-aspect 13.3-inch WXGA (1280 x 800 resolution) TFT LCD screen. It also incorporates Sony's XBRITE technology (glossy screen) to enhance image clarity and optimized for outdoor viewing. An anti-reflective coating is applied to minimize reflections but glare is still noticeable in some cases.
Image quality is impressive, as it is bright and evenly lit across the entire screen, vibrant, and sharp; even surpassing the quality of the VAIO TX we reviewed earlier. In 2D desktop use, it provides more than enough brightness and contrast, with colors appearing bright and true. Text is very sharp, although some may be squinting as text is quite small; but to the rescue is a magnification button (F10) to switch the resolution from a high 1280x800 to 1064x600. The response rate is fast enough to keep up with movies without significant 'ghosting.' In addition, scrolling through a webpage full of text does not exhibit a lot of motion blur.
For a relatively small screen, the 13.3-inch widescreen offers a decent amount of desktop real estate. One can bring up two Word documents side by side and comfortably view both files. It also offers decent viewing angles; viewing the screen from a slight angle (horizontally or vertically) causes minimal distortion of the colors and brightness. When watching DVD movies, video quality is smooth and color rendering is rich. Connecting the VAIO SZ laptop externally (capable up to 1920x1200) to mirror on my Dell 24-inch widescreen LCD was simple as connecting the VGA cable and pressing the F7 key. With the optional docking station, you can transform the VAIO SZ to use DVD-D!
LED Backlight
Like the VAIO TX, the VAIO SZ also incorporates a Light-emitting diode (LED) backlight technology and newly designed display circuitry. As mentioned earlier, the VAIO SZ sports an ultra-thin LCD panel measuring 4.5 mm (.18 inch) thin. LED backlighting allows for the LCD display to be slimmer and consumes less power compared to conventional Cold Cathode Fluorescent Light (CCFL) backlighting found in most modern laptop displays. Even though white LEDs are built inside the bottom edges of the LCD panel, the entire screen is evenly lit. LED is also responsible in delivering more realistic red and green colors so images appear truer. Note: the thin LCD panel is only available in the VAIO SZ Premium models and not the standard SZ models.
Wi-Fi, WWAN and Bluetooth
As part of the 'Centrino Duo' trio (CPU, Chipset & Wi-Fi), the VAIO SZ comes with the Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG network card, which can connect to 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g wireless networks. As mentioned earlier in the design section of the review, the VAIO SZ includes a switch to turn on or off the Wireless LAN located above the keyboard, which helps conserve battery when WiFi is not needed. In regards to wireless performance, signal strength and download speeds were excellent overall with no issues to report.
Another form of wireless is also built-in the VAIO SZ that goes beyond the radius of 802.11a/b/g network. The VAIO SZ employs Wireless Wide Area Network (WAN) built-in, accessing the Cingular Wireless National EDGE Network. This allows you to wirelessly connect to the internet anywhere within Cingular's cellular coverage. The VAIO SZ has a SIM chip built-in, just like the SIM chip in most cellular phones (Cingular, T-Mobile) to identify the phone or in this case, the laptop you have.
According to Cingular, the EDGE 3G network has download speeds of 70 to 135 kilobits per second (kbps), which isn't close even to broadband speeds of 1 to 5 megabits per second (Mbps), but is still faster than dial-up. Certainly the EDGE networks gives mobile users flexibility in staying connected virtually anywhere, but for a cost. Check Cingular's business section for the latest pricing to subscribe to Cingular EDGE.
Cingular EDGE Manager
The VAIO SZ also features integrated Bluetooth wireless technology to wirelessly sync with Bluetooth enabled devices like printers, mice, keyboard, PDA, and cellular phones at up to 33 feet (10 meters) in range. I connected the Logitech V270 Bluetooth mouse and Logitech DiNovo Bluetooth keyboard with ease, thanks to the Add Bluetooth Device Wizard that detected the mouse and keyboard immediately with no software drivers needed in order for it to operate. The Logitech V270 Bluetooth mouse and Logitech diNovo Bluetooth keyboard felt responsive and precise without ever loosing connection. Although Bluetooth works within a smaller scope, it is useful for connecting multiple devices simultaneously.
With three different types of wireless technologies all integrated in the VAIO SZ, it comes with a simple wireless management application called SmartWi. The intuitive and ease application manages the EDGE connection, Bluetooth and Intel PRO 802.11a/b/g wireless. You can manually select the wireless format you want to enable - WWAN and WLAN cannot run simultaneously although Bluetooth can be used in conjunction with either WWAN or WLAN.
Features Continued Motion Eye
Mounted in the bezel at the top-center of the LCD panel is a built-in web camera and microphone, ideal for video conferencing with popular instant messaging programs such as MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, and SKYPE.
Video conferencing performed well, with image quality being decent when tested using SKYPE video under normal light conditions.
Optical Drive
The built-in dual-layer/dual-format optical drive is made by Matshita. This drive is capable of burning & reading DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, CD-R/RW discs. Upon inserting a DVD movie, the drive loads the movie quickly; however it exhibits a fair level of noise. The drive burned a couple of audio CDs and a backup recovery DVD disc with no problems to report.
To conserve battery life, the optical drive can be shut off using the Sony Power Manager which we'll dive into a bit deeper in the next couple of sections.
The supported read and write capabilities are as follows:
- Read: 24X CD-ROM/CD-R, 8X DVD, 2X DVD-RAM
- Write: 2.4X DVD+R DL, 4X DVD+R, 2.4X DVD+RW, 4X DVD-R, 2X DVD-RW
Battery
The rated capacity and voltage of the 8-cell lithium ion battery are 5200 mAh and 11.4V, respectively. The 8-cell does not protrude from the back of the machine, however like most VAIO laptops, the battery tends to shift when moving the laptop around. Luckily, there is a lock switch at the bottom to hold the battery in place. There were a couple of occasions when I didn't switch the lock on and the laptop completely shut down as the battery shifted and disengaged from the laptop. Battery performance is satisfactory, lasting almost 3 hours and 17 minutes in our DVD test.
Remember to switch the battery lock in place to prevent the battery from disengaging from the laptop.
If you need additional battery time, you can purchase an additional large capacity battery for a pricey $299.
AC Adapter
The VAIO SZ AC adapter is on the small side, measuring 5.5-inches long, 2.5-inches wide and 1.5-inches thick, which is compact and easy to slip inside a carrying case or backpack pocket. Unfortunately, it does not come with a Velcro strap to organize the lengthy power cables.
Biometric Fingerprint Sensor
Safeguarding your critical files is instrumental for any business, so being a business notebook, the SZ Premium comes equipped with a biometric fingerprint sensor. After enrolling a Fingerprint, simply slide your finger on the sensor to logon to your computer, quick access to certain websites, and access to the encrypted 'My Safe' folder.
The 'My Safe' folder is a folder that can only be accessed once the fingerprint has been verified. You can store critical files, preventing any unauthorized access.
The Biometric feature works very well, as the initial enrollment stage ensures you swipe your finger consistently to capture your fingerprint accurately.
To further safeguard your VAIO laptop, the SZ has the embedded Trusted Platform Module (TPM) so you can encrypt and decrypt data. You can enable this feature by entering the BIOS menu (hitting F2 during boot).
Power Management
The VAIO Power Management Viewer, which is an application to allow you to change the power scheme that affects CPU performance, battery life, LCD brightness, and noise level. This is an excellent feature that allows you to adjust the performance level, maintain low fan noise, and ensure the battery will operate longer by changing further settings such as LCD brightness or shutting off the optical drive.
Adjusting the CPU fan noise can be accomplished with a total of five settings, with Level 1 being absolutely quiet and Level 5 optimized for performance. At the lowest setting, the laptop does appear to run a bit more quiet than usual. So does this actually minimize the fan noise? Slightly, but not enough to minimize the overall loud & constant noise.
Other available user-adjustable settings include enabling or disabling the i.LINK port, optical drive, and built-in modem.
Software
- Sony included a vast array of software applications to streamline your computing experience. The Sony original software is comprised of:
- SmartWi Connection Manager as explained earlier
- Click to DVD - DVD Creation
- DVgate Plus - Digital Video
- SoncStage - Digital Music, SonicStage Mastering Studio software with MP3 encoder
- VAIO Media Network File Sharing
- Image Converter for PSP transferring.
Additional software includes:
- Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition
- Quicken 2006 New User Edition
- InterVideo WinDVD
- Roxio DigitalMedia SE
- Microsoft Works 8.6 and Microsoft Office 2003 60-day trial Small Business Ed.
As for the utilities:
- Norton Internet Security, Norton AntiVirus, Norton Personal FireWall, Norton Privacy Control
- SpySubtract 30 day subscription
- Sony VAIO update
- Sony VAIO recovery wizard
- Sony VAIO support central.
I should also note Sony did clutter the drive with several trial applications like AOL, Microsoft Office 2003, and Norton suite. It should be mentioned Sony did not include any recovery discs. Instead they supply the VAIO Recovery Wizard application for you to create your own recovery discs by burning them onto a recordable DVD or CD. The system-restore data is hidden on a hard drive partition, allowing you the option of restoring your computer directly from the hard drive.
Setup Method
The Sony VAIO VGN-SZ270P was set to run at full performance by setting the power scheme set to 'Home/Office Desk' with the AC plugged in, meaning that the CPU will not underclock while running the tests. For the battery performance test, the power scheme was set to 'Portable/Laptop'. This activates Intel's Enhanced Speedstep technology, which lowers CPU speed when not needed, thus increasing battery life. Screen brightness and audio were both set to 50%, Bluetooth was disabled and Wi-Fi were turned on. Each test was repeated 3 times to ensure accuracy. Before each test was run, the laptop was rebooted and its hard drive defragmented.
Bapco SYSmark2004SE is popular benchmark suite consists of two different performance scenarios and generates an overall score by taking the geometric mean of the individual scores.
- Internet Content Creation: In this scenario, the content creator creates a product related website targeting a broadband and narrowband audience. The user first renders a 3D model to a bitmap, while preparing web pages using a web site publishing tool. The user opens a video editing package, creates a movie from several raw input movie cuts and sound cuts and starts exporting it. While waiting on this operation, the user imports the rendered image into an image-processing package; modifies it and saves the results. Back in the 3D modeling software, the user modifies a 3D model and exports it to a vector-graphics format. Once the movie is assembled, the user edits it and creates special effects using one of the modified images as input. The user extracts content from an archive. Meanwhile, he uses an animation creation tool to open the exported 3D vector graphics file. He modifies it by including other pictures and optimizes it for faster animation. The final movie with the special effects is then compressed in a format that can be broadcast over broadband Internet. The web site is given the final touches and the system is scanned for viruses.
- Office Productivity: In this scenario, the office productivity user creates a marketing presentation and supporting documents for a new product. The user receives email containing a collection of documents in a compressed file. The user reviews his email and updates his calendar while a virus checking software scans the system. The corporate web site is viewed and the user begins creating the collateral documents. The user also accesses a database and runs some queries. A collection of documents are compressed. The queries' results are imported into a spreadsheet and used to generate graphical charts. The user then transcribes a document.. The user edits and adds elements to a slide show template. Finally, the user looks at the results of his work (both the slide show and the portable document) in an Internet browser.
Setup Method
The Sony VAIO VGN-SZ270P was set to run at full performance by setting the power scheme set to 'Home/Office Desk' with the AC plugged in, meaning that the CPU will not underclock while running the tests. For the battery performance test, the power scheme was set to 'Portable/Laptop'. This activates Intel's Enhanced Speedstep technology, which lowers CPU speed when not needed, thus increasing battery life. Screen brightness and audio were both set to 50%, Bluetooth was disabled and Wi-Fi were turned on. Each test was repeated 3 times to ensure accuracy. Before each test was run, the laptop was rebooted and its hard drive defragmented.
Bapco SYSmark2004SE is popular benchmark suite consists of two different performance scenarios and generates an overall score by taking the geometric mean of the individual scores.
- Internet Content Creation: In this scenario, the content creator creates a product related website targeting a broadband and narrowband audience. The user first renders a 3D model to a bitmap, while preparing web pages using a web site publishing tool. The user opens a video editing package, creates a movie from several raw input movie cuts and sound cuts and starts exporting it. While waiting on this operation, the user imports the rendered image into an image-processing package; modifies it and saves the results. Back in the 3D modeling software, the user modifies a 3D model and exports it to a vector-graphics format. Once the movie is assembled, the user edits it and creates special effects using one of the modified images as input. The user extracts content from an archive. Meanwhile, he uses an animation creation tool to open the exported 3D vector graphics file. He modifies it by including other pictures and optimizes it for faster animation. The final movie with the special effects is then compressed in a format that can be broadcast over broadband Internet. The web site is given the final touches and the system is scanned for viruses.
- Office Productivity: In this scenario, the office productivity user creates a marketing presentation and supporting documents for a new product. The user receives email containing a collection of documents in a compressed file. The user reviews his email and updates his calendar while a virus checking software scans the system. The corporate web site is viewed and the user begins creating the collateral documents. The user also accesses a database and runs some queries. A collection of documents are compressed. The queries' results are imported into a spreadsheet and used to generate graphical charts. The user then transcribes a document.. The user edits and adds elements to a slide show template. Finally, the user looks at the results of his work (both the slide show and the portable document) in an Internet browser.
Bapco MobileMark 2005 is the latest version of the premier notebook battery life and performance under battery life metric based on real world applications.
- Office Productivity: The workloads in this category model a mobile professional at a fictitious automobile company. The worker creates documents using Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, accesses email, and creates graphics and animation with Photoshop and Flash to include in a multimedia presentation. An Internet browser is used to view presentations. The user also invokes file compression and virus detection in the background.
- DVD Playback: The DVD playback 2005 workload is based on a 1 hours 55 minute movie that BAPCo has created from content provided by BMW. The DVD playback test starts the movie playerapplication, sets up a full screen playback, and the loops over the content on the disk in the DVDplayer. This playback will continue until system shutdown at battery depletion.
3DMark 2001 SE PRO build 3.3.0 measures graphics performance by benchmarking the CPU, memory, and graphics through a series of 21 tests, including simulated games, theoretical tests, DX8 feature tests, and image quality tests. Resolution was set to 1024x768 with all default settings.
3DMark 2003 build 3.6.0 measures DX9 performance through a series of 3D game based sound, graphics, and CPU tests. Resolution was set to 1024x768 with all default settings.
3DMark2005 build 1.2.0 is a graphics intensive benchmark best suited for the latest generation of DirectX 9.0 graphics cards. It combines high quality 3D tests, CPU tests, and is the first benchmark to require Pixel Shader 2.0 support, making this a highly stressful 3D benchmark.
PCMark 2005 Advanced build 1.1.0 is the latest update to Futuremark's popular overall system benchmarking program. The 2005 version adds multithreading, DirectX 9, Windows Media Player 10, virus scanning, High Defintion video playback (WMVHD), and a vast number of other tests to its suite. Testing your computer's CPU, RAM, hard drive and graphics card, PCMark05 drives your computer to the max to determine its strengths and weaknesses.
Quake 4 (v1.0.4) using a custom timedemo.
Medium Test :
| High Test :
|
FEAR (Version 1.2) with the following tests and graphic settings:
Test1 (Low Graphics Quality):
| Test2 (Medium Graphics Quality):
|
Configurations
| Specifications | Sony VAIO SZ270P | Lenovo Thinkpad X60s | MSI S271 |
| Processor | Intel Core Duo T2400 1.83GHz | Intel Core Duo L2400 (1.66GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, Dual Core) | AMD Turion X2 TL-50 (1.60GHz, 512MB L2 Cache) |
| Front Side Bus | 667 MHz | 667MHz | 2000 MHz |
| Chipset | 945GM | Intel 945GM | ATI RS485M |
| LCD | 13.3-inch Widescreen XBRITE (1280x800) | 12" XGA TFT LCD (1024x768) | 12" XGA TFT LCD (1024x768) |
| Hard Drive | 120GB Toshiba 5400RPM 8MB Cache SATA | 80GB Toshiba MK8032GSX 5400RPM 8MB Cache SATA | 80GB Toshiba 5400RPM 8MB Cache SATA |
| Memory | 1GB DDR2 PC2-4200 533MH | 512MB DDR2 667 PC5300 SDRAM | 512MB DDR2 667 PC5300 SDRAM (1 x 512MB) in |
| Graphics | Nvidia GeForce Go 7400 128MB | Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950 | ATI Xpress 200M |
| Graphics Interface | VGA-out | VGA-out | VGA-out |
| Optical Drive | Dual Layer DVD burner | CD-RW/DVD-ROM (Ultrabase X6) | Dual Layer DVD Burner |
| Weight | 3.7 lbs. with 8-cell battery | 3.46 lbs. with 8-cell battery | 4.5 lbs. with 8-cell battery |
| Operating System | Windows XP Pro w/SP2 | Windows XP Pro w/SP2 | Windows XP Pro w/SP2 |
| Battery | 5,200 mAh | 5,200 mAh | 4400 mAh |
Bapco SYSmark2004SE
Internet Content Creation
Office Productivity
Total Score
PCMark05 Advanced
TheSony VAIO SZdominates once again. Multimedia applications benefit greatly from L2 cache, and the VAIO SZ's Core Duo contains an ample 2MB of shared L2 cache.
Here are the associated scores:
| PCMark05 | SZ270P | Thinkpad X60s | MSI S271 |
| CPU | 4264 | 3867 | 3243 |
| Memory | 2898 | 2676 | 2870 |
| Graphics | 2218 | 887 | 859 |
| HDD | 3352 | 2984 | 2802 |
and the PCMark05 Advanced Overall Score:
Multi-Tasking Performance
We added these tests for a better way to compare dual core systems. Looking at numerous testing methods and results, we found the existing SYSmark2004SE benchmarks to be an excellent choice. The tests are easily performed and repeatable, providing a consistent and simple way to test dual core systems. The three sub-tests below show a noticeable correlation in CPU and memory performance, the two most important aspects of a multi-CPU system.
Bapco SYSmark2004SE
3D Content Creation
"The user renders a 3D model to a bitmap using 3ds max 5.1, while preparing web pages in Dreamweaver MX. Then the user renders a 3D animation in a vector graphics format."
Again, as with the previous SYSmark benchmarks, the VAIO SZ's Core Duo hands the S271's Turion X2 andthe ThinkPad X60 a resounding defeat. However, both laptops show a very strong showing in this benchmark when compared with single core CPUs.
2D Content Creation
"The user uses Premiere 6.5 to create a movie from several raw input movie cuts and sound cuts and starts exporting it. While waiting on this operation, the user imports the rendered image into Photoshop 7.01, modifies it and saves the results. Once the movie is assembled, the user edits it and creates special effects using After Effects 5.5."
Again, performance is as expected, with theVAIO SZdefeating the X60 andS271 by a long shot.
Web Publication
"The user extracts content from an archive using WinZip 8.1. Meanwhile, he uses Flash MX to open the exported 3D vector graphics file. He modifies it by including other pictures and optimizes it for faster animation. The final movie with the special effects is then compressed using Windows Media Encoder 9 series in a format that can be broadcast over broadband Internet. The web site is given the final touches in Dreamweaver MX and the system is scanned by VirusScan 7.0."
Since we didn't run gaming tests on the MSI S271 and Lenovo ThinkPad X60, we put up the T60 equipped with ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 with 128MB RAM.
Quake 4
The NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 and the ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 put up a very competitive race.
FEAR
The Nvidia GeForce GO 7400 wins here in this test.
3D Performance3DMark 2001 SE
3DMark 2003
3DMark 05
It's obvious here the discrete NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 is substantially faster than the integrated solutions found in the X60 and S271.
Battery Performance
The VAIO SZ runs fairly decent here lasting 4 hours and 25 minutes however it doesn't come close to the extended ThinkPad X60's battery life.
The MSI S271 with Turion 64 X2 beats the Core Duo here.
Lasthing 3 hours and 17 minutes in the DVD test, it's able to pass throughmost DVD movies easily.
Conclusion
Pros:
- Thin & light; Highly portable
- Carbon Fiber chassis
- Decent battery life
- Great design
- 13.3-inch widescreen with XBRITE built on LED
- Biometric security, and MySafe
- Hybrid Graphics System
Cons:
- Constant running fan
- Exhibits noise: CPU fan, keyboard, optical drive
- Expensive
- No DVI
Recommendation
The Sony SZ is arguably one of the most versatile laptops on the market. This laptop is packed full of powerful features without compromising on weight, function, or style. The strikingly vibrant and sharp 13.3-inch widescreen with XBRITE is one of best displays Ive seen. Thanks to the relatively new LED backlight technology, colors appear richer and more evenly & brightly lit. The screen offers sufficient desktop real estate for a portable machine as well. Having a hybrid graphics system is great since users have can switch between graphics chips to conserver battery life, but I dont see it making a huge impact on giving you more battery juice. However, the discrete Nvidia GeForce Go 7400 offers much improved graphics performance.
The VAIO SZ is all about productivity. Its equipped with every single communication offering you would ever need. The Motion Eye webcamera with microphone is a nice touch to communicate with colleagues or friends via video & audio. If youre on the road and need wireless broadband, this machine also has WWAN to connect to Cingulars Wireless National EDGE service. And with Wi-Fi access nearby, the VAIO SZ can connect to either 802.11 a, b, or g networks. The Intel Core Duo dual mobile CPU is plenty powerful enough to handle your business tasks and more. To protect your sensitive data, the SZ is one of the more secure laptops, thanks to the biometric security offerings and embedded Trusted Platform Module (TPM).
Sony needs to work on its cooling solution to minimize the sound levels exhibited from the CPU fan. Not only does it never cease, but it doesnt really throttle down either. The keyboard and optical drive also exhibit a lot of noise too. Despite these shortcomings, the VAIO SZ comes on the top of my list as one of the most desirable thin-and-light business laptop currently available. The extremely lightweight, excellent design and strong features makes the VAIO SZ my ideal power-on-the-go laptop. Users who want a more quiet and more rugged business laptop should opt for the Lenovo ThinkPad T60 or X60 series.
Availability/Warranty
The Sony VAIO SZ series is available in either Premium or standard models. Prices range from $1800 to $2600 depending on specifications. Sony offers one (1) year limited warranty.
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