Get MBP 15" or keep Vaio Z 2011

[butters149]

Hello,

I need your opinion, I used to own a late 2009 MBP 15" and then I recently switched to the Sony Vaio Z 2011 with the Power Media Dock. And I was wondering now, should I get a new MBP 2011 15" or keep the sony, the reason why I am thinking abut this is because the sony is good, but the keyboard feels cheap and the backlight is dim, and yellow, it doesnt stay on all the time like the MBP.

But which computer has the better graphics card I do occasionally game, so this is important to me.

 

[maflynn]

You're asking on a mac forum - so don't be surprised by the answers

I'm not familiar with the sony laptop, so I'll say get the MBP because its a great laptop.

 

[heisenberg123]

Hello,

I need your opinion, I used to own a late 2009 MBP 15" and then I recently switched to the Sony Vaio Z 2011 with the Power Media Dock. And I was wondering now, should I get a new MBP 2011 15" or keep the sony, the reason why I am thinking abut this is because the sony is good, but the keyboard feels cheap and the backlight is dim, and yellow, it doesnt stay on all the time like the MBP.

But which computer has the better graphics card I do occasionally game, so this is important to me.

what is the graphics card in the Sony?

 

[butters149]

it is the 6650M amd radeon

 

[Guru53]

If I recall correctly your laptop has the dock with an external graphics card you connect to right? Well, with thunderbolt, an external pcie card could eventually be connected to the MBP via this interface. I kow visock is currently working on one that should be released in a few months. Really the best of both worlds.

 

[butters149]

yes mine has the dock wit hthe external graphics card. however the graphics card in it is not very good. for sony's top of the line laptop it feels kind of cheap.

 

[Maven1975]

yes mine has the dock wit hthe external graphics card. however the graphics card in it is not very good. for sony's top of the line laptop it feels kind of cheap.

Hey Butters!

Bumped into you a few times on NBR, but had the same issue. I actually prefer OSX to Windows, but only like Apples 15" MBP with the Antiglare screen. Its a hard call for sure. The Z1 was better in my opinion because it could be used on the go and pump out some impressive power on the go. Sadly, it looks like the days of having dedicated GPU's in a premium 13" laptop are all but over.

I can tell you this, I hate having to use my MBP in tight places. Car's. train's and coffee places where there are no tables. However, there is no comparison in the experience when its on the desktop with a little more breathing room. I am still adjusting and it seems to be getting smaller each day I continue to use it.

The Z1 was built more fragile than most. I had issues with hinges and LCD panels because of this. Sony's repair times are atrocious! (2-4 weeks!) Apple generally has mine back to me within 72 hours. Thats another HUGE benefit.

I too like portables with power. I know the 13" has CPU performance, but I find it lacking still even compared to the Z2. Trackpad and speakers are really the only benefit.

For me it would be a loaded MBA, 15" Antiglare or stick with the Z2.

Good luck!

 

[thundersteele]

The base 15'' MBP has a 6750m amd graphics card. It is marginally faster than the GPU in the sony dock... it seems to be exactly the same graphics chip, but the 6750 model is equipped with faster RAM.

The 15'' MBP would certainly not be a significant upgrade graphics wise. So it will come down to whether you want OSX, and maybe a better keyboard and trackpad. And of course the 15'' MBP has a quad core - i.e. almost twice the computing power of the Vaio.

The Vaio without the Dock seems to be much more portable... I mean, it weights half as much as the 15'' MBP.

I just read that the Z series is up for a refresh next month... the most interesting part I read is that it will have two SSDs in raid... should be pretty fast!

I think the Vaio Z is a great machine... I like the docking concept... something I would like to see in a future MBP or MBP/MBA model merger. But if you felt more comfortable with your MBP, I would switch back.

 

[Maven1975]

The base 15'' MBP has a 6750m amd graphics card. It is marginally faster than the GPU in the sony dock... it seems to be exactly the same graphics chip, but the 6750 model is equipped with faster RAM.

The 15'' MBP would certainly not be a significant upgrade graphics wise. So it will come down to whether you want OSX, and maybe a better keyboard and trackpad. And of course the 15'' MBP has a quad core - i.e. almost twice the computing power of the Vaio.

The Vaio without the Dock seems to be much more portable... I mean, it weights half as much as the 15'' MBP.

I just read that the Z series is up for a refresh next month... the most interesting part I read is that it will have two SSDs in raid... should be pretty fast!

I think the Vaio Z is a great machine... I like the docking concept... something I would like to see in a future MBP or MBP/MBA model merger. But if you felt more comfortable with your MBP, I would switch back.

Ahem...

The 6630 in the PMD is booty. The 6750 runs CIRCLES around it! True that on paper and in an integrated situation, the 6750 is only about 40% faster. However, as a previous Z2 owner, I can tell you the MBP's 6750 SPANKS the Z2's PMD. Heck, the Z1 with the 330m performs better than the Z2 and the PMD combo.

If you want to have something super portable with power, the Z1/Z2 is a good laptop. I just found that the extra two pounds and the ability to run OSX and Windows was a better choice for my money. Let alone being able to upgrade the HD and memory at will.

Butters, you WILL have to upgrade the MBP to a SSD. When I received mine, I was seriously depressed with its performance. I picked up a Crucial M4 512 SSD and it is now faster than any Z I ever owned.

I do miss my noise canceling headphones tho..

 

[Adamantoise]

Hello,

I need your opinion, I used to own a late 2009 MBP 15" and then I recently switched to the Sony Vaio Z 2011 with the Power Media Dock. And I was wondering now, should I get a new MBP 2011 15" or keep the sony, the reason why I am thinking abut this is because the sony is good, but the keyboard feels cheap and the backlight is dim, and yellow, it doesnt stay on all the time like the MBP.

But which computer has the better graphics card I do occasionally game, so this is important to me.

How much did you pay for the Sony Z? I know this might sound ironic, but the Sony Z is ridiculously overpriced last I checked.

I prefer Windows 7 to OS X but I would take a 15" Macbook Pro over a Sony Z anyday.

 

[Maven1975]

How much did you pay for the Sony Z? I know this might sound ironic, but the Sony Z is ridiculously overpriced last I checked.

I prefer Windows 7 to OS X but I would take a 15" Macbook Pro over a Sony Z anyday.

Since the Z comes standard with SSD and a fantastic screen, its within the same price of the MBP. Especially since you have to add the ultra portable tax to it.

BUT, like the MBA, you only have one shot at the ram upgrade (Max 8gb) and the SSD are proprietary. They also are set to run in Raid 0, giving the system an extra bump in speed. Although, I have had a Z2 array go bad and lost everything. This was what got me thinking about my purchase. I had to wait 4 weeks for a proprietary return, when Apple could have had it back to me within 72 hours. Even if I had an aftermarket drive that needed to be sen to the manufacture for warranty service, I could put my standard drive back in and be back up and running.

Just some other thoughts....

 

[thundersteele]

Ahem...

The 6630 in the PMD is booty. The 6750 runs CIRCLES around it! True that on paper and in an integrated situation, the 6750 is only about 40% faster. However, as a previous Z2 owner, I can tell you the MBP's 6750 SPANKS the Z2's PMD. Heck, the Z1 with the 330m performs better than the Z2 and the PMD combo.

Sorry for the confusion. I looked up the 6650 which seems to be used in the newest version - according to notebookcheck.net it's the same GPU as the 6750, but slower vRAM. Still it's surprising that they chose such a weak video card for the external dock.

On the other hand, even a 7950m GPU wouldn't compensate for the lack of decent OS

 

[Adamantoise]

Sorry for the confusion. I looked up the 6650 which seems to be used in the newest version - according to notebookcheck.net it's the same GPU as the 6750, but slower vRAM. Still it's surprising that they chose such a weak video card for the external dock.

On the other hand, even a 7950m GPU wouldn't compensate for the lack of decent OS

OS X is not better than Windows 7.

This is not a matter of preference either, when it comes down to functionality and ease of use ... Both OSes are on par.

 

[Maven1975]

Sorry for the confusion. I looked up the 6650 which seems to be used in the newest version - according to notebookcheck.net it's the same GPU as the 6750, but slower vRAM. Still it's surprising that they chose such a weak video card for the external dock.

On the other hand, even a 7950m GPU wouldn't compensate for the lack of decent OS

And to make matters worse, its always reported itself as a 6650, but advertised as a 6630. Unfortunately, its the same GPU.

As a gaming example, the PMD gives 45 FPS vs the 6750 at 80 FPS in Black Ops at the same setting.

I hope the Air get the external GPU option in the future and hope its implemented better than Sony's design. Credit is given to Sony for pushing design to the next level!