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***Sony Vaio Z*** Stone-cold killer! It's going to be Apple Vs Sony for Arrandale imo
- Thread starter Jobsian
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SSD in Macbook Pro
Hi!
Does anyone own the Macbook Pro with an SSD as its main had drive. I saw the benchmarks for the current 3.06 and it seems that it runs at i5 core levels. So, if you add an SSD, what performance increase would you expect to get ie. I will use it mainly for CS4 Design, running multiple apps and a virtual engine for windows compatibility.
I'm edging towards the Sony Vaio Z11 as I have to order a laptop by the end of the month (budget end), but maybe a Pro 3.06 with SSD will do the job almost as the Vaio. But, I also need to have this laptop for 3 years, so it's very frustrating that Apple have not yet been able to release their latest and greatest.
Thanks in advance,
MIBUK.
Hi!
Does anyone own the Macbook Pro with an SSD as its main had drive. I saw the benchmarks for the current 3.06 and it seems that it runs at i5 core levels. So, if you add an SSD, what performance increase would you expect to get ie. I will use it mainly for CS4 Design, running multiple apps and a virtual engine for windows compatibility.
I'm edging towards the Sony Vaio Z11 as I have to order a laptop by the end of the month (budget end), but maybe a Pro 3.06 with SSD will do the job almost as the Vaio. But, I also need to have this laptop for 3 years, so it's very frustrating that Apple have not yet been able to release their latest and greatest.
Thanks in advance,
MIBUK.
Same here, last night (might walk back over to sony style and play with it again lol). Would pick it up in a second if it could run OS X (because that's what my big ticket licenses are on I.E. CS4MC). That was probably the best Windows 7 experience I had. Dunno if it was the i7 or the SSD but it was 'teh snappy' like woah. Pure sex. Much speedier than my Macbook Pro w/ intel ssd (sobs)...even I can man up and admit that.
This thread has some good PCMark & 3DMark scores : http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=469402
Geekbench isn't used too much in the windows world, at least that i've seen.
Sony Z running Snow Leopard: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZ1ae_zhC4U
It looks like the 2009 Z though.
Regardless of which Z model it is, i guarantee you the notebook isn't fully functional. From a hardware standpoint, Zs are a nightmare to hackintosh.
I would not want to run OS X an a hacked computer. The beauty of having a real Mac is that it allows you to run Windows from the OS X desktop in a VMware Fusion or Parallels virtual machine, not to mention Apple's own Bootcamp. Both Fusion and Parallels are mature OS X software and Bootcamp is on the OS X installation disc. I have been running Windows in a VMware virtual machine on my MBP for two years and it keeps getting better. I understand that these days Parallels in some ways is better than Fusion. Thus, I am not interested in running OS X on an unsupported Windows machine.
Thanks Thunder82. The reason I mentioned Geekbench is that I've seen some results with Macbook Pros and wanted to do a comparison. So, are there benchmarks using the same tools as in the link you provided for the Macbook Pros?
While you have a valid point, there are thousands and thousands of people who would prefer not to pay the "Apple Tax." It's also enticing for a lot of people, as OSX runs perfectly fine on a lot of the 2-400$ netbooks out there.
I also prefer Apple hardware and the stability it brings, but "playing" around with OSX on non-apple hardware is also fun. (in no circumstance would i use it for a work computer - or something I needed to rely on)
I haven't seen any geekbench numbers, but I'll ask some of the members on the notebookreview forums to run it for us
I got some quick responses on the NotebookReview forums, here are some geekbench numbers :
Total: 4847
Integer Processor integer performance 5003
Floating Point Processor floating point performance 5875
Memory Memory performance 3626
Stream Memory bandwidth performance 3151
(My spec: i7 620M, 8GB).
Total: 4847
Integer Processor integer performance 5003
Floating Point Processor floating point performance 5875
Memory Memory performance 3626
Stream Memory bandwidth performance 3151
(My spec: i7 620M, 8GB).
If you don't game a lot and weight is not that high of an issue, then MacBook Pro may be a better choice. Of course, the price is another factor.
The Vaio Z has its purpose--the whole package (except OS-X) in a 13" 3-pound ultraportable.
here is my result:
PIP: 5580
PFPP: 6564
MP: 4019
MBP: 2434
Geekbench Score: 5297
http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view/232392
PIP: 5580
PFPP: 6564
MP: 4019
MBP: 2434
Geekbench Score: 5297
http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view/232392
An important thing to note with Geekbench is that machines bench higher in OS X than they do in Windows, so when comparing it to a Mac, make sure to look up a Mac's Windows test. Unfortunately, that's the only way to get an apples-to-apples comparison.
I'm not sure what chipset the Z is using, but if it's using a PM55 it will probably be able to run OS X. On the F series, you can run OS X but you need a hacked kernel (I haven't given vanilla + pcefi a shot yet though).
It's definitely an unpaved road, and will probably be quite rough for a while though. Nobody has tried to hack a Z series yet, and I might be the only one that has attempted to install OS X on an F series. [I've heard of other people interested, but nobody else has tried to my knowledge]
You probably shouldn't buy a PC laptop hoping to hackintosh it anyway, it wastes a TON of time - I wasted an entire weekend myself and gave up xD
It almost killed me academically lmao Besides, Windows 7 does the job for me.
I'm not sure what chipset the Z is using, but if it's using a PM55 it will probably be able to run OS X. On the F series, you can run OS X but you need a hacked kernel (I haven't given vanilla + pcefi a shot yet though).
It's definitely an unpaved road, and will probably be quite rough for a while though. Nobody has tried to hack a Z series yet, and I might be the only one that has attempted to install OS X on an F series. [I've heard of other people interested, but nobody else has tried to my knowledge]
You probably shouldn't buy a PC laptop hoping to hackintosh it anyway, it wastes a TON of time - I wasted an entire weekend myself and gave up xD
It almost killed me academically lmao
Besides, Windows 7 does the job for me.
Experience after about 1 month
Hi,
It has been close to a month since I took delivery of my Vaio Z and would like to post some experience I had with the unit.
Firstly, this is the fastest laptop I have ever owned hands down. The quad SSD is so so fast that it makes my mid 2009 17 incher look like an elephant. I have seen many comparisons between core 2 duo vs arrandale cpu benchmarks but combined with the speedier graphics and the quad ssd, this computer flies around many 'current' macs.
Secondly, I just realized that I have become too used to the featherweight design of the Vaio Z. Initial I often forget that it has been placed in the laptop bag but now lifting my 15 and 17 incher seems like a real big burden. This can be attributed to the non-inclusion of an unibody design. IMO, in an everyday practical situation, weight is going to bother me more than aesthetics and slightly greater rigidity.
Thirdly, the full HD screen is awesome. It makes the display so so much sharper and I am blown away by the clarity text (with 125% scaling) and colors seems to pop. I thought my 75% coverage MBP17 looks good, wait till you see a 96% Vaio. I have only seen a better display (color not viewing angle) in an external IPS monitor, the HP dreamcolor, at work. Full HD movies are so sharp and detailed. Why would you watch a blu ray movie on a 13 inch some might say? because you can more seriously, this is a life saver on my trans pacific flights often in the range of 20+ hours.
Finally, windows 7 just isnt that bad. It does what it is supposed to, looks alright and is fast. One practical scenario is launching Word. It takes the Vaio Z around 1.5 seconds to launch that app compared to about 6 seconds on my mid 2009 with SSD. Matlab takes 8 seconds launch on the Vaio compared to 25 seconds in the Unix version on the Mac.
So, IMO, if you are holding out for a 13 inch laptop and have the budget for this laptop, go for it. I am pretty sure Apple would not include a SSD as standard on the 13, certainly not in RAID 0, certainly not a full HD screen, certainly not with a fingerprint reader (important in my line of work), certainly not with a bluray drive, certainly not with a native HDMI port, certainly not with a removable battery, certainly not going be lighter than 3 pounds and certainly not with an express card slot anymore.
That said, I am going to buy the new 17 inch Apple MBP as my desktop replacement as an when it comes out, but am certainly not bringing that on the road. That niche has been thoroughly covered by the Vaio Z.
Hi,
It has been close to a month since I took delivery of my Vaio Z and would like to post some experience I had with the unit.
Firstly, this is the fastest laptop I have ever owned hands down. The quad SSD is so so fast that it makes my mid 2009 17 incher look like an elephant. I have seen many comparisons between core 2 duo vs arrandale cpu benchmarks but combined with the speedier graphics and the quad ssd, this computer flies around many 'current' macs.
Secondly, I just realized that I have become too used to the featherweight design of the Vaio Z. Initial I often forget that it has been placed in the laptop bag but now lifting my 15 and 17 incher seems like a real big burden. This can be attributed to the non-inclusion of an unibody design. IMO, in an everyday practical situation, weight is going to bother me more than aesthetics and slightly greater rigidity.
Thirdly, the full HD screen is awesome. It makes the display so so much sharper and I am blown away by the clarity text (with 125% scaling) and colors seems to pop. I thought my 75% coverage MBP17 looks good, wait till you see a 96% Vaio. I have only seen a better display (color not viewing angle) in an external IPS monitor, the HP dreamcolor, at work. Full HD movies are so sharp and detailed. Why would you watch a blu ray movie on a 13 inch some might say? because you can
more seriously, this is a life saver on my trans pacific flights often in the range of 20+ hours.Finally, windows 7 just isnt that bad. It does what it is supposed to, looks alright and is fast. One practical scenario is launching Word. It takes the Vaio Z around 1.5 seconds to launch that app compared to about 6 seconds on my mid 2009 with SSD. Matlab takes 8 seconds launch on the Vaio compared to 25 seconds in the Unix version on the Mac.
So, IMO, if you are holding out for a 13 inch laptop and have the budget for this laptop, go for it. I am pretty sure Apple would not include a SSD as standard on the 13, certainly not in RAID 0, certainly not a full HD screen, certainly not with a fingerprint reader (important in my line of work), certainly not with a bluray drive, certainly not with a native HDMI port, certainly not with a removable battery, certainly not going be lighter than 3 pounds and certainly not with an express card slot anymore.
That said, I am going to buy the new 17 inch Apple MBP as my desktop replacement as an when it comes out, but am certainly not bringing that on the road. That niche has been thoroughly covered by the Vaio Z.
Hi,
It has been close to a month since I took delivery of my Vaio Z and would like to post some experience I had with the unit.
Firstly, this is the fastest laptop I have ever owned hands down. The quad SSD is so so fast that it makes my mid 2009 17 incher look like an elephant. I have seen many comparisons between core 2 duo vs arrandale cpu benchmarks but combined with the speedier graphics and the quad ssd, this computer flies around many 'current' macs.
Secondly, I just realized that I have become too used to the featherweight design of the Vaio Z. Initial I often forget that it has been placed in the laptop bag but now lifting my 15 and 17 incher seems like a real big burden. This can be attributed to the non-inclusion of an unibody design. IMO, in an everyday practical situation, weight is going to bother me more than aesthetics and slightly greater rigidity.
Thirdly, the full HD screen is awesome. It makes the display so so much sharper and I am blown away by the clarity text (with 125% scaling) and colors seems to pop. I thought my 75% coverage MBP17 looks good, wait till you see a 96% Vaio. I have only seen a better display (color not viewing angle) in an external IPS monitor, the HP dreamcolor, at work. Full HD movies are so sharp and detailed. Why would you watch a blu ray movie on a 13 inch some might say? because you can
Finally, windows 7 just isnt that bad. It does what it is supposed to, looks alright and is fast. One practical scenario is launching Word. It takes the Vaio Z around 1.5 seconds to launch that app compared to about 6 seconds on my mid 2009 with SSD. Matlab takes 8 seconds launch on the Vaio compared to 25 seconds in the Unix version on the Mac.
So, IMO, if you are holding out for a 13 inch laptop and have the budget for this laptop, go for it. I am pretty sure Apple would not include a SSD as standard on the 13, certainly not in RAID 0, certainly not a full HD screen, certainly not with a fingerprint reader (important in my line of work), certainly not with a bluray drive, certainly not with a native HDMI port, certainly not with a removable battery, certainly not going be lighter than 3 pounds and certainly not with an express card slot anymore.
That said, I am going to buy the new 17 inch Apple MBP as my desktop replacement as an when it comes out, but am certainly not bringing that on the road. That niche has been thoroughly covered by the Vaio Z.
I'm pleased that you're please n all that bollocks but surely this belongs on some sony or windows forum? Who cares about some overpriced sony with noisy arse fans on a mac forum?
I do. Macs aren't the only computers in existence.. it's nice to know what else is out there.