Okay, so the story goes – I won a laptop a couple months ago and had to wait for its delivery. The problem is that I didn’t know what laptop it was or what its specs were.
I hypothesized that it might be the Sony Vaio Z here in this post I wrote on my other blog. But I really didn’t know. All I knew was that it was a Sony and that it was a well-equipped business laptop.
Lo-and-behold: It arrived but it’s not the Sony Vaio Z…
…it’s the Sony VAIO S (Model VPCSA25GX)!
Here’s some of the basic physical specs:
- Black matte finish
- 13.3” antiglare screen
- 3.6lbs in weight (about 1lb more than the Samsung Series 9)
- .92” in thickness (.24” thicker than the Samsung Series 9)
- 5.9 Windows Experience Index (Samsung Series 9 has a 4.7)
Most importantly, what was given to me is NOT the cheapo stock “VAIO S” laptop that you see on the front page of the Sony web site for $899. It’s a much higher-end professionally configured model with a retail sticker price of $1949. Yeah. Seriously. And I got it free for me to keep! And I never win anything!
And this is what it comes with: (Noted “Technological improvements” over my existing Samsung Series 9 are highlighted in BOLD)
- Intel® Core™ i5-2410M processor (2.30GHz) with Turbo Boost up to 2.90GHz
2nd Generation “Sandy Bridge” CPU w/ clock speeds almost twice that of the Samsung Series 9’s 1.4GHz - NEW Intel Z68 Chipset
Including Intel Rapid Storage Technology for SSD caching of magnetic storage; Samsung had older P67 chipset which lacked RST & Hybrid Graphics (see below) - BOTH Intel integrated-graphics GPU & discrete AMD Radeon™ HD 6630M (1GB VRAM)
- 50% better graphics performance over the Samsung Series 9
- Supports “Hybrid Graphics mode”, enabling low-power integrated-graphics GPU use for most operations & high-performance AMD Radeon GPU for higher octane games & more demanding graphics requirements
- LCD display with 1600×900 screen resolution
Much greater display real estate for doing work - 4GB DDR3 RAM (max 8GB)
User upgradeable near as I can tell to 8GB by installing a single 4GB DDR3 DIMM into open slot – http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=VAIO%20VPCSA25GX&Cat=RAM - Trusted Platform Module 1.2 (TPM chip)
Yes, DirectAccess & BitLocker work - 7.5hr battery
with optional add on-extended battery for an additional 7.5hrs - Built-in 3G Cellular Networking
with AT&T/T-Mobile SIM - Intel Wireless Display
Sends display & stereo audio wirelessly to your home HDTV if it has a WiDi receiver - 256GB Solid State Drive
Twice the capacity of the Samsung Series 9 - Built-in CD/DVD player/burner
- 720p HD Exmor embedded WebCam + Microphone
- Fingerprint biometric reader
- Integrated VGA port, full size HDMI port, full SDflash slot, integrated gigabit ethernet port
- Physical switch for laptop “performance” vs. “battery life”
- Physical on/off switch for laptop wireless adapter
- Multitouch trackpad with palm detection & physical buttons
Dependable pointing device requiring no adjustments - Backlit island-style keyboard
- Intel Centrino-based Wireless Ethernet WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
(Improved range in WiFi mostly due to antenna placement) - 1xUSB 3.0, 2xUSB 2.0, Bluetooth 2.1/A2DP stereo (and a memory stick slot – meh)
One thing:
- The power brick is MUCH larger than the Samsung’s. It’s more than twice as big and 3x as heavy.
- The device is definitely thicker than the Samsung and not as light either. It resembles a more traditional laptop instead of an ultrabook-style device.
- The styling isn’t as attractive as the Samsung. Clearly the Samsung was designed more for the executive-on-the-go. This Sony Vaio S is more utilitarian.
SUMMARY:
This is one heck of a laptop and a solid technological improvement over the Samsung Series 9 in trade off for portability & styling.
If you:
- Want twice the CPU speed
- Want twice the SSD storage
- Want to play Crysis 2 or Starcraft 2 with better graphic detail
- Need a built-in DVD player or built-in 3G cellular networking
- Need the availability of an extended battery for 15hrs of use
- Hate VGA or Ethernet dongles
…and don’t mind the heavier, .24” thicker, less stylish form factor with a similar profile, this may very well be the laptop for you to check out.
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DRIVERS:
If you need to update the drivers – although the machine was only manufactured last month – go here:
http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=VPCSA25GX®ion_id=1
kurtsh
