I'm torn between an m11x or a Sony s series

Well for the longest time I was deadset on a m11x r3, however last week I was browsing /g/ and I had the pleasure of coming across the Sony vaio sb.

I have been waiting for dell to give a good discount on the r3 (someone mentioned back to school deals around august which is probably as long as i can deal with my current laptop before I throw it at the wall).

The r3 specs I was planning on was...
Intel Core i7 2617M 1.5GHz(2.6GHz w/Turbo Boost, 4MB Cache) with 2GB DDR3 NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1333MHz
OCZ 120GB Vertex 2 SSD
Along with the wimax and soundblaster upgrades.
This would have been roughly 1400-1500 without coupons... less with them.

But then I came across the sony vaio sb (VPCSB190X)
Intel Core i7-2620M processor (2.70GHz) with Turbo Boost up to 3.40GHz
AMD Radeon HD 6630M (1GB VRAM) hybrid graphics with Intel Wireless Display technology
13.3" VAIO Display with LED backlight (1366 x 768)
8GB (4GBx2) DDR3-SDRAM-1333 MHz
OCZ 120GB Vertex 2 SSD
Dvd burner (don't really need, can upgrade to blu ray or blu ray burner if I wanted)
Along with a sheet battery that extends battery life up to 15 hours.
Costs about the same as the m11x, but there are no coupons for it - if I were to go to the refurb market though - sony is much more generous than dell's outlet.

I really like the 11 inch size of the m11x (although the vaio sb is thinner), and I like the wimax + soundblaster upgrades alot too. But basically the processor on the sony runs stock what the m11x's runs overclocked - given the nvidia gpu on the m11x is 2gb compared to the 1gb ati gpu on the sony. One thing I actually don't like about the sony is the drive, I feel like its a waste of space and I doubt I will use it.

Any advice to help me decide between the two?

 

Neither are overclocked. The Sony has a faster CPU by a substantial margin.

You'll find many sources discrediting 2GB VRAM because it's too much and purely for marketing, particularly in the M14x subforums.

Choose the Sony, it's faster.

 

Really? I thought that the 6630 is a slower card than the 540. And that Sony has in a few cases underclocked their video cards. I read this somewhere on this forum through google (not 100% sure). I mean I know the sony has the better cpu, but as a whole package to play games, which one is better?

 

It depends what kind of games. Most games the 540 will do better but in cpu heavy games the sony will win by a nice margin.

Check out notebookcheck.net to see benchmarks for both laptops, and gpus. It looks like the r3 is scoring better then the 6630.

 

It just depends on what you want, and what you're looking for. I mean... I was considering the Vaio S series as well, but ultimately elected for the M11x because it looks so crazy and ostentatious. I love the aesthetic appeal. I also don't need anything quite so powerful as what that Vaio was offering in terms of processor speed, while the video card wasn't quite as strong as what I needed, either.

And yeah, the 2GB of VRAM is a bit excessive, but the 540m still beats out the 6630m by a decent margin, as far as I know. GPUs aren't everything, of course.

 

I forgot to mention it overclocks better- if 6730M clocks can be reached, it's comparable to a GT555M, something the GT540M won't do.

Try asking on the Sony forums, see what they think.

 

which GT555m? There is a 96SP, GDDR5 128bit variant and a 144SP, GDDR3 192bit variant.

 

The one Notebookcheck used. Vague Notebookcheck references work both ways.

 

lol!! . I don't rely on notebookcheck for GPU rankings due to their testing methodology, and their tendancy to rank nontested setups Well, they also are a bit of a nVidia fanboi....

 

erm you should really be comparing like for like - compare the mx14 with the sony(its almost the same size) as that.

and the mx14 will blow it apart.

the mx11 is an ultra portable device with almost as much power as the above two.

so its what you want really a powerfull smallish laptop- mx14 or sony (not as hgood)

or a sick netbook that almost does anything

 

oh and if you want an uber powerfull machine that is good value go for the envy 14 . i have an hp17 and was looking at the sony of relative spec and size and the hp was just better value and more powerfull- the hp's have much better gpu's than the sony

 

13 inches is cutting it for me as it is, I have a 15 inch laptop and its a lot bigger than I what I'm looking to move on to. The only reason the 13 inches of the vaio even appeals to me is because of its form factor, otherwise it would simply be larger than what I'm looking for. So the m14x is a no-go, more expensive and larger than what I'm looking for.

 

The Vaio SB weighs 1.71KG has these dimensions:
331 x 23.9 x 224.5 mm (WxHxD)

The M11x weighs 2KG has these dimensions:
285.7 x 32.7 x 233.3 mm (WxHxD)

The Vaio is thinner, wider and has less depth then the M11x. It is also lighter then an M11x. The Vaio SB compared to the M11x is very much like for like, more so then the M14x especially considering it's weight (2.92KG).

I'd hate to see M11x performance compared to the M14x. It'll be substantially slower, not "almost as much power", then an M14x across all fronts. The Vaio has enough of a CPU margin to be substantially faster then the M11x R2/3.

The M11x is too close to the Vaio SB 13.3 in dimension to be considered a netbook. Think of it as a subnotebook/ultraportable. The Sony does everything as good as or better then the M11x. It can sacrifice it's thinness for an extended battery for example, with the promotion running at the moment, it's free.

It's not larger, just wider as the other 2 dimensions are smaller compared to the M11x.

 

Vaio SB is getting a bigger brother now called Sony Vaio SA. It has the same internals but made from a different material I think(magnesium alloy I think.. instead of plastic). it also has a 1600x rez display..

but the really cool thing about these Vaios is the sheet battery and the dock.


Also be aware that Sony are said to be making a crazy successor to Vaio Z, that will be "playstation branded". Supposedly it will have insanely powerful graphics for a 13'' but here is the thing - The laptop is in two parts. the top part is a very thin notebook in itself.. probably something like a Samsung Series 9 with no optical drive and internal graphics, but then an attachment/dock can be put on it for very nice graphics, optical drive and so on..

but these things costs a lot. M11x is not very expenssive. It depends on what you're willing to go for.

 

The Sony Vaio SA looks pretty sweet, and I think 13.3 inches is like the perfect size. 16 hours of battery, and magnesium alloy too! Nice. One of the things I don't like about the m11x is all the plastic. If only Sony would offer backlit keyboards!!

 

they do... just it's set on autocontrol, no matter what. IDK if it's avalible on the SA series, however.

 

Yep I suppose the thin Sony and it's styling makes it a good bet.

Tough choice then

 

Yeah, after further consideration I just don't think you can compare the Vaio SB and the M11x.

I mean... I'm buying the M11x as a secondary laptop. I would buy the Vaio as a primary one - except I wouldn't, because it's too small. That's basically my issue with the whole 13.3" sub-notebook phenomena - to me, they're too small to be a major, powerful machine and too big to be an ultra-portable netbook-type machine.

The M11x is perfect for what I'm looking for. I basically view it as equivalent to, say, an iPad. I want the M11x because it'll be a really powerful netbook that I can bring everywhere I go really easily, first and foremost. And then secondly, it'll also be something that I can easily use in bed, for instance, without having a big heavy notebook on my lap. It's perfect for a lot of things.

I guess I can see why someone might want one 13.3" notebook instead of getting either a 15.6"-17.3" notebook and additionally a 10"-12" netbook... it just depends on what you want. Me, I have some extra monies lying around and freaking *love* the idea of having two dope gaming machines to customize and pimp out

 

I just did.

When in reality, it's 4cm wider then the M11x and 8.8mm thinner. Don't let the small screen fool you, the M11x should belong in the category as the Vaio, that is, subnotebook/ultraportage as it has similar dimensions.

The Vaio also fits these roles just as well, if not better, considering your "big heavy notebook" point- the Vaio has less weight.

 

SA is the best laptop on the market in the size category; the Alienware is pretty awful in terms of screensize/weight ratio. That alone makes it very unattractive for a portability focused machine. Also the CPU is very slow for the price range of comparable machines; the Radeon 6630 is pretty capable, and doesn't lag much behind any mid-range mobile cards out there.

 

Eh, the Vaio doesn't have the potentiality for purple and/or pink backlighting. Game, set, match. The Vaio also looks like a laptop, and not a cross between a Lamborghini and a spaceship. Point, M11x.

The Vaio is a skinny girl with an eating disorder who wears too much mascera and thinks that that Apple products are cool but is upset that her parents aren't rich enough to buy them. Whereas the M11x is that emo boy who wears girls jeans that are two sizes to small, dyes his hair with manic panic, and goes to the mall to hang out and shop at Hot Topic because it's the only place where he can both buy a Legend of Zelda t-shirt and potentially get hit on by Twilight fans who are hopefully only *slightly* overweight.

That's just my take, though.

 

Nah, when I used to use Sony notebooks, I thought their design was trying to fit the biggest and best in the smallest frame possible - which resulted in designs like the Sony Z - the Bezels on that laptop are insanely small.

HOWEVER.... anyone saying they can fit a 13.1" screen into the m11x is a lair who has not actually tried to do such a thing - much less fitting a larger 13.1" display.

12.1" 16:10 display can fit, if a significant amount of the bezel is cutaway. 16:9, I am not sure of, since I don't have any 12.1" 16:9 panels.

That being said, if I had to buy again, I'd buy neigther laptop. My Z12 was okay, abheit noisey; my m11x r1 and r2 both had uselessly underpowered CPUs and too much GPU power for said CPUs. I'd rather sit with an AMD Fusion netbook or a small Intel Core i laptop for "mobile gaming," and use my desktop at home (sorry - grew up on 12" laptops, only to go buy an U2711, lol....)

 

Looks are subjective and different people will value them differently.

It's looks like you've run out of arguments for the M11x and resorted to analogies instead.

That's just my take, though.

 

seriously, I have yet to get used to my CR48's KB. It's nice, but strangely spaced

Oh, well. If I insult anyone, sorry, will try not to next time.

 

And then you look under the hood and realise that the m11x comes with a tata nano engine while the Vaio is blazing with a f22 turbine.

Just my take, though.

 

Nah, I'm not bothering to make any arguments. I wasn't really making one in the first place. I still don't think they can really be compared, though.

My point, if I had one, is that I think people buy Alienware products because they like the aesthetics, and they care about the brand image. If you're buying an M11x, then you are most likely not doing so strictly on the basis of performance and efficiency. You're doing it because you really *do* want "purple backlighting", or whatever. Aesthetically, it does stuff that no other laptops on the market do. And it looks absolutely nothing like any other laptop on the market, either. It might be to your taste, or it might not be, but it is what it is.

The Vaio is definitely smaller (in most senses), lighter, more efficient, and packs a lot of performance into a small package. It's a great machine. If I were buying based strictly on what's under the hood, I very likely may have gotten one. But I wanted a freaking *Alienware* product, that mattered to me because of the unique aesthetics it offers.

 

Double Post.

 

And you're still not explaining why you can't compare them both.

That's fair enough. You value aesthetics over raw performance. Just remember, aesthetics is also the same line used by Apple fanboys to justify their performance deficient laptops, because they're "most likely not doing so strictly on the basis of performance and efficiency".

Aesthetics never removed the R1's CPU bottleneck nor can it prevent R2/R3 throttling.

And you got your Alienware product. OP hasn't decided.

 

One's a fairly standard 13.3" compact notebook that's comparable to a number of other products on the market with similar hardware specs, price point, etcetera. The other is an 11.6" insane-looking gaming-oriented showpiece with a relatively unbalanced hardware setup involving a GPU that's fairly overpowered for the processor it is paired with. There are a bunch of other products out there like the Vaio S series (not that it makes it a bad notebook, it does what it does very well) whereas the M11x is actually pretty unique and in terms of competition, there really isn't anything out there quite like it - whether you think it's a good product or worth the money or not, or "better" than the Vaio S series or not. You* can* compare them, I'm not taking that away from you - I just think you're missing the point of what makes the M11x appealing if you're bothering to make a direct comparison between the two of them.

Great. I have nothing against Apple fanboys at all! Everyone in my family but me is an Apple fanboy, and I used to be one. Good for them. Buying consumer products based on aesthetics is a time-honored practice. The truth is, you *do* pay a premium for products that have unique, identifiable design aesthetics. A plain-looking, standard laptop is cheaper because less money has been spent on the creative design aspects of it. That's how these things work. Some people prefer a plain design aesthetic, and some people don't. Given that a notebook is, in many respects, a fashion accessory, I think it's fairly important. Apple understands that, and created an aesthetic that is considered hip, desirable, and cool. And guess what? They make a ton of money and are able to put out cheaper, occasionally under-powered hardware and charge more for it than their competitors, and get away with it. That's because they do good business. Alienware, to some degree, has pulled off something similar by creating an immediately identifiable and unique design aesthetic, and a brand image that is considered desirable in its own right.

 

Yet both are in the same category as a ultraportable/subnotebook. The M11x GPU isn't overpowered in this category, it's has mid range graphics like other subnotebooks/ultraportables with discrete graphics. Rather, it is has an underpowered ULV CPU for the decent graphics it's paired with. While it is still unbalanced, the M11x doesn't have the favorable light anymore as it's working from a CPU deficit, not a GPU surplus.

That uniqueness is a double edged sword for it's unbalanced hardware configuration. Looks are still subjective. What makes the M11x appealing is actual availability in the market as the competition either wasn't available locally (Acer 3820TG MIA in USA and Australia for 6 months) or too expensive (Vaio SB is $AUD2499). It is often paired with coupons, further reducing it's cost. That is it's appeal.
It's in the same category and both are available as options, so to not compare them is to willingly obfuscate the picture and the question the OP has asked.

Me too.

My point is that aesthetics is used as a last line of defence to justify lack of performance. You have proved my point since you haven't explained the impact of performance on the buying process.

A notebook should be usable to work, game and do whatever activity that suits you. I don't choose which notebook to wear, I choose which notebook does the job best.

 

Look over the specs of both systems. Read review threads and take a look in this section of NBR (its the place for this type of thread) -

What Notebook Should I Buy?

If you want to start a new thread in that section, you are welcome to do so. Please review this before posting -

http://forum.notebookreview.com/wha...ould-i-buy-form-must-read-before-posting.html

Thanks and good luck with your purchase decision.