Dilemma: Vaio AW21Z with SSD/4400rpm or AW11Z with 2x5400rpm ?

Hello everybody

I'm very hesitating between
the AW21Z:
-Intel® Core™2 Duo processor T9550 (2.66 GHz and 1066 MHz FSB) and Intel® PRO/Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n

-564 GB ( 500 GB Serial ATA 4200 rpm hard disk drive (1 x 500 GB) + 64 GB SSD Flash drive ultra ATA/66 (1 x 64 GB))

full details here: https://www.sonystyle.be/SonyStyle/Ordinateurs-portables-VAIO/Serie-AW-18,4/VGNAW21Z/B.FR5

and the AW11Z:

-Intel® Core™2 Duo processor T9400 (2.53 GHz and 1066 MHz FSB) and Intel® PRO/Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n

-640 GB ( 2x320GB Serial ATA 5400 rpm hard disk drive)


I'm going to use photoshop, hd video editing, play games, watch video
I would like to know if this SSD would make the laptop faster than the two 5400rpm hard drive.
With this SSD there's a 4200rpm :-/. Does it mean that all the programs should be installed on the SSD ? And I should use the HDD only as a storage HDD ? What would be your choice ?
I sent an email to Sony asking the exact model of the SSD. I will give this information to you if necessary.

Sorry about my English ..

Thank you in advance !

 

I would not choose either option. The last 500gb 4200rpm drive made was a Fujitsu, and it performs horrible. You do not want a 4200rpm drive even if it is just a storage solution.
Sony tends to put the oldest technology harddrives in their laptops over the years. I am sure their 500gb 5400rpm drives are the HM500LI's because they were the first 500gb 5400rpm drives and they are very cheap.

I do not know what SSD they are using, but if it is a Samsung or an M-TRON it is most likely a good drive. However we dont know which it is.
Sony should preinstall all of there software on the SSD.

Buy the cheapest storage solution. If you are in the USA, you can buy a good 500gb 5400rpm drive for about $110

If you are doing photoshop you want a fast storage solution, so a good SSD like the OCZ Vertex or the Intel X-25M series will be a good choice. You can ue any drive you want for storage. If I were choosing that laptop, I would want a good SLC SSD and a Hitachi 5K500.B, 500gb 5400rpm drive.

K-TRON

 

Thank you K-TRON !

I really don't want a 4200rpm for this price so I give up the AW21Z.
Because I don't want to pay this big price and after that I have to replace the hard drive! Of course I could replace the hdd but it's just that I don't want to pay other stuff to add to something that costs me a lot...

Are you talking about the 320gb 5400rpm ?
If the 320gb 5400 are good , do you think it would be a good choice?
I'm living in Belgium and the AW11Z is only sold by Sony Shop Online with a big price and it's difficult to find a shop online that sells it.
Price on Sony Shop online: 2099€
Price on a Belgian Shop online: 1899€

 

I dont know any computer etailers in Belgium, so you most likely need to stick to those two options. Out of the two, I would probably pick the 2 x 5400rpm drives only because it is a cheaper alternative.
Regardless of whether the SSD is MLC or SLC, it is a much greater investment to get the SSD. In about a year SSD's are going to be much more affordable, so for now your best with the 5400rpm drives. They yield a greater bang for the buck.
Photoshop will take a bit longer to load on a mechanical harddrive than an SSD, but photoshop uses a lot of processing power which your system has

K-TRON