Sony VAIO VPC-Z116GX/S 13.1-Inch Laptop (Silver)

#1: Sony VAIO VPC-Z116GX/S 13.1-Inch Laptop (Silver) Reviews!

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I am more of a Mac user usually, but I need a windows machine occasionally, and this is far and away the best piece of hardware I have ever had (in case you wonder, I also have a thinkpad X200 and macbook pros of all sizes). The hardware spec is very similar to the last generation of macbook pro (same graphics card, similar CPU), but this is a 3lb machine, vs a 6lb mbp). The SSD is blazingly fast, the machine never gets even slightly warm (despite the fact that I usually run a number of CPU hogs on it), the keyboard is amazingly comfortable (It has a similar chicklet layout to the MBP keyboard), the screen is phenomenal (by contrast, the Thinkpad screen is much too dim). I am sure there is a bit of bloatware, but I don't notice it (256GB is a lot of bits), and the default browser is Chrome. Windows 7 is the most usable Windows release yet, which may or may not be saying much.

To comment on another review: I am very much a unix person, but if you want to run unix on a laptop, just get a mac, and certainly DO NOT get a sony. Sony has always made slightly incompatible hardware (I got my first Sony ultraportable in the late 1990s -- same problems). That said, I have NEVER had a linux laptop which ran properly (Thinkpads, Dells, Acer, you name it). Power management is always goofy, the display drivers are always a little off, etc, etc. Run linux at home/work, and use a vnc client to connect, if linux is that important to you. Every single old unix hack I know carries a mac (that includes some of the fathers of the open source movement) -- essentially every useful piece of linux software runs (sometimes better) under OSX.

Anyway, giving two stars to the Vaio because it is not a unix box is like giving two stars to your ferrari because it won't go offroad (or conversely, to your landrover because it can't keep up with a mustang GT from a light). Use the right tool for the job.

Sony VAIO VPC-Z116GX/S 13.1-Inch Laptop (Silver) Features

• 2.53GHz Intel Core i5 - 520M Processor
• 4GB RAM (2GB x 2); DDR3-1066
• 256GB Solid State Drive; DVD/CD RW Optical Drive
• 13.1" (1600x900) LCD/ (16:9 aspect ratio)
• Windows 7 Professional 64-bit

Customer Reviews

An excellent lightweight, but fully capable laptop - Cincinnatus - Fayetteville NC
This is my third "Z-series" Sony Vaio (I previously owned a VGN-SZ750N which replaced an earlier VGN-SZ680N).

The VPC-Z116GX/S is awesome. Its lighter, faster and with Windows 7 64-bit Professional it just snaps along.

The smaller form-factor screen with its much higher resolution over that of the VGN-SZ series takes some getting used to.

I use this (like I used the others) for work and play (I travel a lot) and it is a perfect balance between portability (weight and size) and power for me.