Sony VAIO VPC-Z112GX/S 13.1-Inch Laptop (Silver)

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.

I would recommend against purchasing this laptop. I purchased this in April 2010 for $2300. A month or so later, I started seeing lines on the LCD screen which I thought were dirt marks form the keys on the keyboard. I tried to wipe it off, but it didn't come off. Apparently, the lines are scratch marks caused by the keys on the keyboard. The LCD screen is designed to be too closed to the keyboard. The scratch marks are in the shape of the keys. Contact Sony and at first, they blame it on me for scratching it and said it was outside of warranty. After reasoning with them that there are no other signs of damage on the laptop (no signs of puncture, drop, or other type of accidents", they retracted their claim and provided the repair.

You can Google this issue with this laptop and you will see that there are many other people with this problems. I am not the only one. And the responses from Sony have been the same with first denying the problem and then blaming the customer.

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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.

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A 3 pound laptop is essential to me. I can't carry the big guys especially when I'm running around airports. Since I've had amazing good luck with all my other Sony products, including a 2005 laptop which my lawyer son is still using to show judges videos in court, and my Sony All-in-Ones, one bought in 2005 and given to the same son who is using it problem-free, and my current much bigger All-in-One, I naturally turned to Sony again, after first trying Macs and Dells. This z-series is a dream. I'm using Windows 7 64 bit pro, which has the capability of XP imaging for 32 bit programs. I have 4 G of RAM, 500 SSD hard drive, 303 ghz speed, a long lasting battery on which I've worked 6-7 hours and still had capacity left on it, a very responsive keyboard, essential to a writer, the bluray R/W drive, and have had nothing but praise for it. The person who downgraded this because it isn't a Linux machine is absurd. It's a Windows machine. You want to run Linux and fiddle with your own BIOS, fine. This isn't for you. But if you want a machine that is light, swift, responsive, and does what all the big guys do, this is your machine. Also, someone said it heated up as he worked on it. I work on mine in bed for hours, and it doesn't get hot. I did, you note, pay for extras, so I paid more than the base price, but it's worth it.

One word about reliability. In 2005, I bought a small Sony laptop and their first All-in-One desktop. I outgrew them, although they never gave me a bit of trouble, and passed them on to my son, who is using them both in his law practice. I also have a Sony All-in-One PCV-AHIL, which is superb, marvelous responsive keyboard, blazing fast and in 7 months have never had a thing go wrong with this either. Ditto my Sony HDTV and bluray player.

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I was the first guy to buy this laptop at the Sony store in Beverly Hills-I bought it hours after it arrived. I've had it for about six weeks now. It is an excellent, very high quality and well built machine. It is visually beautiful and the user experience is the best I have ever experienced with a laptop. It is incredibly fast-in fact with sophisticated benchmark programs it runs almost as fast as my custom built desktop i5 machine. Even though it is expensive, it is worth the money. In an odd way, at $1899, it is a good buy.

My only gripe is that there seems to be an issue from time to time with the video card or Dynamic Hybrid Graphics System. This system isn't working out as well as I'd hope. If it was omitted from this machine, it would be a solid 5 star review.

When I first bought the computer it stalled and the video went black almost every time I used it t play video. After I did the software update the problem went away for the most part. Now the video only crashes about once a week. This is why I am only giving it 4 stars. Overall though, I would by this laptop again in a second. It is light years ahead of everything else I checked out and I am not a Mac guy. They are less prone to software and software based hardware complications but they don't advance as quickly and you pay a high premium for lesser hardware.