Sony Z Series vs. Dell XPS 16

[jax91]

Hey guys,
I'm looking for a moderately expensive (up to about 2 grand) laptop for college, and the three choices above are what I've seen so far.

My first choice currently is the Sony, but I noticed that they recently removed the i7 option, which makes me a sad panda. However, I've heard rumors about a possible refresh in the coming weeks. (Have you guys heard anything similar?) Back when it was still available, the specs were approximately as follows:

Sony
i7 620M
4 gigs RAM
256 gb SSD
Nvidia 330M (1 gb)
about $2100

And the Dell,
i7 820QM
4 gigs RAM
ATI 5730 (1 gb)
$2139

I like the Sony for its battery life (advertised about 8 hours) and weight. The Dell seems like a competitor, but I'm pretty sure it's heavier and has a shorter battery life. I'm also a bit unsure about the dual core vs. quad core mobile i7's and their performances.

I would appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance!!

 

[Maziar]

Hello and welcome to the forums
In gaming,the XPS will perform better because 5730 is superior to 330M.And as for dual core vs quad core,well it depends on the tasks that you do.In multi-threaded apps/games you'll benefit from a quad core CPU.
However XPS 16 has serious overheating problems.

 

[jax91]

Thanks. I've been away for a while and didn't have time to look at this. If overheating is a problem for the XPS it looks like it won't work. Now, the i7 option has been restored for the Sony. I've also seen a new HP Envy 14 come out just recently that looks like it might work.

So, I have two questions. First, what is the quality like in general of the Envy series laptops? I've owned a few HP's now and I don't really like their build quality...my first one had hard drive issues right out of the box...but maybe the premium Envy's might be better (I don't have any experience with them). Secondly, what is the advantage (if any) of an i7 over i5 on a laptop?

Thanks again.

 

[IsabellaWinTeam]

Thanks. I've been away for a while and didn't have time to look at this. If overheating is a problem for the XPS it looks like it won't work. Now, the i7 option has been restored for the Sony. I've also seen a new HP Envy 14 come out just recently that looks like it might work.

So, I have two questions. First, what is the quality like in general of the Envy series laptops? I've owned a few HP's now and I don't really like their build quality...my first one had hard drive issues right out of the box...but maybe the premium Envy's might be better (I don't have any experience with them). Secondly, what is the advantage (if any) of an i7 over i5 on a laptop?

Thanks again.

Hi there,

It seems as though the HP Envy laptops are getting pretty good reviews! As for the i7 vs. the i5, the i7 is probably not necessary and will definitely make your laptop more of a "desktop replacement" than a portable laptop. It really depends on what kind of games you are playing or what your video-editing requirements are.

I hope this helps!

Cheers,
Isabella
MSFT Windows Outreach Team

 

[jax91]

Thanks a lot everyone! I ended up buying the Envy 14.

 

[IsabellaWinTeam]

Thanks a lot everyone! I ended up buying the Envy 14.

Hi there,

You're welcome! I'm glad I was able to help. I hope you like your new Envy 14!

Cheers,
Isabella
MSFT Windows Outreach Team