Sony VAIO VGN-SZ760N/C 13.3-inch Laptop (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 Processor, 2 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, Vista Business)
 | Format: Personal Computers List Price: $1,949.99 Our Price: $1,429.99 Your Save: $ 520.00 ( 27% ) Availability: N/A Average Customer Rating:    |
Features: Sleekly designed, lightweight notebook featuring 13.3-inch screen (with Webcam), 4-pound black carbon fiber case
2.40 GHz "Penryn" Intel Core 2 Duo T8300 processor, 250 GB G-Sensor hard drive, 2 GB RAM (4 GB max), dual-layer DVD drive (8x DVD+/-R)
Connectivity: 2 USB, 1 FireWire, 1 VGA, Quad-mode Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth, multi-format memory card reader
Hybrid Graphics System lets toggle between NVidia GeForce Go 8400M (up to 831 MB shared) and Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 (358 MB shared)
Pre-installed with Windows Vista Business; ready for Sprint Broadband WWAN service (subscription required)
Editorial Reviews:
An ideal mix of mobility, power and style, the ultra-sleek VAIO SZ notebook features a widescreen display with XBRITE LCD technology, long battery life and a next-generation Intel Core 2 Duo processor. Work faster and play longer virtually anywhere you go with the VAIO SZ notebook.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Touchpad Reverses
Comment: Great Laptop except touchpad reverses evry now and then ie left becomes right / up becomes down Google this issue for more info. I find closing the lid and re-opening usually fixes it. Annoying fault spoils a great machine
Customer Rating:
Summary: Comments from a three year SZ user
Comment: I have been a vaio sz user for more than three years (~3.5), have bought a 750 for my wife and 650 for my brother as well. I have used different versions, 160, 330 and 650 last. It is surprising to see so many negative feedbacks as I did not experience anything that bad past three years with so many different computers.
I mainly use the computer for research and simulations. As regards to performance, it is fast indeed. Even if you are running many programs together including matlab, mathematica, photoshop, office programs etc. high speed mode can handle them pretty easily. I don't see the reason why people are getting troubles with speed.
Yes it is coming with lots of software junk however I don't understand what those people uninstalling for three days. If you are a little patient you can get rid of them in an hour after you first turn on the computer. Besides you don't need to wait there watching your computer uninstalling. It might be handy to have some these software too if you don't have your office or adobe cds ready, you can use the trial versions in the meantime for a while...
The overall design is really sleek, and keyboard really feels soft and nice, your fingers are sliding on the keys. The downside is after a year of frequent use there is a slight wear that you can guess from the outer look which keys are used most frequently (may be this is a problem in all computers out there). It is still fully functional however a better material should be used.
Some people say it doesn't come with a restore cd, well it has a very nice restore program, you can just say go and it restores the computer to after factory state, and if you like you can burn your own DVD's too. It would good to have an xp downgrade cd though for those who want to use xp.
As it comes to the service I don't have experience with other brands to make a comparison however I can comment on my personal experience. In the past I have sent my previous computer for the fan had started making too much noise. The next day I called sony service, a prepaid overnight ups box arrived to send the computer to them and the computer came back within a week with the fans cleaned up and problems fixed.
As to compare between different models although initial models had some problems, it is improving in time, going quieter and faster.
The only problem I have is that I have to pay attention extra care to protect the lcd as the casing is pretty thin and doesn't feel strong enough. I wish they made it a little more sturdy.
In the overall it is definitely a fast, sleek and very portable computer. I would definitely recommend this computer if you want a portable one yet you do not want to sacrifice performance.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Worst Battery ever
Comment: Sony needs to improve the battery to make the product usable. After charging the battery overnight and leaving the computer alone for 9 hours I started the computer. Imagine my surprise when the amount of battery charge reported was 88% (the computer was off - not on standby). Imagine my further surprise when after 15 minutes of use the computer stated that the charge was 62%. Avoid.
Customer Rating:
Summary: SZ750n/c Detailed Review
Comment: Many professional reviews call the Sony Vaio SZ the "ultimate no-compromise ultraportable notebook", and it seems that this is no exaggeration. My SZ750n/c is all that I could want from a laptop, and more.
But first, an overview of the major issues that keep most laptops from being excellent "lap top" computers (easily portable, use anywhere):
1. Weight / size - a laptop that's too heavy or bulky to be comfortably carried around become nothing more than a fancy desktop computer, since carrying it around becomes more trouble than it's worth.
2. Cooling efficiency - a laptop that becomes uncomfortably hot under normal use, or can't be used without careful consideration about air circulation becomes more of an annoyance than a convenience.
3. Noise - a noisy laptop (usually caused by overworked or poorly designed fans) can be very irritating, not only to you, but to everyone else around you.
4. Battery life - a laptop that only lasts 1 - 2 hours off AC power isn't much use as a portable computer, since you'll tend to want to stay near AC power.
5. Build quality - a laptop that isn't well built will soon start to fall apart just from everyday wear; parts can come loose, hinges can break, etc. Build quality is extremely important to any portable machine.
6. Computing power - a laptop that performs tasks slowly or can't perform certain intensive operations is of reduced value, no matter how portable, since it forces you to perform some of your work on other computers. Portability should not come at the expense of too much computing power.
The Sony Vaio SZ is one of the few laptops today that excels in all of the above areas. There are laptops of all sizes, weights, and varieties, but the Sony SZ is exceptional in that it balances performance, lightweight, silent operation, long battery life, etc. virtually without compromise.
- The Sony Vaio SZ is very light and portable, at 4.0 pounds. That, combined with it's size (13.3") makes it perfect for carrying around effortlessly, while the screen is still large enough for every-day use. It can easily be picked up and carried around with one hand, whether the lid is opened or closed.
- Most importantly (to me), the SZ has an excellent cooling system. Not only does it stay exceptionally cool internally (~30C CPU core temp) and externally (almost always cool to the touch no matter where you feel), but even when running on non air circulating surfaces like a blanket or a pillow, temperatures never raise more than 1 degree.
- The SZ runs almost completely silently. During the day, it's fan is almost impossible to hear unless held directly against the ear.
- Battery life is excellent. A well tuned system should be able to get 5+ hours easily, and 6+ hours is quite possible during word processing and light web browsing. I've personally got over 5 hours while doing various tasks including web browsing, watching videos, word processing, installing software, etc.
- Build quality is almost unmatched by any other brand. The SZ's carbon fiber chassis and aluminum palmrest makes up a very sturdy (yet lightweight) laptop. It feels very solid, even when picking the laptop up with a single hand (no real creaks or any warping at all). The keyboard and palmrest has no discernible flex unless you push unnaturally hard on the keys, etc. The screen (lid) is unusually thin (about the thickness of a hardcover book), yet remarkably sturdy (thanks to carbon fiber). The no-latch screen hinge works very well at keeping the lid closed, and at keeping it firmly in place when open. Even when holding the laptop upside-down by the body, the lid does not come open.
- Depending on your model, the SZ will range from very fast to incredibly fast. My model (the SZ750) has a relatively low-end T8100 2.1 GHz processor, yet it's still roughly 3x faster than my 3.0 GHz Pentium 4 HP laptop, and roughly 2x faster than my 2.2 GHz AMD Athlon64 desktop (not counting dual core - for modern applications the performance difference is 2x what's mentioned above).
Now on a less practical side, here are some other things about the SZ:
- The SZ's screen is one of the best on any laptop, with the possible exception of some newer laptops like the Sony Vaio Z. Color reproduction is stunning - better than many desktop LCD monitors. Brightness is incredible for a laptop - at 100% brightness it is actually uncomfortably bright indoors, and is bright enough to be viewed in direct sunlight outdoors.
- The SZ keyboard is different from most other laptops in feel (although the key pitch is 100% standard so you don't have to worry about adjusting to a cramped keyboard as with smaller laptops). Some people love the SZ keyboard, others hate it. I personally like it much better than any other laptop keyboard I have used, but if possible you should try a display model to see if you like it.
As to the underlying technology, the SZ has quite a few features that make all the above possible:
- WLED backlit LCD display - the display of the premium SZ models (such as the SZ750) is lit with White LED technology, as opposed to the outdated CCFL (cold cathode fluorescent light) on most other laptops. WLED displays are brighter, more vibrant, and considerably more energy efficient (resulting in longer battery life) than CCFL displays.
- Unlike most other laptops, the SZ has two GPU (graphics processing unit) chips - one from Intel that is energy efficient but relatively slow, and one from NVidia that is more of a power hog but very fast (useful for gaming and 3D rendering work). A "Stamina / Speed" switch allows you to switch between video cards, although unfortunately a reboot is required.
- Advanced internal circuitry (7 layer [possibly incorrect]) helps save power and prolong battery life compared to competing models even with identical CPU/GPU/etc. components.
- The standard 6-cell battery included with SZ premium models (like mine) is one of the highest energy capacities of any battery of it's weight / cells - 5800mah capacity. Most 6-cell batteries found in similar sized laptops (and even larger, heavier ones) are 4800mah - 5200mah.
The SZ does have some disadvantages, but fortunately they're relatively minor:
- When you first get an SZ, it comes pre-installed with a lot of "bloatware" - in other words, lots of software you probably won't need or want. Bloatware will slow down your system and reduce battery life and performance. This may be an issue if you're a beginner with computers, but otherwise it's not as hard to remove as some people say.
- The SZ series has a known issue where, when not connected to AC power, if you turn it off overnight, the next day the battery will be drained about 1-3%. This usually isn't a major issue, and if it is, it can be solved by simply removing the battery when not in use for long periods of time.
- (Most importantly, to me), replacements of the standard battery included with SZ premium models (model BPS10) doesn't seem to be available for order in the US (although I have no need for a replacement yet). Instead the BPS9 is offered, which is inferior (.1 pounds heavier and 5200mah rather than 5800mah). To get an identical replacement battery you would probably have to import from Europe or Japan.
Overall, the Sony Vaio SZ is an excellent "lap top" computer, far better than any competing brands (at the time of this writing). Unlike some competing ultra-portable laptops, the SZ does not sacrifice performance - it has a full power CPU and GPU, yet it still maintains excellent battery life and light weight. And unlike some high-performance portable laptops of similar size and weight, the SZ keeps exceptionally cool and runs remarkably silent.
Putting it simply, the SZ is the perfect "lap top" computer, which you can use wherever you go, for everything you need. It's light enough to be not at all uncomfortable to carry around. It rarely gets more than cool to the touch, whether being used on the lap or on the bed. It gets excellent battery life, ensuring that it will run (cool and silently) for many hours (5+). Build quality is extremely high (carbon fiber, very well put together), which means you should get many years of enjoyment out of this excellent, well proven and tested laptop (it's been around for years, and has generated an excellent reputation).
Customer Rating:
Summary: Not a very good product
Comment: I've had this product for nearly a year. It's a piece of junk in many respects. It looks nice and has a nice screen, but here are my major problems:
1) Battery life is terrible. I got 1h15m on an airplane watching videos stored on the hard drive, in "Stamina" mode. I get maybe 15-30 minutes more when I'm just browsing the internet over the wi-fi at home. It's not much better than the cheapo Averatec this laptop replaced.
2) Construction is poor. The case is pulling away from the keyboard on the side. It feels relatively flimsy.
3) It's veeeerrrryyy slow, particularly booting up and launching some applications. This is probably both Sony's and Microsoft's faults. I have 2GB ram and did the downgrade to XP, but there still seems to be so much junk/crapware. I tried taking some of it off which caused problems (like the Intel wi-fi software, I'll just use windows thank you, but when I did that the wi-fi didn't work at all). So I'm hesitant to do much more housekeeping. I'm running Startup Cop but that doesn't seem to help a whole lot.
4) Lack of physical volume control kind of stinks, but I guess I could have figured that out going in.
I need to call Sony and see if they can somehow rectify the battery issue, but this is likely my (first and) last purchase of a Vaio laptop, even though I love many of Sony's other products.
Accessories:
 | Quicken Deluxe 2009 |
 | Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 Standard |
 | Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2009 |
 | Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 |
 | Norton Internet Security 2009 |
Technical Details
Batteries Included: 1Binding: Personal Computers
Brand: Sony
Color: Black
CPU Manufacturer: Intel
CPU Speed: 2.5
CPU Type: Intel Core Duo
Display Size: 13.3
EAN: 0027242734180
Feature: Sleekly designed, lightweight notebook featuring 13.3-inch screen (with Webcam), 4-pound black carbon fiber case
Floppy Disk Drive Description: None
Graphics Memory Size: 64
Hard Disk Size: 250
Is Autographed: 0
Is Memorabilia: 0
Label: Sony
Manufacturer: Sony
Model: VGN-SZ760N/C
Modem Description: Fax / modem
Native Resolution: 13.3
Processor Count: 2
Publisher: Sony
Release Date: 2008-02-19
Studio: Sony
System Bus Speed: 800
System Memory Size: 2000
System Memory Type: DDR2 SDRAM
Warranty: 1 year warranty
