Vaio Z Flip vs Surface Book

Report · Jul 16, 2017

Hello!

I posted this in the lounge, not realizing this was the best place for subject.....sorry for the duplication....

I have to make a purchase and am having trouble deciding between the Vaio Z Flip and Microsoft Surface Book. This will pretty much be my everything computer. and the capability of utilizing a desktop screen at times. I require business use as well. which is simple standard MS office software.

Please let me know what your experiences are with these choices. It's a lot of money to just pick one and hope for the best. Thank you in advance!

Cynthia

Report · Jul 16, 2017

Can't speak to the Vaio Z Flip, but have been looking at the Surface Book and am using the Surface Pro 3 for the past couple of years.

There are a few things to be aware of - the processor should be an i7 preferably four core, memory should be no less than 16 GB and internal drive no less than 250GB. As well a fast external SSD for storing all the data, I use a Samsun T3 1GB. This setup allows for editing of large RAW image files at a reasonable speed, but is slow with Premier Pro, depending on the complexity.

Using it with MS Office is very comfortable

The screens are very good and being touch screen is quite useful.

Problems; working on processor intensive programs the unit runs very warm and the battery life is short and requires plugging in the AC adapter. Also, the keyboard, that acts as a cover, is a little soft to the touch when typing fast, although I've gotten used to that.

The Surface Book appears to have solved the issue of heating up during intensive work and allows for a more powerful configuration to what I have now, as well the keyboard is now equal to any laptop.

I look forward to seeing if someone here has used the Surface Book and their experience?

Cheers

Report · Jul 16, 2017

Thank you for your response Mikeklar! I appreciate your sharing your experience with the Pro 3! the two that I am deciding between both are i7 16GB RAM and 512 GB SSD which seems sufficient enough to last this chic a while. Though the Vaio doesn't appear to have as brilliant as a screen image as does the Surface. I am wondering about how it would be to always connect and disconnect the tablet from its keypad. The Vaio seems to have the upper hand with ease of use in that regard. but of course, I may be missing something......I haven't tried either one. For me it is a sizable investment. That being said..EITHER one will be better than what I have. lol!

Report · Jul 16, 2017

One of the reasons I'm thinking about getting the Surface Book is it's dual graphics processors, dual battery packs and the ability to customize it.

However, I'm not sure if the I7 processor is dual or quad core... because of battery usage it's likely a dual core...

Regarding the "connect and disconnect ability" of the "tablet" from the keyboard, take a look at the following video:

Microsoft Surface Book review - CNET

I dabble a little with sketches and drawings and find the pen and tablet on the Surface Pro a delight to use.

Note; one of the two graphics processors in the Surface Book is a NVIDA GeForce GPU

Cheers

Report · Jul 16, 2017

I looked at the Book but did not get it. Still using my Surface, but I only use it for small project testing.

I think I recall that the Book graphics card was proprietary and I could not get any real info about its specs.

Report · Jul 16, 2017

I finally found an old Book (I think there are newer models???) it was a recertified unit with this Manufactures number of FGK-00001.

the i7-6600U is two cores and the GF 940M typically has only 384 cores and uses antique DDR3 memory. Also there are an amazing number of sources for that recertified model which scares me.

Report · Jul 16, 2017

I really hate the way these name brands hide full technical details. I finally found the CPU model in the Sony it is an i7-6567U which is a lousy dual core CPU and of course neither has an nVidia CUDA GPU. The Sony apparently has a upgradeable SSD so you can order a small drive which probably is a mediocre performance drive and replace it with Samsung 960 series SSD drive and I have tested running OS,all applications including Premiere Pro, your project files and media all off one single super speed M.2 PCIe Gen 3 x4. Since I cannot find performance of Microsoft SSD's let alone if there is any capability to get one of the best super speed SSD's for it. Both units do have USB 3.0 but not 3.1 but 3.0 can be used for the Samsung T3 drives which is a good way to go when you only have one non-super speed SSD. Since you do not mention video editing so maybe my Premiere Pro centric testing is beyond your usage.

Report · Jul 16, 2017

Thank you for your knowledgeable input Bill! Yes, it is ortentimes very tricky to get the full story behind the glam. I don't currently use Prmiere Pro. Do you think that the Vaio Z Flip is adequate for what programs that I do use? The programs that I currently use the most are from Adobe CC. AI, PS LR and InD It appears that the requirements of all of them will be met with both the Surface Book and the Vaio 7 Flip. I am not by profession a graphic designer. I do graphics work for my own business and a few others. And I am just starting to get involved with web design using WP. The reason that I am looking at both of these hybrids as an option is that I need to be very mobile with the capacity to simply plug into a monitor. either for more working space or for presentations as I travel. I am hoping to visit with someone who has experienced both the Vaio Z Flip or Surface Book that could share their overall opinion on ease of use, capacity, pen/drawing ease and responsiveness. I am leaning in the direction of the Vaio.... however, I am very open to alternate suggestions.