Sony Vaio SVE14A27CXH Vs Samsung NP700Z5C-S01UB

[sanderb134]

First time poster and long time lurker here guys. So I'm going to buy a new laptop and I have decided between the Samsung NP700Z5C-S01UB or the Sony SVE14A27CXH. I've looked up specs and read reviews about both. I am a college student so portability and battery life are important. Also, I want it to last me a while down the road. The Samsung has better battery life but the Sony is smaller. Which one is the more powerful computer? I am not sure about the graphics in the Sony. Which do you recommend I buy?

Samsung Specs
Intel® Core™ i7-3615QM Processor
15.6" screen with 1600 x 900 resolution - Matte
8GB ram with 8GB max ram
1TB (5400 rpm) with 8GB ExpressCache™ Technology
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 630M with 512MB memory
8 cell battery at 9 hours 12 minutes battery life
5.29 lbs at 14.2" x 9.3" x 0.94"
101 keys with backlit keyboard
Rest of specs: http/www.samsung.com/us/computer/laptops/NP700Z5C-S01UB-specs

Sony Specs
Intel® Core™ i7-3632QM
14.0" touchscreen with 1600 x 900 resolution - Glossy
8GB ram with 16GB max ram
1TB (5400 rpm) HDD
AMD Radeon™ HD 7670M Hybrid graphics with 2GB memory
6 cell battery at 5 hours and 45 minutes battery life
5.29 lbs at 13.43" (W) x 9.65" (D) x 0.89" - 1.37" (H)
82 keys (no number pad) with backlit keyboard
Rest of specs: http/www.docs.sony.com/release/specs/SVE14A27CXH_mksp.pdf

They both weigh the same but the samsung has better battery and a number pad but the sony is smaller. The touchscreen is nice but I don't care much for. I'm just not too sure about the hybrid graphics on the sony. Also, I have a sony right now and I do not like the trackpad that much, so I don't know if this one has a similar trackpad. What are your suggestions? Thank you all very much!

 

[Labrynthian]

It depends what you're going to use the computer for. But judging by your choices, you're going to use it for basic work, maybe some photo/video editiing and some gaming... Anyway, I'm going to assume that you're going to do some amount of photo/video editing and gaming because otherwise you'd buy a much more ordinary laptop. Both i7 processors are good. The 630M card has only 512 VRAM? That's not good at all. Both the 630M and the Hybrid 7670 are low-mid ranged class 2 graphics cards. That said, since they're more or less the same, you'd want the one with the 2GB memory as opposed to the 512 memory. The display size in the Samsung is bigger, but the resolution ends up being the same, so that doesn't matter either. Both have 1tb HDDs that run at 5400, so that's fine too. Your deciding factor should lie with the graphics. And the Sony offers a better option.
That said, why only these two? Obviously you have a strict budget, otherwise you wouldn't have chosen these two laptops... What's your budget? Maybe there's something else you may have over looking in your price range. But IF you're absolutely certain about these two and NOTHING else, then go with the Sony, for the reasons listed above

 

[sanderb134]

I am going to be using it for mostly basic use, but I am an engineering major and will be doing CAD work next semester. How would these handle CAD? It's only between these two because I can get a very nice discount on these two from my work If it wasn't for the battery life of the Sony this would be a much easier choice. These would come out to about $600 so if you know any better laptops in this price range let me know because I may be overlooking something like you said. Thanks for the help

 

[Labrynthian]

Ok so I did the research. The Sony you're considering is definitely the best in the price range you're looking for. About the battery... most laptops give 3-4 hours now days, when used for gaming... if it's just normal use they give a bit more, like 5 hours, on average. So don't worry too much about battery life. In this day and age, whether it's phone or laptop, if you go around anywhere without a charger, you're pretty much screwed

 

[sanderb134]

Thanks! I did get the samsung but it has a bad HDD on it So i might just return it and get the Sony but the battery life was very attractive on the sammy. Samsung did say they would fix it for free but would take about 2 weeks.

 

[zdbc13]

Yes, go back and get the Sony....

 

[Labrynthian]

Thanks! I did get the samsung but it has a bad HDD on it So i might just return it and get the Sony but the battery life was very attractive on the sammy. Samsung did say they would fix it for free but would take about 2 weeks.

Oh. Well, see if that works out. Good luck.

 

[sanderb134]

Best answer selected by sanderb134.

 

[sanderb134]

Thanks, I got another sammy but ive only been able to get 5 hours of battery which was the reason I choose this laptop over the sony. Besides that it is great.

 

[jimbedell]

I just bought the Sony at BestBuy today (with 18 months financing), so can't say if it will work out. But, I have been in computers since 1969 and travel more than 1/2 my time doing consulting and also demos of SAP Business One running on VMware. I am not very interested in gaming -- but needed the I7 with 8GB to have reasonable response time during presentations, and liked the idea (still to be tested) of hardware assist/design for virtualization.
I liked the fact that the Sony starts at 8 GB memory but can to to 16 GB -- so when the cost and chips become reasonable that might get me a couple more years out of it. Also the 2GB video memory should help in presentations. And the ability to hook to customer conference room projectors with either the VGA or HDMI was a factor. Finally, while I am a novice to touchscreens, I expect that there will be a lot of stuff coming out over the next few years that will allow me to use that capability. Besides if you are doing customer presentations like me, it helps to look like you are at least a little ahead on the technology.
tiger68

 

[JIMBODAVIS]

The touchscreen was the beginning factor for me when I was filtering-down my decision on a laptop, because I've been reading a ton of reviews - including those about Windows 8 - and the overall consensus alluded to Windows 8 "wanting" to work with a touchscreen interface, or at least have the option available. Essentially, Windows 8 was designed to be used with a touchscreen computer in many ways, yet didn't NEED one to have a touchscreen in order to still use Windows 8. From there, I preferred an i7 processor, but didn't care as much about that as the touchscreen as the result of Windows 8 being the OS all new laptops are being phased into. The RAM was important as well, and I wanted to have 8 GB with more possible - alluding to the 16 GB the Sony could be expanded to. In the end, the Sony sve14a27cxh straddled the fence the best without paying Apple prices. I LOVED the way it looked, too, with the gunmetal/gold color scheme, but that was just icing on the cake. The one thing I wished was different, but didn't alter my decision, was the 5400 rpm HDD, which I wanted to be 7200 rpm, but a 7200 rpm HDD is surprisingly hard to find without a special order, and anything not 5400 is a 256 GB SSD these days, which are VERY pricey right now and much smaller in memory (for now). The 512 GB SSD is a huge price commitment from my research. I customized my Sony through their website and got lucky with a promotional deal lasting through March 30th, 2013 to get screaming deals on the upgrades while also getting 5x the rewards points for every dollar spent (thus getting equivalent points for 5 customized laptops for the price of one). I ended-up upgrading the graphics card, adding an 8 GB hybrid drive to the 1 TB HDD, and increased the battery to the large lithium-ion battery (7950mAh). Only time will tell, but I'm pretty happy about my decision to roll with the Sony. The Sony customize deal - along with the 5x the rewards - is no longer available, which was ENORMOUSLY lucky for me, but it could come around again. I saved well over $250 on the computer I built - not to mention 5x the rewards!