Sony Vaio Z2: Everything is Peripheral
by Dustin Sklavos on February 13, 2012 12:55 AM ESTApplication and Futuremark Performance
Sony's decision to use a full-wattage Intel Core i7 dual-core mobile processor in the VAIO Z2 instead of the 17W CPUs notebooks with these kinds of dimensions usually enjoy means you can expect the Z2 to perform consistently at the top of the heap where application performance is concerned. Add the AMD Radeon HD 6650M in the Power Media Dock to the equation and suddenly you'll also see the Z2 go on a tear in Futuremark's tests. Note that we're focusing on the ultraportable market here, so there are certainly faster laptops around; they're just not available in a sub-14" form factor.
Or at least it should. In PCMark 7 we can see from the Computation score that the Z2 is clearly running the HD 6650M properly (Computation employs Intel's Quick Sync), but the 6650M seems to have a deleterious effect on scores across the board. I have to wonder if PCMark 7 doesn't just outright favor Intel's integrated graphics: notice how every other system with a dedicated GPU clusters at the bottom of most of the charts.
PCMark Vantage proves to be a little more even-handed and scores line up where they ought to be, with the HD 6650M offering an improvement to the Z2's user experience.
Unlike PCMark 7, our application tests reveal no difference in performance between having the Radeon on hand or just using the integrated graphics. These tests are purely CPU bound.
Predictably, the 3DMarks enjoy a substantial boost in performance from switching over to the dedicated AMD Radeon HD 6650M. Unlike the Radeon HD 6470M in Sony's VAIO SB, the 6650M is a definite and notable improvement on Intel's integrated graphics.
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quiksilvr - Monday, February 13, 2012 - link
The ONLY comparison you had for these benchmarks is a 17" laptop with one of the most powerful notebook GPUs in the market?Dustin Sklavos - Monday, February 13, 2012 - link
We just refreshed our benchmarking suite. I explained that. In the review.nbgambler - Monday, February 13, 2012 - link
Wait a second... you want us to read, BEFORE flaming??? I'm going back to Yahoo answers!JarredWalton - Monday, February 13, 2012 - link
Note that we also include 3DMarks for precisely this reason. You can see how graphics performance stands up to previous laptop reviews there, and as we add more laptops to our 2012 test suite, we'll have more comparison points (which will be added to Mobile Bench).kenyee - Monday, February 13, 2012 - link
For this expensive an ultrabook, I would have expected a 16GB max :-PI've seen it in a Sony store though...this new 13" 1080p screen is indeed amazing...looking forward to the next generation of tablets w/ 1080p or higher displays :-)
MadMacMan - Monday, February 13, 2012 - link
After reading this review and last night looking at HP EliteBooks and considering their respective price points, who was it again that came up with the whole thang about Apple notebooks being prohibitively expensive!?? I applaud HP for bringing IPS back to notebooks (at 10-bit color no less) but that bag of tricks will set you back way north of $3k unless you'll settle for mediocre specs and a dual-core CPU.As for the whole low-wattage deal, Ivy Bridge will do away with those issues in a couple of months and 1080p being considered high screen density? Let's see if those 2880x1440 so-called "Retina" display rumors will come to fruition for MacBook Pro's, because if they do, even a 12" 1200p screen will pale in comparison, and don't go any lower either or you'll bump into a certain "1536p" panel in a 9.7" shell of sorts I keep reading about. Yea, baby. ;-)
Dianoda - Monday, February 13, 2012 - link
Hi, I'd like to request that future display reviews include comments specific to the display's ability to reproduce smooth gradients (ie, black to white, reds, greens, blues) without any noticeable banding, and the ability to reproduce the minute differences between white/extremely light gray and black/extremely dark gray. The gradient banding, black level, and white saturation test images available at http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/ come to mind.I know that great LCD monitors are rare in laptops, but to truly distinguish an exceptional laptop display we need to examine more than just resolution, contrast ratio, color gamut, and viewing angles (although those aspects of the display are very important as well!).
Thanks and keep up the good work!
polyzp - Monday, February 13, 2012 - link
This is by far the most powerful ultrabook out now. I have a feeling AMD's ultrathin trinity will give this a good run for its money!http:// AMDFX.blogspot. com
JarredWalton - Monday, February 13, 2012 - link
Except on the CPU aspect, but yes, Trinity should do wonders for IGP performance. 50% faster than the Llano IGP means it should outperform the 6650M and use less power at the same time.bji - Monday, February 13, 2012 - link
My friend's Dreamcast broke pretty early on in its lifetime. My PS2 never went bad.I believe I have just refuted your entire anecdotal evidence rampage.