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We tested the system's gaming chops both with the external GPU and without. Running only on the internal Intel HD 3000 graphics, Street Fighter IV ran at 11.7 frames per second, at the native 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution. Connect the docking station and its AMD 6630 GPU, and we got 29.0 frames per second on the same test. In the much more challenging game Metro 2033, we got 12.1 frames per second with the external GPU, which is actually a pretty good score, considering we ran the game at 1,920x1,080 pixels in DirectX 11 mode with graphics set to high.
 Juice box |
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| Sony Vaio Z216GX | Average watts per hour | ||
| Off (60 percent) | 0.21 | ||
| Sleep (10 percent) | 1.01 | ||
| Idle (25 percent) | 6.00 | ||
| Load (5 percent) | 44.98 | ||
| Raw kWh | 34.83 | ||
| Annual energy cost | $3.95 | ||
The battery in the Sony Vaio Z was impressive for such a small laptop, clocking in at 4 hours and 30 minutes on out video playback battery drain test--but both the Samsung Series 9 and Toshiba Portege R835 ran significantly longer. The Vaio Z is also available with a $150 optional slice battery that fits across the entire bottom surface of the laptop. The slice adds about 1 pound and 0.4 inch to the Vaio Z, but running both batteries together yielded an astounding 10 hours and 34 minutes on our challenging battery test, which means it should run even longer for typical Web surfing and e-mail.
The Sony Vaio Z is backed by an industry-standard, one-year warranty. Support is accessible 24-7 via a toll-free phone line, an online knowledge base, and a Web site with driver downloads. Sony's support sites are clean and easy to navigate, but information about your exact laptop configuration may be hard to find.
Make no mistake about it, this is an almost painfully expensive laptop, starting at $2,000 and only going up from there. The hardware looks and feels great, and the powerful GPU/optical dock is a great idea, but this isn't for everyone, and is more likely to be an executive toy (we sometimes call them CEO laptops) than something you'll see at a coffee shop or college campus.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Find out more about how we test laptops.
Samsung 9 Series
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit); 1.4GHz Intel Core i5-2537M; 4096MB DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz; 64MB(Dedicated) Intel GMA HD; 128GB Samsung SSD
Lenovo ThinkPad X1
Windows 7 Professional (64-bit) w/ SP1; 2.5GHz Intel Core i5-2520M; 4096MB DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz; 64MB (Dedicated) / 1696MB (Total) Intel HD 3000; 320GB Hitachi 7200rpm
Dell XPS 15Z
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP1; 2.7GHz Intel Core i7-2620M; 8GB DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz; 2GB Nvidia GeForce GT 525M / 64MB (Shared) Intel HD 3000; 750GB Seagate 7200rpm
Toshiba Portege R835-P56X
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit); 2.3GHz Intel Core i5-2410M; 4096MB DDR3 SDRAM 1333MHz; 64MB (Dedicated)/1696MB (Total) Intel GMA HD; 640GB Hitachi 5400rpm
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