Buying an old (2010 model) Vaio Z - advice?

[Best Foot Forward]

Hello! Been a full two years since I last logged on which can only mean that I'm after a new notebook and would greatly appreciate any advice on the following situation

I've been getting into photo editing, Lightroom and Photoshop, lately and generally spending a lot more time at my computer but the screen on my current Vaio CW (specs in signature) is a real pain after a while. Low resolution, absolutely hateful glossy finish, slightly artificial looking colours and poor vertical viewing angles are my main problems with it. After spending the past week or two catching up on what developments have occurred in computing - Ivy Bridge imminent and all that jazz - I've decided to go for a 2010 Z11 (or Z12/13), probably from eBay because my budget is limited. But there are few things I'd like clarifying before I start hunting:

1) After reading notebookcheck.net's Z series reviews, countless other reviews/opinions and seeing pictures in this forum showing how weak the newish Vaio SA screen is against a Z11, I'm convinced that the 2010 Z screen is way better my 2010 CW screen; higher resolution, better colour gamut and a non-gloss surface. I was wondering if anyone here has compared the Z and CW or similar screens and can confirm that there is indeed a sea of difference?

2) I'm satisfied with my current performance, running 15+ tabs in Chrome, iTunes, Adobe Reader and various Word files without hiccup, though PDF's can be laggy when scrolling. The few things that could be better are Photoshop and Lightroom taking ages loading RAW files (HDD related I presume), zooming in and certain editing actions, and shoddy fps in Team Fortress 2. I'm not interested in playing the latest games so given that I'm already happy with a piddling Core 2 Duo, am I correct in believing that even a Core i5-520m and Nvidia 330m would be nice improvements for my usage?

3) Is there a way to make the optical drive into a external one, connected via USB perhaps? I'd probably swap it out for a large capacity HDD but it would be shame to have a superfluous component lying around.

Slightly wordier than I planned but it hopefully gives you a bit of a background. Any advice or opinions would be great. Thanks!

[lovelaptops]

In brief:

1) Yes, oceans of difference!
2) Your analysis sounds spot on
3) Not sure what it would take to re-use your DVD drive externally, but you can buy one in a case for $30, so probably not worth the bother. Swapping out for an HDD is a cinch. You need a caddy by Newmodeus.

[Steve78]

Buying an old (2010 model) Vaio Z - advice?

Arguably the greatest notebook Sony have made. Best laptop I've ever used/owned. My advice is simple: Buy it!

[lovelaptops]

Arguably the greatest notebook Sony have made. Best laptop I've ever used/owned. My advice is simple: Buy it!

I agree completely with Steve, but I wouldn't have been so modest with my praise. Seriously.

[namaiki]

Great notebook. Only one downfall in my opinion: Don't expect ultrabook like battery life out of it, if you need it. Realistically, I would say 3-5 hours.

Awesome screen though!

[Best Foot Forward]

Cheers for the quick replies, much appreciated.

I have just two more queries concerning the Z1:

1) Comparing the viewing angles of the (links to notebookcheck.net) Z11 against the Z12 the Z12 seems to be much better, though they tilted the Z11 screen farther back in their picture. Is there actually a difference here?

2) How is the fan if you're not doing anything intensive e.g. internet browsing, listening to music, watching videos and word processing? I'm aware it becomes quite loud under high loads which is acceptable.

Thanks everyone, this is probably all the information I need before I decide on a purchase.

[Ashers]

1) Other than variations in manufacturing, my understanding is that the panels are the same.
2) Obviously, it depends on your hearing sensitivity and background noise in the environment. In my experience, in a silent environment, the fan is noticeable when idle, due to the constant hum. However, this seems to vary from unit to unit, as some people say their Zs are silent when idle. But I have used three different Z1s and they have been identical in terms of noise - perhaps I've been unlucky! Even so, it's such a great machine, I don't regret the purchase one bit.

[ZugZug]

I tend to turn off some services and optimize Windows 7 so my Z1 is quiet. Somehow setting automatic Windows update to check but let me decide when to download and install makes the world of difference. If I let Windows download stuff in background, I get all manner of CPU spikes, disk activity, and invisible things stealing window focus. Even when there are no updates in the pipeline. Nasty. I also tweak Balanced power profile for best results.

[nicktids]

1. I have the 900p its amazing can't help on the other screen

2. no fan sound at all on the internal graphics but you will hear it if you play a game with it and the graphics on.

[Carlos_milos]

Best Foot Foward.

I bought a Z13, and swapped out the DVD for a stock 256 Crucial SSD. I now the have all the speed and storage I will need on a laptop for some time. But to be honest, this is not a laptop, It's the successor to the road warriors x505 TZ and TT. I'll admit if you hammer it, you get three hours, but get the extended battery and have anywhere between 3hrs and 7.5 hrs.

Personal use, just browsing and nothing major running in the background, 9 hrs.

Buy A Z13.