Sony Vaio SZ640 performance review
By Jonathan Schlaffer
Last time I reviewed the SZ640 based on its hardware alone, if you didn’t read that, do so now and then come back here. Of course, that review pretty much covered the entire SZ line of computers because the build is standard among all models. Now it’s time to evaluate the SZ640 strictly from a performance standpoint.
The Vaio SZ640 used for this review has been upgraded to 2GB of DDR2 memory and a 100GB 7200RPM hard drive (up from the standard 1GB and 80GB 5400RPM drive, respectively).
So, my results will probably vary from the standard model. While I’m on this, upgrading the Vaio SZ series is difficult and is not for the weak of heart. In doing so you risk stripping one or more screws, bending the keyboard and voiding the warranty.
That about covers everything "wrong" with the laptop so let’s see how it performs.
First up is 3Dmark06, a standard graphics benchmark, note that this was performed using the "basic" free edition so not all tests were available but is a good indication of performance.
The graphics benchmark was run twice, once using the nVidia 8400M GS and once using the Intel GMA X3100. You can select which graphics card you need by moving the switch to "stamina" or "speed."
Granted, the 8400M GS is no gaming card but I was expecting a bit more. Even though Windows says it has 816MB of available memory for the card (64MB dedicated and the rest coming from RAM though I’m not sure how the folks at Sony/nvidia came up with such an odd number as 816MB) I was expecting a bit more.
Most other laptops with the 8400M GS have 128MB of dedicated memory but whichever version you have it is still limited by the 64-bit memory bus and Sony manages to compound that problem further by using the model with 64MB.
I wasn’t expecting to play games but I was expecting a score in the 1500 to 1800 area and it didn’t come close. Disappointing but I can live with it.
It goes without saying that the Intel GMA X3100 will perform worse but it’s still a step beyond by my favorite graphics punching bag, the GMA 950.
Like I said, the Intel GMA X3100 cut performance by almost 50% but by doing so you may be able to eke out a little over 4 hours of battery use but that’s the only reason to use the "Stamina" mode.
All in all you should be able to get through some last gen games, and maybe even a few of the current ones if you tone down the graphics settings enough but still, I have to say the graphics-only tests were quite disappointing.
That’s not to say the rest of the system is bad and to that here are the PCMark05 results.
This paints a slightly better picture, rather than giving what could be considered "below average" performance for its hardware shows it being a middle of the pack performer, not the worst but not the best which is acceptable for the price range of this laptop. However, the GPU of the system will always be the limiting factor.
For some reason both PCmark05 and 3Dmark06 identified the Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 processor as an E4400 processor which would be the desktop equivalent, it’s a minor complaint and as far as I can tell does not affect the way the benchmark runs.
It seems that the processor identity crisis wasn’t fixed in PCMark Vantage either which pointed the system as being a little slower but again, the 8400M GS with only 64MB of dedicated memory is the limiting factor.
That’s about all the benchmarks I could actually locate free versions of and to be honest, I was expecting a little more out of the SZ640, the processor, upgraded memory and hard drive as well as the DVDRW drive and LED display are all great but the graphics card holds this laptop back from living up to its full potential.
However, it does offer a bit more power than your average "thin and light" laptop and the four hour standard battery (if operating in "stamina" mode) is nothing to scoff at.
Of course it will only last those four hours if you are doing light work such as browsing the web, using office applications or listening to music, don’t expect it to last four hours if you decide to watch a DVD, you might get half that or slightly less.
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on Monday, December 31st, 2007 at 8:35 am
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