Review Sony Vaio VPC-SB2L1E/W Subnotebook
Subnotebooks with a 13.3 inch display are falling more and more in favor and are increasingly also attainable for more moderate prices below 1000 Euros. For this reason Sony has extended the product line of the SB series with the Vaio VPC-SB2L1E/W reviewed by us, which has an Intel Core i3-2310M dual-core processor and a dedicated AMD Radeon HD 6470M graphics card. Depending on personal taste this entry-level device is available in white or silver, whereby the aluminum chassis with its 'full flat' design is the foundation in both cases. In addition further features from the more expensive models remain. Among these is the Vaio Display Plus display with a semi non-reflective display surface and resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels, or the possibility of connecting a docking station and also a battery slice. G75V battery HP COMPAQ Notebook nx7400 battery
For an entry price of 799 Euros (RRP) buyers will however have to make compromises in terms of the RAM (4 GByte), and the hard drive capacity, as well as the mobile internet accessibility (3G UMTS not available). Read whether this purchase is nevertheless worth while, and whether this subnotebook is justified for the targeted student customers. Hot question: What has happened to the weaknesses of its predecessor, the Sony Vaio VPC-SB1Z9EB, which we reviewed several months ago? Asus G60VX Battery HP Pavilion dv6 battery
Performance
Current notebooks with a comparatively low entry price are by no means equipped with out of date components. Sony has opted for an Intel Core i3-2310M dual-core processor from the Huron River platform (chipset: HM65) for the 'Studibook" of the SB series. This central component is a favorite entry-level solution and provides a clock speed of 2.1 GHz as well as 3 MBytes of L3 cache. Not considering Hyper-Threading support (4 threads), the missing Turbo-Boost is a negative aspect. The larger dual-core brothers, such as the Intel Core i5-2410M (+50 Euros in configuration), support this useful feature and are usually only marginally more expensive. HP 593553-001 HP COMPAQ 6820s battery
Similarly to the display and the processor options, the graphics card doesn't spoil buyers for choice. On the inside is the combination of the integrated Intel GMA HD 3000 processor graphics and the dedicated AMD Radeon HD 6470M from the entry-level segment of the current mid-range. With 512 MBytes of memory and a clock speed of 800 MHz and 900 MHz memory speed, this should also appeal to occasional gamers. What is unfortunate is the fact that Sony has also opted for a manual switching between the graphics units via a sliding controller above the keyboard. Other manufacturers already use the automatic solution PowerXpress 4.0 alias BACON, which is the alternative to Nvidia's Optimus technology. On the other hand the SB2L1E/W has been saved the current teething problems of the AMD solution. Asus A42-U36 DELL Vostro V13 battery
Let's get to our the comprehensive benchmark course. To start off with come the CPU benchmarks from Maxon, during which the Intel Core i3-2310M dual-core processor has to prove itself. Using the tried and tested CineBench R10 calculation with a single thread (single, 64-bit) the processor scores 3469 points, which places it in the mid-range of our database. Next to comparable configurations (e.g. HP ProBook 4530s) the Intel Core i3-380M is ahead on a similar performance level. HP COMPAQ HSTNN-I04C HP Pavilion dv5 battery
During the multi-threading rendering the average performance continues, and devices such as the Acer Aspire 3750 from the Intel TestIT!2011 device pool, or the Dell Inspiron 15R are also in the region of the achieved 7519 points. The identically built Sony Vaio VPC-SB1Z9EB with an Intel Core i5-2520M or the smaller i5-2410M, are faster with 25.8% (10128 points) and 20.4% (9451 points) better performance respectively. In light of the improved performance and the Turbo-Boost 2.0 technology support, we recommend a look at the Intel Core i5-2410M in our opinion, although the tested processor obviously doesn't have any problems with office or multimedia applications. DELL Vostro V130 battery Sony VGP-BPS13B/S
The synthetic gaming benchmarks from Futuremark give a first indication of the provided 3D performance. In the somewhat older 3DMark06 benchmark the integrated AMD Radeon HD 6470M graphics card scores an acceptable 4421 points. With this score the GPU operates in the lower mid-range, whereby the processor graphics Intel GMA HD 3000 is already almost on a similar performance level. The alternative to the AMD graphics would be the Nvidia GeForce GT 520M graphics solution, whereby this option is also not a guarantee for gaming fun. The next step up from this, which is used by most manufacturers, is the Nvidia's GeForce GT 540M (8196 points, +46.1%). The GPU benchmark from the current 3DMark11 confirms the positioning in the lower third of our database. Hp Mini 210 battery Fujitsu LifeBook S7020D battery
A preliminary verdict is made possible by the system benchmarks. The PCMark Vantage benchmark makes a start in this area as a tried and tested software. With a total result of 4857 points, the components inside the chassis operate in the broad mid-range. Direct neighbors are the Samsung 200B5B Business subnotebook, and the Dell Latitude E5420 Essential with Intel's GMA HD 3000 processor graphics. Higher demands are claimed by the PCMark7 benchmark, whereby the tested device slips into the lower third as a result. On the other hand many older notebooks are completely out of the picture. Altogether the Sony SB2 offers a good performance in the mid-range, with considerable wiggle room above. The Vaio provides sufficient power for office and multimedia use, only when creating content and playing games will the performance reserves quickly become limited. HP G62 battery HP ProBook 5220m Battery
A lot of bang for the buck is provided by Sony with the included Hitachi Travelstar 5K500.B hard drive type: HTS545050B9SA00. With a rotational speed of 5400 revolutions per minute and SATA II connectivity, this is an ordinarily slow notebook hard drive. The matching benchmarks confirm this assumption with a maximum read speed of 79 MB/s, and an access time of around 21 milliseconds during reading operations. For a fast system operation we would recommend a hybrid-drive (SSH), or a pure Solid State Drive (SSD). Thanks to Intel's Huron River platform modern SATA III drives, such as the Intel SSD Serie 510, OCZ Agility 3, or the Vertex 3, can also be used. Dell Vostro 1520 battery Sony VGP-BPS21
Verdict: Gaming
On the subject of performance: The pure gaming performance is not especially impressive, and is more aimed at occasional gamers without demanding requirements. Simple games, such as World of Warcraft or Fifa 11, run with finer detail settings and higher resolutions. On the other hand there is a lack of performance for newer games, which can only by played with a maximum of medium presets. Altogether this doesn't lead to any gaming fun, and gamers should look for another device with a more potent GPU. HP COMPAQ 6830s battery Sony VGP-BPS13
Battery Life
The adopted hardware doesn't have too much reserve performance, and the possibility to switch off the dedicated graphics card, provide for a broad range of power consumption. In an idle state the power consumption lies between 7.3 and 12.9 Watts, whereby the minimum is only possible in the Stamina-Mode. In contrast to this is the power consumption under load with an activated AMD graphics card. At its peak the combination of the dedicated graphics and the stress test (Furmark + Prime95) leads to a power consumption of 60.8 Watts, which is within limits for this configuration though. With a power consumption of 90 Watts, the included AC adapter is sufficient for the requirements. Dell XPS M1330 battery ASUS U30J battery
Battery Life
The adopted hardware doesn't have too much reserve performance, and the possibility to switch off the dedicated graphics card, provide for a broad range of power consumption. In an idle state the power consumption lies between 7.3 and 12.9 Watts, whereby the minimum is only possible in the Stamina-Mode. In contrast to this is the power consumption under load with an activated AMD graphics card. At its peak the combination of the dedicated graphics and the stress test (Furmark + Prime95) leads to a power consumption of 60.8 Watts, which is within limits for this configuration though. With a power consumption of 90 Watts, the included AC adapter is sufficient for the requirements. Acer BAT-711 Dell Inspiron 1764 battery
Verdict
After the review of the Sony Vaio VPC-SB2L1E/W there are a few positive aspects, but also well known disadvantages on our list. The high-quality chassis, the pleasant feel, the backlit keyboard, and the matte 13.3 inch display, make a good impression. The case stability, the average display characteristics, and the persistent problems with the emissions under load, as well as the resulting CPU throttling, are less impressive. For gaming and day-to-day use we were not able to detect any throttling though. Fujitsu LifeBook S7110 battery DELL XPS L701x battery
Technically Sony has taken a step back with the configuration
reviewed by us, and has opted for current entry-level hardware with
manual on/off graphics. Automatically this is certainly more pleasant,
but Nvidia clearly has the lead in this area at present. Together with
the usual interfaces and the possibility to use a docking station and a
battery slice, the subnotebook for students and people with a smaller
budget is definitely worth considering. The overall impression and
comparison clearly sets this configuration apart from the premium Vaio Z
series. DELL XPS 15 battery