Official NEW SVZ Z series Owners Lounge

i take it you're in a wifi zone?

 

Indeed I am.

 

Any of you guys having bad wireless performance in win7?

 

Imperial
Have you installed VAIO Smart Network and enabled wi-fi?

 

Nope supermiguel, on fiber I can get 60mbps up/down even on 2-3/5 bars of signal. What kind of problems are you facing? Is ping slow for you?

Well, I did try. In Windows 8, Smart Network could only be run in compatibility mode, but it didn't help the issue, because it looked like this: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/37500583/newCapture.png i.e. nothing showed up in the box.

 

does the wireless light turn on?

 

Yeah, it was on the whole time. I'm back on Windows 7 Pro now, might give W8 another try this weekend though.

 

Not for me, but I never seem to get 5 bars on the icon anymore while my old laptop always show 5 bars at the same location.

The speed is still the same though, regardless of what the bar is showing.

 

I am using my Z3 with 1920x1080 resolution at 100%. Text is small but it is good for me. I can read text just fine. Finally a small screen laptop with resolution that is small but readable.

 

Some of the keys on my keyboard are a little bit crooked... many of them seem to slope down on one side and this makes the keys feel a little bit squishy. Is there any fix for this? Also, up around the 7 and F9 keys, the whole area seems a little bit shallower than the rest of the keyboard. I went into a Sony Store yesterday and noticed the same thing on another Z. Is this an issue for all SVZs? Thanks.

 

so according to Review Sony Vaio VPC-Z13Z9E (i7, FHD, Quad-SSD) subnotebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews and Review Sony Vaio SV-Z1311Z9EX Notebook - Notebookcheck.net Reviews, the display quality is worst then it used to be?

Do you guys know why that might be?

 

there are some serious flaws with this vaio svz. but its not noticeable when you use it... i use it everyday.. i dont find anything bad for the daily usage.. though i use that tiny laptop like.. 3-4 hours maximum a day. thats it.
Flaws:
-Not so good keyboard / trackpad.
-Strange noise from the fan / inner hardware. (rarely or when trying to shut down / sleep)
-the screen seems to get very grey on some application. for example, if i go to certain flash / java website, the screen become very grey.. and dull. but after following the link through next page, it backs to normal and colorful. very strange issue.
thats all i can seem to notice.

 

I just received my SVZ today, only a week and 2 days after placing the order online and it's beautiful. I did have a question about something I've seen brought up in this thread before about the amount of space that the rapid wake technology takes up and the best way to remove trial ware. I've read that doing it all through the included VAIO recovery system works but if anyone has an alternate suggestion I'm open to it. On my old laptop I would simply wipe the whole hard drive and reinstall a clean OS but that was on a HDD, does the same process work with an SSD? Thanks.

 

Rapid Wake technology uses a partition the size of your RAM, I believe.

What I did to clean install Windows 7:
1) Get all the important drivers from Sony (HD4000 + Ethernet + Wi-Fi if needed mainly, the rest can be gotten post-install)
2) Make a recovery USB (~19 GB through Vaio Recovery) just in case
3) Restart computer, enter BIOS, change order to include external drives
4) Start computer from external Windows 7 install ISO USB stick
5) Install over old installation, effectively moving all my old files to a folder Windows.old (to be deleted after)
6) Change boot order back to normal
7) Install needed drivers (HD4000 + Ethernet + Wi-Fi, etc.)
8) Recover VAIO programs (? - I didn't actually do this, so wait on somebody else's advice for this)

I accidentally wiped the Rapid Wake partition, and I have no idea how to get it back. Honestly I don't mind too much, because the stock Windows sleep works fine for me (battery drain is minimal) and wake is near instant.

 

slow connectivity

 

Does anyone know how to upgrade the SSD's? Currently I have 2x128gb and would like to upgrade to 2x256gb, I heard u can only buy the HDD's from sony. But i found this
Samsung MZRC256HADR 1.8" 256GB Solid State Drive for Sony SVZ 131 Series Laptop | eBay

Apparently the |Samsung MZRC256HADR 1.8" 256GB Solid State Drive" is in the SVZ??

 

I am also having problems with the new Z3 trackpad buttons not registering clicks even while I try using force when pressing them. Has anyone actually returned their Vaio Z3 yet, and got it back with a trackpad that has better functioning buttons?

- Frans

 

Hi,
I have been lost recovery partition and i don't have recovery disc of my SVZ131190X. so anyone have recovery disc image (iso file)? can you upload to internet for me? and i think any recovery disc of any SVZ model is ok. help me please, thank you!
i used windows 7 pro 64 bit with english language

 

Any word on the next refresh? Any rumors on a redesign, possibly next year's CES 2013?

 

Living in Canada, Vancouver.
Just ordered my SVZ notebook! Ordered on September 29. It says estimated shipping date is October 9.

- i5 processor
- 6 GB RAM
- 1600 x 900

Total cost $1600

Maybe someone would be nice enough to tell me if they think speakers really suck or not? I heard a lot of bad reviews for speakers - but when I went to store....they seemed....okay. But I just want other people's opinion on it.

 

The speakers are tinny and tiny. The biggest issue I had was volume. Unless I was in a quiet room, they weren't loud enough. Even with the headphones, there wasn't that much volume.

 

Hmmm.. Thank you for your response.

The fact that they aren't loud even with headphones bothers me more now. .... but thank you.

 

I have had 0 issue with headphone on my SVZ. True the speakers are absolutely terrible, but when opening the laptop and looking at them you can tell why. They are about the size of 3 dimes stacked on top of each other and are placed at the bottom right and left of the machine. However, headphones (or external speakers) eliminate this problem. I don't have a big issue with it because it is really the only complaint I have against the SVZ. That makes it the only machine I've seen that I only have 1 complaint with and not 5 or 10. My US version came with Sony noise cancelling earbuds, and with the Dolby Home Theatre dynamic equalizer enabled they sound fairly good. They tend to be earsplittingly loud at 70% or so. I also have a USB Plantronics Gamecom headset that is too loud at 50% volume and a logitech z305 laptop usb speakerbar which at 80% could fill a moderately sized gymnasium. I would highly recommend the speakerbar, especially if you can find it for under $40 like I did. It sounds surprisingly great for how small and light it is, fits the Z very well, and is the right form factor for being stashed in the top or bottom of any laptop bag. I hope you enjoy owning your Z, although I wish I could have told you that the $150 processor upgrade makes all the difference in the world!

 

Hi everyone.

I just got my Vaio Z intel core i7 / 8Gb Ram / 512 Gb SSd / Wan / Full HD screen

Most comments about speakers are about their bad quality. I've read about white noises, but it looked to be constent.

My issue is slighly different : every single time I'll hit a folder, i.e. in the windows explorer, ther will be a 1sec. white noise prior to the usual system sound. This is extremly annoying.

Anyone had this issue ? Any fix for that ??

Thanks a lot for your help : )

 

i hav'nt tested my vaio svz speaker yet....always put it on mute since day 1.. and using my bluetooth headphone

 

Hi Cast Away,

I know you just recently got your z-series ....but man, if it is making that white noise thing you described - (and it IS annoying)..RETURN the laptop.

I bought a sony laptop 2 years ago...cant rememeber what make and model it was now - but it had this same issue. I returned it and was always glad that I did. because it is ANNOYING.

So....consider it - because it is definitely not going to stop - it is a fault. I speak from first hand expereince on this issue.

 

Thanks man, I will do some research on the speakers you mentioned. I will buy one in the long run Again, thanks for your reply, always appreciate it.

 

I have experienced the "white noise" (where the speakers seem to make a very low hissing noise) but for me it disappears whenever the speakers are muted, the volume is all the way down, or anything is plugged into the headphone jack.
In terms of the speakers/headphone volume, yes the speakers themselves are not terribly loud and don't have great reproduction toward the low end of the spectrum, but they are fine for brief listening. However, I find that the headphones which were included are (as another post said) earsplittingly loud at levels significantly below 100% (50-70%, depending on whether you have noise cancellation enabled and other factors).

 

Okay this is sounding really bad. ....white noise....
I mean it's one thing to say speakers are not very loud...but if they are creating weird noises - that just sucks for something so expensive.

I hope mine arrives without such a problem.

 

Does anyone else have trouble with the touchpad? My main problem is that when I try for a right-click by clicking the area to the right of the finger print scanner, about three times in ten I get a left click - annoying when I'm trying to open a new tab in Firefox. I've tried different things in the Synaptics config - disabling smart touch, disabling tapping, reducing sensitivity, but nothing seems to work...

 

I hope this could be fixed by a new driver or so..

Just curious : how many of you have this issue (white noise) ??? besides Matt5784

 

Do not have the problem with white noise, nor the problem with the touchpad... I did have a problem with blu-ray movies not playing, but that was solved by upgrading to PowerDVD version 12.

If you send me a PM with your email, I'll send you an url, through filesharing.com with downloadlink to audio and touchpad drivers (250MB) that work very well on my SVZ (SVZ1311C5E).

Try to remove the old drivers and install the drivers in the contained in the .zip file. I couldn't find a host online for the file. But if you know of a site where I can upload the file (250MB) and share it with me, you don't need to send me a PM with your email adress.

Best of luck.

 

Hi temagic,

Where did yo get the drivers from ? we might just go where you did at the first place to get it, so you don't have to upload it anyway..

It is a legit sony driver ??

Thanks

 

yes, got the drivers from sony.se

you have to be a registered member to download the drivers though and the website is in swedish. don't know if its the same drivers posted on sony.com but oftentimes drivers wary from model to model and country to country, like with dell. sony.se has the most up-to-date drivers and does an excellent job with keeping it that way...

 

Thanks a lot.
You could use the following site : DepositFiles
It's a good sharing / hosting website.

Thanks a lot for sharing. :thumbsup: I hope it could fix this extremly annoying problem

 

Hey guys, so just an update.
It might be of interest if you are in Canada.

I ordered my laptop on September 29 and the status was "processing"
Then, on October 2, the status changed to "Your VAIO is being built"

It says it estimated shipping date is Oct 9. Lets see if its accurate.

 

Driverpack - Downloads.zip

-Uninstall previous drivers (sound, touchpad)
-Install sounddrivers before registry patch

Hope this helps...

 

Thanks a lot mate.. !!

I can't test it right now, I do not have my Z with me until saturday (yeah I know.. strange but i do it on purspose because I wouldn't work for the entire week if I had it with me and i have a huge study to give soon so this is called self-punishment ^^)

Anyway I'll try it and hope it will fix my issue

 

I'm curious to see if it works. Please let me know if it solves your problem.

 

Hi all,

I am a Z2 owner hoping to upgrade to a Z3.

Just wondering if the Z2 PMD is compatible with a Z3?

Apologies if this questions has been asked before.

 

should work fine

 

Hi there,
received my SVZ1311C5E last week. I have issues with the HDMI out. Can't find my projector when connecting. Even worse is the BSOD when trying to connect to my monitor via DVI.
Any ideas?

 

Hello,

I was looking at purchasing the Sony Vaio Z3 in the next couple days, but had a couple questions first.

How important is getting the i7 over the i5, I plan on keeping this laptop for the next 3 years or so, but my main tasks will include surfing, watching HD movies/TV shows, doing Excel/Access Work, and maybe very light gaming. Will the i5 be enough for me in terms of being good enough for the future.

Second it seems that in Canada at least, there is a $50 charge for getting Carbon Fiber Black, and $100 for the Premium Carbon Fiber Black when compared to the original Black that it comes with. Is there anything different besides the colour that justifies the extra charge, are the other 2 options the only options that have a carbon fiber lid?

Lastly, I want to know what you guys think about the keyboard. I'm hearing a lot of bad things about it, but is it really that bad to type on compared to the other ultra portables/laptops? Thanks.

 

For those of you that purchased a pre-configured SVZ, how are your Z's holding up? How are they keys - shiny? I may pull the plug and get me a Sony VAIO SVZ13114GXX 13.1" Laptop Computer - Carbon Fiber Black. Rumors are floating that this may be the last Z made? Can anyone verify this? I was hoping to wait and see if a redesign Z is mentioned at CES 2013.

 

Are you purchasing CTO or pre-configure? The cost difference between i5 and i7 isn't that much. But for your use, an i5 should suffice. I do something similar (but not gaming) on my MBA. What will bring cost up is the upgrade from 128 to 256SSD.

As for the lid, I guess there's still 3 choices. I thought Sony was down to two. Anyway, matte black is matte which hardly shows fingerprints. Slightly (very slightly) course in texture. Carbon Black use to be the higher end lid a few years back. This is the one I prefer. It has a sheen to it and smooth and fine in texture. Lastly, premium carbon is glossy - almost piano-finish glossy. You can see your reflection glossy. This is my least favorite. It is a fingerprint magnet.

The keys on the Z are smaller that on a MBA, but similar to all Z ranges. I am a lot slower at typing on a Z then a MBA. I still have my Z2 and a prior owner of Z1, and the keys are smaller than some portable notebooks.

Premium Carbon (Glossy Finish)


Carbon Fiber (Sheen-finish)


Original Matte Black Carbon

 

Couldn't explain better than this.

I too, prefer the carbon black.
The price difference is just for the look, is won't change the weight or anything else. Glossy is a fingerprint catcher for sure.

I would go to i7 w/o asking. In 2 years or so, the i7 will be already an old model so imagine the i5....

Keyboard has very thin touches. I love it, but some other dont like it at all. I've been looking for such keyboard for years actually. Just mt preference so you have to feel it (eg in a store) to be able to compare..

 

Is it pretty certain that there won't be a Windows 8 model of the SVZ3? If so, then I'll order an SVZ3 soon...

 

Hey guys, just want to let all of you know that my VAIO Z13 is arriving October 10, 2012.
I will be around to answer any questions you might have related to performance and design. I'm in Vancouver, Canada.

Cheers

 

Here in the UK you can now get the Vaio Z with the 3632QM - a 100mhz jump in base clock and turbo clocks...

 

Anyone experiencing issues with a concentration of dead pixels on their Z3s? I have an area on the bottom of my screen that has 4 concentrations of dead pixels. Each concentrated area is about 1/2 inch long (12mm-13mm) and are arranged along the lower edge of the screen, lower left side just above the screen edge trim. These look like compression marks but I have not had any issues with unwanted compression. There are no marks on the screen or case around the area of dead pixels. I will be calling Sony today to arrange for either a onsite visit to replace the screen or have Sony send me a screen and instructions on how to replace. Not happy.