Official NEW SVZ Z series Owners Lounge

Anyone with a new Power Media Dock for the Z3 have the part number off the bottom?

I purchased a pre-configured Z3, and Sony won't sell me the new PMD directly nor would they give me the part number, but I think I can buy a replacement through Sony Parts Center if I have a part number. Support would sell me last years PMD though.

 

They are the same dock, the only difference is in the firmware inside the laptop. Recognizes the card differently, they are the same graphics card. Just buy last years and when you plug it in it will show up as the 7670.

 

Could you please provide a URL for the new touch pad drivers?

 

Sony eSupport - SVZ13114GXX - Drivers & Software

My touchpad works amazingly much better with these drivers. So precise compared to the older ones

 

For the first time, I attached my Vaio Z3 to my large home monitor/keyboard/mouse.

Everything works fine, except when I use my HDMI->DVI cable, the maximum the display adapter/driver wants to go is 1080p (1920x1080). The display itself is 1920x1200, but the adapter/driver will not output that. I also tried to create a "custom resolution" of 1920x1200, but the driver claims that such a resolution already exists, and overriding it with the custom one breaks things (the resolution goes to 900x something).

Vaio Control Center has an HDMI section that seems to want to be at 720p (all other options are greyed out, but still, even they only go up to 1080p).

Is this a limitation of HDMI, or this rev of HDMI, or some HDCP limitation, or something, does anyone know? I'm able to get 1920x1200 over the VGA out.

- Tim

 

Just ordered my SVZ131190X and shopping for a 128GB SD card to act as a second internal hard drive. Does anyone know if the Vaio supports the latest UHS cards? That is, is buying a 60 MB/s card worth extra money over a 10 MB/s card? Can the Vaio take advantage of the extra speed?

 

Thank you very much!!!

 

got my beast on saturday. love the speed, perfomance. even the mouse pad is ok. only concern is the screen. it is really not that bright and now ways to increase brightness. I have a Z11 first Z ever with 1600x900 which is much brighter, so I am bit spoiled. Does anyone feel the same about the screen? From the Notebookcheck.com review I know it is exactly the same screen as the Z23 but it seems the bios is not cutting available screen brightness off. Any ideas? Write to Sony and complain?

 

That's odd :/

 

On both my previous Z1 and current Z3, as soon as I plug in my Philips 1920x1200 monitor via HDMI the display automatically switched to the full native resolution.

 

According to this review of the SVZ13 in Notebookcheck.net the screen is a good deal less bright than in the Z23 or [VPC] Z13 which were both considerably less bright than the 900p screen in the earlier Z's. (I don't know if your VGN-Z's 900p screen is the same as the ones in the VPC-Z series, but I've always believed it was). This came directly from that review:

" Sadly, the brightness of the [SVZ13's] screen has dropped further in comparison to the predecessor. While the VPC-Z23N9E/B still reached 241 cd/m² on average and its predecessor VPC-Z21Q9E/B even scored above 284 cd/m², the new model did not even reach 200 cd/m². The monitors of the Z23 and the Z13 are identical though. Maybe Sony has changed something on the display controller? Thanks to the low black level of 0.32 cd/m², the screen achieves an exceptional contrast ratio of 609:1.

Information
Gossen Mavo-Monitor
Maximum: 211 cd/m²
Average: 199.7 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 87 %
Black: 0.32 cd/m²
Contrast: 609:1
ICC File (X-Rite i1Display 2)[/I]"

There are at least two errors in this particular review, though. One is that the screen they refer to in the Z21, which had avg. brightness of 284 cd/m2 was the 900p, not the FHD, That further proves your perception that the 900p screen was much brighter than the FHD screen. (Plus, I don't know if your VGN-Z had this capability, but the VPC-Z1's 900p screen could be made about 25% brighter with a simple registry hack. I've always assumed that the published reviews were done without knowledge of that, but it further distances the brightness of my Z13's 900p screen and my Z22's FHD.) But the difference in the FHD screens as stated is misleading. That review is also somewhat tainted because they clearly got a defective unit that had a cpu that performed about like a netbook's and rather than asking Sony for another one they completed the review with this clearly gimped SVZ13.

Still and all, I think your perception of the difference in brightness is correct. It's especially disappointing if you look at the Asus Zenbook's or Samsung S9's screens that are over 400 nit. I might be inclined to at least return yours for a replacement in hopes that it will be closer to the brightness of the FHD screens on the VPC-Zs. And maybe take a look at the IvB versions of the Asus Zenbook (including the one with the d-gpu and a standard HDD that can be swapped out for one of today's monster, yet much cheaper SATA III SSDs) and of the Samsung S9 and determine if you need the extra cpu power in the Z and its double battery life with the sheet battery more than you want a really bright IPS screen. Tough call.

 

It might not be the brightest screen in the market, however, according to Lisa from Mobiletechreview that evaluated this model and even compared it to the Retina Display this is what she said-

"It measured close to 300 nits brightness, which is better than average among notebooks, though not shockingly bright. It was plenty bright enough for me! .

We have to take into consideration that it is not all about maximum brightness. What about contrast, black levels, and color gamut?

 

Beware with the latest Windows Updates for Windows 8.

Unfortunately, now NONE of the dual keys ( dual functions,) work properly.

I type J and I see 1 , I type K and I see 2 etc.....

I spend 3 hours with a Microsoft specialist via remote support and they were not able to fix the issue.

It seems that it is time to backup and go back to W7 until Sony releases all the drivers supporting W8.....

 

Do you know which update it was?

 

Well , I managed to solve the issue by myself after trying several ways to fix it.

If you keyboard is acting funny after an update, typing wrong characters....... just perform a system restore. Uninstalling the driver does not work.

Then proceed to type MSCONFIG, go to services and make sure that only Microsoft/Intel applications are checked, then reboot and download the Windows Updates manually, one by one, rebooting after every install. It takes a long time but it is the only way it will work, unless Microsoft address the issue of downloading and installing multiple Windows Updates at once in W8.

In my particular case, I downloaded and installed the most problematic ones from the following links, just be aware that KB2770917 includes 8 different downloads to be installed and you would want to reboot after every singles download has been installed.

After you are done, just do not forget to go to msconfig and make sure that all the unchecked boxes are checked again.

Download Update for Windows 8 for x64-based Systems (KB2770917) from Official Microsoft Download Center

Download Update for Windows 8 for x64-based Systems (KB2769165) from Official Microsoft Download Center

Good luck

 

I ordered my z a few days ago and the status is still showing as "In process". I was wondering what the average time after ordering was before they start "building"?

 

With mine, it took a little less than 1 week (with the free express shipping option). From when order was placed to actually receiving the shipment was ~7 days.

 

Hi Guys,

I just paid for a new SV-Z1311C5E in the UK and it will be with me in a few weeks. I have been reading about it and since it s going to be my first Sony laptop I need some help.

When I get it, I would prefer to get rid of the RAID 0 setup and use the two SSDs as separate drives for data security reasons (one drive fails and data cannot be recovered).

Questions:

1. Am I going to lose a lot of performance when using the drives as separate versus RAID 0? Should I be worrying about my data so much, or should I think SSDs will live long enough for me not to worry, or should I simply keep all my important data backed up externally?

2. I chose not to buy PMD and thus will not have access to a DVD burner. Will it still be possible to create recovery media on a USB drive? I want to make sure that in case SSDs fail, I have a way to restore.

3. Is it possible to do a clean install and just install some of the Sony stuff that is a must without losing any cool features Sony might have included?

Thanks in advance,
Szadzik

 

Performance theoretically will be cut in half, but SSD's are so fast in general, you're unlikely to feel the difference. On the flip side, I wouldn't do it because you're worried about losing data. The drives seem very stable. Samsung makes great SSD's.

yes, you can create restore media with a flash drive

yes, but honestly it could be a pain if you don't get the correct order. I'd just manually uninstall whatever you don't want, much easier.

 

Well, that's what I was hoping to hear. I have had an SSD in my curent Envy 14 for well over a year now and so far no issues at all. Erased it once, but also, I only use it for the OS and data is kept on an HDD.

Reimaging is a must sooner or later, so I will have to do it at soem point - I try to do that once a year on my PCs in general (since Win7 at least), but again, restore media can be used then.

A few more Qs:

How often do you guys do an erase on these drives? Does Sony provide any tools for that, or do you use something from Samsung?
Do you remove the recovery partition once you have recovery media created?
How much space does creating recovery media require on a USB drive?

Thanks,
Szadzik

 

Anyone that is going to buy a Z laptop and is going to opt out for the PMD, I am interested in buying one.
If you are willing to purchase the laptop with the PMD (w/ bluray reader or burner), I will pay for it (+reimburse for shipping/tax).
I tried to contact Sony for one but apparently they don't have them in stock for separate selling anymore.

Let me know and thanks!

 

Did anyone else spy the Z3 making multiple guest appearances in Bond: Skyfall?
MI6 seems to have love Sony laptops and Z3's. Don't suppose it hasn't anything to do with Sony being involved in the film's distribution?

 

Does the chipset in our SVZ support TRIM in RAID 0?

 

Yes, only the SVZ Z supports TRIM in R0. Which leads to the answer of your previous question, you don't have to erase these drives for performance reasons. TRIM takes care of that, plus Samsung's garbage collection does the rest.

So there's no reason to break your RAID 0 setup, but some people do enjoy having separate drives so to each their own. It would be like going from 200 MPH down to 150 MPH when you were so used to 20 MPH with a regular HDD, you won't notice the loss of speed but there is little reason to do it anymore. Previous Z's don't support TRIM so I can see some justification there if you're requiring your machine to do an insane amount of writes. Even so, a member here posted performance results over a 6+ month span on his R0 setup in his Z1 a while back and performance stayed consistent even without TRIM surprisingly. Samsung's GC does a good job as a substitute.

 

That sounds good. I think it will actually be better to keep the RAID and just make regular backups, just in case. I currently have a Vertex 3 in my Envy, so will not be moving from an HDD and think I might actually see the difference with RAID. The only problem is I somehow do not feel confident that RAID ) is such a great solution as it basically doubles the probability of disk failure as one disk failing makes all data useless.

 

Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be as bright as 300 nits. And I don't believe it is not so different from Notebookcheck.com has tested. Therefore I need to go back to Sony what they are able to do in terms of BIOS to get to real "nits" if possible.

 

Hey everyone. I bought one of the first Z3's back in June, and I thought I'd give a little feedback after owning it for 5 months. At that time, I was comparing it to the Samsung S9 and Zenbooks, but realized that the Z is in a different class due to its processor. After using it for a long time now, I'm definitely still glad I chose the Z... there's really nothing else that comes close to this powerful in such a small package. I've used it for quite a bit of photo and video editing, and I've been very pleased with it.

As other's said, the screen is amazing. It is somewhat dim, but at 70%-100% I find it fine. The colors are great, and that is what counts for me. The resolution is fantastic. I eventually reverted to 100% fonts instead of 125%, which I found more usable. It's VERY small sometimes though, and I'll see what this screen does to my eyesight in a year, heh. Also, like others, I do have those stupid key smudges on the screen, but you will almost never notice it when your computer is turned on. Still, it's an aesthetic thing.

Speaking of aesthetics, there are some things I really like, and some things that bug me constantly. It's small and oh-so-light. Wow. I carry this to school and back every day without a second thought. It's awesome to have an all-in-one computer instead of trying to manage multiple machines. Ivy bridge also does a great job keeping the heat and sound low, and it has never been uncomfortable to use. I have it on my lap all the time. The weird screen hinge that props up the keyboard is somewhat uncomfortable on the lap though, as well as the little rubber feet. At least it's not too heavy to weigh down on you. Otherwise, the build quality is pretty good, and looks nice. The case, palm rest, and keyboard does get a bit smudged though.

Using the keyboard is another annoyance, however. I really do not like this keyboard. It is extremely shallow, and I occasionally miss keys because of that. You can "get used to it" but that doesn't make it good. I would estimate my WPM is down 15% or so on this keyboard compared to a full fledged desktop.

The trackpad is better overall compared to the keyboard, but still not great. The key clicks require quite a bit of force, and it's not clear where to press. Sometimes I have problems with right-click. Again, you get used to it, but it's a downside.

Little things I like:
+ The fingerprint reader login is awesome
+ Comes with some actually useful Sony software (I'm using the Vegas movie studio software, and it's very good)
+ Supplied headphones sound really good

Overall, I'm happy with my choice, but there are some things left to be desired. The Z is a sacrifice in some areas to get the most powerful portable media pc out there. There are a lot of interesting options coming out with Windows 8 and touch, but nothing quite on the same level as the Z.

Also, while I'm here--a quick question to fellow owners: how is the upgrade to Window 8? I'm planning to shell out my $15 for the upgrade, but I haven't gone through the process yet. Any hiccups with drivers or issues to be aware of?

 

Anyone else having bluetooth problems in W8? I'm going ****ing crazy here!

After updating to the latest bluetooth driver on sony's site the bluetooth stopped working and I've tried everything to get it to work again, but no luck!

 

Another question for all owners:

Do you all have problems with the keyboard key marks on the screen? I have a similar issue with my Envy 14 and I have that.

Has anyone tried using one of those keyboard lining thingies to keep the keyboard separated from the screen when it is closed?

Any other solutions to that porblem?

 

As mentioned elsewhere here, I use the cloth that came with the Z. Works just fine.

____________________
Sent via TapaTalk

 

Thanks!
10char

 

I'm in Canada, does anyone know when the price of the Sony Vaio Z is going to drop. I've been waiting a pretty long, and the price has been stable for like 2 months. Should I just buy it now?

 

i am in canada as well...i just pulled the trigger and bought a new svz customized model...

sony vaio z just went on special today....lots of upgrades for half the 1/3 or half the original price....

i have been asking around all lower mainland sony style, they all said Z series is the top of the line, highly unlikely it's gonna go on sale...

my configuration is i7 3612qm, premium carbon fibre, 8gb ram, full HD, home premium, no fresh start..256ssd, for cad $1849...it isn't the best deal, but i can live with it...

 

Today! There are some nice promotions on Z in Sony Store Canada. It's Black Friday sale.

store.sony.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=20153&langId=200&catalogId=100803&identifier=S_Laptops_Custom

 

^^ Thanks for the post. Do you think this will be the best deal on this laptop within the year. I definitely want to buy the laptop before 2013, but can't help but wonder if there will be better promotions come Christmas time.

 

It's hard to say, but promotions listed in US are much better than ours in Canada. The best I've seen so far in Canada, for Z, was in last August (150$ coupon code).

 

Couldn't find a newer version of the Power Media Dock.
This question has been asked before but I can't find the answer through search:
Is the old PMD compatible with the new Z3 laptop?
I already am using a 7670m PMD with only DVD drive but I am interested in getting one with Bluray drive (currently look at a 6650m PMD).
And I was wondering if it will cause compatibility issue with the 6650m?

Also, does the Z come with a bluray player software? I also remember reading a while back people saying it does not.

Thanks!

 

yes, the old PMD is compatible with the new Z3...in fact there is no "old" PMD, PMD used for z2 is the same as the ones you buy separately for Z3...

since you already have a PMD, why would you want to buy another one with Blu-ray drive version? are you not considering getting just a external slim blu-ray drive?

no, don't think the Z come with a bluray player software...google it and you will be able to find one..

 

Oh okay thanks!
I was thinking about that too (either selling my current PMD or buying an external bluray drive)
Although I can't find any good deals on external bluray drive ATM. I will probably wait to see.

 

As with most flexible lid laptops, the keys can mark the screen. Particularly if heavy books or such are placed on top or in a backpack.

A few people posted about this happening. I always used to put a micro-fiber cloth I between when traveling.

 

I have owned a TZ for 3 years and never have had any marks on my screen and have always used a Keyboard Cover

 

Hey, How did you get that price. When i configure everything with that it comes to $1929.

 

i called and asked for any clearance model...they have a few not listing online....i bought item #10...which has the specs i listed...apparently it was a computer which a customer customized but never completed transaction...so the computer was never shipped out...it retailed for 1947....i asked for any discount that they can give me...the guy asked his manager and gave me a 100 dollars discount...

for you, there is a item #80 which as the same specs as mine but with professional win 7 with fresh start....which is 1997...you can call this guy and ask for a discount as well...i will pm u his direct numger..

 

Are these prices with taxes included or not? If so, this is much cheaper than what is online.

 

I normally do not put anything on top of it, but one time will be enough and thus I will want to use something for protection.

Did you use a standard 12-13" or did you get it custom made? If so, what exact dimensions, did you ask for?

 

Also, on the Canadian website it looks like on the Vaio Z they have changed the i7 from the 3612QM to the 3632QM, has anyone else noticed this?

 

I ordered a custom one >> 12.5" x 7" black --- It clears the side rubber bumpers and the top ones

 

Thanks mate.

One more Q: How big a USB drive do I need for creating recovery media?

 

I created mine with 6 DVD-R 120min 4.7gb each.

 

More than 20GB then. Good I have not bought a 16GB USB 3.0 stick that I was planning to use for that purpose

Will buy a 32GB one then.