Official NEW SVZ Z series Owners Lounge

www.leshcatlabs.net has the newest drivers for the Vaio Z3 graphics. I using 13.4 (AMD) and 3062 (Intel)
Newest beta on leshcatlabs is 13.6 AMD Catalyst...

 

Dear SVZ owners. I am have bought last October a Z2 to replace my ageing low end Z1.
I am very satisfied with this computer with the PMD, and its i7, though it has the slow 2nd generation SATA SSDs and the 900p screen. I have no need yet to change laptop, but I have some money to spend and I would like to have a notebook future proof for the next 2-3 years. I don't like W8 and touch and since the Z is discontinued and the newly announced Pro cannot satisfy my needs (multiple screen setup, heavy computations) I was thinking to buy one new full equipped SVZ that I found recently still in sale here in France.
My question is whether some of you had my model and made the jump to the SVZ. Did you see significant speed impovement? How about battery life? (In terms of noise I read through the forum that it is quieter). Do you think that I will appreciate the move or should I stick to my current setup and wait for the future notebooks with thunderbolt, etc ?

 

If you truly do work with heavy computations, you will see a noticeable difference. Also, if you happen to do work with OpenCL, the HD 4000 in the SVZ will support it and be beneficial whenever you're without the PMD. My wife has a top end Z2 and my SVZ does seem to stay a little cooler, but I'm guessing it's because the CPU stays at peak less time because it's overall faster.

 

Thank you very much for the reply. Whereas my old VPCZ1 with i5 was freezing and had me waiting for some time, the Z2 for the time being is always blazing fast. So I don't know if I will see a serious improvement in my software. Any opinion on battery life of the SVZ compared to the Z2?

 

Something that has been puzzling me: you can find Z2s with PMD on eBay for $800, even less. Since I'm pretty sure most owners do not even use their PMDs I should think you could then re-sell the computer alone for, say, $650-700 and end up with a PMD for $150 or less. Yet used, stand-alone PMDs are actually selling on eBay for $500-$700. What am I missing here? In any event if you are in the US (where you couldn't buy a Z2 without the PMD, hence all the used Z2s have PMDs but used prices don't refect it) that would be a good way to get some incremental benefits as described above pretty cheaply.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2

 

I still can't find a good SVZ. Called the Sony stores, all of them in California had a total of 1 in stock (256 GB, used, scratched, dented - no wonder). I was about to pull the trigger on this one the other day but someone beat me by a minute:
Limited Edition Vaio 15th Anniversary Model 3 Year Protection Plan | eBay

Wanted to shoot myself for missing it.

Anyone know where else I can look? I even tried Yahoo Japan auctions, none of them had 512 GB. Tried Sony Outlet. Just 128 GB models. Bleh.

 

So how much do the SVZs go for? I'm thinking of putting mine (i7, HD screen, 256GB, 15th anniversary model) on the market, and grab a Pro 13....

 

Around $1400-1500.

 

why would you? You'd get maybe one a half thousand quids for it, and the pro costs 1300$. What's the point of downgrading your awesome machine for a lousy hundred quid?

 

I think I'm just going to buy it without a warranty when I go to Japan in July. Quad i7, 512 GB SSD, 8 GB RAM, battery sheet, premium carbon fiber, Blu-Ray PMD = $2,600.

 

That's a nice set-up, Jon. The quality of this machine is just awesome. It is stable and fast. There are some SVZ alternatives coming though, from Samsung and Asus and others, just so you know. Haswell will give you roughly 40% increase on graphics performance over the HD4000 of the SVZ and up-to 50% longer battery life. (SVZ has the sheet battery though, which means the SVZ comes out on top, with the sheet being used...)

The unit you're contemplating buying will give you eight hours (with sheet) of regular work, maybe ten hours (typical, long term) of battery with word processing or spreadsheet editing, with wireless off, powersave mode on and low brightness on the screen at 40Hz. The graphics card (dock) is good enough for smooth gameplay on HOI3, CK2, BF3. The integrated is probably good enough as-well with typically about 70-80% of the performance of the external AMD. 8GB RAM means smooth operation and the quad core is very fast. The 512GB dual-raid will give you app. one gigabyte per second, sequential read and IOPS and random read is just superfast too. The machine is 100% compatible with MS new BS, the Windows 8 OS, though it does require some skill to install the drivers. Blue-ray is a nice addition, though if you're on a tight budget, I would prioritize the LTE (4G) modem, myself.

In short, if you can find it and afford it, you'll love it...

 

uhhhhh..... huh?

 

Come again?

 

You're like a salesman who's not selling anything. XD

4G LTE? I have a phone that can dongle and never used the Verizon modem in my Z1.

Which laptops from Samsung/Asus are SVZ-like replacements?

Thank you!

 

Can't wait to get one of these

You probably need this 100g notebook adapter - VR-Zone - VR-Zone

 

Just bought a "like new" SVZ in its original packaging from an eBay seller who hadn't put it up yet. 512 GB SSD, 8 GB RAM, carbon fiber, Blu-Ray PMD, quad i7 = $1995 with shipping. Just got off the phone with Sony and also got the 3 year accidental for $400. So total $2400! Now I just need the sheet battery and I'm good to go! (They go for like $65 on eBay).

Would you guys suggest getting any skins for the SVZ to protect if from scratching or fading? My Z1's palmrest and keyboard are as discolored and shiny as possible. Will the same thing happen with the SVZ's palmrest though or no since it's not plastic?

 

I don't remember dude, whic laptops. Just read in a magazine a couple of weeks ago that Asus (I believe it was) announced a new Haswell laptop that seemed to my naked eyes to be a contender to the SVZ. I think it was their new upcoming Zen-book or sumethin'. If you dongle with your mobile phone the I guess your a'ok then... I just love the connectivity of my SVZ and wouuldn't have it without the LTE modem, that's all. I don't have LTE on my phone, onlyy 3G and I would have to pair my laptop with my tablet computer, my Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE if I didn't have the in-built modem of the SVZ.

AWESOME! You'll love it dude! I bought mine back in august of last year and have been using it pretty much daily since it arrived in september of last year. No discolouring or wear on the palmrest as of today. Got me a scratch on the lid though, my fault... I would'n bother with skinning it myself, but that's mainly because I think it's beautiful, stylish and professional looking piece of beast this lady of mine...

 

In terms of protecting against scratches and fading buy this: Sony Vaio Z3 Series Skin + Screen Protector | Clear-Coat.com
Perfect, covers all the important areas on the machine, since most of them scratch easily, and the sheet battery as well. Lifetime warranty means that if you ever have to take it off (for instance to send back to sony) or it gets scratched etc, you send back the old stuff and they send you a completely new set. You only have to pay for shipping which is really cheap. Put it on as quickly as you can once you get the machine though so that there aren't scratches. Also, a screen protector is useful as well. I don't have the link for that available right now but a little google search should work. Those are useful as well for keeping keyboard imprints from showing up on the screen. Congrats on the new computer.

 

I'm not the original poster but I actually ordered the cover from clear-coat.com today. Used "off20" (or was it 20off) to get 20% off. I can let you know my experience after I get it if you'd like (unless you don't want to wait for it).

I wish their skin also covered bottom of the notebook (with correct cutouts for the fans) - but it covers the bottom of the sheet battery instead.

If someone has a good link to a screen protector that fits perfectly, I would find it useful as well.

Thank you.

 

I'm going to buy it next week once I get the laptop. I'd love to hear what you think of it.

Also, do they have sticker protectors for keyboard keys? I hate having shiny keys.

 

My SVZ is about a year old, I didn't put any protective film on it, still looks brand new.

 

I have the 15th Anniversary edition and because it has a clear coat on it, I found it to be susceptible to scuffs pretty easily -- and it's just horrific with fingerprints. Skin doesn't help at all with the fingerprints, but at least now I can toss it in the bag without worrying about it getting scratched that easily.

I got the skin from Clear-Coat.com. It's one of the best skins I've purchased. It fits perfectly in terms of both alignment and size. I wish it was tad bit thinner, but oh well. They also include a spray bottle, which is very useful, and some rubber squeegees that are completely useless. I tried to take some pictures to share but it did not come out very well. I'll try again tomorrow during the day if anybody wants it.

Few notes from the install:

2. Wow, this clear-coat really does fit perfectly.
3. I thought putting the skin on the wrist pad area will make it ugly, but it doesn't at all. It fits well enough that it just seems like that part of the notebook is supposed to be shiny. Skin is a bit tacky so it's a bit harder for you to slide your wrist while its resting on the notebook.
4. I put the skin on the trackpad too (just to see). I'm not sure if I like it or not yet. It makes the trackpad a bit more tacky, so it's a bit (tiny bit) harder to push the pointer around. But it does mute the texture of the trackpad, which is a plus for me. I still miss the trackpoint ("the nipple".."nub"...whatever you call it) on my old Thinkpads.
5. I wish they included a skin for the bottom of the notebook...but they include a cover for the sheet battery instead. It fits perfectly on the sheet battery. And in some ways, it makes the texture of the sheet battery more congruent to the notebook (since I have the 15th anniv ed, my notebook was shiny and the battery was matte).

Few tidbits on installing the skin (I've done this quite a bit):

1. Use way more liquid than you think you need. If any part of the skin attaches to the notebook and sticks immediately, then you are not using enough liquid. Not only will this make it hard for you to install the skin, but it'll also trap tiny air pockets that you will not be able to remove. When you put the skin on, it should be free-floating and you should be able to easily slide it around without it sticking.
2. The liquid bottle included is not enough. You'll need to mix more. Just use regular water + tiny bit of liquid dish-washing soap.
3. Don't use the squeegees that are included. It's pretty lame and it can be dangerous to your notebook because they simply push the water out of the skin...which is exactly what you are supposed to do...but because this is a notebook (and not an iPad or a phone), you really don't want that liquid being pushed out of the skin and onto other parts of the notebook. What I usually do is get a nice microfiber cloth and wrap a credit card with it. And use that to squeegee the water out. As you push the water out to the edge, the microfiber cloth will absorb lot of the liquid immediately and prevent it from spreading to other part of your notebook.

Good luck with the install if you do get it. I got that 20% off with that coupon code, but if you search around, I'm sure you will find better codes for the site.

 

Oh my gosh, the trackpad and mousepad on this thing is terrible. I sometimes have to click things 4 times before it'll open. Did anyone else have this issue or am I just not used to it yet?

 

Yeah agree with you..Gotta get used to..Go to mouse settings and see if you can make any adjustment to improve response...I did it

 

the trackpad is greatly affected by which driver you use. It varies between nearly useless to perfect depending on the driver. Do you know which you're using?

 

It says I'm using Synaptics 16.0.1.3.

Are there any other drivers I should replace, like with the PMD or anything?

EDIT: Clicking anything is such a pain. So is typing. And the sound is even worse than my Z1 with that Dolby thing off. I'm kinda dissapointed.

 

Using Synaptics 16.2.16.2 works like a charm...
Keep that Dolby thingy' on. Install LVM splitter and enable Pro Logic II on all formats.. (shark007 codec pack)
Get a pair of decent earplugs or headphones (Sennheiser PC360) and install EqualizerAPO and set only a 10dB preamp in the config-file. Now you got THE BEST SOUND SYSTEM OF ANY LAPTOP and your trackpad works like a charm!

You're welcome...

 

Whoa! Slowly! What's LVM splitter? Is there a longer version of what you said in two lines?

 

I think the major problem I'm having is that the left and right mouse keys aren't sensitive enough. I have to click them like 4 times in different places to get them clicking. Is that normal?

 

Mine 1 click does it both right/left even moving from the edge of the fingerprint scanner all the way out..Did you go to mouse settings do play with some adjustments..

 

Yep, it was the first thing I did.

 

I agree. Update the trackpad's driver. I have 16.2.16.2 and it works pretty well for me (with all the 2 & 3 finger gestures) and responsive. Lot of these drivers don't come up automatically on the software update so you'll have to look for them. Now that I have a skin on it, it's a bit more tacky but the texture isn't so rough which is good.

Keyboard is a little bit mushy...That was the biggest issue I had coming from my series of Thinkpads. I've gotten used to it so I don't have too much problems with it anymore.

I just haven't had any issues with it. Maybe I wish that it had 16GB of RAM with integration of the PMD lot more seamless...but that's about it.

 

My drivers are 16.2.21.0

 

Synaptics drivers

use the latest from here. fixes everything.

 

It has to be a driver which doesn't consider the mouse buttons to be part of the touch pad. I tried about a dozen out today and most of them recognized the mouse buttons as part of the touchpad, which lead to many issues. The happiest I came to today was a driver very close to the version that comes with the Z1, but the right-click wouldn't work on it.

brody, which driver do you use from that page?

 

Version 16.6.1.3

just installed these now, all works perfectly. run the exe, extract, then go into the x64 folder and run setup (assuming you're running x64). The right click problem sounds like the right click button isn't assigned. install these and i think youll be fine. i have 0 problems with pointing, buttons, multifinger scrolling etc.

 

I have seen the Pro 13 and the SVZ side by side in the Manhattan Sony Store and boy, does the Pro 13 IPS display look nice in comparison! Whites are white instead of muddled like on the SVZ. It is closer to the whiteness I saw on my 1600x900 Z1's display, which was wonderful too. Pro 13 blacks are black. The display is glossier than the SVZ's, which does not bother me. The machine is wonderfully thin. They only had up to 256GB in the store. 512GB is forthcoming. I am curious how much it will cost. What is the speed diff between the Pro 13 i7 and the SVZ i7?

 

Haswell improvement is mostly on battery and not as much on performance. Having said that, it would be really unfair to compare Pro 13's ULV CPU to our Z13's full voltage quad core.

Just looking at the geekbench alone (which is mostly a CPU only test - not sure if it tests multi-core performance well)
Pro 13: 6,501 points -- Sony Corporation SVP13215PXB - Geekbench Browser
Z13: 12,634 points -- Sony Corporation SVZ1311AJ - Geekbench Browser

There is no comparison.

Not sure about graphics though -- CPU-only graphics on the Haswell is suppose to be better than the Ivys.

 

i placed my order on vaio duo 13 with Intel Core i7-4650U.
i believe it would hit 10000points mark @ max.

even though i own svz, but only disadvantage is battery life. i had to carry the battery sheet all the time that adds up the weight to 2+kg.
without sheet battery, it lasts for 2hours - 5hours max. with extended battery it leasts about 6hours - 10hours max.

probably i'll be getting my duo 13 on 10th july. i'll do side by side comparison.
Spec: i7-4650U, 512GB ssd, 8gb ram, LTE.
My current svz spec: i7-3612QM, 256GB ssd, 8GB ram, sheet battery.

 

Sony Vaio SVZ i7-3612QM vs DUO 13 i7-4650U 3DMark and PCMark 7 benchmark.

3DMark Score:
Sony vaio svz z vs duo 13 3dMark benchmark - YouTube
SVZ i7-3612QM: 620
DUO 13 i7-4650U : 826


PCMark 7 Score:
Sony vaio svz z vs duo 13 pcmark 7 benchmark - YouTube
SVZ i7-3612QM: 5397
DUO 13 i7-4650U : 5082

Vaio svz z i7-3612qm vs duo 13 i7-4650u Cinebench 11.5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1GXrJSnWBU

SVZ : 5.65
DUO 13: 3.13pts

please do pm me or let me know if you want any other comparison between vaio svz z and duo 13.

 

Thanks for the benchmark. I was kinda considering the Duo 13, but it looks like I'll definitely keep the Z.

PCMark 7 (default test) is to storage and graphics intensive. Anything that's CPU related like decrypting and video scaling, it seems like Z is much faster. Anything that's pure graphics oriented, it seems like Duo is faster. Same with Cinebench -- CPU rates faster, GPU, not so much. It's good that Z has the media dock option, but man...I don't remember the last time I used mine. I think any of PCMark's other tests will be more telling (creativity, entertainment, computing, etc.)

But at the end of it all, you are gaining LOT more battery life over a small loss in performance, which is pretty amazing.

 

maybe someone is interested in selling his vaio svz?

 

just put my vaio svz on ebay.
Sony Vaio SVZ Z Limited Edition Sheet Battery Razer Orochi Chrome VGP CK4 | eBay

you can start bidding

 

I think if they release the Pro 13 with Intel HD 5000 video instead 4400, I think I might be seriously tempted. But what they are offering so far don't seem that interesting to me. Exciting times though...lot of awesome looking hardware on the horizon....

 

yes, but its depends me on time a little. I would be glad if i had laptop before august starts. My vgnz is dying

 

Yes, I've been running 1920x1200 for many months.

Recently I got mine to put out 2560x1600 via HDMI using either the HDMI port on the laptop or the HDMI port on the PMD. Look later down in this thread to learn how.

 

Perhaps it is too late to have discovered this...! But I have just discovered how to drive a 2560x1600 monitor (Dell U3014) via HDMI port on laptop (using Intel HD Graphics 4000) OR using the HDMI port on the PMD (using the ATI Radeon 7670M). Look for details later in this thread where I'll be describing the details shortly.

 

Yes, I have HDMI output resolution at 2650x1600 working on either the PMD or laptop HDMI port. See later in this thread for details.

 

Agreed, not good enough yet.
Pros/Cons for upgrading to the Vaio Pro.

Pros:
*4th gen Intel Core i7
*Brighter Full HD TRILUMINOS IPS
*Intel HD Graphics 4400 (slightly better than HD 4000 but the Duo 13 has an HD 5000 and had almost the same release date as the Pro!)
*Touch screen (I only need this because it has Windows 8)
*Which brings me to Windows 8 (or is it a con?)

Cons:
*Windows 8 (could be a con for some)
*Not Windows 8.1 yet
*Only Dual processor offered! I have a Quad i7-3612QM in my SVZ131190X. Come-on Sony would it be so hard to add a *Quad Core i7 option for extra $$$?
*No dock with Radeon 7670M Yes, the dock can be a pain (won't always undock gracefully), but I seriously doubt that the Intel HD Graphics 4400 outperforms the Radeon 7670M in the Z series dock.
* No multi-monitor support, I don't think the VAIO Pro supports display port chaining.
*No blu-ray burner. (Probably not an issue for most)
*Still no display port out! So I'm still stuck hacking to drive 2560x1440 (WQHD) and 2560x1600 (WQXGA) displays! (I've already gone through the pain with this on my Z series why pay more and upgrade to less?)
*Only 8GB Ram max. That 4th Gen Intel chip i7-4500U can handle up to 16G and there is no memory upgrade panel so I've go nowhere to go. On a side note the i7-3612QM can handle up to 32G memory. See the ark.intel.com here http://ark.intel.com/compare/67356,75460


The main things that had me thinking about it was the Brighter Full HD TRILUMINOS IPS but that is about all it has going for it right now. Despite my displeasure I'm very happy that Sony has decided to continue the Z Series under the name Vaio Pro and I look forward to the next iteration.

I'd go for the Vaio Duo 13
*Intel HD Graphics 5000
*Display port out
*A slightly better i7 processor
But alas it weights a pound more!

 

Drive some 2560x1440 (WQHD) and 2560x1600 (WQXGA) monitors!

I've discovered how to drive the Dell U3014 monitor at its native resolution of 2560x1600 in Windows 7. Note that this may not work with all monitors that have an HDMI input since many mfgs. apparently were stupid with writing their firmware and actually check that the input resolution via HDMI is max 1920x1200.


One such monitor that does NOT seem to be willing to accept anything greater than 1920x1080 is the ViewSonic VP2770-LED. If someone knows how to firmware hack this or if Viewsonic could just update the firmware I'm sure it could handle it since it is part of the HDMI 1.3-1.4a spec.

OK, how to drive the Dell U3014 at a resolution of 2560x1600 @ 50Hz refresh rate. I've tried it at 30Hz too and to tell you the truth I can't tell the difference so perhaps 30Hz might get better performance since less FPS is needed. I'm only a very casual gamer and only use 3-D in strategy games like Supreme Command Forged alliance so others may be able to tell the difference.

For Integrated HDMI port for Intel HD Graphics 4000:
1) Get a HDMI 1.4 compliant HDMI cable from Amazon like ASIN B0019EHU8G - Mediabridge High Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet (6 ft) - Ultra Series - Supports Ethernet, 3D, and Audio Return [Newest Standard]
2) Ensure you have the latest Bios installed on your computer Sony eSupport - SVZ131190X - Drivers & Software
3) Ensure you have the latest graphics software installed from Sony's site here Sony eSupport - SVZ131190X - Drivers & Software
4) Ensure that the only active display is the one your HDMI cable is plugged into. (Right click on desktop => Screen resolution)
5) Right click on desktop => Screen resolution => Advanced Settings => "Intel(R) Graphics and Media Control Panel" => "Graphics Properties"
6) If prompted choose "Advanced Mode" if not then either make sure you are in "Advanced Mode" or figure out how to get there.
7) Select "Display" => "Custom Resolutions", you will get a warning about damaging your monitor. If you try this I am not responsible if this does damage your equipment.
7) Select "Basic Settings"
Width "2560"
Height "1600" or "1440" depending on your monitor's native resolution
Refresh rate "50" or perhaps for better graphics performance you may choose something lower like "30".
Color Depths 32 bit
Timing Standard "CVT-RB"
Click "Add"
Click "Apply"
If nothing happens then reboot then go back into the "Intel Graphics and Media Control Panel" => "General Settings" => Select resolution 2560x1600 (or 1440), select color depth 32 bit, select your desired refresh rate 50Hz or lower, click "Apply". Your monitor should be at the high resolution.

Your monitor will either be in the high res if it worked or blank/distorted/or with an "out of range" message if it didn't/won't work.




AMD ATI 7670M HDMI port on PMD:
Not suprisingly performs much better in games and perhaps just slightly noticeable improvement in Windows.
1-4) Perform steps 1-4 for the integrated HDMI port above.
5) Go to this site and download a custom utility cru-1.0 http://www.monitortests.com/forum/Thread-Custom-Resolution-Utility-CRU
Please donate $5 if it works for you, I just did since it is worth much more than $5
6) The current monitor should be selected and say "(active)". You may see the resolution you desire already in one of the lists but it will have a frequency of more than 50Hz. Ignore the existing one if present.
7) Under "Details resolutions" click "Add"
Timing: "Automatic - LCD reduced".
Active/Horizontal: 2560
Active/Vertical: 1600 (or 1440)
Refresh rate: 50 (or lower like 30 if desired for possibly better GPU performance)
8) Click "OK" and again "OK"
9) Reboot (I think), wait 10-20 seconds after seeing your desktop appear after login.
10) Right click on desktop => Screen resolution
11) You should see the new screen resolution of 2560x1600/1440. Select it and click "Apply". If your monitor can handle it and you have the proper grade of HDMI cable you should be running in ultra high res over HDMI. If not perhaps your monitor firmware or chipset can't handle it.

If you read up on HDMI 1.3-1.4a standards on Wikipedia all HDMI devices that claim 1.3 compliance should theoretically work at ultra high res as long as the CVT-RB is used and/or the refresh frequency is low enough. Which is why I think monitor firmware and/or computer software is to blame for the lack of ability to use the full capabilities of HDMI.



Everyone please help out others and post your Monitor make/model if this works or doesn't work so everyone knows what monitors to buy/try.