Official VAIO Z Core 2 Duo Series Owners Thread

congrats o ur new Z. u must be happy

 

The z IS the best VAIO i´ve ever had in my hands! Hope the battery drain problem will be fixed through a bios update or something else an windows 7 is running well in future on it!

 

What do you all think of the color accuracy of the display? I am a bit worried about the wide color gamut. Here is some info from a different forum:


" A wide gamut LCD display is not a good thing for most (95%) of high end users. The data that leaves your graphic card and travels over the DVI cable is 8 bit per component.

You can't change this.

The OS, ICC CMMs, the graphic card, the DVI spec, and Photoshop will all have to be upgraded before this will change and that's going to take a while.

What does this mean to you?

It means that when you send RGB data to a wide gamut display the colorimetric distance between any two colors is much larger.

As an example, lets say you have two adjacent color patches one is 230,240,200 and the patch next to it is 230,241,200.

On a standard LCD or CRT those two colors may be around .8 Delta E apart. On an Adobe RGB display those colors might be 2 Delta E apart on an ECI RGB display this could be as high as 4 delta E.

It's very nice to be able to display all kinds of saturated colors you may never use in your photographs, however, if the smallest visible adjustment you can make to a skin tone is 4 delta E you will become very frustrated very quickly.... "

 

... Color correction will solve your problems.

Also, the definition of "high-end user" is suspect. That quote, btw, is extremely old.

 

The quote is old but still relevant. Please note that color correction will help for color-managed applications. Unfortunately, a large number of applications are not color-managed.

 

As Sony (as one of very few manufacturers) doesn't supply any ICC or WCM profiles, that means spending around $200 on a Spyder2 or similar and software for creating a colour correction profile.

However, the biggest problem as I see it is that Sony appears to have ripped out the ability to set the colour temperature from the nVidia preferences. And we can't use drivers directly from nVidia, so we're stuck at a D93 white point, which is far from ideal.
The exaggerated saturation doesn't help either...

The number of colours might be high, but the correctness is near intolerable if you want to edit pictures in Photoshop/Lightroom and print them out on a high quality printer.
WYSIFFFWYG (What-You-See-Is-eFfing-Far-From-What-You-Get)

 

IS the answer to this question, 'NO?' I asked a Sony Style rep (who didn't even know what DDR2 RAM is) and he said that trying to upgrade the Wifi card would void the warranty on the laptop. HUH? Why? I think wifi cards can be upgraded and so can HDD, RAM... those should be able to be upgraded without problems or issues. I was just wondering if the Intel wifi 5300 card is the same size as the 5100 as I thought that would determine whether you can physically do that (a simple replace plug and play?). If it's not, then most likely it is not upgradeable. However, the fact it isn't even included as a customization option is disconcerting. It's also not a part that is included in their parts/accessories section.

Can anyone confirm? I am just curious. Thanks to anyone who can confirm and/or who knows about the (differences between) 5100 and 5300 Intel wifi cards. I just know about the antenna difference and speed. Are these cards 'loose?' or 'built-in?' Thanks for any info.

 

Can anyone post a pic of the power supply or give an indication of the size and weight?

Regarding guarantee is this 1 year regardless of where it is bought from? I read somewhere that an owner bought the two year extension thinking this would give him 3 years total and when he got the card through it was upgraded from 3 to 5 years!

Finally; is it possible or useful to stick a memory card in the reader and use this for Vista ready boost or is that handled on the motherboard?

 

should I get a Vaio Z for $2500 with

2.53GHZCore2DuoP9500 3GB DDR3 320GB SATA LED 13.1"WXGAXbrite DVD+/-RW DL 1GBGeForce9300MBGS+1
GB Intel4500MHD V-Business

or

A dell latitude E6400 for $1920 with

2.53 6M 4GB 250++ 14.1 WXGA 256d NVIDIA NVS160 VB32 Europe made 9cell / Backlit

Dells lower price and higher spec is tempting me and Vaio's portability and style in another way.
Can you help me decide btn these?

 

Bought VGNZ555 at London Drugs. At Sony dealer say don't carry anymore at their store. Sticker date say manfacture date is Aug 2008. Wonder why these VGNZ555 is not market anymore. Confusing...

 

I went with almost the exact same Z (from cdw z590ngb But for way less than 2500) mostly because of the screen. The company i work for soon after bought a E5400, it really made me appreciate the Z. The aluminum and carbon fiber on the z really makes the Z feel better to use than the e5400 (it felt cheap and plasticy). I also really enjoy the keyboard on the z.

 

Don't you know that different countries have different mains power, and that the power supplies will differ depending on where you are?

US: 110 V, 60 Hz, attached ground (1x live + 1x neutral)
UK: 240 V, 50 Hz, attached ground
NO: 230 V, 50 Hz, floating ground (2 x live + 1 x ground)
JP: 100 V, 50/60 Hz, attached ground
FR: 230 V, 50 Hz, local ground (2 x live)
... and so on.

A US/Canada-only power supply will usually be far smaller than any of the European ones, and a universal power supply that works in multiple places is even bigger.

 

This does sound like a real problem. Any suggestions on a work-around?

 

I am planning to buy Sony Vaio VGN-Z26GN laptop. My requirement is mainly for Development on .NET platforms. I have got 2 Queries:

1) I know Windows Server 2003 is not officially supported by Sony. But my query is that if I install it on this laptop, will most of the basic features work using XP Drivers? Please help me make a buying decision.

2) I need reviews on whether a 13" screen is enough for a Microsoft technologies developer.

Guys a lil help here will be really appreciated.

 

first of all what does NB means in front of Z 570 ?? Where it is made??
and is this price difference is really worth it ?
I heard vaio keypad and screen breaks more often and are really expensive to replace.

Z owners convince me to buy the Z 570.

 

N - Windows Vista
B - Black (color of LCD top lid)

 

I did know that countries use different power but I didn'yt know that the PSU's differed I thought it was just the plugs...

Surely all PSU's have to take AC input of between 240 and 110V otherwhse when you plug your US laptop into a UK plug with an adaptor it will go bang?

Anyhow I am in the UK and if anyone could help with these questoions I would be most greatful:

Can anyone post a pic of the power supply or give an indication of the size and weight?

Regarding guarantee is this 1 year regardless of where it is bought from? I read somewhere that an owner bought the two year extension thinking this would give him 3 years total and when he got the card through it was upgraded from 3 to 5 years!

Finally; is it possible or useful to stick a memory card in the reader and use this for Vista ready boost or is that handled on the motherboard?

 

Normally, yes, but in practice they differ. I know for sure that the Japanese Z models come with a different power supply than the US models do.

 

As far as I am aware, the power supply is the same in every country, bar the plug. As you mention, this is necessary to allow the usage of the laptop in multiple regions. I have the European model and the PSU look identical in size and shape to the Japanese model shown in this photo from earlier in this thread...

 

I don't think this is true. If you look at the photos of the US PSU here it looks identical to both the Japanese and European models.

 

I am planning to buy Sony Vaio VGN-Z26GN laptop. My requirement is mainly for Development on .NET platforms. I have got 2 Queries:

1) I know Windows Server 2003 is not officially supported by Sony. But my query is that if I install it on this laptop, will most of the basic features work using XP Drivers? Please help me make a buying decision.

2) I need reviews on whether a 13" screen is enough for a Microsoft technologies developer.

Guys a lil help here will be really appreciated.

 

They are not exactly the same...the US one has a 3-prong connector (and I am not talking about the the plug that goes into the wall, but where that cable goes into the power brick) while the JP one has a 2-prong connector. Not sure about the European ones, but otherwise the size and shape of the power brick are the same.

 

Actually, if you look at your power adapter, the input AC voltage can be from 100V to 240V RMS, and the frequency can be either 50 or 60Hz.

So, laptop power adapters can be used in any country, as long as you have the appropriate adapter for the AC-side terminal connector.

The sizes are different depending on the rectifier circuit architecture, as well as the switching frequency of the transistors. Higher the switching frequency, smaller your inductors and capacitors used in filtering switching frequency noise.

In terms of architecture, if they are using an active front-end rectifier, they can usually minimize the size relatively smaller, but these generally costs more as more transistors and control circuitry are used.

If they have a passive front-end rectifier (using diode), and then do a DC to DC conversion, its cheaper but the size can be bit bigger.

Nevertheless, whether its active or passive rectification, these adapters can handle a range of voltages and frequency without a problem.

Afterall, your output DC voltage is 19.5VDC, so as long as your input voltage is higher than that, you are fine. Unfortunately, since they are using linear controllers to control the output voltage, the controller becomes your biggest limitation which has to regulate the output voltage to 19.5VDC for any range of input voltage. Once the input voltage drops below a certain value, the controller goes out of the operating region it was designed for, and some under-voltage detection circuitry kicks in and keeps the converter off.


Anyways, the bottom line is, in terms of functionality, the Sony adapters will work in any country.

 

The European PSU has a 3 prong input on the brick.

 

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Guys am I invisible??????????????????????????????????????????????
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I am planning to buy Sony Vaio VGN-Z26GN laptop. My requirement is mainly for Development on .NET platforms. I have got 2 Queries:

1) I know Windows Server 2003 is not officially supported by Sony. But my query is that if I install it on this laptop, will most of the basic features work using XP Drivers? Please help me make a buying decision.

2) I need reviews on whether a 13" screen is enough for a Microsoft technologies developer.

Guys a lil help here will be really appreciated.

 

You're not getting any responses because I dont know if anybody here has installed Win2K3. Lot of people are downgrading to XP, and that seem to work quite well with the Sony provided XP drivers. So assuming that XP drivers work for Win2K3, I don't see any problem. In theory, they are both Windows NT 5.2. But with Microsoft, you need to try it to be sure they will be compatible. Anyone here tried using Win2K3?

As for screen size, I think that's very much a personal choice. Unless you're working with large graphics, I don't see why 13" would be a problem. Question you have to ask yourself is, how much do you want to see all at once? If 13" isn't doing it for you, then more than likely, 15" won't do as well. So you might as well buy a 22-24" monitor and just hook up your laptop to it.

 

An easy question, does the track pad of the Z have a scroller? There doesn't appear to be one in photos. Does it have a scroller that is not marked on the track pad? Or do you scroll with 2 fingers like the Mac Books?

 

it has an unmarked scroller, like many other laptops, the labels are not printed for aesthetics

 

Yes it does, it also has a "gesture" command (upper left corner down in a diagonal I think) that can be assigned to a number of commands.

I don't use that one much though.

 

Hello.
As i understood there are difficulties with reinstalling Vista on Z?
SO if i format HDD and install Vista from regular DVD then i wonät be able to find drivers? asking because i can order only with Swedish Vista but i need to have it with English afterwards

 

I had a sony sz before getting my Z... it is the previous version of the Z actually. I put windows server 2008 on it, it ran fine. Actually it ran better than vista or xp. its fast and responsive.

Basically any driver you have for windows vista will work for 2008. some of the sony drivers didn't work though -- things like to control your screen brightness or volume shortcuts. It was annoying but you can get around it with other 3rd party apps so not so bad.

Also, i think if you get the Z with the 1600x900 screen it should be enough real-estate for you to develop on. I developed in .net 08 on it, its fine..

 

Is your second point solved by having a spyder?

 

I'm not sure, to be honest. If I remember correctly, the Spyder instructions tell you to set a white point of D65 (6500) before calibration, which we can't.

Oh, and do not attempt to use the sRGB or scRGB profiles that come with the Vaio Z. They're borked, and if you do, anything you produce in Photoshop/Lightroom or other colour correction aware apps will print out or export as extremely bright and washed out. Without any ICC profile assigned, at least you avoid that problem, but you still have the problem that something might appear violet on the screen but print out as purple, or green on the screen but print out as teal. The colours just aren't correct.

I'm thinking of getting an Eye-One, but if anyone else have tried with a Spyder (probably need Spyder 2 or 3), please post here with your results.

 

Did I just see something? Nah, it was probably nothing.

 

I see a quote field in your post, but there's nothing in it... hmm.

 

Hi all

Having held off replacing my Sony S2 for a while, (2 Gig processor and 1 Gig of RAM is finally struggling to run bloaty apps from MS and Lotus!) I'm going to get a Z series. I am a little puzzled by the different versions currently available in the UK and would welcome some opinions on the following.

1. Is the Carbon finish worth the extra cash - it seems pricey.
2. There is a Z21 still available form Sonystyle which has the 7200rpm 320GB drive not the 5400rpm drive on the newer Z25 - would I notice the performance difference given that I don't do much heavy disk usage?
3. I've waited so long already - should I hold off until the latest refreshes arrive - Z26?

Thanks a lot!

 

1. the material is carbon either way, the extra finish is for cosmetics, under certain light angles you will see lines
2. 7200 has a notable performance boost over 5400, i would get it personally
3. the refreshes are coming in a couple of days, just wait =]

btw, good choice!

 

Thanks. I might try color correcting the monitor at some point, but I tend to print rarely and in batches, and I won't be don't a batch for awhile - will probably borrow a spyder when I do decide to do prints!

 

nonsense: I believe that the Z21 IS the update for the UK - go ahead.

The Z26/Z27 are Asia models.

 

Thanks for feedback guys - looks like I'll wait for a few more days then.

xand: the Z25 is on the UK site at present so maybe that's the latest refresh?

 

Can someone give me an information about changing the dvd-drive to blu-ray? I´ve the eu z21wn/b and i hope upgrade will be possible in future...

 

Thanks reaborg and oxide for your valuable feedback....

I am finally going ahead with this laptop ....

God Bless

 

I've been looking for a new notebook for a about a month now and as far as I can tell the Z is the only one that currently meets all my needs.

13", 4 lbs or less, Blu Ray, high res display, 16:9 aspect ratio.

The only problem is that it is so expensive. Does anybody know if there is a model out there (or coming soon) that meets the above criteria besides the Z? Thanks in advance.

btw, any anticipated price drop for the Z in the near future? $500 for Blu Ray drive

 

You could get a Z cheaper by not having the blu-ray drive, getting a lower res screen?

I thinkt he Z21 is the latest refresh because of the presence of bluetooth 2.1. You'll have to wait for the US Z6**s to come out to be sure, but I think that's the only difference.

The Z25 is configurable - i suppose the question is whether it comes with bluetooth 2.1 or 2.0... I would definitely get a 7200rpm drive though.

 

The UK site has only 5400rpm drives on the customisable models - which is why I was tempted by the Z21 pre-built one.

Any Uk users out there bought from somewhere other than sony style? I think next week will be when I finally press the 'buy' button.....

 

Hi, I am getting the nasty screen scrateches problem due to the hinge between the palm rest and the keyboard. Has anyone have to deal with Sony warranty for this? What was the reaction?

I am pretty pissed off about it actually. It's just unacceptable for a premium machine... And I am pretty careful with it...

 

what scratches are you talking about? can you show us some pictures ? and explain whats causing the scratches ?

 

hello everyone, I am new to this site and i am interested in purchasing teh new z690. my question is: at the canada sonystyle site, there's an option toward the bottom of the CTO page there that says "base unit" and then has 4 options for the 690 or 690c. does anyone know the differences between each one? i realize there are 3 of the same ones. One other thing that's been bugging me are the model names like for the z590 there's a bunch of letters flollowing it like u/b or UAB and i was wondering if someone would be so kind as to give me a rundown of what all that means...btw, the ones i've listed are just examples of what i've seen. thanks for any help in advance!

 

As far as I can tell, the Z690 isn't officially up yet on the Canadian site..? are you looking at the real site or at the test site that some people have uncovered?

 

i guess it's the test site. http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...Id=20153&langId=-1&LBomId=8198552921665746555