Official VAIO Z Core 2 Duo Series Owners Thread

2. The SR uses DDR2 memory, which is fine at 800mhz for a 1066mhz FSB. Memory is double-data-rate so the effective bandwidth on the intel core 2 architecture is only 533mhz anyway. Putting memory faster than than doesn't provide a linear or significant gain.

DDR3 as in the Z has the potential of being 2-3times faster than ddr2, but with the current processor architecture, it doesn't provide a significant performance gain. The gain is in lower power consumption since ddr3 runs at 1.5v vs. 1.8v for ddr2.

3. When configuring an SR, it clearly says "ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3470 with HDMI™ Output [add $50.00] "

 

Wow cheers m8

That makes me wanna go for Z now, how do you like the 9300m ?

 

Not sure where your from, but Frys in Southern California has the normal black lid color your referring too. I had to take a 2nd glance because it looked like it was carbon fiber at first. It looked way more expensive compared to other SR's lids.

 

oh my god, dont buy their 7200 drives, go out and buy your own hard drive, get an even better one than the ones sony gives.. for the price of upgrading to a 7200, you could keep the 5400 and buy a 7200 drive

 

Is the 7200rpm 320 gb HDD that they offer really that bad? I don't really want to crack open my new Z until I can upgrade to a SSD...

Thanks

 

Under supported formats for HDMI Output the only thing checked it Dolby Digital. DTS Audio is not checked. Sorry. Let me know if you want any more info.

 

Thank you so much for your reply ! i really appreciate it.

That is fine. Dolby Digital will do whats the name of that device if you have that handy ? is it a Realtek chipset ?

 

Yeah, Realtek High Definition Audio.

 

o.k. so who wants me to check the battery drain? i don't know much about it so just tell me what you want me to do and I will.

 

it I was checking Vaio SR on Vaio UK site and they only have god silver modes, no option to customize, and I dn't like it US site has customizable SR where I can order it in black and choose config On UK there are just 3 models of SR and they'r all in silver. Any suggestions how can I grab the black one and get it shipped to UK ?

 

It definitely supports audio output in 5.1.
Thanks again. I'll go ahead with my order.
how do you find the resolution ? comfortable with the icons and font sizes ?

 

Yeah, no problem at all. I'm coming from a 15.4" and I got used to the new size in no time. The screen is stunning IMO. I've got the Blu-Ray option and BD movies just look incredible. I didn't realize how terrible my old screen was until I saw this one.

 

the m1210 was my first laptop.. and the first day i got it, i already thought the screen sucked.. even though i had nothing to compare it to... this means my screen is ridiculously horrible

and my Z is coming tomorrow! i can't wait! i feel lucky as i bet i'll be seeing the biggest difference in screen quality compared to the rest of you! (since i really think my screen is truly.. the worst in the world)

 

I can understand your feelings about the Dell M1210 screen. I've previously owned a Dell 700m & 2 Dell M1210. The screen on the 700m is way better than the one in the M1210. That probably was the final straw that made me switched to a Sony SZ370P/C back around Sept. 2006.

 

I don't think it is that bad. The stock 7,200rpm 320 GB HDD that is in my Z610 is a Hitachi. Maybe this Hitachi is really that bad?

 

So how did your semi-clean install end up JJ. Got it all worked out I hope. I'm still having some wireless issues with my LAN but everything else is good.

 

i actually have 2 m1210s too! the older one with integrated, and the new one with dedicated.. because i have the nvidia card on this one, i can adjust the settings for "digital vibrance" up a bit so the colors look a little better.. still horrible though. also, i noticed the integrated one was a LOT better than this one, it had MUCH longer battery .. made MUCH less noise, and MUCH cooler, i think there's just something wrong with the heatsink / cpu on this one.. maybe i was just lucky with the integrated

that said, i use an hitachi too, it's a good brand, but for the price you could have gotten the Z's base hd, and another 7200 hitachi from a computer store

 

Hi

I rarely read this thread cause I don't have a Z. I want to get one but I don't want to read 600 page pages of stuff. Anyways I got a quick question about RAID.

I really want to get a Z with RAID setup similar to my TZ (2 Hard Drive no optical)

I was wondering if I could get cheapest HDD and remove the optical drive and raid it myself. Does it come with 2 SATA connector inside or is the raid option (64 SSD x2) offer by Sony Canada use a special motherboard?

Thanks

Ch28Kid

 

sorry i dont understand how to do this, but i read somewhere that you can't because there's no "hdd tray" for if you want to replace the dvd drive with an hdd... or something like that. i heard this from someone who wanted to do the same thing and asked a sony rep

 

I want you to check if possible. All you have to do is charge your laptop to a full charge (100%) before you sleep. Then, unplug your AC and leave the battery in your laptop. Go to sleep for 6-10 hrs. Turn on laptop and check for battery levels. Then, report back here. Thanks =]

 

yes, it'd be greatly appreciated

 

Just to be clear, I'm pretty sure the test would also be valid even if you didn't go to sleep.

Just shut down the laptop and don't use it for 10 hours.

Unless the battery drain only happens at night?

S

 

no.. you must go to sleep or it wont work

 

Another possible explanation is that you could be feeling a slight electric current running through the palm rest. Not sure if this is a problem with the Z but it has certainly plagued the SZ series (using 2-pronged adapters). Just a thought. You can always wear rubber boots to avoid acting as an electrical ground.

 

I do infact get this on the Z when using it at home - it must be the power adapter as its the one from my very old A197xp

 

O.k. so last night I Shut Down the computer on a/c power and it fully charged over night. I unplugged it and brought it to work w/ me today. So if I wait 10 hrs b4 checking battery levels, it will not work for what you guys are trying to check right? If that is the case then when I am done using it tonight I will:

Put it to sleep
Plug it in
Let it charge overnight
Unplug it in the morning
Don't use it for 10 hrs.
Check battery level

Correct?

 

i was joking with the sleep comment, i meant that you had to sleep or else it wouldn't work ;]

instead of putting it to sleep, shut down the computer, this is because the battery drain seems to only happen when people shut it down

the rest is right

thanks a lot, you don't really need to not use it for 10 whole hours, 6-8 is enough

what i recommend is to shutdown the laptop before you go to bed (with the charge at 100%), go to sleep, and check battery level when you wake up, the amount that is lost is probably going to be very small, like.. 1-2 by the time you wake up. when people talk about the battery drain problem, they dont use the laptop for a whole week and then the battery goes down by 30% (from what i remember), so if you sleep for around 8 hours, it should only drop around 1-2%. you can then charge it before heading off to work

 

Yes, please check the drain issue. My Z550 for example, after shutting down fully charged, the next morning will loose 5-6% overnight from 100%. Just make sure you don't plug your Z into an outlet prior to checking. Just turn it on using battery power and check battery levels. Thanks.

 

O.k. so we're good then. I shut it down last night b4 I went to bed and let it charge overnight. I unplugged it at about 8 a.m. this morning and have not turned it on yet. Therefore I will turn it on when I get home from work tonight, about 8 p.m. and check battery levels, and post results.

 

LOL. The sleep I mean was that before you go to bed. That kind of sleep, not sleeping your computer. hahaha

 

O.k. so let me see if I got this straight. I got to sleep with my computer, rub up against it, then check the battery levels in the morning?

 

LOL ...

I am not sure if you were serious or not............................

I cant even begin to explain this to you until you clarify (please tell us You're JOKING!)

 

are there any coupons or deals on the Z laptops?

 

LOL I was going to put a smiley face after my joke but I thought it would be funnier w/o one. Keep em' guessing.

 

hahahaha =D

 

Hi everyone,

I'm almost convinced to buy this laptop, I just saw it at Fry's electronics. With the lid closed it looks too nice.

I have a few questions,

1) What is the difference between a Z540 and Z530? The Z530 seems to cost more, is there any other difference besides processor and HDD? Is the Z530 worth the extra money in your opinion?

2) I read on the laptopmag review that Sony stopped making the Z530 but retailers still sell it. Does that mean that retailers are old units? I ask because I hear that the battery deteriorates even if it's not in use.

3) Adding 2 more GB of RAM, is there any problems with this? I don't know if I will be upgrading to 64-bit but I may. But I read on one of the Newegg reviews that there was a problem with 4 GB of RAM and compatibility with the graphics card. Is 3 GB the way to go or is 4 better?

4) Do you like the resolution? The HD look of it makes it look sexy, especially when it's closed. Sony really knows how to style it. But lacking experience in these types of things, are these resolutions any good? How does it affect games and such?

5) Is the touchpad and keyboard okay? Any problems with that?

6) Does it come with any carrying cases? The mobility package (extra battery, case, plug) says it'll take a while, which is why I ask. Further, I don't know what to do with the extra battery if it comes. Should I keep it? As I mentioned above, I heard there was a degradation of battery life, even when not in use, so that concerns me a little bit about keeping the extra battery until this one loses a fair chunk of juice.

I might have more questions but I'm trying to read as much into this thread as I can, though there are just too many posts. Especially since I'm reading up on other laptops too, but about 95% convinced for buying the Sony Z after seeing it today and comparing it with the 50ish laptops there.

Cheers~!

 

Sony will probably introduce more 6xx models soon. I'm waiting for the 640 CTO myself.

 

Battery Drain:

So I may have screwed this up, if so, I'll try again tommorow.

I didn't shut my computer down last night like I thought I did. I closed the lid with it plugged into a/c power which put it to sleep. Then this morning I unplugged it which sent it into hibernation I believe.
In any case, I just turned it on after 8 hrs of being unplugged and my battery level was 92%. My power plan is VAIO Optimized.
I'm thinking this means battery drain is definately still happening correct?

Tonight I will make sure my battery level is at 100% then I will completely shut down the computer and unplug it. I'll turn it on in the morning and post the results.

 

Well hello,

First time post and 1 year lurker as well.

I cannot ty all enough for your work here and the invaluable information espoused.

Long time sony fan here, and complete z series fan.

Waiting for windows 7 embedding and an ssd price reduction as I move foward.

The ssd has me stumped. Yeah its faster and I want the new tech but 128 gb vs a relatively cheap 400gb hd option now doesnt make sense in the short run.

How do you all feel about sonys choice of ssd drive manufacturer and where do you see the price value of ssds going in 4-6 months in the new iteration of the z?

Ty

Paul

Oh any legal questions? bring it on.

 

I can see SSD prices at 50% of current prices in the next 7-8 months, but that's about it.

Personally i picked up a 64gb OCZ core SSD for $50 after rebate several months back. This is much worse than the current Intel and Samsung offerings, but for that price, i wasn't going to argue.

I find general computer response time greatly improved. At home I have a Core i7 machine with dual 1.5tb 7200rpm drives in raid0 and i find it sluggish compared to this cheapie SSD.

Personally, i am sold on SSD, even with the current technology. I think newegg has a 120gb SSD drive currently for $199, no rebates. It is well worth it in my opinion, and i may pick one up if I decide i need extra space.

 

sorry, what do you mean by unplugging it.. which sent it into hibernation? unplugging shouldnt send it into hibernation

 

Sorry, I don't know much about this stuff. I have my power plan set to:

When I close the lid:

On a/c power= sleep
On battery= hibernate

So I figured if I unplugged it, it would go from asleep to hibernating. So does it just stay in sleep mode then?

 

yes it remains in sleep, unless you have hybrid sleep mode on, and even then it will only wake from sleep to go into hibernate when the battery is very very low, like 5% or so.

so just make sure to shutdown the computer at 100% charge, take off the AC, go to bed, and check if there's a change in battery level when you turn the computer back on in the morning (note, don't plug in the laptop when you are turning it back on in the morning until you check--also, there should be a slight drop in battery life since it takes some charge to power the laptop back on, so what we're really looking for here is a notable decrease in battery life.. anything more than what it takes to power the laptop on)

 

If anyone could help me with this hard drive issue it would be greatly appreciated. I own a brand new vaio z540 customized. I recieved it 3 weeks ago from sony, I want to upgrade the hard drive already from a 320gb 5400rpm to a Seagate Momentus 500gb 7200rpm, that is on sale right now for a great price. The drive i have in is ATA and this new seagate drive is Sata. Am i able to do this upgrade or I am stuck with only ATA drives as options for upgrade? Thanks for whoever can help.




-Semper Fidelis

 

Hi, Ok I have a problem cause I narrowed my choices down to 13.1 Vaio Z and 13.3 SR.

Problem is, I can get both laptops for basically the same price. (I want SR Night Black which they don't have in EU and have to ship to to UK from USA)

a) What makes me wanna go for Z:

-better battery life
-build
-larger resolution (not the 1600) i mean 13xx

b) What doesn't make me want to go for Z:

- 128 MB 9300m is way slower than Ati 3470(265mb) on vaio SR. Anyone tried overclokcing or better drivers for 9300m 128mb? Any benchmarks close to 2k ?

- Another reason that keeps me away from Z is compatibility with Linux. I've read that PPL had problems with drivers for 9300m and Stamina switch.

c) What makes me wanna go for SR:

- Ati 3470 256mb which gets over 2200 points in 3Dmark06 with proper drivers.

- Linux drivers support

d) What doesn't make me wanna go for SR

- Battery life is ok (could be better)
- I would have to get one for USA [cause I want black color] (and they will probably charge me TAX once its shipped to UK) - can someone tell me how much ? Laptop cost is 1350$ and I don't know how this system works of how much it costs to ship a laptop from USA.


Please help me out here to make a decision. I mean I would definitely go for Z if it was close in 3Dmark06 to Ati 3470 and had 9300m linux support with stamina switch. But that holds me off, I don't want not to use all the functions while on linux Cheers.

 

If you are a gamer, get the SR for light-medium gaming. Z is not designed for gaming much.

 

Is this to me? I didn't even know there was a 690 model, I guess I do now. I read a few pages back that there is a battery drain problem or something? Bleh, I don't know what to do now. I'm glad I didn't pull the trigger yet on the Z.

So is the 5xx series not worth it?

 

Got a new mouse today. Logitech V470 Laser/Bluetooth. I was hoping it would work on my cracked glass table but no such luck. Got a great deal though. I was prepared to pay $50 but when the cashier noticed the box was partially opened they marked it down 50%.

 

Here's the reason why:

"* Laser sensor does not work on mirrors or clear glass. "

The above is quoted from the Logitech web site. Link.

 

Yeah, I had read that on the box I think but then I remembered reading this quote in another thread.

"Its got laser tracking so it works on almost anything, including glass."

He was talking about a different mouse though, Microsoft Memory Mouse 8000. Oh well, I got such a good deal I can't complain.