Official VAIO Z Core 2 Duo Series Owners Thread

I can "read" Japanese, as well as 22 other languages, thanks to this little tool here:
Google Translator

Just past the web page URL, select the source language, and click Translate!

 

Lol. Man I want mid Augest to come yet I dont. I so do not want friggen winter to come man, id rather delay the laptop. So from now on im seriously going to just forget about the laptop. Mind u I will still keep posting and bugging Sony until I get somethin but yea. Mid Augest is around the corner, only a few weeks before you know it it'll be here, just complete forget about it and then all of a sudden u'll be like oh yea, and there it is! (A watched God damn pot never God damn cooks)

 

I get what you are saying =)

Well but this is the fun of getting new tech, speculating, waiting and so on...

Sure I spend some time everyday here in the Forums, but well other people play 3 hours computer games while I come here 4 times for about 15 minutes each time...
So when I come home from work I jst drop by and see whats going on here, its kind of one of my hobbies right now xD (Don't think I'm a nerd though who doesent meet with friends only to read the forum here )

Btw: I will forget about the Z, cause of my upcoming holidays...

----

Oh yeah thanks for the Google translator, but those translations are always so wired to read and most of the times I am more confused then enlightened afterwards... =)

So a native or good Japanese speaker that read the review and understand it might have the answer to my question that was the reason I asked =)

 

Any idea why SonyStyle (USA) has taken the link off the Z order page that lists the 6 or 7 stores where you can see the Z?
I ask because I was planning to drive this weekend to where one is on display (had been listed as having one) at the Galleria Houston.

 

I'm really stuck between this and the FW and it seems that the Z is built to last. My question is, will it last at least 5 years? And is it usually advisable to get extra warranty?

 

I personally dont know how anyone can buy such a big laptop such as the FW. Unless of course its strickley a desktop replcement, even then, just get a desktop thats 10x the power lol. Thats what I did, but now I have a dire need for a laptop for work. I need something portable such as the Z. Perfect balance between portable and decent size. TZ is just going over board. The Asus EEE is just plain stupid if u ask me. Not even a laptop IMO.

 

Will you be mobile with it? Or mostly in one place?

 

I will be extremely mobile with it. This laptop needs to survive through lectures, dorm-rooms, library, and on the bus when I go back home but even with this, the FW doesn't pose a problem. My current Toshiba laptop which is too old and falling apart weighs 8 pounds and is I believe at least 1.6 inches thick.

The main issues here is build quality. This laptop will go through a lot (and I don't even turn it off, just on stand by). I take care of my electronics, I won't throw it around or anything like that BUT I need to make sure that this Z series will still be by my side 5 years from now.

I am willing to pay the extra premium as long as I don't get a good BUT a GREAT laptop that is durable and one that will still be going strong after 5 years.

 

The Z series is for u then my friend. Aslong as you go for a pre-config, not a CTO version (Configured-To-Order) ur good. The pre config is Made in Japan. Theres no other laptop in the market thats Made in Japan and as good quality as Sony Vaio laptops other then the Panasonic Toughbook. But thats for extreme ppl that go out into wild life and boating and professional stuff like that. You wont need that im sure. So yea go for the Z man.


Actually, check this video out lol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_ZAGT-lmK8

So if you plan on going around doing that on campus then Panasonic it is!

 

It would be pretty cool to have a Toughbook but I should have mentioned that style is very important to me and I do not want to be seen with that huge brick around campus. Plus, it's not really about toughness but more about reliability. I need a laptop that is reliable, so I can sleep soundly at night knowing that it won't fail on me the next day.

I know you, =ToRoNtO-GuYY=, would tell me to get a Z, especially since you're so obsessed with it but I'm starting to get obsessed with it too. I just need to see how it is in person.

 

Then why not get the Z with 1366x768 resolution. I thought TetonWolf was also getting a Z? I guess I misread his posts....

You know what? The FW is the right choice for you. You've said it over and over, it won't be leaving your home. Get the FW. And as for the Dell, I thought their new Dell was called "DELL XPS STUDIO LINE". Maybe I'm wrong....it was selling at the home shopping network.

HUH? LoL...

 

Ahhh... your choice is easy. The Z. No question.

My choice is a bit tougher, since I'm drawn to the small footprint of the Z. But, as everyone is telling me, the right choice for me is the FW. I just need to deal with the large footprint of this baby.

 

See above.

Oh, the Studio line. I see. Nah, that's not the XPS. Close, but no cigar.

 

Well, if you're only using it around the house, then I agree, the FW would be the better choice, no?

I still have to see the Z in person and compare it to the FW, especially to see how the 1600x900 resolution looks like on a 13" screen. They need to come out faster in Canada!

 

So the Z sounds like it's going come with a higher resolution screen ... not good for people who like larger fonts and running in native resolution .... it's why so many 15.4" notebooks are sold with 1280 x 600 res.... much more comfortable on the eye's ... I'm talking about business applications here, not watching movies...

.... lower resolution ~ larger font much better for work/all day computing ... I know some SZ Owners who will go 15.4" screen or larger next time and just deal with the extra wieght and seize ....

 

Natively (without any tweaking) text and graphics on a 1600x900 resolution 13.1" screen will appear much smaller than text and graphics on a 1600x900 resolution 16.4" screen.

13.1 @ 1600 x 900 = 140 PPI
16.4 @ 1600 x 900 = 112 PPI

140 to 112 is a big difference.

 

Well obviously it will appear much smaller . Duh, that's common sense. But I need to see it in person to see if I can handle the high resolution on such a small screen.

But now (after the reading up more on the nVidia issue), I'm concerned about the nVidia card in the Z, damn you nVidia!!

 

Good luck!

 

I thought it only affect some of the 8 series. Or does it?

 

Well, after reading engadget, I found this:
"Other affected chips appear to be in the GeForce Go 7000 and 6000 lines, as well as the Quadro NVS 135M and the Quadro FX 360M, but that's just looking at model numbers, and we can't be exactly sure."

http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/31/figuring-out-which-nvidia-gpus-are-defective-its-a-lot/

Who knows, maybe in the future, nVidia will reveal that their mobile 9-series is messed up too.

 

The funny thing is, when you see it in person, the small text doesn't really look all that "small". Well, it's small, but not like it's hard to read. I think it's because of the resolution. For example, the small text you posted is hard to read because it's using so few pixels the text is all blurry and pixelated. With full resolution at that size, it looks perfectly readable. But everyone's different, so I'd recommend everyone to at least take a look at the high res Z in a store before making any decision regarding screen resolution.

 

That will be tough for those SZ users to opt to a 15.4", but that's just my opinion. I'm one of those SZ users and I know, at one time, what it feels like to lug around a 15.4" @ 7.5lbs. ; and it's no easy task if your a student and/or having to travel for work. I just like the portability of carrying around my SZ @ 4lbs. without the bulk of a 15.4" screen. So I am definitely looking foward to the Z.

I decided since Blu-Ray is so expensive and I really don't want the 1600x900 res., I'll just get the 1366x768 res., but does anyone know what I can expect between the 64SSD versus 128SSD? Will there be a big difference in performance on these two? I'm confident that my local store will carry the SSD as a preconfigured option. Thanks for any replies to this question.

 

He's absolutely right SoundsGood. I've seen the Z with 1600x900 res. And as small as the text is, it is however very very sharp. This will have to be a "too each its own" decision. Even though the text is sharp and I personally had no problem reading text, comfort is far more important for me. After seeing the difference between the two resolutions of both Z's posted a few pages back, since there is very little difference, why not just go for the 1366x768, at least, I'll get the best of both worlds - text size and resolution.

And I figured since I don't even buy Blu-Ray Movies, why even bother with B-Brive. I just wanted it because I was planning on getting a High-Def Camcorder, and it would be nice to have the 1600x900 res. for that as well as for Photoshop.

 

My current laptop weighs 7.9 lbs, carried to school, between classes, and back home every single day for 5 years. You get used to it.

 

I totally agree with you that you can get use to it, but have you ever gotten use to one like the SZ 13.3 at 4lbs. and then having to switch over to a 15.4" at 7lbs. You get use to the comfort of the lighter notebook. I really regret even spending on my 15.4, but I got used to it like you said and now I use it as a desktop replacement. I hardly ever take it along with me. I can't wait to carry around the 3.5lbs. Z.

 

See the only problem for me is that I don't want a CTO, and most of the pre-configured 590s are $3000+...

Of course, the higher res screen is great if you can afford it.

 

I can't afford a $3000+ laptop either, which is why I'm glad there's the Z590NFB model. Judging by the specs it should be around $2400 I think:
http://b2b.sony.com/Solutions/product/VGN-Z590NFB

Most people forget that SonyStyle doesn't list all the availible models. Portable One should have a lot of these new models availible in a few weeks (at least before the Z release I think), and their prices are usually very good (and their customer satisfaction rating is extremely good).

 

The Beijing Olympic opening ceremony starts in 7 hours!

It really sucks that NBC doesn't broadcast it live. It totally takes out half of the excitement IMO.

sry this is off topic...

 

I know what you mean. Unfortunately, I only used this Toshiba and another old school Dell Inspiron 5100 (I think it was), which was massive again.

When I went into the Sony store, I did lift the TZ and I was shocked at the lightness, it was literally like holding a piece of paper. Hopefully when I go again, they will have the new Z there so I can compare the various weights.

 

It would be sweet if 590NFB's around 2400. I thought it would be more like 2500-2600, but who knows...

However, I'm a bit concerned about the slower CPU (with half amount of L2 cache) on the 590NFB.

Which one do you think would be better for gaming? The 570 with p9500, 128 mb dedicated graphics ram running at 1366*768, or the 590NFB with P8600, and 256 mb dedicated graphics ram running at 1600*900.

I think the 570 is better for gaming when running at its native res. What do you guys think?

 

The extra weight of the Z won't shock you compared to the TZ as much as the extra thickness was. I was quite surprised at picking it up at how more thicker it feels compared to my TZ but its perfectly alright with how much more is packed inside.

 

It really depends on the game and the type of memory the video card uses. If it's GDDR3, it will make better use of the 256 mb RAM. Also, while 128 MB is sufficient for most games, games are starting to require 256 mb of RAM, such as Assassin's Creed for example and for sure, there will be more in the future. I would personally get the 256 MB version.

Some people might have a problem with the way the game would look at a lower resolution compared to the native 1600x900 but personally I don't find it a problem. I've played games at a resolution of 800x600 with 2x AA on a 24" LCD screen, which had a native resolution of 1920x1200. (What can I say, I'm not rich )

 

I'm glad to see in the U.S at least, if I want the 1600x900 screen, it won't be too expensive, I myself can actually afford it!


I can order the CTO Z590 from the American SonyStyle website and the cheapest configuration with the 1600x900 screen is $2079.00 with P8400 processor, 200gb HDD, DVD drive, 2gb ram.


http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...Id=8198552921644569397&parentCategoryId=16154

 

Do you feel that it would be a wise decision to get a CTO model?
Other forum members feel emphatically that it is not a good idea.

 

From what I understood, CTO models are made in China and assembled in the US, while the preconfigured ones are made in Japan. People don't feel comfortable paying so much money for a product that is made in China (as do I).

 

just checked the pre-ordering at notebook.de - the think shipping starts at 22nd of August. i will pre-order today!

 

NBC did such a lousy job with the Sydney Games. People in the U.S. were questioning why there wasn't enough coverage of all the events. NBC was basically broadcasting who won, what country, how many medals and for which event. Not LIVE as it should be. I'm sure it'll be the same lousy coverage all over again, but I'll still watch it.

Don't let TORONTOGUY see you post this ; he's that other forum member your referring too. He is very ANTI-CTO and against it at all cost; but very good reason to be based on his personal experience. He can hook you up with the President of Sony if you have a problem. They are TIGHT!!!!

 

I would compare the prices before pre-ordering...
Especialy when pre-ordering the Vaio VGN-Z11WN/B

Idealo has a lot of different dealers with the Z and the cheapest option for the Z11WN/B is around 2022€ + Shipping... Compared to SonyStyles 2299€...

Here is the Idealo price list for the Z11WN/B...

Good luck ThreeD!

I will order as soon as I know whats up with LG's soon to come Centrino2 13" model...

 

Yup, that's pretty much the same date Sony Style UK gave me for my shipping date, so it seems likely it's correct. (They also told me I likely wouldn't have it until at least Tuesday 26/8, because of the Bank Holiday...)

 

The low end MBP model (with bootcamp if need be) would be great for you i think look into it you haven't done so already.

 

I know, I could spare around 100 Euro by shopping at a difference place. But since the shop is 25 km from my place and a Vaio Competence Center I will buy it there. If any problem occurs I can go there and chase them to solve my problems. For 2130 Euro I will not send notebooks back and forth if anything strange is happening.

 

What do you guys think: when can i get the Z if i'll use shipping from conics (i like the Gothic Arabesque design)?
Does it's possible before september?

 

Very true. And one of the reasons why I hesitate going to the FW. My current D420 laptop is only 11.63 x 8.27 x 1" and weighs only 3.10 lbs. Heck, I can even use it in the bathroom. So even though I'll only use my laptop at home, and almost never take it anywhere, the FW will feel huge to me compared to my D420.

The screen size will be a delight. Looking forward to it. But the footprint size will seem gigantic. Not looking forward to that!

Thanks, but no Macs for me.

 

I got back home this afternoon and found a nice little email from Sony saying that they have shipped my new Z!!! They gave me a tracking number and website to track it. I checked and the delivery company said they picked up the Z from Sony.

Now this evening I check again (just want to make sure...) and now it's on it's way to the delivery branch!!

It's coming, my Z is coming!!

I hope that my post does not give anxiety to anyone, I'm merely spreading my good news because of my excitement.

 

GREAT! Could please do a review? Would be great for all Z-Lovers!

 

My wife predicts that it will be here tomorrow which would make sense as all the shops around town will have there standard Z's for sale. BUT the shop clerk said I won't receive the custom order one until the the 19th (which also makes sense as Sony says they're shipping the custom order ones mid Aug.) So the sugar coated kid in me is hoping for tomorrow and the whole wheat adult side of me expects the later date.

As for a review, I'll do my best, what sort of things do people want to know about? Let me know and I'll try to hit those points!

Ganbarimasu! <-- I'll do my best!

 

Great man! Well take some pics if u can, like close up clear shots of all angle's. Maybe install a game and see tell us how it runs. Things like that would be fantastic. Just fanstastic! Does ur wife know u got that kinky **** like profile pic up there chief? ohh someones in toublee. Anyways let us know the moment u get it budd. Ciao!

 

Yes, congratulations IsamuX... I'm not at all jealous that mine won't be arriving for another few weeks.

 

AHH CRAP!! For my CANDIANS. I recieved an email back from Sony head office. This is what she responded with when I asked if there will be any options for the Z series:


Hello there,


Yes the Z Custom Notebook will be offered on our website. This notebook should be launching in 1-2 weeks. Please check www.sonystyle.ca for regular updates.



CUSTOM!!!!!!!!!!! (CTO)!! I think I just should just drop Sony all together. I bet anything they'll do the same thing like they did with the SZ780 giving only ONE preconfig option on the sonystyle.ca site.

 

-=ToRoNtO-GuYY=-: Couldn't you order a preconfigured model from Portable One?

Since many of us have already seen and held the Z in person, I think the most important thing we need to know is the battery life, and how cool it stays during normal and intensive usage.

I would think the 570 is better for gaming, because of the native resolution and better CPU. The GPU really isn't that much better on the 590NFB, because there's just too much RAM there for the relatively weak 9300gs (although it still is a little better). It's hard to say.

The 590NFB is definitely better for word processing, programming, web browsing, etc., but the only thing that would really keep it from being a better gaming machine than the 570 is the high res screen, which would make playing games at native resolution very slow - but if you don't mind playing at non-native, non 16:9 resolutions, then it should be just about the same.