Official VAIO Z Core 2 Duo Series Owners Thread

No, you cannot change the graphics card in the Z.

 

Huh?!?!? Superior Dell? Maybe I'm so stupid that I missed something. Doesn't the Dell XPS M1330 come with Nvidia 8400M GS (the same GPU as the ones found in SZ6xx & SZ7xx)? And the Vaio Z come with Nvidia 9300M GS... so how can that Dell be superior in terms of GPU when compared to the Vaio Z?

 

the new dell studio xps come with geforce 9500m

 

Of course I know that but you said Dell M1330 earlier or did I read that wrongly? Oh well, it must be my mistake again. Sorry.

Note: Studio XPS 13 is different from XPS M1330.

 

I thought the same as you JJ but I figured he misspoke. As far as the only true measurement of superiority being in the realm of gaming, all I can say is, that's pretty funny if your joking and pretty sad if youre not.

 

it's actually called studio xps m1330. it comes with a geforce 9500m and ddr3 ram. i wasn't misinformed or anything, it's on their site.

also yes i was joking, although gaming performance does seem to give the best benchmarks in terms of overall performance. i would rather that we started discussing my questions rather than going through semantics.

 

It's actually called the 1340 not the 1330...

 

not in my country, but as i said, lets not discuss semantics... please read the questions!

 

I can't speak to the gaming question as I'm not a gamer and I suppose you'd have to own both machines to speak with knowledge about the real life battery performance between the two. However, I wouldn't recommend waiting for a new Z to come out as the refresh just hit the shelves a couple weeks ago.

 

Interesting. See how this guy on ebay used my photos for selling his Z610. Bidders/Buyer beware:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...rms=algo=SI&its=I&itu=UCI&otn=39&po=LVI&ps=54

My photos:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=4522711&postcount=6372

Quote from the seller, imxshop:
"The box was opened for inspection and taking pictures only."

LOL! He sure have the cheek to say that! I was kind enough to share pictures of my Z on this forum & this is what I get in return. Oh well, it is stupid of me to share the pictures in the 1st place. Maybe I really deserve this! Another lesson learned. This should teach me not to be a smart a** to post any pictures of my laptop next time. Now how will people believe my photos when I list my Z610 in the MarketPlace? Guess I'll have to spend more time retaking all the photos again (with my name in all pics to be safe)! Hope he doesn't sell it for more money than I do!

 

but hit the shelves where?

here in backwards country we only just got the z21wn/b models (so far as the only model available), and there's no telling when proper z models will be available. then again, what exactly does change with each refresh?

i was also considering an SR if those ever "refreshed" over here with ddr3 ram and a decent graphics card, but i suppose that a newer/better graphic card for the z wouldn't be possible for a good while.

 

Sentura, which country are you living in?

 

my bad, i currently live in denmark.

 

I actually just sent him a message...that is completely wrong for him to take your pics, especially when he says he just opened to take the pics, and to BID WITH CONFIDENCE! People like that really, really me off, and just makes ebay that much more less secure. I'll post up what kind of response i get from him...

 

Thanks for your support. I appreciate it.

To be honest, I wouldn't even care if I'm not going to be selling my Z610 in the coming 2 or 3 days once I have seriously think about the pros & cons of selling my Z. Man, this kind gesture by this wonderful ebay seller means that instead of just having to take another photo of my Z with my NBR user name on it, now I have to retake a bunch of them!

I think maybe I should thank him/her as it means that I cannot be lazy with taking more photos for my own Vaio Z sale at the MarketPlace.

 

US and Canada I believe. The point being, if we just got a refresh and you guys are behind us, don't hold your breath waiting for a new Z w/ better graphics. If you don't mind the weight, glossy screen, heat and fingerprint friendly finish, go for the Dell.

 

..but i do mind them, and those are exactly the details that would make me want to wait for the new z in case it had better graphics! i also realize that this might not be the best time to purchase a new laptop altogether, what with the migration of ddr3 ram and intel soon coming out with core i7 processors for laptops at the end of the year. thoughts on this?

 

They damaged the Z because that's not how you're supposed to open it!

Don't follow their method - they miss out the stage that actually releases the keyboard - hence trying to lever it off and cause damage. It opens from the top then the bottom. Follow the proper Sony manual which has been posted on the forum already - you'll find it very reassuring if you've just been looking at those pictures linked to above.

S

 

Sorry to ask - but do you know where to get hold of this 'Z series' service manual ? I've tried to search this forum but must be going blind !

thanks.

 

Z series service manual

 

Yay - thanks a lot !

 

Hi guys, I bought an Sony VAIO Z690 CTO 3 days ago through their web site (USA)SO.... now i am reading about their student discounts.... Hm In fact, I am a student but I didn’t use this discount option as I wasn’t aware of it. However, can i add sony student discount after purchasing an item? If so, pls help.

Thanks

 

IMO there is always something better on the horizon. By the time Nehalem is in laptops there will be something else coming down the pipe that will be even better.

 

Contact Sony. They're the only ones who can help with this.

Might be possible to cancel / reorder with the discount -- I'm not sure. You could, if you really wanted that 10%, return and reorder if it came down to that (but that's needless, imo).

 

true, but what are the specs of the latest z?

 

No kidding. It should be totally transparent to the user. The user should choose how big fonts he wants, and the system take care of the rest, including figuring out the DPI of your monitor without bothering the user with it.

I'd really like to see a volume control like slider in the systray that you can drag up and down to get all the fonts scaled to your preference without having to first mess with DPI changes, then reboot, then mess with font size changes.
It's 2009 -- make it happen, Microsoft!

 

Maybe, its a scam. He's probably using your pics to convey to possible buyers that the Z he/she is selling is indeed "NEW" and might not be the case. You should post a comment back to him so that others cam be alerted.

 

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...Id=8198552921644570897&parentCategoryId=16154

 

I was interested by this earlier, I recently bidded on a Vaio TT on ebay and another listing was using the same pictures, it's inaccurate and totally unfair to the prospective buyers. I was put off an retracted my bid.

I sent this guy that's using SPEEDwithJJ's photos and he replied to say:

"The computer is real, I have over 600 feedbacks - 100% positive, I would not put my EBay reputation for such a risk. However I sold it through craigslist, locally."

what's craiglist?

 

He got caught. He took off the listing in short.

Craiglist is another public site where they have a buy-sell forum for people in the same neighborhoods..

 

The fact that that ebay seller has got 100% positive feedback amazes me. I wonder how many of his buyers "suffer in silence!?!" Makes me feel sorry for them.

On another note, I don't mind anyone of you using my photos as yours for personal use or even sharing it like putting it on your web site or anything. You don't even have to ask me permission for it or give me credit for them. You can even say that those photos are yours if you put it on your web site. That's fine with me. I wouldn't even be mad with you on that. I seriously don't care about that as long as it is not used to sell your own laptop.

However, using those photos to sell the actual laptop.... now this is another thing & it so happens when I am about to finalize my decision on whether to sell my Z610.... At least there is someone who is even lazier than I am!

 

By the way, we have a lot of Z owners here in this forum, haven't we? We have seen a few fellow members post their Z photos, but not all. Alright guys, where are your photos? (I apologize if I sound rude) I would shamelessly think that all of us cannot have enough of actual Vaio Z pictures!

 

i got the same message from the ebayer...says he has 100% feedback and yadda yadda...still makes me really mad that he did that. Just because u have 100% feedback doesn't mean he can't form a scan.

 

sadly, those are the same specs as the z21wn/b.

 

Sadly, that about sums up the shady dealings that can be found everywhere on ebay. Any deal can be legit or it can be a scam.

 

I bought a carbon fibre style cover for the top of my laptop off ebay
(the area with vaio logo)

It looks amazing...

 

That's cool. Photos please!

 

First time I asked it went to the wayside ... any thoughts on BluRay inside the Z?

Cost and loss of DVD-DL are big points. On the other hand, HDMI makes it nice to know I could use it on my TV or even my new monitor, and as BluRay grows in popularity perhaps it'd be more handy in a couple years - I certainly would never pony up $1k to add it after the fact. (Oh, and yes, I will have this notebook for a few years.) Currently, I have to admit I don't own any BluRay so it makes it hard to stomach the price. I'm still tinkering with the idea, though, so I'd really love some honest input on adding the BluRay drive to the Z or not.

 

Although my first Z had it, I would advise against it.
First of all bluray isnt replacing DVDs! Dont fall into its hype
Secondly, a standalone bluray player costs fraction of 1k price Sony charges, ex. Amazon had a bluray deal of day for $129 last week! They will only get cheaper with time

In these 3-6 years if you will ever need to replace your desktop, you can get it configured with bluray for free or very low cost (+50 is an example off HP)

And I dont think not being able to burn dual sided DVDs is a con per se, as long as it burns single DVDs than its perfectly fine!

 

I love Blu-Ray in my Z. But as everything, it depends on personal preferences of each person. Do you have any specific question? If you want to have portable Blu-Ray player with possibility to connect it to big screen or just watch movie on the beautiful screen of Z (even on such small screen IT IS quite a big difference from DVDs)...go for it

 

I've got it and love it but then again I use it alot. I think you are the only one who can answer this question. Are you gonna use it ALOT? Do you have a high-def t.v.? Will you rent/buy BD movies if you have it? Are you into movies? Given the price of the upgrade and the fact that they now make you spend an extra $100 on a RAM upgrade, unless you can answer yes to the above questions, I wouldn't get it.

 

I personally agree. What is really replacing DVDs are downloaded movies. With the internet download/network speed getting faster & faster as well as the prices of SSDs coming down year by year, it is only a matter of time before this happens.

Just take a look at what happened to the music industry! You see people listen to mp3 music, use iPods instead of Sony Walkmans.... A good case is how stupid Sony is in maintaining its stance on its invention the MiniDisc (MD).

It is this same sort of stubbornness in trying to maximize thier advantage that caused the MiniDiscs' downfall. A similar instance is happening with Blu-Ray discs as well. Still recall what that Steve Jobs' classic statement? "Blu-Ray is a bag of hurt..." I'm sure Apple is not the only one feeling that way. Furthermore, this Blu-Ray technology is coming at a wrong time, just like the MiniDisc. Ever wonder why NetFlix "has taken over" Blockbusters' position in the movie industry?

However, this is not to say that Blu-Ray is totally bad. It is still good in a lot of ways. You get more storage on a disc. The movies are of higher definition than DVDs, etc. So whether Blu-Ray is worth the money is totally the buyer's call IMO.

One last thing to add. If you're a gaming freak like I am. Then getting a PS3 is a better deal. Great gaming possibilities as well as a Blu-Ray combo system. Best bang for the buck IMO.

 

Thanks to both for addressing the Q

The DVD player does DVD-DL, BluRay doesn't - just comparing...though I'm w/ you sonority, not exactly a big deal to me. And I totally understand the difference in $450 to add it to the Z vs the much smaller cost of buying a player for my TV. Since I'm not on the BluRay bandwagon yet, I'm trying to consider ~1-2 years down the road ... but perhaps I need to just avoid it and maybe by the next time I get a new laptop I will want it. (I had my last notebook ~4-5 years, became a clunker and all but I always keep a great desktop so notebooks are luxury not exactly necessity to me.)

To Metsn ... maybe I should go to BestBuy or the like and see a BluRay in action, considering I'm still skeptical that it'd be $450 worth different What a bad geek I've been. :x LOL. (PS - $450 coming from the $500 upgrade but subtracting the 10% student discount)

Specifically...I'd love to know if it is any slower, drains battery more, or adds extra heat than the DVD player - but I'm not sure if you can answer that. I was also trying to find specific speeds to see if it slows down any of the CD/DVD read/write speeds in comparison to the other optical drive.

 

Very true. No one can tell the buyer whether Blu-Ray is good or bad to have. Only the buyer can decide for himself/herself depending on his wants, needs, & budget. Either way, you're getting a very good laptop in the Vaio Z. Good luck.

 

After reading your comments, I would suggest that you might as well get a fully decked out Vaio Z with Blu-Ray (especially if it is affordable for you) because it looks like you'll be keeing this Vaio Z for 4-5 years too. However, if you're like me & tend to have the urge to sell the old laptop & buy a new one, then it probably is really silly to get a Blu-Ray drive now because of one simple thing, price!

To sum it up, I'll suggest that you might as well get the Blu-Ray drive with your Vaio Z if money is not a problem. Good luck. I'm looking forward to you posting pictures of your Z once you get it.

 

Thanks for the honesty. Avid movie watcher, but never got into BluRay since I have no player. Have a new hi-def tv, and a nice widescreen 16:9 24" monitor with HDMI as well. Do a lot of going from house-to-house (housesitting, college student) so there's a bonus to having it in a portable laptop there I admit... beyond that, I can't be positive how much I would/wouldn't use it. Coming from no portable movie player and an old laptop that couldn't take it well and wasn't travel friendly anyway.

Not a gamer, so that'd be an extra something to have to bring along if you know what I mean? The big reason I would consider the BluRay inside the Z is in large part convenience.

And I should keep in mind the whole downloading movies bit. I do subscribe to one of those.

Yeah, quite clear on that (absolutely not saying this to be rude) ... but when someone is unsure they ask for input for a reason. It is helpful to hear the pros/cons others have weighed out, or their experience w/ their configuration, etc. etc. I'm not really set in my opinion of this at all. I was before I could afford the upgrade, now I'd really like to figure out what is the best choice for me.

 

Just out of curiosity why are you so geeked out on seeing pix of people's Z's. Other than a carbon fiber vs. a black lid, don't they all look....um....exactly the same?

 

Yeah, it is great to see "different" photos of Zs. It doesn't hurt to see more pictures of Z, does it? I'm kinda obsess with the Vaio Z for the moment. However, we can all choose to post our own setups with the Z too. It will be cool to share how we set up our work/leisure place with the Z.