Official VAIO Z Core 2 Duo Series Owners Thread

I can totally see someone who doesn't own one and can't go somewhere to look at one wanting to see as many pics as they can but you've got one, in the flesh, and you can stare at it all night long.

 

It always feels different when you see other people's Z. It is kinda hard to explain, every time I come across a new picture of the Z, I get all this excitement, just like when I first open up the box to get to my Vaio Z...

I know the exterior of all the Zs look the same, but I get excited when I look at other's Z & I don't feel excited when I look at mine.

 

The grass is always greener huh?

 

When I read that line, it reminded me of something I've always been thinking: being in the market for a laptop is much more fun than actually owning the laptop lol. I find anticipating the crazy features they offer and researching reviews, feedback, pictures, comparing to all available laptops etc a lot of fun and once you get that laptop, the fun is spoiled. Maybe that's just me.

 

Not at all! I was in the market for a new VW Diesel Wagon and for about 8 months I obsessively followed all the rumors, leaks, pictures etc... on a forum exactly like this. Once the car was finally released and I bought mine, that was it. No more fun. I mean the car is great and all but I missed that feeling of anticipation. That's when I decided I needed a new laptop.

 

Well I'm STILL in the market and I've been researching a lot. I've been lugging around a behemoth Inspiron 9300 for the past 4 years and have narrowed my choices down to a Z or Macbook Pro and running OSX/Windows.

Question about the Z though - how long does it really take to get used to the 1600x900 screen. I'm not sure I'd like such a high resolution. Are all the new Z6xx models run on that native resolution?

Also, can the Z run games like Orange Box, COD4, and maybe Fifa 09 with the 9300GS vid card? If so at what details?

Thanks for the help guys.

 

I believe the 610 is 1366X768. Personally, I had no problem getting used to the resolution.

I'm not a gamer so I can't speak to that. Good luck.

 

Yeah, that is sort of what I was trying to say. Guess I just s**k with words! LOL!

 

So what is your next target?!?!?

 

Yep, bob loblaw is correct. The only Z6xx currently available that has a lower resolution of 1366x768 is the Z610. Interested in buying a couple of weeks old Z610?

VestingTortoise, what resolution do you have on your Inspiron 9300? 1440x900 or 1920x1200? I could be wrong, but I think the 1920x1200 on the Inspiron 9300 is "similar" to the Z's 1600x900. If you have that high resolution, the Z with 1600x900 should be real easy for you to adjust.

 

Didnt you say that your selling your laptop?

Just curious, but why the sudden change of heart?

 

SpeedwithJJ, I have a 1440x900 resolution on my 9300, I definitely wouldn't mind more space than I have currently with this resolution on a 17" screen. Any ideas with the gaming capabilities with the new z6xx series having the 256mb version of the 9300gs? Just trying to get a ballpark figure for games like orange box, FIFA 09, COD4. Also what kind of realistic battery life are people getting when just browsing/word processing...is 5 hours legit on the integrated card?

Thanks for the help!

 

As of now, I've not changed my mind yet. 70-30 in favor of selling it. You interested?

And I use the words, "my laptop" because it is still mine for the moment.

 

OK. It is going to take a little bit of adjusting to the resolution, I know as I once owned 2 E1705 (both sold at this forum's MarketPlace). One with 1440x900 & the other with 1920x1200 & there is a difference between the 2 LCDs.

I would say that is is possible to get 5 hours out of battery life on integrated graphics when just web browsing & doing word processing.

As for gaming, let's just be frank. The 9300M GS is not a gaming card. It can more or less be described as a "low-end" GPU. However, playing games is still possible. The only thing to take note of is that obviously you're not going to get the quality of the Nvidia 6800 in the Inspiron 9300. For most games, generally a low to mid level settings will be quite "smooth."

 

Thanks a lot for the help speed. I guess I'll just sit on it...I really can't decide between this and Macbook Pro, which is also due to the fact that I don't know if I want to make the Apple plunge. I know all the Windows shortcuts but then again I could run both on the MBP. What is one to do...

Just out of curiosity, how much are you selling your z610 for and why?

 

Yeah, I at previously also ponder between the MBP (though previous generation, even bought & returned it) & the Vaio Z. Both the new uni-body MBP & the Vaio Z are good laptops in their own way.

At this point, I'm still thinking... I'm likely to be selling it for $1,350 (shipping included). The reason for selling is that I think I made a mistake in buying the Vaio Z. However, it is a good laptop though.

 

Hey, SpeedZ man I have the feeling that you are spreading the Z-love all over the place, Gzz, i'm infected, dude. i'm laughing by thinking about purchase your laptop and getting the same "mistake" emotion like your right now , since my initial range was something around 7-800 with 14.1 inches display and .... now I think the Z is the "right" laptop to buy.

 

If you want everything in one, than go for it! It's sad but true, there is quite small amount of interesting movies on Blu-Ray yet...I can say that I already bought all of them, which I wanted. And it's needed to read reviews before buying, to be sure about the transfer quality. On the other hand, I would feel like Z is not complete without Blu-Ray drive, because for me it's ultimate machine for my travelling and if I get somewhere great movie on Blu-Ray and wouldn't be able to play it on my ultimate machine, I would be really sad

For now I enjoyed on my Z e.g. The Thing, The 5th Element, Matrix 1, Innocence ...really beautiful tranfers. I was a bit dissapointed with tranfers of WKW's Chunking Express and U2: Rattle and Hum. I'm really looking forward to see more classic movies in hi-def quality. I believe The Metropolis should be released soon as well...

About the battery drain...for me it's about 2% in 10 hours...which is much less than others I doubt it would have any influence on extra heat....

 

I never realized how cheap eBay was... 1500$ for a brand new Z610 is very possible... yikes. I should browse around there more often.

 

This just means that I'm gonna lose more money once I decide to sell my Z610 in a few days time. Or maybe I shouldn just drop the idea of selling it... I mean that is just plain stupid to be losing that kind of money for a mistake I made, no? Oh well, everyone has to be responsible for his/her own actions....

 

I'm not spreading the love for the Vaio Z. I personally think that it is a very good portable laptop & I'm just saying what I think is true. I mean just because I made an impulse buy & ended up regretting it doesn't mean that I should bash the Vaio Z as it is truly a good laptop (sorry for repeating what I said).

I'm curious though. What is your budget if you're going to buy a Z?

 

How does eBay work.. why are these people selling brand new sealed Z's for less than the sticker?

 

I have no idea. You probably have to ask them. Maybe they are "large quantity" buyers of technology & got them as a compliment or gift from Sony, if you believe what this guy (Sonny25) wrote in the following link under Customer Reviews section. If that is true, any amount they can get out of selling these "freebies" will be a huge profit for them anyway.

Link:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...&ref=06&loc=01&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=9171521

 

Keeping the laptop just BECAUSE you're going to lose on the sale is horrible thinking. You already bought the laptop and can't return it (I'm assuming since you're selling it here) so it's a sunk cost. Free your mind of the original purchase price and sell the laptop if you really don't want it, even if it is at a "loss". My 2 cents.

 

Hey I'm a Blu-Ray fan boy as well but I'm not sure a B&W silent film will be much enhanced in BD format vs. DVD. And it's just "Metropolis" not 'The Metropolis'. Workers Unite!!

 

Very true. It depends on how much money one is willing to lose too. I agree with your reasoning. However, it is easier said than done...

I may just s**k it up & keep the laptop. I mean I change my mind so quickly after purchase of my Z.... Who is to say that I wouldn't change my mind again after selling it? For me, this is the tough part to base my decision on... Who can resist a Vaio Z?

 

I have a question for you guys, For vaio z, Is it possible to turn off the monitor manually? Is there a specific key for this? Thanks in advance and have a good day!

 

That's kind of my thinking as far as possibly keeping my 690 despite the high resolution for a 13" screen. It's a classy notebook.

 

My bad...my English has usually lack of "the", but this time I used too many of them ,) About the quality I believe it depens on transfer...of course it'll be less striking than newer releases, but still higher is better (resolution ,)). And hopefully there'll be more extras as well But we should stick back to the Z ,) At least AlaskaGrown can see that there're many Blu-Ray fans

 

This is very true. Some BD movies are just regular widescreen DVDs that have been upscaled, and no better than using an upscaling DVD player or amplifier with a regular DVD.

 

what size is the eide blu ray drive in the sony z? Is it the standard 12.7 mm height or is it smaller? If its the same size, I see no reason why I couldnt just place my own blu ray read only dvdrw drive in there? I dont need burning capabilities, just viewing. Anyone know the size?

 

I went off the deep end today and bought a Z690!!

2.66Ghz with 6MB Cache - P9600
320GB 7200rpm HD
4GB DDR3 SoDimm
Premium Carbon Fiber
2 Year Extended Warranty with Accidental Protection
2 Neoprene Cases

-300.00 Warranty Promotion
-10% Student discount

Subtotal: $2,028.36
Tax: $171.24 (#%$# CA Tax!)

No Blu Ray, too much!! Can I later replace the regular DVD for Blu Ray when prices drop?

The config I got should last me 3 to 4 years.

 

I don't understand how people are still able to do this. Dammit. (Nice notebook you've got there, though.)

 

What os does that come with? I would hope Vista 64

 

On my VAIO Z21WN, there is no functionally stand-by or hibernate! The automatic does´nt working, manual stand-by or hibernation is no problem. Also the stand-by or hibernation on low-level batterie power!

I´ve tried everything whats possible during the last two days, no idea what´s going wrong on my system. Don´t wan´t to recover

My hdd is working without a break, maybe that is the problem? But the index is up to date, so there must be an other process in the svhost.exe how generates such a hdd activity...

 

-300.00 Warranty Promotion
-10% Student discount

I knew it. It all depends on your rep and how you manage the conversation IMO. I would hang up and call back until every rep has told me no. Couldn't hurt.

 

If you go to the SonyStyle web site & configure the Z690 right now, the following discount do show up together when you apply them:

-300.00 Warranty Promotion
-10% Student discount

 

Of course.

 

Yes, Vista 64

SPEEDwithJJ:
THANK YOU for pointing me to this laptop!!

 

Oh, heh. So they do.

Just kidding.

 

There goes that theory.

 

Did you spot the difference?

S

 

So if a seller is selling a brand new laptop, but doesn't have a receipt or anything, how does warranty work?

 

1 quick question. Sorry if this was already answered. Is the CTO Z-540 going to be replaced with a Z-600series CTO?

 

What differences are you looking for? Since it is CTO, they can just be configured the same way.

 

vista 64bit =[

 

I believe so.

 

Do you know when?

 

Tried to search but couldn't find it. Anyone know the weight of a Sony Z with the extended battery?

 

I'm waiting for the Z640 CTO myself, mainly for Vista 64-bit and possibly a stronger lid. I wonder why it's taking so long. The only thing I can think of that could cause the delay would be a component(s) shortage, so the Z690 CTO would get priority.