Official VAIO Z Core 2 Duo Series Owners Thread

How would you guys feel about buying a refurbished Vaio Z540? I found one but it isn't from the SonySytle store so I don't know how reliable it'd be; and for all I know it'd be loaded with dead pixels.

It's so tempting because it has more RAM, a larger HDD, and is cheaper than the new one I found. Of course, I am going to upgrade the RAM regardless (I do some amateur video editing and need more than 2GB) and I already have a much larger HDD to drop in. The price difference, however, is tough to ignore.

Maybe I could grab the extended warranty from their site and use that as assurance?

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I just looked up some consumer reviews of their site and it does not look good. It looks like I'll just spend the extra money to avoid the headaches (and get a new product to boot).

Oh well.

 

aside from it not having a 1600x900 screen I would jump on any deal on a Z

 

I hear what you're saying; I really wish I could find a good score on the 1600x900. I haven't found one below $1660. I would really like the higher resolution but haven't convinced myself that it's worth it.

Is 1600x900 good on a 13" notebook? I love higher resolution screens but 1366x768 doesn't sound too bad either. I would also like to avoid unnecessary eye strain.

 

IMO, only you can make the decision on which screen resolution will fit your needs/preferences. Hope the following thread helps you out a tiny bit:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=370180

Good luck.

 

That is an awesome post. It really makes me want the 1600x900. The extra screen real estate would make programs like Premiere and After Effects much more manageable. I like it.

I'm gonna push towards getting a Z with 1600x900.

Thanks for the link!

 

No problem. Glad to be of some little help.

 

IMPORTANT QUESTION!

Hey guys! Wow I haven't posted here in a longg time. Anyways gotta quick question about the Z555dnb. I am having issues with the Touchpad for a while now. It intermittently freezes a lot of the time, like not just Frozen, but kinda goes all over the place when you use it, no smooth movement. Anyone else have this big problem? I wonder how Sony will go about fixing it. Thanks in advance!

 

Thanks - that did the trick. Windows experience score went from a 2.9 to a 4.4 with the video still being the lowest sub score.

 

I am looking at the z698y/B from datavis, it says discontinued?
I cant find anymore info on this specific model. anyone with experience with it?
The one at sonystyle is the 698y/x so the difference would only be the color?
I am kind of concern as I cant find any additional infor on the B model.
Cooments are appreciated before deciding to purchase...Thx!!!!!!

 

Actually, I'd suggest a safer way to "test drive" Win7. I'd shrink your C: drive bay about 40-60 GB (depending on how much extra software you have installed) and installing Win7 to the new partition. Windows will automatically create the boot record entry to setup a dual boot for you and you can flip-flop back and forth by restarting. This leaves your current Vista install as is while still allowing you to play with the new OS.

If you decide you like it, you can later uninstall Win7, drop the new partition and either do a clean install, or an upgrade install (same ISO file) on your main partition. As for me, I'll leave Win7 on its own partition until the official release is done.

 

Especially since Windows 7 is going to start to shut itself off periodically in a month or so, exactly to prevent people relying on the beta for production purposes.

 

That's because there's no P8400 2.26GHz Z690 with a 1600x900 resolution. What you are paying for is mainly the higher-equipped specs on the higher resolution. An equally specced Z540 CTO (when it was available) on the Sony site was exactly the same price as the Z690 CTO, give or take.

Personally I was looking for a top specced computer and the normal resolution as I was trying to avoid the higher resolution for some reasons you mentioned. There's no going back if you want texts and sites small. If you have some component in your work (or classes) which you need an abnormally higher resolution where a normal computer's 13" resolution won't do, the 1600x900 is definitely the way to go and is a good option too.

 

Good point. I don't know if I'd even notice the extra speed with the stuff I do. I would like to do more video editing and manipulation, as well as some music production (and of course, the occasional photo project). It's nothing too extreme; I'm really just a hobbyist. The higher resolution should be helpful, though. I would probably regret not getting the higher res down the road so I'll just get it now and save myself the heartache.

I'm waiting for a good time to grab the student license of Ableton Live. I used the trial and it was pretty sick. I'd love to delve deeper and find out what it is really capable of.

 

I'm not saying there's a speed difference between the 2. You can configure both to have the exact same speeds. What I was pointing out was there's no option for a cheaper P8400 in the Z690.

 

Ah. The speed remark was referencing the P8600 (in the Z690 I'm looking at) and the P8400 (in the Z540 I was first considering). I think I see what you're getting at, though.

 

Hi there, on my z26gn screen there seems to be a scratch between where the mouse pad and the spacebar key are located. Its not noticeable when the screen is on but when turned off on certain angles there's a "streak". Anyone else have this issue?

 

Here's one option to prevent screen damage-

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-VGP-FL14...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1242482268&sr=8-1

It's pricey, but it fits perfectly and doesn't require the horrible installation of a lot of those squeegee type screen protectors. It basically just pops into and out of tabs already there for the purpose. If you don't mind losing horizontal viewing angle, it's very handy. Direct viewing and vertical angles are basically unaffected.

 

Thanks that's pretty much what I need, one question will in cover up those scratches that already have?

 

There is no way to undo the scratches in the coating that are already there. What you can do is polish the screen gently until the difference between the scratched areas and the surroundings have mellowed out.
But the affected areas will lack some of the coating, and in certain lighting conditions, you'll still be able to spot it.

Instead of expensive doohickeys, I use a square of suede leather between the keyboard and screen when I close it. Not only is it cheap and protects extremely well, but it also can be used to wipe the screen. (A good chamois is less abrasive than microfiber cloth.)

 

So I've been playing around with my new Z this week and I figured I'd share a couple things I've noticed/figured out.

1. Undervolting the processor is great. Easy, free and doesn't effect performance; this is the best way to make your computer run cooler if you don't want to open it up. It's a little bit time consuming, but
I really can't recommend it enough. I was able to lower my cpu core temps from 83 & 85C to 73 & 74C on full stress test. It helps with the GPU output temp too! Great guide here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=235824

2. If you use media sharing like windows extenders (streaming music to you xbox360 or whatever), default settings changes when you activate this function will make it so your Z can't go into standby/sleep properly. I noticed at one point that when I closed my lid, the power button would remain green (not the usual flashing orange of standby). Eventually, looking through power settings, I found the solution. Control Panel -> Power Options -> Change Plan Settings -> Change Advanced Power Setting -> Multimedia Settings -> When sharing media -> change "Prevent Idling in Sleep" and "Allow computer to enter Away Mode" back to "Allow computer to sleep"

Sorry if this stuff has already been mentioned in the thread, just thought it might help somebody out.

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I'm sure it will help quite a number of people.

 

Actually your Windows7 RC1 is good till march i believe of 2010, so we have a good while to test and configure windows7 to our liking. Just thought i'd clarify on that since i know a lot of people are partitioning their drives to try it out. Myself included.

Also, i didnt get to stop by the local sony store as i planned to see if i could decide on whether i wanted the premium coating or not. But whatever, yay for a new Z soon. although i'm also considering on holding off until august when I start school again. The only problem with that is if sony doesnt release another refresh by then, i'll be getting something that could get refreshed right after i purchase it. But w/e we'll see.

 

Keep in mind that I think the current mobility rebate and trade-up offers end June 30th. They renewed them before, but with Sony bleeding profit-wise, who knows if they will again.

 

Regarding the undervolting, down to what voltage did you lower it? If I'm not mistaken, you can get better results than that. I believe mine tops at 65 C after undervolting.

 

I just looked on the Sony site and it looks like the Z690PAB has the 1366x768 screen. Does that sound odd to any of you? I thought that all of the Z690s were featuring the 1600x900. The Z690PAB was my first choice. It looks like I'll be going with the Z650N/B, which costs more but I really want that screen.

I would do a CTO from Sony but a similariy priced system would only have 2GB of RAM, a 160GB HDD, and a 2.4GHz processor. But it was configured to include the large capacity battery. The Z650N/B would have a 2.53GHz processor (not that I need it), 4GB of RAM, a 320GB 7200 RPM HDD, and a free neoprene sleeve. It balances out fairly nicely, since I won't have to buy new RAM and open up the notebook to replace the HDD. I can live without the large battery.

 

QT I just looked on the Sony site and it looks like the Z690PAB has the 1366x768 screen. QT.

As far as I know all Z690 are 16x9 unless this is a special one with 13x7 or
perhaps a type error.

 

That's what I thought too. Strangely enough, the site (b2b.sony.com) that had the specs no longer has the Z690PAB page. I just looked for it so I could post a link but it is absent. That is really weird since it was there about twenty minutes ago.

If you go here and scroll down to the Z690PAB, the description lists it as 1366x768. :/ It also said it in the detailed specs that you could see by clicking on the link, which seems to be unavailable right now.

I haven't seen any other site that lists any of the Z690PAB specs, aside from the typical processor speed, RAM, HDD, and screen size. There is a shocking lack of the detailed specs list for that machine.

 

Also checked PORTABLE 1 site and they state 1366/768:

http://www.laptopinc.com/config.asp?config_id=VGNZ690PAB

 

Ooh. I had no idea that you could check the detailed specs through them. Wow. If I would have known that earlier I could have saved myself the surprise.

Thanks. I guess that settles that.

 

Besides the PAB they also got PBB 16x9 & PCB 16x9.

 

I also have checked several other sites and they don't even have an image nor
details.

 

Oh yeah.

I think the Z650NB looks like the best bet. It's only a couple of dollars more than the PBB and offers a faster CPU, more RAM, and a faster, higher capacity HDD. That's a nice host of upgrades for three dollars.

Thanks for the help, zimbros.

 

Yes It's a very nice choice.I myself trying to decide between TT x Z.

 

I am not sure about the TT, but I have had TZ before and can tell you that switching to Z made me feel absolutely great about this laptop. It can really lie on your laps, as bottom heat is not an issue anymore (as with TZ-TT). All the rest is better, including speed and battery life.

 

I've been reading the Z thread for quite a while and there seems to be too many
problems with it although I've been to a Sonestyle store and it looks very CHIC indeed.I have not looked at the TT personaly just on the net.The TT thread has
revealed far less issues than the Z.

 

But RMClock does affect performance with some CPUs. A P9500, for example, will be changed from a 9.5x multiplier to 9x, or more than 5% speed drop.

Also, when stress testing for undervolting, make sure you stress test not only the CPU core, but the CPU cache and RAM controller too. Running something like Ortho just doesn't cut it, as it's designed to run inside the cache as much as possible.

 

Good points. I have the p9600, so the multipliers aren't changed. Stress testing should be done rigorously, taking a lot of time to do it properly before you run RMClock at start up.

 

I don't see it at SonyStyle USA. All they have are: 698Y/X, 691Y/X, 690NAX, 590UAB.

But they did have it, 690PAB on that other site.

Whats the difference between SonyStyle USA site and the one you posted?

Does the 690PAB have the premium carbon? I'm looking for a Z with the lower res., P9600, 320GB HHD @7200rpm, with premium lid, but can't locate one at SonyStyle unless you CTO. P1 hi-lights certain specs for each model.

 

I took my down to 1.0250v from 1.1250. The computer crashed during 1.0000 stress test, so I just wanted to make sure my setup was stable. As far as the difference in our results, every processor is different. The whole reason CPU companies put in an overly high voltage setting is that they take the highest setting needed to be stable on a chip and standardize it to the rest, leaving room for undervolting in most of them. But I am jealous of 65C.

 

I don't think the PAB is the premium carbon fiber, but I could be wrong. If you do a CTO on the Sony Style site, I think you can only get 1600x900. I don't know which preconfigured models have the carbon fiber.

If you go to portableone.com and navigate to Sony > Z Series you can look at what they have. I can't say that they'll have much with the premium lid. Perhaps someone else can offer some more insight.

 

I made the attempt to partition my Z550 and download W7 RC, but am having difficulty. Are there steps or a link to a thread on how to do this? I figured it would be easy. I allowed 20GB for the partition. Is that enough? Or am I doing something else wrong? Thanks.

 

Hey guys a quick question with the Sony financing option, I'm going to place my order soon but for some reason on the site for the financing, it says the offer is from april 15 -28?

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...cmsId=sony_ge_financing&hideHeaderFooter=true

check down on the bottom by the footnotes, or am I just being retarded/paranoid? I was really hoping to use the no interest 24mo payment plan.

 

Considering that the driver model on 7 is the same as Vista, I just followed MegaMan's Vista clean install guide ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=293880) when I put the m3 build on.

I recently updated to RC1 and did the same thing. If you can still download the packages for drivers and apps it saves heaps of time.

Of course, skip step 5, as MS give you a license key fro the RC.

Otherwise, tell us what problems you've had?

 

If anyone is interested in my undervolt results, here they are:

10.0x - 1.0250V
9.0x - 0.9625V
8.0X - 0.9250V
7.0x - 0.9250V
6.0x - 0.9250V

 

Hi there im sending my vaio for repairs as the mousepad is not working . Also the screen is scratched between the spacebar and mousepad when the lid is closed do you guys think i can get the screen repaired under warranty?

Thanks

 

I think you mean "touchpad". A mousepad is a very different product (and, yes, some of them contain electronics and can be broken too).

No, I do not think you would get your screen repaired/replaced -- that would mean admitting to the problem, which means legal culpability, and lead to a storm of people demanding their screen fixed, and Sony ultimately losing more money on the Z than they ever made on it.
I'm pretty sure that someone in Sony is losing sleep over whether California lawyers will start a class action lawsuit over just this universal problem.

 

ah yeah touchpad my bad fixing the touchpad is the main concern for me.

 

Sony has apparently disabled XMP in the BIOS, despite the Centrino 2 platform supporting it. So newer Z models can't just plug in XMP compatible RAM like the newest offerings from Corsair and Kingston and get 5-5-5-15 timings like a Macbook user can, but it will stay at 7-7-7-20.

The question is whether spdtool or similar will let one change the SPD settings, so even if the BIOS doesn't read the XMP values, one can set the SPD settings to other than the default JDEC values?

 

5-15-15-15 ? I'd take 7-7-7-20 over that thank you.

But seriously, 5-15-15-15 doesn't exist..maybe 5-5-5-15. Either way, i wouldn't lose too much sleep over a difference in memory timing.

 

That was obviously a typo. 5-5-5-15, it is (and I'll correct it in the OP).

As for the difference it makes, benchmarks show that it's almost (but not quite) the same benefit as going from 1066 to 1333. I'd take that for a $100 upgrade.