Official VAIO Z Core 2 Duo Series Owners Thread

Hello to all. I'm new to this forums and i just got a z690CTO. I'm loving the machine. However, first time Vista Business user. I ordered it Fresh start and i have 94 processes running. I you guys can help me out. Also, if i resume from standby the wifi takes it's sweet time coming back online, and some times stops working, although it says it's connected with good signal.....loving the machine not so much the OS....can you guys give me some tips?....Thanks!

 

Hi kollector. I look at it very carefully, and don't like heat. But I think you're right about that. It seems like even the fastest P processors are cooler than slower T processors, because my S.R. was slowers peed, but it was real hot. It made my palm sweat touching! And I am investigating a Z vaio that had the faster, but 25w processor- cool to the touch! And it even had faster hard drive & dedicated graphics if those might add a ltitle to the heat too.

But that's assuming there isn't a huge difference in the two model lines as far as heat sheilding quality or vents & fans etc. since I didn't compare oranges to oranges. I.D.K. but that's my number one requirement. Not to get hot. I'll even take a bigger, slower notebook so long as it doesn't make my hand sweat. But the Z seems like the best of both worlds to me- small, high performance, and stays cool. I'd say nothing to worry about heat with either of your choices.

 

Whats all this talk of 400 series... didnt the z7xx's just come out???? lol

 

700 is North America, 400 series is elsewhere.

 

Does anyone know the differences between 6xx & 7xx??

 

New processor, max 8gb of ram, more colors, nothing that drastic.

Question though, do the 35w processors (the 2.8ghz one, forgot the model) generate more heat and consumer more battery than the 25w ones? I'm assuming the faster ones, (9 series) are more efficient not to mention they have 6mb of cache vs 3mb.... will that make much of a difference for gaming, some photo work, and daily tasks?

 

The more i browse this forum, the more i see you guys are really know what you are talking about. I need you guys help, i dont need a how to from you just maybe a link to some usefull info on how i can resolve this issue and i will greatly apprecite it, i'll do the leg work. Like i said, i'm totally new to Vista and would love to make my Z perform at its full potential.

 

I think the P9700 is 28w, fwiw.

 

I've been on Win7 RC since it came out, never had a problem w/my wifi but since yesterday it keeps losing the connection and the only way to get it going again is by reinstalling the driver and rebooting or else it can't locate the adapter. Any one else have that issue?

 

Anyone know if VT is enabled on the new 7xx series?

Is it worth it for a z690 owner to upgrade? What exactly does the new series bring?

EDIT: also, why are exact same z690 and z790 CTO's prices so dif?

 

No, I've never experienced any problem with unstable connections. At least not on the receiving end.. My draft-n router likes to restart randomly when under heavy load.

Not sure about the VT, but if they didn't enable it on the SZ, or the Z5xx and 6xx, why would they now? Fingers crossed it's enable.

Is it worth it? It depends on if you want the ability to ran any brands of 4 ram modules. Because it has just been confirmed that you can ONLY get 8 GB ram on Z5xx and 6xx if you use the Micron ram that comes with Z7xx. (Being able to also run 8 GB ram means a great deal to me)

The refreshed Z in Japan has the option of upgrading to Intel 5300 AGN, which is another thing that I really want. But seems like neither the new Z6xx pre-configured models nor the CTO offers the Intel 5300.

So I guess it's all down to your personal color preference (silver vs. black palmrest), and if you are willing to spend close to $1400 to get the 2x 256gb SSD in RAID 0. I don't think most people can notice the difference between Intel P9600 and P9700.

This should be the last refresh before the Calpella platform, possibly with 32nm Arrandale processor and a revised architecture (replacement of FSB). If I didn't have to get my Z690 early this year, I would wait for the new platform.

Why are the CTO prices so different?? They are only 70$ apart if I did the math right (with the Z690 CTO starting at $1790, and the Z790 CTO starting at $1720).

Hope this helps

 

just to add, i think its carbon fibre that make the notebook feel cooler. it doesnt let the heat to go through it but going only via the heat vent/holes and dissipate thru alu surface (keybooard). ive try playing games on speed mode, if i touch the bottom of the notebook, its doesnt feel hot, though the temp show that its already read at 80~ 96c. so yea, thats it.

 

Well, I have a slightly different approach than everyone else. Since the Z is my only computer at school, I cannot go without a fully functionally computer even for an afternoon. Therefore, instead of reinstalling the Vista OS without all the bloatwares, I just cut out another 50 GB partition on my harddrive and installed Windows 7 RC on that. Everything works just as well if not better in Win 7 except the screen brightness switch under SPEED mode, which is always set to full brightness (but who uses the speed mode on the go anyway?).

My Windows 7 system runs extremely snappy, with around 60 processes at startup (it only takes around 45 seconds to boot it up from the press of the power button to my screen gadgets and system tray finish loading up). If I ever run into trouble with my Windows 7 OS (which I haven't so far), I can always go back to my stable, factory installed Vista OS from the boot loader when I turn on the system.

I'm sure there are better ways of getting the most out of your Z, but this is just my lazy way of doing it.

 

EXTENDED BATTERY

Hope this photo helps.

I realize this is a little premature, but how many more refresh do you think the Z will undergo before the new replacement is introduced? With the SZ, as fas as USA version, did it start out as SZ2? SZ3? SZ4? expiring at SZ7? The Z started at Z5 which means Z8 may be the last. Just curious....

 

I personally think that there will be at most one more Z refresh, if there are any.

For the US market, the SZ series were as follows:
SZ100 series - Intel Napa platform, Intel Core Duo (Yonah) CPU, Intel GMA 950/Nvidia Go 7400 GS GPU, Windows XP, "GunMetal" Palmrest
SZ200 series - Intel Napa platform, Intel Core Duo (Yonah) CPU, Intel GMA 950/Nvidia Go 7400 GS GPU, Windows XP, "GunMetal" Palmrest
SZ300 series - Intel Napa platform, Intel Core 2 Duo (Merom) CPU, Intel GMA 950/Nvidia Go 7400 GS GPU, Windows XP, "GunMetal" Palmrest
SZ400 series - Intel Napa platform, Intel Core 2 Duo (Merom) CPU, Intel GMA 950/Nvidia Go 7400 GS GPU, Windows Vista, "GunMetal" Palmrest
SZ600 series - Intel Santa Rosa platform, Intel Core 2 Duo (Merom) CPU, Intel GMA X3100/Nvidia Go 8400M GS GPU, Windows Vista, "Black" Palmrest
SZ700 series - Intel Santa Rosa platform, Intel Core 2 Duo (Penryn) CPU, Intel GMA X3100/Nvidia Go 8400M GS GPU, Windows Vista, "Black" Palmrest

Note: There are no SZ500 series.

 

More colours? That would be drastic, if it now has an 8-bit display...

 

Brilliant!

S

 

On SONY's site the P9700 processor on the Z7xx is rated as 35W while on INTEL's site it is 28W.

 

Haha, it's funny, what He is meaning is the notebook color, I think Red is a new one

 

It's a 28 watts procesor, and a Sony tipewriting error

 

Uhhh... i hate buying new technology everytime your done doing your research, something newer better and cheaper is on the horizon...

I'll just ask you guys, I'll be purhasing my Z790CTO in the last week of july so that i have it before school starts. Does anyone recommend waiting for anything new? If seomthing new and crazy IS coming out, (i.e. USB3.0, new chipsets... etc..) do you think it'll be rediculously expensive?
The Z i have configured is perfect coming out to just shy of $2k. But if all i have to do is wait a month for something way better and same price or cheaper... please throw your opinions at me! lol

 

I'm in the same boat as you are. Got it all figured out for my new VAIO (in The Netherlands, Europe). Was planning on getting a Z31 (6xx series in the US) but now the Z41 (7xx) series is about to be released and apparently the next upgrade or the one after that will be with a new chipset and everything.

I too can wait till the end of July before I go on my holiday (to the US, NYC ) so I'll be waiting till then to see if anything major happens or at least hope for the SSD's to drop in price a little bit.

But in this market there is always something new around the corner and you will always pay big time for that new thing when it is just released. So I decided to go with whatever is acceptable and affordable at the end of July (probably the 6xx). I could wait another month and another and another but there is a point where you have to draw the line and buy what you want.

 

Good point, i guess come 4th week of july i'll be ordering my z790 cto. Just took a look at intel's roadmap and (although the article was from february) it seems they're going to take things a little more slowly (auberndale and whatnot) seeing as the current level of processors is quite sufficient. As a business they're slowing down for now, but as far as advancing the field goes, they're still on top of that.

I just hope the price drops by the time i order... couple extra hundreds off would be nice. Especially if it comes off the blu ray burner... (Sony is releasing a blu ray equipped laptop for $880... my $2k+ Z should come with it standard! lol.)

A question though to all who have ordered CTO's. More specifically the 790's. How long did it take your order to get to you? I want to plan my purchase so that I can have it shipped to my home instead of my dorm, or get caught inbetween. Thanks

 

Can anyone tell me which WLAN module is built into the German/Europe VGN z45X?
Is it the Intel 5300AGN?

I want to get this in carbon fiber look... just got my tax refund


Update: I just noticed that the VGN Z is supposed to have Centrino2 technology which should come with the Intel 5300 WLAN module...

BTW: does anyone know if the premium carbon fiber look is completely black?

 

Z590 owner here. By far the best laptop I've ever owned -- excellent keyboard, incredibly light weight, and very fast. The only problem is that, like everyone else here, the battery drain problem is extremely annoying. A laptop that's completely shut down should not drain any battery life at all (or at least, a sufficiently small amount that it should be less than 2% over the course of a week).

I'm not running the latest firmware (I believe I see mine is dated from January '09), but I've read that the newer firmware so far hasn't made any difference in this issue. Has anyone contacted Sony and received a response on this issue, or made any progress towards fixing this? It's extremely annoying knowing that I either have to remove the battery or make sure to leave my Vaio Z plugged in any time I fully shut it down.

 

Might wanna have a look at the HP ProBook 4310s near enough same specs as the Z series and much cheaper starting price. Main difference is there is no SSD option but their expensive on the Z Series anyway. Also it has a discrete graphics option.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/06/24/hp-probook-4310s-serves-up-a-cornucopia-of-options-for-the-confi/

 

Hey i saw that and was almost interested, however when u choose the discrete graphics, it doesnt have an integrated one to switch back too. (Somthing i love with the Z, integrated for class, discrete for gaming).

Also I've had horrible experience with HP (yes i kno probook is their business line, but i still just dont trust them) At least the Z has been out for awhile and is a solid machine. =D

Thank you very much for the tip though. Another reason why this forum is awesome!

 

And the HP is also a pound heavier ... It's quite a lot considering we are talking about 3,4 lb laptops here.

@ Raeglatem, I assume you saw my post about the new platform 2 pages back. Is it worth to wait for the Calpella platform? It depends on if you can wait till February, March of next year. The release date for the new platform was delayed due to the amount of Montevina laptops computer makers are holding in their warehouses due to the slow economy. I would say it's rather a significant upgrade in terms of processor and chipset architecture. Are you gonna see a huge real world difference? Who knows.

 

Let's hope the new Z has an upgraded heat assembly, then, because the old non-Japanese one was only designed for 25W.
Does 3 W really make a difference? If it brings you over what the machine is capable of dissipating, yes.

 

@jparity, first of all love your profile pic.... great great show!

As for the Calpella platform. I'd have to say it is some significant changes, (quickpath replacing FSB) and the processors having built in gpu's will basically make anything with that setup and an additional discreete graphics card the equivalent of todays Z. Most likely USB3.0 will be released by then too... its tough to call really... i mean, wait the 7+ months to get cutting edge technology and run the risks of being an early adopter? Or go with something that has been around, (just recently updated) and known to work...

To me I finally made sense of it. There will always be something better in the future, if you are ready for the purchase, go ahead and get it. However, if future means 1 week... then i'd say wait it out. Seeing as this architecture wont be commonplace for awhile and that it'll be expensive too (Vendors will definitely charge a premium for a system using the newer tech) will put me off from purchasing anything with it for a good while.

I'm just gonna go ahead and order my Z in the last week of July like i planned.

 

Cause buying a laptop as of now leave it for a free upgrade path to Windows 7, which REQUIRES hardware VT enabled in order to run integrated virtual XP. Seeing as this is the "Executive Decision" of Vaios, then it really should have VT enabled. Thats my main and only real reason. Sony has been very vocal about their rush to Windows 7, as has everyone else. I don't see them selling win 7 business/ultimate without the XP virtualization.

Well, I priced out what I currently have and...

2.53 ghz
4gb ram
320gb 7200rpm drive


z790 = $1799.99
z690 = $1929.99

Pretty high dif for the exact same thing...and the OLDER model is more...?

 

Guys, I'd also like to know if the new Z (Z41 in UK) will have intel 5300 WLAN. Any ideas?

If so, the basic differences with Z31 are: CPU/RAM/Colours/WLAN module. Anything else?

 

woo just picked up a Vaio Z-700 DMR (red) if yea have questions ask away.

 

LOL, thanks.

Congrat on the decision, you'll like it. It is an awesome machine to have for college. I wholeheartedly agree with you, that's why I ordered my Z690 earlier this year, rather than waiting for the new platform.

I'm not sure if the free extended warranty with accessory discount and the mobility/productivity bundle are still available. Hopefully, Sony will extend those for future Z7xx owners. The deals definitely made the high premium price of Z somewhat more justified (I don't have a desktop at school, so I can't live without the docking station, which is connected to my G15 keyboard, comfortable MX revolution, and a large monitor).

It may seem strange at first, but if you take other factors such as production and material costs into account, it actually makes sense.

The Z7xx series essentially uses the same technology/platform as the original Z5xx, so obviously, the prices would get cheaper the longer the product is into the life cycle (as the production costs grow lower due to older tech, and greater quantity produced). That also explains why the same upgrade options cost more on the older CTO when compared with the new one. Note that the Z6xx CTO was also cheaper than the Z5xx.

I don't know why haven't Sony taken down the Z590 CTOs or update the prices, when the refreshed Z are already available. I guess that's just Sony keeping up with their traditional "what-the-heck-are-they-thinking" typo/bad marketing or just plain indifference on their sonystyle website (which always gets the laptop spec wrong).


As for hardware VT, I sure hope Sony becomes not so lazy for once and enable it for the sake of Windows 7... From the hack for the SZ, I can see that all it is a rather simple procedure. But being Sony, they don't REALLY care about what the users want... Because of that, I'm not holding high expectations.. It never hurts to be optimistic though

The Intel 5300 AGN is an option on the refreshed Z's in Japan. However, Sony is not offering that on the US models...

Good luck to you! Hopefully they will offer it in UK. You know, you can always get a 5300 on ebay, and install it yourself (just find a place to tuck away the third antenna, maybe under the keyboard?). Of course you will void your warranty, but it's an option if you really need it.

WOW, nice! Congrat on the purchase.

Could you please post some pictures? You can never get enough of that. lol

Which processor did you get? I would be interested to see if Sony made any slight modifications to the heat pips and the fan for the 28w P9700. Please don't crack open your Z just for us. But it wouldn't hurt to take a couple shots of the internal if you are going to change the harddrive.

 

Cool. I would love to see lots of photos of that lid. If Sony had offered the Bordeaux Red option in the Z690, I would have chosen that option instead of the Premium Carbon option. Congrats on your purchase too.

 

So are there any deals out there for z760 Cto's? The only thing i have going for me atm is a 10% off student discount... but after sales tax.. leaves me 3% off... lol. Also i'm purchasing the extended battery with the system as the main battery. Unless theres a cheaper or better way to get an extra battery that would be awesome.

And i dont need a docking station since i have my desktop... this semester just has me away from my room for like 95% of the day.... so i can't really use it much.

 

Take advantage of the mobility/productivity rebate & you'll be able to get an extra battery for free. Good luck.

Link for rebate:
https://www.rebate-zone.com/default.asp?PN=SY00122k7&DirectID=28667

 

Dam the rebate ends in 3 days... and i plan on ordering the system at the end of july... =(

Does Sony always have something like this going on? or should i just jump on this... i mean, i dont really need anything from either pack, but the 2nd bttery would be nice... not necessary though.

 

Productivity bundle: docking station, Vaio bluetooth mouse, portable AC adapter
Mobility bundle: 6 cell battery, carrying case, portable AC adapter.

All for free!

You can visit this thread for more information:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=319474&highlight=z+rebate

I got mine without a hitch. However, a few people did have trouble receiving their rebates (again, sorry to hear your horror story SPEEDwithJJ). Jump to the last page of that thread for more recent update on how to successfully receiving the rebate.

 

Does anybody know the names of the power management drivers? I seem to be missing on after I upgraded to 7...

 

Go to vmware.com and download and install vmware server 2 and then download an Ubuntu x64 iso and try and create a Virtual Machine with it. Let me know if it gets past boot at all. If it does then the new machine has VT enabled. One can only dream.

They restart the day after the last. Its just so that people from a year ago arent submitting rebates.

 

Europe needs a rebate like this too...
The docking station is almost a "must have" ... :/

 

Yeah, I do regret buying my Vaio Z690. Unfortunately, I cannot return it anymore after learning that they rejected my rebate submission. How I wished I would have known about them not approving my rebate earlier because this really is a very bad $2,300 (amount does not include the 4 year ADH warranty) spent. It would have been great for me to get back that money & put it to better use but it is too late for that now. The early 2009 2.66GHz 15" MacBook Pro I got was cheaper & I've been using it as my main system lately. I've not really been using my Z690 much after I got this MBP.

However, I hope my horror story did not scare anyone from buying a qualifying Sony Vaio notebook & take full advantage of this rebate simply because this rebate makes the whole purchase a much better deal & things like the docking station are really very useful. I'm still waiting to save enough money to buy the docking station from one of our fellow forum members. To be honest, of all the people that submitted their rebates, there are probably just less than 0.01% of us who got the rebate rejected despite qualifying for the rebate & following the rules and requirements in sending in the necessary documents. My case is definitely not the norm. I guess I'm just damn unlucky, that's all.

Anyway, Jparity, you don't have to feel sorry for me. I don't feel sorry for myself even though I felt that I'm wrongly denied the rebate. This is also not the 1st time that had happened to me. I'm used to this kind of nonsense as I have quite a number of rejected rebates for other stuff along the years as well. I would think that as long as one is not as unlucky as the jinx that I am, I would think that all the rebates will go through successfully without a hitch. Good luck, everyone.

 

We have the same thoughts. The capability to use a docking station with the Vaio Z is the main reason why I bought my Vaio Z notebook. Hopefully, I'll be able to come up with enough cash to buy a docking station for my Vaio Z notebook next month. Wish me luck.

Yeah, I also agree that Sony should be generous enough to extend this offer to other parts of the world so that every Vaio Z owner can enjoy more out of their notebooks with the free accessories.

 

I just ordered my Vaio Z 45x (I think this is the European model number)...
I went with the Premium Carbon finish, 2.53Ghz CPU (I do not see any necessity for a faster and more consuming CPU in such a small notebook), 400GB HD (SSD is still way too expensive),DVD-ROM (I also do not see any necessity for a BR-drive in a 13.1"-screen-notebook) and Vista Ultimate 64-bit (only for being able to upgrade to win7 ultimate).

Since this is a custom order, I will have to wait about 3-4 weeks (at least that is what the online store says...). Hopefully it does not take that long... Can't wait

 

Congrats on your purchase. You'll love your new Vaio Z notebook when it arrives.

I think you'll received your notebook within 7-10 days after your order.

 

Well, now that you have put me in this state of excitement, you will be held responsible for any actions I will take if this is not going to happen as you predict...

How much does the dockingstation cost in the US (including tax)? It is about 250$ (including shipping) here in Europe...

BTW: any other accessory that you would recommend?

 

If either of you are ever in NYC I would be willing to get rid of my dock for a decent price. Have no use for it really.

Sony's bluetooth mouse. I know the picture makes it look thick and super ugly and its actually really sleek and nice in person. Unlike most bluetooth "portable" mice, this one is thin and long so after an hour or so use your hand doesnt turn into some crazy claw thing that hurts like hell. I recommend it 100%. Best bluetooth mouse on the market. I have an extra one of those too.

 

I hate to admit it but we really have it good here in the U.S. & I had though that I should feel sorry for myself for not getting the free docking station. The current price at Amazon.com is $162.87, including shipping. However, I'll probably be buying it from another fellow forum member.

As for accessories, it really depends on what you need IMHO. I'll recommend one accessory I find very useful though & that is the Logitech VX Nano Cordless Laser Mouse. However, be aware that this is not a bluetooth mouse & its small USB receiver needs to be plugged into the notebook when using it.

 

Thanks for the offer
Since I am living in Germany and not going to the US anytime soon, I probably have to pass this offer :/

BTW: Does the dockingstion come with its own power supply? If so, is it built in with a standard power cable or is it a power adapter?

Regarding the accessory, I already have a MX revolution BT mouse. But I actually might consider looking for something smaller now

@SPEEDwithJJ:
The VX is nice and the receiver is quite small... probably the better option compared to the MX revolution.
And yes, regarding the price tag, you ARE better off...