Official VAIO Z Core 2 Duo Series Owners Thread

I'm not too sure but if it is the same as the Vaio SZ, the docking station will not come with any AC adapter. You'll have to use the AC adapter that comes with the Vaio notebook.

 

Which is not to bad... I could probably ask a friend to buy one in the US and send it to me. Hmmm... or maybe someone in my family is going to the US sometime in the future.
Well, first of all I will wait for the Z to arrive here

 

No, the docking station for the Z does not contain the power supply. You plug your AC adapter to a DC-in port on the docking station.

As for a portable mouse, I agree with InspecterJones, that the Vaio bluetooth mouse is pretty nice, it much exceeded my expectation. The lag is hardly noticeable, pretty good for a bluetooth mouse, and being able to free up a usb port is also immensely useful. The design is absolutely beautiful, it matches the Z very well. The long skinny shape may look weird at first, but it is actually extremely comfortable to hold, unlike other portable mouses. I also use a MX revolution when I'm working at my desk, so you would know I really mean it if I say it's comfortable . When using the Vaio mouse, the only thing that I miss is the free scrolling wheel on the MX revo, but then again, I would not sacrifice the comfort for just a scrolling wheel. Just note that both of us are talking about the old skinny Vaio mouse, I haven't tried the newer, fatter ones.

 

Thank god to whoever informed me that the rebate simply starts over when it expires... as for the docking station... I really dont see a need for it since I have a desktop... and as for the extra standard battery... i want the extended battery, so going around with an extra standard is just extra weight that will eventually die even without use. The stick adapter sounds nice, i can leave one adapter at work, the other my dorm room... So question comes down to... get the dock station and sell it and keep the mouse? (I use my mx on my desktop and dont feel like swapping every 10seconds). OR get the extra battery which i'd probably sell, and get a carrying case...

Ok i'll ask you guys, how is the carrying case that comes with the rebate? Any good or is it simply a notebook sleeve? If its an actual bag... does it have room to hold a textbook or 2? (Talking about organic chem and biology books...)

 

Are you doing pre-med? It sounds like it.

I agree with you, carrying an extra battery is almost like carrying around the AC adapter. For me, the bluetooth mouse comes in more handy than the carrying case.

As for the case, it's more like a sleeve, it can only fit the Z (I think it can also accommodate the 9 cell battery). As for which bundle to get, it's totally up to you. I already got a carrying case for the Z with the 1 warranty+ 2 accessories discount, so I don't need another carrying case. I don't use my sleeve at all because I just carry my Z in the laptop compartment of my Wenger backpack. In my case, carrying it with the sleeve in my backpack would just increase the pressure on the lid and increase the chance of getting bruise marks on the screen.

On a side note, I always put a Radtech microfiber cloth (they call it ScreenSavrz) between the keyboard and the screen when I carry it around. There are other brands of this kind of cloth out there. They essentially protect your screen from getting scratched by the keyboard and the curve edge of the palm rest. When you get your Z, you may notice that when you apply firm pressure, the screen lid would bend and touch the keyboard (as seen in these video put out by Sony). It may be especially useful for us, who carry the Z with 6,7 lb textbooks in the same bag.

 

Organic chem and biology... pre-professional of some sort, I'm assuming. I'm about to enter med school myself; good luck to you, man.

My $0.02: the docking station can be quite useful if your notebook is your primary machine, or if you'd want it to become your primary machine. Given that I don't do much gaming these days / would probably just spring for a console if I pick it up again, I was planning on going the dock / large external monitor route and docking my machine at home for more comfortable use, backups, and all that jazz.

The rebate restarts after June 30th?

 

I got an email response from Laptopsinc.com a couple of days ago to my query regarding their Z's and Sony's promo's. About the promo's, the guy wrote:
"Per Sony, the bundles and other promotions have been extended through the Summer."

Not quite the horse's mouth but probably close enough. Anyway, I'm impressed with the speed of their response and their detailed explanations.

 

The P8800 could run slightly cooler. You might wonder why, as they are both rated at 25W.
But you have to consider that the 25W is the max rating.

This will mean that both the P8700 and P8800 will get just as hot if you push them both to 100%.

When you are using the CPU only lightly, they will drop their consumption. As the P8800 is able to finish tasks just a tad quicker, it will also be able to drop back to lower power consumption just a tad quicker. If it's easily noticeable is another thing.

 

- If you're married, get the privacy filter. Not to hide what you're doing (but what do I know?), but to greatly reduce the amount of light that is spread at a wide angle.

- Something to protect the screen from the keys and wristrest area. I use a chamois leather square, because it's anti-abrasive. If those are too expensive, a thick microfiber cloth will do.

- A backup program, and unless you have network storage to store backups on, an external HD to back up to. Note that most popular backup programs out there can not handle short file name restoring, which means that programs that use them (like MS Office) won't work after restoring. So be careful when choosing.

- A high-speed memorystick or sd card for ReadyBoost. If you don't use MS, get an MS; if you don't use SD, get an SD. That way, you leave the slot which you might need open.
Why? When your machine has spare time, ReadyBoost stores entries from your paging file on the MS/SD. Since the MS/SD cards have far less latency, this speeds up accessing anything from the paging file. (Contrary to what many people think, it does not give you more memory, nor does it become useless if you have lots of memory. It never hurts, and is cheap, so what's to lose?)

 

Omg...if you are still pre-med you still have time to get out while you still can...lol

 

Why do you say that? M1 starts in about a month for me.

 

Thanks for the advice... - especially the ready boost and micro fiber cloth ones are helpful

 

I second that Xotica. Hurry, why is that before I invest anymore $$$$. Sorry for the slight detour Z thread. Or PM both exi and I.

 

The privacy filter also serves to protect the screen from the keyboard, smudges, scratches, etc. Of course, it's pricey enough that some people would probably also use a cloth to protect the privacy filter...

 

Hah

Dunno if any of you are frequent SDN-goers, but there are piles of med school haters and okay-with-med-school folks alike over there. After spending a few years dealing with the courses required, getting my bachelor's, the MCAT, the application process, all the little things along the way, I'm glad to have that acceptance in hand.

 

Out of curiosity, why spend so much more on a Sony Vaio when you can get a Dell notebook with better specs for far less money? Just interested in feedback.

 

Wow, congrat!
I can't wait to get my acceptance! I'm also doing pre-med.

B/c of the build quality, weight, design. I just don't like all the mass produced Dell and HP in general. They just feel cheap to me.

 

Are Sony's not mass produced?

 

Indeed they are, but they aren't sold by the thousands a day. It all comes down to this: exclusiveness. We pay extra bucks because we want something not every kid on every corner of the street owns. It's the same reason people buy Ray-Ban's to wear or buy a Porsche to drive (sorry, I'm from Europe).

Yes they are also great looking and have a fantastic build quality, they have nice specs, but as you said, other brands can get you that as well, for a lot less, but it won't have VAIO written on the cover and you might find half the street owning the same notebook as you do.

The world spins, nothing we can or should do about it. People want to feel unique (and special?), again nothing we can or should do about. In this day and age technological gadgets are becoming more and more common and as a result, it's also becoming another way to show off.

So there you have it, that's one of the reasons why I'm getting my VAIO next month , why I wear my Ray-Ban in the summer and why I stare when someone drives a Porsche by me. And I'm pretty confident most of you have this as one of your reasons as well, just not everyone likes to admit it

 

LOL. I thought you were going to say you drive a Porsche in the summer. Nice examples though.

I care a lot about the weight. All the Dell 13 in ones weights considerably more than the Z. I also love the high res screen on the Z. Those are two things that no other 13 in laptops offer.

Yes, it is very depressing to see half the class use the same 15.4 in HP and the other half use either Dell XPS 1550 or Studio 15...Oh, forgot to mention all the Macs at LnL (Lens and Lights) events.

 

My reason is because the Z weighs a whole lot less than the Dells do. I'm not interested in the M1330 (cannot place current-gen hardware in it, despite its 4.0 lb. weight), the Studio XPS 13 is ~4.85 lbs. going by that YouTube video showing it on a scale, and the Z790 is a 3.3 lb. machine with solid notebook components and a beautiful screen. That rebate offer for a free dock also helps.

Thank you!

 

IMO, it all comes down to a "fancy" but high resolution screen & "killer" design when choosing the Vaio Z. Isn't design one of the reason people buy Apple notebooks? I know I bought an Apple Mac solely because of that reason alone.

In terms of build quality as some of them have mentioned, I don't quite agree because having own/owned 3 Vaio SZs (predecessor of the Zs) & own/owned 2 Vaio Zs, I can say that based on my observations, the build quality seems to be getting worse and worse with each new release. Of course, this is just my opinion/observation & I'm sure everyone in this forum will disagree with me. That's fine with me but I want to let everyone know that I'm not trying to make anyone mad & create a war or something when I say that the build quality is getting worse.

 

Wow. This is not to be taken lightly from you for sure. Maybe Sony is just trying too hard to offer a "thin" model to compete with Apple with this series?

cheers ...

 

I don't know if what I said should be taken seriously because those are just my observations. The thing is that build quality is still a subjective matter. I cannot tell you or others that you definitely have to take my word for it because if you've owned the SZs & Zs like I have, you & others may think/observe differently. This is the reason why I specifically stated in my previous post that "this is just my opinion/observation & I'm sure everyone in this forum will disagree with me."

 

Oh man! I can't believe I forgot to mention it, as great as anything you might wanna get for it, I have the best accessory known to Z computer kind! Ok, maybe its a bit overblown but this is easily the second half to my Z. Its a token rector bag and its perfect for the Z.

I wrote up about it a while back in the bag forum and still use it everyday and even take it through the rain with confidence that my Z will be safe. It still looks brand new and is probably the best designed/built bag I've ever owned. Its pretty damn expensive though so decide on your own if its worth it. I also put up some pics of the bag relative to the Z in there.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=4815578&postcount=299

This is the link to the bag:

http://www.tokenbags.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=2&products_id=28

I bought it from a store here but its probly not gonna be sold around the world or even country.

+Size
+Power
+Weight
+Battery life
+Gorgeous screen
+Super high res
+Build quality
+Sexah

-Cost

 

Talking about bags & such for the Vaio Z, I highly recommend WaterField's notebook sleeves. They're heavy-duty, durable, & made of high quality materials. Check out the following link:

http://www.sfbags.com/products/sleevecases/sleevecases.htm

 

I personally take your observations seriously, and anyone that owns and uses a series of the same model year after year. And I did shy away from replacing the SZ we have with the Z after checking it out myself in the office. Granted the specs are better, but they were something missing that I just cannot get my finger on.

cheers ...

 

I don't get sleeves, its a bag within a bag, why not just get a bag that has a padded protected pocket built in? I used a sleeve for a month or so and got sick of it and searched out my current bag, took me a lot of trips to dif stores to find one that was of sufficient build quality and fit the slightly awkward shape of the Z and i've been happy ever since.

 

I would expect Sony to release a new series to replace the Vaio Z line when the Intel Nehalem microarchitecture is made available to the notebook manufactures. Hopefully, Sony will be able to make "real" improvements to the Vaio Z successor, which I'm sure they will do so.

 

That's why I'm one of the rare oddballs around. The reason I say that is because I used the WaterField sleeves for my Vaio notebooks & put that sleeve into the padded slot of my notebook bag.

Yes, I know I'm a bit over-anal but it had worked fantastically well since the days I have my Dell Inspiron 700m through the Vaio SZs, & even now the Vaio Z & MBP, so I just stick with my method. Of course, I have to admit that most people will think that I'm silly spending money on such protection. I can understand that though because that's what I sometimes thought about myself too.

No matter what other people think, the most important thing is that it work for me.

 

I agree that the SZ did feel more solid, the cylinder spine does not feel as solid as on the SZ. I just feel like I didn't have to baby the SZ as much as I'm to the Z.

However, I highly doubt Sony will release a new series replacing the Z when Calpella becomes available early next year. A year and half is way too short for Sony to replace the Z, think about how long the SZ was on the market.

 

Just so that you (and others) know, you are not the only oddball with respect to this practice; this is exactly what I do. I'm overly protective of what I consider to be my prize posessions - and my Vaio laptop would be one of them. Also, I want it to last about 3 years, and that warrants excessive caution/care.

IMO, taking care of expensive property is just good stewardship.

 

Plus the Z is such a perfect balance between size and function. I can't really imagine it being any smaller or bigger and making me any happier. If you wanted smaller theres the TT but you almost can't use that as your primary computer.

 

OK, I've spent weeks going through this ginormous thread on the Z-Series. I've gone from an SZ -> TZ -> Dell E6400 -> Z590. It's been a 4 year trip and I am so glad to be back on an Vaio. It's been lots of fun reading about everyone's opinions.

I never saw a good thread on the BluRay player. Does anyone have a suggestion for a better BluRay player than the WinDVD product that came installed with the laptop? Is it just me, that I find the player a bit slow to respond and that the mouse doesn't work when the player is full screen? Also using the keyboard to control the player when it's full screen yeilds sometimes unpredictable results. Am I just not using it right? Surely it can't be that hard.

I've had my Z for 3 weeks now, so I think I am pretty well acclimated and have tried almost everything.

Looking forward to your responses.

Oh, my Z590 has 1600x900, 320GB 7200rpm HD, 4G RAM, BluRay. Love it. Wish it had the backlit keyboard of the Dell E6400 though.

 

How'd you go from a SZ to a TZ and then to a E6400?! I'm puzzled.

 

Did I mention anything about the size or the function? I absolutely adore my Z because of the fine balance that you've mentioned. I would hate to get anything smaller because of the sacrifice in processing power.

I was just commenting on the build quality, there's room for that to improve, and I am NOT talking about the flexible screen. It's the hinge that feels a little cheap to me. When everything else is made out of carbon fiber, aluminum, and carbon reinforced plastic, the screen hinge with the power port just feels too "plasticy".

 

For anyone still asking about why choose a Sony laptop over competitors who offer better specs for much less?

From my experience with both IBM/Lenove, HP, and Dell (All consumer lines) you get what you pay for. The systems might have better specs, but are either poorly engineered/setup and are crippled in some way that make them as useful as a wet newspaper.

The components in these systems are just plain inferior. They fall apart at exactly the point your 1 year warranty expires and are stuck speaking to someone overseas who walks you through steps that a 5year old could have advised you to do.

Sony, in my experience is completely different. Assuming you dont get a bad egg (which with any company they exist), there products are great. And in case no one can tell from this thread. This specific model has many experienced users who have torn this machine down and sent it through hell and back, and in the end have answered what we all want to now. How well does it work for what your paying. And the answer is, its amazing (at least thats what i've come to see). I've had too many headaches with the other companies offering cheaper products that are exactly that... cheap. I know, and hope everyone else looking for anything knows that you get what you pay for.

I'm ready to make an investment in a machine that I am almost positive (thanks to this thread) will return to me, the quality and great use that i expect to get at this price.

 

I was just talking about your comment about there not likely to be a enw series to replace the z. I def agree there is room for improvement in quality but as far as form goes its pretty right on.

 

Totally agree. I have been using my Sony s model for 5 years. Overlocking the video card (ATI9700) as extreme as possible when gaming. Rarely shut it down. I only changed the fan by myself. And my new sr is on the way... hopefully it won't disappoint me.

 

I am the same. I have a padded vaio case from Sony that the z fits into like a glove. My z never comes out of it unless I'm using it. It goes in the padded slot in my notebook bag and I never set the bag down hard or let anything heavy rest on it. It's just common sense. I feel genuinely privledged to own such a nice notebook and I don't have money to replace it so I take care
of it. People who take care of their possessions also take care of themselves too.

 

Hey guys, found a used Z610 in my area on Craigslist and will be going to look at it tomorrow, any concerns for this particular model I should be aware of? Thanks!

Jay

 

You may want to get the warranty from the original owner, (1) check for signs if the laptop has ever been opened (apply firm pressure on both side of the palmrest to see if it squeaks, and check the screw heads if possible). (2) Check if there is a horizontal scratch on the screen, where it touches the edge on the palmrest when closed. (3) Check if the 2 screen hinges are aligned (it's not perfectly aligned on most Z's, but the misalignment should be VERY minimum). (4)Test every keys on the keyboard for sticky/squeaking keys. (5) Type a couple sentences to check for any double typing errors. (6) Check if the finger print scanner is leveled (the left side of the scanner sits just a TINY bit lower on most US CTO models, I don't notice it at all if I don't check it with my LED lid magnifying glass ). (7) Make sure both speakers work (I've only heard one user complaining about one of the speakers stopped making any sounds). Also, make sure he didn't peel off any stickers on the bottom of the laptop (why would anyone do that though?.. but just to make sure). Other than those, I can't think of anything else.

Good luck! Hope you like the Z. It is a beautifully made machine, I'm just being extremely picky here, in case with the slightest chance that you encounter a defect.

 

Just to confirm:

No problems with ordering a Z790 and installing Corsair's 256 GB SSD into it upon arrival, correct? Opening up the Z and getting to the drive bay isn't going to void any warranty on me or some such, right?

 

Unfortunately, switching the harddrive DOES viod your warranty. In order to gain access to the harddrive, you would need to remove the palmrest and detach the keyboard ribbon from the motherboard. The farthest you can go without voiding the warranty is upgrading the ram.

However, if you do it carefully without damaging any screws, you can just pop back the original harddrive when you need to send it in for repair.

PS, make sure to read the Sony service menu, which you can find on the forum. On that, you would see that there's a tiny hidden switch behind the battery that you would need to flip in addition to remove the screws in order to lift up the palmrest.

 

Hello, is anyone aware of the deferences between these two port replicators - PCGA- PRZ1 and VGP-PRZ1? As I understand both of them are compatible with Z series, and they are very similar. But the prices is too different

 

Please can someone tell me if you screen remains black when taking the z from the docking station while the desktop was extended to it?

Mine is black with standard driver...

 

There are not the same, I have a PCGA-PRZ1 and it does not fit. Cost 10 quid on Ebay so I thought I had a bargain... how wrong was i

 

Really strange as there are a lot of info resources which say that it's designed for Z1. For example this one.

 

It sits on a piece of tape, and can be moved around with a firm but gentle push.

 

Yeah, two things from that site: 1) It's a discontinued product and 2) look at the location of the connector (and where it is on the Z)

Also, do a google search for the Vaio Z1, which is a different model from the Z series. That's what caught me out