Official VAIO Z Core 2 Duo Series Owners Thread

Thank you for the translation, dimension6. So bad luck here, since the 2.8GHz model is only available in Asia, I guess. Also it'll be very expensive?!

The "Premium Carbon" was a typo in an older German PDF from Sony in the specs for the top-of-the-line model VGN-Z11VN/B.
So the only difference left between VGN-Z11WN/B and Vaio VGN-Z11VN/B is 70GB more harddisk space (~28%) and a faster processor (maybe 5-10%, completely negligible). I don't think this is worth an additional 200€.

 

No problem. The 2.8Ghz CPU on Sonystyle Japan is 39,000yen ($370USD) more expensive than the base 2.26Ghz Model. I know this has been covered at least a little bit before, but will the 35w CPU lead to a worse battery life? I ordered the 25w 2.26Ghz model because I don't see much difference in performance and I think it will run cooler than the other CPUs (and hence, the fan will be quieter). However, if the fan is actually quieter on the 35w CPU, then I may consider the T9600 CPU. IsamuX, you didn't have the opportunity to compare the fan with one of the 25w CPU models, did you?

 

So in theory the 2.26ghz processor would shell out more heat vs 2.5ghz even though both have TDPs listed of 25W ?

in that case, i wish I went for the 2.2 =( lol

 

OK...I think I understand how it works now. Reading this article helped me understand what TDP measures. Basically, under normal computer usage, the battery life shouldn't be much different between each of the four processors. Doing more CPU-intensive tasks would mean that the machine uses more power, but the tasks are finished more quickly. I also assume that Blu-Ray uses the same amount of cycles on each of the four available Z-Type CPUs, and thus doesn't mean different battery life. However, I would say that running something like a game at high resolution (which always keeps the CPU maxed out) would make a very big difference in battery life.

As for the 2.8Ghz model, it seems as though it has some higher quality (and probably more efficient) cooling system, leading to it not running as loudly. Under normal circumstances (web browsing, Office apps), the system probably is quieter. I would guess that the 35w TDP fan system gets pretty loud during a game of Crysis! I'm on the fence as to whether I should change my order to the 2.8Ghz CPU...

 

I'll just have to try out a game of Crysis and report back... gimme an hour.. or two *^_^* But I don't have a chance to compare it to a 25W cpu... sorry.

I'll report back on my gaming experience with Crysis (though I did want to test out UT3 because of the Physx... Perhaps I'll do that too!)

 

Thanks dimension! excellent points on the heat dissipation!

And IsamuX, thanks - just hurry would ya =D

 

For what it's worth: I don't believe the 2.8Ghz will make less noise than a 2.5. I do believe that people have different opinions on what noise is.

I believe a 2.26Ghz CPU will draw less power than a 2.4Ghz CPU when used for low CPU intensive stuff, like surfing or office.

 

i really got used to it in silent mode. but in full force it is really blowing wind.

iam just downloading 3dmark06 to see what the graphic card is able to manage. any other requests for benchmarks?

 

my budget about 2400$ .. but i dont know which one i go for?!
what do u think about Z540, Z550 or Z570 ?

 

Got any games ThreeD? Pretty much any relatively recent game would do, just to test its potential. It would be most interesting to compare the results with say the 8400M GS in the XPS M1330.

 

thougt about getting me some old school games like half-life 2 or bioshock. do you guys think they are working on this book?

 

Hey 3d have you already watched a HD movie off the new Z on your HDTV? would love to hear your experience!

 

Half-Life 2 will definetely run, although low-med settings at best. The source engine is famous for its scalability. Bioshock is playable on the XPS M1330, refer to this thread for more info: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=169036

But keep in mind that the 8400M GS is slightly more powerful than the 9300M GS due to the 8400M GS having 16 stream processors compared to the 9300M GS' 8 SP. But all in all, the Z should run bioshock no probs.

 

3DMark Score
2245 3DMarks
SM 2.0 Score
843 N/A 12160
SM 3.0 Score
796 N/A 15997
CPU Score
1976

 

Thanks!!

I guess you cant expect more from the 9300m GS

 

Hey ThreeD, I hate to ask this b/c you have probly already posted it previously, but what are the specs?

 

2.4ghz, 4096 mb, nvidia 9300 GS 256mb.

 

so i only found benchmarks for the xps 1330 around 1500, so i think 2200 is a bit better. no?

 

resolution was 1280x768

 

The XPS M1330 benchmarks are tested at 1280x800, a little bit more taxing on the GPU and like for like will yield a lower score. Also I believe you have a faster CPU than the one on the XPS M1330, CPU factor may account for a couple of hundred 3dmarks.

However, I know that the 9300M GS has higher clock speeds versus the 8400M GS and this may explain the higher score.

But in shader intensive situations such as Bioshock for example, the 8 SP advantage will most likely be more significant than a clock speed advantage.

 

Can anyone who plays world of warcraft and owns the Z tell us how well it runs? Or anyone have an idea?

 

OKAY! The Z can play Crysis, but very very poorly. Running the lappy for 2 hours until the battery died. Crysis is playable ~30fps at 800x600 with everything turned to low. It was in DX10 mode.

Wow, while it wasn't the best experience, I was playing... err... researching for the whole time. The screen was at half brightness.

When doing regular deskwork, you can't hear the fan, the very most it was barely audible. When I fired up Crysis the fan kicked in and it was noticeable but not unpleasant. As I was playing, I didn't notice the fan, kinda got caught up in the game. I wouldn't play games in a quiet library... The bottom remained comfortable and not hot, warm, but not hot. The WASD key area was warm, but again not uncomfortable. Sony did a great job with heat dissipation. (Again I'm using the fastest proc @ 2.8Ghz) and again, these observations are subjective.

I plugged the lappy back in and windows resumed, exited Crysis and the fan is still on full to remove excess heat. As I'm typing this, the fan is now at half speed, quieter but not quite as quiet when doing regular stuff, still lots of heat I guess.

Hope that helps (and sorry, no, I don't play WoW... can't comment... )

Update: The fan is now in quiet mode. Back to it's low quiet hum. *^_^*

 

Hey buds,

Can we insert\use the Dell XPS Media Express Card Remote with the Sony Z or even the HP Express Card Remote?

This is also another thing missing with the Z. :-(

 

Since the VAIO Z only has a ExpressCard/34 slot whereas the DELL XPS Media Express Card Remote is ExpressCard/54 form factor, it won't fit. Maybe you can try a smaller HP Remote like this one.

But how about using a mobile phone with bluetooth for that task, e. g. FMA & a Sony Ericsson? Works perfectly as a remote.

 

Well i guess i didn't expect crysis of all games to run at a great pace. Do you have anything that isn't a megapig? Cod4, UT, TF2?

 

It's not really a big issue but I wonder if this could be solved. When I start, shut down, login or logout my Vaio Z, the screen flashes 2 to 3 times. Is there a way to solve this? (I'm sure it has nothing to do with Vista because my desktop doesn't suffer from this)

 

http://www.notebookjournal.de/tests/638

first test in europe, I guess. from a German webpage.

 

i have the same, i guess it is the "check-up" of the graphics card. nothing that bothers me.

 

Yeah I think the fan noise is very subjective. A person coming from a really loud notebook will probably find the Z quiet. While a person coming from a thinkpad t61, which is incredibly quiet, will probably find the Z loud.

I think the Z is somewhere in the middle. Its not the quietest fan ever, but its not annoyingly loud.

I have 5 computers in my house. A desktop pentium 4, a thinkpad t41, thinkpad t61, sony tz, and sony z. Here's how I would rate them from the loudest to quietest.

pentium 4 > thinkpad t41 > sony z > sony tz > thinkpad t61

So my desktop is the loudest, you can hear the fan in another room. The thinkpad t41 fan is also quit loud. At its lowest setting, its louder than the sony Z at its highest setting. And the t61, which is the quietest notebook ever!

 

Lets get off the 3dmark tests and start running some apps/games. Need more results!

 

Like what, Godlike?

I think one of the Z owners are enjoying a HD movie using their new toy =P

 

Cod4, UT, TF2?

 

Can someone pleasee test BF2, u can download the demo. Make sure u have it on all high settings. Thanks!!

Oh by the way, great news!!..Called Sony Head office before I left for work today, they told me that theres a good chance the laptop will be in stores today!! This was according to her system which checks shipments on their products and all.

Ciao!

 

Did anyone with US-based Z590 CTO orders get any shipment confirmation yet? I called them today to find out the status and allegedly, it's on the warehouse workorder for assembling today and should be shipped this week. So, fingers crossed.

 

They're still giving me an 8/26 ship date. When did you order?

 

It looks like the 256mb video card on the Z555 isnt a mistake on Sony.ca. But dont hold me accountable.

 

I ordered July 15th....literally once the site went live and allowed you to pre-order.

 

Mine just changed from 9/2/08 to 9/15/08

I am beginning to get angry.....

 

I have a Nokia and I don't think I would buy a Sony Ericsson again.

Will the HP Card work? I know someone who has the HP card i could borrow.

Is there anything i would need to do to make it work ie Configuration\software?

 

First, I'm not sure where your planning on purchasing yours. I bought mine retail. I've been told that it's best to go with the highest CPU, because all else is upgradeable. Like I've said, I have the Z550, and I'm content with it. But I'm going with the advised of others by getting a higher CPU. It looks like you've decided on 1366x768 based on the models you've presented, so if this is the resolution of choice, what do you think of choice #1? It's one of your choices and it's the best configuration you can get before you start getting to the 1600x900 resolution range.

This is what I am considering when I do my exchange. And these are specs from Portable One. Link to see choices.

1. Z570NB, P9500, 2.53GHz, 3GB Ram, 320GB HD, 1366x768, $2249

2. Z590NGB, P9500, 2.53GHz, 3GB Ram, 200GB HD, 1600x900, $2349.00

 

I need them to offer a pre-configured 1600x900 Z on sonystyle.ca!!!!

 

Someone a few pages back brought concern about battery life. Has anyone tried the program included in this Z. Actually, the TZ and the SZ offered it and I'm actually using it now on the Z. Basically, you can select to what level you want to charge the battery so that AC does not degrade battery life. Max. of 50% charge is recommended for those usually using the ac adapter. Max of 80% charge is recommended for those that use battery. If anything, it will help:

Start > All Programs > Vaio Control Center > Power Management > Battery Care Function > Advanced

o Battery Care Function (80% max. charge)
o Super Battery Care Function (50% max. charge)
o Custom Settings (additional batteries)

Also, you'll see a 3rd selection. This is a great feature to customize how much (%) you elect to charge that secondary battery. Or you can use this option to customize settings to charge the battery that came with your Z if the 2 options above are not to your liking.

 

Well, I think most current mobiles can be used as a remote, just search for your model +bluetooth +remote.
I really don't know if the HP Card will work, I never owned such a thingy, just searched for the 34mm form factor. Aren't they based on infrared? I don't think the Z series has an IRDA-port.
But that's another advantage of the bluetooth solution: intervisibility isn't required. Put the hands in your trouser pocket. Click. Amaze the audience.

 

Portable One are allowing the configuration of a Z series with Blu-ray AND an SSD drive -> http://laptopsinc.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=VGNZ590UCB&Category_Code=SONYZ

Is this just another mistake or is there any chance they have found a work around to the problem? EDIT: I see that this question has been answered and discussed on the forum already. I just had to go through a 100 pages to find it

Also has anyone found out what kind of 7200rpm drive is being shipped with the Z series? Is it a Hitachi Travelstar, i.e., does it offer any major advantage over a 5400rpm drive? Apologies if this question has been answered before.

 

I actually hope the laptop doesnt come out today man, cuz ill be at work the whole **** day when stores close. Id rather it come out tommorrow cuz im off. Go to the store, try to get some discounts or throw in a free case or something cuz im a good talker. Also my uncle might be buying the Z now!, If he does, we'll get a really good deal. Just walk in, pick one up and walk the hell out while trying not to get robbed.

 

I'm glad my local Fry's had it in stock. Sorry

 

The testers who made the first professional review (in German) got the following results:

Concerning battery life: 4,5h(270,00min) STAMINA and 30% CPU load
Concerning fan noise: 34,50dBA( Full CPU load) : 28,50dBA( Idle) : 27,80dBA( Silent)

 

well, i just got off the phone ordering my lappy. Here is what i was told:
1) If the laptop doesn't ship by the eta (9/2) i can cancel for full refund and any of my bundled items can be RMA'd. Or i can opt to wait until i can wait no longer
2) Swapping out the hard drive will NOT void the warranty (if you don't break any seals). the same for RAM, etc. So, I haven't decided if i am going to re-do the thermal paste on it or not. although i would really like to
3) students/military can get a $50 discount, but if you want a warranty, the $300 off deal w/ warranty and 2acc. is better. They could do $100 with overnight shipping.

What I would HIGHLY recommend to anyone getting this laptop is CALL sony's laptop specialist number: 1 (866) 525-7669 Ask for the Rep's name and extension. You can order the laptop just like you can on the website and possibly negotiate a discount or something. Furthermore, you will have a human with an extension to b**** to if there are problems. My rep was extremely nice and promised she would email me personally if there were any delays.

Anywho, once it gets here I'll do some thorough testing and guides if people want.

 

I drove 4 hours yesterday to look at a Vaio Z in person and check it out before I purchase one. The model they had at Sony Style was a Z540 with the 1366x768 screen and it was a great machine. There were really two things that shocked me about seeing one in person, Its smaller than I was expecting (which is due to it being a 13.1” screen rather than a 13.3” I guess) and the screen on it seemed to bend so easily.

My only concern with the smallness of it is that it is going to be my primary machine and one that I work on pretty intensely (of course with that said my primary machine right now is a Dell XPS 1210). The screen being so flexible however has made me reconsider purchasing one. I am worried about the possibility of the screen breaking due to the corner being knocked into while open or it being in a travel case and something pushing down on it. I know it’s a rather thin screen but even the 11.1” TZ had a sturdier screen. Has anyone else noticed this? Could it have just been the one I looked at?

 

LOL our usernames are so similar. I noticed it on an SR too. The screen kind of sagged a little. It felt a bit like it was made of rubber. A bit disconcerting for that much money. I was hoping the Z's lid would be a little stronger.