Official VAIO Z Core 2 Duo Series Owners Thread

According to the German site " Notebookjournal" which had one of the first reviews, it has GDDR3 ram in the Nvidia card...

 

There are some recordings of Z/SR/SZ fan noise from the japanese review site. Translated from google:
Fan noise comparison: http://72.14.235.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http://kunkoku.livedoor.biz/archives/51495642.html&usg=ALkJrhjNbb2GgRe-588UDV9suHRjdEBqsw

heat and power consumption:
http://72.14.235.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http://kunkoku.livedoor.biz/archives/51491506.html&usg=ALkJrhibktU_UzQJWGs8bzqOetqJ89ti5Q
http://72.14.235.104/translate_c?hl=en&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http://kunkoku.livedoor.biz/archives/51493012.html&usg=ALkJrhixWu-b1xpYZ3uA5fLteEiHMgXpYw

My ears find the Z fan in speed mode/high load sounds softer than SZ, but in stamina/idle, SZ seems softer? I am okay with loud fans in high loads, but am a bit concerned about the fan noise while idling. Even stamina mode seems loud....The power measurement test implies that the 2.8G processor really does eat up quite some power even while idling, I think I will be sticking with the P series proc....

Hope this helps.

 

I thought I read there was a different fan for the 2.8G processer (available only in Japan currently?)

 

This is hilarious thanks for posting. The guy even recorded the sounds of the fans so we can listen to it. Now here's the sound of the fan with SSD

Unfortunately I can't see or understand his conclusions. But the 2.8 does sound louder to me than the 2.53.

 

Its 9.5mm, if you search for Panasonic 9.5mm blu ray you will find the press releases and news reports, it was launched in Jan or Feb I think, only OEMs have them at the moment.

 

The fan noise test has recordings of both the P and T cpu config for Z. I am also trying to find more info in order to confirm if the T version has a different/quieter fan, but I can't find any. From the T recordings do not sound any softer compared to the P config. The same japanese site was commenting that P9500 will be a better choice unless the z fan has special enhancements to cool a 35W TDP vs a 25 TDP cpu.

translated version: http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fkunkoku.livedoor.biz%2Farchives%2F51478155.html&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&sl=ja&tl=en

 

Somebody posted that and it may or may not be true, but there was also speculation that the 2.8g fan would be quieter than the lower speed cpus and I think that was just wishful thinking.

 

Maybe I'm not doing it right, but it doesn't seem to do anything. Is this supposed to be done while the desktop is active?

Ahh, Bunbuns will be happy to hear this.
I'm happy, too, but maybe more relieved since I'd already made my purchase. I tried to look for it at the site, but couldn't find it. Which page on the review is it? (was it this review? http://www.notebookjournal.de/tests/638)

 

abcdos thanks for posting that link.
Yes it might seem a little unfair to include the SSD drive but the fans on my SZ/7 are not any louder than those recordings in those modes that were tested.
My HD is a Fujitsu 5400 HD and they are well known for making quiet HD's.
It is a shame that he had all 3 or 4 models there and he couldn't compare and contrast battery life between them all and post his own findings.

The temp's for all of those models seem to have a very marginal difference between them all.

 

For CANADIANS, Sony is reallly beginning to **** me off. I called Head Office today, now I dont know if he knows what he;s talkin about. I wouldnt be surprised either cuz I got that same prick last time on the phone, and he told me theres no such thing as Z and that it wouldnt even come out in Canada period. And this was a week before launch of the Z. Stupid prick. Anyways, he;s saying Spt 18th is the date. But he is definitley wrong, I just know it.

 

I just re-ordered the Z (cancelled last order forgot blu-ray + other issues)

And my estimated ship date is 9/ 23/08

With a bold letters saying system is BACKORDERED (Z590)

Now I wish I hadn't cancelled, I would have been a happy camper with my veryyyy own sweet lil Z to hug =(

 

This really suck. I'm also waiting for that laptop

 

Sorry did you purchase urs in store? And was it the Z555 you got? Oh and what Sony Store location did you get it from?

 

Has anyone else tried using Photoshop extensively on their Z yet? I've been using it for almost a full work day now and it's either crashed or had errors at least 8 times, most of which were strange errors like not being able to select any drop down menus, brush palettes flickering (and unselectable), and sudden crashes.

I've switched it to the Windows Classic appearance, which seemed to help a little. Also, brushes would go all choppy in movement while zoomed past 100% under Speed mode, but are just fine under Stamina mode. Graphics driver issue there?

This is the older CS2, so I don't know if fixes were made in CS3, and I don't know if these are Vista-related issues. All I know is I've never had these problems in XP, so I'm wondering if these are caused by Vista, or other things (Z drivers?).

 

Photoshop uses alot of CPU power which one did you get?

And the 9300M GS is very low-end gpu =(

 

I got the 2.53GHz one, 1600x900...

Shouldn't the 9300M GS be better than the integrated Intel? That's why it really confuses me that it runs better in Stamina mode than Speed mode.

Couldn't be that I only have 2GB installed with Vista... could it...? Nawww...

 

I never understood why there is a switch for graphics.. Why even have 2 cards when the more powerful "Speed" mode one isn't even all that great? Might as well have put something in there worthwhile if you are going to hassle with engineering a graphics switch option.

 

Wow with 2.53ghz and you got 8 errors and it runs better in stamina mode??

I think the 9300M GS may not be functioning well? Try updating drivers on laptopvideo2go or nvidia's beta "auto select which driver you need" tool..

2GB RAM on Vista could definately be the bottleneck.. Vista runs multitudes of processes and unless you disabled Aero you may increase the RAM and notice significant difference

 

Nvidia 9300 is twice as powerful as Intel 4500. And uses a lot more battery power.

 

I understand that it's def. more powerful than integrated GPU. I am saying that if they went through the hassle of designing it to switch GPU, Why not stick in a more powerful 8400/8600 GT or something? Is it because of heat issues for such a small laptop?

Just wondering...

 

Maybe they didn't want to launch a new laptop with a GPU which already has known failure issues? (it is that one isn't it?)

And if the solution is to crank up the fan speed like Dell have done with their BIOS update, well I'm not sure I would have been over the moon about that.

S

 

Yup, Aero was disabled after error #3 or 4 (the strange flickers on brush palettes and unclickable menus), turned off the sidebar, even removed the desktop wallpaper.

At this point I'm really wondering if it has something to do with the way the technology works, and if it's conflicting with things. So far seems to make sense to me: Photoshop has more problems while in Speed mode, GPU-Z can't detect memory type while in Speed mode.

 

Engadget have reviewed the Z series here.

It's definitely anything but thorough but I guess it's another perspective to add to the mix.

 

Yeah Z is too small for that and they would have needed huge fans for it.

I am thinking the Z was not intended for gamers anyway. They just wanted to give professionals who do some video editing or rendering an option.

Besides that not many GPU's allow hot switching, as far as I know.

 

I apologize for repeating this yet again, I really wish for a powerful video card to hook up to the Z externally, like a Radeon HD4870 and use it as a gaming computer on my HDTV at home and then take it around college otherwise. Best of both worlds. I wouldn't want a heavy, 15 to 17" gaming laptop.

I hear the Expresscard interface does not have enough bandwidth for such a device but the 2.0 standard may come out soon and hopefully some external videocards along with it to compliment the wonderful Z!

I think the Z should be refreshed by the end of the year or very early 2009 as that is when I would sell my TZ and go for the Z perhaps.

 

Wouldn't it be more easy to build a $400 game/home system or buy a PS3 for gaming?

And a TZ or Z for on the road.

 

You really think Sony will refresh the Z within 6 months of its initial introduction? How long did it take them to refresh the SZ when it first came out?

I would definitely wait for the refresh if your speculation is indeed true.

Can anyone confirm this?

 

I think the purpose is mainly for document zoom. If you are in Microsoft Word, IE, etc., then pressing these buttons will zoom in/out.

 

No, I haven't solved the problem with the DVD performance in stamina mode, other than lowering the resolution. It looks like DVDs are playing at maybe 18 fps instead of 24, which is annoying. Also, the colors and interpolation look better in Speed mode.

I am going to download PowerDVD for Blu-Ray and report the results later.

Note that this probably doesn't affect 1366x768 screens since their resolution is lower anyway.

As for the burning speed, I think that there are many reasons to have a slower max. burning speed. The extra weight from having the BD lasers, noise/power consumption, etc. The speed is pretty much inline with most laptop DVD burners, though.

But if you only need to burn DVDs at work, why not get a nice fast external drive and keep it at the office?

 

Yes, Sony has refreshed most of their notebook series within 6 months of introduction. I remember the initial Vaio TZ90 was announced in Japan in May 2007 and the refresh TZ91 was announced in September 2007.

Similarly, the SZ90 was announced in January 2006 and the SZ91 came out in May 2006. The other region models are also refreshed shortly afterwards.

http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/06/sonys-new-vaio-sz-laptops/

http://www.engadget.com/2006/05/09/sony-adds-core-solo-celeron-options-to-sz-notebooks/

However, I do not think the refreshed Z91 will be anything major. My guess is they will add more color options, more lid designs (lid designs only available in Japan), larger hard drive options, etc. Nothing significant. I think we'd have to wait until the next refresh, Z92, for them to add possibly Intel's mobile Nehalem processors when they are released in 2009.

 

Well i just called sony style canada to find the status of my order (CTO). They havent changed their story since i started calling which is that my laptop will ship on the 5th!!...Wooohoooo....

Anyways...on a more depressing note, engadget put up a review...and they didnt seem to like it...

http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/02/sony-vaio-z-the-engadget-review/

 

People at Engadet seem to prefer Macs. Also their battery life review was pretty poor as it never informed the reader what kind of battery tests they were doing. They could have been downloading and playing games for all we know at full brightness.

 

Quick question ... on a Z570 is it worth it to:

- upgrade the ram from 3GB to 4GB for $100

- upgrade the hard drive from 320GB 5400 rpm to 250GB 7200 rpm for $130?

or should I just order it as it comes my ship date is far away for a stock model anyway so I have time to change to a custom order.

 

AFAIK, CS2 is not vista compatible, only CS3 is. Try CS3 (the demo) and report....

 

Has anyone tried to upgrade Business to Ultimate using the Vista Anytime Upgrade yet? What kind of success/problems have you had?

 

Oh ur from Missuaga eh, I bought mine from Square One mall lol.


Oh yea, I phoned Sony store today, which I phoned like 10 different friggen stores. One guy gave me not only an answer I like to hear, but a more logical proper answer. He said that he has 20 on order for that particular store which was ordered on Augest 20th, and they should be here any day now, either tommorrow or within a few days. Everyone else is saying, they have no F'ing clue, I mean come onnn. How you let ur customers buy somethiing for so much money and not even give a proper God **** date. This is NOT the way to run a company. I mean this is ridiculas u know, im supposed to be happy about getting a new laptop, not friggen annoyed. I will write to the President AGAIN, very soon. I can assure u that. Correct him on running his God **** business. I mean this is logics man, you buy a laptop, cut the bull****, GIVE customers a god **** date, or even approx and STICK by it, thats al there is to it. There just being totally negligent about it. Believe me, its not very hard to track as to when u ship ur own ****in product, especially being a multi million dollar company.

 

No one can confirm, everyone can speculate

I believe there will be a refresh in Europe adding some of the models/options already available in the US/Japan (with Blu-ray and/or SSD, 2.8 CPU) by the end of the year, most probably November to make the most of Christmas. I don't believe there will be any substantial addition/changes in the design/chassis (i.e. things which are not already available in the US). Possibly new SSD/HDD options because of new models available for OEM, possibly a new graphics card but unlikely. In other words, anything you could upgrade yourself or can be changed by the manufacturer by swapping a part.

Then, at some point in 2009, we may see new processor options when they become available.

Real chassis/changes in design (ie new ports like USB 3.0, E-SATA, etc...), won't come until the product is around mid-life, ie within 12/18 months, as it doesn't make sense from a commercial point of view to introduce a new design before the investment in the old one is recouped (or the competition forces you to do so!).

Just my .2 cent.

 

always the same discussion.

buy it when you need it. there will be always a successor of the successor of the successor.

i am really happy with my little thing, the only upgrade i am looking for is a new SSD coming in spring next year.

 

The Z will be refreshed in Q1 2009. Look on Wikipedia, they are showing new P series processors that will replace current ones. That will likely be the biggest change.

 

Sorry Man. Powerful cards are only for desktops and monstreously heavy laptops.
None on compact lappys will have anything much more powerfull in close future.

however, if you have big bucks - you may invest into development of the new class - "ultraportables for extreme gaming"

 

About the GDDR3 RAM, I asked the reviewer directly in the discussion thread of the Z review...
Here is the exact post: http://www.notebookjournal.de/forum/showpost.php?p=77803&postcount=10

 

to current Z owners:

I'm very much concerned about the screen. Could u check something - at about which vertical angle does gray (left) side starts to disappear when looking from opside down?



I found, that on non-hi-end laptops - it gets white and then inverted very quickly Hope Z can keep it correct way better.

 

thanks man!

 

how should that be measured? since screen and viewer always will have different angles...

 

About 5-10 degrees. Just slightly off center.

Correction: Actually, it doesn't. I still notice it.

 

Another neat feature about the Z touchpad is that it has the scrolling feature both up and down on the left side of the pad, and left to right on the bottom of the pad - very cool as you can scale the size of fonts by pressing the ctrl and using the touchpad on the left for sizing...

 

Z590 and no I just let me friend who got connections to sony to reserve one for me when it is released.

 

I dont understand though, if u got the 590, should ur friend not have given you an estimated ship date like the CTO ones on sony.ca?


I should expect my laptop by tommorrow or within this week im hoping.

 

MrT: is that Novatel card an optional 'upgrade' or is it standard with all the Z's Portable One sells? Whatever the case, it would be one more factor (and a big one) to sway me to the Z. I'm trying to convince myself to buy a cheaper notebook but I seem to be failing miserably.

Drvec: pls excuse my utter lack of wireless cell standards, but I believe EVDO runs strictly on the CMDA network, and therefore presume it cannot be GSM. Hopefully someone can confirm this.