Official VAIO Z Core 2 Duo Series Owners Thread

I believe the Z utilizes 64gb Samsung SLC-based SSD.. (hopefully!!!)

 

How do we check the manufactured date?

 

I dont think GPU-Z would list that? (try it btw)

Only option I can think of is to open the latch at the bottom where the gfx is.. (to reallllly see IT lol)

 

Anyone missing edge-motion wit Z's "ALPS" touchpad? ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=296852)

 

Greetings!

Having had my Z now for over a week i have run into a bit of a problem with updating drivers. I have downloaded the drivers from the official nvidia cuda page (which actually supports 9300m gs!) and installed it all fine. but when i boot up it says the driver is incompatable with the VGA driver installed. i also cannot update the intel drivers with the newer ones off the intel site they just say i have to go to the notebook manufacturer pages etc etc.

Using the machine for a bit of gaming has proven to be a great success.
World of Warcraft all settings at max @ 1600x900 with over 30 frames in a busy location. HL2 at max settings (no AA or AF) again very smooth and i just got Spore and that runs good on medium settings @ 1600x900 too.

As a bit of a gamer id love to keep the drivers updated and would appreciate any help or advise i can get. (Running Vista btw)

 

Hey Orog! Congrats on your new Z!

Check out this thread by Mega-Man very in-depth on the drivers and software specific to the Z - including the one you're needing help with just post it there for him or PM

Linky

 

Would THESE work on the Z?

 

Wait 10 months or so for the "Z3" and you'll be excited all over again Congrats and be careful on the way home.

 

My Z12 is currently configured with DVD drive and HDD,
is it possible to upgrade DVD drive to Blu-ray drive, and
is it possible to upgrade HDD to SSD?

 

You can definitely upgrade the HDD to a SSD drive, as for the DVD I don't know, you'd have to get your hands on a BlueRay driver that'd fit the Z.

 

Ohh man...nice... are they on display at any store in canada??

 

To ALL Torontonians, You can pick urs up NOW at the stores. I also stopped by Fairview mall after work to check out the laptop. They have it in stock.

 

But are they on display??

 

Heres the deal. the manager I bought it from was out of work by 5pm, as was I lol. So now Im going to pick it up this Wednasday.

First impressions of finally see'ing it. Very light and small yes, but I wasnt all like OMG. I personally think the brushed aluminum looks very flakey and cheap. Maybe the lightning as they had it in a small box ith a dim light?? Another thing I was disappointed about is that on the keys, now this is reallyy stupidddd, the little symbols on the keys are a pink/red, *** is that? I was that just kinda killed the image and beauty of the laptop, even though it looks kinda cheap to start with. So I don't undstand how you a whole so claimed design team of artist can so a stupid flaw like that. I myself know **** about art, and I woulda chose like blue or something, not PINK/RED!! ew man. Anyway, im too quick to judge as I dont even have the laptop as yet. Maybe it was just the lightining I hope. Screen is very nice. 1366x768 is toooo small, whats wrong with u ppl? 1600x768 whatever is inase, infact I thought it was a 1600x screen. One concern with me though, Its too small, I honestly thought it was the TZ, which looks a lot better I think. I mighttt either end up goin back to the SZ780, which is perfect, or the FW. I looked at the FW, and I think its fairly small yet big. Very fast zippy laptop, solid build it seemed like. Anyways ill give it a full review once I get it.

 

Yupppperrsss

 

If you can find one that fits then yes, definately BR but you can't have both. It's not just a SonyStyle CTO thing, it can't be done because of the connections inside the laptop

 

Could someone who already owns the Z comment on this? Are those little symbols indeed pink/red?

edit. after searching a bit I guess they are, on all models

 

I'm not sure what symbols he's referring too, but the only thing close to those colors are the "Num Lk" and numerical digits associated with it, those are all in a burnt-orange color.
I do agree with him, when I first saw the Z, I wasn't all that impressed, but I do feel it looks better than the TZ. I also agree that the Z maybe on the "too small side", even though I am getting somewhat use to it. I think the SZ is the best overall size. Though, I would never consider the SR-too cheap looking even if it has the same screen size as SZ.

Another thing that I also agree with, which maybe difficult to explain. The Z at times, doesn't feel and look expensive. I think it may have to do with the materials used to keep it at approx. 3.5lbs. Don't get me wrong, I still thinks it's nice, but there are times when I feel it's not. Also, as I type this, I am noticing that every time I open and close the lid, it squeaks. Is anyone experiencing this?

 

I guess he does mean those orange ones, yes; http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Expo_Comm_Wireless_Japan_2008_Sony_VAIO_Z.jpg

 

Yeah, they are indeed orange and not pink.

 

I understand ur frustration, thanks for takin it down as indeed I knew you felt pretty stupid afterwards. I already read ur other post. Canadian wilderness loll! I like that buddy. As far as my life, you know not. Just for the record, im a DJ, I play all around Toronto, so ill let you figure that one out. Just cuz im on this forum a lot, doesnt mean I dont have a life, im spending over 2 grand, I need all the info I can get, plus im at work a lot .


Cheers buddy! Enjoy life!

 

To: ROYCER
I followed VaioRover's instructions and it works. JSG1967 also has the step by step info. to achieve what you are struggling with, but his steps are a little bit longer than VaioRover's.

I too had struggled trying to figure out why I couldn't get reception when I hooked up the Z with my HDTV via HDMI. But once you hook the 2 together, the Z (nVidia) automatically formats it for you. The only thing you need to do is apply the changes. After you eject the movie, nVidia, suggests that you switch back to 1366x768. Just keep nVidia minimized in your screen so you don't forget.

Now, what came as a surprise is, I have the Z with 1366x768, as soon as I hooked it up, Nvidia suggested I change the resolution to 1600x900. I was like, what...? This was one of the questions I had in that other thread. I wanted the 1600x900 for playing movies, but the 1366x768 for text. I realize now that this model Z550 1366x768 I have, is capable of 1600x900 resolution when playing movies. It only offers this "display resolution" when it, the Z, knows you have a movie dvd playing. Otherwise, you won't see it as a choice in "display resolution" Does that make sense. By the way, I played "Finding Nemo" at 1600x900 and it was AWESOME!!!!!

I am very content with this model, I still want to exchange it for the Z570 for the higher CPU, but still with 1366x768. So now my plans is to, which I'm sure many of you are doing already, is to link a bluetooth wireless keyboard to the Z, also made by Sony, keep in my nightstand, and check email and surf the net, before bed.

The only thing which someone brought up earlier is that my HDTV is not capable of watching television at the same time as surfing the net, because my TV/VIDEO (#2) receiver is seperate from TV/VIDEO (#6) HDMI if that makes sense.

Did anyone know this beforehand, that the 1366x768 is capable of 1600x900 res. when playing dvd's?

 

The one here if im not mistaken is Pink/red man with orange, and we have more symbols on our version that the others.

 

Assuming it's a Western English keyboard, how can you have more symbols on it? I'm assuming the Canadian version comes with the standard QWERTY layout because I'm looking at it right now on Sonystyle.ca. Are you ordering on with an AZERTY (or whatever the common French layout is) layout?

Just to clarify, on my US-based Z590, the keys are white. Any numlock associated keys have extra orange symbols (1,2,3,+,-,etc.). Finally, the special Fn keys are a lavender color (it's not quite purple but some may call it a light purple).

 

i'm with you on some of your opinions on the SZ and feeling towards the new Z. After having mine for a few days now I think the screen is smaller than it needs to be, 13.1" really is a bit different from 13.3 .. you loose screen real estate unnecessarily. I agree the SZ was one of the best form factors. The Z is touted as the Executives business computer, then why was the 13.1" format so important... that's better for entertainment use not business.

Considering the LG P300 spec's out about the same or better that the Z I also agree the Z should 'feel' like it's a high quality unit, but it doesn't the lid is really flimsy, I was surprised. On the other hand the LG feels really solid, yet light, (although there's no DVD drive built in)

The chiclet keys ... well yes they are okay, but if you type fast you're going to hit the edge of the keys, a sharp feeling rather than hitting something contoured and flat ... In my opinion the chiclet keys kind of go backwards ... I can imagine when keyboards where first invented they may well of had that chiclet design, and then someone spend a lot of time and money designing keyboards with rounded, contoured edges, ... again like I mentioned before imo the chiclet keys is Sony/Apple's way on insisting to be different ... different isn't always better ...

So, using the LG 300 and the Sony Z side by side for a few days, for sure without doubt in my opinion the LG is as good, first is that it's $1,000 cheaper, BUT if they where both the exact same price I'd still have a hard time deciding which one to buy, I'm actually sorry to say I'd pick the LG. In doing so I'd loose the really nice display, the colors are truer on the Sony than the LG for sure, and the built in DVD player, but imo I'd gain a larger more normal looking display that still has very good color, a better keyboard, and a real solid feeling machine and I'd have $1,000 in my pocket - for me that's the amazing part. Hell a $1,000 can buy you a real nice 40" LCD TV and if you hate the stripes so much you can go to car lettering place and they'll put any kind of cover on you want, for a cover that looks like it has that shiny piano finish the guy will cut the material and put in on for $40. Heck of a deal, I'll go see him on Saturday then take photo's.

The Sony interested me a lot because of the hype around it, my initial idea's about Sony in the recent years with all their products in general is that they aren't the quality they used to be, yet you pay more for a Sony whether its a TV or Notebook and you don't get anything more for the extra money spent. This is just my opinion based my and friends experiences.... I could be wrong, but seeing the LG beside the Z has me thinking I'm not too far off in my judgement.

Please, Sony fans don't jump all over me, I own a Z and I"m trying and just reporting my experience so far.

 

The first time I saw the Z was at Sony store on 5th Ave, it was a big WOW for me. The Z just look perfect! I felt in love with one piece keyboard and thought its color was just perfect. HOWEVER, the 2nd time I saw it in Sony store in Boston which was after I placed my order. Man, the material looks so cheap. I hope they are going to put premium carbon lit on this thing like the SZ791.... Anyhow, I'm keeping my order and crossing my finger because I'm getting the Z590.

 

Hi,

Quick question, self upgrading of ram. What is the default ram sony provides?
Will using a hynix or kingston ram work with it?

 

anyone know? thx!

 

Well, the Z (due to it's 13.1 and not 13.3 screen) offers a smaller footprint, which contributes to its portability. Also, you'd be surprised how much of a difference a few inches makes on a cluttered desk or conference table.

 

newtothis - actually i own both a P300 13.3" and the Z so I know first hand the amount of space each takes up on my desk, the fact is - very little difference.

The size looks almost the same, except only difference you'd notice is the LG's screen looks much larger - that's a good thing ...

 

uniquestco, can you take a shot of the Z beside the P300 side by side?

I saw them both, and -- while I agree with you that the LG is great value and probably a better deal -- I personally find the Z quite a bit more appealing, aesthetically... plus it's nice to have the integrated DVD. But to each their own.

 

Hey

Can someone link me to a screenshot comparison between 1600x900 and 1366 x 768? Couldn't find any...

 

will do in the morning, my camera's at the office.

yes, and I really 'want' to like the Z more ... it is lighter, cooler looking, and a little cooler on the lap too, it's screen shows a 'truer' color, has the built in DVD and a slighter small form factor ...


But, I'm still drawn to go back and type on the LG like I am now, reason being is I like the taller screen for sure, and I type very well on the LG keyboard, mousepad is great too. For work or business use like I do 80% of the time, and coming from Dells/Lenovo's the LG was an easy transition maybe ... compared to the Sony where the screen and keyboard are different....

I have to give the Sony more time. Unfortunately I have to decide soon, my wife wants the LG, but would also be quite happy with a Sony, I have a friend who wants to buy the LG and a Z555 sitting for me at the Sony store if I want to buy it for her. That would give us a Z570 in the house and a Z555 in the house ... which of the two is faster I don't know, but do I want to give up the LG which cost $1,000 less I don't know ....

 

I got a Z570 two weeks ago, and am overall quite happy with it.
It is a neat little notebook.

My gripes are:

1.) Uneven LED backlighting? Especially with a white background with dark text, there is blotchiness in the display. The screen looks a little wavy, and the white is quite grey on full brightness on a/c power. This is the 1366 x 768 display. Anyone else notice this? Any solution? Not as good, overall as the TZ display I don't think.

2.) Not enough vertical scrolling area for webpages. I don't think the extra pixels on the high-resolution models would make much difference vertically, more horizontally, which I don't need. I have set the taskbar to auto-hide. What else can be done?

3.) Some minor hard drive vibration through the palm rest. Anyone else have this? I have the Toshiba 320GB.

Other than that, no complaints. But I am a smidge disappointed in the display.

 

Admittedly, coming from corporate style notebooks the Z even the LG was a nice change, I notice the lighter weight the most. What impresses me most about Sony owners is when someone wants a Sony they ‘really’ want it, Sony owners are really dedicated to the brand ... I know a number of people who own Vaio notebooks and they say it’s all they’ll ever own. It’s the same reading here on the forum, often you see people he wondering what to buy, HP, Dell, Lenovo etc but people who come to the Sony forums have clearly decided they want a Sony, it’s just a matter of what model.
I admire the brand loyalty, I have a few questions to learn what draws you to Sony and the Z line ...

- What was your main reason for buying a Z?
- What percentage of the time do you travel with your Z versus desk use? Do you plug into an external monitor when at your desk?
- What do you like most about your new Z

 

What pages in this thread are VaioRover's and JSG1967's instructions? I would love to be able to watch TV and surf the net at the same time, but I don't think my HDTV can do it either.

*Edit: I found them. Though, when using a TV as an external monitor do I need to be in Speed Mode?

 

I didn't purport to know anything about your P300. I was simply commenting on your remark about the Z vs. SZ (or its SR successor) vis-a-vis business use. By all accounts, the Z is markedly smaller than both the SZ and SR.

 

yes HDMI only works via Nvidia (speed mode) according to the sony website.. (and some reviews)

 

I don't think I've seen a screen with perfectly even backlighting. Mine's the same way but it doesn't bother me - it isn't too noticeable.

Dunno about brand loyalty as my last few laptops were of different brands, but the Z offered everything I wanted soo here it is Just started traveling with it, so I'd say half and half. I use it without an external monitor. And umm... size, weight, screen, keyboard, battery life .. very usable for my purposes.

 

I am simply saying that the TZ has more even backlighting, and whiter whites.

 

Probably a virtue of the smaller screen - takes fewer LEDs to light it up. Once you start putting more and more of them in there, things may start getting uneven.

 

I think the pink/red you saw may have been the lighting. Was it one of those yellowish spotlight things on it, or was it florescent? The color of the light can really play tricks on your eyes; they are (as far as the US model goes) orange and blue, of this I am 100% certain.

1366x768 too small? Don't get 1600x900, then lol. To be honest with you, I kinda wished it had a higher resolution screen, and I bought the 1600x900 version. My Toshiba 12" had 1400x1050, 146 dpi, vs. the Z's 140 dpi, and I really liked that resolution. For some it is too small though, but I like high resolutions despite the screen size. My phone is 283 dpi lol (640x480, 2.8").

I'm not exactly sure I agree with those saying the Z doesn't look quality, mainly because I've never seen a laptop that looks higher quality. I agree it has some style quirks (the design could be slicker, but this is Sony's laptop style, after all...), but as far as quality goes I think it's definitely top-tier. Low quality would be Sager, my firebreather... friggin' awesome, bad-arse laptop, but poor surfacing. The plastic area around the power button and shortcut buttons exhibited mottling the day I got it.

Quality issue aside, unless you're really rich or for some reason really into buying laptops for image (or to impress clients, in which case you're excused ), I don't think anyone should purchase a laptop based on the way it looks. One way or another you're just gonna get used to the way it looks and it'll all come down to how well it works. I bought my Z because of the specs; the looks were a bonus. Remember, you're likely gonna be living with this thing for a while, and something pretty that doesn't work will probably get on your nerves pretty quickly (a bimbo computer lol).

Hmm... I had a Sony VAIO desktop way back in '96, and I swore I'd never buy another after that. Looked great (for '96...), but while it did what I needed it was chock-full of Sony bloatware and often got on my nerves. I was hesitant to by my first PSP, but now I have two... but I've never bought a PSX (or PSOne) or a PS2, or any other Sony products. I'm mostly against them, but I can't say I don't enjoy at least some of their products.

- My main reasons for buying a Z were

• lightweight and small: I wanted something in the 11-12" arena, but there were none with the specs I needed; the Z was the next best thing
• discrete graphics by NVIDIA: I work in 3D and I don't trust ATi drivers for what I do, and Intel's chips aren't nearly fast enough
• 1600x900 screen res: I wanted higher, at least 1024 vertical, but this was the best I could find with my required specs
• screen color reproduction: a must for Photoshop.

- I currently do 0% traveling with my Z, but if you consider how much I move it, I'd say I move it daily and use it on battery about 15% of the time. I don't travel with it yet because I don't have a case for it, and I don't want it to get all dusty and scratched in my backpack. Hopefully that will change when my case comes tomorrow.

- What I like most about my new Z are everything I listed in my reasons for buying it, in addition to the brightness of the screen, the stamina/speed switch, the fact that it's powerful enough to run games at decent frame rates (even UT3), the 4 hour average battery life, stereo speakers (not a big thing, but HUGE to me since I only had a mono-speaker on my Toshiba tablet), built-in disk drive (again, tablet had none), and (bonus) how it looks.

I could actually list a whole lot more things that I don't really like about it, but the weight of the pros far offsets the cons. This is a great laptop, despite its flaws and price, and I haven't once reconsidered my purchase.

 

Thank You Tj for a thorough breakdown of the beatdowns on the Z!!

Carbon fiber isnt high quality enough?? Sheez

I love how it looks, and it WORKS as a laptop - as it SHOULD!

 

Yeah, I posted about this issue in the SR forum a week or so ago, after seeing the SR in person at a Sony store. I was hoping the z's keyboard would be different.. This is very disappointing for a business class laptop, I know.. The pink on the keys stood out like a soar thumb. All the extra pink symbols on the keyboard are due to the fact that this is a bilingual keyboard, meaning we have to put up with a very cluttered keyboard, compared to it's US cousin.

 

Speed Mode worked for me. Just follow their leads and it should work cuz it worked for me instantly. nVidia will detect your Z and TV and will automatically suggest a resolution. Just make sure your in the "display resolution" tab. It will change res from 1366x768 to 1600x900. Once you see that, you have like 10secs to apply the change. My TV unfortunately won't allow me to watch a TV program and surf at the same time. The image, however on my 32" HDTV is amazingly clear, both internet use and/or simply watching dvd's. Let us know if it worked.

I didn't know that. I've always had my Z on Speed Mode Always, whether on AC or Battery. So I guess I was fortunate.

I've always been a Sony fan. I think I have everything Sony, from cameras to TV's. I buy them because they're pretty reliable and I have to admit I am really big on the design aspect. I travel with mine all the time. I travel for work internationally. The only place I wouldn't plug my Z into is China. My co-worker fried his SZ laptop over there. But my SZ works in Australia and London so I would assume the Z would adapt at those locations as well. I'll use The Z as I did with the SZ as my main computer without an external. And as far as what I like about it, its nicely designed, ultra lite like I'm not carrying a computer with me at all. Mobility. Doubles as a portable dvd-player for travel, hotel and home use via HDMI.

 

Here's a pictures of two Z's 1600 vs 1366 resolution.

BR
Miki

 

So the pink symbols aren't a lighting trick, they really are pink? That's just rude. You would think they could use green or something like that.

 

Just turned my Z after night. It showed 93% of battery. (7%loss)
In deails:
Worked all day on Z yesterday plugged.
Shut down (Not Sleep, Not hibernate)
Unplugged and put into sleeve.
Turned on after 9 hours.

So it looks very same to SR's battery problem. Well, so we not only paying money for the great screen... We also pay with drain issue.

I'll contact local sony.

 

Hi everyone!
Just wanted to share my experience:
Did a hard drive swap for my Z, replaced the original 250Gb Hitachi 5400 with a 320GB Seagate Momentus 7200.3 with freefall sensor "ST9320421ASG"
I could not recommend it any more! The benchmarks below speak for them self!
Heat is minimal never broke 40c even after transferring 70 gigs to my D drive!
power consumption -according to many reviews- seems best in class, Personally I haven't noticed any affect on battery life
Also noise is somewhat less than my old drive especially seek noise
and to top things off it was $40 cheaper than the WD scorbio black when i got it 14 days ago, although now it seems to running at a higher price

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=ST9320421ASG&oe=utf-8&cid=15243941458267085928#ps-sellers

 

dart22: is it actually faster than the Scorpio Black?
Did you get Sony to upgrade it for you so you don't lose your warranty?
I had some Seagate drives on a ASUS U6sg a couple of months ago, it failed twice over 2 months so got rid of the laptop altogether..