Official VAIO Z Core 2 Duo Series Owners Thread

hi problem is solved

an other question, what and when must i press the key, that i come in the bios?

 

Come on, what could possible change? Maximum the lid (premium carbon for US), and some minor features. No big deal.
For me if someone find a good deal now...then buy!

 

Press F2 key when you see the VAIO logo. (Although you might be disappointed with the relative sparse options available when you get inside!)

 

ok thank you for the information

 

hi

i have a few new questions

sorry again for my bad english, but i do my best.

today i did a big step forward to a quite z...

frist i will start with the different, what i dont unterstand.
i crash my vista today, so i had to install vista again with the recovery partion on my z, after that i install rm clock on my z like the frist time.

but this time rm clock works a little bit better.

before the vista crash i actived in hardware and sound -> energie options -> the function for minimal cpu power and high battery saveing.

now, there is a complett new option form rm clock, which is calles rm clock power management and this is also actived.

why is this now there?

then i have a short problem with the multiplies or volt.

you choose for the index 1 6,0 0,925v.
the lowest number which i can choose is only 1.0375v and i can nowhere find a option to type in yours volt number.

i know you have the p9500 and i the p8600, but my volt number is so massive different to yours.

in every guides which i found there a lots lower number than my lowest 1.0375v, that worry me

then i have a hdd question, at nhc, you could choose if the hdd should have max. performance (lout) or spin down (quite), where can i now make my hdd quiter? i really prefer a quite hdd and waite 1min longer as this loud tictac...

 

Can't you just take the battery out when not in use? I would think that would avoid the battery drain problem, no?

 

Sonata - did you remember to select the option for 'mobile CPU' in RMclock... I seem to recall that the latest CPUs aren't properly autodetected, so you need to tell RMclock you have a mobile processor to get the correct voltage settings etc.
I don't know of a way to engage quiet mode for the hard disk, sorry.

 

Got me thinking...under the same load (above idle) could it be possible that the P9500 actually produces less heat? The P9500 should be running at a more relaxed pace, while the P8600 works a bit harder to do the same thing.

I can understand Sonata's choice because unless encoding or playing a fancy game, etc, every day applications will perform the same. Real world tests always bear this out, which is why I never used to care for the higher end cpu of a given family. However, if the above speculation holds true, then perhaps the cost of a higher end cpu can be justified in a laptop environment. Maybe (just maybe) that extra L1 cache provides real world benefits after all. Would appreciate any comments.

 

Well, P9500 should use less power and produce less heat than P8600 or P8400 all the way till it is running at a higher clock than P8600. Remember these CPUs are not made to run to a clock speed, but people hand-picked the most efficient and heat resistant chips out of one wafer to be the likes of T9600 & P9500 and then throw the rest to be P8600/P8400 (and of course Celeron and garbage bin for the even worse ones), so by default a CPU qualified as a P9500 means it is better made and would be producing less heat when given the same power.

 

Why???
I paid a lot for a Laptop that should at least have a power source as good as a $1000.00 unit. To have a battery in a Laptop for a week or two and still be able to turn it on is a primary requirement

Why would I want a unit that requires I have to take the battery out and put back in when I'm traveling??
Big problem...Maybe no one here unplugs???

 

I never take out the battery out of my laptop. I still get the same battery after a year. I just keep it plugged in when I'm at home or motel room when I travel. For me, I never encounter a chance to leave my laptop unplugged and not using it for more than 2days. So for me battery leak is not a problem yet. Maybe VAIO is designed for users like me?

 

Thx, that makes sense.

A flaw is a flaw. Not everyone has access to an outlet all the time, such as on transpacific flights, etc. Besides, some people including myself can't be bothered to take their notebook out of the bag and plug it in at the end of every day. And the last thing I want to do is unplug/plug the battery all the time. I hope Sony gets enough complaints to do something about this.

 

I havea ton of accessories for the Z onsale, you guys should check it out.

 

yes i aktivated it now, and the frist what i hear was the fan...

i will tomorrow test it...

the volt numbers are now other

 

no only my "smaller cpu = less power = less heat" slogan was the big reason for the p8600, also the money, i have now the z11wn, the vn has the p9500 and 70GB more hdd, but more than 400€ expensiver, and thats to much for so small things... other people in my country buy for 400€ a complett starter laptop and they are happy with this

 

I just bought the Z13GN with carbon fibre and all speced othr than a blu ray drive.Also i have a slight issue the AC Adapter i have has a slight static noise which can be heard if i place it in a silent room or hold it up to my ear.So should i get the ac adapter replaced or is this normal for the adapter

 

not sure as well... i got a high pitch sound from the AC adaptor as well.. when i tilt and reverse the adaptor, the sound stops... so wierd

 

guys, I am sulkingggg over the new Apple 13" MB.. Glass touchpad interface, Led screen + Backlit keyboard.......................................................And it looks GORGEOUSSSSS!

 

One thing that the New Macbook attracts me is the price. And that the only thing makes me consider to buy one.

I was hoping Apple would make a big improvement on screen. I'm disappointed this morning.
LED backlit is an old technology. Sony uses it since 2 years ago. I wish there is a choice of higher resolution screen on 13.3 model. The grass on the screen is making it...um...well... I haven't seen it in person. From those photos I see on line, it reflects too much light.

I prefer the screen of my TZ or Z.

 

What do you want, an OLED screen? Those will take a while, especially since Dell said it is just transitioning all its laptop screens to LED by 2010.

 

No HDMI, no blu-ray for the new Mac Book's??

Yeah right, pay to iTunes and take the HD movies...Steve is really losing it! lol

And I was expecting these refreshes of Apple before pulling the trigger to the Z! Well, better like that...no dilemma for me.

 

yeah, same here..

but i am quite happy with my Z, and i am kind of worried about the glossiness of the screen

 

sorry folks a bit off topic, does anyone know how to make Vaio Clock screensaver ( http://club.vaio.sony.co.uk/downloads/screensavers/vaio_clock_overseas.zip) work under Vista. It works under XP just fine, but under Vista it simply does not trigger, nor I can "preview" it.

Thanks,
Miki

 

it works fine for me

 

I'm at the same boat as you. I love OS X but looks like the low res and glossy screen is a turn off for me. Looks like I'll be getting the Z this time around.

 

Can you tell us how you got XP installed on the Z - many of us are getting a BSOD when trying to install XP during initial installation before the HD is detected. I've tried slipstreaming the SATA drivers.

 

honestly, I dont think you're slipstreaming the right drivers right.

back when I had an HP laptop that also need sata drivers that needed to be slipstreamed, i kept messing up over and over, I burned a bunch useless win xp discs.

I read a guide somewhere that finally had the right steps as well as slipstreaming sp3 into it as well.

it could be a number of problems, but it seems like you're not doing it right, but i would search around

 

i don't know, other than the glass touchpad, wouldn't you have expected all those things on the new macbook?

 

well its lighter too, a new unibody 'alluminum' body gives it a sleeker silverish professional image too, and a gllass overlay on LED LCD is a nice glossy touch (I am too, worried about reflection tho)

 

i think black looks a lot more elegant than silver..
especially in a business setting

 

yep, I wonder if the new refresh is avail in black lol..

Anyway, now lets resume talk of the Z

I cant wait for its refresh! haha

 

Just had a look at the new MBs. I'm not a fan. I think the Z has a better appearance, and definitely better specs (save for the GPU). And only 1 USB port?? I can hardly live with 2..!

I installed it under Vista Business, works fine here, too. Neat screensaver, but I think I like the Windows Energy one better.

 

awesom screen saver

working on vista ultima here

 

Thanks folks, I have finally managed to set it right . Back to Z thread: I'm still getting used to mine (you know, well discussed screen resolution issue 1600x900), don't have any problems with squeaking keypad, everything works normal, and I like this new isolated keypad very much.

One question, how do you start camera? I can start it from Skype and it works ok, but can I can start it on its own?

Cheers,
Miki

 

Try looking for ArcSoft Webcam Companion 2 in your programs list. That's how I gained access to it. Dunno how to other than through that, though I'm sure there are other programs out there that do the same thing. Hope that helps.

 

thanks mate, works as a charm!

BR
Miki

 

What is the Z refresh suppossed to add to the already Z?

 

My bet is the refresh includes a new 256 GB SSD with SATA II and blue ray like the new TT model. The current Z with SSD does not use SATA thus preventing the use of the Blue Ray combined with SSD

 

Premium carbon fiber

 

How does the graphics card on the new macbook compare to the Vaio Z.
I just bought the Z and find the macbook really interesting

 

Just read this post, and wanted to comment on it. My Z is P1 bloatware optimized, and the scroll function of the touch pad is just working fine.

 

Macbook:

NVIDIA GeFORCE 9400 M:
Processor Cores: 16
54 Gigaflops


Macbook Pro:

Switchable between

NVIDIA GeFORCE 9400 M:
Processor Cores: 16
54 Gigaflops


NVIDIA GeFORCE 9600M GT:
Processor Cores: 32
120 Gigaflops

Vaio Z:

NVIDIA GeForce 9300M GS
Processor Cores: 8
34 Gigaflops


So, with Vaio Z, you switch between even lesser powerful Intel and 9300M, while with Macbook Pro, you switch between at minimum a GPU that is more powerful than Vaio Z's, to a even more powerful GPU.

However, Sony's after longer battery life. So Macbook Pro can definitely render faster, but won't last as long as the Z.

 

Isn't the Macbook Pro also a 15.4" laptop? I don't even understand why you're comparing the two. Most 15"ers with dedicated graphics should be more powerful. What you're getting with the Z is the most power per pound (as far as I know, only the LG P300/310 and the Benq X31 beat the Z in that respect) and is mostly for people who value portability.

 

I was comparing in terms of price. Macbook itself is priced almost $1000 below the Z, so no point comparing there again. However, one could argue that one shouldn't compare the Z with the Apple at all, as they are targeted towards two different consumers. But, the previous poster asked for GPU comparison, which is what I am posting about.

However, the Macbook has only the 9400 GPU, not the 9600.

 

The lesser MB is a 13"

 

is 9400 > 9300 by a lot?

 

If you go by Nvidia's product page, 9400 is 1.59X faster processing than 9300.

 

If we're comparing the Z to MacBooks, shouldn't the Air be the model to compare with? (matches on weight, screen size, price....)

I like the Air, but I'm worried about it being too sluggish with the 4200rpm drive, & the SSD version is out of my budget. I also really want a 1600x900 screen.

 

The Air doesn't even have a optical drive. (and it's still weight 3 pounds.) I wonder why Apple don't update it with 5400rpm 1.8" hard drive.

The 1.6G Air with 128GB SSD priced at 2299. It's around the same price as 1600x900 Z.

 

man, I'm so torned between the Macbook Pro and the Z now. The macbook pro just got everything right except the weight. The Z got everything right except the power. The price out of my pocket is pretty much the same........ How many here are ditching their Z and getting a Macbook Pro?

The look, Z win hand down in my opinion. Some people my argue this but if the Z has premium carbon lit option, then they will end up not getting anywhere arguing with me.