Sony Vaio Z i5/i7 (VPCZ1) Official Owners Thread Part 2

Yeah call it in anytime within 30 days of receiving your laptop. It should be a fairly simple process =p.

 

I would agree with this but would caution that this applies only to "stamina" mode where the discrete GPU is off and the CPU speed is throttled a bit. In speed mode you will hear more noise quickly especially when the unit is under stress - and you wont need to put your ear to it to hear it.

But dont need full speed much then yeah its a pretty quiet unit, with nothing to worry about really. Still do understand that the laptop with this CPU and the SSD is is pretty damn fast - even in stamina mode, its much faster than the 2.5Ghz C2Duo laptop I have at work.

 

Would anyone happen to know if the hardware/cable setup in a Z12 vaio Z can easily be (assuming using drives that fit, propriety or otherwise) be upgraded from a 2xraid 128/256 setup to a 512x4 setup?

I ask as I ordered the 2x setup and based on the Crystalmark scores would potentially like to upgrade in the future. I assume should higher capacity drives eventually become available a 4x256/1tb quad setup might also be a possibility..?

 

Not picking on you friend, but it is funny how often this question is asked : http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/508411-bought-new-z124-please-help-tweaking.html, http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/502619-just-bought-vaio-z128-removing-bloatware.html, http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...should-i-remove-how-optimize-performance.html, http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/499785-what-essential-steps-setting-up-new-z-series-laptop.html, http://forum.notebookreview.com/6416473-post5946.html.

Here's my shot at what I consider essential tweaks. The problem with tweaks is that none of them are really "essential," but rather "preferred." Some will disagree with what I have here. I'll let you take what you need from this list. A big thanks goes to helpful NBR members from Part 1 of this thread, where many of these tweaks were first discussed.

1. Disable auto brightness, as this is an annoying Vaio feature: Control Panel > Vaio Control Center > Display > Automatic Brightness Settings > untick Adjust brightness automatically

2a. Install Intel Rapid Storage Technology 9.6: See this thread for details: http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...g-term-ssd-performance-post-your-results.html.

2b. Turn on the write back cache in the RST control console (WARNING: increases SSD speed but at the increased risk of data loss): http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...erformance-post-your-results.html#post6043043.

3a. Create your own custom power plan: Control Panel > Power Options > Create a power plan.

3b. Customize your power plan by clicking on "Change advanced power settings" at the bottom of the "Change settings for the plan" screen. I would go through each one of the Advanced Settings trees and select what is appropriate for you. Personally, I recommend you turn OFF Allow Wake Timers and turn off hibernation except for when you're at critical battery levels. Wake timers can cause the Z to wake up in a backpack (that's happened to users) and hibernation (imho) creates unnecessary writes to the SSD. Also be sure to click on VAIO Power Management which is a tab in these advanced settings. Here you can set the refresh rate and color quality to drop when you're on battery. That will help you prolong battery life. Turning off the CD/DVD/BD drive is also an option available here. These are the primary tweaks (besides brightness control) that will help you get the best battery life.

4. Disable the Defrag schedule (unnecessary and at worst bad for SSDs): Go to the Run line and type "Task Scheduler." Open it up and expand the Task Scheduler Library, then click on the Microsoft folder, then click on Defrag, then disable it. (Note that you can also disable this schedule through Vaio Care--if you don't do it in Vaio Care, that program will show the schedule as active, but Windows won't run defrag if you've used the first method described.)

5. There is a foam protector that rests between the keyboard and screen that comes with the Z in the Sony package. Keep it and use it when traveling: The Z screen is designed to flex, but users have noted keyboard indents on the screen if nothing is inserted between the screen and keys. It's not major and the marks can be carefully rubbed out, but a protector might be worth it to some.

6. Take care of your palm rests: The palm rests on black/prem carbon fiber Zs wear out and become discolored. If you want to avoid that, keep your wrists off the palm rest, put sticky notes or tape down when you have extended periods of typing, or check out the solutions of very bright NBR members like ZoinksS2k (I'll let you search for that one ).

That's all I can think of at the moment. If I remember others, I'll come in here and update.

 

check these links:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...pc-z122gx-without-removing-optical-drive.html
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/469244-z11-replace-dvd-hdd-working-solution.html

 

Thankyou very much Rep added

 

Is there any way of an external harddrive working seamlessly with a 128gb ssd Z series...in other words getting the benefits of the ssd with the extra storage of an external drive ( by esata? How? ) and without needing an extra step of dragging and dropping from the ssd to the hd?

 

Not sure what you mean by drag drop from ssd... I use an eSATA expresscard, works pretty well. I install Steam and its games there.

 

for example, i purchase some music from the itunes store, download an application, sync my pictures...how will it know when to save to the ssd or the hard drive without creating an irritating experience. i dont know much about external hdrives by esata as you can see...

 

I think it's application specific, you probably need to specify it once per application, after which it'll know from then on. For instance you can define what the download directory for your browser is, or you can define where the 'My Documents' folder resides. I'm not sure whether iTunes allows for this, but in general I move my non-essential apps onto the external drive (including my music and videos).

 

has anyone tried playing COD4 in your new Z11/Z12 laptop? the game is super laggy! i got the i7, 8GB ram, 256 quad SSD.

i have my old VGN-Z and it plays smooth..

tried testing the specs of the Z11 here Can You Run It and it failed on the GPU.

the old VGN-Z passed! does it mean that the GPU of the old Z (9300GS) vs. the Z11 (GT330M) is way better?

it doesn't make sense to me..

 

Your nvidia wasn't activated

 

Thank you.

A few more questions. If I downgrade to windows Xp pro using the vaio CDs that came with the system, will it do a clean install or will it still save the hidden partition? hidden partion is eating up 50% fo my hd space.

 

what do you mean? i switched to SPEED.. have you tried COD4 on yours?

 

Did anyone install this SATA Registry Update (8/26/2010)?
This utility installs the SATA registry update to resolve an issue where the computer may experience slow performance or freezing (stops responding) when using SSD (Solid State Drive) storage devices.

 

you will still have the hidden partition!

 

Man, I'm so worried, my system 1290X is in top shape as of now, worried that this might have an inverse effect though

Any Ideas?

 

I'm installing it now. I have noticed some lags when I copy large files over the network onto my Z, maybe this will help.

I have no fear of trying software because I find a reason to wipe and clean install Windows once every couple months anyway. Although I find I've been doing that less often with Windows 7. I used to constantly re-install XP.

 

I re-install Windows or upgrade to a newer release only every two years. Maybe you should stop doing what forces you to re-install windows?

If you don't have any problems with your notebook then don't install it. Because it fixes a problem which you don't seem to have and it doesn't improve performance in general.
Keep in mind the issue/fix is only for the factory installed SSD's (Toshiba/Samsung) and not for the additionally installed SSD's.

 

If something gets messed up it is usually easier to reinstall, especially with network boot and Microsoft's server products. You can have Windows 7 and a full suite of apps up and running in an hour with a "no touch" scripted install. It actually saves me time to reinstall if something gets messed up. Why bother trying to figure out what is wrong if you can just wipe it all out and start over?

I just use Business Desktop Deployment
I can set up all the drivers and create specific installs for my various laptops. they can be identified by their MAC address and deployed silently. Why fumble with discs and crap? The main reason I started with this was actually because of my first Sony UX, I had no external DVD or CD drive so network boot was the logical option.

So if you have a windows server, BDD is the way to go.

 

COD4 runs fine on the Z. I have the i5 and it is smooth at native resolution. Maybe try doing a google search? I got lots of hits, but I don't know what your specific problem is.

 

hi JP.. i don't know what's wrong with my Z11 it is really laggy on COD4 and the exhaust vent gets really hot.. i notice at the first few seconds on the game it is kinda smooth but as the game goes on and the fan vent gets too hot.. that is when it becomes laggy and not playable at all...

tried googling my situation but i don't get any answers.. tried upgrading my nvidia driver as well to 189.99 but still didn't help..

paid so much for this laptop..

 

Did you set your thermal strategy to Performance (or at least Balanced)? At Silent it's very laggy.

 

To avoid the problem the next time and stop wasting time?

For business that is fine, but for home where you have dozens of programs installed, all the save games, documents, settings..... sure you can backup data but still you waste time with restoring everything. Anyway, this discussion would fit better in another thread/forum.


@michibahn have your tried other games which are similar demanding on CPU/GPU? Try to find out if the issue is only with COD4 or with other games too. If it is only COD4 maybe re-install it.

 

I'm not much of a gamer but I am bored right now so I am downloading the demo of COD4... I'll run some tests and let you know how it works out. IIRC this game is pretty old... I had it on xbox at least three years ago, seems to me there should be no reason why it would perform badly on the latest and greatest hardware.

 

CoD4 runs just fine, it's impossible for a 9300m to run better than the 330m assuming proper drivers are installed. You obviously have something wrong with your laptop :\

 

I agree... I played it for about 10 minutes @ 1080P and it worked perfectly, no lag or choppy graphics.

 

OMG! COD4 @1080p? that is crazy...

 

@tofu.. ok. was able to pay decently on performance mode on 1024x768 resolution.. but on 1920x1080 it is still laggy

@computercowboy and qwaarjet.. what is your 330m driver? can seem to run decently on 1080p! btw, do you guys have the 1080p screen and set the game resolution to 1080p as well?

@enny02.. yes i tried installing COD world at war too and got the same issue..

 

Hey there iam confused about my new Vaio Z12.
i made a picture of my RAM and Video Card and compared with the Frequency of the Z11 from the notebookcheck test.

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/5741/grafiku.png
http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/7765/ramn.png
http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/5010/notebookcheck.png

seems like my vaio has lower frequencys . i should have 1066mhz ram and 579 gpu core <.<

What about your Vaio Z's is it the same?

 

Sony underclocks for heat/battery life, but you can download an O/C tool like EVGA Precision and o/c back to real defaults or slightly over

 

@michibahn,

Qwaarjet makes a good point. If you haven't overclocked the GPU, COD4 might not run real smooth. It ran a lot better for me after I overclocked the GPU using EVGA Precision. By the way, I couldn't get it to run as smooth as I want at 1080p on my TV via HDMI (I have the 900 screen Z). It runs smoothest for me at 1600x900.

 

Finally pulled the trigger, Z is on the way. I got a 32gb mark 2 memory stick to save my downloads and quick files to inorder to preserve the r/w cycles of the ssd. Problem now is i want to upgrade my external drive. its currently a WD750gb usb 2.0 with transfer speeds of about 35MB/s. My current target is another usb 2.0 but 2TB. I have considered using the express card slot for an eSATA/USB 3.0 but have been unconvinced still. Can any who uses them here share his experience with them? How much faster are they really in the real world, considering the port conversion and all. Im all for aesthetics so id rather have nothing sticking out from the slot. Thanks.

 

Gang:

What the hell is wrong with those cheap Memory Cards being sold off eBay?

32gb SDHC items - Get great deals on Cameras Photo, Electronics items on eBay.com!

There are lots of buyers who actually buy these, yet the Sellers still maintain positive feedbacks.

How come you can buy 32GB SDHC Card for $20, while in actual life those capacities costs like $90 or even more.

Whats more astonishing is that Sony Memory Sticks DUO, that has 32GB Capacity, are sold for like $160 while on eBay they are still there for $19.99?????????????????

My Idea is to buy 32GB SDHC + 32GB MemoryStick DUO = 64GB Total, and use them for storing my files/media/photos to save the precious 128GB SSD.

Any thoughts?

 

hi qwaarjet and JP.. what is the recommended OC values for the GPU?

thanks and appreciate all your help!

 

What's the maximum temperature reached by the GPU? If it's around 70-ish, then the bottleneck is elsewhere. When the GPU is exercised, it gets around 85-90. You can use Harware Monitor to get the maximum value.

 

I have attached a screen snip of my driver. Yes I have the 1080P screen although at the time I was using HDMI out. I specifically set 1080P resolution in the game, I played on my Sony BRAVIA KDL-40EX400 TV which is what I use for my computer monitor. I imagine it would work just as well on the built in 1080P screen but I have not tried it.

It definitely heated up the computer and made the fan run at max speed, but it maintained smooth performance for 10-15 minutes until I got bored. I played the demo game... I did not go online, I'm not even sure if you can do that with the demo.

 

actual life, lol!

I have no idea myself! I once bought a cheap 1gb memory stick for my phone a few years back, not only could i only use less than half the stipulated size without getting my data corrupt, transfers were terribly slow. Then again, i bought another, even cheaper, 2gb stick much later as a temporary solution to some storage problem i was having. It was really 2gb(a little more than if i may add) and was FAST!!! Its a hit and miss with these generic cards but i wasnt about to gamble this time around. Im leaving the SD slot vacant for when i need to phone business. No one uses them expresscard things here?

 

@soujisama:
"Im leaving the SD slot vacant"

Better of, is to place a Dummy SD card and a Dummy MemoryStick to keep dust out, I used the Dummy MemoryStick that came with the vaio TZ, now I'm feeling SAFE! Duh!!! No seriously, its better to do this if you take the laptop and sit in outside places like cafes...

 

How fast is the transfer rate for memory stick pro duo? Why would someone pop in a memory card when you have ssd ??

 

We are not talking about Speed, we are already Super FAST, but this comes with a price though......Less Capacity!

Some like me are looking onto solutions to tackle this dilemma!

That's all

 

@Willy330Ci oh, that, id leave my microsd adaptor in there
@looking4pftnb the cards do 30MB/s. decent enough for regular activity

I looked around the previous thread, some have tried the expresscard thing ... pretty decent speeds at about 150MB/s thats about 3 times faster than what i have now. But for some reason, im still not convinced. Probably has to do with the Lacie Starck usb 2.0 drive ive been meaning to get

 

I think it gives you the choice to keep or remove the hidden recovery partition.

 

hi tofu.. after OC'ing the GPU I'm now getting 80-90ish in temp.. the game is now playable @1600x900 but still minimal lag on 1080p.. i guess this is really how it goes..

 

Perfect thread for you I think: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/513653-esata-vpc-z-s-y-series-esata-expresscard-review.html.

I have an expresscard eSata adapter. But I am only getting transfer rates of around 20MB/s I think. Maybe not such a good investment after all.

 

What OC did you end up using? I set the core speed to 620-630 and the memory to 820-830 and am usually satisfied with performance.

 

Got the dreaded black screen again today. Survives reboot. I have to switch over to the nividia gpu to get it to boot. Then I can switch back to the intel.

Any idea of what causes this?

 

thanks for the response. I guess you want to save your SSD space since raid 0 doesn't support TRIM and filled SSD will be slow, right? sorry if this question is newbie..

 

spot on! all files with delete tendencies go card. more permanent stuff on ssd. large stuff on my lacie brick.

@JP$ Thanks for that link mate, reading now!

 

i used EVGA.. will try your settings and check the results. thanks!