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

hello guys, I've been noticing that when the display is off and then I just turn it on, the nvidia driver sometimes stops and recovers. "Nvidia driver stopped responding and has recovered" Anyone solved this? Thanks, by the way, my driver version is 190.24

 

Hi,

Could anybody (using a 1600x900 screen) upload an original registry file of the folder :
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Sony Corporation\VAIO Event Service\Settings\VESAutoDimmer

It is related to the levels of screen brightness when changing them using keyboard controls.
I changed them but did not backup the original values before

Thank you!

 

I got that crap all the time with those drivers. I don't use them anymore. I have the BIOS hack and my own modded nVidia drivers, everything is perfect now.

See attached file

 

Thank you, but I forgot to say I wanted one from a 1600x900 screen Z...

 

I dont have the original... but i do have a modified one i can upload if you want...

 

Thank you but I want to revert to the default settings

 

Here you go!

 

Thank you very much slpro!

 

Is hacking the BIOS advantageous? Can you please teach me how to? What will happen to the laptop if I hack it?

 

see this thread here

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/473226-insyde-hacking-new-vaio-z-advanced-menu-bios.html

If you don't want to dump and patch the rom yourself you can download my dump/patch on my website Computer Cowboy

Is it advantageous? Yes... if you want to run the latest nVidia/Intel drivers, if you want full hardware virtualization, or if you want to break the SSD array so that you can install an OS that requires ACHI. There are all sorts of great and horrible things you can do to your Z with the hacked BIOS.

As always use at your own risk, results not guaranteed blah blah, fear mongering.

 

I seem to remember when I first setup my new D Link Router (I have a 655 at home and an 855 at work), and finally got a "n" connection, it was at 300Mbps, but ever since my max has only been at 130Mbps... is this right? I remember reading on this site that the security protocol was how I was able to get the "n" connection instead of the "g" which is all I could get out of the box.

 

Hey all, I accidentally dropped a pile of books (I'd say roughly 3 kg worth of books) on my Z. My Z is encased in one of the Macbook Pro sleeves, but it's a soft sleeve so it doesn't offer too much protection.

The screen has so far showed no damage. Prior to the drop I had a Capdase screenguard, a keyboard protector, and a microfibre cloth stuck inbetween the Z closed.

I wonder if this would put my Z's in danger of dead pixels in the future? Will the Z's screen break or crack more easily?

 

its designed to flex a good deal but i cant say for sure if it made to withstand a dent to the surface (while being pressed against keys?)

kind of depends how those books hit it. if it fell relatively flat to spread the weight distrubution is better than if some of the edges of those book connected with your Z in a small are.

 

You should be using WPA2 as the security type, WPA or WEP will most likely limit the speed of the connection to less than 300Mbps.

 

Found the answer to the question I was going to ask?

 

Hello Guys, I need your opinion in an important issue:

My Z1290 came with 128GB SSD, and ever since I got it I blame the $hit out of me for not ordering the 256GB, I opted for the Modus Caddy with a 500GB WD drive, but I'm still not happy.

Anyways, I ordered a refurbished one for my dad with the 256GB, and coming here to you to ask if the swap is going to be doable or not, its a vpcz12, and mine is Z1290, so basically, I think that the sata cable is the same between the 2 models which are both Z12xxxxxxx.

If its doable, then how should I go about imaging the SSDs to external media (HDD) for the swap, I'll have to do this process for the 2 Zs, but should I break the Raid?

Just need some bright thoughts to get this nasty job done.

Will

 

better to just buy another ssd and place in the caddy. Also your 128GB is prob 2x64GB both physically and logically and your dad's 256GB is probably 2x128GB both physically and logically. This is not good because even if you swap, you'll have 2 drives a 128GB and a 64GB and you can't RAID two drives of different sizes... (if the 256GB was a european/asian model then it'd be 4 64GB drives logically and 2 128GB physically then you could configure both Z's to my 192GB drives). OR, you can just run them as 2 separate drives, a 64GB and a 128GB.

To copy things over, you can just clone the original drive, then just clone it over to your new drives (as long as the new drive can hold the size of the clone)

 

Huh?!?!?

I'm sure when Willy330Ci said that he intend to swap the drives, he meant taking all the 256GB SSD from his dad's VAIO Z notebook, put them into his VAIO Z notebook, while taking all the 128GB SSD from his VAIO Z notebook & put it into his dad's VAIO Z notebook. No?

I'm confusing above but should be the following:

Willy330Ci's VAIO Z notebook --> 128GB SSD --> Willy330Ci dad's VAIO Z notebook
Willy330Ci's VAIO Z notebook <-- 256GB SSD <-- Willy330Ci dad's VAIO Z notebook

If that's the case, I would think that it can be done since it is a straight forward swap. Or maybe I read Willy330Ci's post wrongly.

 

@Achusaysblessyou, You got it all mixed up, and YES, as SPEEDwithJJ said, that was the logical idea that I wanted to do, so Dad is getting my 128GB, and I will enjoy his 256GB.

Notes Regarding the Caddy, and why I would WALK, from buying a 2.5" SSD that can go into it. Well, It simply adds (WEIGHT), and of course more Power Consumption, Well, the Z wouldn't be a Z if the weight is not tuned correctly, I guess that mine has increased like 450 gm -dunno what would that be in lbs- or so, which is really a lot.

Anyways, I'm glad now that my swap job is going to be okay.

Edit:

OOOops, forgot to ASK about the RAID-0, since its somehow laying in the BIOS/Mobo, shouldn't I break it, and recreate it after installing the 256 SSD on mine, and also on dad's Z?

Last one question - I know I'm needy - If I SHOULD break the RAID-0, are there any performance optimizations to do prior or after this whole process, Like FULL Wipe, or Erase? I think some guys talked about this issue like 6 months back, but can't remember anything, or even the name of the sw that was used to do this, or even is it good, or in-vain.

SPEEDwithJJ, please don't get confused mate,

 

It's a relatively flat fall. Plus, my Z was inside a laptop case, though it's not a very strong one. Should I still be concerned about this?

@Willy330Ci:

Lol I may not be the first one who asked this but why can't you just swap computers with your dad instead of going through all the mess of screwing and replacing the drives?

 

You just need to swap them. I´ve made that, no need to copy anything.
The most you will need to do is install some drivers related to hardware and activate Windows.
Very simple indeed, i have done this twice...

 

@Brianho1337:

One Word friend, actually much more less than a word:

(i7)

Got it? i7 vs. i5, and yes, its WORTH IT!

@slpro:

Thank you man, that's comforting and assuring that all went well.

 

hi, a new vaio z owner here, z115 HDD version to be precise

i was wondering if anybody uninstalled the sony entertainment platform. will it affect the laptop's performance or functionality if i remove it? thanks

 

Thank you for your reply... So I went into the wireless setup for my D Link, changed it from WPA Personal to WPA2 Personal, and also changed the properties on my Sony Z and changed it too to WPA2 Personal, and then I cannot connect. The encryption type is AES... is there something I am doing wrong? I am still only able to connect at 130Mbps

 

I have been talking with Anh about upgrading the processor in my Z. We have determined that the Z can accept a quad core processor. I am working on sourcing an i7 940XM (quad core extreme edition)

I will post pictures of the install and let you know how it works out.

before all the nay sayers start, Anh is the Solder Jedi that replaced the CoreSolo in my tiny UX with a Core2Duo. I trust him completely when it comes to these things.

I can't wait... my Z with a Quad Core Extreme i7. The Z isn't even slow now but it could always be faster. I haven't talked with him about soldering in a new GPU but I bet that can be done also.

 

ComputerCowboy, that is a very risky move to take. How is the 640M/620M not enough already? It's the 2nd/3rd best dual-core CPU on the planet! Also, I'm sure the quad core will make the battery on the Z scream. Are you using it more as a portable workstation rather than a "laptop"?

 

Why is it risky? Why should I care?
I bought the UX490N brand new a few years ago and the first week I had it I sent it of to Anh to solder in a Core2Duo. It still works 100% perfect to this day. Honestly I mostly use my Z at my desk docked. I do take it out sometimes, this morning I took it out for breakfast and got some work done. I don't think it will mess with the battery that much unless I put it under heavy load. For example the CoreSolo that came in my UX was a 6WATT processor the Core2Duo I had soldered in is a 10WATT processor but the battery life is almost the same, the reason is that the Core2Duo doesn't really suck any more power unless you hammer on it.

My theory is that the Quad Core extreme processor, which can draw up to 20WATTs more than the current one will not draw more if I am just surfing the internet or checking my email. When I have it at my desk and I am doing some video encoding or something like that it will be able to draw as much as it needs. I also don't think heat will be an issue because the current processor doesn't really get that hot and the processor is designed to step the speed down if it gets to hot. That is what happens on my UX, if I use it in say 95 degree weather, it just drops down to 800Mhz.

When I will be hammering on the Quad core processor the computer will be sitting on my desk in my air conditioned office, which may as well be a refrigerator. I have a 12,000 BTU air conditioner in my 14'x 14' office.

Do I need more speed? Is the current CPU enough? Those questions are irrelevant. At the time when I had the UX modded it was the fastest UMPC on the planet. When I do this mod to the Z it will be the fastest ultra portable on the planet. Having the best coolest thing is way more important to me than being cautious.

 

So what is the advantage of a ULV/LV processor over a standard processor if they draw the same power according to your theory?

I suppose you can limit your CPU to like 20% maximum frequency to optimize battery life and still make the CPU usable.

I do look forward to your mods though, so do update us on it

 

Not sure exactly what is wrong, you should be able to use either TKIP or AES, but im pretty sure AES is the default for WPA2, so that should be fine. The first thing I would try is to remove the settings completely from the laptop and then after swapping the settings to WPA2 on the router, make a fresh connection to the router and let the laptop autodetect the encryption type and security settings.

 

im with computercowboy on this one. who wouldnt want a quad core cpu on this already wonderful machine? as long as he takes the TDP into consideration (which he did already) upgrading the cpu should not be an issue. the only risk i can see is voiding the warranty but if the warranty period is over already its all fair game

i also have thoughts about upgrading the cpu once the warranty is over with mine (depending on costs of course) so i also look forward to this. i take it that the cpu in the Z is socketed and not soldered? if so, then upgrading the cpu should be easy as pie

 

I haven't verified physically that it is not soldered. But CPUZ reports that it is a socket. Anh told me that CPUZ reports correctly, I am going to tear down my Z very soon and add the GOBI daughter board plus replace the WiFi and bluetooth. When I do all that I will see if I can pull the CPU out. My warranty is up in June or July. I also plan on getting two Intel SSDs to replace the Toshiba SSDs.

As I stated above, I don't really care about the warranty, my UX was brand new for $2,400 when I had the Core2Duo soldered in.

 

My theory is only that the 620M draws about the same power as the 840QM or the 940XM when it is not doing anything major. Obviously when all 4 Cores are pegged it is going to draw much more power and make much more heat. Obviously ULV/LV processors draw less. The 620M/640M are not ULV, they are just mobile processors. The 620M/640M are 35WATT processors, not exactly low power. The 840QM and 940XM are 45 and 55 WATT respectively. Do they draw that much on idle or low usage like surfing and email? NO, that is the maximum when all the cores are 100% and TurboBoosted. Is that a typical usage scenario when you are out and about running on battery? No!

It isn't even really a theory, I know that my UX with extended battery gets 4 hours of life with Core2Duo, you can't get much more than that with the CoreSolo, maybe 20 minutes. My Z can go for about 6 hours on the extended battery, I wouldn't even care if I only got 4 hours, having a QC Extreme processor in this thing is way to awesome not to do!

I am also having Anh mod my P and my girlfriends P. He is upgrading them to Z550 2Ghz Atom processors. Those mods are essential, the 1.33Ghz Atom in mine is a bit slow.

 

Oh that is going to be sweet!
Keep us posted.

 

I plan to, I am going to take lots of pictures, and probably start a new thread.

 

Yes keep us informed.

 

Dear ComputerCowboy, I don't want to burst your bubble but it is simply impossible. I've done some research on that some months ago. It was rumored the Z13 has PGA sockets but this is BS. Z13's also have soldered CPUs.

a) CPU-Z is not telling the truth at all. I get also a "LGA 1156" socket with my Z11. LGA 1156 is the Desktop Socket for the first-gen Core-i series. VPC-Z11, Z12 and Z13 do have the same BGA1288 motherboards. All CPUs used in those Z's (up to i7-620M (tick), i7-640M (tock)) are available in rBGA1288 packages and are soldered. Reason for that is thinness and lightweight (what we actually love our Z's for, right?). If Sony could just plug the CPU in when assembling, they would not have different motherboards with different CPU options in their parts list.

b) You would certainly grill your stepdown-converters on your motherboard after a short time because they most likely can't handle an almost doubled TDP (35 to 55W). We are not talking about 10W here, its a good 70 Amps going through those parts with a 940XM. Not to mention the Power Adapter (which is the easiest part to replace tho).

c) Even if you could just plug in another CPU, you will see nothing but a black screen of death unless you do some further modifications to the GPU subsystem and BIOS - the Z essentially needs the integrated Intel graphics which intel mobile quads lack. It is certainly not done only by setting statig GPU switching mode in BIOS.

d) Even if you have an A/C in your office, an 940XM would definitely fry your thermal system. When this CPU whoops it up, the thermal capacity of a Z's tiny copper cooler is simply too small. When you get mid-90s °C with a 35W CPU, what do you think a 55W CPU will dissipate? Due to the cooling system being anything but suitable for quads, you will see your precious pimped Z throttling ALL THE TIME.
Just to get an idea of what thermal capacity is needed, have a look on a Lenovo ThinkPad W701 and its particular cooling exhausts. This 4kg beast does have i7-9x0 options and comes with a 230W power brick.

I hope you can believe, there are technical limits and the Z is already almost exhausting possibilities in 32/45nm, there is simply no thermal tolerance for a quad in this case - if there was, Sony would already offer that for sure.

 

You may be right about the soldered BGA aspect, but I don't agree that Sony would have done it just because it can be done. The UX can handle a ULV Core2Duo but Sony only ever put CoreSolo CPUs in that line.

If it is BGA then I guess that a 640M is the top of the stack. I was talking with Anh about a PGA to BGA conversion and he thinks it might work. If the Quad Core is not possible then I will just have him solder in a 640M or get a 640M motherboard, whatever is cheaper. I am pretty sure that the GPU could be upgraded also. I am almost certain that it could take a 335M which is a good bit better than the 330M

 

Source? It is GT215 and GT216 chips. I don't think they are even pin-compatible, NVidia docs should clarify.

 

the look pin compatible from the pictures on the nVidia site, I know that is not very scientific

I can hope and dream of a ridiculously powerful desktop replacement type computer in the Z form factor, doesn't mean it is gonna work out. I can tell you this, I will do every possible upgrade to this machine, until I can take it no further, then I'll get a new toy.

EDIT: here is a PM I just got from Anh

 

And exactly that is what I told you some weeks ago. 640M replacing a 620M is not worth the money and work.

You can anyhow upgrade your WLAN card to a 6300 (see other thread, I posted part-#s) and do impressive SSD upgrades.

 

Hey Cowboy, people are almost forgetting a very important matter, and they wouldn't even admit it, dunno why?

(the Z has been discontinued), this is $hit news, no more Made In Japan Z series? that's like a nightmare to plp like me, and looking at the SA/SB or those bulky MF, is like looking at lots of disappointments, maybe with time we can yet to see new Z series alternative, same tuned Powers, same weight, same design philosophy, etc.

So, I'm totally with you on the Imagination to have it upgraded and kept in possession as much as you can, it really deserve it.

and 1 thing in your post made me chill like iced vodka shot, You talked about a GOBI 2000 board installation, That's like the most thing that has been occupying my mind lately, can this be actually done?

Well the GPS/WWAN antenna needs retrofitting under the LCD bezel, then again, what about the SIM card slot that goes under the battery? its required as well to throw in a 3G SIM card.

Look, its a complex process, let alone finding the correct Firmware, then flashing it, as well as Unlocking it to use with carriers other than Verizon. So hook me up with you on this one PLEASE, let's collaborate together.

Oh My God, if I'm in the US now, I probably would have came to you, and then went about this together. because, IT REALLY DESERVE IT!

Will.

 

I don't want the 6300, I actually have a bluetooth/WiFi combo card that I got in the mail today that I am going to try. I have the Gobi daughter board and the FFC and a GOBI in the mail also. I will need to add one more antenna. I have 3 antennas now, 1BT 2WiFi. The new mini PCIe card that I have on my desk does BT and WiFi with 2 antennas. If the performance is Ok I'll keep that and move the BT antenna over for the GOBI then add one more antenna. If my new WiFi BT card doesn't work out then I'll just have to go antenna crazy, may as well get the 6300 while I'm at it. In that case I would need one more antenna from MIMO and 2 mor for GOBI.

What I really want to know is what is the part number for the Z motherboard with the 640M? It would probably be cheaper and easier to just get the whole board than it would be to source the CPU and pay Anh to reball it and solder it in.

I already ordered the GOBI and the daugter board and the FFC cable. The Daughter board takes a 3G SIM. The firmware changer program is available on my website http://computercowboy.com
the parts for GOBI are these

A1769452A COMPL PWB IFX546(WAN_GY,SY)(S) http://www.sparepartswarehouse.com/Sony,Laptop,Part,A1769452A.aspx
183747811 FLAT CABLE W/CONN http://www.sparepartswarehouse.com/Sony,Laptop,Part,183747811.aspx

I found a cheap GOBI on amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001JIERLA

I am not entirely sure what I am going to do about antennas yet. I don't know the part #'s for the Real WWAN antennas, anyone have any ideas?

 

does anybody use any screen protectors or other non-invisible-shield lid covers/keyboard covers etc on their z? any suggestions? i have sweaty and oily hands and will like to look into minimize cosmetic damage on the z, thanks

 

It would be great to hear from more of your Z owners. At What speed do you connect wirelessly? Are you using WPA or WPA2?

Thanks

 

what speed? im getting 150mbps but im connecting on a dd-wrt wireless repeater bridge which takes half the bandwidth, so i should be able to connect 300mbps no problem. using wpa2 all the time with aes encryption, 2.4ghz only though

are you sure your router can do 300mbps? some wirelessN routers can only do 150mbps

 

Hi,
I have the official 'privacy' screen on my Z & this doubles as a screen protector & avoids priying eyes when using the laptop on the train or in a cafe.
However, I had to take this from my old Z11, as when I ordered my Z12 the privicy screen seems to be discontinued.
So, Im not sure this helps you but maybe you might find this on ebay & if so, it does a good job of protecting the screen,
Good Luck.

 

300 Mbps, WPA2-PSK, AES.

 

Computercowboy, I have the 640M Z and I can help you check out the motherboard part number. Just tell me what software to use, lol.

Oh by the way, do you have any experience on Corsair RAM sticks? I've heard them to be exceptionally performing compared to other RAM brands. Are the stock Samsung RAM sticks comparable to the ones offered by Corsair?

EDIT: Nevermind. I guess I can't fit one of those in my Z since they start at 1333 Mhz (which requires a hacked BIOS IIRC)

 

it you put a 1333Mhz stick in there it will just clock down, no need for a BIOS hack.

I bought 8GB of 1066 from crucial for around $80 recently, performance seems great. WEI score went up from when I had 4GB stock

I don't think you can get the MB part # from software

 

300Mb (802.11n) WPA2/PSK AES encryption. At home in combination with a Draytek 2820n and Mac address Access Control