Sony Vaio Z i5/i7 Official Owners Thread

Can anyone answer me this questions?? I will quote my post.... (if you dont know about the japanese vaio z... maybe can you help me with my other questions??

thank you

 

I believe you can not customize the laptop in-store. That could be only done Online. At least that's how its in the USA.

If you get the SSD/Optical Drive one, you can replace the optical drive with HDD/SSD but some people have reported problems (like CPU and power management).

If you chose the HDD/Optical Drive option then you can easily upgrade the HDD to standard 2.5" SSD with no problems.

 

Unless I'm in desperate need of a few additional minutes of battery time, I always go for the better processor.

If the Z has 3 or less SSDs, the optical drive can be replaced without issues. Otherwise the problem is with the CPU going into idle state, hence consuming more power. More info can be found in threads.

Yes, dimension6 is the first to do this (in this thread, somewhere near the start). He has pictures on this.

 

Regarding the difference between the i5-450m and i5-520m, the only difference is that the 520 has AES encryption\decryption and VT-d extension. I don't know exactly what these do, but some programs may benefit from them. Here, courtesy of NBR member bolt.pt: http://forum.notebookreview.com/6361480-post3406.html

 

Anyone have screen flicker issues?

Screen flickers a couple times when windows starts up (after bios, but before windows logo appears). Screen flickers one more time when the user screen with the password box appears.

 

The AES-NI and VT extensions are must haves as far as I'm concerned.

 

Does the plug have a considerable amount of play when plugged into the Z power port or is it a solid, firm fit? Mine feels flexible and has about 1/4 inch jiggle room when pressed from side to side. Hope it's not damaged. Works fine though.

 

Mine does the same.

 

yeah mine is pretty wiggly.

and the flickering is really frustrating... any solutions? hardware or software issue? should i go back to sony style and get it checked out?

 

Mine is way wiggy. If it was any other laptop I'd think it was broken.

 

Hey Guys and Gals!

OK, after stewing for weeks after missing out on that 40% off microsoft store sale I decided to take the plunge, but I don't know for sure if I like the water. Here is my configuration:
----------------------------------------------------
Product: US-VPCZ1290X-LBOM
Component: Standard Capacity Battery
Component: Fresh Start
Component: No Adobe software
Component: 6GB (4GBx1 + 2GBx1) DDR3-SDRAM-1066
Component: No additional Office software
Component: No Mobile Broadband Built-In
Component: No additional AntiVirus Software
Component: CD/DVD Player/Burner
Component: No Engraving
Component: Intel® Core™ i5-540M processor (2.53GHz) with Turbo Boost up to 3.06GHz
Component: 13.1" VAIO Full HD Premium Display (1920x1080) (Reg. price $100.00)
Component: Black
Component: Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64-bit
Component: 128GB (64GBx2) Solid State Drive with RAID 0 Technology
Per Unit Price: $1,907.99
Quantity: 1
Total Price: $1,907.99
Description: VPCZ1290X Configure-to-Order
Ship Method: Standard
Estimated Ship Date: 06/29/2010
Extended Service Plan: 3 Year Express Ship Service Plan with Accidental Damage from Handling Protection [Sony recommends]
Price: $359.99
Subtotal: $2,267.98
Tax:$158.76
Shipping Charges:$0.00
Order Total:$2,426.74
---------------------------------------
My Thoughts:

I don't know if I should have upgraded the memory. In fact, I am a little pissed that they took the 1 dim 4 GB starting option out . But I figured for $150, it was worth it? (Still don't know ). If I went for the standard option I would just be throwing away 2 GB eventually (when I upgrade 1 dim to a 4gb chip) and so I decided to upgrade.

I know some of you have reported that 128 GB is not enough for W7 machine. Again, I am pissed that I could not get the 192 GB option . I don't remember what the remaining space is (if anyone can, please list it) this thread is too long to rediscover it, I read the thread as it grew, and I guess I should have taken notes. However, right now I have a 80 GB drive in my old computer (running xp) and while it can get a little tight, it is not a problem. I usually take a separate 500 GB HD with me on trips and the most this notebook would need to hold is 3 weeks of HD videos and pics along with some Office documents. I figure if I have 80 GB left for that, I will be fine.

Lastly, I don't know if the screen is worth it. Yeah, I know it is free, but the z11 is still available and I can probably get it with the 1 Dimm 4 GB memory and the 192 GB SSD for the same price.

What do you think?

I also have 6 questions, if you can answer 1 or all of them it would be appreciated.

Questions:

1.) If I decide to go with a 1600 x 900 resolution on a 1920 X 1080 display, will the clarity be just good as in a native 1600 x 900 display?

2.) What are the main benefits of having the 1920 X 1080 display? I doubt anyone can use that resolution with a 1:1 font size, so how else does it help you?

3.) Do you think the display is worth losing out on the better priced Z11 options?

4.) Do you think I should have upgraded the memory? Do you think I should have gone less or more.

5.)Do you think that in the end I will regret not getting the 256 mb option (I mean I am taking it in the pants already), and maybe I should call back to upgrade it? Why?

6.) Do you think I could have gotten a better price. All I got was a 10% student discount, but I have heard that you can get more if you buy accessories. Any chance of getting more without doing that?

Any input would be greatly appreciated . Let me know.

Regards,
Mario

 

It will be easier to respond if we were to know what your usage requirements are.

 

you can get 15% back by ordering an extended warranty + 2 accessories(they can be anything, I personally ordered $9 earbuds + a $25 kensington combolock). Then you can cancel the warranty within 30 days. and for the price of $34, i got an extra 5% off(vs. 10% student discount)

 

I think 6GB is more than enough, at least for me as I will be doing very little photoshop or heavy usage on my Vaio Z. For heavy works I have my desktop with 12GB of RAM . So, if you are going to do very heavy photoshop or use softwares which hog memory, you should go with 8GB.

I think you should have taken the 256GB SSD option, not sure if it falls in your budget. But, the SSD in vaio Z cannot be upgraded later on, so its better to get more.

The 1080p display is more crisp and produces better colors (thats what the people tell, who have it). I am still waiting to receive mine with 1080p display

As for the discount, most people including me have got 15% discount on just the purchase of 2 years service plan without any extra accessories.

 

Thanks for the answers. I will be using this laptop mostly for Microsoft office tasks at school, however, this notebook will also go on vacation with me, where it will be asked to play all sorts of media (HD especially) and even edit some HD videos and photos. The video edits will probably be minimal, usually consisting of cuts and cross-fades, but I may want to do a little more if I am on a long plane trip. Mostly, though, any serious video work will be done at home on my s-ips panel and robust machine.

So, I know this computer maybe a little overkill, but saving myself the frustration of a slow machine and having that performance when I need it and time is of the essence (vacation) make it worth it.

Besides from here the step down is all the way down to a dell e6410 (which is a precipitous drop in battery life, weight (almost 2 pounds heavier), and screen). The envy 14 is intriguing, but again it weighs more and who knows about the battery life. So this seemed like the only computer that could do what I wanted:
Be light
Be extremely quick
Have 3+ hours of battery life while watching a video
Have at least a 900 vertical resolution
be able to play and edit HD video

Hopefully that will help answering the questions above. Sorry I did not include that info earlier.

 

^

You can easily do HD edits and play HD movies using the configuration you ordered.

 

There is also the Lenovo T410s which is extremely good except for the one negative of a low contrast, but high res screen. The T410s is 4lbs with 14" screen at 1440 x 900 and it actually exists for sale unlike the HP Envy 14.

 

So you do not think it is worth it to go up to the 256 GB?

Do you think I should have stayed with the 4 GB or do you think the 6GB was worth it?

 

..................................................

 

You should have selected 256GB SSD, as with 128GB you will have around less than 100GB of free space. If thats ok with you and you keep your files in External HDD then 128GB is fine.

I think 6GB will be worth it

 

I seriously considered the t410s but when you look at reviews from similar reviewers, the Z destroys the t410s in battery life and screen. The Z can do 3.5 hours of DVD viewing, while the t410s will only give you 1 hour, 35 minutes. The Z screen scored a 91 on notebook check, while the 410s only got a 72. Those were the two biggest factors (that really dont exist with the Envy 14) that pushed me towards this machine. That is not even considering that the price difference is not that great.

 

From one Floridian to another, thanks Ahsan.

I am going to have to mull things over on the hard drive. It looks like HD video is 12 gb per hour, and I know that by next year, every video I will be taking will be high def. Doing the math, with only 100 GB I can only get @ 7-8 hours of video on my HD, which may be the amount of video I take in 4 days. Couple that with the fact that I can go on up to 3 week vacations, I would need at least 3 times that amount which is prohibitive. Maybe when I go on long trips I will take two smaller external drives (I always back EVERYTHING up) and just use my vaio for a work space. If I do this, there is no need to go up on the HD space.....Hmmmmmm......

 

Not a problem

Well I selected 256GB since I like to keep some music and maybe 2-3 720p/1080p HD movies on the notebook hard drive itself. All my other HD Movies, Shows and Music is stored on two seagate goflex 1TB portable drives.

 

just to clarify, the full hd display is just as crisp as the native 1600x900 display when they are both ran at 1600x900?

 

No, it won't be. It will probably look quite bad actually. Just like any other LCD running in non-native resolution.

If you're running Windows 7, it will be a much better idea to stick to native resolution (i.e. 1920x1080) and increase DPI/font scaling.

That way you will get same size fonts as if it were 1600x900, but they'll be slightly sharper and more well defined.

 

Hi guys, I've been reading your thread for a while now and finally decided to take the plunge. I ordered my Z yesterday (see config below). Although I'm not a power user I plan on using this machine as my laptop and desktop, and planning on keeping it for years to come. I also have a BlackArmor PS110 500GB portable drive to store extra pictures, songs, movies, etc. in case I need some room down the line. I have some questions for you...

1 - How do I know when to operate in speed? Or stamina? Or auto?
(Fyi, I usually multi-task by having a few Excel, Word and Ppt docs open, Hotmail open, surfing the Web and playing some music. I also use YouTube frequently, do some photo editing and sometimes watch movies. In the future I may also use Access. I'm not a gamer or developer but I am on my laptop 13+ hrs/day, with machine usually plugged in.)

2 - I plan on doing some of the initial tweaks that you all have suggested when I first receive the machine (before starting though, I'd like to know what mode to be in, thus my first question). These are the tweaks I plan on making, please let me know if you would add/subtract anything and any tips on performing these (I'm not too techie) Thanks in advance!! -Yvette

• Increase screen brightness to 100% (is that too bright?)
• Change display to 125%? (needed or personal taste?)
• Run Vaio Care? (I read it was worthwhile - is it? How do I do it?)
• Figure out where to increase battery charge from 80 to 100% so I'm fully charged when I leave the house with laptop)
• Delete unnecessary programs
• Install updates (for all software?)
• Create Recovery disk (necessary? or can I rely on partitioned?)

Sony Vaio Z CTO - VPCZ1290X
i5-540M, 8GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, Full HD Display, Blu-ray, Windows 7 Professional, No Fresh Start, No Mobile Broadband, Standard & Extended Battery

 

^

That's a nice configuration you ordered. I also placed my order two days ago and this will be my second Vaio Z (first being the previous generation one). I usually keep my Vaio SZ on Speed mode always but if you are traveling and need battery life I would switch to Stamina.

Now the auto feature of Z is nice which I still have to see how it works, but some other Sony Vaio Z owners can comment on what is the best option (speed, stamina, auto) to operate at.

 

Thanks, Ahsan! (Fellow Floridian.) Yeah, with the auto feature I'd like to know how the system determines your needs.

 

It sounds like you don't need speed mode at all. Those tasks can easily be done using the GMA. The exceptions would be the photo editing or maybe movies. There are some photo editing packages that will CUDA or DC so that can leverage the GT330. You could also use a decoder for movie watching that uses the GT330 but considering the GMA is designed to accelerate up to 1080p, that's not really necessary. So really, I don't think you'll ever need to use speed. If you were a gamer or programmed CUDA then it would be different.

Having said that. Are you sure the Z is the right machine for you. Granted it has that insanely fast RAID SSD setup, but for much less money you can get similar machines with better battery life. The GT330 is a big selling point, but you don't need it.

Oh yeah. You mention that you plan on having it plugged in most of the time. Make sure you turn on the battery saver. The very good way to kill an li-ion battery is to keep it a 100% charge all the time. That's what plugging it in all the time does. Fortunately, Sony and Lenovos, support setting the charge point of the battery. That way you can stop the charge at say 80% saving the battery if it's plugged in all the time. If a laptop doesn't support that. Discharge the battery to say 70%, yank it and put it in the fridge. There's no reason to have the battery in the machine if it's plugged in 24/7.

 

Excellent battery tips! I never knew that. Thank you!

In terms of this machine being right for me, I read lots of laptop reviews and wanted a "best in breed" laptop since it will be my ONLY machine for the next 5-8 years. I wanted it reliable, super fast, light, small...and sexy. Since I hate Mac, this meets all my needs. The only things I foresee needing more of in 5+ years is HD space and possibly a USB 3.0 but I can live with that. It was WAY too expensive but I hate it when I buy an electronic that isn't best of breed at the time and then a few months later I feel like it's a dinosaur. I think this machine will give me warm, fuzzy feelings for years to come...lololol.

 

Except when there's a power outage.

 

Sometimes it may be a good idea to buy a much cheaper laptop that suits your needs while not being extremely top end, as this allows you to upgrade it *much* sooner than a laptop you've just invested $2500+ in. Just food for thought.

 

dude if you want to get a small ultraportable laptop that is still really fast just get a Thinkpad x200, its way better then a Z if you dont want to play games. You can get the older ones with core2duo for like 600-700 bux with cashback on ebay. That is still REALLY fast and its 10x better built then any Z. If i didnt play 3d games id never own a Z.

If you want a slightly larger screen and get like Thinkpad T400 with GMA, for also like 600 bux. or dell has lots of good GMA deals, along with like every other manufacturer like ACER which just today released its 13.3 inch Acer Timeline X that powns the living crap out of everything the Z has except screen res and weight for atleast 500 bux less.

The Z is really a laptop for those who want to have the coolest fastest and able to play games laptop of anyone.

like me

 

I thought about power outages! I get them all the time here in Florida so I'd be afraid to have both batteries in the fridge at all times but maybe one should be...

Also, you're probably right about it maybe being too much machine for me but I'm sooooo excited for that mega speed, 1080p, Blu-ray...

 

Maybe I'll have to start playing games to justify the expense. I also wanted something mega light since I'll be traveling with it a great deal as well. I guess there were more options out there, perhaps I should have researched more. I'm not feeling too remorseful though.

 

hahahahaha I also don't play games. The most heavy use I do on my notebooks is PhotoShop/Lightroom while I am on travel or watch HD Movies, but Sony Vaio Z is too sexy to pass

 

I agree!!!

- Yvette

 

Thanks for those images. I got to see the "Black" in person, and your absolutely right with your comments.

Can you post a link to this New Color: Granite. Thanks.

I saw the new Z's and it looks like the same palmrest.

 

Dude, don't buy a used X200 for $600-$700. So not worth it. You can get brand spanking new X201 for $700-$800. Other than getting a warranty, the machine is also twice as fast. It's just as fast as the Z in fact and has better battery life. The X201 weighs half a pound more, you can get the X201s and it'll weight half a pound less than the Z. Well, if they ever start making them again.

To OP of this subthread. 5-8 years is a really long time. As other people have said, you can buy a X201 for less than half the price of a Z. For your uses, you'll never notice the difference. Then with the other half of the money you can upgrade to the latest model in 3 years.

 

Thanks, I appreciate the input. I already ordered the Z though. I don't regret it because it is smaller, lighter, faster, etc. What really made it more $$ was the Blu-ray but I plan on using it frequently (flying coast to coast weekly). Anyway, I do appreciate everyone's input. I'd love some advice from you guys on this:

These are the tweaks I plan on making, please let me know if you would add/subtract anything and any tips on performing these (I'm not too techie) Thanks in advance!! -Yvette

• Increase screen brightness to 100% (is that too bright?)
• Change display to 125%? (needed or personal taste?)
• Run Vaio Care? (I read it was worthwhile - is it? How do I do it?)
• Figure out where to increase battery charge from 80 to 100% so I'm fully charged when I leave the house with laptop)
• Delete unnecessary programs
• Install updates (for all software?)
• Create Recovery disk (necessary? or can I rely on partitioned?)

 

Almost all of that is a matter of personal taste. You should just adjust according to fit. The recovery disks are a must. That's the first thing you should do. I make multiple copies. The partition does you no good if the raid goes bust and you need to reinstall.

Oh yeah, I hope you got the big battery if you're planning to watch movies on the plane or you'll just be watching a movie on the plane. Unless you're siting in biz or 1st class, then nevermind.

 

Thanks, I'll definitely create recovery disks then! I did get the extended battery as well ($$ ouch $$).

 

^

- Create the recovery disks. Make a copy if you want.
- Remove all the bloatware/ unnecessary programs
- Update Windows

and you are all set . Keeping the screen brightness at 100% will just eat up the battery quick. I usually keep mine at 50%-ish and I keep changing it (lower or higher) depending on the surrounding light or eye-comfort level

 

Perfect! Thank you for the advice!!

 

- the brightness you can change at anytime(it's a fn+F5 or fn+F6 command)
- the display is default at 125%, I got the 1600x900 screen and didnt even realize it was default at 125%, i thought it was at 100%, when i changed it... wow things were very small. I cant imagine the 1080p screen(although i really want one =p)
- RE: running vaio care. it's a program you just run, i dont exactly remember what it did...
- Changing the charge maximum of the battery: Vaio Control Center > Power Management > Battery > Advanced Settings, then you'll see 80% charge, 50% charge and then custom(where you set to 100%)
- Yeah delete them >.< like the norton trial, etc.
- Yeah, if you want, you can run vaio update(also a program, although this might give you a unable to find configuration, then you have to go to sony's site, but i'm pretty sure everything's already updated)
- I'd create a recovery just in case. You never know... although some people have called Sony and had themselves sent some "Official" recovery disks when theirs failed to write properly.

Things to add:
- Turn off Window 7's monthly defrag... for some reason it has it on
- Some people advise turning on Intel Rapid Storage Technology(RST)

^ I did those two... but i forgot how to do them >.<. I'm sure the defrag schedule is in windows somewhere, it's posted in this thread somewhere how to do those two things...

 

I'll respond to your questions here instead of in a PM, to help any others who may be asking the same...
As for purchasing the Z in Japan, it can definitely be customized in-store. I have previous experience at Bic Camera (Shinjuku or Yurakucho); just walk to the VAIO Owner Made section of the PC floor, and you can see all the models and prices, which are the same as on the website. You can pay with a foreign credit card, but you will need a delivery address in Japan. They may or may not be willing to deliver to a hotel (if you are staying in a hotel), and it might be very risky if there is a delay in production! You should absolutely go on the first day of your arrival and not order any parts that are not currently in stock, just to be safe. You will probably also need a local telephone number in addition to the local address. I'm not sure if you can pick it up in the store, but I don't think this is possible because all Bic did was input my order into the regular Sonystyle website in the store using a special retailer login (hence, a delivery address was required).

This has been addressed. If the i7 is in stock, I would just go for it, because the upgrade is cheap and after all the battery life is not significantly different. If not, go with the i5-540M.

The optical drive can be replaced under certain circumstances (check the threads). I got the HDD model specifically in order to replace with my Intel X25-M, and it was an easy swap and worked flawlessly ever since. When I received it on the first possible Z11 shipping day, I had no idea if even the HDD could be swapped with a regular 2.5 SATA drive!

 

I'm thinking about getting a Sony Vaio Z and I'm wondering how hard is it to upgrade them? I know that Sony is known for pulling proprietary connector crap on their products, so...

Can I swap out the existing SSDs with larger/faster ones in the future?

Can I add RAM sticks?

 

No, "special" SSD model manufactured by Samsung for Sony

Yes, no problem, taking care only to buy a compatible RAM module.

 

Thank you SO much for your thorough reply!! Greatly appreciated. That's what I had forgotten - turning off the defrag. I'll research the RST too. Thanks again! -Yvette

 

So it uses a proprietary SATA connector? This is so fricking stupid by Sony BTW.