Sony Vaio Z i5/i7 Official Owners Thread

This guy is considered the most complete source for flash data numbers (but not SSD numbers):

Rob Galbraith DPI: CF/SD Performance Database

 

Still black, but shinier. At certain angles it'll show up. I'm pretty sure the paint rubs off, I've been toying with the idea of spray painting it

 

Thanks for the info bro.

 

Here's a pick by SurferJon: http://forum.notebookreview.com/6286922-post4915.html.

I have never seen pictures of a warn silver palm rest.

 

Thanks for fishing out that post for me, JP$. I didn't realize there was already a pic of it in the thread.

 

Most unfortunate! I was afraid of this (the worn palmrest) as soon as I saw the computer. I bought mine sight unseen. This is very similar to the finish on the TZ. Again, not very good for a $4K computer. Unfortunately I can tell the mouse pad will wear the same way.

My last series Z was much better in this respect, and much more elegant looking in my opinion. Also, the premium carbon is not very good looking. You have to hold it in just the right light to notice any difference. The premium carbon lid in my TZ is much much better looking.

Other than that, except that the screen could be brighter and whiter (not as bright and white as the screen on my VGN-Z590UAB), the computer is awesome. The computer performance for a 3lb machine is unbelievable!

 

I'm not sure exactly if the Silver is anyway affected, because from what I've read on this forum, the complaints are from those that have the black Z's. As someone posted a pic earlier, the black on the palmrest look like it was acid-washed. I believe the owner used Windex to clean the palmrest area, and as a result, affected the color. I too have the Silver, and thus far, appears no wear. I was just curious from other Silver Owners if the silver has been anyway affected by the workmanship.

I don't understand why Sony didn't just use the same Aluminum material on the keyboard for the palmrest. Even if they did, it would still be under 4lbs. And as for pricing, we're all paying premium anyway.

As far as lids are concerns, it would have been nice if Sony offered "Silver Brushed Steel" to match and complement the keyboard (brushed) design.

 

It's interesting. I was asking myself that every question. I own a Z12 CTO and a Z890. My Z890 imo is more elegant and solid looking. The carbon fiber looks more obviously to be of a better quality. What really gets me though is that when I bought a large capacity battery for my 890, it matched the underbelly of the laptop. I bought a large capacity battery for my Z12 and it comes in an ugly matte black and that's the only choice. If this is a premium product then I'd expect niceties like a battery that matched colors.

So I can only conclude that this must not a premium product in the opinion of Sony and will not be supported as such. What I fear is that R&D costs, the cost of SSD's, and the processors are being subsidized by cost cutting i.e. inferior materials in all other areas.

Sony’s not alone though. I like Tumi wallets. They last for years. Went to replace one the other day ands was astonished to find the leather wallets are now priced higher and the wallets at my price point are made of the material used in running shoes. And they don’t make key holders anymore. The cost of rising Asian labor and lower sales volume?


Who knows? But I’m seeing a degradation in quality across the board at price points I’m accustomed to.

 

I think perhaps the palm rest isn't metal because in some countries (credit/cash?) cards can be read via a scanner below the palm rest, and that can't be done if it's metal. IIRC, I saw the squarish scanner symbol on a Z's palm rest before. Although, I have not heard of anyone actually using them.

 

Is there a way to adjust the keyboard backlight brightness?

I'd really like to have it on in complete darkness, but not at its full power. It gets too distracting that way (it's brighter than my screen!).

I notice when it comes on and goes off, it does it gradually.

Some sort of registry hack perhaps? :/ I couldn't find anything after looking through Sony stuff in there.

Edit: Should I even mention that it kb backlight brightness is adjustable on MacBooks? :\

Edit 2: I guess it's even more complicated by the fact I'm more interested in an XP way rather than 7.

 

Uhh, I took a few pictures of my palm rest for a Carbon Fiber finish rubbing off(the palm rest color is the same as the Black lid) back in this thread somewhere, but here's the album:

Yfrog Album

The rubbing off spot has since grown and I've noticed it starting to fade on the right hand side too... Then again, I've got sweatier palms than usual and the weather's kind of hot in SoCal >.<

edit: sorry i posted this as soon as i saw your comment, but to assuage geee's comment, mine was entirely from use, not from an eraser as in SurferJon's case. And I don't remember reading up on anyone with problems with a Silver palm rest in this thread.

 

Hey all,

I just jumped ship from an HP dv6t Select Edition due to temperature and build quality issues. I'm now looking at a 13" laptop, since I also felt that the 15" was too big.

I'm deciding between this, the HP Envy 13, and the Macbook Pro 13". But the Envy and MB don't have the performance I need to run AutoCad, and the Sony Z-series is too pricy.

I'm stuck with no other options. So while I wait for a promotion, I'll just be hanging out with you guys now

Does anyone know any current or upcoming promotions (I'm a college student)?

 

What is dumb is that this palmrest wear shouldn't be any surprise to Sony, as the older TZ finish and mouse pad finish are similar. My first TZ got shiny relatively quickly. For second TZ, I was more careful, but eventually, you can help it.

The Aluminum palmrest of my VGN-Z590 is much more durable and more elegant looking.

 

Check out this: (ExpressCard SSD drives)

Notebookcheck: Review Verbatim SSD ExpressCard 32 GB

 

Well, i hope you can eventually get a Z, but if you're after CPU+GPU performance but would rather not pay the premium of a Z in a 13" chassis, have you considered, the soon to be, but not yet released, Acer Timeline 3820tg? should have the i5/i7 processor of the Z, a better graphics card, but comes with HDD, which will be cheaper, if not, have you thought of getting a HDD Vaio Z vs. a SSD Vaio Z?

 

@lovelaptops:

I love you man

Do all the VPC-Z comes with the Sony Noise Canceling headphones?

Please confirm

 

As far as I know, yes.

 

In the U.S. anyway. I think Europeans are paying extra for them.

 

is it a really cool gadget?

What is your experiences, I sit in Cafes most of the time, will putting it on knock off the noise w/o playing audio through it?

Your experiments are my source of knowledge, be generous.

Will

 

Hey gang,
I've asked this before, but wanted to check one more time if anyone has any ideas on how to assign shortcut key strokes to Play/Pause???? I use my Z to listen to podcasts, etc, but often suddenly need to pause and find that my login screen has come up. The volume up/down via Fn still work, but it would be real handy to be able to pause playback through the keyboard, without having to mouse through. Any ideas?

 

hi, i better ask here
Hey guys, i have a little question to those who own the metal mosaic z12:
The whole displaycover is made out of metal, right? magnesium?/carbon?
The botten is plastic? right?
And most important: What about the area around the keys - the chassis, also metal? Which metal?
Thanks alot

 

I'm also looking for build quality, and the Acer just doesn't live up to my expectations. I guess you can't have everything.

Does anyone know how much of a difference the metal mosaic casing is compared to the regular plastic in terms of flex? And do all models come with an aluminum chassis?

Unfortunately, I don't think the U.S. offers an HDD Vaio Z.

 

I think the noise canceling headphones are a cool gadget. A nice addition to the total package. There is software on the Z that allows you to change the amount of noise cancelation taking place, so you could put the earphones in your ears and slide the slider to full and you'd hear a light white noise that would drown out other sound. They work best with consistent noise though, like a fan or airplane engine. Cafe noises may not be canceled out as well.

I don't own the metal mosaic, but I believe the metal mosaic lid is still made out of carbon fiber. I think the bottom is plastic (it feels like plastic), but I've heard someone say it is also carbon. The chassis (area around the keys) itself is metal--aluminum. It feels very sturdy and offers no flex.

The build quality on the Z is excellent. The palm rest wear is unfortunate, but is avoidable with precautions. No you can't take out the solid state drive, if what you mean is take it out and replace it with another drive like an Intel. The heat management on the Z is quite impressive for a computer its size.

 

I thought the metal mosaic lid had etchings in it, which as far as I know is only possible with metal. I could be wrong.

Isn't the chassis aluminium even if you order silver, black, or carbon fiber?

 

To owners out there, exactly how loud are the fans under full load?
I've heard the fans make a high pitched whine.
I hope reports are wrong.
Do they get loud when gaming too?

 

I don't know any air-cooled computer that remain silent under full load, of course the fan gets loud under full load.
Who cares of the fan noise when playing under full load ?
If so, just use a desktop and watercooling...

Anyway, some people made that fan noise a big point, IMO it is not.

 

In Stamina mode the fan noise is fine. Just a slightly noticeable.

Under full load it does produce quite a bit of sound. I don't care however.

 

My Z11 with i5/520m and ssd is running smoothly, the fan is no problem at all. It is to be heard during rendering fullHD-videos with cpu-utilization up to almost 100 down to 40% depending on the usage of gpu by different software I'm testing. Sound frequency of the fan's noise is rather low, my room is only 20 sqm. During normal work without external display on hdmi no fan noise at all. With ext. display low noise. Excellent notebook, although the uplift on the price for that light weight and the outstanding display is a lot, but there is no competition, Vaio Z-Series is uniqe in the market. I don't regret my decision.

 

Regarding the high-pitched whine, it depends on the person. Only a few have found it annoying, the rest of us(who keep silent) find it fine. The fan does get loud while gaming and there is a TON of hot air coming out of the left side of the laptop, but would you rather the fan keep silent and allow the components to heat up really badly? At most, the underside of the laptop gets mildly warm even after a few hours of gaming. Also, if you're playing games, use the included noise cancelling earbuds, that way, you wont hear the fan at all =p

 

thanks for the info, the most important thing is that the chassis around the keys is metal. i will soon have one with metal mosaic -> maybe i can give some more details, bye

 

I just received my i7 Z today and am extremely impressed by the speed so far. However, I am having some screen resolution issues. I did not get the upgraded screen so I have the 1600x900. My issues are that icons on ym desktop looked extremely pixelated, and more importantly, the font on the web is extremely hard and difficult to see my email, this forum, etc.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Try checking the DPI settings and see what it's set at.

 

Right click on the desktop background, select screen resolution and check that it is set to 1600x900

 

Not in Norway. We don't have it there unfortanly

 

That is AWFUL. Sony needs to do a recall on this immeadiately or provide some sort of compensation. So is it okayto presume this is only happening to Black Z's and not Silver, since nobody has yet posted a complaint of any Silver Z's being affected the same way?

 

Could have not said it better.

 

^pretty much. Under normal conditions - word processing, web surfing, etc it is very quiet. It is, in fact, quieter than my macbook and dell latitude something (work) and my thinkpad t400. I wonder if the people who find there to be an incessant whine got faulty fans.

 

I have a question about the build quality. Is there a difference in screen flex between the metal mosaic and the carbon fiber? (And other than the metal, they're all carbon fiber right, not plastic?)

 

In pictures I see the palm rest area is covered in stickers(4 I think) do you people take them off? They look really dumb with them on
Do they just peel off and do they leave a sticky residue?
If so what do you people take off the residue?
Using some sort of cleaner or solvent on a brand new and very expensive laptop seems dangerous and might ruin it, what did you people do to get them off without jeopardizing it's fantastic finish?

 

Peel it off, lifting it with your fingernail, so it doesn't scratch.
Use the sticker itself to remove the remaining residue.

 

The stickers are durable, hence they're not going to come off in little bits. Just make sure to go slow and give the adhesive time to loosen.

 

If you need to get under the stickers, use floss or maybe the end of those little plastic post-it stickers. And to remove the adhesive that's left behind, you can use the sticker itself to remove the leftover adhesive. DON'T take an eraser to it or use windex.

 

has anyone tried this:



Wrapsol | strongest, easiest and fastest-to-apply protection for Sony Vaio Z Series



You are about to purchase Wrapsol - the world's strongest, clearest and greenest scratch-proof protection system for the Vaio Z. Durable, transparent and astonishingly thin, it provides scratch-proof protection from keys, sand, concrete mishaps, and other daily wear and tear without adding bulk or changing the looks of your device.

Wrapsol utilizes a proprietary matte finish body film that eliminates smudges and fingerprints while at the same time enhancing grip. You will now have freedom from clunky cases.

Your Wrapsol comes with a lifetime replacement warranty, in recycled, reusable and 100% recyclable packaging, with everything you need for an easy application:
> precision custom-cut film for your Vaio Z
> soft, reusable, lint-free microfiber towelette
> mister with application solution
> non-marking, flexible squeegee
> the easiest-to-follow instructions in the industry

Don’t forget that Wrapsol original scratch protection systems and screen protectors are available for many other digital devices including the iPod scratch-proof protection system, MacBook scratch-proof protection system, and more.

 

I have had my Z12 for about 2 weeks and suddenly today this problem has come up. Anybody know the real solution to this?

 

This is a shot in the dark, but maybe you might look into it? I have been having a problem with Vaio Power Management. In traditional Sony Technical Support style, they sent me a solution that has absolutely nothing to do with the problem I described, but it might help you guys who are getting your wifi shut off:

View Document

The problem described has to do with the network card not working after waking from sleep or hibernation, but I suppose it could be related to your issue.

 

Hi

I just buy VPCZ1290X, and I want to know what size of SSD can I install to it.

The one I order with customized is 128GB (64GBx2) Solid State Drive with RAID 0 Technology, which is not enough for me.

and can I install two SSD?, any suggestions

Thanks

 

Not exactly sure but I think it only takes 1.8" SSD.

 

and how can I make sure, I google but nothing appears.

 

I would do some searches in this forum--even this thread--as this has been discussed at length (check out the FAQ on the first page of this thread). It is a proprietary SSD built by Samsung or Toshiba and cannot be swapped with a standard 2.5" drive. If you want to increase your capacity, you have a few options, such as replacing the DVD drive with a traditional HDD. Or you could buy an external hard drive and an esata expresscard adapter.

 

I went to Sonystyle Store today to look at the Z.

I notice the screen has a narrow band of brightness. If you move up and down, you can see it. Not narrow at normal viewing but move out a little.

I am quite suprised on such a super expensive laptop, the screen quality can be this bad?

The Z is way overpriced and Sony need to come down in pricing. A few manuf has started to adopt/copy Sony chicklet keyboard.