Sony Vaio Z i5/i7 Official Owners Thread

I am also interested in the ram issue, I have 4GB of DDR3 but I am looking at buying an 8GB kit from crucial.

There are two options:
Part #: CT1265081 • DDR3 PC3-10600 • CL=9 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR3-1333 • 1.5V • 512Meg x 64
Part #: CT1265089 • DDR3 PC3-8500 • CL=7 • Unbuffered • NON-ECC • DDR3-1066 • 1.5V • 512Meg x 64

The first one has faster clock speed but higher latency, the second one is just about identical to what ships from Sony.

Which will be faster?

Right now my WEI is 5.9 based on lowest score, which is memory.

 

fwiw,

I have 8GB and I get 6.8 for RAM.
I have 256GB SSD and get 7.5 for HD
This is on a Z11.

 

The WEI score also depends on the amount of RAM, 4GB gets a lower score than 8. Here's a thread with some discussion: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/471079-vaio-z-memory-speed-diff-i5-520-i5-540-i7-620-a.html

I vaguely remember someone posting a more official MS link on how the WEI for memory works, but I can't find it at the moment...

 

I did miss a point in my recent posts:
As an European I'm totally used to the GSM standard (SIM cards) instead of the CDMA opponent (e.g. Verizon). The CDMA standard has been designed by Qualcomm (Gobi card manufacturer). In the USA the CDMA standard seems to be widely spread. So, if there was no need for a SIM card slot because the CDMA standard won't need such a SIM card, that would be an explanation to the missing slot in some models (US bound) as TigerBone argued.

GPS or not?

1. The Gobi card inside the Z is always *able* to use GPS.

2. The european Z with WWAN card (Gobi 2000) and SIM card slot has no GPS *switched on* coming right from the stock.

3. You can get the GPS working by deinstalling the Gobi card drivers in the first place and then change the GPS activation in the following file (before reinstalling the card drivers):

Factory setting is "GPS=0" = off. To get GPS working, set it to "GPS=1" and install again.

Content of

C:\Windows\Drivers\EXE\WWAN Driver\WWAN_setup.bat

_____

cd SBA_GOBI2000_PACKAGE_OEM1171_Sony_120409
setup.exe SS=0 WIN7DRIVER=1 GPS=0 DEFAULTIMAGE=0 /q
cd..
md c:\Programdata\Wwan\Driver\
copy Version.txt c:\Programdata\WWan\Driver\
_____​

I didn't try that yet, but there are several posts about that subject, wherefrom my "wisdom" comes

 

The amount of ram has not such a great impact on speed in my opinion. - At least with over 4 GB and "normal" use.
If the bus clock rate of the Z is limited to 1066 MHz you have no advantage of the 1333 MHz clocked ram because it will reduce its rate down.
And just forget about WEI. - There are better tools in the wild to feel happy.

Here is a screenshot of my WEI "findings":

 

This makes sense as to why my Japanese built Z12 might have came with the SIM card slot. Either way i love having the flexibility of using GSM or CDMA . As for the WEI everything is similar to yours but I'm only getting 7.2 on my 256GB SSD wondering how comes?

 

Actually, I just took another look, and there is a slot there, except there's a little plastic band over the opening. I'm not sure if it's removable though... Sorry for the misinformation >.<

picture is attached:

 

For the CDMA/GSM thing: Lucky you

Thoughts on your WEI:
My SSD (european Z) is composed of 4x64GB Samsung drives (256GB).
Is yours made up of 2x128GB causing the result in WEI?
Maybe your SSD has no space left (slowing down wear leveling, garbage collection) and/or the used NAND chips are from Toshiba instead of Samsung and performing slower. - Who knows?

I first had a WEI of 7.9 for the SSD. This dropped down after I installed the latest Intel RST driver.
Tip: To get more performance I did activate the Write-Back-Cache in the preferences of the RST tool which worked for me.

 

In fact it is probably 2x128GB but i noticed someone earlier with the 12GB model which i believed to be 2x64 had a slightly higher score than I, so I'm leaning towards the Toshiba chips being slower either way I'm still happy

 

Can you try to remove the plastic so we can know for sure if it does have it. Because the picture actually looks like a dummy SIM card that's inserted i guess to keep dust out

 

You can easily find out about your ssd's composition (2x128 <=> 4x64GB) and the manufacturer/model of your NANDs in the Intel Rapid Storage Technology Tool.

 

I have had my Z12 for a couple of days now. I briefly had an older Z (before the VPCZ1 model was introduced) a year ago and decided to wait for the refresh. I have a couple of questions:

1. I have the i7/620 model. How does one go about activating the Turbo Boost - or is it automatic, sort of like CPU throttling?

2. The three special buttons are "assist," "vaio" and the arrange windows button. The latter is the only one that seems to be configurable through VAIO control center - is there some way I can change the VAIO button to do something other than toggle the Mute? The manual says that this button either Mutes the sound or launches the "Media Gallery" depending on the model.

Thanks, and apologies if these questions have been answered before.

 

It is automatic

 

Does anyone know for sure if the bus speed is limited to 1066Mhz?
If it can run at 1333Mhz I would certainly be interested in trying the 1333Mhz chips from crucial.

 

1.Turbo Boost with Hyper-Threading works automatically

Increasing Performance with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology​

2. I have no information wether, and if, how you could use the other buttons for your purposes. - Maybe there are others who know about.

 

Intel's i7/i5 can not take advantage of 1333 MHz ram.

Take a look here (Section "Memory Specifications" => Memory Types):

Intel® Core? i7-620M Processor (4M Cache, 2.66 GHz) with SPEC Code(s) SLBPD, SLBPE, SLBTQ

Intel® Core? i5-540M Processor (3M Cache, 2.53 GHz) with SPEC Code(s) SLBPF, SLBPG, SLBTV​

So, you would only burn some cash

 

Cool thanks, the price is the same for the 1333Mhz chips but the latency is higher... so what would happen is that they would be clocked down and have higher latency than the 1066Mhz chips, result would be slower overall performance.

I am surprised that the i7 doesn't take advantage of 1333Mhz RAM, seems like it would since it is the newest latest greatest thing.

 

Well, i dont have the Gobi card which means it's just an empty slot. The plastic is actually a plastic cover(like the cover on a VHS player that rebounds back after the tape is inserted). There was discussion before on this thread if it was possible to install an aftermarket Gobi Chip into the Z that didnt have it.

About the RAM, I think the Z119 CTO's came with 1333 mhz RAM. At least mines did =p. The model # on my chip is M471B52738H1-CH9, it's a Samsung chip made in Korea.

 

You are right with the latency.

Maybe it makes no sense for Intel to speed things up on a mobile platform with a higher speed regarding the power consumption and the heat developing.

 

The i7-700 M and i7-800 M families have a quadcore and their ram speed is 1066 or 1333 MHz.

Maybe one of the next Zs is being equipped with such a cpu being able to use the faster ram.

 

How long did it take to get assembled?

 

Naturally my $3K laptop won't be the king of performance for long. It should be good enough for another year or two.

 

Can anyone tell me what cursor blinks are? and why does it matter how many there are at startup?

 

I have the same exact model as you, Canuck92, and I only get like one cursor blink before I see the Windows loading screen. Do you get more?

 

My machine won't boot now. In safe mode it gets stuck at classpnp.sys. Any suggestions? How do I get into BIOS mode?

 

Uhh right after the Bios screen, you get a black screen except for a little cursor at the top left of the screen that blinks. Someone said that's the RAID0 array loading or something? But point is, if you havent noticed it, it's not a problem. I think mines blinks like 6-7 times and i never noticed til people started complaining of like 20+ blinks, which is excessive...

 

I will restart my Z in a bit, after i finish my downloads.

 

The Wrapsol product is in fact for the older Z and will not fit on the Z11/Z12 series. I think the best options are to get a DIY kit from bestskinsever or one of the faux-leather protectors on Ebay. That is if you don't want to use the packing/duct/gaffer tape method...

I placed my order from the US and it was built in Japan. I placed the order on the 4th. It entered "production" (i.e. being built) on the 6th (a Friday). It then shipped 5 days later, but 2 of those days were the weekend. This was a VPCZ1290X CTO. The status remained unchanged until the evening of the day it shipped at which point it changed to "Completed." If it stays at Processing for a long time, there may be a problem with supply. I was rather surprised that payment was not cleared until after the machine was built and ready to ship.

 

That screen pops up for less than 1 second for me, i see the cursor thing blink once and then it switches

 

Download the turbo boost widget to see how it increases speed based on load, temp etc etc: Processors &mdash; Intel® Turbo Boost Technology Monitor

Btw turbo boost will activate dynamically and automatically. In speed mode it can jump from 2.67Ghz to 3.33. In stamina it stays at 2.67

 

If you have a new Z12 and it has 3G+sim slot, it doesn't matter where it is bought. Even if you have the US version with Verzizon, you can download Sony's own One click software to unlock it to use ANY carriere you want.
The gobi is a true world card supporting anything from CDMA, HSUPA, HSDPA, 3G etc etc.

 

I guess what i really wanted to know is if the SIM card slot is available on all Z11/Z12 models with or without the Verizon broadband? but picking apart your statement I feel safe to say it is a feature available to the Gobi only models which kind of answers my question.

 

My apologies of this has already been answered but I have been through this and many other threads several times and iterated through different configurations of the "Z" until I am confused as to what I have read and where. I may want to pull the trigger in the next 3 days to catch an offer, hence the desire to not re-read all 600+ pages.

The question: If I buy a Z12 with the HDD option, can I subsequently add the Sony SSDs to give me a 256 Gb SSD with (say) 500Gb internal?

 

guys, I have an issue with the Intel Gadget Monitor, it appears incorrectly as shown in the Snapshot, any Ideas?

I have the Z1290X/X with i7 620M

What do you think the culprit might be?

 

There are two configurations:

HDD: The FPC cable (aka Sata cable) leads from the motherboard to the optical drive area, where the HDD now sits in its caddy.

SSD: The FPC cable leads from the motherboard to the SSD area (not the optical drive area). The optical drive itself is connected in a different manner (from both HDD and SSD).

So the answer is: if you get the HDD, the cable cannot accommodate the Sony SSDs if you buy them later (which also costs a lot). The better option is to get the Sony SSD version, then swap the optical drive out for a HDD caddy.

 

Well, I can add that I have a US vaio z12.
It was advertised as having Verizon and locked to verizon.
First of all verizon doent use sim and second of all its not locked at all.
So basically they say its locked, when its not, just need the right software.
So the gobi is a MAJOR plus for me on the z12.

Connection is impressively strong even compared to a dedicated 3G usb modem.

 

Uninstall, reinstall.

 

I agree with TofuTurkey I would buy the 256ssd while there being offered for $200 and then go to 2nd hard drive or SSD caddy for Sony VAIO Z, Z11, Z12 series,VPC [SONY-2BAY-Z11] - $43.00 : NewmodeUS, Hard Drive Caddys for Notebooks and get the caddy to add a 640gb or 750gb 9.5mm HDD and a slim USB DVD external drive which is what I'll be doing. It looks like they just got more in stock, so i would grab one before they're sold out again.

 

Just rec'd my caddy in the mail I'll let everyone know how it goes!

 

So is the Gobi wireless card available in US Vaio Z12s?

 

The ones with the WWAN ofcourse.
Also, you will need to download oneclick from Sony Europe to "unlock" the little guy. Just a small 30mb download away

 

*Update* Caddy installed and its sweet! reporting full capacity approx. 600gb in windows took me about 20-30 minutes to install took a few pictures while under the hood will upload them later. You'll have to reuse the lower side bracket for the CD-Rom Drive unfortunately only one screw out of the four would work so i used double sided tape on the bottom of the caddy to keep it firm, there's also a screw under the drive tray which i remembered someone mentioning on this forum a while back so it might be a good idea to leave the drive open before shutting down the laptop so you can reach it. the faceplate is beautifully finished and looks as if the factory CD drive is in it. The only way to know it isn't, is by the 3 platter symbol represents HD on it, simply beautiful. Difficulty on a scale of 10 was 7 and you have to be careful with the SATA connection since its not hard wired. Overall I'm very happy i won't have to use the external enclosure anymore for this drive and sure wont be missing the DVD drive. Now i have to pick up and external slim usb drive for the occasional Cd installation

 

Congrats!

And thank you for your update on this operation.
I'm already curious about your pictures.
I'll follow you as soon as possible.

 

Thanks much! I'll be back with the updates on Saturday night

 

Ah, I just realized, that your sig grew a little bit! - Nice

May I ask you, what height your harddisk is? - 9.5 mm?

EDIT:

Forget about my question: I just read the description on newmodeus. - Thanks ...

 

Thanks Tofo - nice and clear, just not the answer I wanted, but at least I know

What I was looking to do was buy a cheaper HDD configuration now and then expand/upgrade it with a spend on SSD later. I'll have to decide whether to buy the HDD and stick there or stump up the extra and go straight for the SSD. It might mean downgrading the bathroom we're trying to buy, but I think I'll use the laptop more than the bathroom.

 

Can any kind person point to the following?

1. A thread/depository for Crystalmark scores showing the various dual and quad raid comparisons? I'm mostly interested in knowing if the massive price jump from the USA 256gb (2x128gb) to the 512gb (4x128gb) is really worth it. And I suppose can you later just add two more of the proprietary 256gb SSDs and upgrade to it? The thread FAQ seems to imply this is possible.

2. Is it possible to reinstall the Adobe software bundle they've been giving away for free (but refuse to supply disks/keys for) if you reformat (without all the other crap they installed)? I could have ordered fresh start but rather wanted elements and acrobat :\

Thanks in advance :]

 

You can extract setup from your recovery disc (which you have to burn yourself):
http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...-extracted-recovery-image-vaio-cs-others.html

 

If you buy the Sony SSD later, you need to buy the FPC cable in addition to the SSDs. It's quite $$. For most purposes, replacing the HDD with an off-the-shelf SSD is good enough...

 

I have now an Intel 1.8" SSD in my VPCZ122GX without removing the optical drive.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/511578-intel-1-8-ssd-install-vaio-vpc-z122gx-without-removing-optical-drive.html#post6618682

If you have Samsung SSD's you don't really need Intel SSD's but the Toshiba SSD's are just not really good (but for the most part still better than normal HDD's).