Sony Vaio Z i5/i7 Official Owners Thread

Looks like my Signature Series will be shipping soon!



Stefan

 

StefanB: Are you from Sweden? If yes, were did you get your z?
Johan

 

Sorry not from Sweden. Live in the US.

Stefan

 

More impressions! Holy Jesus are things small on this display and to think I only have the 1600x900 ..size of ants I tell ya!

I changed it to 105% (weird percent?) but im open to suggestions. Ive been staring at the screen too long to really know anymore. Looks sexy none the less.

Trying to find out if I have dual or quad but Im really not quite sure how those forumers got to the screen.

 

Start Button/All Programs/Intel/Intel Rapid Storage Technology

 

What laptop case is everyone using for their Z?

 

I have the 900 line screen. I have been using it at 100% which seems pretty good except when I put the privacy filter on. In that case I think I might try bumping it up a skosh.

 

Alright, its dual. Im USA buying USA btw. Seems USA is dual with the 256GB.




And here are the bench marks




Speedy little devil. And the Earphones are excellent quality plugged in this computer.

 

Something else I noticed. Ive got my previous laptop next to me side by side my new one. Wow that pic I posted is much bigger on that laptop yet so much clearer on the Z. I need to be careful or I might accidentally start posting huge pics thinking they are small

Another very noticeable difference. The color imo is great. Well, compared to my previous laptop anyways. Just looking at the green on that benchmark from this computer to that one; its so noticeable.


Im still intimidated by how small this laptop is though. Screen, resolution, foot print. Not used to it!

 

Hi, Stefan - that's what I ordered on February 8 but my order status hasn't changed. When did you place your order? Thanks!

Mitchell

 

nutman pointed me to the "Tucano Second Skin for the MacBook Air" for the Z. That seems to be the most snug-fitting sleeve for this computer as it is so small. The regular 13" sleeves are much too large. I picked it up at the local Fry's under the Mac accessory area.

I figure with the sleeve, the computer can go into my regular messenger bags with some extra protection

Unfortunately, Sony just delayed my CTO Z. It was supposed to ship on 3/16, but now they're telling me it won't ship until the end of the month I wonder which component they are running low on.

My configuration is:
- VPCZ1190X-CTO
- i7-620M
- 8GB Ram
- 384GB SSD
- Standard Battery
- Premium Carbon Fiber

 

Placed my order on the 7th of Feb.

Stefan

 

Model Number: VPCZ11FHX/XQ
VAIO® Signature Collection Z Series

made the order march 5th and ships out tomorrow the 19th.

 

Thanks, I'll stop by Fry's and look into that one. Did anyone go with a laptop bag instead of sleeve?

 

Hmm, I didnt see the same problems as others with the fan noise at all. And I didnt see any problems with the volume either. Mines quite sufficiently loud.

Am I the only one that thought the top brightness level could have been brighter? Maybe im just really spoiled with brightness level.

 

This bag will fit perfectly. I use it for my Z and it is fantastic. Brenthaven makes very high quality bags for notebooks. Disregard the price in the link because you can either find it on Amazon or you can request a price match that ebags.com will honor when you show them a competitor's price, as this is what I did. I got mines for around $60.00. Here is the link :

http://www.ebags.com/brenthaven/slim_i_shoulder_case/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=64317

 

More small detail updates. I most definitely see the diagonal lines. Doesnt bother me but there is no doubt about it, they are there.

 

I can't figure it out yet but even though I set brightness levels to max, with the thing plugged in and on speed mode the brightness still varies with the surrounding lighting. On mine at least fan noise is not a problem. I mean come one, playing games and I have yet to hear a laptop that won't increase fan noise, and to me with my Z it's not an alarming degree. Maybe it has to do with keyboard lighting setting. I also think the default setting should be brighter.

 

Could the keyboard backlight and screen brightness control in VAIO Control Center help ? Or is the screen just not that bright ?


http://forum.notebookreview.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46426&d=1267935287

 

Could you please make a picture of the lines?

Could someone please tell me if the HD screen also has the diagonal lines?

edit: you don't have the HD screen.

 

Looking further down to Automatic Brightness Settings I noticed mine was on 49%. I shined a light directly on the laptop and it rose to 100% after I unchecked Adjust Brightness Automatically.

It seems also my MBP has whiter whites, which help it seem brighter. But Color Mode Setting doesn't seem to change anything. Maybe I just don't know enough how to work it. MBP's seem so much easier to work with.

I'll take some pics of each screen.
Edit: Guess my cam compensates; both pics look pretty much the same. But since I adjusted the brightness settings it looks brighter now. No idea how to take screen grabs. That would work better huh?

Seems to run twice as cool as the MBP as far as web surfing goes, really; it's nearly room temperature, at least it feels that way.

 

Ok guys I'm back from my local sony store and guess what I brought back?
A shinny new Z!
model# VPCZ11CGX/X
i5 540
256SSD
premium carbon fiber.
Will post some pics and initial thoughts right after dinner.

 

Cool! Congrats!

 

Oh, hah. Yeah im just an idiot; checked the Vaio Control Center. It was on a Power Saving setting so the maximum brightness was at 58%

Just unchecked it and put it to 100%..it was plenty bright. Youll blind yourself in the dark.


EDIT: I dont know if the lines would show up on camera. It only is visible sometimes like when im moving my head around alot.

 

According to the FedEx tracking number they gave me, the laptop will be at my house tomorrow. Too bad I won't be home until Saturday night, though.

 

I got my laptop yesterday, and it was hard because it was St. Pattys day and I had epic plans, but I finally got to touch and grope my new laptop. Guys, it's so beautiful. But I'm so afraid to touch it with oily hands or anything. My other laptops always got wore down keys and that made me so sick. Will these keys wear out like my 2 cheap, old laptops? Or are these keys special in some way. lol I just want it to always be this beautiful. So, so, beautiful...

I wash my hands once every 15 minutes when I'm on it. Do I have a problem? Should I admit myself now or later? lol

 

Glad to help again. And as for the 1600 x 900 screen resolution, I'm sure once you have used it a bit, you will love it.

 

Hi, YellowFrizbee!

To ask a stupid question, I'm curious. If you try setting the LCD refresh rate to 60 Hz, can you still see the diagonal lines? It would be very interesting if you, or someone else, were able to give this a shot. Thanks a bunch!

Cheers!
Mark

 

Dalana, where did you get it from? I didn't think the Sony shops had any stock in yet?

 

Thanks Ehosey youve helped me ALOT throughout the last couple months. And you are very right. Im already used to it and I cringe at my old screen. I dont even need to use my glasses anymore.

Hmm, thats what the default has it set on when I got it. 60Hz that is. Actually it says 59Hz which is just random, but I can still sometimes see them. They are very thin. Doesnt bother me a bit, and tbh I really have to try hard to see them.

 

How do you guys get those great screenies?

 

I know this has been mentioned before, but can anyone confirm that the premium carbon is really just for looks? ...and does that mean both silver and premium carbon lids are equally rigid?

 

These are screen shots of Flight Simulator on my Z. @SandyRavage and I have been going back and forth on frame rates and such. Hope these are useful.

(Note that I covered some of shot 1, but you can still see the sliders all the way to the right.)

(Shot 3 is the default setting.)

 

Hint PrtScrn on the keyboard?

 

Thanks, from a mac guy.

Any tips on doing an easy back-up?

 

Looks like it shipped! I'll have it tomorrow.

Stefan

 

I have a Z series on order (since early feb) and am wondering what the story is with TRIM now that folks are getting their units. Is TRIM supported? If not, is there an alternative way of handling the issue?

 

Has anybody ordered a shaggymac for their new Z? Is it the same dimensions as the old Z?

12 3/8 X 7 1/2

 

Thanks rmcx for posting these screenshots of FSX.Now i know wat the Nvidia 330m is capable of

 

Hi, YellowFrizbee!

Many thanks for the effort to demonstrate this! All in all, it's been a terrible day for my post accuracy - I even had to head home from work early given the foolishness going on in my brain (a serious migraine didn't help matters). Nonetheless, I truly appreciate your attention and time investment!

Very Best Wishes!
Mark

 

No, 59 Hz isn't random. It's actually 59.94 Hz, which is double the frame rate of NTSC video. If it is set to 60 Hz, every so often a video frame will have to be displayed twice, which is perceived as stuttering.

 

Hi, Folks,

I'm probably just swimming in my delirium, but am I once again mistaken in seeing that it looks like Sony now seemingly has just changed the video RAM configuration of the USA Vaio Zs from 512MB to 1GB?

Sorry again for the goofy posts today, folks, and thanks for putting up with the strangeness.

Regards!
Mark

 

Sorry if I missed it, but when did you place your order? Where do you live?

 

MJFlash,

My order says 1 GB

 

There you go guys:
Model# VPCZ11CGX/X
Specs:
i5-540m
256GB SSD
1600X900 res
Premium carbon fiber

Overview:




Palmrest:


Keyboard:




Thoughts:

• Durability: very durable. I have checked and pressed everywhere and there were no squeaks/flex around the laptop.
• Weight:Light, but not extremely light. definitely lighter than a macbook pro 13.
• Build quality:I would say top-notch. You will feel it when you touch it.
• Keyboard: good key stroke length. responsive and quiet.
• Screen:Colors are above average, I personally think 1600X900 is good enough for a 13.1", FHD will be too small for text to read.
• Fan: Quiet! All I have done till now are all light load task(Web,Install/uninstall softwares,chatting.)The whole laptop feels very cool after 1 hour and half light usage.
• Speaker::Loud enough. Better than speakers in Thinkpads.
• SSD:256GB with 2X128GB in raid ) mode. Benchmarks result's coming.

That's it for now, I will post more findings after I spend some more time with it.

 

Hi, ZoinksS2K,

Gadzooks. OK, I'll just shut up, which I should have stuck to today. Thanks for the info!

Cheers!
Mark

 

In the vaio settings there is a setting for power saver background.

What it does is set the background to all white.
Has anyone used this? How much power savings does it result in?

 

The old Z there was 3 models in US stores, so I would expect the same this time. I am going to call my local store tomorrow, might be making a trip out there tomorrow night

Sorry, I thought you were also the one missing stuff that you had to go to the Sony Site and download it, maybe not. Thanks! Cool, I will stick with Fresh Start when I order one.

 

So is the Carbon Fiber model available at the retail sony stores? Iam close to the Aventura retail location in florida.

 

It is absolutely my pleasure, MJ. Anything else youd like to know, id be happy to try my hardest to find out.

Let me rephrase that; it looks random to those of us who are not very knowledgeable

Thanks for the info. The more you know!