Sony Vaio Z i5/i7 Official Owners Thread

Sony VAIO VPCZ126GG - Sonystyle.com.hk

Sony Z126GG released in Hong Kong. It replaces the Z116GG. Their specs are identical.

 

i hope HK will release 128GG in replacement to the 117GG..

 

Life would be easier if we all spoke and wrote American

 

Now that they have accepted my payment I have a more precise ship date. It is expected to ship between May 25th and June 1st. We'll see.

 

I am guessing this wil be the case. The 127GG is a bit lower specced than the 117GG. The only differences that I noticed is that the 128GG will have a glossy premium lid and a Blue Ray ROM drive. I am satisfied with my 117GG and the BD burner which I will be installing in a few days.

 

Cool, that's not bad at all. I ordered mine at the end of April and I won't see mine until late next week (hopefully).

 

Spelling it as aluminium is not wrong.

International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry > Periodic Table of the Elements

 

Is it with an i7 CPU? I really thinks that's what delays your baby.

 

No that's the thing...it's an i5.

 

Really? Is it an HDD then? Anyway the VAIO Z is so popular than recently it seems than half the options are out-of-stock...

For instance it's kind of fun to see conics.net's Z web page, there is access to all of the Japanese configuration options and you can see that most options are either delayed or with the mention "Sony says out of stock"

It looks like Sony sort of made the notebook everybody wants.

 

Someone on Youtube asked me this question and I don't have any clue what he's trying to ask. Anyone knows the answer to his question

This is his question:

'i notice u have a vaio z,
do you know much about it?
im interested in buying one.
but i wanna know if the SSD inside the USA one can be upgraded. last if heard was it was some special quad-ssd thing, but even so no matter what choice you make i think, its a non-standard 1.5 " special ssd made by sony??'

thanks

 

I think you can answer something in the lines of "Sony's SSD are specific to Sony and cannot be easilly upgraded."

 

That is correct. You can't replace the Samsung SSD that comes with the Sony with any other SSD--the Samsung SSD is custom built for this product. What one could do is remove the optical drive and insert another SSD in the bay, but obviously you'd have to know what you were doing.

Nope it's pretty standard. 192GB SSD, i5, 1600x900 display, 6GB RAM, Windows 7 Pro with Fresh Start. I agree, this seems like a bullseye product that has wide-ranging appeal. The price is the biggest turn off.

 

Well there's the two finger scrolling from that google freeware site, but two-finger flick is built into the synaptics drivers. If you click on the Synaptics icon in your taskbar and go to Device Settings, click Settings and under the Application Gestures, you should have Two-Finger Click. Enable it and voila, you can flick til your heart's content =)

 

Yeah the price is quite high but still; the product is so unique in its feature set.

I wouldn't have thought I'd spend so much money on a notebook (that is, with my current income ) but the features are just... Exactly what I want and with barely any competitor to compare with.

It was either choosing the only satisfying option or choosing which features to compromise. In the end I chose to spend more money.

Also I'm secretly hoping that this beast will be such a die-hard that I won't change notebook before four or maybe six years... Seen that way, the price feels less frightening.

 

Product Comparison : VAIO Notebook : Sony Asia Pacific

The only differences between the Z11 and the Z12 specs I can see from the link above are:
1. the addition of "(Gesture supported)" to "Intelligent Touchpad" for the Z12
2. the Z11 has "DVD Creation - Click to Disc, Click to Disc Editor"

 

I'm just wondering if it's possible to switch/upgrade the touchpad to one with a fingerprint reader because I currently have a VPC-Z11 without fingerprint reader...thanks.

 

Does anyone know it new Z has "AV mode"? (Sony's subsystem that allows to watch DVD, photos, music, etc. without loading OS)
I have it on my TZ...

 

Thanks for both help and entertainment ! The three finger flick wasn't on sony's stock driver maybe that's why I didn't notice it the first time around.

 

Thanks guys...you earned me another subscriber on Youtube. This what he replied:

Re: Re:vaio z
'thanks! very good response.

i would like to see some more videos if you have on it thanks
especially 'could it play crysis?' =)

i like it alot but i have a fetish for uniform thickness in laptops (such as how the MacBooks are from SideView). but that's alright. '

Now he asks about another question, but this is regarding my overclocking video:

This is his question:

could you use nvbios to flash the bios on the video card with finalizedsettings like you can on a desktop geforce card? '

Should I tell him that he can't overlclock it all the time since how much heat the vaio produces. Correct me if i'm wrong please.

 

His answer about laptop thickness fetishism is very funny

Concerning the video card overclocking I couldn't say. From what I've read:
- some people finds the temperatures reached by the video card already alarming without any overclocking...
- some people successfully "overclocks" their video to stock speed (not really overclocking, more cancelling the factory-set underclocking!) and to even more than stock speed (definitely overclocking this time) with no real problem whatsoever!

What's sure however is that it would ruin the battery life -- this is the most obvious reason why Sony chose to underclock the video card in the first place.

Besides that I'm not sure you can flash the BIOS of a laptop video card like you do with a desktop one. That is, not that easilly.

Personally I wouldn't try it unless I see a real significant advantage and that several other people did it before me without destroying their computer!!!

 

I have a Vaio TX with that. But on the Z11 I do not see that feature.

 

I've not read about any such attempt. I would guess the part needs to be bought and replaced. I don't know if additional cables are needed, if there are pics of the backs of keyboards with and without the reader we can compare.

 

Anyone else have this problem/know a solution?

On bootup, randomly, the wireless light doesn't turn on even with the switch in the on position and I am unable to connect to any networks. SmartWi says wireless is on but Windows doesn't. I'm on a VPCZ116GX and Windows 7 Pro.

The thing is, if I restart after I encounter the problem, the wireless ALWAYS comes back. I'm really confused as to what is triggering this.

 

Point them to this forum. We struggle enough to answer questions here, much less when using you as a proxy.

I know your intentions are good

 

So those looking for the signature features and want to avoid that huge $300 tax at sonystyle, the VPCZ11LHX/X and the soon to be released VPCZ12LHX/X, might be a step down from the Signature VPCZ11FHX/XQ at $4200

 

Using me as a proxy? meaning....

 

Middleman.

 

anyone have any idea when a refresh will come out? i heard from other posts that Z12 will come maybe mid or late june, not sure. Anyone have any leads or can give me any info, cause im thinking of buying it

 

As early as early to mid June. Some models of the Z11 have been discontinued, especially the higher end models, and will be replaced by z12.
Also worth noting that the availibility will depend on the different pre-build models, some will come earlier than others.
The lower priced Z11 will hang around for a while to fill the low to mid offerings.

 

^ah thanks, btw do u know what the main difference is in Z12, im kinda confused from the other posts, and im guessing the price range will be about the same? depending on model

 

No idea until it comes out,price will probably be the same.
I dont expect to see anything major. Perhaps updated software, perhaps updated palm rest or touch pad, but nothing major. All of this speculation at this time.

 

my apologies if this has been asked before, but does Z11 US version (CTO) come with standard AC adapter or with the smaller version (VGP-AC19V30)?

ps. waiting for my Z to be shipped on Monday from sonystyle (ordered on 05/17) and trying to prep for arrival. Already bought 4G Super Talent (Samsung) RAM, read almost every major post and still contemplating on new bag, case, etc... )) ...one more week or torture!

 

I am returning my Macbook pro 15 high res anti-glare...just purchased a vaio z11 preconfig silver model from store last night. The computer is awesome. I am a university student on the go with my laptop at all times.

Vaio Z is hands down the best laptop I have ever used...

But...

Now that people are talking about the z12 coming out within weeks, I feel like I should return and wait? Unless the changes are pretty minor, then I would be happy with the current one.

What are some speculations about the z12 successor?

P.S. What do you guys think of the silver Z over the black Z? Personally, I find it very professional and classy.

 

Premium carbon fibre is the way to go imo, the silver looks nice too but, carbon fibre is like waaaaay better

 

The Z12's are already available in Australia, saw one yesterday at Sony Centre Brisbane, the specs are on the sony.com.au site, 3 new ones two available now, one "coming".

 

So I have a question about the lack of a TPM module (sorry if this has been asked, I've fallen behind in the thread). From the FAQ it says:

14. Question: Why does my TPM not work?
Answer: Models sold in the US do not have a TPM.

Does that imply that the non-US modules DO have a TPM module? Can anyone confirm this, and does the BIOS in non-US Z's enable it? If YES, then is it possible to locate and install (aka hack) the module into a US version? Is it a discrete part that plugs in? I would like to get TPM working on my US unit if there is any way...

Thanks!

 

So what you are saying, it's a gamle when you buy the Sony Vaio Z?

Some people will just be lucky with their temps while others will be very unlucky?




I had a laptop with 8600m GT... and that was useless and stupid. My card reached critical levels and couldnt be used for gaming which was why I bought it. at the same time I couldnt return it, as the laptop manufacturer had nothing to do with it, and every 8600m in the world was affected. that really sucked.

that really, really sucked. It was one of those problems that came after I had purchased mine.


if one would get a laptop with a very high temperatured 330m... Would sony replace the laptop for a more efficent cooled one, you think?

 

European models do have a TPM (or at least can be configured to have one). Iirc there is a socket on the US boards that would fit a TPM, but noone got one working by now.

 

may we know what models did you saw in the shop? does it really come with free PS3? thanks!

 

Hi,

I now have a VPCZ11 laptop and have noticed when the laptop goes to sleep & then resumes, all is fine.
If I hibinate the laptop & resume this also works fine - the desktop (screen) resumes exactly as I left it.

However, If the laptop goes to sleep & then auto Hibinates (after specified time by windows); when I switch it back on, it resumes but all my desktop open windows are 'resized' (all small & moved to corner of display etc).

I can then manually re-size them but this is a pain, as happens frequently - any ideas how to fix this ?

Thanks,

 

Z126 is officially being sold in Korea

one guy received the unit on May 22, 2010.

specs r the same as Z116 which was released in Asia.

i5-540m
1600x900
6gb DDR3
Win 7 Pro K 64bit
GT330m
DVD supermulti

I assume SonyStyle U.S. won't be releasing the 2nd gen but rather wait for the 3rd gen is released in Asia (with minor CPU upgrade) to update VPCZ1 to VPCZ2

 

What kind of CPU upgrade are you talking about ?

 

Well I'm waiting to get my own Z, and even if I had it now I coudln't speak for others. Since I'm not speaking from my personal experience, I am not saying that it is a gamble, I'm just saying what I've read there and there.

If you want my personal opinion -- again, as somebody who doesn't own any Z yet and doesn't know personally anybody to own one -- I think that the overclocking is fine temperature-wise (I wouldn't say that for the battery life); I think that the people finding the GPU temperature already high with the factory settings are usually people unaware of the temperatures that these chips are meant to reach as a normal thing.

80°C for a laptop GPU is actually quite cool. 95°C is still fine. 100°C might be alarming but however the chip itself is designed to go up to 115°C or 120°C I think. Remember that GPU's are designed to withdstand higher temperatures than CPU's, and that mobile versions are designed to withdstand higher temperatures than desktop ones.

Either that or these people had a faulty unit, that's still a possibility. However I don't think that would be a common problem; again I wouldn't call it a gamble.

If you wish I'll add my personal opinions when I'll get my very own Z

 

I would say you were unlucky in your experience with your 8600m GT. I'm typing on a Dell Inpsiron with 8600m GT right now. My GPU maxes at 68 degrees. I have it overclocked and more than DOUBLED my 3DMark06 score on stock settings. My GPU still does not heat up beyond 68 even when gaming on native resolution (1200 x 800) with decent detail settings. I wonder if something was wrong with your heat sink.

When my Z arrives, my plan is to pound it into the ground with some serious GPU activity and use HWmonitor to monitor my internal temps. If I'm significantly worried about the temperatures I'm seeing, I'll return (or maybe exchange) the computer. I feel you can never know anything for sure, but I am confident I will be satisfied with the temps. I am prepared to see temperatures in the 80s-90s on this system.

Here here.

 

when the Vaio Z 3rd gen is released in the near future, it will have minor CPU upgrades. Not sure which i7 will be used but more than likely, i5-540m can be upgraded to i5-580m for VPCZ12(or maybe VPCZ13)

 

Just looked it up, so basicly the i5 580m is a i7 620m, but with 1MB less cache. That would be pretty nice hehe (although i already have mine hehe)

 

cpu upgrade is not very important to me, is there any other major upgrade you think that sony may upgrade ,im switching to Z very soon

 

nope

not really

 

I only seen a problem where laptop is put to sleep, then windows auto Hobinates. When I power on, the windows have moved around the screen & resized. Very annoying,
Cheer,