Vaio FZ Owners Official Owners Thread

This thread is for all current or future owners of a Vaio FZ.
I know that there are only few who got their hands on it so far and I really want a thread like this. Please post your configurations, troubles (if any!), games you run on Nvidia 8400 GT and anything else interesting about this stylish and powerful baby.

Until a kind owner will offer a generous review and pictures, I'll paste the only available review from an outer source called TrustedReviews :

Having been completely blown away by the sheer elegance and portability of the Sony TZ, which Riyad just looked at, the next notebook to come through our labs would need to be something seriously special to impress us. Unfortunately the Sony VGN-FZ11L doesn’t quite have the drool worthy credentials to set our hearts alight again. However, it is still a powerful mid-priced all-rounder.

Billed as providing “Entertainment in style” the FZ range should be brimming with all the multimedia goodies that would make for a perfect portable living room entertainment centre. However, only half the range features the all important HDMI output for connecting to HDTVs and none of them have TV tuners or screens large enough to display 1080p video. Moreover, none of them ship with Media Center remotes. All of which suggests the Entertainment moniker is a bit of a misnomer but that’s not to say the FZ series isn’t good, it’s just a bit mis-branded.

Perhaps a better description would be “The Everyman”, the laptop that’s a Jack of all trades but master of none. It’s powerful yet not a gaming machine, has some multimedia leanings but isn’t a fully fledged Media Center, and is relatively light but by no means is it ultra portable. Whatever it is, it has one very sound redeeming factor; it’s cheap.



All models in the range conform to Intel’s Santa Rosa platform, just, by virtue of the inclusion of the latest Merom Core 2 Duo CPUs and 965 Express chipset. This means you get dynamic FSB throttling and overclocking in single core applications, as well as the other power saving measures. Unfortunately that’s all the Santa Rosa goodness you get, as neither Draft 802.11n wireless nor Turbo Memory are present. Not that this comes as too much of a surprise as nearly all early Santa Rosa laptops are lacking in one area or another (except the Evesham Zieo N500-HD) and for the price you're still getting plenty of notebook.



As well as the aforementioned GeForce 8400M GT the specification of the VGN-FZ11L is quite impressive. A Core 2 Duo T7100 running at 1.8GHz, coupled with 2GB DDR2 667MHz RAM, lies at its core. Storage comes courtesy of a 120GB HDD, a multi format rewriteable DVD drive, and slots for MemoryStick Pro and Duo. You also get Bluetooth, wireless 802.11 a/b/g and 10/100 Ethernet network connections as well as an Express Card slot, and a 0.30-megapixel web camera. Finally, the screen is a 15.4in 1,280 x 800 WXGA TFT that uses Sony’s X-black technology. Overall this is a very capable specification that, in terms of raw horsepower, won’t have any problems with everyday duties.

The FZ's chassis, although no stunner, is simple and elegant with an understated quality to it. While the fancy glossy finishes of the Samsung R20 and the Sony TZ may catch all the headlines they don’t age well and just a few scratches will ruin their sleek lines. I prefer to see a finish that is going to stand the test of time and the dull silver and graphite paint of the FZ is certainly going to be able to take a fair amount of punishment before relinquishing its good looks.

However, the chassis isn’t without its problems. The most troubling is the sharp edges that are a result of the orthogonal design. Typing with my hands resting in the usual position, the front edge of the chassis digs right into my wrist and it can become quite painful after extended periods. Obviously it depends on the size of your hands and your typing position but, for me, this one thing alone would put me off considering this laptop. Also, weighing in at 2.7kg and with dimensions of 355 x 34.5 x 254mm (WxHxD), the FZ is no featherweight.



It’s a shame I find the FZ is so uncomfortable to type on because the keyboard itself is very well laid out. The Ctrl key is where it should be – in the bottom left – with the Fn key to its right and the Backslash key is also correctly positioned. Judging from the FZ and the TZ, Sony’s entire new range will have this arrangement – and about time to! The right Shift and Enter keys are a good size and the cursor keys are also easy to locate. If I were being really picky, though, I’d prefer to see the cursor keys offset, like on the TZ, with the Home, End, PageUp, and PageDown, keys as secondary functions.

The obligatory touchpad is in a widescreen aspect ratio to match the display and is positioned a nice distance from the keyboard, ensuring it isn’t accidently activated. The pad has a smooth but tactile surface and sensitivity is just right to ensure easy pointer movement. As usual, you can use the bottom and right edges of the pad for horizontal and vertical scrolling, respectively.



Above and to the right of the keyboard is a set of six multimedia/shortcut buttons. The furthest right is the power button and to its left are three buttons for controlling multimedia playback and adjusting volume. Furthest left is a shortcut button that can be assigned a variety of functions including sending the notebook to sleep, adjusting brightness, and switching displays. By default, though, it opens a Windows Help & Support window that has links for wireless networking, the VAIO websites, backup and restoration, security, and manuals.



The webcam is embedded in the bezel above the screen where it naturally points at your face ready for video calling - which at 0.3-megapixels, is about all it’s good for. Sony is now shipping Skype preinstalled on its laptops so you can be up and running straight away.

It would be too much to hope that the FZ used the same LED backlit, super slim, display that graced the TZ and indeed this is the case. But what really lets it down is that even at 15.4in it only has a resolution of 1,280 x 800 which is actually fewer pixels than the TZ packs into its 11.1in screen. Not only that but viewing angles are not brilliant and colours are subdued.

Watching video is also let down by the weak speakers and I would recommend plugging in a pair of headphones whenever possible. Music fairs little better with a complete lack of bass betraying anything but the squeakiest of pop tunes.



Down the right hand side is the power socket, DVD writer, two USB ports, and two 3.5mm jack sockets for headphones and microphone. It’s good to see two USB ports next to each other as portable hard drives which run off USB power sometimes need an extra socket to work properly. This way you don’t need to stretch cables across your notebook.



On the opposite side are an Express card slot, a four-pin FireWire port, a third USB socket, and a plethora of video outputs. Not only is HDMI on offer but there’s also S-Video and D-SUB outputs for those with older TVs/monitors.



The front is rather less full, with just the two memory card slots, a switch to enable/disable wireless networking, and a row of status LEDs for indicating power, battery, hard drive activity, wireless, and Bluetooth status. Finally, the back is even sparser with just a Modem socket and an Ethernet port.



To test performance, I ran our usual set of 2D benchmarks which test both single and multi tasking scenarios. For comparison I've pulled in results from the Acer Aspire 5920 that Andy just reviewed. It has a faster CPU but otherwise is a similarly specced machine.

Though, the Sony put in a good performance, it consistently fell behind the cheaper Acer. This really highlights the FZ's failings as it constantly punches below its weight. Not performance, multimedia capabilities, nor price put it above the competition.

I subjectively tested battery life by forcing off power saving options, like turning the screen of and going into sleep mode, and setting the screen to half brightness. I then used it to write and research this review, until it ran out of juice. I managed to get about two hours out of it, which was a little disappointing but I'm sure this could be stretched to around three hours if a few more battery saving measures were undertaken.

Verdict

The Sony FZ11L is a very capable notebook with enough performance and features to keep most people happy.

 

Since when does this have a 8400 GT? The one I see on their site has crap integrated graphics.

 

can somebody please, for the love of god, write a review on this ridiculously cheap sony laptop

 

Never mind, I see the US site lets you customize your FZ. Canada's has no such option, what a piece of junk.

 

Are you a future FZ owner Jay? Cause you already own a pretty good Asus.

 

does anyone have the white keyboard? could you please post pics? im about to order one in the next coming weeks and i dont know if i want black or white.

 

Actually, the FZ180 will be available (pre-order for end of June) in Canada and has the 8400M GT gpu, Hi-Color display, and blu-ray. It's actually a pretty nice setup.

 

yup I am a future FZ owner, and maybe a future 14" Asus with 8600 owner too !
yea.. if someone has a FZ, please, quickly a great review here !

 

Anyone here has the high pitched/squeaky sound (most probably from the cpu fan) from their new fz laptops. Also the camera movie recording gives the following error:

No sufficient disk space or restart your computer.

Anyway I will be one of the first who will be sending the FZ notebook for a repair. I already sent it!

 

I was thinking of ordering Sony FZ Vaio FZ190 CTO with blu-ray
Silver-Black/ T7700/ 2GB PC5300 but was worried about high pitched/squeaky sound.

 

I'm sorry to hear this! Can you make a quick review even if you're upset right now?

 

i just got mine and it's awesome! i got the fz140e/b from amazon, 1335 overnighted after rebate. 2gb ram, t7100. it's so fast, and incredibly quiet, i can't hear a thing. i have no complaints at all yet, although i've only been using it a few hours

 

yep definitely I am upset, coz this is my second laptop (got a hp dv6000t and returned it for the same reason). I don't know what is happening with the intel core 2 duo chipsets. I found that many other users too had this similar problem. I am waiting for an explanation from Sony.

 

The same high pitch sound that HP had comes in Sony FZ series too. Hp had come out with a solution. I hope that Sony will also resolve this issue soon.

 

Your the only one with this problem, you have really bad luck...

Either way other people shouldn't worry because no one has had a problem like this from all the reviews and impressions of it...

 

I would have bought the fz if it had at least a wsxga+ display... i just couldnt settle for wxga on a 15.4 inch... so i bought the alienware in my sig....

I really hope sony updates it later with a higher res screen, then in about 2 years, ill buy one (my system is still a hell of a performer)

I love the design of the fz... and the price seems great... just give me a higher res screen and it is my dream computer.

 

I ordered mine a few days ago, my Sony Style profile has me at an estimated delivery on the 26th, so we'll see.

I'm pretty excited, I'm sure I'm not the only one trolling these forums killing time, waiting for their's to arrive. I'll be more than happy to post my impressions when it arrives, but I'm sure someone else will get a hold of it before I do.

 

Why is the resolution a problem? 1280x800 seems to be the standard for that size laptop.

 

actually this is NOT a problem for the majority of notebook users. the 1280x800 is more than enough for a 15" screen. the icons on desktop would look too small if the resolution is greater than this (i'm actually using a 1024x768 res on my HP business matte screen now).

moreover, any actual game played in a 1280x800 res with high settings, is already a performance even for the 8600 GT card, so I really don't see any reasons for asking for higher resolutions in 15".

P.S. Still nobody with a great review for the FZ ?

 

I played with the FZ customization and I got this almost economical build:

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7300 / 2.0 GHz
1 GB DDR-SDRAM (DDR2-533, 1 GBx1)
80 GB Hard Disk Drive
SuperMulti (DVD+-R Double layer / DVD+-RW Drive)
15.4" WXGA (HC) W/CMR
NVIDIA® GeForce® 8400M GT
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
802.11a\b\g\n with BT
Large Capacity Lithium-ion Battery (BPL8)

which is not bad at all for $1,469 !

 

i ordered my FZ190 cto on may 11 with a june 11 shipping date, which is today ^_^ so i'm anxiously awaiting it's arrival. after hours of contemplating, i went with the white keyboard, the reason why i was hesitant was for the lack of pictures of the fz featuring the white kb. i'm hoping that the white keyboard will bring a more elegant look. i would have much rather like a white casing as well, but i'm sure Sony will release a few different casing flavors later. i'll be adding ram and hdd with third party vendor after the fz arrives. but anyways here are my specs, i'll be sure to post pics when it arrives to showcase the white keys


* Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7300 / 2.0 GHz
* NVIDIA® GeForce® 8400M GT
* 100 GB Hard Disk Drive
* 802.11a\b\g\n with BT
* 1 GB DDR-SDRAM (DDR2-533, 512 MBx2)
* Keyboard White
* 15.4" WXGA (HC) W/CMR
* Standard Capacity Lithium-ion Battery (BPS8)
* Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
* SuperMulti (DVD+-R Double layer / DVD+-RW Drive)

$1378

 

IT TOOK ONE MONTH????
OMFG.
i can't wait that long.....
i ordered mine on the 6th and it's probably gonna arrive in july....
DANG.

 

It doesn't take a month to build. Sony only took preorders in May and started to build the systems in June. I too ordered mine in the end of May and should arrive June 13. If you place the order today, I believe the ship date for the FZ190CTO is June 19.

 

My Vaio FZ190 CTO with blu-ray should be arrive tomorrow. I will try to post some pictures as well when it arrive.

 

a month isnt that long anyway. its not like u dont have a laptop to use till then.

 

Dam SUX... I just receive a call from Sony. the rep told me my laptop will not ship until a week or two because they are still waiting for some parts to complete the order. They won't tell me which part they are missing. Could this be just me or with all the customized BR model....dam Sony!!

 

after reading your post, i called sony to check on my order status (non BR) and it's still green for shipment today, so i'm guessing it's just Blu-Ray models as you assumed.

 

mine isn't blue ray and it's still delayed
URGH!

 

Could it be the GPU? If no one actually has an 8400M GT at his/her disposal, it shouldn't surprise us that we can't get any benchmarks. Hence everyone and their dog is second-guessing how this thing might perform.

 

"and their dog" lol.

 

I put on the first post of this thread, the only review and pics available so far !

 

you must have missed the other review posted here!,
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=129771

 

yea.. thanks for updating me on that. I would badly like to see some scores in 3dMark and hardcore games like Oblivion or FEAR !

 

I customized one FZ-190CTO when it came last month, but then having to discard it waiting when it really availlable. Today i made another order and here is the configuration:
I didnt order the FZ with Bluray since bluray thing is quite new to me and 400$ more is not wat i would spend for.

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7300 / 2.0 GHz
1 GB DDR-SDRAM (DDR2-533, 512 MBx2) --> to be replaced by 2*1Gb Consair Value Select from newegg.
120 GB Hard Disk Drive
SuperMulti (DVD+-R Double layer / DVD+-RW Drive)
15.4" WXGA (HC) W/CMR
NVIDIA® GeForce® 8400M GT
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
Black Keyboard
Engraved --> This is what i'm worried since engraved laptop can not be returned. Hopefully mine doesnt have any problems because i would have friend send it to Finland where i live. Obviously, i can hardly return to Sony USA to be repaired

Very eager to see the new computer since my old Japanese Fe was stolen and havent had any laptop to use for a while

 

I would suggest buying 1x1Gb stick and another 1Gb from outside. this way you will save even more!
Also, you may opt for the cheapest HDD from them and with the same money you can find 160Gb at 7200rpm !!

 

I already had the Ram from Newegg on hands so that can not change it anymore. By the way, i thought it would be better to have two Ram from the same sources. Many said Sony Rams are scaps, Infenion Brand ? Never known. So that i decided to have two of Value Select

I had considered to replace the hard disk like you mentioned but still i'm quite new to those things. Replacing new hard disk may tend to some problems with the OS and maybe the 7200 rpm could lead to spend more energy, and the battery would be reduced ?? --> Better not to take risks as i just want to have a computer immediately for study. 5400 might not be so bad and i had good experience with Sony hard drive in my FE before.

Come on babe, FZ190 !

 

Newbie here,
I'm a soon to be FZ190 GTO owner.
Between my nasty Toshiba and my hubbys Presario, which I just brought back to life, I feel I'm getting pretty good at harddrive swaping and reformatting! LOL.
Now what I don't get is memory. From what I've found it's ddr2 pca-5300 667mhz but how many pins?

And does anyone know where I can look for some pictures of the FZ190??
I've been so concerned about what to put in it that i've barley seen it.

here's what I might get in it. unless I change my mind...again.

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7100 / 1.8GHz
1 GB DDR-SDRAM (DDR2-533, 1 GBx1)
80 GB Hard Disk Drive
SuperMulti (DVD+-R Double layer / DVD+-RW Drive)
15.4" WXGA (HC) W/CMR
NVIDIA® GeForce® 8400M GT
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
802.11a\b\g\n with BT
Large Capacity Lithium-ion Battery (BPL8)

 

I guess I could do a mini user review..

I ended up getting a Sony after being sure my next lappy would be a tosh or hp. Was a matter of circumstance. I had just been put off buying a santa rosa equipped machine by their newness and lack of apparent performance improvements over their predecessors. A coworker spotted the deal at Fry’s, a T7200 equipped FZ160E for $1249, no rebates no bs. I was ready even though the day before I was waiting on Santa Rosa. So he goes on his lunch and gets his and then I do the same. Funny thing is that I look at the box label and plain as day it says T7300! This WAS Santa Rosa. Of course checked bios and everything else to be sure but it seemed they were selling the wrong model as even the ad said T7200. So it’s loaded with 2GB (a requirement for me), the 2Ghz x 2 proc and lots of multimedia bells and whistles. Oh and of course Vista Premium. Whoopee.

Here’s the deal on that for me. I already built an uber rig with all the gaming power I could ever need and then wasted a Vista license on it. It is now loaded with XP and a gamers dream come true. I liked Vista’s interface and muddled through all the changes and UAC and came away thinking maybe again after SP1 is released.

OK so I have this new laptop which is work only (heh right) and has this really slick OS on it and is a multimedia wonder. Movies are glorious and butter smooth, MAME emulation the best I’ve ever seen. It’s quiet, it’s screen is beautiful (as long as being viewed dead on, don’t crowd the family around for a movie as the color quickly negatively inverts). It doesn’t get hot and I can type forever with it on my lap. The hard edges, as noted in the first review posted, do cramp your style after a while though if you type for extended periods. The key action is light and responsive with a shallow stop. No key “dimples” so that takes getting used to. Once you get Vista running the way you like it really does shine on a mobile platform. In this configuration I only have one complaint, well two actually but I’ll cover the second in a minute. The only problem I have is that the OS is still too immature and isn’t well supported yet. There are two programs I require daily that can’t be installed on Vista. The first is a cisco VPN client. Cisco has a Vista client but it hasn’t been cleared for DoD use to it’s out for me. The other is a smartcard reader software and driver that still is not supported under vista. This laptop is pretty as a picture and loves to have fun but getting it to work the way I need is going to require serious measures.

I decide this thing is going to have to run XP, Sony be damned. I of course have to slipstream drivers into the OS disc to support the SATA drives during install, but other than that the install goes smoothly. Problem is the number of exclamation points I see in device manager on first boot. Being as all this stuff is brand spanking new, XP has no idea what to make of it. I’m lucky to be running at all. I go on a driver hunt. Sony was checked in vain as they of course don’t make XP drivers for a system created to run Vista. Undaunted I googled, live searched and asked around the net finding whatever tidbits were out there from users in similar situations. The FZ being so new, I had trouble finding direct matches but finally pieced together enough drivers to get everything I needed working but Sound, Fn / Hotkeys and the card reader. Even got the silly modem working for all the good it’s going to do. I don’t really need the card reader and have given up on sound until someone much smarter than me can fashion a fix, but the laptop does what it needs to now (unfortunately at a permanent 100% brightness in XP) but all the software I need is installed.

I completed a day at work on it and am happy for the purchase. Coming from a decrepit Gateway with a P3 650 and 384 MB of RAM and a 20GB HD this thing was heavenly. At home I’ll use Vista and XP for work. I can’t believe I purchased a Sony, truth be told, but I’m happy with the machine.

 

-crisismgmt,
Thanks for the heads up. I was planing on partitioning off part of the new harddrive I get to run XP. At least until I can afford to upgrade ALL my software. Looks like it's going to be a lot of work!! Got any Links to share I'd love to have them.

I can't wait to get MINE!!! ok, I can't wait to get it AND have it set up already!

 

i was just checking out the sony.jp website and apparently they have a slightly different FZ setup than the American site. There is actually a difference in systems depending on which keyboard color you choose. Only the black keyboard has blu-ray selectable option and the choice of 256mb 8400m GT. The white keyboard can only get up to the 128mb 8400m GT and no blu-ray. And yes, you just read that right, the Japanese get to choose which size dedicated card they want! Which makes you wonder what the American models get, i hope not the smaller 128mb!

 

Crisismgmt,
Thanks for the mini review. Are you sure you bought 2Gbx1 and not 1Gbx2 ?
You might try to look here, maybe you'll find some useful drivers

 

First at Jaymz, ya sorry typo. I wish I had a 2G module with room for another. Here is what it actually has:


Device Locator Slot 1
Manufacturer Hyundai Electronics
Part Number HYMP512S64CP8-Y5
Serial Number 00007093
Capacity 1024 MBytes
Memory Type DDR2 SDRAM
Speed DDR2-666 (333 MHz)
Data Width 64 bits
Voltage SSTL 1.8V
Error Correction None
Refresh Reduced (.5x)...7.8 µs
Manufacturing Date 2007, Week 10
Module Height 30.0 mm
EPP SPD Support No


Device Locator Slot 3
Manufacturer Hyundai Electronics
Part Number HYMP512S64CP8-Y5
Serial Number 02004279
Capacity 1024 MBytes
Memory Type DDR2 SDRAM
Speed DDR2-666 (333 MHz)
Data Width 64 bits
Voltage SSTL 1.8V
Error Correction None
Refresh Reduced (.5x)...7.8 µs
Manufacturing Date 2007, Week 10
Module Height 30.0 mm
EPP SPD Support No

I will check those links in the am but I have checked so many over the last two days I think I’m going to give the ole lappy flying lessons.


Dotted,
Sheesh, I guess I didn’t do enough to disuade. Installing XP, let alone Dual
booting on one of these babies is not a fun adventure. If you are comfortable using a util like nlite to do a custom XP installation CD, follow the tutorial at http://apcmag.com/5485/dualbooting_vista_and_xp (except where they say use a 3rd party util to shrink your partition, Vista can shrink it on the fly using it’s built in tools in the disk management screen). Using the standard Intel mobile SATA drivers should do the trick (sorry I don’t have linx at my disposal as I visited so many sites in my quest, google is your friend and knowing what you are looking for is key), you just use nlite to slipstream them.

Finding the drivers is going to be the biggest downer here and I suggest waiting for someone industrious to come up with a driverpack such as for the sz. The biggest pain is that the sony drivers that you find for earlier models with the same exact hardware that do support XP are blocked by the installer from installing on other models (how I love you Sony,thank you for protecting me from my crazy XP loving self).

You have to go to the manufacturer (the marvell yukon ethernet driver, get it first or you be offline) for some but others such as the sigmatel hd audio codec remain elusive with several installing and all giving up a code 10 when it tries to start the hardware. Sigmatel doesn’t support end users as do many of these manufacturers. If your search leaves you needing something vital and you can’t get further, I’ll see what I can do about providing a link. Do be aware before trying anything like I did that you will get no support from sony if you have any problems and it will more than likely void your warranty (which at a year you might not want to lose).

I had no choice if I wanted to dump my old lappy, and so I didn’t just buy a $1200 conversation piece. If you have any choice I would wait for proper XP support via a driver pack (or start a grassroots campaign to shame Sony into supplying drivers for our OS of choice, it’s worked for others like Gateway).

 

One thing I wanna know is if I can still add in some of that Nvidia 8xxx mobile goodness to my rather limply endowed graphics subsystem. I didn't get a chance to do any custom configs and while it handles Aero with ease, don't even think about a Source game. Anybody know if those available as an AIB?

 

OK so thanks Jaymz but that is the Sony site with just Vista downloads. What I need is a XP driver for an older model with the same hardware that won't block installation on mine like all the ones I've tried do. If someone knows how to fool the installer into running on my machine, I'd love to hear how.

Most important right now is a copy of the Sony Notebook Utilities for XP that will install to a FZ. Sound would be great but not a deal breaker. The Fn / Hotkey driver is a close second as I need to swap video outputs and change brightness.

 

Hey I found the fix to allow updates not specific to your laptop to work. Just edit the \windows\model.txt before clicking next on the installer and input the model that the installer is expecting to see (in my case I pulled all the XP drivers for the old VGN-SZ230P/B). I changed the entry in model.txt to read Model = "VGN-SZ230P_B" and the installer worked. There are some issues like applets not running in the system tray but now I have full sound, alps touchpad functions (like scrolling) and my card reader bay now is fully functional. Hotkeys and Fn keys work except brightness (darn was really hoping for that one). Power mgmt wont work even though the sony utils installed. I assume this is due to vista only support for the new Santa Rosa power functions. At any rate This baby is now fully functional with XP and Vista and I'm happy.

 

I'm probably going to buy the FZ190 w.o bluray. But just a couple of questions:

Is the 200 gb Hard Disk Drive 7200 rpm, or are any of them 7200 rpm at all?
Is the 8400GT 128 mb or 256, reading some of these posts made me wonder?

Most likely I will get this, but if another HDD is 7200 RPM and the 200GB is not, then I will most likely get the 7200.

Thanks
clay

 

Stupid Sony is sending me the FZ with Black keyboard instead of the white keyboard. I can't believe this. I am so unhappy right now.

 

crisismgmt, Thanks for the info! I'm not totally dissuaded. It's probably a combination of stubbornness, stupidness and just plain broke after buying this laptop. I loaded up Belarc Advisor and I'm going through my system to see what can be saved and what will be lost in the upgrade then when I get the laptop I'll try the compatibility wizard in vista to try and see if the programs will work. (my Wacom tablet and printer are still compatible) Then if at last I really need to dual boot. I"ll do it, or try it. LOL!
I saw that Microsoft has the Virtual PC 2007 but I just can't justify another $150 that I don't have to upgrade to vista ultimate. There is also
Parallels Workstation for $50 That would work too I think.
http://www.parallels.com/en/products/workstation/

I don't have time to start a "grassroots campaign to shame Sony into supplying drivers for our OS of choice" but i'll join one if anyone wants to start one!!!

crisismgmt, CONGRATULATIONS!

 

I'm really curious to see how the FZ does with the 8400gt on 3d benchmarks. I was just playing with an FZ with 8400gt in a sony store, so I imagine people should be ending up with them pretty soon eh?

 

for starters does anyone at least know what Vista Score a FZ190 or 180 gets with an 8400M GT?