Definitive VAIO Z11 Series SSD Drive Configurations

There appears to be continuing confusion over the exact nature of the SSD drive configurations used in the new Sony VAIO Z11 series, such as how many actual drives there are and what size each drive will be. This is especially the case as various Sony sites around the world do not describe the same thing in the same manner.

First, it's important to understand that the Z11 has room for two physical SSD drives (we are ignoring the optical drive bay hard disk drive option for the purpose of this post). However, Sony has taken the two-slot design one step further and has designed special "dual" SSD drives. These are essentially two completely separate SSD drives mounted on the same circuit board to save space. They do not communicate between each other, and are treated by the system as individual hard drives. So, when you combine the special dual SSD design with two available slots, the Z11 can hold up to 4 individual SSD drives.

For the purpose of this post, I will be referring to the number of physical and logical SSD drives. If you're confused by this, here's what I'm talking about:

Physical means actual SSD circuit boards, and is also how Sony North America refers to the configuration options. This does NOT refer to the type of RAID 0 the system will have.

Logical means how many individual hard drives the system will actually see, and is also how other International Sony sites typically refer to the SSD configuration options. This DOES refer to the type of RAID 0 the system will have, such as "quad RAID".

SSD Option	Physical Drives	Physical Drive Sizes	Logical Drives	System Will See	Sony Says (North America)	Sony Says (International)	RAID 0 Type
128GB	1	1 x 128GB DS	2	64GB + 64GB	128GBx1	64GBx2	Dual
192GB	2	1 x 128GB DS 1 x 64GB SS	3	64GB + 64GB + 64GB	64GBx1 + 128GBx1	64GBx3	Triple
256GB (US & Canada)	1	1 x 256GB DS	2	128GB + 128GB	256GBx1	N/A (128GBx2)	Dual
256GB (International)	2	2 x 128GB DS	4	64GB + 64GB + 64GB + 64GB	N/A (128GBx2)	64GBx4	Quad
384GB	2	1 x 256GB DS 1 x 128GB SS	3	128GB + 128GB + 128GB	128GBx1 + 256GBx1	128GBx3	Triple
512GB	2	2 x 256GB DS	4	128GB + 128GB + 128GB + 128GB	256GBx2	128GBx4	Quad

DS = Dual Sided (2 drives in 1 physical package), SS = Single Sided (essentially one-half of a dual drive).


Finally, here are the different SSD drive versions used in the Z11 series:

SSD Drive	Used In
128GB Dual Sided	128GB 192GB 256GB (International)
64GB Single Sided	192GB
256GB Dual Sided	256GB (North America) 384GB 512GB
128GB Single Sided	384GB

Please note that the Sony SSD drive is a proprietary size and is smaller than a standard 1.8" SSD drive, and thus cannot be easily replaced with an off-the-shelf drive.

 

Excellent !

For a second I thought it was weird that the 128GB version is 2x64GB instead of a single sided 128GB (as used in a few other configurations) but I guess it might still be cheaper (less dense memory chip being used) AND it allows ALL configurations to be RAID, at least dual.

Thanks!

 

Please, clarify on "Sony Says" column with respect to Z13 CTO.

If on US site there is an option 256GB (2x128GB) that means Quad SSD configuration, right?

 

All the US spec 256GB Z's we have seen have been dual not quad configuration. I'm willing to bet that one's a dual as well.

 

Why US customers so discriminated ? or maybe there is a reason for that ?

 

After purchasing my Z13 I realised this too. I just assumed it would somehow be the Quad SSD even though it said 2x128GB clearly on the site. I assure you that it's the DualSSD fom SonyStyle USA. I cannot speak for the signature collection 512GB but I am more or less confident that it's also Dual (2x256GB). I noticed that my SSDs are also not Samsung, but TOSHIBA.
The exact model number is: THNSNC128GMMJ
A look at toshiba's site here: HG Series (High-Performance SSDs) | Product Lineup | TOSHIBA SSD Special Site | TOSHIBA Semiconductor Company
however does show that they have 64GB variants of these cards.

I don't know anything about the internals of the Z, so i'm unsure if they did this from a space-saving point of view (only 2 cards max), and not any more custom made boards.

The speed I get is 300- 333 MB/s on the read max. Write is a bit slower. I know the Quad's get over 500.

 

Can the configuration of 1 x 256GB DS and 1 x 64GB SS be compatible to the Z11 model?

 

Should be compatible (if all drives do have ZIF connector) but IMO this is not reasonable if you plan to use different-sized drives in a RAID array (logically 2x128GB + 1x64GB).

 

Thanks for the reply. My original configuration was 1 x 128GB DS + 1 x 64GB SS Triple Raid but the space is not enough for my needs.

Can I just remove the 64GB and replace the 128GB with a 256 GB SSD standalone (non-raid)?

 

You can, all you need is a 1.8 inch SSD, remove the SSD's case and get the Z12/Z13 ribbon cable (Z11 ribbon cable is ZIF, Z12/Z13 is standard SATA). Maybe a drive caddy is an easier solution for your upgrade.

 

Are there any online stores where I can buy the Z12/13 Ribbon Cable? From experience, Sony is very private with their replacement parts.

 

9. Question: So this won't work for me. Can i at least upgrade the built-in SSD?
Answer: Yes, you can - but only with another Sony SSD. They use a proprietary form factor and connector and there aren't any known third-party drives that fit. You can get the drives (besides other replacement parts) via Sony Parts or your local Sony service provider. Be aware that you have to disassemble the notebook to replace the SSD.


Also from the Z11 FAQs , now im very confused. :/