Go to Z11 or wait for Z12 (1 month)

Hi there,

I really don't know what to do. I am currently testing a Z11. It's a great notebook, but should I keep it or send it back and wait for the Z12 ?

I have read in this forum that Sony has problems with Z11 SSD :

From : Sony VaioZ i5/i7 Official Owners Thread

I don't know if these problems are big or not, but according to various dealers, VPCZ12 will be available on mid june. Sony Australia has released information about Z12 :

• new product : VAIOZ Series – 13.1” Premium Notebook (VPC-Z126, VPC-Z127, VPC-Z128)

So, what should I do ?

Thank you

Regards

Denony

 

So, Sony will not fix problem with current vaio Z11 ???

 

You say you are testing a Z11. Do you notice any issue with the SSD (if you have the SSD version)?

The only issue I have with the SSD is the proprietary design . Other than that it's working fine.

I wouldn't base my decision on a single post in which no evidence was provided.

 

Hi ozbimmer

I am testing the SSD version (2*64 GB). I don't notice any issues, but the Vaio Z is only 2 days old.

You are right. It is not a good idea to base a decision on a single post, but It is very strange that Sony already releases a new version (3 months after first version). New versions usually comes after 6 months (for example X or P series).

Some dealers here are out of stocks and are waiting for the new version : no more Z11 available from Sony.

 

What issue with the SSD?

 

Apart from
- Samsung drives (the KIA of SSDs)
- Striped (greatly increasing the risk of failure)
- No discard (TRIM) support
- Non-standard connectors
- Non-standard form factor
- BIOS emulator error preventing fifth drive
, you mean?

 

I don't know. As printed, I quoted a message from "zerni" posted in the official VPCZ thread. I have send him a private message and ask for details, but he hasn't replied yet

 

To answer the original point, there's no problems with the SSD's in the Z11.

There's a wish list of things people want, but there is no problem.

 

Not true. Normally refresh comes quarterly.

 

- Samsung drives (the KIA of SSDs)
Your opinion. The current drives work perfectly, even if they are made by a "value" OEM.
- Striped (greatly increasing the risk of failure)
This is true, but you can either run them in JBOD or do backups, which you should be doing anyway. This argument is largely meaningless to me.
- No discard (TRIM) support
You know very well that this isn't a Sony problem.
- Non-standard connectors
True
- Non-standard form factor
True
- BIOS emulator error preventing fifth drive
Future BIOS updates may fix the CPU power management issue, but you can install a 5th drive.

 

Looks like the Wallabies have misprinted? Or maybe they're using other kind of product names?

Refresh after not even 2 months seems incredible.

And there are no problems, in general, with this masterpiece of engineering...

 

The "updated" Z1's are only different in available options. Nothing new but different ways of buying them.

I do hope that Sony will release new Nvidia drivers and a BIOS update when these launch. They've done this in the past.

 

is it confirmed that the refresh will be mid june?

 

We don't know. Some Sony stores (in France) are waiting for refresh for mid-june. Sony should announce them on June 1st. Rumors ?...

There is a link you a french board (translated in English with Google) where the discussion is open : Vaio VPCZ topic on Hardware.fr forum

 

I read the z11 owners thread and know that there were'nt any problems with the ssd.

But I heard from a big distributor in Europe that Sony has problems with the current SSDs and considers switching the manufacturer. I'm not sure how definite this statement is but the source seems preaty reliable.

I think it's worth waiting for. It can only get better.

FYI: The Z12 is estimated in Europe in week 24.

 

That is rumor, nothing more.

 

Well rumour or not, if you don't desperately need a notebook it makes sense to wait till after any announcement. June is only a few weeks away. If no announcement, simply order the Z11.

 

Even if it's not a rumor, I would wait. As it woouldn't be long. Even if they don't make major changes, there are always small little fixes that are worth it. I say wait.

 

I was referring to the SSD issues, but sure. I agree.

If you don't need to buy now, it would make sense to wait a few weeks.

 

it might not be Sony's problem, however an SSD without TRIM or GC ...

 

Since Sony has a quarterly refresh if you wait for another refresh you will always be waiting for a new refresh. A week after the z12 comes out you will probably hear some other rumor and end up not ordering that one.
There is nothing wrong with the current model.

 

Not in the Z11's case.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...g-term-ssd-performance-post-your-results.html

No RAID controllers, SW or HW, support TRIM at this time.

Garbage collection works extremely well on the Samsung drives in the Z11's.

 

Iceman, I thought it was confirmed that our drives have GC? Also, I don't think ANY SSD is having TRIM executed in a RAID array.

That said, you may just be disappointed with the new Z configs that WILL show up in early June. You've been warned...

 

It is confirmed

 

got a question for the Z11 experts,
i'm interested in the vaio z with 128gb and optical drive. in this model is there room to add in a second SSD later? and can I swap out the optical drive for another HD?

 

what has been confirmed?

I'm just about to order a maxxed out Z11 and was really happy with it, however now I'm thinking I might wait a couple of weeks. I know, I know, always another round the corner, but for this amount of money I think I will wait a couple of weeks.

 

That our SSDs have garbage collection.

 

There is a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE thread on this, search the forum.

 

Order it now.

 

im just settling for a z11, z12 would probably cost more and getting my z11 for a flat 1900 is fine for me

 

What mfpreach said

 

Hi all,
Is the palm rest made with aluminium in actual Z11?
So, it's maybe the only difference between the Z11 and Z12.

 

It depends on which Z11 you mean. The old Z has aluminium palm rest in all models, including the VGN-Z11.
Th new Z has plastic palm rests in all models, including the VPC-Z11.

 

Why ?
The configurations printed by Sony Australia are good.

 

well looking at the Z12 specs from the PDF, they are identical to the Z11.... I can't see any differences. This concerns me because it would imply they have changed/fixed something else under the covers significant enough to update the model number.

Heat issues? Performance issues? SSD issues?

 

I find it strange that the Z already has a bump in model number. The F and S that was released before the Z still didn't get a model number bump...

 

These updates and cycles follow standard intel/retail cycle timings. First cycle of 2010 for all retail notebooks was mid jan-jun (the z shipped late). Second cycle is mid june through end of september. 3rd cycle is end of september through the holidays. Pretty much every single retail notebook out there will refresh at the same time as the Z.

 

The official owners thread has thousands of replies now.
How many do state heat issues? 0?
How many do state performance issues? 0?
How many do state SSD issues? 0?

Maybe there is nothing in the specs because there is nothing that has been changed, Ockham?

Someone says the his cousins' uncle has heared from his brothers' wife that there might be problems with the SSD and there is hysteria? Don't get it.

 

Well, to be fair most of those posts were generated by a handful of people. And ZoinksS2k must be responsible for a few thousands of those replies....God Bless his obsessive, Vaio lovin' soul. He's been a great help.

 

Post in a wrong thread

 

Who you callin' obsessive?

EDIT 001: realigned fonts
EDIT 001.1: editied 001 for algnment

 

Oh, sorry...I meant "extremely focused".

 

Hi !

I had ordered 5 VCP-Z11Z9 two months ago, in march.
I was supposed to receive the computers in April.
Since then, my reseller changed several times the delivery date for different reasons, and today, he sent me an email saying the order was cancelled and I had to choose another model because Sony had stopped the production of this one.

Here is the email Sony sent them :
Due to a production problem on the VPC-Z11Z9 serie, Sony was not able to satisfy the registered orders.

We apologize for the embarrassment caused to your customers and we ask you to switch your orders on the VAIO Z11 successor : the Z12 model which will be available on the last week of june.

Sorry if the translation is not very good...
The email was signed "sony-europe".

In the french Sony website, the Z12 model doesn't even appear !

So, I think there really is a problem with the Z11...

 

There's no problem, that is BS your reseller is giving you.

Production on Z11 stopped over a month ago...typical as we are getting ready for a model transition.

Move along, nothing to see here.

 

Yea, there was a production problem all right. The 'problem' is that they stopped producing them.

I suspect that Sony predicts how many they'll need in each market (e.g. Japan, U.S., Norway, ...) and orders batches produced in those quantities. If the demand in a given market is a little higher than they anticipated then I guess they run out of stock sooner, in that market. In general this one had pretty good response from buyers all around, so I guess they will be starting to become harder to come by.

 

I think you needed just one more edit there: editied? algnment?

 

I don't think the production of the Z11 model was stopped because the Z12 would arrive soon : in France, when I ordered the Z11 in march (maybe on the 12th or 13th), it was a new model not available before april, this was supposed to be a normal delay because it hadn't come out yet.

• Stopping the model Z11 before its coming out AND one month before the coming out of the new model does not stand to reason ! In France, that's what's happening.
• Saying that "the model is stopped because of a production problem" instead of saying "a new model is coming soon, that's why we stop the production of this one" is not a very good communication strategy...
• I asked my reseller for the specifications of the new model : the only difference is that the new one has 8GB of RAM memory instead of 6GB in the previous one ! Same processor, same drive, same screen, same graphic card...

That makes me think there must have been a problem.

 

Sorry but filed in the category of useless information.

Somebody says that somebody thinks that something has a problem...
Whatever. If you have some actual knowledge of an actual problem, great! tell us about it and we will all know. Otherwise it''s just idle and useless speculation.

 

somebody noticed

 

I'm just making an observation here.

It seems that when people pay a lot of money (>$2k) for a single laptop, they get really passionate about any potential problems and future updates/revisions of the hardware.

Whereas when you get a budget laptop for $800-1000~, it's not really as big a deal.