I bought a Z-11 refurb; good move or...NOT?

I have been looking for an ultraportable (eg, HP DM1z or Lenovo X120e) for travel, decent battery life (5 hrs+) and failry undemanding business use - MS Office, web browsing, email, occasional movie-watching. I came upon both this reseller, Cheetahdeals.com and it's Sony VPC-Z11 (see below) for $899, mfr refurbished. For the additional $200 over a decently equipped version of the models I cited above, it seemed like a total no-brainer - given that it is rated by many as the best performing notebook computer on the planet! - and I don't personally have an anti-refurb bias, particularly when the mfr did the refurb. Also, Cheetahdeals.com has a 30 day full refund, no restocking policy and a 9/10 rating from reseller ratings.com.

Right now I feel pretty giddy about this find (there was only 1 and I did buy it - though again, can return it) and what a great computer I'm getting for the price of a mediocre HP, Dell, Asus or even Sony Cw. I would appreciate being brought down to earth about this. Please, spare no criticism; remember, I can get all my money back for 30 days. One last point: though I said I was only looking for a basic machine for travel, productivity, web apps, I certainly can and will use this kind of machine to its fullest.

1) Is this a good price, given it's a refurb? Are there tons of them out there for this same price?
2) Is the 11-series, the first of the current (well, about to be previous) model basically on par with the -12 and -13 series, or were there major probs with the 11, fixed in the 12/13?
3) Have there been problems with these when new or over time? Are there certain components I should run tests/stress tests on to make sure I don't have a problem in the making? (I've found most refurb mfrs will replace an original part with a new one if you can prove the orig is on its last legs)
4) Overall, thumbs up or thumbs down? or neutral: not the deal of the year, but not a bad price for not a bad computer.

Thanks so much. I have been salivating for one of these for a long time, but could never justify/afford the price, even used ones. Hope this is a case of patience rewarded but, again, show no mercy in your ctitiques! Thanks.

Here's the deal I bought

Sony VAIO VPCZ112GX/S Factory Refurbished Laptop (Silver)
Sony VAIO VPCZ112GX/S 13.1" Factory Refurbished Laptop (Silver) Alternative Views:	Our Price: $899.00 Availability:: In Stock, order now! Product Code: M-VPCZ112GX/S Qty: <input name="QTY.M-VPCZ112GX/S" size='3' maxlength="8" value="1" type="text"> <input src="http://www.cheetahdeals.com/v/vspfiles/templates/biz-pro2/images/buttons/btn_addtocart.gif" name="btnaddtocart" alt="Add to cart" border='0' type="image"> <input src="http://www.cheetahdeals.com/v/vspfiles/templates/biz-pro2/images/buttons/btn_addtowishlist.gif" name="btnaddtowishlist" alt="Add To Wish List" border='0' type="image">

<nobr> Description </nobr>

	Sony VAIO VPCZ112GX/S Factory Refurbished Laptop Computer Core i5 4 Star The Sony VAIO VPCZ112GX/S Laptop Computer packs incredible performance, High Definition graphics capability, and unparalleled connectivity and communications into an ultra-portable design platform. The Sony VAIO VPCZ112GX/S Laptop Computer comes with the brand-new Intel Core i5-520M 2.40GHz processor and 4 gigs of ultra-quick DDR3 memory. When used with integrated Intel Turbo Boost Technology, NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M graphics and a 128GB solid state drive (SSD), the Sony VAIO VPCZ112GX/S Laptop Computer is unsurpassed in lightweight, HD ready performance computing. The 13.1-inch screen is backlit by battery-saving LED technology and has a 1600x900 maximum resolution. An onboard HDMI output and HD audio capability let you export your HD content to the big screen. The Sony VAIO VPCZ112GX/S Laptop Computer connects to the web, your portable digital devices, and even Bluetooth-equipped peripherals via 802.11a/b/g/n wireless and Bluetooth A2DP 2.1 +EDR. Other features include a DVDRW optical drive, integrated fingerprint reader, media card reader, and Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64-bit operating system. Work, play, entertain and perform on the road with the stellar Sony VAIO VPCZ112GX/S Laptop Computer! Intel Core i5-520M 2.40GHz processor Windows 7 Professional 64-bit Operating system 13.1-inch LED backlit 1600x900 widescreen display 4GB DDR3 Memory 128GB Solid State Drive Webcam 802.11b/g/n

 

1) You got a great deal. As long as it's refurbed by a reputable company, then it's good. There are not alot at this price. There was one time when MS has them at $829... lasted like 1 hour or something IIRC. (Travfar will give you the lowdown on this )

2) The Z11/Z12/Z13 all are pretty much the same hardware (the Z13 has upgraded cpu options, but that's for CTO).

3) bad parts: the hinges will get loose, and since you got a silver Z, you don't have to worry about your palmrest prematurely fading (it's a problem on the dark colored Z's) i dont think i've read or heard anyone complain about a silver Z's palmrest fading, but you never know. Some people complain about the Z not supporting TRIM (that's Intel's fault for not allowing TRIM commands through RAID). Uhh... that's about it... i think. Some people reporting wifi drops alot, apparently fixed by going to Intel's site and getting new drivers. Video card crap out on Z11/Z12's black screen and buzzing on speed mode... upgrade video drivers from Z13 suppport site or on one thread here. (<-- i think that might have been a flash problem that got fixed with Flash 10)

4) I'd give a thumbs up. I'd personally buy it for a friend then maybe augment the SSD's with another drive for more storage. In any case, it's an awesome machine as you already know.

I hope you enjoy your new Z more than the HP's you have in your sig .

 

Thank you so much for the instantaneous response, upbeat assessment, and good info on components to watch out for. FWIW, the HP 8540w in my sig was a replacement for another order (don't get me started) and will be sold, sealed in the box, when/if it ever arrives!; the DV8t has been my stalwart DTR for 16 months now and NEVER had a problem - I'll duel over the innate goodness of it . The Dm1, along with the Lenovo X120e and a few other AMD Fusion models were the $500-$600 models I was considering, when the SONY hit my radar and blew them away!

To others: feel free to disagree with Achusaysblessyou and tell me if you think I should NOT get this Z and, if you would, what I should get instead? Many thanks.

 

Aren't you the one with the Radiance Envy dilemma? You made a good choice by moving to Sony, I also replaced my radiance Envy 14 with a Z13. I know the screen quality is important to you and the Z won't disappoint. For $899, I wouldve bought one myself if it was still available.
And yea like Achu said, the differences between the Z's are just minor AKAIK. The Z12 and Z13 just offered different processor options etc. You won't be able to tell the difference by looking at them. I have heard from one person that the keyboard on the Z13 has slightly better feedback than the Z11, but I think that's probably because he used his Z11 a lot longer and it wore down over time

Only thing is that if your coming from the Envy or the 8540, the Z might feel really flimsy/fragile at first. It did for me at least, the Envy feels really solid in comparison. Other than that, great notebook

 

wow seems like an awesome price. I paid 1359 plus tax for my z13 carbon. I might return it and grab this. Still shows in stock.

 

Yes, that would be me! I sold the Envy last night (got to keep the new 256GB SSD though ) and I really only planned to get a cheap amd fusion 12" travelin machine, but when I saw this SONY, I couldn't look away! Maybe I'll have to sell the SSD instead of using it in my DV8, lol. But that was my Envy refurb I bought when it looked like my "January surprise" purchase may not have been replaced under wtty, which in the end it wasn't. So the HP 8540w in my sig is HP's replacement of my $944 January Radiance Envy! Sound too good to be true? Probably is! The 8540w was ordered on 2-23 (the whole time since, HP quotes 7 business day delivery lead time) and the delivery has been postponed 5 times, now by 2 months! Don't ever let yourself fall under the clutches of HP's "Corporate Executive Case Management" group! They are rude, arrogant, know nothing about computers, have no way to even speak to people in the line organizations (to ask questions like: "where's the damn 8540 I ordered 6 weeks ago?!!" They claim they are the highest authority in all of HP and they have no managers they report to!! I have written to both the CEO's executive address and the Board of Directors. Next stop: the media. Anyway, the only saving grace will be if I ever do receive this $3,300 workstation, I will give someone the bargain of the century and still collect some $1,000 in profit vs. the $944 Envy/Raidance during the January fire sale - you know, the one in which they sold every last Radiance screen they had at a loss, so that people with warranties can never get their screens replaced?!!

You make an excellent point about the Z feeling flimsy - not just from the Envy, which is about the most solid notebook of its class ever, but due to its ultra light weight, it has an almost toy-like feel to it, unless you are using it on a desk or table. I actually bought a new one - in flusher days, sigh - and returned it because I found it bounced around on my lap when I was typing. In this case, though, I am comparing it to other 3-3.5 lb notebooks, so I think they are all in the same boat.

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I thought I had found a good deal, but nobody knows the products like people who have owned and rated them for a while.

 

You had me a little worried about that - the thought that their stock was not updating and I may get an unpleasant cancellation email. I checked by ordering 10 and it came back and told me there were just 2 in stock, so I feel a bit less concerned. I'm tempted to post this in the "Deals" thread, but if there are at least 2 people here who are interested, I think I'll just keep it "in the family!"

Please post if you plan to buy this, or I will post it in the general "Deals" forum, since you all have made it clear it is the deal I'd hoped it was.

Thanks again for the support

 

I purchased one. Thanks! I like the carbon color better but 400 is a lot for color and minor spec bump. Looks like my z13 will be going back to sony unless this one comes in and its not in good shape.

 

Yep, it's now showing only 1 available! You snooze, you lose! I hear the carbon fiber coloring wears off pretty quickly, so you may be better off with silver anyway.

 

I wonder if it has the backlit keyboard and noise cancelling headphones.

 

all USA models have the backlit keyboard. So yes, you will get the backlit keyboard. as for noise cancelling headphones, i'm not so sure. Usually people on this forum got their Z CTO'd and those all came with noise cancelling earbuds. In any case, the noise cancelling earbuds work with just the Z as there's an extra ring on them to power the noise cancelling. The problem with that is that they dont really work with any other 3.5mm jacks (well they do, but you have to keep them about 1mm from being entirely plugged into the jack and make sure you dont tug or push on it.. it's annoying).

Also, the Z13 has a TPM module and the Z11/Z12 doesn't (at least not USA consumer models). So... no uhh BitLocker with Win 7 Ultimate, for some that's a biggie (for those using their laptop for work). Annoyingly, Sony advertised the Z as having TPM here in the US when the Z first came out... but for some reason didnt include them (all other countries outside of N.A. had them...) and then the advert about the TPM disappeared

 

Ah i got you! But all zs have the noise cancelling function?

 

noise cancelling function is provided by the drivers. However, you need the noise cancelling headphones by sony to use them since the headphones themselves have a microphone that detect ambient sound... and that extra 4th ring on the jack that allows additional info to get passed some way.

even though the part number is MDR-NC021, that's the same part as a walkman noise-cancelling earbuds that DO NOT fit a 3.5mm jack as it's got an extra piece of metal on the side of a standard jack. If you do find someone that sells the Vaio Z version of the MDR-NC021, give me a heads up. Hopefully you will get one, i think it should, but i don't know for sure.

 

In theory they do have the noise cancelling function but there was one gentleman on this forum that posted a few days ago stating he couldn't get the noise cancelling function to work on his Z11 after he purchased it. He was using the headphones with this Z13 (shouldn't be a difference).

But, if your computer comes with them, then they should work out of the box.

 

you are all great help. one last question do you think by saying factory refurbished that its refurbished by sony?

 

fwiw, I bought a Z at BB a year ago and it included the noise cancelling headphones - but sometimes refurbs don't include all the orig accessories.

Also, it is definitely refreshed by SONY - the Cheetah has an excellent reputation and the reason you see only a few brands available at any given time is that they are wholly dependent upon what comes out of the factories they do business with. Looking at the other "values" on their site, I think these SONYs were far and away the best buys.

 

Hey guys, if you want, you can use coupon code "CDLink1211" to get 5% off... works on the Vaio Z at Cheetahdeals.com

 

Look on the bright side, if they delay much longer, they will have to upgrade you 8560w.

 

Funny you should say...that's what I said to them on Friday, but wouldn't you know the SOB's response was: "That will NEVER happen!" I asked why not, and he was silent (kind of the icy silence of a psychopath, lol). I told him that HP would soon, if they haven't already, stop manufacturing the 8x40 series and he responded, "what's that?"

I will get these guys in the end; mark my words!

 

Yeah, found that out too late. Tried to cancel my order and re-do it w/the coupon. It said it was too late to cancel (of course, all those systems say that after 13 seconds, lol. So, I considered ordering a second one with the coupon, then calling on Monday to cancel out the first one, since I can always return it for a refund anyway. Well, for $45 it was just not quite tempting enough. I did the next best thing: send an email and left a voice mail about it, asking if they would discount the order when they were back in on Monday. Still, talk about making a great deal even better!

 

Yeah, because what you really need is one more laptop in limbo!

 

hahahahahahahahahaha

(that was funny)

 

Hey, I just went trolling through NBR and googling and could not find much to answer this question: what is the best/cheapest way to increase the storage space on a Z with only 128 GB (2X64)? Does one have to buy from SONY and pay them to install? Since that costs a zillion and negates my whole purpose in buying this for a steal, what do you all think of:

1) putting an HDD or SSD in place of the DVD drive
2) Using an ExpressCard SSD
3) using a 32 GB SD card

I am not sure if you can fit a 2.5" HDD/SSD in place of the DVD, or where you get the caddy (I did a little searching, but it's late and I am getting lazy), and I know the other 2 solutions are going to be limited and slow. Just figured this wheel has been invented...anyone got a link?

 

you can fit a 2.5" drive in the DVD drive slot...there's threads on them here. Point is, you pay ~$43 some dollars to NewModeUS for their HDD caddy, and they even got installation guides for the VPC-Z11/Z12/Z13 then you just plug and go.

 

Not all Z1x models have the hardware required for noise cancelling, but all the ones sold in the US do.

 

Thanks much. I take it expanding the SSDs is cost-prohibitive?

 

It looks like cheetah has a company that they buy from who refurbs computers. im hoping this is not the case.

 

well... if you replace them with the SSD's from Sony, hell yeah. They aren't sandforce 2400 or whatever, but they charge like $250 USD for a 64GB or something like that... you're better off getting your own SSD and replacing.

 

Where did you see that?

As long as the refurbishing is done by the mfr, I don't think it matters if there is a middle man who buys and resells them to Cheetah. From their website:

Manufacturer’s Warranty and Support

Every product purchased from cheetahdeals.com is backed first by the manufacturer’s warranty. For product support, please contact the respective manufacturer first. All refurbished computers ship with a standard 90-day warranty and a one-year warranty applies for refurbished computer displays. If you need in-warranty support on refurbished systems, please contact 800-842-6442 opt 5 or visit http://support.revonate.com.

I think the safest way to buy any refurbished computer is to spring for the mfrs wtty out at least a year. Let's face it, our own 1 year old computers have problems waiting to happen, and a mfr refurb is the equivalent of sending our own machines back to the mfr for thorough testing and replacement of any questionable parts. I haven't even checked the price of an ext. wtty from SONY, but even a Square Trade one will take away any worries.

 

Great Deals on Refurbished Computers and Accessories - CheetahDeals
if you read the first paragraph..

 

Also remember that some credit cards offer a bonus 1 year warranty extra on all purchases under a certain amount (or up to a certain amount).

They say:

Building on the vast manufacturing and distribution experience of Seneca, an affiliate company, Revonate Manufacturing, LLC was formed in 2008 to focus on reverse logistics and remanufacturing. Revonate holds multiple contracts to remanufacture desktops, notebooks, netbooks and monitors.

but do remember that some companies don't refurb their own laptops. Some companies, in order to save cash, contract out their warranty claims to local companies so they don't have to deal with the logistics of refurbing/repairing the laptops themselves. If Revonate Manufacturing is a contracted company, then all is good... but who knows. you'll have to do some homework on this.

 

I'm disappointed in myself for not noticing this, but I agree with you that many mfrs do contract out re-furbing, but as long as they back the product with their name and wtty, I feel ok about it. Also, Cheetahdeals does get excellent customer reviews (9/10) from two independent consumer ratings services. Time will tell, but they seem like good people looking for happy customers. To wit: I have never seen a refurb with a 30 day refund policy!

Moral of story: no free lunches - though no one knows better than I that there are genuine "deals" in the computer biz, and it takes a combination of luck, timing and, well, 30 day refund policies to safeguard your purchases.

FWIW, the refurb Envy 14 I got was, by far, the finest specimen of that computer out of the box anyone has ever reported. It was physically flawless - not only free of any scratches or use marks, but assembled with no gaps that the majority of Envys shipped with - and operationally perfect. With the shoddy quality of most China-built laptops (nearly all brands in the same factory, by the way!) these days, a carefully tested and upgraded refurb may well be a better bet than a new computer - says he who just plunked down $845 for an $1,800 Sony Z (yes, they called back and told me they are discounting for the coupon

 

This deal is looks really amazing considering im in the market for a laptop and I've wanted a vaio z for a long time. I just have two question to any sony fans about this model: how is it for gaming (range from Counter Strike: Source to Just Cause 2 or Amnesia: Dark Descent) and what is the battery life like? I really want this becasue I heard the battery life was good and it could handle the types of games I play. Really like the portability as i'm going to be taking my laptop to class with me.

 

I think they sold out, I ordered one of the last two.

 

Batt life 3.5-4 hours. It will play CSS perfectly, just cause two will play at low/med settings 30/35 FPS. I get 45/50 FPS on Bad Company 2 at low settings (still looks good) with moderate O.C.

Sony VAIO VPCZ112GX/S 13.1" Factory Refurbished Laptop (Silver)

says it's avaliable...

 

But when you click order now it says they are out of stock.

 

I've heard and read lots of quotes of 5-6 hrs using Intel gpu and doing standard tasks while on wifi and with about 60% brightness; I think these were using the i5 cpu too. Sound reasonable, or were your 3.5-4 hr estimates already adjusting for that?

 

I asked the same thing yesterday. An expresscard SSD is something I haven't considered. I agree with you though that it isn't the best solution.

Replacing the hard drive seems like the best option for me (and keeping the optical drive).

 

You wont be able to boot from the expresscard ssd I don't think. I use one in my S series for storage and running VMs and certain programs off - works fine for that stuff.

 

uhh, that's just what most people are getting on these forums. from between 3.5-4.5 hours. 5-6 hours... maybe word processing sure, but i'd say don't expect too much (and i'm talking about real world replicable usage, not Windows' guess at your battery life). I got 2 hr 50 min yesterday on 73% charge... which means at full 100% charge i'd get about 3hr 45 min. 5-6 hours on extended for sure.

On the Vaio Z, replacing the SSD's take a little more than your average HDD replacement...

 

I know there are skaads of threads and posts about this, but are the SSDs in the Z "standard" 1.8" SSDs (such as Samsung and Intel make), or are they different sized/configured drives. In any case, is it possible, is there a place, to install 2 more 64GB SSDs and keep the Raid0 arrangement intact so that it will function like the 256GB model? Again, I know there is a great deal of info about this, but frankly it is more confusing than enlightening. I just wondered if any of you know enough about it to know if it bears reading those posts in depth so that I can achieve 256 GB in Raid0 (far cheaper than using Sony parts), or if it is either too complicated or does require the Sony 64 GB SSDs. If the latter, I will just install a Seagate Momentus XT or similar drive in the DVD Bay.

Thanks. I never thought I would be in a position to own this machine and now I am just awakening to the possibilities.

 

Well, I guess this may supersede my previous post, but when you say replacement "takes a little more," can you confirm whether the physical installation can be done using any 64GB SSD or does it have to be a "match" to the other two in my Z11? I'll read the detailed threads as to the other complexities of adding capacity (software/firmware I presume), but if you could just point me in the right direction - do/do not attempt this if you are not quite adept technically.

Thanks

 

The SSD's in the Z are not in any casing, they are open. You would have to get a 1.8" SSD, remove it from it's casing in order for it to fit (which will void it's warranty) and then install. I believe there was a model of the Crucial SSD which are confirmed to work with the Z, but you would have to go through the thread. I also heard that the Samsung 470 may work (it's a 2.5" but they are tiny inside the casing).

As for RAID, I believe it will work if the sizes are the same, regardless of the brand of the SSD

 

Waleed is correct. The SSD's have no enclosures, it's just "in the nude". I wouldn't put two sandforce drives with the SSD's in RAID0 for the simple fact that the sandforce drives might perform better than the Samsung ones in your Z. The drives that Enny used are the C300's. You can just add the SSDs "on the side" and at least they'll have TRIM.

 

I'm inclined to do what you have done; I have a Samsung 470 and will probably put it in the DVD bay. 384 GB is more than enough storage for me.

Thanks

 

I actually ended up removing that caddy because I have a quad-raid set up and adding another drive to a quad-RAID in the Z causes CPU problems. I didn't even notice it until someone pointed it out lol
So anyway I can sell you the caddy if you're interested, it's the same one from newmodeus. Yours is a dual-RAID so you won't have any problems.

 

I just got it! Looks: 9.9/10. Can't find a flaw, anywhere. Performance: nothing but light stuff, installing things, uninstalling things, getting to know the notebook, but....FAST, Beautiful Screen. Initial cons: speakers (but I knew that), need to put tape over sensor to have keyboard backlight whenever I want it, sometimes the cursor goes flying all over the place, but I haven't even gotten to adjust the control panel yet. Keyboard is excellent. Backlight great, except for sensor problem, noted above. I"m hoping there's a BIOS fix or something like that;

I have a great deal to learn. I'm an HP guy - Sony Vaio's are a different world. Plus, there are probably over 100 pages of special guides to do things on the Z just in NBR!

As of today, color me a very, very happy camper! Sure, I am about $400 over budget for my new ascetic's lifestyle, but considering it got me $1,400 more computer, this is one time I am delighted to have been sucked in to spend a bit more.

Much more later, but for now, I have only good things to say about cheetahdeals.com and the SONY Vaio VPC-Z11

 

I'm glad you're happy with your purchase. Hope to see you on these boards more often.

Happy computing.

 

I was a Dell guy who was given free reign to get a new laptop last year. I hemmed and hawed for a couple of weeks, then got a HP Envy 15, maxed out. My ideal machine was a Dell XPS 13 with 1080p. I figured the Sony Z Signature series was too expensive and I couldn't justify the extra cost.

The Envy didn't really grow on me, but, as the Z started to roll out (as it did at this time last year), I started to get *very* envious. I finally decided that screw the cost, the Z was my perfect machine, and I had to get it.

It arrived, if memory serves, on April 6th. I've taken good care of it (something I'm not really good at); I stay on top of performance stuff, keep it clean, make sure drinks are nowhere near it...and the thing still is something I look forward to opening every day. I love the machine; it truly is the perfect machine for where I am in my life right now.

I may add a big monitor at some point, but right now, I haven't needed anything different. You've made a fantastic choice, and I hope you're still enjoying it at this time next year.

I know I'll be enjoying mine.

 

there's a fix in the registry. You can increase the sensitivity (or decrease) the sensitivity of the light sensor. If you decrease sensitivity, that means your backlight will turn on when it is brighter than the default.

Third post down by beaups:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/521432-z12-keyboard-backlighting-threshold.html