New Sony Vaio Z speculation/news thread

Not for everyone.

 

The Z are all the same, just make a custom resolution, whatever you want.
See attached document.
I made 3840x1080 to drive two displays through a Matrox TripleHead2Go (use triple head for DVI input)

You can get an HDMI to Dual Link DVI cable.

Walmart.com: Link Depot 2m Male Gold Plated DVI-D Dual Link to High Speed HDMI Cable: Computers

 

'course it may be worth waiting for Sony's Ivy Bridge refresh.
Leaked Intel slides reveal Sandy Bridge-E, Ivy Bridge details - TechSpot

 

Wow. that sounds pretty amazing. And this Matrox triple-head thing works pretty well? any downsides from actually using it?

 

Or your horse... (j/k).

 

I don't have the one I am talking about yet. I am 99.99% sure it will work. I made the custom resolution and that works. My HDTV takes it and just squashes it to fit. I will let you know when I get a second monitor and the Matrox unit.

The info on the Matrox site indicates that the 330M is compatible with dual 1080P. The dual head takes 3840x1080 on VGA, and splits to dual DVI. The triple head had DVI and VGA input and three DVI out. So I was planning on getting the triple for the full digital signal path, even though I only plan to run dual.

If it were 100 years ago.

Now it is just easier to have 500 horses under the hood.

 

Sony must have invested quite some amount in the tooling and production of the machined aluminium body on the VPC-Z. I'm really surprised they have dropped it after only one generation

I hope it doesn't have that weird Darth Vader anglular hinge, like on the SA.

 

I have a feeling it'll look like the X series, just slightly bigger and made of aluminum.

 

Sad face... but thanks for the info Beaups! I will miss you barrel hinge! R.I.P.

 

That design may be brought back, who knows. It was introduced on the X505 then brought back a few years later.

 

Does it have a blocked vent like in the SB?
Thanks!

 

Thank you for the info. However, I would need such a Matrox device, so it would not be the merit of the Z. I assume this device could also be used with another laptop. In any case, you do not get displayport.

Also, I think this device is intended for running multiple monitors, not for running a single 2560x1200 display. I also think that HDMI will not work with the 30" displays, at least in my experience. Perhaps there is someone else with a 30" display, who can share their experience with a newer Z?

 

what the heck is a 2560x1200 display???

isn't it 2560x1440(16:9) and 2560x1600(16:10)?

 

Yes, you are correct. I meant 2560x1600. My mistake, I accidentally switch 1600 and 1200 because I used to have a 1600x1200 display . A 2560x1200 display would almost be cinemascope.

 

My question to beaups,

could you clarify what goes in the dock-box in terms of I/O ports? I guess Ethernet is on the machine itself, isn't it? VGA is probably too...
Only additional USB there, on the dock?... HDMI? Please recall it from your visual memory. Thanks.

 

I am telling you that the Z will run that resolution

I was giving an example of a wider but shorter resolution that I got running.
I am absolutely positive that you can run 2560x1600

why not try it? you need dual link DVI>HDMI cable but that is cheap

 

I tried with my older Z. It did not work for me. There are some threads that also discuss this issue:

• Thread 1
• Thread 2

Although I have not looked into this issue recently anymore, I just resigned and accepted that it may not be possible with the old Z.

From my point of view, support of displayport is the only good solution.

 

No barrel hinges?!What a shame!

So My VPC-Z11 is truely the best!

 

I for one am glad the barrel hinge is gone, but I do hope sony does not make a second mistake and stick the exhaust in the rear like the SA/SB and then have the screen block it, that would be a double fail on sony's part.

 

I know I can make it work, because my custom resolutions work. It is just a matter of getting another $500 TV and a $300 Matrox adapter.

I suppose I could just buy the Matrox Adapter and return it if it doesn't work. I'll do that next week and report back

I know it will work over VGA at least. Look at this 2560x1600 picture I just snapped

http://hotfile.com/dl/114428522/17e2ab7/2560x1600VGA.png.html

 

I agree. That hinge on the SB just doesn't look right. It looks like a "Clamp" - a more traditional approach in keeping two pieces of material together.

If the Z2 does look like the X, there's really no design differentiation from the SB and X, just a different footprint and customizations.

Personally, I wasn't enthused with the X's design. Too bad Sony didn't just go with the X505 barrel-hinge and design platform.

 

hey guys, the new vaio y (netbook?) has the barrel hinge!

 

Maybe you are right, but I had no luck by connecting my VGN-Z directly to my display by using HDMI. But I think other people also had trouble with this, as you can see in the threads I linked.

I am not sure if connecting multiple displays with a custom resolution of 2560x1600 can prove that the Z can drive a single 30" display that requires a dual-link DVI or displayport connection. It might be that the 30" displays do not support the way HDMI transmits high resolutions.

VGA and HDMI are fine for their purposes, but DVI ports do have some advantages. Anyway, displayport as we will get it when the Z gets thunderbolt will definitely be able to drive most 30" and 27" high resolution displays, including Apple's which only accepts displayport.

 

if someone wants to buy me an Apple Cinema Display I would be happy to make it work

 

There has to be some honesty award for that! I don't blame you for being ticked off. I mean, how dare they lure you in with this super high-end product, in an industry that upgrades at least every year, and essentially tell you, we're not upgrading for 2 years now, and when we do, in June or July, it may not really be an upgrade at all, maybe just a juggling of our product lines. What a friggin drag that is! Even the fruit boys gave their fans something to crow about! The best you can say is: "I own the slickest, best ultraportable from 2010 and it's still hot sh-t, but nothing like the king of the hill, and even if I'm willing to shell out thousands, Sony isn't giving me anything to move up to.

So, there you have it: I repeated what you said in twice the word count! (a talent I'm known far and wide for!).

Still, really sucks. Even for those of us who can't afford to ditch the $4K investment and spend it again, this is a pretty damn disappointing state of affairs. Someone's not doing their job right. I'm cryin for you, cowboy.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...iscussion-sonys-next-new-13-3-laptop-230.html

 

I'd think it's better if you linked him into our thread... he's discussing the new Z on the SA thread, and you're linking the SA thread on the Z thread...

 

ComputerCowboy, lovelaptops, you have loads of money. We get it. This is a laptop discussion thread however not a poor-rich-me circlejerk though. If you wouldn't mind, its quite obnoxious.

 

I never said I had loads of money

 

But, it must be pointed out perhaps again, one can always get a Vidock to do that, and surely for way less money, and far more flexibility as to gpu.

 

I can only speak for myself, but if i were to guess, I think we were both speaking tongue-in-cheek. Personally, I'm only in this "club" because I caught a Z11 refurb for $855 a few weeks ago, so the "loads of money" part would not apply here. Even if Cowboy can afford to spend another $4K, I think he was having fun, not bragging. I was just laughing with him, not at him.

 

But there are people that share his genuine concern and sentiments on the fact that current Z owners who like the Z for what it is, have nothing to move up to. That still is considered as discussion about the new Z, and what it is and isn't going to be.

I guess the next best thing would probably be the 13" Macbook Pro? Or a Thinkpad X? Sigh.

 

Most VPC-Z's are barely a year old. If people are looking to "move up" already then they bought the wrong notebook in the first place. A notebook should last the user an absolute minimum of 2 years. If people are finding it doesn't do what they require after only 12 months or so, then they made a balls-up with their choice and should shut up with the moaning.

The 13" MPB is not a move up, nor is the ThinkPad X really.

 

Without getting to off topic...

I used the computer all day and into the night. I work from home as a sub contractor full time, my work often spills over into the weekend also. As soon as I am done with work each night I take my computer into the living room, hook it up to my projector and watch movies with my girlfriend. Essentially I use my computer almost all my waking hours. I would say that it is worth it to have the best top end hardware since I spend more time with my computer than anyone or anything else.

I did a little math and guessed that I've spent at least 4000 hours on my computer in the last 9 months. I bought it for $2,700. So it has cost me less than a dollar per hour to use.

It is not about having lots of money, it is about prioritizing.

I agree that my laptop will last me into 2012, but that doesn't mean that I might not want something better. As I said above, I spend nearly all my time using it. Even If I upgraded every six months it would still be a deal.

Totally agree with that. There is nothing out there like the Z, and it seems that there won't be anything to replace it.

The ViDock is NOT a good solution for me, I use the expresscard for eSATA. That is why I am going with the Matrox TripleHead2Go. I can use the power of the 330M to drive it

 

addicting, isn't it?

 

Great price! Was it a refurb at sonystyle USA?

 

That's true to a certain extent. I'm one of those oddballs who don't like the direction Sony is going with the VAIO Z line (first the VPC-Z with the propriatey SSDs, & now this external box "thingy") as I prefer an all-in-one powerhouse. This new VAIO Z successor has definitely pushed me to make up my mind to move on from a VAIO notebook & seek something else from another manufacturer. I'm also not like a new Sony customer as I own/owned 7 VAIO notebooks (3 VGN-SZ, 3 VGN-Z, & 1 VGN-P) but I guess it is good business for Sony to totally get rid of s**ty & s**ky customers like me at the same time while creating newer & better VAIO notebooks.

However, IMHO, this move by Sony is not a bad thing at all. Sony may lose old/existing customers like me who do not like the new VAIO Z series (should be a very, very, very small number & wouldn't matter to them anyway) but it will retain most customers & even gain new customers (should be a very large number & a significant gain). I think in the future, the new VAIO Z will prove to be the top selling top end line for Sony ever since they began making VAIO notebooks.

 

No, not in the least. It was from cheetahdeals.com, a major wholesale refurbisher of Acer/Gateway and a few other mfrs they have exclusives for and sell largely to the likes of TigerDirect and other online resellers of refurbs, but at that site they do some direct retail sales. The Sony Z was a one-off for them and once they got hit with repair problems (none from me, thank goodness!), they began to wish they hadn't dealt with this product! I made a thread about it http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/565131-i-bought-z-11-refurb-good-move-not.html . It was a great deal and I wish they had not had such a bad experience with it so they would sell more, but though it is still listed as a product on their web site "out of stock," I think they've sold their last one.

 

@Cowboy: I wasn't suggesting it was anything like ideal, just that it's existence makes the idea of Sony selling a "me too" side car to run a video card through instead of improving on the 330M for the next Z was no more useful or 'elegant' than a Vidock which, no matter how practical and affordable, is not a "model" Sony should be following to avoid putting discrete graphics in the new Z. While we're at it, the new one should have both eSata and usb3, so the EC slot should be free for whatever "exotic" accessory you want, not for the fast data port that should have always been there.

Ok, first, the whole "you have money and we don't" saw got old several posts ago, so I'll ignore it. As for Cowboy, me or anyone else wanting a new Z to come out and raise the state of the art of the best incredibly thin, light and luxurious laptop in the world, well that's what being an enthusiast (why 90% of us log in to NBR, right?) is all about. In the case of Cowboy, and likely quite a few others who plunked down thousands as recently as last year a year is not too soon - especially a year in which unprecedented strides in core technology were released commercially at no increase in price - to expect and, for a user like Cowboy, look to buy a major "refresh" or entirely new product cycle for the Z. It's both a compliment and a slam to Sony that they are recognized as having created the unquestioned pinnacle of what an "executive" computer should be. To just punt the ball when it's time to take that brilliant piece of work and optimize it with these amazing new electronics Intel and AMD have graced the market with (and also lots of battery technology, even Sony's own) and do something like the prognosticators are indicating Sony plans to do...well, that's just peeuss-poor performance and a massive disappointment to anyone who admired the company for its achievements and looked to it for leadership. While the Z is not a "concept" model - it appears, despite it's price, to sell in pretty decent quantity - it is the line leader that is supposed to set the pace, some design cues and some of the technology "magic" that Sony will infuse up and down the line.

Color us: disappointed, bored and, in my case anyway, looking to Samsung to show us the 9 was just the very start of it's ascendancy to the role of the "Anti-Apple" that Sony has graciously ceded to it.

 

Beaups, not sure if this was asked, but is there a exhaust vent on the new Z and if so is it in the back, if not on the side?

 

This would be interesting to know. I can't understand, why the vent on the SB was designed like that.

 

Does it get blocked when the screen is open like on the SA/SB?
Thanks!

 

Hmmm, so I guess that is the end of the VAIO Barrel...

 

Actually someone pointed out that the new y-series (YA and YB <-- one uses Intel the other AMD Fusion chips) still have the barrel hinge. But yeah that's the only laptop in this generation to have it... I hope Sony does bring it back though...

 

I see, thanks, hmm I can imagine the screen also covers the vent like the SA/SB, hmm

 

The whining about the two-part Z is getting to be a bit much. For some people, it's clearly not the right option and they would be better off with an SA or some other machine.

My issue is not with people for whom the new Z is not right but rather with those who are criticizing Sony for exploring a new approach to high-end, ultralight laptops. Does the new design mean compromises? Absolutely. So what? Every design means compromises. Taking the old Z approach would mean compromises with GPU power, battery life and weight. It would also mean going down the same old path instead trying something new. Now that I would criticize Sony for, using a retread design instead of looking for new ways to improve performance.

I'm not thrilled with some of the compromises Sony opted for. As I previously noted, I would be glad to accept some size and weight increases to have a quad-core option. But that's the way is goes.

Time to embrace the new instead of hoping for a bit of updated history.

 

Vents at the back also means the end of the minimalist leather bookcover:

Not many people will care, but I thought it was another very distinct feature of the Z style.

 

If it comes out and I determine that it is awesome I will embrace it. Everything that I have heard doesn't sound awesome. The SA is not good enough. ATI is crap, made by AMD, total crap. There is no weight savings if you want to bring the GPU. The battery life on the current Z is more than enough, more is always better. More built in GPU power is also always better.

Honestly I could live with out the ODD most of the time, but it doesn't weigh much at all so why not throw it in there, that gives the option of more storage for those who don't want ODD at all.

I've made my point, I'll stop whining.

I am super happy right now because I just picked up a Gold color P, generation one, made in Japan, with WWAN and GPS. I am going to send it off for a 2Ghz processor upgrade and get a SIM card soldered in there so I can use AT&T. I'm also going to throw a CrystalHD in there for 1080P h.264.

I love the small designs when it is something like the P or the X. The greatest thing about the Z is there are no compromises. It has almost the power of one of those 6lbs 16" laptops but it is 3lbs.

So yea that is it, when it comes out I'll be the first to judge it. Until then I'll try to hold my tongue.

 

Any ideas about what the base price of the new Z will be? I recently bought a slightly used Z13 for $1500, and I am pondering returning it, and waiting for the new Z, which has a main unit, that, if it were to be sold by itself, would be perfect for my needs. (I do not need the power of a 330m GT. I have owned a VGN-Z, and I found the 9300GS card adequate). Will the soon-to-be-released Z have a base price of at least USD2000, the maximum I will pay for a new computer? I am not expecting a clear answer, for obvious reasons......

 

can't imagine it. people don't have issues with mb / mbp.
well they do, but usually it has to do with over-application of thermal grease at assembly, not mechanicals.