New Sony Vaio Z speculation/news thread

I would imagine the barrel hinges could dictate the thickness of the notebook, so unless sony makes the barrel hinge smaller, I don't think it will make any more appearances, ex, not present on new F, new S and new C.

 

vidock gpu can only output to external monitor

 

The barrel design has been on a few Vaios thinner than the new S, F and C right? ie TT?

I don't know about you but i only use my dedicated gpu when i'm plugged in at a desk... so yeah... I'd have an ext monitor anyways for gaming/graphic intensive work. The HD 3000 is capable enough to handle light gaming anyways.

 

but look at the TT, it is not comparable to the S, F and C in power at all, plus the design on the TT was limited by the barrel thickness.

 

not necessarily.

actually the x505 was the smallest barrel hinge design.



and as you can see the hinge is what limited or either provided the space needed for the components, and guys this is a pentium M laptop

 

from what i've read, i believe you'd have to do some funky wiring to get it to output to your laptop screen

and if you always use an external monitor, then all is fine, i use my laptop as my main computer and my desktop as my backup

 

I think it was dependent on some system only, not possible to all. But if Im going to do a ViDock Im going for a higher res screen with more space

 

Is the triangle switch still there?

I believe the external gpu can be connected to the dock or the main unit via a cable (thunderbolt?)? But I won't be able to use the external gpu easily when
using the notebook on my legs

So there should be a fan on the external gpu unit?
The fan runs like a jet engine in the current z when I switch to speed mode
I hope it won't happen in the new z

 

Well, this is a definite contender for me. For the commute to/from work, just bring the basic laptop. For a plane trip, bring the laptop and slice; power adapter can go in the suitcase. And for the office, plug in the external unit.

I will now hold off upgrading until we know more about the specs on this one. I was excited about the Series 9, but am unhappy about the graphics power and the battery life. The Lenovo x220 also looks very good, but to be honest I wish for something more stylish...

I wish I had a better concept of how powerful the GPU will be, though.

So wait and see...

 

My thoughts exactly, this is a well conceived business/productivity machine IMO

Can't wait to see some images!

 

so, what's up with everyone dropping nvidia for amd lately?

has amd changed ati's cards into winners?

 

Cost cutting.

While NVIDIA's chips are better, AMD's offer decent performance at a lower cost.

 

That is debatable I'd guess it was more about bringing Eyefinity to their laptops. Also, unlike nvidia, ATI doesn't just oc an old chip by 10mhz and call it a new model

 

I think they just received enough complaints from their customers that suffered from the nVidia 8400m/8600m fiasco they realize if they don't switch they will lose customers...

I am not buying nVidia for my next laptop for sure, unless someone is giving me for free or like 50% off...

 

try performance increase

better power consumption

better driver support on mobile

no glitches like optimus

and as plus linux support for people like me that need it

There are some manufacturers that are nvidia only now (the new SB models off course)
Acer and Asus

Now the strange thing is that every enterprise class laptop is equipped with the same NVS 4200 (EDIT: the nvs4200 is based on the gt415 and gt 420m and now the gt 520m) and that crap drivers wont let the enterprise class use linux which for us is a must.

Btw aside all that, the mainstream cards from nvidia are all beaten in performance by the amd cards, however in the higher end side of things, nvidia maintain a good presence with not so competitive prices, for example they have reduced the price of the gtx460m to compete with the amd 6970m, so you are led to think that both have similar performance and that nvidia is the king in performance. Actually no, its that the 6970 really competes with the gtx 485m which is nvidia's best performer, but it costs about half the price of that. Pricing is the nvidia weakest point, it has been for long and it will continue for quite a while.

 

Do we already know for sure if there is a FHD option?

 

I don't like what I am hearing about the new Z at all.

I want my Blu-ray built in. I don't want ATI. I have no problem with the current size of the Z. I don't want to give up 1080P.

I would likely NOT buy this new Z with the specs as they are rumored right now.
I'd more likely upgrade the hell out of my current one. I still use my UX490N a little bit. On the UX I had a new BGA Core2Duo soldered in to replace the CoreSolo. I imagine I could get the same guy to solder in a faster i7 into my Z12. I can upgrade the SSD and the RAM. I'll get another year out of this Z easy. If I want more power than it has to offer, I'll just build a tower for my desk.

I was looking for a Z that was like the current one with an upgraded Geforce and a Quad i7. I guess I'll take my $3K elsewhere.

 

Out of curiosity, where is "elsewhere" that you are taking your $3K exactly?

 

thanks beaups.

I really love this new Z already! Only things which can stop me from buying it would be insanely high prices or a very very bad design.

 

Any information about the sound yet? If this is really supposed to be a desktop replacement I want to put my 7.1 Teufel on it. So I hope there is at least an optical output on the BluRay box.

 

I think that screen size of the new Z has never be discussed here. With this 'Yes', I have a smile on my face. It should be similar to the current one...
It will be my next laptop, if the price remains in the range of the current Z...

 

I am guessing it's 13.1....1080p on an 11 inch would be crazy...

 

^Yep. If I recall it right, it has been stated a few times that it's going to be 13.1".

 

I'd take that money and dump it into a 512GB or 1TB RAID array for my current Z, have a new i7 soldered onto motherboard in current Z. Possibly leave the Z alone and build a nice computer for the desk with i7 Extreme and SLI graphics.

I am VAIO all the way, problem is that Sony makes the best thing every couple years then dumps it for something not that great. I used the UX390N and UX490N as my primary computers right up until I got the new Z. To me the Z is perfect with everything built in. The new Z sounds more like the X with a better processor.

The performance of the current Z is great. If I don't like the new one, sounds like I won't, then I'll just do one of the above options. Even right now I am looking at SSD options and dual monitor support. I managed to make the Z output 3840x1080 over VGA or HDMI. Next step is to get the Matrox TripleHead2Go and add another 40" BRAVIA at my desk. My RAM needs upgrading, my tiny SSD's need upgrading.

I really like the nVidia setup in the current Z, I don't like ATI at all. I am also fairly invested in 3D Vision for the moment until I can get a Dual Passive Polarized Projection setup going.

Truth be told I am not really in the market for a new laptop since this one is 9 months old and still really awesome. Plus I have lots of room to upgrade it. My warranty expires in 3 months or so, all the more reason to mess with the guts of it. (I never buy crazy extended warranty's, I shipped my UX490N off to get a Core2Duo soldered into it the first week I had it)

I guess the point of my comment is that if Sony made a Z like this one with Quad Core i7 and better NVIDIA chip I would buy it. Everything about this laptop is perfect, radical change is NOT needed.

I am also looking at getting a VAIO P for going out and about. I want to put one of those Broadcom CrystalHD chips in it. The AR of the screen is perfect for CinemaScope Blu-ray. I still have mods I want to do to the UX490N, CrystalHD being one of them, I want to put 3G in there also. I have a CrystalHD on order and it is confirmed to work in the UX.

 

^how did you get 3840x1080 over hdmi and what device do you have that supports that?

I'm not defending sony. It sounds like you are looking for a small 13" with QC and nvidia GPU and I'm just curious exactly where you'd go to get that (maybe I want one too!). And, no, soldering one into your current Z isn't going to work at all.

I don't see any thin/light laptops getting QC anytime soon, the thermals just aren't there.

 

that is the first ( and probly the last ) time i've heard of someone going for the tiniest screen possible just to avoid black bars...

 

Too bad, that's really what I would like. I'm willing to pass on any external graphics card to get the quad. Unless someone comes out with a sub-4lb with a quad-core, SSD and at least 8GB with a quality screen, it looks like I'll get the Z. If the SA is out then, I'll compare but I'm leaning to the Z.

 

Great to hear that the 1920x1080 option will live on!

I'm keen to find out:

1) if the processor will be low voltage (like the Samsung 9 series) or not

2) whether they keep the backlit keyboard, after Apple dumped it on their latest MBA

3) A big feature to me- will the built in noise cancelling feature remain?

 

I would have said no way they could get the battery life they're claiming without going ULV.

But then the Lenovo X220 managed to.

I really don't mind the low voltage CPU. 1.4 GHz bursting to 2.7 is pretty damned good for most tasks. I'd rather have the lower heat, quieter fan, small form factor and all those other things that are only possible with the ULV.

 

Beaups, are you aloud to draw said computer?

 

just make a custom resolution with nvidia control panel
plug in matrox dualhead or 3head2go an plug in two 1080p monitors... simple

i said nothing about soldering in QC chip, but I have 620M, i could get 640M or even something else in the same line

well that is not all i would use it for, but what a nice little portable blu-ray player, please don't inform me about the fact that it can't play blu-ray, that is what the crystalhd is for

and really the UX that i already own is the tiniessst screen

forgive the typing on this post, i am typing on the UX while i hack my z up

 

Better performance/watt.

 

I messed around with the Samsung 9 at the Microsoft store in Scottsdale AZ tonight and found it to be mediocre. The design is cool, but the screen is below average. Also, no dedicated GPU is a bummer. The trackpad is like the ones on the Mac's though you don't have to two finger click for right clicks. It's a fingerprint magnet and those dropdown doors on each side are going to give people problems with connectors. (Just like the original Air design did for users)

The Z MURDERS the Samsung.

Also checked out a new Lenovo with soft touch casing ($799) It's design was nice, but again no GPU.

 

You really won't notice any performance gain with that upgrade. If you compare price for a 640M BGA + reflow job with the slight 10%ish higher performance it is clearly a bad deal. (Not even talking about warranty stuff or the amount of work you need to put in totally disassembling and reassembling your whole laptop!)

How do you achieve that? Hook up an external drive with MKV's or untouched BD's to the P or an external BD-ROM? I think this is a waste since the P's screen res can only visualize 60% of FullHD material. 720p content on a usb thumbdrive is good enough and perhaps the Atom can already handle that.

 

i want to ask, will the new Z be thinner than Macbook Air? we know it's lighter already.

also, will the new Z have USB3.0? or only thunderbolt?

 

^nope, can't be, it has enough room for an optical drive

 

the ODD being in a separate slab as beaups already said, sure it can be

 

that makes sense. weight less is a lot more practical than thinness i have to say.

 

how about singing us a song on youtube that may or may not describe the beauty of the new Z?

 

even the current z is quite slim and light already

removing the optical drive from the main unit sholuld make the new Z more tempting; of course, given it's still has quad SSD + FHD + i7 2620M + 8G Ram......

just wonder if the palm rest problem has been addressed and whether the screen is IPS or not....

 

beaups did you draw this?

because that exactly how am I right now, still glad that its a full voltage processor

 

To me, these are the specs that might appear:

Swapping out the DVD drive for a better graphics card and cooling system is hell worth it.

Intel Core i7-2620M CPU (standard)

4 GB RAM (standard) (upgradeable to 8 GB) @ 1333 Mhz

NVIDIA GT 540M/Intel HD Graphics 3000 (This may be possible with the removal of the DVD drive)

256 GB SSD (standard), upgradeable to 512 GB

1.3 KG weight

1.7 cm thickness

USB 3.0 port

No DVD drive, but an external DVD/Blu-ray drive bundled for free upon purchase.

I expect something close to this to make it stay competitive with the macbook pros. The current Z series were better than the 2010 macbook pro 15"s, but it lags far behind the 2011 models. Even cramming all the specs I mentioned above still makes it lose in the CPU and GPU sections (in terms of storage, however, the Z will excel because MBP's don't offer SSD's standard)

But then, it's a 13" laptop that weighs 2.5 pounds less, and still nukes the 13" macbook pro by miles.

That said, I'm not replacing my Z anytime soon as my parents aren't terribly rich. My current laptop will probably last me into 2013 or further

 

think you should read the SonyInsider article first

 

Yeah I would take a discrete GPU over an internal optical drive as well.

 

How credible is Sonyinsider? I'm not really a big fan of rumors but that hybrid 2 part laptop does seem feasible to me. We'll see when the real thing comes out

Well the current Z has a discrete GPU already (330M), only problem is that it isn't powerful enough to handle the best games out there. Eliminating the DVD drive will enable more space for the cooling system, and a better cooling system means a better GPU.

 

the second unit has roughly the same dimensions as an optical drive, so unless the main component is just going to sit on top of the second unit, which is unlikely, i'm assuming that there will be a compartment or at least a cutout for the second unit, which means that the laptop would have to be thicker than an optical drive

 

This is like the game you used to play where you can ask yes/no questions trying to figure something out. Poor Beaups is being grilled by everyone. Don't get me wrong I'm dying to read all the answers.

1) Will it come in white? yes/no

2) Will it come in black? yes/no

3) Will a sheet battery be available? yes/no

4) Will the daisy chain created by plugging into the wall and plugging the two units together drive an average person crazy?

5) Will Question #4 drive you crazy after you realize you paid ~$2,000? yes/no

PS...I don't really need all these questions answered. Just making an observation. I'm still a little uncertain about the two piece thing but I don't use my laptop as my desktop so I'm not sure that this would make much sense for me. I want it to but I just can't figure out how I would use it.

 

From what I've gathered I think it's just connected via cable (thunderbolt/lightpeak), so the heaght of the main unit is independent of the second unit.

3) yes.

I don't get your 4th or 5th question.

 

Hands/eyes-on is better than a written review, but do you know that notebookcheck.net reviewed the 9 and reported it had the highest brightness of any laptop screen ever tested (over 400 nit!), contrast ratio over 800 and very wide color gamut. If the screen looked below average to you, it almost surely was improperly set.

Then again, I wouldn't get it for the fingerprint magnet situation alone. Besides, I just got a Z11 refurb for $845 and it is purrrfect

 

Why do people just like to make stuff up? We've already been told it'll be a separate thing that's just attached via lightpeak.