New Sony Vaio Z speculation/news thread

GPU is not MXM standard, i saw the intern pics.

 

Holy crap, it went for $2300?? I hope to get $1400 on my Z when i put it on ebay and that's because I have nearly $500 worth of C300 love in mine!

 

nice.. i would have gotten it oh well deals come around again

 

Even so I would be surprised if there wasn't a way to replace the actual GPU chip in the PMD and see some performance increase, assuming the replacement may require technical finagling. Like many other compact high performance machines I wouldn't bet on changing much past the initial build spec though due to heat and other hardware limitations. Plus the only real solution may require some Frankenstein wires hanging out to some custom board with a GPU to get a phenomenal 10% performance boost (hey some people are CrAzY)

 

^There could be a driver issue too no?

 

I own a 3 years old gold Vaio TZ21 (black inside). No sign of fading. Not sure that I will buy the golden Z2. I need first to see the brown finish.

 

I understand. But it's impossibile to reach 500 mb/s without a raid with Sata @ 3 Gb/s and they states that config is with a Sata @ 3 Gb/s...

 

There are pictures ???????????:New VAIO Z Series???????????? (Scroll down)

Maybe they were wrong and it was 6gbps . Or maybe sony is wrong . Tiem will tell.

 

The blue model and the new Vaio desktop wallpaper (blue semen swimming in the water and some lasers) go very well together: they are both so unbelievably ugly that I get irritated everytime I see them.

 

Done brother.

 

Thanks for the pics! I saved all the gold/brown images on my desktop.

Do you think the gold/brown or ugly blue colors are paint over black carbon fiber plastic? If so, do they paint black over black carbon fiber plastic too for black models?
I can imagine the aluminum part will be painted, but makes me wonder what the plastic parts will be like. Is it possible that they are colored plastic carbon fiber all the way?

 

Agreed

Thanks!

lol, I think only beaups would be the only person REMOTELY possible to have that answer.

 

Is the gold model black on the inside or brown? I am super confused by that. In some pictures it's black others its brown.

 

^brown. its a very dark brown, and i'd say with like a hint of red, so under some lights it can seem black.

 

It's more probable a mistake by Sony. In that review (the japan one) there's an entire paragraph about the difference in the two model.. and the difference stated was most of all, 3 or 6 Gb/s.. if they're wrong.. what a mistake XD

 

I just swapped an iPad 2 and some cash for a z model problem is he now wants to swap back lol

 

I can't answer that with certainty, but would assume it's a black (dark grey) composite and all models will be painted in addition to the material color. Aluminum is typically anodized.

 

the black finish on the carbon fiber of my z never wore off, and looking at the texture of it, it doesnt look like it can be rubbed off

 

Hell no dont swap that back.

 

Thanks much. That's just what I was wondering.

 

I think the Gold/Brown looks very handsome.

I think I might go for that one since my last 4 Sony's have been black.

 

@ BEAUPS:

Can you confirm what I said before (or deny) ? I mean, about 128GB SSD. Seen the japanese review, it seems that the 2nd generation (and probably the third either) SSD of 128GB comes in RAID 0. Is it right??
And if is it right, the ssd 128GB in 3rd gen is it similar in performance to 256gb or not?

 

I'm not sure if Beaups will have this info, or if anyone will have this info outside of Sony until the laptop gets shipped out. Also, they say 3rd and 2nd gen, but there are other factors like SSD controllers and size of the chip (22 nm vs 34 nm) , etc.

 

Yes, the 3rd gen 128GB SSD is RAID0 (64GB x 2). According to Sony Japan Z2 specs page, Sony refers to "3rd gen" as Serial ATA 6Gb/s, which is of course SATA-III. There is a potential performance improvement with 6Gb/s available, but we will have to wait for a more in-depth review or until units start shipping to see if the actual 3rd gen SSDs use a newer/faster controller that can saturate the SATA-III interface, etc.

Fab sizes (eg: 22nm vs 34nm) have some effect, but generally the more important factor is the number of chips. SSD controllers read/write data in parallel across multiple chips, so generally speaking a 256GB SSD which has twice the number of chips as a 128GB SSD can offer better performance, and likewise for a 512GB vs 256GB SSD -- assuming chip capacity is the same. Of course it's much more complicated than that, but again we will have to wait until units ship to see exactly what each of the new SSDs look like.

Edit:
According to the Kunkoku review, the 3rd gen 128, 256, and 512GB SSDs get roughly 150%, 170%, and 180% better overall performance respectively, compared to previous 2nd gen (3Gbps) RAID 0 SSD.

Also reading through the review and found this: From Sonystyle Japan, some SKUs will ship without a PMD, and of course CTO can be configured without a PMD. But Sonystyle JP will also sell the PMD separately (for example, if you want to get just the main unit first, and decide later if you need the PMD). However, if purchased separately, the PMD will only be available in black color. So if you wanted Gold or Blue and were planning to get it from Sonystyle JP (either direct or through Conics), you will have to get the PMD at the same time if you care about matching colors.

 

I wonder if you can leave the LAN plugged in while the lid is closed?
The "Power Media Dud" has Ethernet so I guess it is not that big of a deal.

I have pretty much decided that I am getting it, my fetish for high end Sony stuff just won't let me be sensible with my money.

 

it probably can. Part of the laptop will just rest on that hinge. Shouldnt be a problem since its so light.

 

^haha, you have a point there. looks like it will just be unbalanced. I just can't wait until the thickness of a laptop is restricted by the USB port.

 

Thanks for the link and pics. I actually turned my Vaio Z1 on at the same time as the guy in the video doing the boot test, and wow! The Boot speed alone makes me want this machine.

 

anyone have any idea how much more the i7 will cost more than the top i5?

 

Interesting question. There are feet in the back that serve as rear supports when the lid is closed. Considering they are similar size to the front, I don't think it will be an issue.

 

Why the PMD hate? for many of us, it's pretty much what we've been dreaming of... i.e. offloading all the stuff you don't need when travelling into the dock.

I do strongly agree though, it really should support higher than 1920x1080.

 

At least then everyone can just switch to microUSB.

 

you are full of wisdom good sir. I just like the aesthetic of minimal 'chrome' on the laptop. i also like edge-to-edge keyboards lol

 

Thanks, that was what I needed to hear In truth, the only thing I really craved was the 512GB SSD. I still need more than the 128GB I got, and the various means of adding have drawbacks, though replacing the DVD drive with an SSD (thanks for that connector, Beaups!) is the best way to go. I think it will cost about $375 to get the drive I want (256GB), so added to the $995 my Z13 cost, that's a pretty good deal. Thing is, as much as i love this computer and will not part with it for anything - especially the Z21 - now, I'm pretty sure I will come Ivy Bridge time early next year, when I stil think the Z1 will hold value - just look at what the VGNZs are selling for on eBay - so I would rather have the extra storage in the RAID array. Think I have found on with 384 GB and other goodies I can get for $1,600, and I don't mind having that much invested ($500 after I sell the Z I have) to have 384GB in RAID0, silver (so no palm rest fade) and, well, a computer I might just keep for yet another season if something I just have to have comes down the pike for a decent price. I still think the Z1, properly equipped and priced, is the best value and best option for anyone looking for an upscale ultraportable, and think the design is sufficiently timeless and the specs good enough.

Well, mental exercise that I had to go through. A great $4,500 computer 1 yr later for 1/2 price is still hard to look askanse at.

 

dunno is that boot or resume form hibernating tho?

 

Does anyone know how well the Z2 will perform against the Z1, let's say i5 w/ 4GB Ram, against the Z1 - generally speaking of course, without the PMD? And are the keys actually be smaller in dimension than the Z1? Thanks.

 

Seeing the video in HD, we can state that it's complete boot, not from hibernation.

 

yea its cold boot. there have been lots of vids of the z2 cold booting in 13-14 secs

 

Agreed. I do wish that when they did tests like that they put the entire specs of the machine at the end of the video. My Z1 is top spec but so so much slower than what is in the video.

Does anyone know what the specs of that machine in the video are "supposed" to be?

 

The "Power Media Dud" has only 2 USB ports, my Z1 dock has 4. The "Power Media Dud" has HDMI my Z1 dock has DVD-DL. The "Power Media Dud" does have USB 3 (it's only redeeming quality). I kind of like the Ethernet hub in the Z1 dock so I can piggyback on another computer, IP phone or whatever. I don't like that you have to plug the connector in, the drop in dock is better. I don't like that you have to push a button and wait for it to un-dock, I can pick up my Z1 when ever I please. The "Power Media Dud" still has no analog audio out or mic in, you can use HDMI for audio or use one of the precious two USB ports for a USB sound card, meh. Finally I don't like ATI at all, their drivers almost always suck and I am pretty invested in nVidia 3D Vision (projector, emmiters, glasses)

Even with all of that against it, I'll still buy it anyway because I am a shameless fan-boy.

 

I still like my SA

 

Actually it has 3 USB ports "The docking station includes a discrete Radeon HD 6650M GPU with 1GB DDR3 VRAM, VGA and HDMI-out with 3D support, a DVD or Blu-ray optical drive, 2x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.0 and a LAN port." the second USB 2 port is under a rubber flap on the top

forgive me for misunderstanding, but isn't DVD-DL a "dual layer DVD"...

that's a positive.

we don't know for sure yet, but you may be able to use both ethernet ports for separate networks on the Z2 / PMD. This may come out as even.

I diagree, the drop-in system doesn't allow the sheet battery to be left on or use of a leather book cover style case (that is a Sony accessory we already saw a picture of a while back). I'm calling this a positive.

My old SZ series dock had a "undock" button too, but I used to just rip it out. I bet you can do the same and it'll all be fine.

sounds like a positive

That one is subjective, we can't assume the drivers will suck just yet.

so for arguments sake, let's say you plug the USB3 into a USB3 hub... it can easily provide two USB ports that are faster than your two extra USB 2 ports. So that's a win as well.

Anyway, I'm just saying... looks like a whole lot of positives to me.

 

Good point; ummmm yes and no. Drivers can be a super pain in the arsss but then again the Linux Dev community seems to be pretty good at making unofficial GPU drivers that in some cases perform even better than the official one's (Nvidia I love you but whyyyyy).

I figure if people really want to augment the software then the real limitations will be hardware focused. I figure if Sony is using fiber optics and a potential 10Gbps bandwidth between the PMD and core machine then it will be largely the limitations of the heat overhead and bus limitations directly associated with the GPU mount.

Again I haven't seen the inside of the PMD in person nor do I have any technical specifications in front of me, just making a rational explanation of the potential to change out the GPU (probably for minor gains) based on previous opportunities with other computer systems.

 

You are correct, I forgot about the random one they stuck on top

DVI Dual Link

You could run network sharing or bridge through if that was the case but I would not call that even

The S series doesn't have a problem docking with the sheet battery in place, they could make the leather case have a little hole for the docking port if there was one.

Sweet, I get to maybe carry a hub around. I don't carry the dock around... but the PMD seems to be intended to be carried sometimes, they have a bag to carry it with the computer.

While you spent a lot of time justifying the lack of awesomeness known as the PMD you kind of missed the whole point. The thing has 10 Gbps of bandwidth, they could have decked it out with everything you could ever need... instead we get an sort of required accessory that has marginal options at best.

meh meh meh, I will buy it anyway

 

I can only reply to what you write, point-by-point. If I missed something in your last post, I apologise

So, tell us what you'd (reasonably) like to see? I'm interested!

I'd like:
- Support for 2560X1440 resolution, I don't care what plug it uses. I've been eyeing off some 27" monitors
- Audio jack on the dock. I've been wanting this since my SZ dock many years ago. If I owned an HDMI monitor that had a 3.5mm audio out, then I don't actually need this anymore, since HDMI replaced DVI on the dock.

 

Boys Noize Oi Oi Oi

 

How about lots of USB ports, all 3.0 capable, say six of them
an express card slot for optional stuff and legacy support
two digital outputs capable of driving 2560x1600 monitors
eSATA (USB 3 can do that job but there are lots of eSATA drives out there)
Analog and or TosLink output and maybe a Microphone jack (if there were more USB ports these things wouldn't be as much of an issue


Seriously, if this is the top of the line, best of the best, computer... there is no reason why the dock couldn't have all that.

The Z was has always been a desktop replacement in a sub notebook size, there is no reason what so ever that it can't have more connectivity options, especially since the PMD is a separate thing that is supposed to do just that. The entire purpose of the PMD is to expand the system when you are parked at a desk... but it really doesn't even come close to what I want/need.

My Z1 is more capable when docked or un-docked. For me the Z2 is going to fall short in the monitor department, I am planning on buying a couple 30" DELL monitors and a ViDock for my Z1. Perhaps the Z2 will be able to drive 2560x1600 with an HDMI>Dual Link DVI cable... I have my doubts.

Like I've said before, I'll buy it anyway, and this crap will go on and on. Sony doesn't care because people love their crap and they will just keep buying it anyway. I am just adding to the problem.

 

your Z1 dock has dual link dvi?does that means it support 2560x1600?

 

It does have Dual Link DVI... I don't have a 2560x1600 monitor... however I have tested it with 3840x1080 because I was thinking about getting the Matrox adapter at one time for dual 1080P. I can confirm that 3840x1600 works. It depends on the drivers also. I doubt the crap Sony drivers will do it, I have the latest nVidia drivers which allow me to make a custom resolution.

Good news is that I also tested the HDMI port on the laptop with that resolution and that also worked, so there is hope that HDMI can pump out better than 1080p to the right monitor with the right cable or adapter. Let's hope the Z2 can drive high res displays!

 

According to the article below, the sony vaio z2 will be sealed. This means no memory upgrades or any kind of upgrades that involves opening the laptop for that matter. Does anyone know if this is true?

If its true, then I'm truly disappointed with the Z2 because I was thinking of buying the 4GB RAM version and then upgrading it (much) later with another 4GB.

Sony Vaio Z (2011) VPCZ21M9E review | IT PRO Reviews