New Z model with Intel Core i5 CPU

Funny huh? With that..

Bless me with your knowledge ..HDD not SSD btw.

 

If the palm rest was aluminum Design wise it would look good like in the mac book pro but ergonomically you wouldn't be able to type long without getting marks on ur wrist as the edge is too sharp in the pro, however if they designed it less sharp that would be great but than the design would suffer as the edges would have to be concave throughout the laptop.

 

Thanks for the help!

I hope to track one down in Japan. In Hong Kong Sony have no idea when it will be out....

 

I went to the Sony Store in Mongkok yesterday and the sales lady told me presales should start tmr.... let's cross the fingers!

 

Thats great news!

I was at Sonystyle Causeway Bay 10 days ago and the VAIO guy said presales should start within two weeks after the Chinese New Year. Perhaps I will give them a visit today.

 

Typing this on a Macbook Pro. I agree with you 100% and I am really glad they decided to added that raised plastic palm rest instead of just leaving it aluminum. Like you said, the damn MBP's palm rest cuts into your wrists and leave marks, and it is either too cold during the winter, or burning your hands during the summer. This shows just how thoughtful the design team were, because they probably made the Z without the raised plastic palm rest at first and realized all the problems mentioned and decided to change it.

 

Awesome!!! I will probably drop by the causeway bay Sonystyle shop tmr too. I called their hotline just 2 days ago though and the guy on the phone said he have no information as to when I can order the new Z... I guess its always better to go in person.

 

I wouldn't be so sure about that. I purchased a Z505 Vaio in 1998. I believe this must have been the original Vaio as well as the original Z.

I still have that computer by the way. It's a great little machine (still operational). It too represented the most awesome little package Sony could assemble at that time, in terms of memory capacity, weight, etc. It was then what the Z11 is now.

 

I just got an idea...
Maybe I can make a cool mod for the new Z.
Since I am ordering the Premium Glossy Carbon Fibre, and since the palmrest appears to be just a slab of aluminium, maybe I can remove it from the milled aluminium layer the keyboard is made of and make a mold out of it and make an identical one out of carbon fibre.
I have recently made a few cosmetic pieces of carbon fibre for a friend's desktop PC and it is not that hard if you are patient.
Should take a week to make the piece...
hmmm... I cannot wait to get my hands on my new Z... only to take it apart, remove the palmrest and replace it with my own. I don't know about you all but I think this sentence has a weird ring to it. And I like it
EDIT: See for yourselves and you may get a cool idea as well http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAdVO8Rkv6c&feature=player_embedded

 

I was looking at the specs for the i5 vs. the i7 on the Intel site:

Core i7-620m
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=43560&code=Intel®+Core™+i7-620M+Processor+(4M+Cache,+2.66+GHz)

Core i5-540m
http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=43544&code=core+i5-540m

I have been going under the assumption, all along, that I would be getting the i7 (Mainly so I could casually mention to folks that it's 3.3 lbs and by the way, did I mention it has an i7!).

But EnjoyLife1 got me to thinking. Looking at the specs for the two processors, its pretty clear that they are really the same chip with the i5 vs i7 distinction as basically a marketing difference more than anything. The 10% difference in processor speed and the 3M vs 4M cache memory are only likely to show a difference in benchmarks, not in usage.

What do you guys think. Is it worth it to get the i7 for bragging rights alone?

 

Please let us know what you discover.

I am heading there now...I will update you guys...

 

sign me up for 1!

 

Do they do that for old Z as well? If so, I might jump there on my summer visit of Tokyo

 

ME TOOO THATS AWESOME

 

They do that for new purchases. I'm not sure if I'll get it done or not, but because I don't have 50,000+ STAR points, I will probably have a few days to decide.

 

The Ginza shop today had every lid color available for viewing. My impressions on the top-of-the-line model I tested were very good. The quality was noticeably higher than the current Z. Specifically, the palmrest was stiffer and the hinges both felt and looked WAY better than the current Z. The battery sticking out on the bottom was a bit strange, but looked fine in my opinion.

The screen was the Full HD model, and somebody had set it to 1600x900. I immediately put it back and was blown away by the clarity, sharpness, and color. Text (Japanese text) was clear and easy to read from a normal distance for me. The screen is definitely a bit more shiny than the current Z, but nowhere near the MacBook epic glossiness. It was easy to read in the well-lit room. The resolution step-up is the main reason I will be purchasing the new Z.

The touchpad was excellent, and a definite step-up from the current Z. The keys on the keyboard have less travel than those on the current Z, which is either a good thing or a bad thing. The backlighting looked great, from a simple half-closing the lid test. The Stamina-Speed-Auto switch was difficult to move, though I suppose that's not a bad thing. As mentioned before, it takes awhile to go into Speed mode (8 sec. or so), and not so long into Stamina (2 sec.).

As for colors and lid, I went in thinking the silver looked better and went out preferring the black palmrest. It's just a personal preference. The glossy carbon lid was hilariously filled with fingerprints that I could see from across the room. I'd avoid that unless you want the constant maintenance or are a professional burgler with white gloves or something. The metal mosaic and shield lids were nice, but a bit too "busy" for my taste. The silver lid already had a very visible scratch on it, so I'll pass on that. The black lid and premium carbon are the same as the current Z. I think I'll stick with my original planned configuration of black palmrest and premium carbon lid. I'm happy with that on my current Z.

Because there are already tons of photos, I just snapped two photos of the disk configuration on the 4x128GB RAID 0 model, in case the details on the disks isn't already out...sorry for the poor quality. I took them with my iPhone...

If there are any questions I can answer with my brief test, let me know!

 

Thx for the effort. Can u explain a bit more about the screen transition from 1600*900 to full hd. did u see 2 z's side by side having the 2 configs or is it just the full HD model? Coz the only way I can get the screen is US is to go for the high end model selling for 4.5K

 

Just wanted to update whoever is interested...

Just came back from Sonystyle Causeway Bay in HK and preordering will begin tomorrow and pickup will be in the beginning of March.

I will be heading there tomorrow to purchase the Z117.

 

I always felt it was odd that the old Z had (to my tastes) an inferior keyboard layout compared to the SR and FW. It seemed they wasted the available space by making the keys too widely-spaced apart, and as such had to make the keys smaller. Presumably there was some ergonomic justification for this design decision but I just couldn't see it - the FW keys felt like a dream in comparison.

In addition the key travel on the old Z was way too much, too "sproingy". Good to see (thanks dimension6) that this may have been remedied on new Z, but disappointing that the other issues remain.

Anyone else feel the Z keys are too small and ill-spaced?

 

("Free Engraving")

No, they do that for new purchases, and it's not really "free". The price you pay is that you waive being able to return the PC -- even if it were to arrive broken, you agree to pay the full amount and have it repaired instead of replaced. So I imagine that this is only marketed as "free" in countries without consumer protection, like e.g. here in the US.

Also, unlike companies like Apple, which offer engravings too, Sony does not fill in the engraving with a contrasting colour, so it's all but impossible to see on many models.

 

Presumably, the same thing that happens now: The utterly brain dead software that Sony hired some monkeys to write will send an ACPI "eject" command to the lowest drive letter of the system that isn't a hard drive. Which means that the eject button doesn't work correctly on the current model either:

If you reassign the drive letter, it won't work; if you insert a USB key or memory card, and it gets a drive letter earlier in the alphabet than the DVD drive, it won't work; if you use a virtual CD program, it won't work; if you mount a network drive before the CD drive, it won't work; if you use the drive without a drive letter, it won't work.

So, for most of the time, for most of us (considering that Sony's default power scheme will turn off the drive and remove the drive letter), it will either do nothing, or eject the wrong drive.

 

Are you saying if I install DTLitle drive will not open when you press eject button?

 

Have these figures from Notebookcheck been verified for the i7? If so, I will probably choose the i5-540 instead...

One thing I noticed was how warm the palmrest of the i7 model I tried out was. According to the other people on the 2ch thread (who visited the Ginza shop today), many people noticed the i7 model's palmrest was warm and the i5 was not so warm in comparison. (The thread will probably be illegible using a translator because of all the slang/shorthand/etc.)

 

Nice little dot pitch comparison chart, by the way.

 

Thank you dimension6!
Well, I am stuck with the Glossy CF lid but there is a simple trick to make it matte and brushed.
Mask the silver VAIO letters and take a very fine copper wired brush and start from one side in a linear motion towards the other end.
As for the keys being so widely spaced, I think they said the reason is for the keys to be large enough to manage to hit them with your fingers but also small enough so when you hit one key there is no overlap of the fingertip to an adjacent key (and ergonomically it makes sense)
Keys will probably be smaller for the Japanese model than the Latin (US) keyboard.
I am equally comfortable typing on the current Z as I am on a full desktop keyboard, as well as a MacBook keyboard or even a (tiny) blackberry keyboard so I guess it is all down to what each of us is used to.

As for the MMDPE56GQDXP-MVB SSD drive, I cannot seem to find that anywhere. From my deciphering I have found:
MM = Consumer MLC
DPE = Double-Sided
56 = 256GB
GQ = Slim dual SSD maybe??? (thanks NHT)
DXP = The new lineup with PM800 controller that as of Oct 09 supports TRIM link (that has no specs yet.)
MVB = mSATA connector


Up till now Samsung's highest density mSATA SSD is just 64GB again for the Q3 09 lineup with no specs available.
Some say the 1.8" lineup with standard SATA connector will have <100MB/s read and write speeds but since the mSATA is not officially classified as 1.8".
So for now we can only hope for faster speeds.
But I have one answer: TRIM is supported on the SSD's controller so by making the set JBOD you can have some peace of mind with regards to speed degradation.

Now since this is a nonexistent product code (apparently unique to this VAIO) we can only guess why SONY picked this one (with TRIM) and hope they worked some magic.
Or maybe they know Intel is going to enable TRIM on their controller with a future revision of the firmware/drivers.

EDIT: (thanks again Dimension6) Wow! The 1920x1080 Z has the same dot pitch as the Viliv S7!!!!!
My mother (of a certain age) with correcting lenses for 6 degrees Presbyopia on both eyes is using the Viliv S7 to read the news on CNN and Reuters at native resolution so I cannot imagine anyone will have any trouble.

 

GQ = Slim dual SSD I think. The GT is available, too, but it's single SSD.

 

Now, about the CF palmrest, rest assured I will make a thread showing the entire process as I go about it.
Since it is not what I do for a living I cannot promise I will make more than just the one for myself.
But seeing as there is some interest and as experience serves, the mold will be in a reusable state I can make a few more. (again I estimate 1 per week so don't keep your hopes high)
There is also an Alufiber twill sheet http://www.carbonmods.co.uk/Products/Alufibre-290g-22-Twill---Square-Metre(s)__CMAF290SQM.aspx so maybe I could make one where the top layers are aluminium for those with the silver or aluminium shield lid.
My the tricky bit is that once the touchpad is removed, the aluminium palmrest (the one that comes with my Z) will have a weak point there so I will have to be VERY careful while removing it after I am done making a print for the mold.

 

Do you have a pic of the firmware version of the ssd? Thx

 

Oops. I forgot to translate it. Quickly, before I'm off to sleep:
Port: 0
Port Location: Internal
Status: Normal
Usage Type: Array Disk
Size: 122,104MB
Serial #: (in the photo)
Model: Samsung....(in the photo)
Firmware: VBM42S1Q

 

I have no idea what DTLitle is, but if it's a virtual CD program, you may have to rearrange the drive letters afterwards. And live with a virtual CD being ejected instead of the real drive if power is off on the real drive.

A more sensible eject would eject the same drive, based on the unique identifier (which the drive letter isn't), every time. And have a shift-eject function that lets you choose which drive to eject, one-time or default. And an informational box that displays if, for any reason, it can't do the regular eject. Along with an event log entry.

 

Yes DTLitle is the virtual CD program. So if I understand you correctly you just need to make sure virtual drive name is not the lowest drive letter. But sure you are correct who ever did that is brain dead

 

Can Arth1 or another knowledgable person chime in to cross-ck this assessment? We've all read thru hundreds of posts on this degradation issue, along with Anand's articles and it would be great to confirm TRIM is supported, at least at the individual drive-level. Does everyone feel getting to JBOD is a no-brainer - ie, Sony drivers will allow it? Lastly, is it technically feasible for the RAID config to eventually get controller-firmware that manages TRIM across the drives? I've ordered mine without this answer - i'm betting i'll get at least 2 years of tolerable performance by secure-erase & re-imaging, but i'd love to avoid that hassle.

 

Why does the z even have an eject button above the keyboard? I could understand if it used a slot-load (macs infuriate me with their lack of eject key) but surely the 'normal' eject button is enough?

 

I'd accept that - if the SR didn't have a much better-feeling keyboard

 

The sonystyle website for US is updated and the new Z is the default now.

 

I thought there wasn't a eject button on the drive. That's why it's a key above the keyboard.

 

yup

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnTWipoBAT4

pause at 52 seconds you can see pretty clearly the eject button above the keyboard on the right.

 

Interestingly, the site now says that a 4GB Z is unavailable on CTO, yet you can still configure 6 and 8GB models! So they 'out' of 4GB dimms unless you buy 2 of them? one way to manage inventory i guess.

 

Whats with the problem of the "eject" button? If you choose the version without the DVD driver will it cause problems? I don't really get it.

 

Questions in reading the thread the past two days...

1. So is the consensus on the last several pages that the Z's i7 is only marginally faster than the i5 and that the i7 is noticeably hotter?
2. People were mentioning that the engraving on the Z is barely noticeable, and I know if you get one they won't let you return it... so does anyone even need one? What other ways do you guys mark your laptop? My last one was stolen so I'm a little anal about this.
3. I just checked the Sony website and the new Z isn't the default model for me. I still have to go to that other page to access it.
4. Do we know when people will start getting the Z?
5. Do we know when the Sony stores in the U.S. will start carrying them?

 

When the system puts the optical drive into "power mode off" then if you hit the eject button on the optical drive ... nothing happens. Pressing the eject on the keyboard "powers on" the optical drive and ejects the tray.

Its the same behavior as the last Z which owned for a year.

 

But what about the version which doesn't have a optical drive. In europe we have a version with HDD and no optical drive. Would that button still be on the laptop ?

 

I read/heard somewhere (I suppose it was in this thread), that the HDD version will have the eject button as well, but it will be just a normal function button to which you can assign any functionality.

 

Ive figured out alot since ive been in these forums. Helped me decide alot on my configuration too. After Demensions recent posts, I am now confused if perhaps I should get the 1920x1080 full HD display for clarity and real estate though.

Is there any comparison pictures of the 1600x900 and the 1920x1080 yet ?

If this is true, all will be solved. I just dont need that insane speed on the raid 0. If anyone can confirm this, you can bet your *** I will be switching to JBOD with TRIM enabled. Still pretty fast. Stays longer.

 

No problems there I guess? Having issues on an expensive laptop aren't going to make it any better.

 

Ditto, I see that now. Funny how you guys have the actual product page now and sonystyle.ca has the old one still, UGH!

Hi guys, I've been lurking on this forum for a good 1-1.5 months, I just finally stopped being lazy and decided to reply. The argument about SSDs is very entertaining and educational, for those involved in replying re: that. I didn't realize how sophisticated and advanced, yet experimental this technology is.

After returning a Dell XPS Studio 13 laptop 2 mths ago (a gorgeous machine and true rival to the MBP and the Z, but simply ran too hot and had a screen problem) I saw the news of the Z and am anticipating tremendously getting my hands on such a sweet machine.

I've been meaning to ask as a Canadian ... (GO CANADA!) is March 9 still the confirmed Sony Z11 CTO release date? Are we gonna get the 1080p screens or does no one know yet? Did you ask, SunFox?

Also, What the hell re: WWAN??? We have NO information on this... are we going to get the European spec (as our networks are now all HSDPA--SIM based?) we probably won't even have a CDMA version, if Sony does this right, as it's being phased out. Just look at how we got the Moto Milestone instead of the Droid, like the rest of Europe. Does this mean we'll get an empty SIM slot for HSDPA and can plug in a card? I'm debating this, and debating this and ordering the new Sierra Wireless 306 Module from TELUS to access their 21MB/s network (lol not that you'd actually get that rate EVER unless you're sitting ON the tower). I really want to be able to use any Canadian network I want. can anyone comment?

 

A couple questions on this new VPCZ1190X CTO model:

1) On each SSD configuration they mention "RAID 0", but it is difficult to understand if each configuration is actually using 2 or more drives. It looks like only 3 of these options actually are setup using RAID 0. Am I missing something?

2) The RAM configuration also looks confusing. Can you have a double or triple channel RAM configuration with 1 stick, or 2 mismatches (the 4GB and 6GB options)? Perhaps this chipset does not use 2x or 3x channel RAM?

 

Well, if you get the European version then I think you will have greater flexibility as that would mean you just insert any SIM card in the world and be on your way.
I was debating the purchase of the $4.5K Signature Series from the US or a maxed out European CTO.
In the end it came down to the US over the European version and if the Verizon WWAN does not accept a SIM card, then I'll just replace it with a Novatel EU850D I have that is not used.
EDIT: dapellegrini: in some Japanese review it was stated that the only Quad SSD configurations are the 256GB and the 512GB (which actually makes sense)
RAID 0 (stripe) can span multiple disks, not just two, can be 3 or 4 in this case.
About RAM: I was a bit concerned about the dual channel or triple channel issue but I found somewhere (about a year ago) that two dimms of the same amount is the best configuration.
I only ever had 2x2GB or 2x4GB configurations and never had any trouble. But if they are selling it, it's gotta work, just may not be optimal.

 

1) Yes each SSD version has RAID0 (since all have 2+ drives); Not 100% sure about the first 3 exact memory combination (but the 512GB model is 100% sure).
128GB = 2x64 (dual)
192GB = 3x64 (triple)
256GB = 4X64 (quad)
512GB = 4x128 (quad)

2) The Z only has 2 memory slots (aka dual channel) as far as i know. The 4gig and 8gig are dual channel. 2x2048 (4gb) and 2x4096 (8gb). The
1x4096 + 1x2048 (6gb) is not dual channel but single channel.

Or what exactly was the question here?

 

Thanks

on the RAM, it looked like the 4GB option is just one stick, which is what confused me. I thought you had to have 2x 2GB for the 4GB option. Perhaps they just have it marked wrong?

EDIT:

Here is what they say on the SSD's:

# 128GB (128GBx1) Solid State Drive with RAID 0 Technology
# 192GB (128GBx1 + 64GBx1) Solid State Drive with RAID 0 Technology [add $200.00]
# 256GB (256GBx1) Solid State Drive with RAID 0 Technology [add $400.00]
# 384GB (256GBx1 + 128GBx1) Solid State Drive with RAID 0 Technology [add $600.00]
# 512GB (256GBx2) Solid State Drive with RAID 0 Technology [add $1,000.00]

NOTE: They do not give the same drive specs you did...

and the RAM:

# [Out of Stock] 4GB (4GBx1) DDR3-SDRAM-1066
# 6GB (4GBx1 + 2GBx1) DDR3-SDRAM-1066 [add $150.00]
# 8GB (4GBx2) DDR3-SDRAM-1066 [add $300.00]

NOTE: 1st and 3rd options don't look like dual-channel configurations

thus my confusion