New Z model with Intel Core i5 CPU

Gnome is, IMHO, better at DPI scaling than Windows Vista/7 is. As long as you avoid apps that only use old bitmapped fonts, that is. The majority of apps from the last few years will scale pretty seamlessly, with both fonts, icons, scrollbars and other widgets adjusting their size depending on your DPI setting. It will even auto-detect the correct DPI for monitors that support this.

KDE, no, it lags behind, and can look pretty awful at times with high DPI. Some things work, but so many things don't that it becomes a hodgepodge, and quite frankly worse than no DPI support at all.

OS/2? Naff, no scaling there. 76 dpi all the way, which means everything will be a quarter of the size (half the size horizontally, half vertically).

That said, you can run the VMware console with DPI scaling -- while it will be blurry, it won't be any more so than the CRT monitors that used to run OS/2, and less blurry the higher DPI your display natively has.

IE8 does (apart from Flash and Java). However, IE doesn't support many other things, including colour profiles and decent speed in Ajax applications.

Unfortunately, Firefox uses its own rendering system, which doesn't play well with system DPI settings. It needs manual adjustments in about:config before it becomes halfway useful.

 

Thanks, I'd be interested to know what your experiences are after using it for a few days.

 

Apologies if this topic has come up already, but can someone give me a run down on the metrics for the i5 vs i7 chips? I got somewhat exhausted after page 60 of this thread and the search functionality doesn't seem to work when searching for "i7".

Is the difference between performance and battery life between the two noticeable? I'm looking to preorder mine soon and would like any and all advice.

Thanks in advance!

 

Excellent information. It seems lowering the brightness from 64% to 40% decreases the gap in battery life between the two models, leading me to believe that the 1080p screen is at least partially responsible for the shorter battery life of the higher end model with the i7 620M. The higher end model also has quad SSDs while the lower end one has dual SSDs, which may also contribute to the difference, though probably negligibly.

I'm optimistic that all else being equal, the difference in battery life between a Z using i5 540M and i7 620M won't exceed 30 minutes. I think I will go with the i7, as there is definitely a noticeable performance boost with CPU intensive applications according to these benchmarks. These benchmarks also show that the noise level and temperatures of the two models are pretty much the same. Great information that puts the i7 in a favorable light, I think.

 

According to this review's benchmark tests, the overall performance difference between i5-520M and i7-620M with the new Z models is not that big (WindowsExperience CPU: 6.9 vs 6.7), the biggest difference I noticed was with the PCMark05 (8249 vs 7285). Presumably, the gap would be even smaller with the i5-540M.

However, the battery life is noticably shorter (almost by one hour) with the i7-620M model, but that might be largely due to the HD screen...

Look yourself, though the review is in Japanese, the pictures with benchmark scores are quite clear.

PS: I must admit that I'm a PC noob though, so can anybody enlighten me what is more relevant for an average user - WindowsExperience, PCMark05, PCMarkVantage... ?

 

I pre-ordered the i7 model from sonystyle causeway last Tuesday. Apparently they already ran out of stock for the first batch of them... so Ill be getting my earliest March 16!

It seems many people are still concern with the whole 1080 resolution thing. I messed around with the DPI thing and font sizes and scaling in Firefox. They work just fine IMO, but I have only played around with it for 30 min. I too was worry about the high resolution, but I really wanted the quad raid and i7 and Carbon Fiber casing.. So getting the i5 model in Hong Kong wasn't really an option, not to mention it was only 2k more.

The screen looks great, I love the fact that it is not glossy. I have been using a 15" laptop with a 1680 by 1050 resolution for a few years, so maybe that is why I am used to small fonts. But I do see why many people are calling it worthless, since whenever I get home I just plug it into my 24" monitor or HDTV...

 

For what it's worth...

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Core-i5-540M-Notebook-Processor.23748.0.html

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Intel-Core-i3-i5-i7-Processors-Arrandale.25085.0.html

using the second link, looking at the performance gains vs. power consumption disparity, I think I'm going to end up opting for the i5. If anyone cares to weigh in and try to change my mind before I order mine tomorrow it would be appreciated!

 

that's funny. I'd think this thread does more to discourage 1920x1080 on this screen size than it does encourage it.

go figure.

 

I think it depends what are you planning to do with. From very close distance I think it will be fine. Most application allow you custom zoom or scale text, IMHO, simple typing would not be a problem. As far as i understand The unscalables will be menu, icons, scrooling bars etc Those need to be scaled by windows but personally I don't mind those to be as small as possible.

 

I'm not discouraged about it. Some of us have already provided our reasons for wanting it, and not because it's about bragging rights, or because it's cool, or whatever. But we are the ones to get dissed about it. Oh well. You want to read documents, emails, etc. then yes for 1920 x 1080 on a 13.1 inch screen CAN be a bit difficult on the eyes FOR SOME. Examine it first instead of speculating. Or CHOOSE the lower resolution. I'm not dissing anyone or calling them stupid for that decision. But for those of us who want the extra resolution, it's certainly going to justify the extra cost of adding Blu ray to the Z, it's going to look incredible having all that detail, as well as viewing Full HD videos shot from 1080p camcorders ( those are quickly becoming the norm ) on that screen. For myself it's about the multi-media uses that most intrigues me. I have the 1920 x 1080 resolution on my AW190 and while it's an 18.4, I have no issues with that resolution. And as I mentioned previously a while back, this Z with it's 13.1 inch screen and 1920 x 1080 resolution is really no different than these new smartphones with their 4 inch screen pushing the boundaries with their higher and higher resolutions of 800 x 480, etc. because that is what the consumers are asking for as these smartphones develop into multi-media devices and go way beyond their once intended " only for business use, " because the Sony VAIO Z was once marketed only for business use but now has moved beyond that and is becoming the multi-media powerhouse many of us have been craving in such a portable package.

 

Hi, i just want to know if the HDD in the version without the optical drive can be easily changed to a SSD. Has it to be completely unscrewed or is it directly accessable through the buttom of the notebook? What about the warranty?

Thank you very much.

 

I just got an reply from Multitronic (the Finnish retailer where I placed my pre-order) concerning the discrepancy between the specs of the model VPC-Z11Z9E/B on their site and on Sony's. Apparently, they had to check with the importer, who in turn checked with the manufacturer (Sony).

Now, according to them, the screen is indeed the FullHD one (yay!), but the SSD is a 2x128GB configuration, which I find a little odd considering that Sony's Finnish website lists the VPC-Z11Z9E/B as having a 4x64GB configuration. Oh well, at least according to that Japanese review there wasn't much difference in performance between a 2x64GB and 4x64GB configurations, so I guess it's not really crucial which configuration it is. And I still think that once I get my new Z and check the Windows Device Manager, it will show 4 SSD's.

 

I have Windows 7 x64 on my Vaio Z21wn, and can tell you a little bit about.

At buying the Z21 i was really unsure to get 1600*900 or the smaller one with 1366x768..

I buying the 1600*900 and - i doesnt use the DPI Scaling, because it manytimes doenst work - and many times my eyes are 15cm away from the Display - because i want to read something..

Many Websites put Textinformation in Images, they doesnt scale

To do the resolution under the native resolution result in a horrible picture - but everything is on the correct aspect ratio..

Playing with Win7 and the DPI and scaling options is the better way - but you doesnt get the view like in the native resolution with 1366x768. In many Program you have to setup Fontsize at yourself. Some Programs doesnt support that.

Booting other OS, using virualisation and so on - everytime you will run into problems, and have to do customization wich doesnt be finally satisfying.

The best resolution ever i saw on a 13.x Laptop was 1440x900 (Lenovo 13.x, ThinkPad X301).

I think many of you will remember my words, when you have to work with your Vaio for 2-3hours a day.

The only reason for Full-HD is when you only want to view blueray movies. Or if you only want to play -there you use lower resolutions, because of the small grafics.
Or if you mostly work with docingstation or external monitor.

If you really regulary work mobile for hours, at flight, working by customers a 13.x Notebook is very small. And with Full-HD unusable..

For all who work only sometimes mobile, maybee they like the resolution for comparing Excelsheets, and to put the eyes near the display.

 

As much as I want the Z RIGHT THIS INSTANCE DAMN IT, I think I'm going to wait until the Sony Style stores put them on display. I want to know how good or bad the higher resolution is and how hot or power consuming the i7 is over the i5. I'll probably have this laptop for three years, so an extra month or so probably won't hurt if I'm going to make sure I am getting the right goods. I need a laptop right now since I'm borrowing one (my previous one was stolen), but I'm trying to convince myself to wait.

 

Have just ordered the following from Sony UK with a 5% discount & Free 3 year warranty:

VPCZ11X5E
Processor: Intel® Core(TM) i7 Processor
Operating system: Genuine Windows® 7 Professional
Finishes: Silver
Hard drive: 256 GB Ultra SATA Flash SSD
Memory: 8 GB 1066MHz DDR3-SDRAM
Optical Drive: DVD disc drive
Display: 33.3 cm LCD, 1600x900 + webcam
Connectivity: Wireless WAN
Security features: No Fingerprint and no TPM
Battery: Battery life up to 4.5 hours
Headphones: No headphones
Ports: 3 USB Ports
Microsoft Office Suites: No Microsoft Office Suite
Anti-virus: McAfee® - 60 days protection
Adobe Acrobat: No Adobe® Acrobat® Standard
Adobe Creation: No Adobe® Creation
Adobe® Lightroom®: No Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom
Also Included
Keyboard: English QWERTY keyboard
Memory cards reader: SD and MS card slot
Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 330M 1GB
AC Adapter: 1 AC Adapter
Wireless LAN: Wireless LAN + Bluetooth®
HDMI(TM) output: HDMI(TM) output

Also added the VGP-PRZ10 docking station on top.

 

May I ask how you got the 5% discount and free 3 year warrenty?

 

Call the telephone number on the Sony site and ask for it. If you're placing the order there and then, they'll do it.

 

You don't have to persuade them to give you a discount?

 

thats the best option. try it out yourself at store. you will never know what will happen. i like to know how this notebook run especially the temp tho most review doesnt mention much and keep saying it runs warm and cool. i hope thats true.

 

@Negaiido - I managed to get a 5% Discount and a free 4 year warranty,
on the sony site the warranty is called 2 + 2

If you search for the following product number you should see it
PCGEVPW2


Quantity : 1
Product ID : PCGEVPW2
Description : VAIO Plus 2: +2 year warranty extension
Price : 0,00

You have to ask for the discount, Say that you a looking at the sony and some other models ( e.g Mac, XPS whatever ) you want to purchase but the price is a little too high and so on

 

Just haggled with them as normal. Most I could get was 5% (they wouldn't go any further) and free warranty upgrade. I guess it's possible to get more - but after spending 15 mins of the phone that was as much as I could get!

 

Regarding the font size in the Full HD model, I've noticed that the iPhone has a very similar dot pitch (0.154, vs VAIO Z's 0.151)

So if you make a 480x320 crop of your Windows screen (to be sure of the exact zoom needed) and see it on the iPhone from a distance you will get a nearly exact idea of how sharp the screen is going to be.

 

I think the VAIO Plus 2 adds 2 years to the standard 1 year warranty doesn't it? That's presuming the standard warranty is 1 year rather than 2.

 

A fairly good idea - but don't use Excel or Word as a guideline as you can zoom the page/sheet in as big as you want - try graphics or video editing applications and see how usable the interface is, or a website with tiny unchangeable font sizes.

All I'm really asking is that people THINK about the resolution before ordering. Don't buy it simply because it's the same resolution as HDTV or BDs (BDs don't have THAT much detail that 1600 vs 1920 is going to make a appreciable difference, especially at 13"). Don't buy it because it's a really big number on a spec sheet. Don't buy it because you use the same resolution on a much bigger screen and like it there. And most importantly, don't buy it - or not buy it for that reason - because someone else says you should. If possible, see it in person. Use it for as long as possible.

Me? I think the resolution is far too small for the screen size. However, I'm still actually considering getting it if the rumor that it's not TN-based is true (are there any other non-TN notebook screens out there? I can't think of any...)

 

As for temperature, the previously mentioned Japanese review includes quite detailed charts for three Vaio Z models. This one shows temperatures while idle:
http://image.itmedia.co.jp/l/im/pcuser/articles/1002/24/l_tm_1002vaiozr2_33.jpg
And this one show the temperatures under load:
http://image.itmedia.co.jp/l/im/pcuser/articles/1002/24/l_tm_1002vaiozr2_34.jpg
The left side of charts shows the following parts:
keyboard's left side (the second hottest - max. temp 36)
keyboard's right side
palmrest's left side
palmrest's right side
touchpad
touchpad's buttons
laptop's bottom left (the hottest - max. temp. under load 45)
laptop's bottom right

The room's temperature was between 23-24C.

 

I also think it's too small, but it's an 8-bit panel with better vision angles, and the frequency of the LED flickering is different to the 1600x900 version, so maybe the $%*&! diagonal lines are less visible in the Full HD screen.

 

HP, Asus and other manufacturers are already shipping with USB 3. Especially important if you use Pen drives or External Drives.

If you plan to keep this laptop for 3-5 years, I see this as a big omission. Maybe Sony will refresh it sometime this year to add USB 3.

 

It's pure marketing. There's nothing technical that dictates whether a chip should be called an i5 or i7, but if Intel perceives it to overall being marketable to the high end market, it will get the i7 moniker. Yeah, they tend to be faster, but there's no quantifiable single reason why a chip should be in one bin and not another. So the educated user looks at actual specs, not at the name.

 

Portable One has a (non-clickable) 2010 Z icon up stating availability in March. Good way to avoid US tax. http://www.portableone.com/showpages.asp?pid=1031

 

if you are really concerned about the lack of usb 3.0, why not just pop a usb 3.0 port into the express card 34 slot...??

 

New review on notebook.cz in Czech, contains nice details on temperatures. Looks relatively warm, the fan is on from the beginning.

 

I have read somewhere, that usb 3 needs an addn chip on a board and sony couldn't fit it in the Z. Not sure how much true it is.

 

which is why i was asking for opinions based on the perf/batt life/other advantages/disadvantages between the two. the educated user of this board reads the question and responds with a pertinent answer, not just tacks on some useless garble.

 

Yes, although author says it is more or less a prototype and the final product could be cooler and quieter, still, that is only the 2.4 ghz model. Hope the 2.53 i5 and 2.66 i7 Ghz models don't turn out to be blazing fast leg sizzlers. Glad I canceled my order to see what new versions from Apple and other manufacturers come up with. And I think it prudent to wait on a Z review here. I'm in no dramatic hurry for a new laptop.

 

I've only just begun reading through this thread, so I apologize if this has already been answered, but YES, the old Z series stuff will be compatible.

I specifically asked if the new Z11 would be compatible with the following Z690 accessories:

• Large Capacity Battery
• Slip Case
• AC Stick Adapter

 

Over the years I have had to adjust font sizes and it often degrades the aesthetics of a webpage. I'm not sure that this would be true with Win 7 and the Z but in the end I buy a laptop so that I have to take as few actions as possible to set it up for using pleasure. I find it irritating to have to keep going in and changing settings to accommodate different tasks. In the end I wonder how much degradation there really is when watching a movie at the lower resolution. Most people don't realize that much of the TV they watch is 1080i and/or 720p. I have a Pioneer Kuro...couldn't tell you the differences unless I stop and look specifically. In the end one has to do an honest inventory and determine what they'll use the Z for. It's easy to get caught up in the very small circle of people who participate here and become infected with enthusiasms that have no bearing on your unique needs.

And there will always be people who are just talking "smack" because they can do so anonymously.

 

Congrats on your purchase!

I was pretty impressed with the new Z when I played with it.
From what I understood, the first batch is arriving on March 10th, the second batch on the 12th and the third batch on the 16th.

Sony called me today to confirm the March 10th delivery date.

 

In a way, yea. But in US, the S series is BestBuy exclusive and no CTO. So it only comes with i5-430m

 

Arith's answer was right on the money. The truth is that both chips are nearly identical. The i5/i7 distinction is purely marketing. The real difference between the ones being used on the Z are: 1) Our i7 has 4MB cache vs 3MB on our i5. 2) The i7 on the Z runs at a 10% higher clock rate.

What that means once we get to compare them side by side is anyone's guess but ostensibly those two differences result in a teensy bit more performance but at a power drain that could be disproportionate to the performance gain. Some have argued that if the i5 runs cooler, it could be in its Turbo mode longer than the i7 which would ironically put the i5 ahead. Others have argued the i7 should execute 5-10% faster but give maybe 1/2 hr less battery life. All that by the way is pure conjecture and ymmv.
For the record, Arith's answer could hardly be called useless garble.

 

Interesting comparisons I found out:

source: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=3599

Vaio TR series (The early version of the ULV Vaio series)
ULV mobile processor with integrated graphics
Estimated Volume: 10.6" x 7.4" x (1.37"+1.44")/2 = 110.2 cu. in.
Weight: 3.11 lbs

12" Apple PowerBook G4
PowerPC G4 processor with discrete graphics
Estimated Volume: 10.9" x 8.6" x 1.18" = 110.6 cu. in.
Weight: 4.6 lbs

New Vaio Z series
Standard Voltage mobile processor with both discrete and integrated graphics
Estimated Volume: 12.4" x 8.3" x (1"+(1.3"-1")/4) = 110.6 cu. in.
Weight: 3.1 lbs

 

Dont tell me that guys lmao! I wanted the i5 but reluctantly got the i7 :laugh:


EDIT: I dont understand, they both use 0.8-1.4 Voltage and 35 TDP! How can the latter possibly use 30+ more min of battery? I suppose we will see.

 

TDP is only a guideline, it is not the actual wattage of the processor it is just a figure for manufacturers to use when designing components for the computer.

 

Drew that much from the thread, thank you for your knowledge, just decided to add it. What about the voltage?

 

obviously we have more than one person not reading posts accurately. i asked for the specific differences/advantages/disadvantages between the two chips. the guy responds with they are just naming differences, i should focus on the specs. ummm yah guy...i think that's what i was asking for in the first place. if his answer included what you included in your second paragraph we wouldn't be having this useless dialogue and if you had simply read my original question you probably wouldn't have responded that his post wasn't useless. because it was.

 

Are there any news regarding new docking station and 2560x1600 support?

 

It will be between 0.8 to 1.4? Not sure what your asking...it won't really have much of an impact on battery life more mhz on the processor will always be the most siginificant power draw when comparing similiar processors.

 

Ah, ok, I thank you again. I meant both specs of the i5 and i7 say they use between 0.8-1.4 voltage. I wrongly assumed voltage may have anything to do with battery life.

Im getting mine on March 16th according to Sony, which apparently is the "third batch" (read that from a user). I expect to see some tests from you 1st and 2nd batchers ASAP come March


EDIT: Just a tidbit

i7-620m CPU: 2667 MHz Frequency and 500 MHz GPU frequency
i5-540m CPU: 2533 MHz Frequency and 500 MHz GPU frequency

 

Gotcha, yea it sort of works hand in hand, in order to raise the operating frequency of the processor you must also raise the voltage supply in order to keep it stable at 0.8 to 1.4 most likely at idle the processor will be in the range of 0.8 volts whereas when it turbos up full speed to 3.3 or whatever ghz it will be closer to 1.4v. So in a sense you do have more battery drain with the higher voltage but it is because of the processor running at a higher operating frequency not neccesarily because of the voltage increase. If you just increased the voltage without increasing the operating frequency then you might see some but very minimal impact on battery life as compared to raising the operating frequency.

 

I just ordered mine.

Core i7, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD, 1920x1080 screen, Silver (Metal Shield), Headphones, Fingerprint reader.

In case anybody wonders the reasoning:

i7: I actually don't need that much battery life as I'll only be using it for commuting and would rather the laptop had a bit more oomph "just in case" and to give it a bit more longevity. I tend to buy a high-spec system and then use it for 5 years instead of messing about with multiple cheaper machines in the same timeframe.

256GB: the 512 was a crazy price, 192 wasn't quad SSD, and everything else was too small.

8GB: I'm a developer, and I use a lot of RAM quite often... I regularly have a few Visual Studio instances active/debugging and an SQL server database lurking, and that's before I start opening Firefox windows or writing documentation.

HD screen: I currently have a six year old 12" 1400x1050 Toshiba Portege M200 and I cannot currently buy a tablet with the same (or better) screen; I believe it's because the market doesn't understand screen resolutions or DPI settings and so I've given up hope of buying another one. For me more resolution can only be a good thing because quite often I have multiple complicated UIs open at the same time and a decent resolution gives the screen real-estate to get stuff done...

For the rest, the headphones seem worth it, the fingerprint reader I'm hoping/presuming I can use it as a login device (my current machine has no login password as entering it with the stylus or having to flip to to the keyboard drives me mental), and I think that the glossy black one is the nicest in theory but that fingerprints would drive me twisted. My current tablet is silver-ish and that's been fine.

 

Is 128GB a slower SSD as well?