New Z model with Intel Core i5 CPU

...and the regular SSD in the pic is a 1.8-incher?

 

Looks like it, if those are standard 2.5" hard drives:

 

great link! 96% is still better than the Macbook Pro!

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-8741-9027

 

Actually, laptopmag tested the lower frequency Core i5-520M (2.4Ghz). The difference between the frequency of i5-520M and i5-540M is the same as between i5-540M (2.53Ghz) and i7-620M (2.66Ghz), so by your logic the Core i5-520M is the smartest choice.

According to Japanese review's PCMark05 CPU score, the difference between i5-520M (7285) and i7-620M (scored 8249) on the new Z was about 12% (similar for PCMarkVantage).

http://image.itmedia.co.jp/l/im/pcuser/articles/1002/24/l_tm_1002vaiozr2_18.jpg

 

Do you know where the CTO link on the page is? I tried both the blue and orange buttons but it didn't work.

 

If that's the case, I'll suggest that that anyone thinking of having a larger capacity SSD, get it at the time of the VAIO Z notebook purchase (of course, provided that one can afford the desired SSD size upgrade price that Sony is charging).

My reason for giving this suggestion is that it looks like it is not quite possible to get an aftermarket/retail SSD drive & do a straight off (with the SSD casing taken off) & plug it directly into the VAIO Z. Furthermore, if you get the desired size SSD from Sony Parts department further down the road to upgrade, be aware that they'll simply "kill you" with their pricing of parts (which is usually at least 2x the price you'll pay on the CTO configurations for that exact same part). Good luck.

 

Nope, no discount. And while I guess I could call and try, I wonder if the customer service phone agravation is worth the $500 as far as I'm concerned.

If you try it, keep us posted on the results

 

My concern is not the size of the SSD, but rather the thought of what happens if one such SSD dies,especially if you don't have warranty anymore. Will they be available in a few years? Will they cost a fortune? And if one SSD dies, its (probably working) pair will have to be replaced too.

 

If you go today for dual SSD or quad I totally agree with you.

Or you can go for a cheap HDD option right now and upgrade to SSD later. I will just have to plug the 2.5 HDD sata connector and make an easy acronys OS drive clone transfer.
We saw two times a guy with regular screwdriver unmounting the whole Z during meeting...Doesn't sound rocket science to me.
Buying a 512gbytes SSD is already similar price than the option today (with trim support) and intel is claiming cheaper Xm 600gbytes for Q4 2010... Might be later than this but the SSD market is evolving so fast, I just want to keep the choice.

 

In other news, this review notes that the touchpad IS indeed multitouch and that the picture gallery application has pinch to zoom. Now, in itself, this is not mind blowing but it goes against what we knew or read in the PDF of the manual...

... interesting...

and back now to our friendly SSD/Trim/RAID driven banter

 

As I mentioned, if you're buying the exact replacement part, then Sony usually charges those parts at least 2x the price of the upgrade price as found on their CTO configurations. IMHO, if you pay more than $3,000 USD for your VAIO Z notebook, then I'll highly recommend spending any extra $300 (or so) for a (max.) 4 year Sony extended warranty that can be bought at Sony authorized retailers like Provantage.

Yep, you're right.

I have to make a minor correction to my previous statement. My suggestion is meant for people who are buying the VAIO Z with a built-in optical drive & intend to keep that optical drive for the life of the notebook.

 

SSD $#%!, 128+64-512 + TRIM.. no NO TRIM, raid 5 1 0... evolution revolution, habaaa... habaaaa... all we are saying, is give TRIM a chance!

 

As light as a feather New video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1CbDfcoE5A&feature=related

 

That's the old z.

 

If someone is saying "why didn't Sony stick to a standard size when making their SSDs", it looks like they were going for as small as possible, regardless of what that entailed.

Which means they designed to the minimum size of the components, rather than some other pre-estabilished size. If you compare the photo of the two SSDs beside each other, the Sony version is only as wide as the 3 chips together force it to be, whilst the 1.8" model has some "waste space" on either side that didn't actually need to be there, but was used as they built upon the already estabilished 1.8" hard drive platform.

 

That's also the lightweight winner: SSD with no optical drive. It would be even lighter if you throw a single 1.8" SSD (with no casing) in using the Thinkpad SATA --> uSATA adapter, assuming you could mount it properly. I already have the 2.5" 160GB X25-M ready to install this Sunday, so I won't waste money on the X18-M just to shave a few grams.

I hope the dissection procedure won't be too difficult. Sony always has a habit of putting hidden clips in places you wouldn't think of pressing to open up the casing or remove the keyboard. Sony also uses special tools to open their notebooks (i.e. the famous "bamboo tool" mentioned in many of their manuals). It looks like the new Z may be easier to open up than the old Z, but we won't know how easy it is to open (nondestructively) until we try. I'll try to take some photos along the way to describe the procedure, as well as an unboxing (unless someone beats me to it!).

 

So why do we think people are getting them within the next few days now? I thought it was the middle of March for that.

I still haven't ordered mine even though I've waited to get a Z since July! I wonder if mine will take forever to get here because I'm ordering it late. What do you guys think?

 

well i hope sony doesn't make the lcd casing flex too much, like the outgoing model has. compare this to thinkpad which has solid casing albeit comes at the price of weight and thickness.

 

Wasn't some forum members that are located in Japan talking about getting their notebooks on the 6th or 7th of March?
Of course we have to see if that happens.
The impression i got though was that it should be with them very very soon.

 

Oh yeah, I remember someone mentioning that a while ago.

BTW, does anyone remember if we have close-up photos of the black Z? All I've seen is the silver one lately and it's starting to grow on me... but I want black.

 

Meh, silver is a fad. Like in the 90's. Black is forever in fashion.

Thank goodness the Japanese have given up on gold (for now...)

 

Click on the second row of pictures (with plus signs on them) and u can see some nice gallery of all the possible color combos...

Yeah, silver is growing on me too! I've wanted black until recently, but somehow now I really like the combination of black lid + silver palmrest (included in the gallery).

 

I remember that Natadiem first intended to buy the pre-built Z on 6th in Tokyo, but then got convinced by a sale-person to CTO, because there might be not many notebooks available in store to guarantee that early purchase. So now he expects his baby to be delivered around March 17th

I'm in Japan too, about 5 hours to midnight and start of official sales in shops... Tempting...

 

Yeah... I am on the way to bic camera and play with the display model... I will check with my Vaio rep if they received them tonight .
The lines are probably starting now in Akihabara, if you want one I would go right now and spend the night outside .

 

I think dimension6 and nutman will be one of the first to get their notebooks.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5937665&postcount=2894
I want to say go on go for it to you lol but of course you have to get the spec you want and if that means ordering and waiting 4 weeks so be it.

 

Mine is alleged to ship in two weeks.

 

My delivery is indeed already scheduled for this Sunday morning. Considering I set aside the morning for the (COD) delivery, they better deliver it then! They wouldn't have allowed me to schedule the delivery date and time if it wouldn't be delivered then. I think the people with 10,000+ STAR points will already receive theirs tomorrow (Saturday), though.

 

Well the Z has arrived in Australia and I know a couple of people who have bought it. So far so good!

 

In Europe - the Vaio Z11Z9E/B (full HD model) is set for delivery early next week. Exciting times

 

Some people here in Japan have just received a mail stating it's been shipping for delivery tomorrow (specifically post #332). I guess I may receive one tomorrow evening.

 

Just went to check the New Z on display in retail shop in Japan...

Guys! It's in stock on sell tonight , plenty of stock in Yodobashi Camera Nishi Shinjuku!

 

Did you compare the lower-res screen to the full HD one? If so, what did you think?

 

Lenovo has changed from magnesium to plastic in some models, but the screens are still very rigid.

As for screen flex, does it really matter that much? I personally love that the screen is so thin on the older Z. To that end, the Sony marketing machine says the new screens are tougher, but they still recommend putting a cloth over the keyboard when closing the lid and putting it into a bag. For me, I usually just put the laptop in my bag with the screen facing inwards so the LCD and my Black and Red notepad touch. Keeps the screen from unwanted pressure points.

Long story short, I'll take screen flex if it keeps the LCD thin. I've loved the 1600x900 screen on my current Z, can't wait to see the 1920x1080 flavor.

 

For anybody who gets their new Z, I would be happy to host photos on my Imageshack account. Just PM me and I'll upload and post them.

 

Exciting times, indeed!

GIVE ME NUMBERS!!!!

Cheers, ladies and gents

 

Just checked Taiwan's SonyStyle, all stocks are sold out!! In one hour!!

Too late for me to order the first shipment, they will receive those Zs tomorrow...

Almost everyone in Taiwan ordered Z117 the flagship! I heard we are in depression?

 

I was wrong....people in Taiwan have their Zs already, I thought they won't get it till tomorrow...Quick opening photos..

http://www.mobile01.com/topicdetail.php?f=258&t=1450796&last=17912884

 

Nice..!! Tho in the UK we never get extra stuff like a snug case, and we are expected to burn our own optical media...

 

I understand what you're saying. I do. Time will give the final verdict of course. When I have it in my hot little hands after a couple of miserable weeks of waiting, I can try it out for myself.

The fact that there's a model number change makes sense, even if the only difference was the color. Also, just because they have a different capacity does not necessarily mean the two are incompatible. Even the new versions of the battery (BPS20 and BPL20) both have different capacities, yet they both work in the same laptop.

I have to be honest with you and say that if I take the BPL12 out of my Z and orient it the same as the photo of the BPL20 on SonyStyle, the only differences I can detect are the color and the rubber "feet". Then there's the fact that the web page for the BPL12 lists itself as being compatible with ALL of the Z11xx versions ( http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10551&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665453981#compatability).

Could both of the SonyStyle reps be wrong? Of course! Especially with a brand new product. Could the BPL12 compatibility tab also be wrong? Sure. Could I be wrong? I often am. I prefer to be optimistic until proven wrong, and nothing proves like physical evidence. I just have to wait for 2 weeks for the evidence to arrive.

 

any idea why the base model (vpc z115 )in asia does not have an optical drive?

 

In the Netherlands the very basic model has no optical drive either. We can configure that model with a standard 320GB or 500GB HDD only.

 

because the hard disk use instead of ssd.

 

You won't have to wait two weeks. I have the previous generation Z right here and I'll check out if the old battery fits this weekend (assuming the new Z is delivered on Sunday).

 

Just a quick question. Does the vaio z differs that much from the outdated SR series, concerning dimension wise? I know that performance wise the z will be far superior, I am asking because I was looking at some latops yesterday in a store near home and they have Brand New SR's for only $400 bucks tax included.

Thanks

 

Dimensions of the SR 12.41" (W)x 1.34"(H) x 9.21"(D)
Weight 4.3 lbs.

Dimensions of the new Z 12.4"(W) x 1.0 - 1.3"(H) x 8.3"(D)
3.07 lbs.

 

i dont have photo with the new Z, but it sorta the same like the old Z, only the thickness of the notebook differ.

hope the photo below helps. Thanks to the forumer here who capture this photo.. used to be my reference before buying Z too lol


Z on the left, SR on the right.

 

Great!! I was considering the SR since its pretty cheap, but I wasn't too sure.
Thank you guys.

 

My Z is now in "package phase"

 

I think you don't have to wait for 2 more weeks to know the answer. The answer is that the batteries of the old VAIO Z series would not fit in the new VAIO Z series & vice versa. This is based on the photo in the link that Chirality has posted:

http://image.itmedia.co.jp/l/im/pcuser/articles/1002/17/l_tm_1002vaiozr06.jpg

The photo in the link above shows that not only are the shapes of the batteries different, the battery latch for the old VAIO Z series is on the battery while the battery latch for the new VAIO Z series is on the notebook itself.

Therefore, we can conclude that in "typical Sony fashion," they did continue their methods of "milking the heck" out of customers. What I mean is that if one wants a Sony, one has to be more than willing to shell out good money for their accessories as well.

 

how come this hasn't been posted yet?
http://translate.google.com/transla...ined-by-project-leader/&sl=zh-CN&tl=en&swap=1