Sony VAIO Z VPCZ1 - Unboxing Photos and Movie

Just out of curiosity, will you be trying out an Ubuntu installation, just to quickly see what's supported and what's not..? Specifically, whether the hybrid graphics confuses the issue..?

 

Nope. Only Linux I do is RHEL and that goes in a virtual machine.

 

Ok, no worries...

 

Hi,

I have bought acronis true image home 2010 which is also available as a free download trial version. would you install and check if it can image raid disks. I am a novice to RAID and I have ordered the signature version. If the software doesn't work I might go for the norton ghost and return acronis.

Thanks very much

 

Sure, but you may have to remind me.

I'm not an Acronis fan

 

THANKS!! this thread helped me alot!

The dual/quad versions looks more interesting now, its not a big problem having some seperate drives in JBOD I think.. and if we are lucky TRIM will work in raids in the future.

 

Wow 300 MB/s is HOT~!!!!!!!!!!! That's an insane transfer speed. Is it benefitting from Raid 0?

 

Since my future Z will have 192GB SSD, I have to wonder what advantages a triple drive would have.

 

How does the LCD panel compare with the old Z? Any difference in color, sharpness etc? Thanks

 

I'm interested in the hybrid graphics as well. I suppose it depends on the sort of interface the VM presents to the Linux OS, unfortunately I do not have experience in that area... If the VM presents just a basic interface (no fancy 3D perhaps), then I'm thinking switching graphics doesn't affect that interface, and hence the Linux kernel will not notice any difference. But, I don't really know

 

This may sound wierd but is it possible for you to give me the dimensions of the packaging box?

 

If ZoinksS2k has a calliper, I am more interested in the exact dimensions of the new Vaio Z

If he does that, I would definitely appreciate it.

 

Congrats ZoinkS2k!

I just received mine from SonyStyle.com. Right now I'm burning the recovery disks and then I will go through the process of uninstalling all the crapware and getting my development environment setup.

 

Hi, do you have anything that can accurately measure the dimensions of the new Vaio Z?

I would especially like to know the thickness of the back, excluding the battery.

 

Also ZoinkS2k, is the palm rest really made of plastic? I thought they went with the entire keyboard milled from one piece of aluminum. Would be really bad if the palm rest is made out of plastic.

 

I only have a ruler, so anything I do measurement-wise would be sloppy.

Congrats shodanjr_gr!

I may be wrong about the palm rest being plastic. It may be magnesium. I'll be better prepared to answer this when I disassemble the machine. It is most definitely a separate part from the main milled aluminium shell.

 

When do want me to remind you I am going to return it if it doesn't work. Thx

 

can you give us a list of what all crapware are safe to uninstall? thx

 

can someone please tell me about how many seconds it takes windows to boot up? i have an S series with a SSD drive and it takes anywhere between 20 and 30 seconds to boot into windows .

 

that sounds about right... my z took 28 seconds.

 

wow, thanks for the photos.
i have a feel that the lcd lid is abit thicker than the old Z. maybe this help to reduce the flex screen that occured on Z? any idea on flex screen?

anyone dare to do like this on new Z?

photos of flex screen (old Z series) credits to forumer here.

 

Honestly it wasn't that much...I left most of the VAIO stuff in because it is not very intrusive. I took out Office, SQL Server, Norton Antivirus (replaced with AVG), Roxio and a few others.

The machine boots blazingly fast.

I'm installing my development stuff now.

 

I can't see any option other than Raid 0 or separate disks from screenshots. Why are you calling it JBOD?

 

Because that's what JBOD means: Just a Bunch Of Drives Separate Disks is JBOD (but doesn't using cool acronyms make it look a lot fancier )

Even RAID is a cool acronym to start with, it use to mean Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks, a way to make cheaper and larger capacity volumes with small and cheap disks. Which is kind of ironic when you consider they're now using SSD disks for that (not exactly inexpensive, right?) But the acronym has changed too...

anyway, end of intermission, back to the debate ... where's my popcorn

 

SQL Server comes installed on it? What for?

 

Some weird financial application trial that comes with the laptop probably uses it...

 

Nope, it is plastic. You can tell due to the texture and the pock-marks from the injection molding.



I'm uploading another huge group of pics. This time, GUTS

 

ZoinksS2k, any idea on flex? you dont have to do like the photo i attached if you dont want

 

and the palmrest looks like an empty plastic attached? hope it sturdy enough.

 

I commented on this a few pages back.

And no, I won't be trying that. I'll wait for you to lead the way

Edit: Yes, the palm rest is very stable.

 

Dear god, you dont make the wait for this machine any easier on my young excitable 19 year old soul


Youre still my hero though. Thanks again, seriously!!

 

to topic starter excellent advertisment Mr. Sony! I just love your products!

 

Anybody want to try a battery mod?





Dear faceless masses, these two photographs are of a Lenovo 9-cell slice battery for a W510. It isn't made by Sony. It doesn't fit a Sony. It has nothing to do with Sony. This is what I call nerd humor. Don't confuse it with reality.

 

You mean Sony should be paying me for this? I feel abused!

 

erm yea, i miss reading 5ushiMonster question that you replied.
anyway, am not buying the notebook not until another 3 years maybe, but im pretty impress with the current Z specs not design tho. and thanks for the humor on lenovo battery lol..

 

Ok, so I disassembled the machine. It was actually pretty simple.

Get your tools ready, I used two sized bits.


Print yourself a picture of the bottom and start unscrewing like crazy. Put the screws on the printout in their respective location.


From there, the keyboard comes right off. This is MUCH easier than removing the keyboard on the older Z.

Bottom of the keyboard.




Various internal shots. I'm disappointed that there are not three attenae leads. This means that upgrading the WAN module from a 6200 to a 6300 will be much more difficult. So much so that I won't be trying it.



On to the SSD bay.


Some comparison shots (iPOD Touch, internals of a 2.5" SSD, the case of that SSD)


Removing the DVD drive is done by removing three screws. One screw is hiding under a piece of elctrostatic tape. You have to slide the tray out to get at the third screw.



The DVD drive is attached via a micro-SATA connector. If you haven't seen one before, here's a comparison to a regular SATA connector.


I had a 1.8" SSD for a Lenovo T400s that had this size adapter. It included a 2.5" mounting kit which looked to be a simple pass through. I think the leads are the same for micro and regular SATA, it's just smaller. Unfortunately, I sold this drive so I don't have a way to convert the DVD port for use with a normal 2.5" drive. I'll check Fry's to see if they have any.

Final pics

 

----

So i see with doing a simple google search you can buy micro sata drives, and there are options to ''convert'' the connectors. Best would be the first, but sizes are not that big with that connection (like 160gb ssd or ???gig hdd) or something like that.

Probably not searching on the right spot, but it's possible for the future

 

Edit - Redacted

 

Hi zoinks,
I Just wanna know when you are going to upload gameplays on your new vaio laptop because i wanna know how much the 330m can handle.
Thanks.

oh yea... also what games do you have to test on your vaio.

 

Batman AAA
Borderlands
Left for Dead 2
Avp
and a few more

 

I will test Mass Effect 2 once I get my work-related stuff sorted out. ZoinksS2k, do you have any insight on the driver situation regarding hybrid graphics?

 

Cool zoinks, so when are you going to upload some gameplay videos on youtube? Batman arkham asylum is da one to test. thanks

 

Hi zoinks,

Can you check acronis and norton ghost and tell us which one works! Just wanna be ready for next week Thanks a bunch!

 

I don't think I've read a geekier thread it quite a while! Geeky threads FTW!!!! This was quite the interesting read. Those teardown pictures were pure geek Pr0n. I love it.

 

ZoinksS2k
Hi, and thanks for this review.
Is there multitouch support by touchpad?

 

Nope, doesn't seem to have multitouch in there. I'm looking in the synaptics driver and it doesn't mention it, I tried it in the VAIO Media Gallery app that was mentioned in other reviews and it doesn't work...

Probably some difference between the various locale it is shipping in ???

BTW, I don't HAVE my new Z yet, I'm in South Coast Plaza, in Orange County, CA, playing with the demo model (and only one they have in stock here today in case you were running to get it )

And having done the test that was suggested (holding it from the screen when it is fully open, it DOES bend a lot (and I almost got kicked out for trying this!))

Anyway, I'm typing on it right now and it is great nonetheless. Can't wait for mine !

 

There is some minor multitouch support (two finger support) with the synaptics touchpad on the Z. You can do Rotation for programs that allow it, pinch to zoom, two fingers in the horizontal direction does back and forward on webpages whereas two finger vertically does pageup and pagedown instead of scrolling.

 

Any Synaptics pad made after like 2004 has multitouch capabilities, it just comes down to the drivers. If you want some multitouch action, install Synaptics Scrybe.

EDIT... On a side note I just hit a thousand posts... oui vey!

 

ZoinksS2k,

you mentioned that you get a big variation on your 2x64GB result right?

could it be that the first result (277~) is the result before you break the raid and have them as JBOD with TRIM? and after having them as JBOD with TRIM, you rebuilt the raid and got the second result (360~)?

 

I JUST got back from there and playing with it. The first thing I did was put the font size back to 100%, and then when I logged off, it asked for the password and the guy who set it up was gone for the day. So I didn't get to do anything in Windows.