SonyStyle x VPC-Z1290X CTO - Shipment different than order

Placed the following order with SonyStyle.com:

Product:US-VPCZ1290X-LBOM
Component:Standard Capacity Battery
Component:Fresh Start
Component:No Adobe software
Component:4GB (2GBx2) DDR3-SDRAM-1066
Component:No additional Office software
Component:No Mobile Broadband Built-In
Component:No additional AntiVirus Software
Component:CD/DVD Player/Burner
Component:No Engraving
Component:Intel® Core™ i7-620M processor (2.66GHz) with Turbo Boost up to 3.33GHz
Component:13.1" VAIO Full HD Premium Display (1920x1080) (Reg. price $100.00)
Component remium Carbon Fiber
Component:Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64-bit
Component:512GB (256GBx2) Solid State Drive with RAID 0 Technology
Per Unit Price:$3,469.99
Quantity:1
Total Price:$3,469.99
Description:VPCZ1290X Configure-to-Order
Ship Method:Expedited
Estimated Ship Date: 07/02/2010

Shipment occurred, as promised. However to my surprise , the computer came:

- Without the TPM chip.
- With 4x 128GB SSD instead of the 2x 256GB as per my order confirmation.

SonyStyle, why is it so hard to deliver exactly what I asked for? If I gotten advance notice that the RAID config was gonna change, I'd cancel the order. Contacted SonyStyle and the only option is to return the computer for a refund. If you go now to the SonyStyle order page, you will still see the option of 2x 256GB drives.

And what about the TPM chip? There was no option on the order page for a computer with or without a TPM chip, the manual says it has. I have a VGN-Z591 that has it without having to specifically ask for....

Bottomline, paid USD 3500 for something I didn't order for.

DO NOT order stuff through SonyStyle.

I won't do it again for the rest of my life.

 

just out of curiosity is there even space for 4 separate ssd drives..pretty impressive if there is..thought most laptops had 2 hdd bay at max.

 

2*256gb = 4*128gb

the two 128gb ssds are on the same PCB board: physically one but logically two.

4*128gb is far better setup than 2*256gb in performance at every level.

the TPM chip is available for asian models. it does not even state on the website, so why do you even bother...

I don't understand why you are even making this thread for no apparent reason.

you got what you ordered!

 

what vava said......

 

+1 lol i dont see a problem

 

The problem is that I've ordered something and what was delivered was slightly changed.

I hear you guys. In the end the configs are all equivalent. But if you are given the option for a specific config, and pays USD 3500 for it, you could at least receive a notice that something is changing in your order.

You place a order for an Asics running shoes on Amazon and you got a Mizuno back. Would you be happy with it? They are all equivalent, right?

 

You got what your ordered. Unless I'm missing something Sony makes no claims for us models having tpm. The ssd is correct. It's 2 256gb physical drives but the system sees 4 128gb drives due to how they managed the circuitry. This improves performance. So what exactly is the problem?

 

Spot on ! You got same thing as you ordered and as for TPM, there is no mention about that on the site since it isn't offered in the USA.

If you are not satisfied, just call the customer service @ 1-877-244-9959 and request for return label

 

Cannot understand why ppl purchase a 3.5k$ product, complaining afterwards insteat of just reading half an hour in this forum. If you had done so, you would know that a 512g setup is built with a "4x128g quad-ssd" (see sony's ads).

in this case, sony did not do anything wrong - you can only read more careful in the future.

 

ignorant consumers, unfortunately the world is full of them.

 

Performance, yes, reliability and expandability, no.

Performance: Yes, a 4 drive RAID 0 is faster than a 2 drive RAID 0 for large sequential access (otherwise the same speed).

Reliability: The MTBF decreases substantially as you increase the number of drives in a RAID 0 system. When one drive in a RAID 0 fails, you lose all data on all drives, and the risk of one drive out of two failing is much lower than the risk of one drive out of four failing.

Expandability: The BIOS in the VPCZ won't let you attach a fifth hard drive without Bad Things happening. This has been documented in other threads here. If the user wanted to remove the DVD and put a 2.5" drive there (e.g. for storage -- you can get 750 GB HDDs theses days), he would have to have a 2 drive model.

In short, he got something different from what he ordered, and that is bad, no matter what is "better" in your opinion.

What's on Asian models is irrelevant for a US buyer. He doesn't get a Felica reader either.

The earlier Vaio Z models were indeed marketed with TPM, also in the US market. It's a feature that has been silently removed, without changing the notebook's name from "Vaio Z". One could argue that the buyer should read all the marketing material for the particular model he buys, and not go by what was the case for earlier models with the same name, but I think there should also be an Onus on Sony to explicitly mention it when they remove features that people might depend on.

(Same as for the PlayStation -- earlier models were marketed with the ability to play Super Audio CDs and run multiple OSes (read: Linux). The current model does neither. Caveat emptor, indeed.)

He ordered a 2*256 GB model, and got a 4*128 GB model. So he did not get what he ordered. Whether you think it's just as good doesn't matter -- it's not what he ordered.

 

Or perhaps he did read for half an hour in this forum, and saw that there were showstopping problems attaching a fifth HD, so if we wanted to replace the DVD with an extra HD, he would have to get a 2 drive model.

Pot, meet kettle. Observe the chromatic similarities.

 

youre right and wrong. its just a matter from which perspective you look at things. physically, he got 2*256gb delivered - he has two ssd modules with 2*128 gb each. logically, the system finds 4 drives. if you look closely, you can exchange one ssd module with a 128gb (2x64gb) module. if sony would say you get 4x128gb ssd's, he could also complain because he cannot exchange one single 128gb ssd in his array.

it's up to you from which perspective you see that, you can complain in both cases.

the fact, that you cannot expand your system with an additional drive may be true, but sony does not offer raid ssd systems with an additional hdd or ssd in the expansion bay. you cannot expect that they support such customization out of the box. i also do not complain that i cannot put a desktop quad core cpu into the z.

 

Reading your post, I think he should return his product...

But, it is something that Sony doesn't have to inform general customers.

 

Ding ding ding.

 

after reading to all the post, I agree with this one. He did not get what he ordered. Too bad sony does not have a "team" to handle such cases like dell and other bigger pc manufacturers, so he'll have to deal with a return label instead of being worked something out.

Bad move on sony.

 

arth1, thanks for your analysis and clarifying my points. I was thinking on MTBF on the SSD drives and the fact that I had a VGN-Z591 that had the TPM chip on it and was silently removed by Sony in the newer models. All I wanted was to alert the community on what you should expect from SonyStyle.

 

so are you keeping your laptop now?

 

I originally ordered a Z11 w/ the following configuration below that I returned ultimately because the Z12 was going to come w/ 1080p on CTO. I was shocked to find out that the Z11 SSD setup was 2 x 128GB drives and that’s not what I ordered. After reading various threads here explaining the SSD configurations for the US & those internationally it made things more clear, but still not right as Sony did falsely advertise the SSD setup specs. After I returned the Z11 and received my 100% refund, I ordered the Z12 and was pleased that the SSD configuration was 2 x 128GB SSD just as I ordered (Configuration listed below). If the Z12 would have arrived w/ 4 x 64GB SSD I would have definitely have sent it back because they are eliminating the possibility of upgrading the laptop to its max capabilities w/o tossing out the current setup. Don't let Sony screw you over!

Z11 = 256GB (256GBx1) Solid State Drive with RAID 0 Technology, Blu-ray Disc™ Player/Burner, Intel® Core™ i7-620M processor (2.66GHz) with Turbo Boost up to 3.33GHz C50876422, 4GB (4GBx1) DDR3-SDRAM-1066, Standard Capacity Battery, Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64-bit, Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband Built-In, Premium Carbon Fiber, No additional Video Editing Software Fresh Start.

Z12 = Large Capacity Battery, No Fresh Start Adobe Bundle ($448 value), 8GB (4GBx2) DDR3-SDRAM-1066 (Reg. price $300.00), Microsoft® Office 2010 Starter, Verizon Wireless Mobile Broadband Built-In, Norton Internet Security™ 2010 (30 Day Trial), Blu-ray Disc™ Player/Burner, No Engraving, Intel® Core™ i7-620M processor (2.66GHz) with Turbo Boost up to 3.33GHz (Reg. price $150.00), 13.1" VAIO Full HD Premium Display (1920x1080), Premium Carbon Fiber, Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64-bit, 256GB (128GBx2) Solid State Drive with RAID 0 Technology (Reg. price $300.00).

 

Jay, are you sure you got a dual raid only? if you had, remember, if you upgrade your spec, you need a new ribbon cable to connect the two ssd modules.

to clarify the advertising differences, here in the EU, they make SSD configs clear:

 

The BIOS on the Z12 reports 128GB on Hard Disk Drive 1 & 2... "None" for Hard Disk Drive 3 & 4..

Intel Rapid Storage Tech Software = Port 0 & 2 (Toshiba THNS128GG4BNAA); Blu-ray is on port 1 and internal Ports 3 & 4 are empty.

I was planning on sending it back to Sony for the upgrade perhaps in a few years, not confident in my disassembly skills, don't want to toast my 3K machine!

 

good to know that they are already using 128gb toshiba ssd's - it's just a matter of time till the first z12 quad setups with toshibas appear in this forum. wish i would know why sony decided to stick with toshiba now.

 

This is misleading.
With the retail version of Adobe Lightroom, you are explicitly entitled to put it on an additional machine. The OEM pre-install won't let you do that. So it's not a $299 value. Similar for the rest of the Adobe bundle.