Thoughts and outcome - My time with the VPC-Z2...

Hello,

I wanted to share with you my thughts on the Z2 and what I ultimately decided to do with it.

I sold my loaded Z1 for a chance to take a loaded version of the Z2 for a spin in hopes of keeping it. I was really looking forward to using it on a day to day basis, but it fell short in serveral areas.

The build quality is good, especially for a full powered CPU. However, its throttled.

The weight is outstanding.

Battery life is great. Although, If I were to use a extended battery it the Z1 or Z2, I would choose the Z1. I like the way it tilts the machine. JMO

Speakers are not so hot.

Right shift key is HORRIBLE for me.

Ports are good, but again I perfer ports on both sides of my machine. With the PMD in use, you have only one USB left.

The keyboard and deck is a nice change on the Z2. I like the removal of the palm rest and the lower profile. I seemed to be able to type faster on it.

The fingerprint reader is somthing I would like to rip out and jam up someones nose at Sony. Horible implemetation this time around.

The trackpad is nice. However, It does not play nice when trying to carual game. If your using the keyboard at the same time, it does not take inputs.

The PMD is a grand idea, but infact I found about a 40% reduction in FPS over the Z1's 330m. Not this is with the bios hack and a mild overclock, but I still feel the need to complain about it. I tried to overclock the PMD, but the results/increase in performance was next to none. (Gaming)

I also received a defective PMD with my first unit that I had to exchange. This past month while traveling overseas, the replacement Z2 took a dump when the hard drive stoped responding at boot. Sony's response? Cabin Pressure and it being a fragile machine! That was enough for me to cut ties with the Z2.

While most of you may not agree with me, I went back to a Z1 and am now happy. I was able to snatch up a VPC-Z12AHX/XQ at a decent price, being signature and new, and was more or less an even swap with my Z2. Even with the Z2 beign the newer of the two machines, for my usage, the Z1 beats the pants off the Z2. Yes, $2500 for last generations design is steep, but if its what you want, I found it to be worth it.

I liked how the Z2 felt solid and comfrotable while typing on the couch. I liked the boot times... very nice. (Saved 5-7 seconds) I also liked the battery life. (1 more hour) and being .5 lbs lighter.

I love the Z1 for the GPU, Blu-Ray, Ports, Speakers (While still not that great), headphone and mic jack placement, Express card slot and the massive HD I ran into.

One thing I did notice with the Z2's I had was the screen difference with the Z1. The Z2 seemed to run warmer in color over the Z1. It had more of a yellow hue, but yet the pixels were harder to notice compared to the Z1. These both had the 1080p screen. I though they were the same screen, but both calibration files are the same on the Z1 & Z2.

I just thought Id share my thoughts. If you have a Z1 and are happy, I dont think its worth jumping ship to the Z2 for a .5 lb reduction. You just loose far too much.

 

Interesting, I think I will probably have to buy the Z2 anyway when Gold comes along. I don't really use the speakers or the trackpad, I use Bluetooth headphones and mouse.

I am not looking for any real improvement from the Z2, I just want one.

 

I fiddled with a Z2 at the Sony Style store and wasn't impressed with it. I think the problem is that there is a Z1 to compare to, the Z2 just doesn't seem to be that much of a leap forward. I'm also not liking the fact that the Z2 is not as hackable as the Z1, even the memory is hardwired. Usually I don't mind paying for the experience, but this time round it just doesn't seem worth it.

I think I'll wait for the next refresh, but looking at the Z11->Z12, I doubt Sony will, say, put a beefier GPU in the PMD. I was waiting for the tablets, but now I think they won't be innovative either. At the rumored $250, I think the Amazon tablet will be a far better deal.

These make me sad :/

 

Tablets? That is kind of another topic isn't it?

We shall see what the refresh will bring. I am not really hoping for anything more than the color that I want.

The Z1 is "hack-able" like you said, I am still getting it to do more things. So far, for the millage I've gotten out of the Z1, it has been worth every last cent. The thing about the Z2 is that I have to buy it maxed out right from the get go. What am I going to be able to upgrade in the Z2, the WiFi?

 

for the throttling you might wanna try to check the profile make sure it is balance or power mode not silence mode

 

Thanks Maven. You've pretty much summarized every single thing I've heard or read about the Z21, and drawn the same conclusion I have, without the pain of having to own one and get rid of it to get back "down" to the awesome Z1.

Sounds like we should be looking to buy up the best of the Z1s around, as soon they will be the only true power-subnotebook that still has:

1) a pretty decent, switchable, discrete gpu
2) a blu ray drive, or for that matter, a DVD drive at all (rumors of it's never being of use are greatly exaggerated)
3) a phenomenal 13" screen, be it 900p or 1080p
4) the ability to add/change hardware and hack bios/registry to make it do tricks
5) a sophisticated look - if a bit dated - that at least doesn't look like a "normal" computer that Godzilla sat on for a day - a.k.a. the "ultrabook," a.k.a. the "Air," which apparently all decently powerful computers under 3 lbs will look like for quite some time to come (still don't know how you carry one in the crook of your hand without it slipping out - unless you have really small hands)

Yeah, I'm hugging mine tightly and just may go back into acquisition mode because if it breaks, I'm not clever enough to fix it and Sony will charge more than the price I can pick up a nice used one for today

 

I went into a Sony Store today and had a play around on the Z2.

Having never used or seen a Sony Z in person I had nothing to compare it to but I can say that it looked very nice and was ultra-thin (especially compared to my M11x).

However, the thing that astonished me was the screen. I have never seen a screen that beautiful on such a small laptop. 1080p on a 13" laptop is probably the best thing I have ever seen.

I am so jealous! If my M11x had that screen I would be the happiest guy in the world

 

I share many of the same opinions as Maven, I was really hoping to squeeze some additional performance when gaming out of the new unit, but it seems that the bandwidth is limited due to lightpeak or the drivers, which is strange, because lightpeak should theoretically handle the bandwidth...Looks like I may stick with the Z1 for the time being, the price just doesn't justify the gains for me right now going with the Z2. Once loaded into the OS, you don't notice the extra SSD performance that much, nor the CPU performance increase for the tasks I use the machine for. I can get better gaming performance out of an overclocked GT 330M rather than the 6650M in the Z2.

 

The more I think about it, the more I feel like I should just learn to be happy with what I have

 

I'm guessing that the Z22 should fix enough of the Z21's bugs so that it'll closer to the machine that Sony should have introduced as the Z21.

I'll probably get the Z22 but all that means is that I'm a sucker for the model number Z22.

 

Sorry to hear that the Z21 didn't make the grade for you maven. Rest assured though the Z13 is the best peice of kit I've come across in a long time.

 

You can pretty much have that now if you want to.

1) Look for a good deal on a cherry Z11-13 on eBay, the Sony Outlet or the NBR Marketplace. Tweak it to your heart's content using the many guides posted on this forum and drawing on the true brain trust of "hackers" here. (Best of all: max out the gpu performance and, for a few hundred more, get an eGPU Vidock to run circles around your M11X!)

2) Sell your M11X to for the best price you can get

If you buy smart, you can pick up a nice used/refurbished Z1 for around $1,200, more if you want it tricked out, though the base retail version with the 900p screen runs circles around your M11X's screen and has 90% of the wonderfulness of the $5,000 Signature Series. I don't know what you can get for your M11X, but if you wind up spending even $500 to "trade up," you will have done yourself a great turn. The beauty of the Z1 is that you can improve it gradually, so you don't have to have all the cash at once.

Not that the M11X isn't a gem as well. No need to improve on excellence if you are happy with it, and it definitely is a better gamer by far in stock version.