VAIO Z is gone from Sony's US website :(

This comparison interests me because I just bought a Thinkpad T430s after comparing mainly with Sony S premium. The Sony was hundreds more expensive, not nearly as durable (warranty extension prices on Sony were more than double!), battery was sealed-in, keyboard not very nice, and is screamed 'steal me!' The trade off didn't seem worth it to have a brighter screen and faster graphics.

To those who doubt Steve's claim about the Thinkpad T series being quiet, I can back that up. And they do run full speed; I can attest because I've put my laptop through benchmarks in order to stress test it.

Everyone interested in this thread may want to check what Intel is saying about its new chips due this summer. It sounds like they are going to cause a reformulation of just what kind of performance can fit into certain thermal envelopes (something about 17W with no compromises). If that is true, then maybe the Z (which sounds like a great machine) and its refresh cycle got caught at a bad time for a summer shakeup of the mobile processor landscape. My guess is that it probably needs to go away for a little while in order to be reborn with a redesign that fits the new chipsets properly.

 

To those who seek for the alternarives to Z:

This is Samsung Series 9 X3E: 13", FullHD display (PLS=IPS), 512 SSD, Core i7, 1,16 kg. It will be available in late March and in Q2 for sure. Please don't care of Sonyboys saying blah-blah-blah-oh-no-no about alegedly "underpowered" ULV i7 systems. The price tag will be around 1500 euro. Preoders should start at amazon (or actually already started), Samsung 9 is a bit better engineered piece compared to the carbon monster from the past called Vaio Z. (Never caught myself on thinking about purchase of this highly controversial and halfbaked "piece of machinery" though I like the 2010 version of Z very much and still use it as a workhorse).

R.I.P. Z!

P.S. I think we will probably (stressing that - probably) get a chance to hear about its reincarnation, yet hardly ever before the late summer/autumn of 2013.

 

I can't find any info on the model you speak of. Is this predicted specifications for the next version of that Samsung laptop? If so, it would be right on par with our Zs, no?

 

The Thinkpad T430s graphics are on par with the 2010 Z. I bet the Q2 Samsung 9 series will have HD4000 which is slower than the 2010 Z. Therefore, it looks like sticking with the 2010 Z for another year will be the way to go.

It may be that the refresh of the Series 7 14" with full voltage will be interesting. Last year's model had 630m, 900p, and full voltage. Perhaps they might manage a GPU upgrade for 2013?

Currently, the only 13" full voltage+GPU setup offering a substantial upgrade from the 2010 Z is the VAIO S. And that is stuck with a lousy screen.

 

Here it is: Samsung NP900X3E Series 9 13.3-inch Full HD 512GB SSD LED Notebook - OVERVIEW

Late March. April.

 

very impressive. At the end of the day,all I want is a thin and powerful laptop with an excellent display. My last 2 vaio Z's have done this and I equally admit to having an emotional attachment to the company.

By the way I had no idea there was a difference between the mobile i7 and the one found in the vaio Z. You learn something new everyday I guess.

 

The other option is the Asus Zenbook. They have great bright FHD IPS screens, good speakers, and are pretty light - they have had good reviews in notebookcheck.net. You can get one (32VD) with dedicated graphics and a combination of SSD/HD and upgradeable memory, or the lighter 31A with only 4MB RAM and SSD only. Of course, they're ULV processors, and they don't have limited memory, so, they're certainly not the powerhouse that the Z was (and in that respect, not a substitute for the Z), but they are an alternative to the Samsung.

 

The UX series is nice, but the build quality is so inconsistent that I'd make damn sure the seller has a great return policy.

 

I was just about to order it from Sony Germany where it's still available. But now I'm very confused.

Are there any hints the Z Series will be discontinued?
If there will be successor, my guess is its not coming too soon since Haswell isn't quite ready yet!?

Do you guys remember the transition of the Z1 to Z2? Was the Z1 taken out of the store before the Z2 to arrive?

 

It seems not right if you say something is not durable because of extended warranty is expensive. Also S internal battery is user replaceable.

Sent from my LT30at using Tapatalk 2

 

The Z is still on Sony Canada's site too, a week later.

 

For those who want to buy last remaining refurbished z series in US, Sony is offering 25% on top of the discounted price.

 

It's not primarily about ULV vs non-ULV. ULV CPUs are CPUs that are able to run at same or similar speeds but at a lower voltage, which is a good thing. Doing the same work using less power is great.

But! You can't save that many %. The main difference between the 3612QM in the SVZ and ULV i7 CPUs is the number of cores, 4 vs 2. This is reflected in the TDP, normally 35/17W for Ivy Bridge. But its also reflected by benchmarks (from PassMark Intel vs AMD CPU Benchmarks - High End), 6902 for 3612QM vs 3822 for a i7 3667U (which seems to be the fastest Ivy Bridge ULV i7). Based on those numbers, the 3612QM in the SVZ is 80% faster than the 3667U, but draws 105% more power. So yes, the 3667U is more power efficient, but you need almost 2 of them to perform the same work.

So, again, people who need CPU power *and* mobility will avoid ULVs because they imply pretty much less work done in the same time. People who don't need that kind of CPU power will be content with an ULV. We're not "sonyboys", we're professional power users. Get the difference.

 

Where? Can't find it on the outlet site or their main site.

 

Sony VAIO Z" Performance laptops | VAIO Z Series Laptop | Sony Canada

 

Sony's accountants are not stupid; Lenovo's are not stupid either. It's a risk assessment expressed in dollars. Think about it.

As for the VAIO S battery, its far from the worst (which would be the MBP Retina). OTOH many (most?) users are not going to unscrew a panel from the bottom of their system to address a failing battery, and virtually no one is going to do so in order to keep working from a spare battery. Those are important considerations for some people.

 

In case of the S Series, there is no need to unscrew anything to use a spare battery, just use the sheet one.

 

Professionals who care of both power and mobility use *predominantly* more relevant in terms of durability and price systems like Thinkpads, U500Z Asus, Precision workstations by Dell etc. with RAIDs, 4 cores etc. and hybrid graphics. Have nothing against a minority who prefers to pay more to get a bonus advantage of owning CEO carbon toys like SVZ. Do understand those who need 3-4-display lightwieght systems like stock exchange dealers. Do see some dozens of those who admire high contrast TN display for purpose of photography. Let me segregate all the other examples to sonyboys category - slash - lovers of spontaneous shopping.

P.S. Quite agree with the conclusions you outlined in regard to ULV vs. 4 cores.

 

ok, some more bad news for the samsung:

Samsung Series 9 15" NP900X4C Ivy Bridge Ultrabook Overview and SSD Performance Analysis | The SSD Review

It appears to be using a vastly inferior ssd drive. Of course this is unconfirmed for the 2013 model but right now it doesn't look good. Factor in the weaker cpu (ULV edition) and I am starting to understand what McMagnus means by WE.
It would seem the samsung doesn't even compare to my 2010 vaio Z (3 years later, which is embarassing if you ask me)

 

If you first came from other places to this Sony forum, then read and research more.
To make you more clear, there are only 2 screws to remove to get into RAM, HDD/SSD and battery.

 

Being an Sony fan I was really looking forward to upgrading my TT to a Z, so hearing the discontinuation of the Z has been a great disappointment. Those of you have own premium line Sony devices will know that there is almost nothing out there that can be comparable. Over the years I have owned several Sony laptop; from the TX, TZ and the TT, all these laptops exemplified gorgeous screen to the astonishing battery life, all around good and balance specs, performance and sleek professional good looks. While some of you out there can argue that there are other laptops with smilier specs can be had, none of them fully have ALL the features and specs a Sony laptop provides. One example I can think off the top of my head would be when I first purchase my Vaio TT, many of my peers asked why did I not purchase a Macbook Air 11". The Macbook Air 11" while sleeker and with a sightly more powerful processor than my TT, it did not include some essential features such as VGA output, Optical Drive, ethernet port, SD card slot and most importantly; battery life. Thinking back, I can not help but to feel astonished at the products Sony used to put out, It was a totally different era.

Today as I type this post on a Macbook Pro 13" retina, I can't help but to reminisce the feeling I once had on my previous Vaio machines. The experience of versatility with my past Sony machine are gone and even with my new Macbook, I can't help but to feel that I am compromising for a laptop that I know Sony could do better...... if Sony wants to.

 

I had a 2011 VAIO SC, and liked the form factor and capability, not so much the screen. I was on the fence about buying a VAIO Z or new VAIO S, in the end i opted for the S, agreed the Zs screen is better but for the price and comparing to whats out there the S screen is about right, considering you can get one nowdays at decent prices i see nothing wrong with it as a whole. I have the higher end Premium SVS with the 1600x900, core i7 and 640 2gb version and absolutely love it, granted i can have a better screen, but for work and play i couldnt find anything better, popped in an SSD, upgraded to windows 8 and cold boot in 10 seconds and can play aything i want plus can use CAD just fine.

 

Our argument would be endless with people who are not Sony fans. Personal opinion is different, so argument is only right if people use the facts.

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Sad to see that this laptop series is no more, or at least no more for the time being, even if I figured it was inevitable once it didn't get a Windows 8 refresh. One of these caught my eye with its nice specs and great screen when I thought I'd have to replace my laptop in 2010 (turned out to be unnecessary), and I'd kept it on the radar as a potential eventual replacement ever since then. Looks like my laptop outlived the series, so I probably will never own one. Only downside was the price - it would have been hard to justify in 2010.

 

Well spoken, and exactely how I feel. Too bad Sony discontinued the TT - a true masterpiece of engineering.

I'm also about to replace the TT with the Z serie. Luckily in Europe its still available for now. While I was 100% convinced with the TT the Z Serie still has its drawbacks for me: no (U)LV CPU, no IPS screen.
Btw have you seen the FHD screen in action? How does the TN compares to the TTs IPS?


PS: No more 1600x900 panels available in Europe. Better order now before it's too late...

 

Here's me (back on NBR forums after a hiatus), still using a VGN-Z from back in 2008. I would've like to have upgraded to the VPC-Z but the VGN-Z outlived those. I considered the Z2 series too, but it seems that my VGN-Z will outlive them as well...

Granted I'm not doing as intensive stuff today as I used to back then (virtualising Linux, Matlab compilations for engineering stuff). I know the VPC-Z would've done a lot better and faster, but I was hooked with the VGN-Z. In 2010 there was no viable alternative to the VGN-Z EXCEPT the VPC-Z I'd say. The hybrid graphics and battery life AND processing power. Heck, when I first bought the VGN-Z in 2008 there really was no other Windows alternative full stop (the only hybrid graphics machine at the time was a Asus N10 netbook or the superseded VGN-SZ, and power-and-size-wise the only alternative was the MBP 13'').

I'm considering retiring my VGN-Z sometime next year. I would've like to have given it a lot of mods that I planned back in 2009 and 2010 but considering how old the thing is and how powerful machines are today (the Z2 with them full-power processors), it just isn't worth it no more...

But yeah.
My VGN-Z continues to live and alas I was never able to justify getting the newer gen Z machines. More so as they've been removed completely from Sony New Zealand's site as well, with the VPC-Z2 being considered an archived model now... The VGN-Z and I'm sure the VPC-Z1 and Z2, which I have used through colleagues, are amazing machines and most indeed niche products. Everything else out there today, especially them ultrabooks, are more main-stream consumer orientated.

Honestly hope to see a new Z sometime in the future. I ain't a big fan of touch-screens but if a new Z retains the matte-gloss finish 1080p screen with a full-power processor, I will most definitely be considering one.

 

RIP Vaio Z,

Heck, I joined this forum just to discuss the awesomeness that was the Vaio VPC-Z after it was announced at CES 2010. Then purchased it as soon as I could and it was the only laptop in its class, and while I didn't always agree with the PMD, it still made the Z distinctive in a way that no other laptop is. All the ultrabooks nowadays are simply a step down, but the average consumers don't need the power of a full voltage processor or of a dedicated GPU in a simple facebook/youtube/twitter machine... Unfortunately for us, the market has spoken and I hope one day (when Sony gets back on its feet), the Z will return, bringing back it's unique design (I really miss the barrel hinge, it was quintessentially Sony) and ahead-of-its-time technologies: SSDs in RAID0, dedicated GPU, full voltage processor, optical drive, 1080p 13" display, backlit keyboard, expresscard slots, etc. all in a package about 1" thick and 3.1 lbs, all in a time when 720p was the norm, SSDs were impossible to find in laptops, and a full voltage processor + dedicated GPU meant a 15 pound Alienware. It shall be missed dearly, I've always thought of the day I might return to the elite club that was the VAIO Z Owners Lounge.

Sorry, didn't mean to write an eulogy, but it kinda seemed appropriate

 

It all comes down to size/weight. Do you want to pay a premium of $1K to have a truly portable device, or do you want to lug around an anvil like the precision workstations. It used to be not that unusual in my field to pay an overpriced $10K for a Sun workstation, and that's for a researcher, not for a CEO---in 1995. So the premium of $1K to take you down from a behemoth monster who can do similar work to a workstation to a sleek and lightweight backsaver that's just as powerful is well worthwhile. This is coming from someone who USED a precision workstation for 4 years.

Finally, there is one more thing. At least where I am it is becoming more and more taboo to sit down at a meeting and yank out a 17" or even 15" monster from your bag. Everyone has 13" MBA or Ultrabooks or something similar. When you sit down at a meeting and work, you want to have something that's similar sized---and that's where I happily pull out my 2010 SVZ knowing that it has far more power than anything the other folks are using, but looks just as sleek.

 

arent those new rMBP 15 faster than the sony z23

 

They come with a quad core CPU, but do they come with RAID 0? Are they comparable in size?

rMBP 13" only come with a ULV CPU, so that is again a fail.

 

How does the Vaio S compare to the 2010 Z? It's got a dual processor, so it's the same in that category, right? And its screen is worse. But other than those is it superior? And will we get an S refresh soon?

 

Are you sure? I don't think apple put ULV CPU in their pro line.

 

rMBP has i7 3520M.

 

I'd love to see the option of an ULV in the Z series.

Btw does an ULV fit on the same board like the full voltage ones?

 

At that point Sony may as well just put a FHD display in the T series.

 

YMMV - but in my opinion, the best Z EVER is still the 2010 Z (VPC-Z11, Z12, Z13).

Love having a Blu-ray player/burner on-board with a gorgeous Full HD screen. Love not having to connect a PMD for better-than-Intel graphics. Love the keyboard. Love the more rounded edges (vs. the odd sharp corners of the new generation). Love the overall feeling of quality (again, compared to the new gens).

With i7 / 8GB / 512GB RAID 0 - it's still lightning-fast for most uses.

All things considered, I still wouldn't trade my Z12 for a Z2 or SVZ.

I really wish Sony would make something like it again.

 

Are you living in the past? VAIO T Series Full HD



But how about the second part of my post?

 

*takes off Members Only jacket*

Well that's a 15", I had the T13 in mind

 

they dont need raid 0 their read and write speeds are similar to the sony z, and size wise it is a 15 compared with a 13 but they are about the same physically, and weight wise very similar

 

Show me a benchmark from them where they have 900MBps and I will believve. Specification please, not specualtion

 

Well they do like 450 but with the extra ram (16GB) and the apple logo on the back should be enough to read and write faster =)

 

Benchmark could be different, but actual transfer speeds could be not much different between raid 0 SATA3 and single SATA3.

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I truly doubt that double the transfer rate shown by benchmarks will mean the sower one in benchmarks performs faster in real life.

 

The difference from 400 and 900 doing real work, will not be noticeable... Unless all you do all day is transfer 100gb files back and forth, but most file system and files i work with are less than 100mb so not a major difference... Its like overclocking your cpu from 2.0 to 2.4 benchmarks will show its faster but doing real work? not so much

 

Try editing and saving RAW photos one those two and you will see the difference immediately.

 

My CR2 files are about 8 to 10 MB, not big enough to make much of a difference - unless maybe you're batch-processing, and even then...

 

Well editing RAW photos in OSX could be faster than doing it in windows.... also that takes alot of ram, i know may not make a difference since it wont use more than 8GB, but 16GB > 8GB

 

I am not going to try and prove that 900MB psis faster than 450MBps and if you are trying to prove the opposite, you need to think about it twice or go backto school to learn about maths.

 

Apparently the S 13" refresh will keep the same or similar screen.... no plans for FHD or IPS.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/706142-vaio-s-series-refresh.html

The screen quality is the dealbreaker for me; I keep the 2010 Z entirely for that reason. I actually don't want the 1080P; 900P is fine for me, but putting an ordinary TN panel next to the 2010 VAIO Z panel is cause for tears.

 

I'd get the S in a heartbeat if they put the Z screen in it.

Perhaps if the Z doesn't come back, the Haswell S will inherit the Z screen.