VAIO Z parts list (older gen)

Hi.
So the thread name tells all. Basically, I'm pretty keen on modding my current / older 2nd gen Z with a few parts that the best older gen Zs come with elsewhere around the world.

Modifications planned:
- CPU upgrade
- SSD upgrade
- Glossy Premium Carbon LCD Lid, BLACK with BRUSHED PATTERN (just the top part, not the entire bezel)
- Wireless card upgrade
- RAM upgrade
- Optical drive upgrade
- Adding a 3G card slot

The new parts I'm looking for
- CPU
Intel Centrino 2 Duo T9900 or P9700 (T demands other parts than the P series???)
Some good thermal paste...

- SSD upgrade
Dual connector cable FPC-126 (part no. A-1553-769-A)
Dual SSD bracket / bay (part no. 4-109-148-01 or 4-109-148-11)
2x, 2nd gen 1.8' 256GB Samsung SLC thin uSATA SSDs (stripped-out, no enclosure)
Compatible screws to hold the SSDs in place on the bracket

- The GLOSSY PREMIUM carbon fibre lid / top
Part no.s (Rachel suggested X-2320-280-2 or X23202801, which do not seem to be the GLOSSY versions. Apologies; will look for the parts myself so all good~~!)

- Intel Wireless 5300AGN
Half-height version, with 1 extra antenna required

- 2x 4GB SODIMM DDR3 1066MHz sticks
AQUIRED - RUNNING 2x SAMSUNG 4GB RAM STICKS, AND IT WORKS

- Bluray writer
AQUIRED - UJ232AS

- 3G modem / SIM card slot.*
Requires soldering of some sort. Not 100% essential, just good to have on the road.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm looking for the part numbers above. Pretty keen on buying them from REPUTABLE dealers (preferabbly not eBay and their sometimes dodgy dealers, but will consider if that is the only option).

Before and after specs:
- C2D P8600 (2.4GHz) -> C2D T9900 (3.06GHz)
- 3GB DDR3 RAM -> 8GB DDR3 RAM
- 320GB 7200rpm Hitachi -> 512GB SSD (2x 256GB, RAID0 not required)
- Matt / plastic lid -> (BLACK) Premium Carbon Lid
- Intel Wireless 5100AGN -> 5300AGN
- DVD Writer -> Blu-ray writer

Plan is to earn the required sum of cash, buying the parts all at once, then sticking them all in one foul swoop. Looking at approx US$1500 for the upgrade in all ATM, but might not end up doing some of them or do them later when prices fall (SSD and RAM in particular).

Seeking knowledgable people here who will be able to lead me in the right direction to buying / aquiring these parts. Living in New Zealand so international shipping is a must...
Cheers in advance

 

I am also considering modding my Z820 with an internal Blu ray writer. How difficult would this be ? As for the RAM upgrade, I can confirm this RAM works and is what I use in my Z820. I'm not sure if Newegg will ship to you but at least this upgrade is a noticeable and reliable one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148276

 

Ok
I think I found the bluray (on eBay). Will need confirmation from other actual users though; is this the exact (or similar) BD RW drive found on the higher-end Zs? I know that the Z only fits the 9.5mm drives, so the cheaper / larger (and Sony branded) lappie drives are out of the question. The blu-ray ready Zs come with Panasonic drives in the first place, which is rather odd from Sony...

So, the only 9.5mm BD drive I found from ebay, and this person has sold 5 already. Though the OEM bulk packaging style for me ain't too reassuring...

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Panasonic-U...tu=UCC&otn=20&ps=63&clkid=8580449049176456856

US$450 is quite a bit, considering the CPUs I'm looking at are about US$400 (and the RAM as ehosey suggested, about US$400 with shipping). That's pretty much my planned budget right there...

And regarding the RAM; no Elpida, I guess...?

 

Also, to expand on this thread instead of creating a new one with regards to a few of the same upgrade questions, I'm going to admit my relative uncertainty about whether some of these upgrades are really worth it or not but being that my feeling and perhaps apprehension of the SSD situation with the new Z, I am leaning towards upgrading my Z820, and already have done the RAM upgrade. I've read somewhere that Sony Style would upgrade the optical drive to the Blu Ray drive but for $1000.00 ? I have not called them yet but probably will soon. And in an unrelated question I guess, can any " old " Z owners provide some feedback as to their long term ownership of their Z's in regards to reliability, durability, or any possible repair issues to be aware of before I embark on what many would most likely say a Blu ray upgrade just isn't worth it ? And I do want to mention I bought my Z820 direct from Sony Style in November 2009 for $1665.00 instead of the $1850.00 listed from Sony Style because they price matched Amazon.com which had it on sale at that price for 3 days at the time I happened to be looking for a Z. Thank you.

 

Yes, I can personally confirm that those Panasonic UJ232A Blu-ray drives are the exact same drives in use on the (old) VAIO Z series. I've just done this adding of the Blu-ray drive about a month ago. The price of $450 is not too bad IMHO, it is in fact cheaper than what I paid for mine. The price if bought from the US Sony parts department will have been $1,030 (excluding shipping & sales taxes). I got mine through a swap out of the drive from a VAIO VGN-Z790JAB. unfortunately, after factoring in the costs of initially paying for that new notebook & the price of selling the notebook, I ended up paying about $820 USD for my bare (without drive bezel - I just reused my original one) UJ232A Blu-ray drive.

I do think that if you want to get the CPU to upgrade, you better do it ASAP. The reason is because newer notebooks don't use those anymore & I doubt Intel is producing more of them anymore. With demand increasing & supply decreasing, I can only see the prices of those CPUs (T9900 & P9700) go up instead of down in the coming future. Good luck.

 

@ SPEEDwithJJ

How difficult was it to install the Blu ray drive ?

 

It is very easy to swap the drive. Just download the VAIO Z assembly/dis-assembly guide, closely follow the instructions & you'll be fine. If you're going to be doing it for the 1st time, I highly recommend giving yourself enough free time to slowly & carefully take apart your notebook so that you don't break anything. Good luck.

 

It would be my first time doing this. I'm looking around for the manual but see all kinds of other VAIO's but not the old Z's manual. All the Rapid Share sites that this forum directs me to have expired links. I spoke to Sony and they were unable to give me a cost to the upgrade saying it's not compatible because at the time of a CTO with the BD-ROM there is some software configuration installed that enables compatibility and my Z820 does not include that. Yep, that is what they said.

Edit: I found a Z disassembly guide and am reviewing it now.

Edit 2: This does not look like something I'm willing to do. I'd probably break something in the process.

@SPEEDwithJJ or anybody else.

Perhaps I could get the part from the ebay seller mentioned in this thread and have a local computer service center perform the upgrade ? And is there anything else involved besides swapping the optical drives ? Any ideas ?

 

The only time you would need to do any soldering to add 3G is if you wanted to add a sim card slot to the wwan daughter board. You would need the wwan daughter board, the FPC and also the antenna.
See this thread
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=343183

Also, i was going to add a bluray drive to my TT. They use both the same drives. I'm a little put of that the bluray drive UJ232A does not support writing to DVD-R Double Layer or DVD+R Double Layer
well according to the spec it does not.
http://support.euro.dell.com/support/edocs/storage/P200774/en/spec.htm
There is a newer 9.5m Bluray drive UJ242 but i've not had time to read the spec sheet.

Have a look at this thread for info about the RAID. Ebay again would probably be the best place to get the drive you want.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=363312

 

I'm aware that the UJ232 doesn't write dual layer DVDs (both + and - formats). That to me as well, is quite off-putting. I'm rather curious on the UJ242 and whether it's able to write DVD+-R DL, but then that will probably cost a decent bit more and will be harder to find (the model number suggests it's newer than the UJ232). Anyways, cheers @SPEED for the confirmation.

As for the realiability of the older Z, mine is one year and 3 months old now and I had to replace the LCD once due to dying pixels. I was given a one year warranty on the replaced LCD, and to me it seems to be a refurbished screen (can see alot of diagonal lines). At least Sony gave me a 2 year warranty from the start which let me replace the LCD in the first place, otherwise I would have sold her off...

Whether I think it is worth it upgrading the older Z? That actually made me think.... The build-quality of the older Z isn't the best (mine has a wobbly power button after the service center took care of the LCD, and it has random body clicking near the palm rest and bottom chassis, but apart from that it's been pretty good). I can see myself using my current Z for another 3 years or so, provided the battery keeps its endurance (I leave mine detached whenever it is at 80% and on AC). Which is why I'm trying to upgrade bits and bobs to keep her up-to-date (at least, for the next 3 years).

And the CPU upgrade... Darn, I thought resellers would start selling the older P and T series with cheap discounts to make space for the i series CPUs...
Though my key question still stands; does the T9900 require a different heat-sink compared to the P9700? (actually, is the P9700 in the higher end Zs fitted on the same motherboard / CPU heat sink as the P8k series CPUs?) And does anyone know of any other (cheap and reputable) online store that ships internationally that sell the CPUs other than eBay? They are riddled with ES versions...

 

ehosey2, to be very honest, it is not hard to take apart the VAIO Z notebook at all. I'm very sure you're more than capable of swapping yourself without breaking anything. The main trick is to just take your time & don't force anything if you get stuck at any point during dis-assembly. For any part that you're stuck on, just relax, wiggle here & there a bit or even try a slightly different approach & you'll be able to take out that "stuck" part in no time at all. You may also want to lay out the screws "in order" so that when assembling the notebook back together, you can be absolutely sure where the screws go to. I bet you that the first time you dis-assemble your VAIO Z notebook, it may be tough for you but for the 2nd & 3rd time onwards, you wouldn't even need to refer to the assembly/dis-assembly guide at all.

The only thing to take note of when swapping the DVD drive to the Blu-ray burner is to remember to detach one of the "hooks" near the bottom of the case. That is being used because the standard DVD drive in use for the VAIO Z do not have a "top case" while the replacement Blu-ray drive has the "top case."

 

@ SPEEDwithJJ
Thank you for the information. I will continue to review the disassembly guide and think this over a bit. As for the part numbers mentioned, I'll also be considering the newer UJ242 if I can find it. I do wish for full compatability with every disc format. Thank you again.

 

I'm sure you can find the UJ242A as "easily" as the UJ232A Blu-ray drive. One "trick" is to search for those Lenovo-branded 9.5mm Blu-ray drives. A lot of them (in 9.5mm format) are actually either UJ232A or UJ242A. Any SATA 9.5mm optical drive will fit in the VAIO Z notebook. Another thing is that if I'm not wrong, I think the Panasonic UJ242A does also write to +/- DVD DL discs.

 

@ 5ushiMonster and SPEEDwithJJ

How about this one ?

http://www.eeshops.com/thinkpad-t400-bluray-burner-dvd-drive-uj232a-uj232a-uj232-p-218.html

 

That is pretty cheap. It looks different but what-the-heck~~?

It's only been 3 weeks since I paid my university fees; I'm skint broke at the moment so won't be able to afford anything for a few months (job hunting isn't as easy as it was a few years back...)

I guess it pays to shop around....
I found the UJ242 at eBay, and it comes with a Lenovo branding on its chassis like the UJ232 linked by ehosey2. I guess Lenovo contracted Panasonic to make some drives or something...

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Panasonic-Mata-l...CI&otn=10&po=&ps=63&clkid=8598500372056346347

I can't confirm if it burns DL DVDs (google not helping). Though the ebay listing shows the drive cover saying 'multi-recorder' so... If it can't clip a Z optics drive door onto it OR burn DL, then I'll be sticking with the UJ232; it's US$100 (or US$200 with ehosey's link) cheaper. The very bottom picture at the auction doesn't seem correct BTW. Though US$500 with free shipping and 1 year warranty is pretty good.

 

I asked the ebay seller the following question :

" I am wondering if this UJ-242A is compatable with the Sony VAIO VGN-Z820G notebook because the eject button and the pin hole on the bezel of the optical drive are on the opposite side. Also, does this support DVD+R DL supported ? Thank you for your reply. "

The pictures look different compared to the drive bezel of my Z820 so we'll see.

 

Just found this somewhere around here.

http://www.sparepartswarehouse.com/Sony,Vaio,VGN-Z-Series,Laptop,Parts.aspx

Basically all the parts without the actual pictures, and they are a wee expensive... A HUGE list of parts including CPUs, LCD bezels, BD drives etc etc...

 

@ 5ushiMonster

Thank you for the Spare Parts Warehouse link. They have the UJ-232A listed so hopefully it's in stock and according to their web site info. also do repairs and upgrades, etc. I will call them about this in a few hours.

 

Argh... And here's me half way around the world in New Zealand completely broke. Good luck; hopefully they can do the upgrade for you if you are not too confident. If anything and you do do the upgrade, I might just learn off you in the process~~ I'm just hoping the prices will drop a bit by the time I can spend on the parts.

Sony New Zealand here does the upgrade for us for about US$60 and have a one year workmanship / parts warranty (provided the upgrade was done on a machine in the warranty period). Not too sure how it's like in the States though...

 

Well i don't know if what the newer drive supports. The lenovo drives even the earlier ones would need to be stripped anyway and you would need to use our own faceplate or buy one instead. I've not known anyone that has owned a Z who has actually gone for a lenovo drive before.

I wonder what bluray drive the new Z model uses?

 

While it's most likely a job that's not too difficult, I have only owned this Z since November 2009 and am concerned about voiding my warranty if I do the upgrade myself. Now that there is a possibility of an authorized Sony dealer like Spare Parts Warehouse that can perform the work, most likely my VAIO warranty will remain valid. I will call later to confirm.

 

I'm pretty sure they use 9.5mm, though I would be pretty keen on finding out that myself. So far, I know of no-one who has a BD-ready new gen Z at the moment, plus Sony New Zealand doesn't stock the BD models on their best end new-gen Z (this despite the fact that it has the QuadSSD setup, 8GB RAM, fullHD etc etc).

The older Z has Mata Panasonic drives, both BD and DVD versions. This I know from playing around with display models a few years back (but back then never knew the model number).

It seems that the Lenovo ones are also made by Panasonic, but have a unique enclosure over their BD drives with the Lenovo labelling on them. I guess they are Lenovo-only enclosures as well, which may cause some issues with Sonys. Come to think of it, we might need to ask the BD drive sellers where the drive comes from in case we need to source a compatible enclosure for the Z. Knowing Sony and their proprietory bits and bobs, I'm not holding my breath, at least not for the UJ242 drives. The UJ232, that looks ok but need to confirm... SPEEDJJJ? Does that (UJ232) enclosure seem identical to the ones the Z comes with?

Now, it's rather odd from Sony that they don't make their own 9.5mm drives and contracts out rivals to do it for them. I would be pretty surprised if the new Z's BD drives are made by Sony... Though realistically, that would hike the prices a decent bit...

 

Keep an eye on this thread
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=6037178#post6037178

 

I'm now going to continue this discussion in the thread that Rachel provided the link to, being I'm specifically looking for a Blu ray drive for my Z820.

 

Right. After taking her apart for the first time to inspect how hard the mods are going to be, and the initial looks tell me I'm gonna have quite a time getting to the Intel 5100 and CPU (and maybe the DVD drive, can see just 1x screw for it). Basically, I can do the SSD upgrade without too much problems provided I source the correct holding bracket and compatible SSD (stripped down).

Though I did come across something while reassembling, slightly unrelated to the thread's original purpose. Basically, I noticed a dent-like shape where the DVD drive opening is, near the front, right-side edge on the one-piece aluminium palmrest / keyboard. I was wondering if people have this 'dent' which is going inwards on their older Zs? Feels and looks like a ergonomic kinda thing to assist in taking out the disc tray, but I don't remember seeing that there from, anywhere...

I might as well try sourcing a new keyboard (always wanted a Korean one) if that 'dent' isn't normal. See attached image of where my 'dent' is. That or I disassemble her and try bending her back if indeed it isn't supposed to be there.



I don't remember hitting my Z in any way and the force required to get it to dent like that (if it is indeed a dent) would have had to be strong to be in my memory, which it is not...

 

I do not have that dent in my Z820.

 

Argh... Gotta get onto bending that back into shape then.

Anyways, regarding the drive bezel. I guess I was missing some pdf manuals for the Z (considering the utter mess the files are arranged on my machine for the past few weeks...).

There are three 'clips' on the bezel. I won't bother with trying and taking off my bezel since it requires flipping the Z upside down, which to me involves shutting down (since I don't have the battery attached ATM).
And from the looks of it, the DVD drive is gonna be harder to take off than the BD drive to put on. The DVD has more parts than the BD. Apart from that, seems the screws, screw brackets, and connectors all exist on the DVD drive version of the Z.

The files are "z_d1a_1_10" (for the DVD drive) and "z_d2a_1_10" (for BD drive).

 

http://www.sparepartswarehouse.com/Sony,Vaio,VGN-Z-Series,VGN-Z890,Laptop,Parts.aspx


X-2320-280-2
Laptop Miscellaneous: HOUSING (DISPLAY) (PC) ASSY [Premium Carbon] Factory Direct $241.56

Alternate Part Numbers:
X-2320-280-2, X23202801

https://servicesales.sel.sony.com/e...XIcXl663C&modelNum=VGNZ790&searchText=VGNZ790

If the link no longer works you can confirm it here by searching on

VGNZ790
It is $231
https://servicesales.sel.sony.com/ecom/accessories/web/index.jsp
This series should all be able to use the same lid.


About the dvd's. I've got several single layer discs that have shattered when dropped by accident from quite a low distance. Double layer ones seem more durable to me. Also, some have been scratched. The double ones seem more resistant to this to me. I cannot see this happening in the same way. Of course i try and be careful but accidents may happen. Thank you for your advice.

 

You do not have to dismantle the whole DVD drive into its separate parts. It just involves a couple of screws & you'll get the following (before removing of the drive bezel):



You'll then reuse the connecting SATA cable, 2 screws, a bracket & the drive bezel for the replacement Blu-ray drive. The "L" shape thingy on the photo towards the top is the DVD drive "hook" that I've previously mentioned, which you'll have to remove before installing the replacement Blu-ray drive.

By the way, I also do not have a dent near the optical drive bezel, like what is shown on your photo.

 

@ SPEEDwithJJ

In regards to the UJ-232A Blu-ray drive replacement for the Z series notebook, did you reuse the bezel that came with your Z or did the bezel which came with the UJ-232A match up in regards to the pin hole emergency eject button and the tabbed eject button, as well as the phyical design of the bezel or if you used the new bezel did you have to trim any of the plastic on the end in order to make it fit so normal opening and closing of the drive door would work ? Thank you for your response. And by the way, I am awaiting response from an ebay seller about the Panasonic UJ-242A and if he has any matching bezels like the one currently on my Z820. I really don't want to have any modifications done to the bezel that comes with the UJ-242A. As you see in the picture, the bezels have variations in their phyical design. The bottom edge of the bezel is straight on the UJ-242A and from what I have seen also on the UJ-232A, whereas the one on the Z series notebooks are curved at the bottom.

 

For my UJ232A Blu-ray drive, I basically reuse the drive bezel from my original DVD drive. The drive bezel fits perfectly on my UJ232A Blu-ray drive. The 3 clips on the drive bezel fits perfectly on the UJ232A Blu-ray drive & the eject hole aligns perfectly after the drive bezel has been installed.

Hope these info help you.

 

@ SPEEDwithJJ

Thank you very much for the detailed confirmation. Every seller I contacted was unsure if this would work and every picture of the UJ-232A never made it clear or provided enough of an answer to this question. One seller said the UJ-242A would work but that is highly unlikely and increased my doubts. I'll now be ordering the Panasonic UJ-232A Blu-ray drive. The cost is $300.00 and it's used but has a 1 year warranty, and that includes shipping. I will have Spare Parts Warehouse do the installation. I'll update when this upgrade is complete. Thank you again.

 

I'm sure that will definitely work. My Blu-ray drive is also a Panasonic (Matsh1ta) branded UJ232A.

 

This will be the one I'm ordering. It's the same as yours, yes ?

http://www.eeshops.com/panasonic-bluray-slim-burner-dvd-drive-uj232a-uj232a-232-p-929.html

http://cgi.ebay.com/Blu-Ray-Slim-Th...C_Drives_Storage_Internal?hash=item3a58f26f75

Actually, here is your Blu-ray drive. Maybe I'll get this one since it's new.

http://www.fazecomputers.net/servlet/the-94/UJ-dsh-232A,-UJ-dsh-232,-dell.-IBM,/Detail

 

That looks similar to mine. It may be better if they have photos of the drive "face" where the buttons & eject pin-hole are. Not sure if it makes any difference but my Blu-ray drive's sticker is slightly different though. The ones on your links have the Dell part number DP/N ON385M. However, my sticker don't have that part number & is the same as the following:

http://cgi.ebay.com/PANASONIC-Blu-R...C_Drives_Storage_Internal?hash=item27b0341d08

 

@ SPEEDwithJJ

Thank you very much. Rep added as well.

 

Apart from removing the bezel unless you bought a lenovo branded drive i wouldn't have thought you needed to do much more.
Why did you need to reuse the SATA cable? I'm doing this upgrade on another laptop and i'm hoping that apart from me changing the bezel that it is a straight swap. It looks like it plugs straight in so i'm not sure why you needed to more than this?

 

The Z's DVD drive seems to use more bits and bobs than the BD drive. I'm guessing this is due to the fact that the BD drive actually comes in one piece, where as the DVD drive has about 3x, each with their own share of screws (according to the Z's manual).

The SATA cable is reused so that we won't have to buy another one~~ Likewise with the bezel.

And when SpeedwithJJ mentioned the part number...
So basically, all (most) UJ232 I saw / see on ebay are Dell parts? I was kinda hoping to get one new and generic branded (or at least, Panasonic or Sony branded)? Any idea where I could get such a BD drive with a years warranty, brand new?

Good luck with the upgrade @ ehosey and Rachel~ Seems like I'll be the last one to buy and upgrade in the end....

 

Btw, anybody have recommendations for some good Blu-ray player software that I'm assuming needs to be installed after doing this upgrade ? I use the included InterVideo WinDVD BD for VAIO software program on my AW190 and it works good but was just wondering about anything that works as good or better. Thank you.

 

I do believe that WMP12 in windows would do the job nicely without causing a fuss? I'm not sure what other players would be able to offer that WMP12 doesn't actually.

In all honesty, Intervideo (DVD) was one of the software that I considered 'bloat' and got rid of immediately. "WMP is more than capable of DVD playback and anything DVD playback related, so why not free some space and use it?" is what I thought...

So I'm going to have to ask, since I myself never owned nor seen a bluray drive before. How many times are we allowed to set the blu-ray regions on the UJ232A? I know DVD drives allow upto 5 times max, so I'm gonna guess that's the same wth Bluray? And would I be correct in saying that the BD drives, at least for those who bought them seperately, come with regions 'unset' when you get them?

 

Update:

So, I found an authorized Sony repair center named Faze Computers in Derwood, Maryland U.S.A.

http://www.fazecomputers.net/servlet/the-template/about/Page

http://www.fazecomputers.net/servlet/the-94/UJ232A,-UJ232,-dell.-IBM,/Detail

They sell computer parts and perform repair services for numerous brands. I called them initially after seeing they had the UJ-232A in stock. It cost $395.99 and I asked a few questions. Since then I have been dealing with Paul from Faze Computers via email. I was told that yes the Blu-ray drive was compatible and that they could install it as well. The UJ-232A is brand new and instead of the 3 month warranty coverage for the part it is extended for 12 months at no extra charge, and was guaranteed in writing. The installation price is $65.00 after price matching what Spare Parts Warehouse was charging.

I've shipped my Z820 today via UPS and Faze Computers will receive it tomorrow. I'll update again when I get new information.

 

@ Rachel, SPEEDwithJJ, or anyone else who has upgraded to the Blu-ray optical drive :

Which Blu-ray player software ended up being installed after the upgrade ? The old InterVideo WinDVD Platinum that is now WinDVD Pro 2010, WinDVD 9 Plus, Power DVD 10, Roxio CinePlayer BD, or another ? Any opinions on that choice ? I've been searching the web for reviews and there does not seem to be a lot of positive ones on any of them. Thank you.

 

I basically just use the WinDVD BD for VAIO software. I'll PM you the details.

 

Thank you. PM sent back.

 

Ok - I think we have gotten over the issue of the optics drive, just waiting for an update from Rachel and ehosey2 now...

The next part that I am now considering would probably be something that will not be sold in the near future, that is, the SSD. This is one of the few parts that is tipped to evolve at a rapid rate once the prices get low enough, and I fear the SSDs that the older Z is compatible with (rather, the ones that I'm aiming for) will soon not be sold anymore.

I'm aiming to get 2x 256GB SSDs (on a RAID0 setup if possible), and I understand that I'll need two key parts:
- The dual SSD bracket / holder
- Dual SSD SATA connector
- (and the 2x SSDs themselves... duh....)

The best 5th gen Z in Japan had the the above setup (never saw a 1TB SSD setup), but I was unable to confirm what brand and models the drives were, and if there were any other parts that they used. I do believe some Japanese locals here stated they were Samsungs, but I need to make sure; the SSDs will need to be stripped out of their factory enclosures and the screw holes need to align perfectly with the SSD bracket that Sony uses...

So my questions:
- Does anyone know the part nos. for the SSD bracket and the dual SSD SATA connector?
- The model / part number for the 2x 256GB SSDs?
- Any software changes in the BIOS we need to perform to get the dual SSD SATA connector working? And also for the RAID0 setup?

So yeah... I know we can just get a normal SSD and use the existing SATA connector and HDD bracket, but my aim is to get my Z to have the same parts that the best older Z came with in Japan.

Cheers.

 

My upgrade went very well and i had no issues with the drive or bezel.

I linked to a thread to you that listed the part numbers of the bracket and RAID connector.

Also, the later Z models was sold with 2 1.8 USATA SSD's. Any with that have XP at the end will do. You'll lose TRIM support in RAID. Also, some people claim that the newer 1.8 uSata Samsung drives now that do support TRIM have this firmware.

VBM19C1Q = TRIM enabled
VBM24D1Q = TRIM enabled
VBM9LD1Q = TRIM enabled
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5939055&postcount=262

I'm happy with the Samsung drives i have and after months they are performing well for me. However, TRIM is undoubtely a bonus to have.

 

I have been contacted by Paul from Faze Computers ( http://www.fazecomputers.net/servlet/the-template/about/Page) and he has installed the UJ-232A Blu-ray optical drive. It was tested using Power DVD Blu-ray player software and the copy of Resident Evil Blu-ray disc I sent with my Z and everything is good to go. Now, I'm just waiting for delivery. The charge for installation ended up being $75.00 but it was well worth it. I will update after I receive my Z back.

 

@Rachel
Ok - we lose TRIM with RAID0 but does that matter? Sony doesn't support TRIM in the old and new Z, and I rather doubt they will release updates to get that working on the older models. Unless we get some firmware update from somewhere. And I can't see the part number for the SSD bracket for the Z in that thread you linked (for a Dell model)... I see the SSDs models which seem to be made for Dell, though that doesn't really matter for me.

Also, at the risk of me being called lazy and not looking through this thread and the Lenovo disc thread you created... Can you tell me where you bought your UJ232A? How much overall did you buy it for, and any warranty?

Thanks in advance...

And @ehosey2
Great to hear the UJ232A worked at the service centre. We all would have liked to get UJ242A working, but what can we do with physical limitations... If I were you I might get a SATA to USB connection convertor / enclosure and use the removed DVD drive as an external one to burn DL DVDs ^_^

 

I think i already answered your question about TRIM, i said it is a bonus to have. The new Z models actually do support TRIM and owners have the option to run their SSD's in JBOD mode if they so desire.

I bought my drive from a UK seller and they don't appear to have anymore left.

The link to the brackets is on the first page of that thread. I suggest you check all the links on the first page.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=465962&page=23

Posts 225 and 226. Not so good news about TRIM support for the new Z's.