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    Vaio Z (VGN-Z790JAB) hard drive questions

    Discussion in 'VAIO / Sony' started by nutte, Apr 8, 2010.

  1. nutte

    nutte Notebook Enthusiast

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    I'm considering a Vaio Z. I would have bought the latest one, but unfortunately the headphone plug is in the front which is a deal breaker for me as I most often use it on the treadmill to watch movies and it needs to "stand up".

    So, when looking at previous Z's I noticed the headphone plug is one the side (as it should be. if you ask me). Blu-ray is a must and I want SSD. I found a few models with Blu-ray, but it seems that all models only have a regular 320GB hard drive, so my first question is:

    - Does a Z of previous model with Blu-ray and SSD exist?


    In case no such model exists I was thinking of buying the VGN-Z790JAB and replace the hard drive with a SSD myself. I was browsing this forum and found a few threads on the topic, e.g. these:

    Pics of opening up the Vaio Z:
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=426295&page=90

    Official Vaio Z service manual:
    http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=4612060

    Even looking through a bunch of threads I still have a few thoughts:

    - Is it a regular 2.5" SATA hd that's in the Vaio Z? Oddly enough I haven't seen any comment if it's a 1.8 or 2.5" drive.

    - Are all Vaio Z's the same? I.e. if I buy the VGN-Z790JAB does it look like in the pictures from the thread above? I would assume things change, but in the threads I usually never see specific models discussed.

    - I'm very comfortable building desktops, but have never really opened up a laptop. How cumbersome is it? Would you say replacing the hard drive is "smooth"?


    Thanks a lot for your time.
     
  2. SPEEDwithJJ

    SPEEDwithJJ NBR Super Idiot

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    My humble answers to your questions:

    1) The (old) VAIO Z uses a standard 2.5" drive.

    2) "Almost" all the (old) VAIO Z models are the same, except for things like CPU, HDD/SSD, RAM amount, etc.

    3) It is "quite" easy to get to the HDD, provided you closely follow the VAIO Z assmebly/disassembly guide, give yourself enough time to take apart your notebook, don't "force" things if certain parts seemed "stuck," & be very patient while opening up the notebook.

    Good luck. :)
     
  3. nutte

    nutte Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanks a lot for your answer.
    I'll most likely give it a shot :)
     
  4. nutte

    nutte Notebook Enthusiast

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    I happened to find out that a Vaio Z (previous model) was released with SSD. The VGN-Z880G/B, but it doesn't have Blu-ray.

    Does anyone know if a version with both Blu-ray and SSD was released?
    However, maybe I'm better off buying a Intel SSD (or similar) and put in myself if I want the best performance?

    Is there a "guide" or list available somewhere that describes all different Sony Vaio Z models? Does the model number somehow tell you anything about the spec? I couldn't find any help at all on the Sony site.
     
  5. TofuTurkey

    TofuTurkey Married a Champagne Mango

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    Why not use Bluetooth headphones? No wires, so it'll be more suitable for the treadmill. Motorola sells the S9 which is quite good.
     
  6. nutte

    nutte Notebook Enthusiast

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    I did end up buying a VGN-Z790DLX which I'm so far very happy with. I got my Blu-ray and headphone plug on the side, and as you can see below I now also got a really fast SSD (250Mb read / 168Mb write).

    The very first thing I did when receiving the computer was replacing the 320GB mechanical hard drive with a Corsair Nova V128 SSD.
    Thanks to the official Vaio Z service manual I found via this forum it probably only took 15-20 minutes and went without a glitch. To anyone that want to do the same I must say; - Do not attempt to do it without the service manual! I would for sure have broken my computer without it as there are "hidden" switches to remove the keyboard.