Vaio Z - only 128GB?

I'm considering a VAIO Z, but the one I been offered has only 128GB, that's not very much, can I replace it with a standard 2.5" drive or a larger SSD drive?

Thanks

 

1) yes if you get rid of DVD drive and put in 2.5" drive instead (need to purchase a drive cage)
2) yes if you find 1.8" SSD, and follow somewhat complicated procedure posted elsewhere here

 

1. Hmm, can I?
2. So, it's not a standard SSD?

I see Sony in Germany has a regular harddrive version without DVD drive, maybe I should consider that instead.

 

1. Yes you can.
2. No it isn't. Sony uses proprietary SSDs.

Yes you might go with a regular HDD but keep it mind that going with a regular HDD will mean a BIG drop in performance. And I am not talking about boot time or file transfers alone, everything will be affected.

You could just go with the 128gb ssd and get a portable usb external hdd instead

 

But if I remove the DVD drive, place a normal harddrive in there and use the SSD for only Windows, performance would still be great, and I will have plenty of space, right? The question is, where do I get a harddrive bay to replace the DVD?

 

Try looking for a newmodeus caddy.

Yup SSD + HDD is just great

 

wii, you realize that windows does not take up 128GB right? if you want good performance, you'll still need to put your apps and windows on the SSD and just your data files on the HDD.

 

The obvious reason for going with the HDD version is to replace the HD with a standard 2.5" SDD, without having to do any modifications.
If I were to replace my Z now, and the HD version had been available where I live, that's the route I would go. Especially since I then would avoid RAID 0, and be able to use TRIM.

 

Are you saying without the Sony SSD my Z would just be an ordinary, boring, slow notebook???!!!

NOOoooooooooooooo!!!

 

Dude, 128GB is fine. I came down from a full 250GB drive to the 128GB when I got my Z. I thought it would never due. You know what? I really didn't need all that much space. It's funny with drives, they will always be full no matter how big they are. People just fill them up with crap. Well, most of the stuff I had on the 250GB was crap. I never missed it. I do have a 500GB HD instead of a DVD. I rarely mount it. I only recently installed it and only use it to hold stuff I want to have but rarely use such as every picture I've ever taken. Before assuming that 128GB is too small for you, I would suggest trying it out for a while.

 

Unfortunately yes !!!

No SSD = same performance as any other laptop with core i5 and 4-6-8 gb ram.

The SSD drive is Z's superpower

P.S. With a HDD ofcourse, if you fit in an aftermarket SSD in the Z then the performance would be pretty much the same or better depending on the drive itself.

 

^^
Off topic but

U still have the Thinkpad ? Which one is faster ? Z or thinkpad ?

 

When I turn the VAIO to "Stamina" mode (to remove the 330M GPU from the test) and put both computers into "High Performance" mode they seem about the same. If I turn the switch to "Speed" mode the Z pulls way ahead. The much superior screen, GPU, and design/style is worth the extra 1,000 USD to me, although the X201 has a better keyboard and seems more durable.

 

What I don't get is why does Sony use a special SSD, which is hard to replace instead of just a normal 2.5" SSD and why does the versions with normal harddisk don't have a DVD drive? Does it really take that much space?

 

Because they can't pack in everything that Z has to offer if they used a 2.5" SSD. So to keep it light weight and small, they went with custom SSDs.
And yes you are right, its not possible to fit in an optical drive with a HDD in.

 

Doesn't Toshiba make an SSD with similar form factor, like the Toshiba SSD in MBAirs? You think that will fit?

EDIT: I started to read THIS thread to answer my own question but it is too long and I need sleep, it seems there are some creative options though.

 

The SSDs used in vaio Z are unique to the Z and are not similar to any other model or manufacturer.