Vaio Z Blu-Ray Upgrade

So I got my hands on two Vaio Z's, one (VGN-Z27GNX) with Blu-Ray and 2.53Ghz, the other (VGN-Z36GDB) with DVD+RW and 2.66Ghz.

I am keeping one of them and selling the other, however, ideally I would like the faster CPU and Blu-Ray drive on the one machine. Not only that but I would also prefer the Z36 as it is the third generation model (in Australia) as opposed to the Z27 being second gen.

My question is, whether it is even worth the trouble to gain the 130Mhz and whether there was any significant changes from 2nd to 3rd generation in design, architecture, efficiency, etc?

At the end of the day I do want the Blu-Ray drive. Also, I plan to upgrade to a single SSD in the near future and have read on this forum that there are some issues with having an SSD with Blu-Ray but I am not sure why. Can someone please clear this up because if this is correct then I will also need to consider SSD vs Blu-Ray?

Thank you in advance for any help,

Daniel

 

I cant even count how many questions are in there. I would just screw the blueray and keep the newer faster Z.

Also.....CAN I HAZ?!

 

To make things simple, ask yourself,

"Can I afford to keep the more expensive blu-ray model?" If you can afford it, then keep that one for future proofing.

SSDs aren't going to be standard for another year or two due to the cost.

 

The cost is not the issue for me.

I basically need to know if there were any significant revisions between the 2nd and 3rd generations?

And yes or no as to whether Blu-Ray + 2.5" SSD is possible? (reading through the Z Owners thread go mixed answers)

 

Significant changes? No. The P9600 and the P9700 all have 6 MB L2 cache. I doubt you would see a difference , if any at all, in performance in daily usage.
Not sure about the Z3, but Z2 supports 8 GB ram only with the 2x4gb Micron ram sticks that ships Z3.

It is possible to have both blu-ray and SSD in any Z models. You just need to lift the plamrest to replace the harddrive.

Personally, I would take the blu-ray over the slightly faster CPU any day.

 

I am just wondering what you guys want with a blueray drive in a notebook like this...

If you want to do backups, you probably use an external harddrive. If you want to copy data, usually a thumb drive works fine. I never needed more than a DVD to copy data for anyone...

Last but not least: Are you really expecting to have that great Bluray movie experience on a 13.1 inch screen?
Take the DVD-drive and be happy that you can actually burn DVDs... and it is even cheaper... Save the money for your destop PC and its blueray drive!

 

I think it depends on how much traveling that person is doing. If he/she is constantly traveling on business trips & don't regularly have access to a desktop, having a Blu-ray drive to watch blu-ray movies on the move will be nice.

Back to the OP's question. There are no significant changes from 2nd to 3rd generation in design, architecture, efficiency from what I know. So IMO, I'll take the notebook with the Blu-ray drive. Good luck.

 

It has HDMI so that means you can connect it to a large tv so you can play a bluray movie on. That way you don't have to buy a bluray player or you can take it to someone else house who does not have bluray and connect it to their tv.

I say take the model with the bluray as you wont notice the speed difference. Unless you swap out drives out of the machine. btw the third gen Z is .12oz lighter. I doubt the weight is noticeable, but the keyboard area is suppose to be reinforced with a little more carbon fiber.

 

Yes, it will hardly be for internal use but more so through hdmi to my 27" or to a projector.

12oz is noticeable. I'll weigh them side by side and check if that is correct.

I have read through the guides on this forum and taken a look at the service manual and I am considering swapping the blu-ray drive to the 3rd gen machine. My issue was basically whether it would be worth the hassle. And given that adding the SSD is not an issue, I think I will go ahead.

Is there anywhere that I can confirm this information? I really wish to be sure that I can support 6-8GB in the future as I plan on keeping this machine for a couple of years.

If it must be Micron RAM I believe that may be difficult to get in Australia.

 

I actually meant to say its 0.12oz(or is it lbs the 1st and 2nd gen weigh in at 3.43lbs, while the newest one is 3.31lbs) lighter.

 

I don't think this is correct. Z2x & Z3x are the same in terms of "official" RAM support. Z4x is the one that can "officially" support 8GB of RAM.

If I'm not wrong, the following are the model comparisons:

Z1x = Z500 series (such as Z590)
Z2x = "In between" Z500 & Z600 series
Z3x = Z600 series (such as Z690)
Z4x = Z700 series (such as Z790)

Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

That weight is insignificant, but if it means it resulted in a stronger, sturdier body then that is a plus.

 

I think that there is actually no difference in weight. I have read some reviews that actually weighed the Z1-2 EU models/Z5 and they put the weight at around 3.3lbs.
May be these wrong figures about the higher weight came from Sony or from early reviews saying it weighed 3.42lbs.
This model Z3 in the UK so the model just before the refresh was weighed in at 1.47kg so 3.24lbs
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/253308/sony-vaio-vgnz31vnx.html
This review also puts the weight of the model with built in hsdpa under 3.3lbs.
http://www.trustedreviews.com/laptops/review/2008/11/17/Sony-VAIO-VGN-Z11WN-B-13-1in-Notebook/p2

Edited to add:
You can see here that Sony advertised the weight as 3.42lbs
http://b2b.sony.com/Solutions/product/VGN-Z670N/B

 

Sony's official specs put the 2nd gen at 1.53Kg (3.37lb) and the 3rd at 1.48Kg (3.26lb).

http://www.sony.com.au/product/vgn-z36gd/sku/vgn-z36gd_b+e1
http://www.sony.com.au/product/vgn-z27gn/sku/vgn-z27gn_x+e1

I am not so concerned about "official" support but whether the current bios updates will allow 6GB or 8GB to be detected. If yes then does anyone know if they run in dual channel mode (2x3 and/or 2x4)?

 

I know filicudi said the weight does not matter to them.
It is a rarity though to find a company that underestimates the weight of a laptop as opposed to over estimating it and weighing it with the lightest components possible.
I think we can all say for sure that the first-second gen models did not actually weigh 3.42lbs.

 

I have read over the details but is anyone able to tell me how much of hassle it is, from experience, swapping over the optical drives, ie. dvd -> blu-ray?

Such as, how long does it take and is it a very fragile process?

 

IMO, you should "care" about the "official" support for 8GB of RAM. The following thread definitely will be of interest to you:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=384968&highlight=8gb

 

Well I read that for the latest gen Z Sony added more CF to the palm rest/keyboard area.

I think the hard part would be opening up the Z.