Vaio Z: TWO external monitors?

Hello there,

I am going to buy either a Lenovo X200 or a Sony Vaio Z (I am looking for a portable yet powerful machine).

I need this machine to be able to sport TWO external 24" monitors (1900x1200). The guys at the Lenovo forums already confirmed that the X200 can do it with the UltraBase dock station. Can the Vaio Z do it too, for example one monitor off the VGA and another one off the HDI port?

I dont do gaming, but I do photoshopping, some Camtasia Studio screen recording, etc.

Thank you very much. I am having a HELL of a time deciding between the X200 and the Vaio Z!

 

Ouch, no one knows whether we can connect one monitor to the VGA and another one to the HDMI at the same time?

 

I don't know but I can let you know on thursday when I get mine!

Don't forget that you can get a dock for the Z too, and it has VGA + DVI on it. I would imagine you can use both at the same time on that.

 

Thanks mate, I'll be waiting for your reply

If I am to buy a dock on Vaio Z, then I'll pick the Lenovo X200 (smaller and better battery life, similar performace and a bit cheaper). The only reason I am split 50/50 in my decision is because with the Lenovo I also need to get the dock.

If the VAIO Z proves that it can handle 2 x 24" monitors without the dock, that might tilt the balance on the Vaio side

 

I have a 24" Acer 1920x1200 w/ HDMI port, and a 19" 1680x1050 Asus VGA monitors, I'll let you know this evening if it's possible (Clone mode/multi mode)

 

Hi WTB -- not to challenge your assessment, but I find it hard to put the Z and the X200 in the same class. The X200 has integrated graphics only, a significantly slower processor, an inch smaller screen, and a Trackpoint versus a Touchpad (pretty much all deal breakers for me).

On the two monitor issue -- I'll be VERY surprised if the Z can't do it...

 

Yes I know PortaJunkie that the Z is a superior machine than the X200, but for my needs the X200 holds its advantages: smaller size and better battery life. I need a power laptop that's equally good at my desktop as it is while on the road, and the X200 is more portable that the Z while it's almost as powerful. Plus it's cheaper!

I am still deciding which one of the two I'll take. As soon as I have confirmation on the 2 x 24" external monitor thing, I will make up my mind

 

I'm glad the Trackpoint is not a deal-killer for you. If it only had a Touchpad, I would at least consider putting it in contention for my needs...

I hope that two monitor capability pans out for you!

 

Tried, no way.
Thinking about, it's normal. I never seen a nvidia adapter "triple-head"
You have to choose VGA or HDMI, and you can't have booth disabling internal display.
No way also in clone mode.

 

Wouldn't both monitors show up when you go into Display Properties? Like when you right click desktop > Properties? I'm thinking that three monitors will show up (one being your own notebook) and you can move them around and "Extend my desktop to this screen" to each of the two monitors.

 

As said, No triple-head monitor, even in Windows Display settings.

The intel integrated X4500 supports Internal LCD + VGA output
The NVIDIA 9300M supports Internal LCD + VGA (or) HDMI

 

Yes I know Windows wont support three monitors. What I am actually looking to confirm is if we can get TWO external monitors working, sacrificing the VAIO Z's screen.

 

Windows itself supports more than just two monitors (Quad monitor configuration with Ati 4870x2 + 4870).
---
As said before, there's only the possibility to associate laptop screen plus something, on one port.
Cannot use external ports alone.

 

What a strange thing. The folks at the Lenovo forum confirmed that they're using they x200 with dual external monitors without extra hardware/software by connecting one monitor to the VGA port and another one to the dock station's DVI port.

I guess the Sony Z can't do it then

 

Sorry man - looks like it can only do Internal + VGA or Internal + HDMI.

You do know you can get a dock for free though, right? Sony has an offer now if you buy a Z by Dec 31st, you can get a productivity (dock + AC adapter + BT mouse) or mobility (battery + AC + BT mouse) bundle absolutely free. You just have to buy it from somewhere other than SonyStyle. I got a great deal at PortableOne myself.

You won't get it right away, but you'll get the benefits of the Z over the X200, which I personally think are huge.

 

You can do multiple monitors on every notebook thought USB, you'll need a monitor with USB videocard included (I know only of an Asus 22" and an Samsung 19") or USB external videocard + your monitor. Maximum setup for this is 6 monitors, however your processor should be powerfull enough.

 

One other reason to reconsider the Z is that it has 9300M which will enable OpenGL acceleration in Photoshop CS4 (if you haven't seen it, check youtube/etc for demo vids). I've tested it myself and the interface improvements alone are worth the cost of admission.

 

Hmmm interesting stuff. I wonder if I could plug the second external monitor through the dock station like it seems to be possible on the x200 / x200s. I will have to find that out!

 

The docking station, PRZ1, has a piece of plastic that physically blocks access to to the VGA port when the laptop is seated. There does, however, seem still to be access to the HDMI port. The dock has two outputs: a VGA and a DVI, but only one of them can be active at any one time.

For these reasons, I suspect that having or not having the dock will not affect your ability to have two external screens. If it is possible, it will involve using the HDMI and either the VGA on the laptop OR the VGA/DVI of the dock.

The docking station was a bit late in shipping, and I don't know if anyone on this forum has got theirs yet. Hopefully someone here can check for you: will the Nvidia panel let you output to the HDMI and VGA simultaneously?

I suspect the answer will be "no", though I'm eager to find out.

My Z is on a duty-free holiday at the moment so I can't check, hopefully someone else will have a go and let us know.

 

i also have the Z and am curious as to whether it will output to multiple monitors with or w/o the dock.

there are adapters that can achieve the same multiple output.
this site won't allow me to post links till i have posted 15 messages
but the product is called: matrox TripleHead2Go