Z12 Available on SonyStyle (US)

This is true for sequential transfers, Random access won't benefit.

 

Does the Canadian Z1290X CTO from SonyStyle.ca still come with a US layout keyboard? I sure hope so, because the stupid mangled Canadian keyboard with a short left shift is a big no no. ;/

 

That's so un-cool I just ordered through phone, a 128GB SSD

And I got home premium without fresh start.

So without fresh start there would be several softwares pre-installed, can't I just uninstall them to free diskspace?

 

you can uninstall the software of course. alternatively you can go on windows' website and download the OS and re-install it on your vaio using the Key under the laptop.

 

BTW, I got 15% discount with 2year warranty and 2 accessories. I'm OK with accessories as I really wanted them. But does anyone know whether we can return the warranty later?

 

I haven't done it, but I've read here that if you restore from the recovery partition or disks, you are given the option of not installing any of the optional software and it will only install the bare minimum needed to run.

 

I wanna know that too. Someone said, you have 30-days to return the warranty. If it does not cancel the discount which I guess wont as its not Bing Cashback , I will return the warranty

 

Guess the first thing ill be needing to do is to uninstall everything and see if it helps lol

That said, I think pre-installed OS is always unstable, so i'll probably reinstall the OS myself anyway. I had this nightmare on the Alienware when I used preinstalled OS that came with it. It freezes a LOT, and everytime I'll have to wait 10 minutes for it to come back working, in order not to lose unsaved works !!! So I often have some newspaper in handy, lol

Anyone has any idea on the warranty return issue?

 

The reason you're seeing so much space taken up from the get-go is probably due to the hidden restore partitions.

Personally, I'd get rid of 'em and use an external HDD to make backups via Clonezilla or something.

 

Yes, the SA repeated several times that warranty doesn't have discount, but in order to have the 15% discount, I need to get accessories and warranty. SHe was really nice I even got 10% student discount on my accessories, although it's just several bucks...

I don't know if canceling the warranty will cancel our 15% discount on the laptop. Besides, the SA told me that the warranty starts when the laptop gets shipped. By 30 days, do you mean we got 30 days from the day that the warranty starts?

 

Actually my SA told me that to activate the extended warranty you will have to follow the registration process included. So I was assuming that we can return the warranty without activating it

Maybe someone who has done this before can chime in..

 

Took the risk and called the Customer Service, as they gave me the regular slider mouse instead of aluminum one. I wanted to change the order but they said they can't as the mouse has been prepared to ship. But they said I could return it once I receive the mouse and buy a new one. I asked the return about service plan, they said I got 60 days no matter if I activate it.

So I guess I'll just return the plan and the mouse Save me like 200 bucks.

 

Thanks for checking that out ! I am going to return the plan too

 

The Toshiba R700 announced today looks tempting. Similar form factor to the Z, screen is 1366x768 though and doesnt seem to have backlit keyboard either. Price seems to be in the low 1000s. Anybody considering this laptop?

 

Not with that cheapo netbook screen. With that screen you can just as well save your money and get any number of Acer/Asus or whatever without spending the additonal money for Toshiba brand. The Z isnt cheap, but at least Sony invested in category leading specs and a best in class screen. Toshiba is just trying to get over with that thing.

 

Looks really tempting... I just ordered the z12 but have 30 days to return it so I will look for reviews of this Toshiba (and I am still thinking about the mbp 13). The price is great as well.

 

The big thing is that it doesn't have a dedicated GPU. Still with 20 hours of battery life if you have both batteries and the cheaper price, it's not a bad option for those who are forever in Stamina mode. Which begs the question, why is the battery life so bad for the Z in Stamina mode? The R700 quotes 8 hour battery life with a 6 cell.

 

When you CTO do you still get the noise cancelling headphones?

 

Can someone clarify or advise me... the new z12 the per-config model will have an i7, which will consume more power and create more heat? I tried soo hard to get the z11 this week with no luck around my town.

 

yes
/10 chars

 

As someone else posted before, check this out:

Notebookcheck: Review Intel Core i3/i5/i7 Processors ?Arrandale?

i7 does consume a bit more energy and generates a bit extra heat. If you are after battery life go for i5, but if you want to do some heavy encoding? or photoshop maybe i7 ? The difference is not that much. You will have to decide if the upgrade from i5-540M to i7-620M worth $150 to you

 

Thank you!

One last question, is there a weight difference between i5 and i7. or the z11 and the z12?

 

No, the weight is same around ~ 3.04lbs with standard battery. You will only feel a difference in weight if you get the large capacity battery with it

 

Thank you once again!

 

Not a problem

 

Toshiba R700:
eSATA
Better docking station
More battery life
$470 cheaper

Vaio Z:
Looks better (my opinion)
FHD screen
Dedicated GPU

I think I will stick with the Z12

 

I agree. The Z is still the best bet if you are willing to spend more money.

A better alternative to the R700 would be the Acer 3820TG. Same screen, discrete graphics, similar battery life, just a pound heavier, looks to be a bit cheaper.

 

R700 does have USB3, which is cool. But I can't get over the bland design and crappier resolution.

 

I think the precise spec is that the big battery weighs 150 grams more than the small one.

 

What! Where'd you get that from?



Edit: Ok, it seems like the $200 dock for it gives you two USB 3.0 ports, but not the laptop itself.

 

whoops, wrong thread.

 

Wow Sony is quick. I placed the order Friday night and it's on the fedex truck for delivery today.

 

I just about had an aneurism when I read this.

I ordered mine (Z11) on April 27 and it arrived on June 18! I envy you.

 

Guys, I have a question about ordering laptop and paying taxes for that. It's about Sony Vaio Z so asking in this thread.

I'm living outside USA and want to buy a laptop. Someone in US will buy it for me and bring over. The question is about final price.
If I order laptop at sonystyle.com, sales tax is added, which is 9.5% for WA state. What if I buy it at ebay, sellers like computerupgradeking which sell new laptops directly from sony. Price is nearly the same, and will sales tax be added in this case?

I'm leaving outside US so it's not an evident question for me

Thanks

 

Not from computerupgradeking, I think. I believe that seller orders from Sony, and as he is situated in Oregon he won't be charged sales tax by Sony. I don't think he charges sales tax when he sells to you, either. I'd double check with the seller, though.

 

That eBay seller charges tax for:

If the shipping is not to VA, there wont be any taxes.. You might want to have a look at the shipping times IF you are on a restricted schedule;

 

Thanks for the very prompt answer! This is unbelievable, Sony should pay you for service

Is schema of ordering items to sale-tax-less state and then delivering to other state without charging a tax legal? Is it a normal thing overall?

Thanks for paying attention to shipping dates, they even say 11-16 days on the main page.

 

Yes, you can do that (many people do that, since Delaware is sale tax free state). No problem.

 

Thanks again. Since you have Z12 in carbon fiber, can I ask if it's only for visual appearance or also have practical use? I mean if it's more scratch-resistant, firm or similar?

In FAQ it's said it's only about finish, not about whole "body" (chassis), so I wonder does it worth extra 50$?

(edited) or point me to a thread where I can read about it, I think its not a new question

 

If you want it to look b@d@ss I would pay the 50$

 

Oops, its only the lid which is Carbon Fiber, the chassis is Aluminum. Its more of aesthetics! I have Sony VAIO SZ which is also carbon fiber, and I have had that laptop for 2.5years and there is no scratch on the notebook (Obviously you need to take care to avoid scratches ).

But, I would say, get the Carbon Fiber

 

Personally I preferred the silver color since every electronic i ever buy is black

 

CTO or ready to go?

 

anyone doing the blu ray player? for $500 seem steep. anyway to swap to aftermarket? i dont need a blu ray burner just the player

 

its cheaper to cto z12 computers on sonystyle.ca

 

Its a CTO. I just found out that it also has triple SSD, using 3 128gb SSD instead of how it show on the website with a 256gb and a 128gb.

 

Ah, it is a Z11 CTO maybe that explains why it moved so quickly. I ordered mine (Z12 CTO) on Sunday and it is "complete" and yet won't be shipped until
6/26 but that still seems pretty fast compared to earlier experiences

 

Nope, Z will defeat at least mbp 13. I'd say this cuz I currently own a MBP 13 and a close friend owns a Z11. I'd trade him with my mbp. The heat is a big issue on MBP, the speed is OK, the battery is OK, too. The touchpad under Windows is a b$$ch tho, thousands of times I wanted to break the touch pad. Screen is good, but screen on Z can be better . I believe you know that Z has the same or better speed/battery compared to my MBP.

 

How to get it? No one has ever mentioned it?!!!

 

They come with the notebook