Z12 Available on SonyStyle (US)

What's the difference between BestBuys' Z model no# VPCZ12LGX/B $1799.99 versus MicroCenter's Z model no# VPCZ122GX/B $1699.99? I checked the specs. on both and nothing stands out between the two. Maybe, BestBuys has a typo error on the model no#.

 

i5 430M vs i5 520M

edit: also win7 home premium vs professional

side threadjacking edit: should I get the envy14 or the vaio z12?

 

My z12 arrived in Anchorage on the 25th at 3:24am and left the same day at 4:10pm. So it appears that they might have had an influx of shipments that is causing the delay on laptops that came in after the 25th, This isn't confirmed but i hope you all get them as scheduled..

 

Ditto for me. Made it to Newark early morning on 26. It is on the FedEx truck in RI this morning. Vroom, vroom!

Can anyone direct me to a link to the first essential things to do to a Fresh Start machine?

 

This topic has been beaten to death in multiple threads at this point.

Some find the fan noise to be annoying. Others don't. The fan does have a design that gives it a slight whine when it is running under heavy load. But if you have any ambient noise in the room I personally believe it will not be bothersome. If you have headphones in or have your volume up, it is difficult to hear. If the computer is not under load (normal web browsing/office work in stamina mode), you have to stick you hear right by the vent to hear the fan's whirring. It is very quiet imo.

As for the jiggly battery, I also find that to be a non issue. It shifts ever so slightly if you grab the computer by the battery, but it is nothing to be concerned about. And look to the owners thread for a very easy solution to fix this (just putting some felt pieces in the battery housing).

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/6155868-post96.html

 

Thanks for that ! It raises my hopes

 

Thanks! That looks like the sequence for a Clean Install. I assume this means doing a reinstall of the OS in order to remove junk. I also assume that the Fresh Start machine comes with OEM OS and not much else. Does anyone have experience with a Fresh Start machine? I guess I should query the i5/i7 owners thread.

 

If you stick with the base Envy 14 config, the price difference is very significant. But if you spec out the Envy with i5 520m and the SSD, the price difference drops to $100, based on MC's $1699 price vs full price on the Envy 14. It would seem to be an easy choice in that case - for an extra $100 you get the same power (never mind the video card) in a 3lbs chassis with the same screen real estate. Either the Z is highly tuned or my Envy 15 is highly detuned, the Z is significantly more responsive in everyday tasks compared to my Envy 15 even on AC power (CPU is stuck at 1.2GHz while on battery power, nothing can be done about it, this is the reason I got a Z) - very apparent when reopening Firefox with multiple tabs saved.

I'm a bit surprise there has been many posts on Envy 14 vs the Z. HP had better release some big coupons and/or bump Bing cashback to 25% soon.

 

I got Fresh Start. I didn't want to bother with doing a clean install to get rid of the bloatware (of which there is allegedly a tremendous amount). Fresh Start has all the essential Sony programs you'll need (like the Vaio Control Center and Intel Rapid Storage Technology), but little else. Very nice imo. I got the 192GB Z11 and mine still came with only about 155GB free, even with Fresh Start. Note too that doing a clean install has resulted in slower boot up times for some folks. ZoinksS2k might have figured out how to counteract that though, I can't remember. He has a "slow post" thread in the forum about this.

 

Thanks, that is what I was looking for (has Control Center and IRST).
Glad to hear that you are happy with it. I will look for the other information on the owners thread (recovery disks, disk management, battery settings etc.).

 

My Z12 is on the truck for delivery today a day ahead of schedule so if anyone has questions feel free...

--------------------
(Returned)Sony VPCZ1190X \ 13.1" 1600x900 \ Prem Carbon \ Intel Core i5-540m \ GeForce GT 330M \ 4GB RAM \ 128GB SSD

VPCZ1290X-LBOM \ 13.1" 1920x1080 \ Prem Carbon \ Intel Core i7-620m \ GeForce GT 330M \ 6GB RAM \ 256GB SSD \ Large Batt \ Win 7 Pro \ Adobe bundle \ MS Office '10 Home & Business \ No Mobile Broadband

 

I was thinking of doing the Fresh Start but then you lost out on the free Adobe software which I would like to use with my pictures and videos. It's too bad they didn't send you that on seperate disc to install yourself.

 

I'm thinking of ordering my Z today off of sonystyle.ca, just wondering if any Canadians have been getting deals through Sony in Canada? I know the US offers a few here and there, but I haven't heard of any in Canada.

Also wondering if they might offer a deal on multiple units? I'm getting the Z and pretty sure either a new F or EB for me wife (any recommendation on which is better by the way?). So I was wondering if anyone knew if they might knock a few bucks off for doing that.

Thanks

 

Sony canada gives no deals on the z since it's the new model. I tried to get even 5% off and they wouldn't. They only offer free Express shipping and 20% off accessories.

 

You might be able to purchase it as an accessory.

Canadians have been having a much harder time getting deals through Sony Style than Americans. Regarding multiple units, it didn't work like I planned. I thought offering to buy an F with an extended service plan (in addition to the Z with ESP) would give me leverage in negotiating for a greater discount. But my logic there wasn't real sound, since we're talking about the margins on two separate products. They can't give you some amazing discount just because you're purchasing a second computer, because it's about what they are making on the margin, not the total sale. In the U.S., 15% discounts with the purchase of warranty (which can be returned later) and two accessories is customary. That's what they offered me on both my Z and F (though after a long story of headache, the final deal I received was somewhat better). In reading through the Z owners' thread, unfortunately I don't recall seeing posts by Canadians being positive about the discount options. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try and see what they can offer you. I would just indicate you want to purchase [insert the computers/models you want here], but you don't think you can afford the advertised price and ask what Sony can do to help you spend your money with them.

 

Well thanks for the info! I dont see any options to adding on the Adobe stuff, so i'll just order it with it and uninstall what I don't need after I get it.

I don't really care for the warranties as it puts me over budget, so I guess I'll suck it up and pay full cost.

 

So my Z12 finally arrived everything's seems to be fine even on a native 1080p lowering the resolution to 1600x900 looks just as good to me, my only gripe which i wouldn't have expected to see is yep! a stuck pixel on the bottom left corner of the screen! I must be the only one who's had no luck with this. I've heard of programs you can run to fix this but thought I'd check with you all for first hand experience and suggestions to fix it. Its only noticeable on extreme blacks and given the headache of sending it back, I'd rather just live with it, any suggestions?

 

You might want to check on the actual value of the Adobe bundle. There are variations in what this means and I am not sure that it is that good of a value. There have been numerous posts on this topic.

Just arrived, time to fire it up and count the pixels!

 

I'm seeing this for the bundle..

Multimedia Package
As a courtesy from Sony, the below Adobe Bundle is complimentary with your purchase of a VAIO® notebook. This bundle is a great way to easily edit and manage your photo and video collection, as well as create and share your documents. $448 value.

Adobe Premiere Elements 8.0
Turn your home videos into professional-looking movies complete with customized effects, transitions, soundtracks and more. Ongoing tutorials and tips & tricks help make it easy.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 8.0
Make your photos look extraordinary, fix common problems like red eye, and easily manage and protect all your photos and video clips.

Adobe Acrobat Standard 9.0
Create PDF documents, organize content in a single PDF file, quickly create and distribute forms, and share documents more securely.

Now I use all three programs quite regularly on my home and office desktop, so I'm thinking getting it free on my laptop is a good deal. Unless they're truly not the full versions.

 

I was under the impression they were lite versions. See post 18 of this thread.

 

Hmm I saw the post you're referring too. I dont know how they could say its a $400 value if its not the full versions, as only the full versions of Elements (PS & PE)/Acrobat are worth roughly that.

Can someone 100% confirm that its not a full version?

 

So just how small is text in 1080p?

 

I don't know how they would strip them down to lite versions and advertise them as 8.0 & 9.0 do you? Very specific. Even if the value is half what they claim if you don't like it uninstall it. Whats the concern? They're free. Unless you wanted Fresh Start.

 

A 9 pt font is exactly 1/8" tall.

HTH, HAND

 

Elements is not full Photoshop but it is perfectly suitable, just be aware of what you are getting. I just fired up the Fresh Start computer and am pleased that it has just the right amount of utilities and no apparent bloatware. All pixels accounted for!

 

I guess by definition of what a pt. is, that's true...

But is it ACTUALLY true, by that I mean, are computers able to actually implement that correctly where a pt always comes out to be 1/72 of an inch?

 

it looks exactly the same as on the 1600x900 screen except the dpi is 125% by default. and its def not as bright as the 1600x900 screen

 

I just received my VAIO Z12 from sony canada today. I ordered the 256gb hard drive and what I got were 2 128gb toshiba's not samsungs like the z11.

 

So would you say are you better off getting the 1,600x900 or 1080p?

Are other people getting Toshibas as well?

 

Is that good or bad?

 

i would get the 1080p and either scale it between 125% and 150% both looks great or just change the resolution to 1600x900 it still looks good at that res on a 1080 native screen IMO

 

He's saying the font size is identical. But the quality and clarity is of course better on the 1080p screen.

On the other hand, 1080p screen may be less bright and take more resources (especially if running games at native resolution) from the system.

Ah, the trade-offs of higher resolution vs. lower resolution LCDs. This is why the choices Apple gives to their customers are so limited but nice (capacity, colour); more expensive model is always better than less expensive one, no compromises.

 

Mind running some benchmarks?

 

So i spoke with a Sony Technical rep huge language barrier but we managed to work through it he was rather nice also. Once i got him to understand what a stuck pixel was, we were able to setup and appointment for an on-site rep to come to my house and fix the screen i was amazed that i wouldn't have to ship it out and found this to be a plus on Sony's part. He did however say depending on parts availability i should hear back withing 3-5 business days for confirmation on a set date and time. So considering these lappies are new im hoping they will have the 1080p screens in stock, will keep you all posted.

 

It's hard to believe one pixel out of over two million can render such a nice display undesirable.

 

LOL i know i can live with it, but then i remembered how much i paid for it : )

 

^

I hope you get the dead pixel fixed or screen replaced. I would ask them for exchange (?) but I think I read somewhere that Sony does not offer exchanges for less than 7 dead pixels.

 

Z126 Sony Korea

it comes with two 64gb toshiba in raid 0 configuration

with a similar looking raid cable that was seen in VGN-Z series.

MEGAUPLOAD - The leading online storage and file delivery service

here's the pic

 

Those connectors do not look like the ones zonicks took of his from the quad raid, do those look like standard sata connectors or am I wrong i'm no computer wiz a you can tell

 

I've been looking at the Z more and more lately now that the excitement from the Envy 14 release is over. I had/have an eee 900ha (1024x600 8.9", fan only buzzes whenever I "gamed" on it [lol half-life 1], great synaptics multitouch pad)

I've realized lately that what I want is essentially a larger version of the netbook; I loved the dpi (I like small text), didn't care about the fan's noise, and desperately wanted a better cpu.
I know I like how the 900p screen looks at 100%, but I work with numerous programs that are nicer to use with more real estate to spread across.

1) Would the 1080p screen at 125% dpi look about the same (text-wise) as the 1600x900 at normal dpi?
2) What sort of multitouch support does the Z have, how responsive and usable is it? (is there 1-finger-tap left click, 2:middle, 3:right? Good scrolling? Gestures? etc.)
3) Are there deals like the free upgrade to FHD often?
I'm sorry about any repeat questions, I haven't read all of the Z threads.

 

Yeah, that looks like it could be normal SATA, which is longer than the sliimline SATA connector (on the right). Can someone with a Z12 measure the dimensions of the Toshiba SSDs, and post pics of the connectors?

 

TofuTurkey, is there a difference between the Samsung and Toshiba SSDs? Is one superior to the other?

 

Don't know, I think most of us had the impression there wasn't any difference between Z11 and Z12. Here's the list of things that need to be compared:

1. Garbage collection / TRIM capability
2. Read / write speeds, for bulk and 4K data
3. Connector types (Samsung's proprietary, looks like Toshiba's may not be)
4. SSD size: Samsung's too small, cannot be replaced by general 1.8" SSDs. If space permits in the Z12, it may be possible to replace the Toshiba SSDs with general 1.8" ones. Good for future proofing purposes.

I tend to think the Z12's SSDs are still smaller than 1.8" ones, because it may mean the motherboard dimensions have to change to accommodate 1.8" drives. Which is not very likely since this is a minor (negligible?) spec bump.

What this also means is that whichever drive is better, the user can buy the corresponding cables and make the swap themselves. Though it is likely to be $$. Unless the Toshiba SSD is the same size as that of a 1.8" drive, in which case the latter can be any product in the market.

Someone with a Z12 needs to test the new SSDs

 

If any new Z12 owners are feeling brave enough, it'd be great if you could follow ZoinksS2k's process from this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...g-term-ssd-performance-post-your-results.html. Then we'd have comparable data between the Z11s and Z12s.

 

1. Yes, in fact, the text size should be identical at 1080p with 120% DPI scaling.
2. It's a Synaptics multitouch touchpad. I don't know how responsive it is cuz I don't have a Z12, but usually Synaptics pads are good. You should be able to get all those things, middle/right click taps, smooth two-finger scrolling by using two-finger-scroll utility.

Hopefully ppl with first hand experience can comment on the responsiveness of the Z12 touchpad.

 

I opened up my Z12 with the Toshiba 64x2 SSD. The two connectors going into the sandwiched SSDs are standard micro SATA connectors - I can plug my Intel x18 SSD in there, BUT of course it wont fit. I think if you're brave enough to rip the circuit board out of the case on those mSATA 1.8" SSD, it can fit in there. I tried to open up my x18, but didn't seem like it can be opened without destroying the case, the 1.8" version is not screwed together like the 2.5" drives.

I took a few shots, will post them later.

 

Is there one SATA interface for each SSD slice? The reason I ask is that I *think* for the Z11 a connector feeds two SSD drives located on the same board.

This is good news, sounds like maybe Sony does listen after all Would you mind measuring the dimensions of the SSD space? I think there would be measurements of bare 1.8" drives out there so we can compare and check if they will fit.

 

Just received my Vaio Z 1290X, one day before the estimated delivery date. YAY ! :laugh:

Absolutely love this laptop! Super light! BEAUTIFUL 1080p screen! the default font size is perfect for me . And its SUPER fast .

Keyboard is nice to type on. The only thing is since the keyboard has matte finish, it leaves little bit finger prints (my fingers ain't oily).

Here are the SSD benches:

1000MB:



100MB:

 

Congrats! Has the fan bothered you yet?