well my signature series Z11 with everything but the kitchen sink was delivered today. A little over 6 weeks from order to delivery but I'm not complaining as it is here right now !
So, without too much further ado, here are some pics and opinion and what is supposed to be the ultimate new Vaio Z
way to import a .AVI file into the iTunes movie Library. I tried to drag and drop it, copy and paste, and it didn't work. Would there be an easier way to make an .AVI file into a .m4v, and then import it that way?
View 10 Replies View RelatedGlimpse into...
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I picked up a VPCZ112GX/S from the Sony Style store this evening. I've taken a metric-sh*t ton of pictures that I'll be posting over multiple posts.
I also have a video of the first-boot sequence that I'll try to upload this evening.
System specifications are HERE. First one who asks what is in it, gets smacked
I purchased this model primarily to evaluate the 128GB SSD. This configuration has two 64GB Samsung MMCRE28G drives configured in RAID0 (Stripe). I'll post a new thread on my findings this weekend, if somebody else doesn't beat me to the punch. I also have a VPCZ11FHX/XQ on order with the 512GB SSD.
I DON'T HAVE MANY COMMENTS ON THE MACHINE AS I JUST FINISHED TAKING THE PICTURES BELOW. I will say that the previous generation Z charger works with the new Z. I haven't taken the new one out of the box.
I also have a video of the first-boot sequence that I'll try to upload this evening. In addition, I did a video showing the duration from power-on to loading Windows with the RAID prompt enabled and disabled. This will go in the SSD thread.
When i try to play a 1080p movie over hdmi on my tv, it doesn't run smoothly ( i think its called framedrops?)
The videocard is a 9300m GS and since i've got hybrid graphics, a driver update is not possible.
The laptop is a vaio z21wn.
I've tried multiple things (coreAVC, MPC, VLC, etc..) but none seem to give better output.
Are there other solutions to this problem?
I decided to do some investigating about the differences between them. What sparked this curiosity was the consistently higher temperatures I got with my new CW. Turns out the cooling design is a little different.
Not the best pics but hey this science project was done at 3am
New on the left, old on the right:
Old CW:
New CW:
And a pic side by side just for kicks
I think I'll be adding some thermal paste to my new CW. which one? I gotta research how to do all that stuff.
I haven't been keeping up-to-date on the latest Sony products since I've been happy with my current SZ, but I was taking a look at SonyStyle and noticed the Vaio Z6xx is out.
I configured (for a test) a Z690 with 2.53 GHz, 4 GB RAM, 400 GB HD, and premium carbon fiber weave lid, and it came to about $2050. This seems pretty good (although the last time I checked the Z was really expensive because it had just come out)
My z690CTO is on it's way and I purchased a SONY 3 years extended warranty.Now if I do decide to upgrade myself let's say the HDD will this
void the warranty or not?
I know this might be a bit early to ask, but I have one last (hopefully) quick question and advice to ask from all of you.
Once I get my new Z690 in hand, any advice on which way to turn with the OS?
XP SP3 (32-bit) or Vista SP1 (64-bit)?
I've used both and I'm comfortable with both, and have no issues using either or any of their features.
My main question is with performance... are they equal? Will I see any improvements with Vista in 64-bit mode using all 4GB of my system memory vs 3GB in XP
Im trying to decide on a few options, if they are worth it or not.
1. should I spend $50 more on the 2.53 or will the 2.4 be enough... I would like the 2.66 because of the L2 Cache, but $250 seems like a steep price. I will primarily be doing photoshop image editting as my most intensive application.
2. standard 160 gb 5400, or upgrade to 320 gb 7200 for $90? I am leaning toward the upgrade because its reasonably priced. Buying a drive myself and upgrading will cost between 60-80 and I will void the warranty.
3. 2gb ram or 4gb? I feel like I could probably buy another 2 gb on my own for $50 through my brief websearches. I dont think the $100 premium is worth it. Plus I wont void the warranty by upgrading the ram myself.
4. Just a question... Does the premium carbon fiber add anything in terms of strength to the housing, or is it purely an aesthetic thing?
The review of Laptop Magazine has comparison of the new MacBook Pro Core i7 and Sony Z11. It sounds like that the new MBP wins Sony Z11 in many places except the hard disk drive performance. Engadget published one also.
The link of the articles are:
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What do you think?
any backlight leakage in you Z690 screen?
If I set the (1600x900) screen black on my 2 days old Z (this can be done with the "blank" screen saver under Vista) the upper and bottom parts of the screen are brighter than the central part. I knew that *some* leakage was unavoidable with TFT panels but I don't about LED panels so I can't realize if it is normal or a defect.
I've only tested this on a vaio in a sonystyle store and it seems to be totally black but I can't be sure because there was a lot of ambient light in there.
I'm about to try - just wanted to know if there was anything I should know. For the moment I've given up on trying to get Windows XP on it.
View 9 Replies View RelatedI just ordered a Sony vaio z 690 configure to order notebook through their website(USA). When I configure vaio z690, there wasn’t an option to select my Wireless LAN (wifi) card,
so I thought there is a wifi receiver comes with this laptop by default (As it says on their product home page). Few minuets later, I got my order confirmation, and it says:
LCD 13.1" (XBRITE-DuraView™)
Black
Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium 64-bit
Trusted Platform Module / Biometric Fingerprint Sensor
Microsoft® Works
QuickBooks Simple Start
SuperMulti Drive
Windows® Live OneCare 90-Day Trial
Integrated Wireless Wide Area Network .....
how to get this working in XP? I can't find any tutorials online. I installed a IFX-498 in my Sony Vaio motherboard, but when I launch GlobeTrotter Connect it comes up with Device not found.
View 8 Replies View RelatedI've reinstalled my system recently, I've gone from Vista Home Premium 64bit to Vista Business 32bit on my Z690, using all the drivers available on Sony's support & drivers website. Everything was fine here and there until I've realized, the camera isn't working properly after having the Arcsoft webcam companion 2 installed.
The trouble is, I get this message: Bluetooth video waiting for connection...
I can imagine, some of you guys might have entered this issue, which is quite easy to resolve, saying this I found the following tip:
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However, under Arcsoft settings the only video device listed is the bluetooth video listed. This most probably means, the Sony visual communication camera missing equals the missing camera driver on my Z690, right? I mean, having a look at device manager, under Imaging devices I've got only xerox scanner listed (installed myself through control panel/hardware and sound/scanners and cameras).
Anyway, I've even tried to install the XP camera drivers for Z690 instead, they installed smoothly (using administrator rights and XP compatibility mode), but Vaio camera capture utility shows blue screen with no input, and the Sony visual communication camera for XP provided doesn't seem to work (I know, I know it's supposed to be used for XP only, but I'm desperate here
I've tried uninstall and reinstall over & over again, restarting etc.
I have a valid volume licence XP CD that will let me install on other laptops. I attempt to install on the VGN-Z690 and I get a bluescreen before it gets to the disc detection /f8 to continue part. I put the sata drivers on a floppy, selected them and I still get the BSOD.
I've had this on some dell workstations and you had to change the controller in the bios but I don't see that in the Sony bios.
which SSD make/model is in a Z690? I assume they would be similar, but I am interested in the 256GB option in particular.
View 4 Replies View RelatedI have a Sony Vaio VGN-Z690 with windows vista home premium 64-bits. I created the recovery DVD's and delete the recovery partition after that. Today I needed to format my HD and reinstall everything, and find out that my Recovery DVD's are nor working... well, not all them, just the second one (I copy the DVD's do my HD, and there is an error when I try to copy the archive "p27.sny" in the second DVD... it was bad recorded or something, because the DVD are not scratched...). Can anyone have a similar recovery DVD from sony Z series with this archive?
View 5 Replies View RelatedI have a VGN-Z690. I'm trying to install XP on it. It bluescreens before I even get as far as selecting the disc to install XP on - anyone have this experience and a way around it? I've tried four xp install discs.
View 3 Replies View Relatedthe glass of wine poured onto my laptop, right where the plug inserts into the laptop. I heard a crisp snapping "zzz" sound, and all went blank.
I quickly opened up the laptop, and dabbed as much wine up as possible. Unfortunately, I saw the liquid swish around the CPU / Fan and about the motherboard. After drying out the motherboard as much as possible, I plugged it back in, and hit the power button.
At first, the laptop turned on! (thank god) Then the green power light on the hinge started to blink, and the laptop hibernated, and turned on again... repeatedly. I turned the computer off... and that was its last breath of life (i hate you god).
Since then, I have not been able to turn it on. Does this spell the end? Is this a massive short in the motherboard? Is it even worth repairing? I called Sony and 'Water damage' repair costs at the minimum, $700.
I originally bought an X200 and then I decided to go for the Sony Vaio Z720D/B instead. I thought I'd give a brief comparison since there are few laptops in this class: extremely portable with a full speed processor onboard. The choices for an ultra portable working laptop boils down to basically these two plus the Dell and Thinkpad X301, both of which are more expensive.
X200 pros:
- Extremely durable. I have no qualms about throwing this around.
- Locking and firm lid.
- Amazing battery life and very cheap batteries. I bought an extra 6-cell for $50, 9-cell for $60. I get realistically 7 hours out of the 9 cell, and 13 if just reading a pdf document.
- Lots of very handy keyboard shortcuts (the forward/back browser buttons are my favourite)
- Amazing track point, best I've ever used.
- Weak keyboard light helps somewhat
- Lighter than the Sony
- Spill-resistant keyboard
- Tiny AC adapter..................
I bought a z690 with a blu-ray recorder for $1550 at SonyStyle. The problem: it connects to my high def Vizio Television, but there is no sound coming out of the television speakers, only the Sony speakers.
It says there is an HDMI audio driver but it is not connected, even though it is. Keep in mind - I did upgrade to Windows 7. It was working with Windows Vista
I just received my z690 cto and I'm doing all the tests I can think of to check that everything is working properly.
I have one question about the memory.
I ordered it with 4GB ddr3 working at 1066Mhz and when I run the program cpuz the memory is recognized as DDR3 PC3-8500F but the "DRAM Frequency" is reported as 532 Mhz (instead of 1066).
Can anyone tell me if it is normal or if it should report 1066?
Is there a a guide or a faq for brining Z698Y from Vista Ultimate 64bit to Vista Ultimate 32bit? I'm looking to do a clean install but with out loosing any key VAIO controls / drivers
View 6 Replies View RelatedWhat's the difference among these three?
I configure(CTO) the same spec (color, CPU, Harddrive and so on) for all these three. But the prices are a little bit different. They have same graphic card 256MB too. Does anyone know about the difference?
Another question is... Are Sony SR series good? I configure them as Z series, the only difference is DDR2(SR) and DDR3(Z) and SR even has 512 graphic memory.
Bought the 64bit Z690... I have one program that is only able to run on a 32bit OS.. Are there any solutions?? Maybe creating a partition and installing a copy of 32bit XP... Would that work or is 64bit a hardware issue meaning nothing could be done.
View 7 Replies View RelatedI running a z690 with win7, and my blu ray drive isn't visibile, don't have the correct driver for the Mata bd-mlt uj232as, and the z590 driver from sony's site won't install because its not a z5-series. Any advice? or anyone have the driver from there Vista64bit?
If anyone is curious, Windows7 is really smooth and quick compared to the Vista64bit, and only running 60 processes after everything got installed.
My question:
I will be going to mainland China in 2 weeks. I bought a electrical converter. I am confused as to use the "High" or "Low" setting on the converter for my Z690?
Nothing on the Sony charger on wattage! I see a 19.5V Output and Input of 100-240V /1.5A and 50-60Hz
The converter/transformer has a high switch for appliances between 50 and 1650 watts and a low switch for equipment under 50 watts.
So if the Z690 charger is over 50W, I set the switch to High? I am just concerned that I will damage the laptop since the High goes up to 1650 watts?
I understand the z690 is available for our friendly neighbors to the north, but apparently, the z690 CTO is still unavailable through sonystyle.com.
Just wondering if anyone has heard any rumors or anything on the retail availability of the z540 / z590 refresh. That's one of two things keeping me from settling on a notebook to order.