Sony VAIO Z brings Quad SSD drive and dynamic graphics switching to Europe in March
By Thomas Ricker 
posted January 19th 2010 5:51AM
posted January 19th 2010 5:51AM
Announced at CES with a "late Spring" availability, we just got word that the Core i7-620M pumpin' VAIO Z series from Sony will be hitting Europe in late March. The Z's biggest claim to fame is its ultra-fast Quad SSD, a rather unique Sony innovation that writes data in parallel to four SSDs (up to 256GB total capacity in RAID 0) at speeds up to 6.2x faster than typical 5400 rpm laptop hard disks. Sony also fits the Z with a hybrid graphics solution that combines 1GB of NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M with Intel HD graphics allowing you to automatically (or manually) switch between "speed" and "stamina" modes... presumably without requiring a logout if we're reading "dynamic" correctly. Rounding out the specs are 6GB of DDR3 SDRAM, 802.11n WiFi, integrated optical drive, and optional VAIO Everywair 3G mobile broadband module all stuffed into this 13.1-inch laptop with 1920 x 1080 pixel LED backlit display with 210 x 23.8-32.7 x 314mm and 1.43kg footprint. Power AND portability? Come give us a hug Sony.
@(Unverified) If DVD drive, graphic card is not needed for you, you get a X200, but not the 650 USD range one. The cheapest X200 I ever bought was like HKD 9980 (something like 1300 USD) with fastest CPU option
And there's no HDMI / DisplayPort for me to output back to my normal 22" desktop LCD, and no discrete graphic card for my casual gaming
ok... this... i want this... those specs at that weight and size... i want that bad!
Il just craiglist half my belongings :)
whose to say this thing won't burst into flames though? All that power stuffed into such a slim aluminum pakage..
This is THE one I've been waiting for. Backlit keyboard, i7 (I still think they will "only" fit an i5 in it), Blu-Ray, 1GB switchable graphics, SSD, at least 8 hours on battery. Let me pre-order ASAP.
USB 3.0 - WUSB
Blu-ray R/W
8 GB ram
DX11 support
I guess I still have to wait before my next buy. Lovely laptop though.
@mono It's too bad they didn't offer USB 3.0 I would have purchased one. The processor speed won't help me much since I do my video conversions on my PC. I would have used the 3.0 to transfer files to thumb drives quickly and charge my phone and headset more rapidly. Too bad they didn't put USB 3.0 on this unit as I would have replaced my laptop just to get USB 3.0. My current Sony Z will hold me over until next year I guess.
@boe
Really you would have used usb 3.0 to transfer to a thumb drive more quickly? I haven't even seen a thumb drive that maxes out 2.0 let alone 3.0. Seems a lot of people are overestimating the need for usb 3.0. At any rate, hopefully the unit has an express card slot for those who feel they need that.
what? no bluray? pffff.... I mean if you want to go all out...
I was interested up until the integrated optical drive. I'd rather have more battery or smaller chasis than a disc drive.
@Dieselboy28
yea but its still thinner and lighter than most laptops that DON'T have optical drives.
to put this in perspective. the MacBook Air weighs 1.36kg and has not drive. The Z weighs 1.43kg.
LOL! GO AHEAD SELL YOUR LIMBS TO BE ABLE TO BUY THIS THING. I'VE SEEN THE HIGH CONFIGS PRICE AT DYNAMISM FOR SONY Z SERIES B4 FOR UP TO FIVE GRAND. ALL WISHFUL THINKING. A BILLIONAIRE'S TOY. I'D RATHER BUY A USED HONDA CAR THAN OWNING THIS INSANELY OVERPRICED MACHINE. THANKS BUT NO THANK SONY!
@pedpalina
Did you actually look at the specs? As it stands consumers still can't get a decent sized SSD for less than a few hundred.
Find me a single 13 in. laptop with these specs and then and only then can we say it's overpriced.
What am I talking about? I can't even find the price for this to make a comparison.
@pedpalina Well that's the problem. Its not marketed to you. The Z's moto is "The executive decision." not the "Used 4K Honda diver's decision"
That resolution is insane for that size
i still have the Older Z with 1300 x 900 resolution and i have NO problems with it.
VGA out in the year 2010?!
Hahahaha ha aha ahaaaa ahahahah.... ha.
@staraffinity You routinely need one when doing a presentation on projector. Shame on other "Business Notebook" requiring an adapter for a presentation (and you always lost that adapter)
@(Unverified)
It's a shame that ”Business” usually don't have a sense for quality. It's true that most offices still use VGA for the projector (our office prijectors have DVI in too though), but I think the main reason for that is just because the laptop makers still insist on putting VGA outputs on their computers. It's time to move on and if no one takes the first step things will never happen. Say what you wan't about Apple, but at least they try to push things like this forward.
I guess I can afford it by selling my 2 arms for around 2 grands each.
But how can I use it when I've got no arms?
While the specs look fantastically awesome, a 4 drive RAID 0 sounds iffy. If any one of the four drives go, won't it require a full wipe/reinstall? Or is the default setup RAID 1+0?
This is a killer spec for a 13 in laptop. I'll actually consider replacing my LG310 for this one. My main concern will be with the heat dispersion.. you could probably cook an egg with it with a spec like that.
Any ideas on the pricing?
Would make a great gift for my brother but I don't see any reason for paying more than two grand.
@MikeZ
From what I understand, the lower model (maybe around $1899) will have 4GB RAM, the lower Core i7 520M (still damn good) processor, 1600x900 screen, and a total of 128GB of SSDs. None of the new Zs will ship with anything less than 4x32GB SSDs (maybe 2x64GB?). It sounds like a steal to me.
I'm guessing the higher model may be anywhere from $400-$600+ more, which may or may not be worth it.
Interesting note - the higher model comes with a fingerprint reader while the lower one does not.
@iggyzizzle Thank you!
In that case I'll definitely keep a closer eye on this one.
I'm ready to order now! When is the Quad 128GB SSD for a total of 512GB version coming out? Sonystyle.com had the QUAD 64GB SSD for a total of 256GB model VPCZ11Z9E available for pre-order a couple of weeks ago but it has since disappeared and they didn't have the 512GB version then anyway.
My current laptop is dying from overuse but I don't want to order the dual 512GB SSD version when the quad is on the horizon.
I see that the 256GB quad SSD is available in Europe.
If anyone has a release date or at least a pre-order date let me know. The last date I saw said April but that was several months old.