Sony’s ultraslim 13-inch VAIO Z laptop revealed in Europe, packs external GPU for power on demand

Mark — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 08:05:38 +0000

Turns out those leaked shots we saw of Sony’s new VAIO Z laptop were right on the money as the company showed it off officially today for the European press. The specs reveal a 13.1-inch “ultramobile” notebook that comes in at under 1.2kg with a 2.7GHz Intel Core i7 processor, 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM, 1600×900 screen and sheet battery borrowed from the earlier VAIO S for up to 7 hours of computing. Onboard it features only Intel’s HD Graphics 3000 solution but the VAIO Z beats other ultralights with its Power Media Dock, which contributes the power of an AMD Radeon 6650M GPU with 1GB of dedicated memory connected via “the architecture codenamed Light Peak” — Sony can’t call it Thunderbolt — when more polygons have to be pushed. The dock sports one USB 3.0 hookup plus additional USB, VGA and HDMI ports, and a slot for either a DVD or Blu-ray drive. There’s no word on a price yet, but it is promised to ship by the end of July in Europe so if the full specs (included after the break) are appealing then you don’t have much time to save up.

Update: Head over to the Sony UK site to configure one yourself — pricing starts at Â£1,434 ($2,294) with a Core i5 CPU, 4GB of RAM and no PMD. The dock is a Â£400 ($640) option with no optical drive included, while upgrading to a 1080p 13.1-inch LCD is a mere Â£40 extra.

PRESS RELEASE

Ultimate performance and design: ultra-mobile new VAIO Z Series from Sony weighs under 1.2kg
28 June 2011

Thin, ultra-light 13.1″ notebook PC with innovative new Power Media Dock

Â· 33.2cm (13.1″) VAIO Z Series: less than 1.2 kg and 16.65mm slim with stunning design and smart battery concept

Â· Business-class power with latest standard voltage IntelÂ® Coreâ„¢ i7 processors and fast SSD storage

Â· High-resolution (1600×900) anti-reflective VAIO Display Premium

Â· Optional sheet battery gives up to 14hr stamina1 with quick charge

Â· Power Media Dockâ„¢ 2 with quad video monitor support, AMD Radeonâ„¢ HD graphics, optical drive and extra ports including HDMIâ„¢ out

Â· Quick Boot gets you working in seconds

Weighing little over a kilogram, the new VAIO Z Series notebook PC from Sony is created for mobile professionals who demand absolute performance and portability.

VAIO Z blends ultra-desirable styling and premium carbon fibre with no-compromise specifications and innovative productivity features. In the office or on the road, this class-leading business notebook helps demanding users work more efficiently with the ultimate in on-the-move computing power.

All-new VAIO Z takes cutting-edge styling by Sony to new extremes, with a ‘full flat’ body and display lid that are crafted in tough, ultra-light carbon fibre. At just below 1.2kg and 16.65mm slim, the new VAIO Z is the perfect partner for business travellers who demand ultimate power with less to carry.

On-the-go usability is enhanced further by the backlit keyboard with extra-wide palm rest and ergonomic new ‘button-less’ touchpad. With a resolution of 1600×900, the 33.2cm (13.1″) VAIO Display Premium features an anti-reflective coating that cuts glare from direct light sources and ensures crisp colour reproduction.

Performance is everything you’d expect from the most sophisticated VAIO notebook yet. Latest-generation standard voltage IntelÂ® Coreâ„¢ i7 processors are teamed with speedy DDR3 SDRAM and up to 256GB SSD RAID storage to blaze through the toughest workload with ease.

As an extra refinement, Quick Boot saves precious time when you’re in a hurry, loading Genuine WindowsÂ® 7 Professional up to 50% quicker than conventional notebooks. Embedded VAIO ‘everywair’ 3G WWAN on selected models connects via your mobile broadband operator.

Power Media Dockâ„¢

The performance of VAIO Z Series is taken to new extremes by the unique Power Media Dock2, a monolithic expansion module that links with VAIO via an optical cable. The proprietary port can also be used to attach regular USB devices to VAIO when it’s not docked.

Featuring high-speed I/O data transfer based on the architecture codenamed ‘Light Peak’, Power Media Dock boosts graphics performance while adding numerous extra connectivity options. It includes an optical drive for even greater business productivity and satisfying HD entertainment. The module comes supplied with a stylish design-matched stand.

With Power Media Dock added, VAIO Z can manage up to four displays (including the notebook screen) via HDMIâ„¢ and/or VGA output ports. In this configuration, VAIO Z makes a compelling choice for design, finance and science professionals who need to work across several screens simultaneously. New-generation AMD Radeon HD graphics with 1GB VRAM effortlessly handle demanding graphics tasks, from 3D CAD to gaming.

When docked, connectivity options are boosted by additional USB ports plus VGA and HDMI outputs. Power Media Dock also sports an optical drive bay that can be specified with a Blu-ray Discâ„¢ or SuperMulti combo drive. Games and movies on DVD or Blu-ray Disc sound as good as they look with latest DolbyÂ® Home TheaterÂ® v4.

Sheet battery

VAIO Z features the innovative ‘sheet battery’ already showcased on this year’s VAIO S Series. The notebook’s internal lithium polymer battery provides power for up to 7 hours1 on-the-go computing. It’s partnered by a second thin, flat optional lithium polymer sheet battery that can be charged separately from the PC and added without removing the internal battery. The sheet battery attaches without having to switch off the PC, boosting stamina to up to 14 hours1 for day-and-night working, even if you’re far from mains power.

VAIO Z delivers a richer communication experience if you’re staying in touch with colleagues via video conference or web chat. The HD web camera powered by Exmorâ„¢ technology ensures detailed-packed video even in low light.

There’s a full range of official accessories from Sony, style-matched to complement the looks and performance of your VAIO. Many more configuration options â€“ including a Full HD (1920 x 1080) LCD â€“ are available exclusively to online shoppers at Sony Store.

The new 2011 VAIO Z Series of ultra-portable performance notebook PCs is available from the end of July 2011 (actual date of availability varies by country).

1 As measured by MobileMarkÂ® battery test

2 Power Media Dock available with selected models or as an optional accessory

-ends-
Notes to editors

Model

VAIO VPCZ21V9E

Processor

IntelÂ® Coreâ„¢ i7-2620M 2.70GHz (with Turbo Boost up to 3.40GHz)

OS

Genuine WindowsÂ® 7 Professional (64bit) with Service Pack 1

Memory

8GB DDR3 1333Mhz SDRAM

Drive

256GB SSD Flash memory (RAID 0)

Screen

33.2cm (13.1″) VAIO Display Premium (1600×900) with wide (16:9) aspect ratio

On-board graphics

IntelÂ® HD Graphics 3000

Optical drive

DVD SuperMulti Drive (included with VGP-PRZ20C Power Media Dockâ„¢ â€“ see below)

Others

WLAN 802.11a/b/g/n; 3G WWAN; BluetoothÂ® 2.1 + EDR; USB 2.0 x1, docking station/USB port x1 (supports USB 2.0/3.0 compatible devices); HDMIâ„¢ out (3D supported); stereo speakers with DolbyÂ® Home TheaterÂ® v4; HD web camera powered by ‘Exmor’ (1.3 effective megapixels); Web, VAIO and Assist buttons; touchpad with gesture support; fingerprint sensor; Quick Boot

Dimensions DxHxW

Approx. 210 x 16.65 x 330mm

Weight

Approx. 1.18kg (with standard internal battery)

Model

Power Media Dockâ„¢ VGP-PRZ20C/VGP-PRZ20A

Graphics Accelerator

AMD Radeonâ„¢ HD 6650M

Video RAM

1GB DDR3

Max. resolution

Analogue RGB: 1920 x 1200

HDMIâ„¢: 1920 x 1080

Optical drive

VGP-PRZ20C: DVD SuperMulti Drive

VGP-PRZ20A: Blu-ray Discâ„¢ Drive with DVD SuperMulti

LAN port

1000BASE-T/100BASE-T/10BASE-T x1

USB port

Hi-Speed USB (USB 2.0) Type A Connector x2, SuperSpeed USB (USB 3.0) x1

Monitor port

Mini D-Sub 15 pin x1

HDMI output port

x1 (3D Supported)

Dimensions DxHxW

Approx. 148 x 16.65 x 220mm

Weight

Approx. 0.685kg

Specifications and features vary by model. Please check VAIO laptops for more information.
For more information please contact
Sony Europe Press Centre

Micron’s P320h: A Custom Controller Native PCIe SSD in 350/700GB Capacities

pcnz_admin — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 06:54:52 +0000

SSDs are beginning to challenge conventional drive form factors in a major way. On the consumer side we’re seeing more systems use new form factors for SSDs, enabled by mSATA. The gumstick form factor used in the MacBook Air and ASUS UX Series comes to mind. SSDs can offer performance in a smaller package, thus helping scale down the size of notebooks.

The 11-inch MacBook Air SSD, courtesy of iFixit

The enterprise market has seen a form factor transition of its own. While 2.5″ SSDs are still immensely common, there’s a lot of interest in PCIe solutions.

The quick and easy way to get a PCIe SSD is to take a bunch of SSDs and RAID them together on a single PCIe card. You don’t really get a performance benefit, but it does help you get a lot of performance without being drive-bay limited. This is what we typically see from companies like OCZ.

The other alternative is a native PCIe solution. In the aforementioned example, you typically have a couple of SATA SSD controllers paired with a SATA to PCIe RAID controller. With a native solution you’d skip the RAID controller entirely and just have a custom SSD controller that interfaces directly to PCIe. A native PCIe SSD is just an SSD that avoids SATA entirely, thus avoiding any potential bottlenecks. Today Micron is announcing its first native PCIe SSD: the P320h.

The P320h is Micron’s first PCIe SSD as well as its first in-house controller design. You’ll remember from our C300/C400/m4 reviews that Micron typically buys its controllers from Marvell and simply does firmware development in house. The P320h changes that. While it’s too early to assume that we’ll see Micron designed controllers for consumer drives as well, clearly that’s a step the company is willing to take.

The P320h’s controller is a beast. With 32 parallel channels and a PCIe gen 2 x8 interface, the P320h is built for bandwidth. Micron’s peak performance specs speak for themselves:

Sequential read/write performance is up to 3GB/s and 2GB/s respectively. Random 4KB read performance is up at a staggering 750,000 IOPS, while random write speed peaks at 341,000 IOPS. The former is unmatched by anything I’ve seen on a single card, while the latter is a number that OCZ’s recently announced Z-Drive R4 88 is promising as well. Note that these aren’t steady state numbers nor are the details of the testing methodology known so believe accordingly.

There is of course support for NAND redundancy, which Micron calls RAIN (Redundant Array of Independent NAND). Micron calls RAIN very similar to RAID-7 with 1 parity channel, however it didn’t release information as to what sorts of failures are recoverable as a result. RAIN in addition to typical enterprise level write amplification concerns result in a some pretty heavy overprovisioning on the drive as you’ll see below.

Micron will offer the P320h in two capacities: 350GB and 700GB. The drives use 16Gbit 34nm SLC NAND (ONFI 2.1). The 700GB drive features 64 package placements with 8 die per package – that works out to be 16GB per die, or 1TB of NAND on the card.

The 350GB version has the same number of package placements (64) but it only has 4 die per package, which works out to be 512GB of NAND on board. Obviously with twice as many die per package there are some interleaving benefits which result in better 4KB random write performance.

Pricing is unknown at this point, although Micron pointed out that it is expecting cost to be somewhere south of $16 per GB (at $16/GB that would be $5600 for the 350GB board and $11,200 for the 700GB board).

PC News Zone » PCIe

Sony’s ultraslim 13-inch VAIO Z laptop revealed in Europe, packs external GPU for power on demand

Micron’s P320h: A Custom Controller Native PCIe SSD in 350/700GB Capacities