Z2 (VPCZ2)
Overview
The Sony VAIO Z series was Sony's top-of-the-line laptop range that was originally introduced in 2003. The Z2 is the last Z design from Sony, which was later reused in the SVZ, which is the last Z Series that sony released. The Z2 was originally released in 2011.
The Z2 was a complete refresh of the Z Series, finally ditching the iconic cylinder power button design, and instead offered a brand new design that Sony called "Hexa-shell". Made from aluminium and carbon fiber, the result is stunning. The Z2/SVZ has one of the most iconic VAIO designs of all time, with elements of its design still being used today on modern laptops, like the hinge that props up the keyboard for a better typing angle and better airflow for cooling.
The Z2 can be differentiated from the SVZ by the network switch on top of the keyboard, that is present on the Z2, but not on the SVZ, and by the USB ports, the two being USB 3.0 on the SVZ, and one being USB 2.0 on the VPCZ2.
Four case models were available for purchase:
- Standard black version, made from aluminium and carbon fiber
- Blue version, blue palmrest and bezel, same mat black lid and bottom assembly as the standard black version, very rare and only ever seen in Japan (some US reviewers were sent a blue model, but it doesn't look like it hit the market)
- Gold variant, very rare and only ever seen in Japan
- Silver, most likely Japan-only, rare
- Carbon black, made of aluminium for the keyboard assembly, and carbon fiber for the rest
The difference between the standard black version and the "Carbon black" version is uncertain, as there is no glossy variant for the Z2.
The Z2, unlike the SVZ, did not offer any quad-core Intel Core i7 CPU options, but they still used full-voltage mobile chips, which at the time was impressive. The cooling system was also very impressive, being able to cool such a chip in such a small chassis. However, it was criticized for being a bit too loud when under heavy load.
For the GPU, Sony offered an external dock "Power Media Dock" (PMD) with an integrated AMD Radeon HD 6650M, while the laptop itself used the Intel HD Graphics 3000 IGP. By making the GPU external, the engineers were able to make this laptop a reality.
Two display options were available, a 1600x900 panel for the lower-end models, and a magnificent 1920x1080 panel with 96% of the Adobe RGB gamut coverage.
Storage was handled by Samsung SSDs, with a Quad-SSD setup running in RAID 0. The speed this configuration archived was unbeatable by other manufacturers in that era. One SSD module counted as 2 seperate SSDs. RAM is not soldered, but uses proprietary sticks, which mean you can upgrade from 4GB to 8GB, if you're able to find the sticks, that is.
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