I love my Sony Vaio Z. It’s a wonderful bit of kit - exactly the power/portability ratio I wanted. It has enough grunt to play the odd game in “Speed” mode while giving 6 hours of battery life on wireless in stamina mode. Not to mention to gorgeous 1600×900 LED screen and the built in 3G wireless.
I have one problem with it and it’s a failing of Sony’s decision making rather than any particular problem with the kit. Sony disable the Intel Virtualization Technology in the Core 2 Duo on all their Vaio machines. I’ve seen no valid rationale for this other than “We don’t support VT on the Vaio range.“ This is absurd since all the Core 2 Duo chips feature Intel Virtualization Technology and I can’t imagine how having it switched on would adversely affect Vista or XP (the two Operating Systems Sony officially supports).
If this were a consumer laptop I could understand - but it’s specifically targeted at business users. In my business I make extensive use of both Microsoft and VMWare’s virtualisation systems - both of which run much faster on hardware that has the VT functionality enabled. There are a good number of people on various forums spitting blood about this issue so I’m not the only one complaining.
There is light, of sorts, at the end of this tunnel. Since Sony have done this before on other machiens in the Vaio series, people have managed to re-enable VT by using BIOS editing tools to flip the right register. Unfortunately it requires intimate knowledge of the BIOS - knowledge that we won’t have until Sony release a BIOS update that can be reverse engineered. If we’re very lucky Sony will make amends by releasing a BIOS update that allows us to enable VT in the BIOS interface proper.
The worst part of this is that we (Vaio Z owners) didn’t know that VT was disabled until after we bought the machines. I know a number of people have returned their units and bought Toshiba or Dell machines that haven’t been crippled by the vendors. Sony advertised a Core 2 Duo Mobile processor, they didn’t mention in any literature that they’d be disabling bits of the processor for no reason.
Sony, if you’re reading this - please give us control over the entire processor and let us enable VT.
Or, you’ll have to ask the question “Will it blend?”…
Seriously though - disabling a feature of the CPU and not mentioning this in any sales literature isn’t on. I also hope that Intel take note of this and rap Sony on the knuckles.
Is there any evidence that Intel’s Core2 VT technology adversely affects battery life in any way? If there is, it could be a factor in their decision to disable it. Who knows.
I hope you can get it fixed soon! I wouldn’t hold my breath for a response from Sony though…
Has any one lodged a complaint directly to Sony? Have they responded with such an explanation? Perhaps this is a story for the likes of Ars Technica or the Register. might wake up Sony if those sort of sites are on their case.
I dont believe this !!!
I have just booted, created my recovery disks, performed windows updates on my brand new Sony vgn-z17gn.
Finally I have waited for the the right combination of processor, screen, performance, etc and forked out some serious money.
BANG !!! SMACK !!! WAM !!!
Reading the small (very small) print on the specifications in the box, I see what you are talking about.
Fraud !!! Sony is a fraud.
Intel should not allow Sony to even place an official “Centrino 2 Inside” sticker on the product.
I dont replace my laptop every year. I knew exactly the capabilites I wanted and thought I had found then with the new P9500 in the Sony Z series.
Like you said, the fact virtualization features of the processor are crippled is published … Where Mr Sony ???!!!
I dont know support companies that ONLY DO virtualization for servers. Get with the times Sony.
I am ranting…I am disappointed.
(sigh…depressed)
I need time to calm down…
PS: Thanks for this post…I googled as soon as I saw the fine print on the specsification sheet…(at least I am not alone)
oops
rant caused mental hernia. Last post says:
“I dont know support companies that ONLY DO virtualization for servers.”
meant:
“I know support companies that ONLY DO virtualization for servers.”
I know this latop is not a server but just trying to “vent” that virtualization is here in the mainstream, servers and workstations.
only one question: WHY?
Why i’m not use VT extension on my Z???
I wrote to customer care
i’m waiting an answer
Sony did the same when they released the SZ series. I have one, bought for VT amoungst other thing, and its locked off. A few people managed to enable the VT feauture on their SZ by hacking the BIOS. Of course, Sony have done the same with the Z series, so although I was about to buy one, now that I know VT is off, then I won’t. You may shout about his a much as you want, but VT will always be off in Vaios, because Sony won’t listen to the client.
For some success storied on VT and Vaio SZ series read this thread,
http://www.wimsbios.com/phpBB2/topic9326-60.html
Made the same experience - choose the VAIO Z11 for the niftyness, being very portable, powerful, gorgeous display, a recent CPU and great battery life - only to find then that VT-x was off the cards. Yes, bought before you wrote your blog.
The problem, though, is Intel. Their Centrino-2 logo specification details list the virtualization extensions as a feature but with a footnote - which says their presence depends on whether your system vendor chooses to enable them or not.
Intel has changed this for the VPro logo certification and made VT-x support mandatory there. And guess what - Sony’s BZ vaios, which bear that shiny sticker, support VT-x and have it enabled … officially.
If there’s no BIOS update coming out for the VGN-Z11 then that definitely was my last Sony purchase. I wouldn’t have bought had I known in advance, nifty or not.
i think it’s sick. The only reason i purchased my sony laptop was for for mobile virtualization. Only to discover that my laptop VT was not detected by Vmware. I came online to find a fix and i met the sony weird idea of disabling VT on all VAIOs. Sony shld indeed get with the times.
Wis i had thought otherwise.