Official 2012 Sony S Series Owners Thread

Vaio Care trouble
I get report that vaio care has old version and when i try to update it fails. vaio update is running but it telling me unable to update, try again later. I have had this error since i got this machin 4 weeks ago..
Anybody who know what to do?

 

I have another question for Sony VAIO SVS1512 users... do you really have problems with the screen's color - red/orange or is this issue already solved by Sony and newer Vaios doesn't have those problems anymore?

Thx.

 

SVS15 ovner:
I have no orange trouble, screen is what i call normal. The machine is deadly fast, especially with a Samsung pro SSD.
Editing photo in Adobe Lightroom has newer been more fun

 

Im thinking of upgrading my RAM on my VAIO 15s.
Is it a 1333mhz CL9 memory soldered to the motherboard or is it a CL11?
The computer store next to me have a 1600mhz CL11 memory in stock. So wondering if maybe i should get that or if i should order a 1333 or 1600mhz running at CL9.

 

Thank you! Worked as you said

@z0lid: I would check cpuid for your RAM specs.

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

Apparently the soldered ram is CL9 1333mhz, so just get the 1333 one since anything faster will be downclocked to match.

 

Does anyone know when the next refresh for the S13? I know one just happened in Fall but all they added was a touchscreen and I' guessing that was for Windows 8.

 

The screen of s13p has been biggest let down for me also. Other than that machine feels quite nice. I honestly think that with ~1000€ you should get better screen than this.
But with even basic calibration (without colorimeter) you can get screen look quite much better than stock. Don`t know what the effect with proper colorimeter calibration would be.

 

I really like the SVS15. It's a great value for what you get and the screen is gorgeous - it's a bit orangier than the HP Spectre XT Touchsmart 15.6 but not much. It trumps the HP because of the low reflectivity screen.

However, two things bother me enough to take it back to MicroCenter. The constant slightly buzzy fan noise, and the absolutely crap speakers. I was watching Netflix the other day and couldn't enjoy it because of that.

 

When I go to device manager in windows 8 I get two odd things. First is the Intel WiUSB driver not loading with a code 31, and second is an unknown device that is appearing. I know other people are having this issue also. I have the new windows 8 S15 with a i7-3632 and a GT 640m le 2GB. Also, as a side note could someone run gpu-z and report their dedicated memory usage? I get 0 on my S15. I know I asked this earlier, it's just that I haven't gotten any responses.
Thanks

 

I just got a S15 and it looks like I got an orange one. From reading this and other forums, I thought this was mostly resolved. Has anyone else got this and able to get Sony to fix/replace the screen? Here's a sample image of red compared to two calibrated Dell monitors.

 

It's not fixed, it only comes in two flavors: very orangy or muddy red. Mine is muddy red so when I go to Netflix site I don't see orange but instead I see red/brown.

 

Where did you order it from? What sprecifications did you took? Thx.

 

Dang, wish I would have found this before I ordered. I am using this for photo editing while I'm on trips and don't think this is going to work for me. I LOVE the rest of it though. Can't believe they build a screen that can't display a primary color.

Here is the exact model I ordered:
Sony VAIO S Series 15 SVS15123CXB 15.5" Notebook

 

That looks like the base model so you could have went to the Sony Store and look at it beforehand....

 

That is true if I wanted to drive 420 miles to the nearest one. I've never heard of an IPS screen in the past that can't display a primary color, so I guess I didn't think to go look at it first to make sure it could do something basic. I've had monitors that over saturated something, but that you can usually correct by calibrating. But when the screen is physically unable to produce a color, there is nothing that can be done. Very disappointed with Sony (or LG for making the screen).

 

Isn't the orange gate thing a common issue on IPS panels? Anyways, can you not return the device to the website you bought it from?

 

Apparently it is on this screen which is used by HP and Sony. I have numerous standalone IPS monitors and have never heard of such a thing, but it looks like it is more common in laptops. Unfortunately, this is my first laptop, so when I saw IPS, I assumed quality.

I'm working with B&H to return, but they are sending me to Sony for a refund. I'm guessing Sony will send me back to B&H, so this should be fun.

 

Try clicking on the link in the update screen for Vaio Care, and download/install from the Sony website directly.

 

Mine is slightly orange but not an issue unless compared side to side with a screen with better reds. For instance, a fire engine will look red to you but put it next to another screen with better reds and it will look more orangey, if that makes sense.

Not really an issue unless you need to do color matching for print work or something like that. The screen is great. Bright with low reflectivity, high contrast ratio, decent color, great viewing angles.

 

I would say mine is not that bad, but take that with a grain of salt since I can't see it in person.

Did you calibrate the Sony? That will help.

 

Lol, I tried to calibrate it and it ended up being much worse and everything had an orange ting to it. I think the software is trying to make it more red to get the orange to the red area, but since the screen can't produce red, it ends up being worse. So, until I figure out next steps, I'll just leave it uncalibrated.

The orange gate aside, I really love the laptop. The screen is very nice, being bright and sharp. Awesome viewing angles. It's very thin and light and even with a I5, it's plenty fast. I just don't know if I should keep it as I don't want to do some photo editing on a trip and mess up the colors and then have to process the photo again when I get home.

 

Indeed desktop monitors are a completely different matter. Mostly because in the desktop world IPS monitors were always in a higher price, quality area. A buyer would pick whatever they want. In a laptop display is determined by desired resolution, form factor, technology. That leads to a very limited list of potential suppliers. How many different vendors of 15.6" IPS Full HD matte displays are out there? If there was a choice, I would buy one and swap display in my SVS15, even though it's not easy (some parts are glued in the display assembly).

 

Agreed. Being new to laptops, I didn't realize that they were so different and the quality varied so much. I've heard good things about both Samsung and Asus IPS 1080P displays in their laptops, but not sure who the suppliers for them are (I assume Samsung uses their own screens). Either way, it's been an eye opener.

EDIT: Looks like the Samsung screens are only 1600x900, so not 1080P. Also, while Samsung/Asus appear to have better calibrated screens, I don't like the form factor as well as the Sony. With the 15S had the Asus screen and it would be perfect.

 

Take a look at this image. The red at the upper left should be pure red, and the red in the middle right image of the child in a reddish jet car should be slightly orange in comparison.

http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/printers/images/Test.jpg

 

I've been today at our Slovenian Sony store and also two other stores that sells Vaios S1512... I told to the sellers about the re/orange issue at this model and they were of course unknown about this issue, so they plugged in external monitor, which was Dell IPS and I must say, that there were no difference between the reds at Sony and at Dell's LCD. And the machine that those stores had is this one: SVS1512S1ES I5-3210M FHD SONY VAIO 4G/500G/WIN8

Has anyone of you already successfully returned Vaio to Sony USA because of the red/orange issue? I am going to order it and I'll go with the Performance one in the store, with 2GB of graphic RAM. Whatever will be will be. Hope for the best. Do anyone know about any special codes for any free stuff, like it was for PS3 in US store?

 

I apriciate you takeing the time to do this list.
But it is just really wrong im afraid. Multiple of the drivers mentioned dont exist. And also some nice to have drivers and apps are missing. Such as vaio smart network and hardware diagnostics driver.

 

OK I will try to help you out with this since I also use S15 for screen/print design.

If you are doing CMYK then you should always have a little CMYK color chart by your hand no matter even if you have color calibrated monitor for print.

RGB is where S15 can give you problems and believe it or not red is not an issue, it's the actual blue diode with very strong luma (if that is proper term) which screws up any color that has yellow in it. That is why red looks orange and that is why your pinks and greens will look very warm, yellowish and muted as well. There is no way to display hot neon pink on the screen either, instead you get some fuchsia color at the best. Any green hue has way too much yellow in it unless you go to the blue spectrum and then it suddenly turns dark turquoise. There is just no way to get proper dark green as well. So what are your options? When you think it's too yellow it's actually not that is the screen itself.

Watch out for yellows across the whole spectrum and watch out for blues when in mix with some other colors. I think blue by itself is pretty accurate and intense.

 

I called Sony today and after some research, he did come back and confirm that the screen has issues with orange. Of course, he said it was a design "feature" and it's working as designed. I asked about getting a refund, and he said I had to get that through B&H (even though B&H told me to contact Sony). I'll take the weekend and use it some more and see if it's something I can work with and go back to B&H if it isn't.

Thanks for the tips. I'm looking through pictures now and comparing them to my Dell's to see the differences. This might still work for doing part of my workflow and I guess I'll just need to finish it up with the Dell's to ensure the colors don't get all wonky.

 

Hi there, i´ve the same issue with the broken Key, excatly the same "D" as you. Also bought the S13 in Germany, same response from Sony Support ("bla bla no waranty issue.....").
The Key Broke after ~2-3 Months, but i use the S13 for 90-95% on external Screen + Usb Keyboard, definitly no heavy usage at all for the weak "D" Key.

I tried to research a bit, an exchange of certified partners is around 200€, ehmm not an solution.
I can´t find any Model-No of the Keyboard, this would help alot while searching for a single Key or Keyboard myself for replace.
Someone can help with the Describtion or Model No of the Keyboard?! May other keyboards are comparable so i could get a single Key to buy.

@Hahnsolo, which Store did you went in? Did they send in the S13? How many days without S13? Is the "D" still working until now?

Greets
robust

 

The new Samsung Series 7 Chronos has a 15.6 inch 1080p touchscreen display. It'll be launched in a few days.

 

Hey guys

New to the forum, but was lurking around this thread for over a week now. Great thread you guys started here.
Currently in the market for a new laptop and the s-series definitely caught my eye.

Need a little help deciding which one to pick up..

I'm not much of a gamer, I will be doing a lot of programming (C, C#, C++, Java), Databases, and running virtual machines (Linux).
I will also be doing video processing and have general multimedia content.

So maybe help me decide whether or not I need to upgrade to the quad-core version (about $70 difference after discounts and whatnot)...or suggest another laptop?


i5-3210m processor w/ nVidia GeForce GT640MLE (1GB), 6GB RAM, 640GB HD (Windows 7)

or

i7-3632QM processor w/ nVidia GeForce GT640MLE(1GB), 4GB RAM, 500 GB HD (windows 8 )


I also realize that the quad-core version will definitely help when running VMs.
Are there any other suggestions on laptops out there with my requirements? Looked at the XPS 15, but way out of my budget.

Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?

 

Anyone know the resell value of these laptops after about a year? Do they get really cheap (like $600?) or do they maintain some value (like $800)?

 

Exactly, it's incomplete. But Sony site is even less helpful when it comes to clean install.The "drivers" listed for my machine (SVS1511C5E) are mostly uninstallers aimed at upgrades, and there are only few applications. It's more convenient to shop at the Win8 models download page straight away. What could have been an easy but extremely helpful feat is just listing the all essential drivers and stating the differences between models, if any.

Thing also is, even if Win8 will find all but 2 drivers by itself, the computer may still not work at the optimal performance. Most of the Win8 drivers are generic and/or outdated and even going from device to device clicking "update driver" isn't working, just like it didn't in previous versions of Windows.Figuring out yourself what's needed and in what order is not an easy task as Win8 isn't giving much of a feedback whether the driver went where it should or not.

I am even more puzzled about all the Vaio applications some of which are required for proper functionality. There ain't even a list of explaining what each app do! It's ridiculous how companies keep on making the same mistakes: spend millions in research and development of technology and then fail to invest in adequate documentation and support.

I still have 1 device hidding behind exclamation mark, it's USB-IF xHCI USB Host Controller although it works just fine without it.

 

I still have 1 device hidding behind exclamation mark, it's USB-IF xHCI USB Host Controller although it works just fine without it.[/QUOTE]
My machine came with the above mentioned drive with the exclamation mark!
What is the function of this driver?

 

Problem solved by running Intel® Driver Update Utility and upgrading drivers for Intel® Wireless Display Software. Not sure what wireless display drivers have to do with USB controller but hey everything I need works and works smoothly so I just let it go.

 

I uninstalled Control center and installed 3 different drivers/applications and reinstalled Vaio Control Center and I finally got my options back. What I really wanted to get back was mostly the keyboard backlighting, but also the customizable Vaio button and the battery saver option, too.

Per Sony owners' lounge ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...icial-new-svz-z-series-owners-lounge-125.html), download and install the following drivers (from Sony's european support site):
- Sony_SFEP_Driver - Sony : Mises à jour pour SVZ1311C5E | Télécharger des mises à jour pour SVZ1311C5E
- Sony Firmware Extension Parser Device - Sony : Mises à jour pour SVZ1311C5E | Télécharger des mises à jour pour SVZ1311C5E

Then, install Sony shared library - Sony eSupport - SVT13116FXS - Drivers & Software

After all this, reinstall Vaio Control Center.
The order may be important, if not, at least the Control Center needs to be installed LAST.
Please note, I have a Vaio SVS151290X and all of these drivers come from other models as they're not offered on my model's support page, but I finally got my Control Center to be fully functional.
It's silly that nobody from Sony has put together a coherent upgrade. There is an actual upgrade tool (which you have to hunt for, again, it's only available on some models, not all, although it works for any or at least most) that ends up leaving the same unknown device and a non working (well, partially) Vaio Control Center.

 

For only $70, I would go with the quad core. Might not need the power now, but will help out in a year or two. For processing photographs, I find the i5 comparable to the Q6600 desktop CPU. I am guessing the i7 gets closer to the new desktop i5 models (2300-2500k models). Also, processing the videos will definitely benefit from quad core.

 

I have the exact same issue, also replaced the ODD with a HDD.
I bought my SVS15112C5E with windows 8 one month ago.I'm currently running bios R0081C8, the laptop was shipped with this bios, haven't touched it.
Any clue on where to find the older bios versions? I can't find my model on esupport.sony.com and on the localized site I can't find older bios versions.

 

So I just got my new Windows 8 Vaio S15 (custom ordered from Sony) today and I'm happy to announce that orangegate is mostly non-existent. Not nearly as bad as the models I saw in the stores. The red only look slightly more orange than my calibrated Nexus 4, not nearly enough to be obvious at all.

 

I faced the same question. I figured the price difference was worth it to get the i7, especially considering that it should help in running VMs.

Also, the quad core is now a free upgrade in the US store, so you might as well go for it.

 

Yup, just saw on the website it's a free upgrade! Just made my decision easier!

Also, 10% off for being student from Education store (US Only)...they don't even check for student ID or anything!

Thanks for the reply!

 

does anyone have any live picture of the S15 in white?? Trying to decide which color to get.

 

http://thehopefulschoolpsychologist.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/142315224r7223phn01r9r.jpeg

There's not too many when you search google.

 

I was trying to decide between white and black, so I found a white one in a store to check out. From the pictures, I thought it was going to be a solid white, sort of like the white PS Vita but in matte instead of glossy finish. However, in real life, it is more of a pearl white with glittery silver speckles all over. I ultimately decided on the black, but the white did look nice. If it was more of a solid white like the Vita, I might have gotten it instead.

 

Wow, this is a disaster. I talked to Sony and they do not take returns of any kind if not bought directly from them. I talked to B&H and they do not take any returns once the product is opened and said Sony handles all returns. So, now I'm left with a this laptop and no way to return it.

Unbelievably horrible customer service from both of these places.

 

I have a huge problem.
I have the windows 7 model 15s.
And ive just installed windows 8 on it. (reinstalled it 5 times so far accually)
And ive followed the list of drivers and order that is recomended. But i still cant get all the options in Controll center, like changing fan speed and setting battery % limit when chargeing.
Also the only 3 buttons of my shortcommand buttons useing the FN button that works is the 3 sound buttons.

This is really annoying. So what is the problem?`
Ive installed all the drivers that are recomended and also tryed some others thats not in the list but no change. Its still the same. Im out of options really.

This is with a clean install of windows 8. Not an upgrade.

 

Hi, I am trying to clone the HDD to an SSD. I am curious to know as to what you guys have used to clone the HDD. I tried EaseUS and Acronis, but the source drive is larger than the destination, so the cloning process can't begin.

I have the SVS15125CXB model of the S series.

 

Try Macrium

 

What is that?