Official 2012 Sony S Series Owners Thread

Is it worth it to get the 2gb gpu?

 

Scratch that, just had to restart and now it seems to sleep just fine. False alarm.

Post prior to edit: Is anyone else having sleep issues after replacing the hard drive with a SSD? I just put in a Samsung 840 today and now it goes to sleep for 5-10 seconds and then wakes up. Goes back to sleep and then wakes up again in a cycle.

 

Unfortunately, in my S1511, it doesn't work. Still evoking the VaioCare program (when pressing the assist button).
Has anyone else managed to implement this mode successfully? and how?

 

Anybody have any trouble getting an external monitor to display at the proper resolution? Every time I plug in my tv or 2nd monitor by hdmi, everything looks really zoomed in.

 

Hi everyone.

Today I just got mine VAIO S15. I must say... it's amazing and I don't see any problems with red color. Although I am comparing it to my previous HP Probook and it seems that HP has whites more whiter than Vaio has. Is this something that can be done with any settings or it's just a matter of a screen? Has anyone experienced anything like this?

I will now try to make a copy of HDD to SSD that I will put inside my new baby

Ou yeah... I love it! The Keyboard is so... wow amazing and smooth. I just can't stop typing.

 

I also replaced Hdd with Sdd and as soon as i put it to sleep it does the exact same thing you described.

It feels alot faster tho afterwards (cause Disabling ODD and putting to sleep unlocks Sata 3 ^^) yet it's too unstable.

 

Strange. After shutting it down and starting it back up, it goes to sleep just fine. Hope it doesn't come back as that was really annoying to not be able to sleep.

 

Hey everyone,
Received my new Sony S Series 13" about a week ago, specs are as follows:
- 13.3" LED backlit display (1600 x 900)
- 3rd gen Intel® i7-3520M processor (2.90GHz / 3.60GHz with Turbo Boost)
- NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 640M LE (2GB) hybrid graphics with Intel® Wireless Display technology
- 12GB (4GB fixed onboard + 8GB removable) DDR3-1333MHz
- 256GB (128GB x2) solid state drive with RAID 0
- CD/DVD player / burner

Build quality is to be honest, the best I've ever had which puts Macbook Pro to shame, and kept its originality unlike some other brands like HP and Dell. However it does attract bit of fingerprints, but of course it is easily cleaned or removed. Getting to weight, this is one of the strongest points of the laptops, I will probably never know how they manage it, but to be able to fit this beast onto such a light and small laptop always gets me. (Maybe a bit like Sony Z Series which was also an excellent laptop.)
Screen quality I would strongly suggest to get at least 1600x900, as coming from a former user of Sony Z Series and Macbook Pro (I've exchanged my laptop to use it for a few months with a friend), this should be the bare minimum, but not to say it is a poor quality.
Important point - I confirm there is no orange gate issue (I don't know if I got lucky or not, but investigated another Sony S Series of a colleague and it was not there, so I'm guessing it might be fixed)
Booting up is maximum 4 to 5 seconds (however after hesitating whether I should install my own SSD, I decided to go with Sony's), and I am extremely satisfied I went down that road.
To answer many people on this thread, Yes this is a very capable gaming machine. For the past few days I finished number of games (Includes: Far Cry 3, Hitman: Absolution, COD Black Ops 2, FIFA 13, PES 13, Assassins Creed 3) - it should be noted though, that I did not play on high resolutions mostly medium, which I thought was enough. However if this is not enough for you than by all means I advise other capable gaming laptops.
The trackpad is more than capable of handling various tasks, and the keyboard feels fine maybe little loud (Note: I experienced some keyboard ghosting issues when I was playing FIFA, other than that it was perfect)
The only negative point: I am experiencing bit of lags, which I don't know if it is Windows 8's fault or Sony's hardware faults. This is bit annoying, if anyone else experienced this issue and have fixed this please do reply.
After having my laptop about a week which caused me to completely abandon social life and university works I am ready to get back on track.

 

You might be missing a driver?
Just swapped out my own HDD for an SSD and i don't see the behavior you describe..

 

Hey guys,

Just bought an S13A 2012 with Win8 pre-installed on it.

I<ve just made a clean install of Windows 7 x64 on it and everything works well, except of one thing: I am unable to get the hotkeys working correctly.

The Windows 7 x64 drivers on Sony website can<t be installed on my machine, even if the Sony website says otherwise. I get an error that the software is not intended for my hardware. My specific VAIO model is SVS13A290S (which is SVS13A290X in the USA).

The Windows 8 installer of the hotkey utilities does not pop up this error, but it does not seem to work either. It is suppost to install the VAIO Power Management, the VAIO Control Center and the VAIO something Battery. None of them are to be found in my Start Menu, nor my Installed Programs in the control panel.

If any of you guys had sucefull downgrade from Win8 to Win7 with this laptop, let me know if you eperience the same problem, or, if you managed to solve it.

At the moment, only my volume Fn keys are working, I need to dissapearatly adjust the brightness of the screen, I<m gonna go crazy with this bright.

Any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Phil.

 

The issue only appears on the SVS15 (the 15,6" Full HD IPS screen).

Playing those games at medium detail and lower res doesn't make it a very capable machine, IMHO, but when the GPU is modded to 650M (possible on pre-Win8 models), you get a decent entry to mid-range graphics cards. All those games work well as the base engines are made for consoles which are already rather behind the PC hardware.

 

Guys, you will not believe that! Just found (and immediately bought) a Windows 7 version of S15 on UK Sony website on clearance sale! Paid £1078 with the configuration as per below :

Intel Core i7-3612QM 2.1GHz
Windows 7 Home Premium
1 TB Serial ATA (5400 rpm)
12 GB 1333 MHz DDR3-SDRAM
DVD disc drive
NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M LE 2GB

Thanks to that I got really good specs machine for a great price (considering I live in bloody Europe) and on top of that, I'll be able to overclock GPU and put HDD instead of ODD without being affected by high CPU load issue.

Do you think sacrificing processor is worth it? Will I even feel any difference?

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Toaster

 

I'm considering getting the 15 inch model for the screen size/resolution and number pad, but was curious if people thought the additional CPU and GPU upgrades are worth it for someone who does not game, but does use Netflix, Hulu, youtube and streaming music options regularly? I'm going to graduate from medical school next year and I want the computer to last a while, so I don't mind spending the extra $100 (I know the i7 upgrade is on sale for free now, but you need to upgrade the GPU from Intel HD4000 for a fee), but if it's going to decrease battery life for additional power that I really don't need, I'd rather save money and have longer battery life. What do you all think?

 

For the small fee (I think it's $40 for the GPU upgrade), I would take the faster CPU. You might not notice a big difference now, but it should handle things better in a year or two. Both CPU's use the same wattage, so I don't believe there is a big battery life killer. Also, if you aren't gaming, the better GPU probably won't use much battery either while in idle.

 

The Quad-Core will use slightly more battery, but it's not going to make or break whether or not you bring your charger with you. I'd definitely go for the i7 for longevity (especially considering it's free right now). The GPU is also worth the money IMO. Even if you don't game, you will get use out of it if you connect your laptop to an external monitor or TV. The better GPU allows the laptop to push higher resolutions easier and handle HD movies without hammering the processor. It won't affect your battery life because it is disabled when your not using it (or when you have the laptop on stamina switch).

 

Yeah that's true, but I kind of meant in a way that in it's weight and size category it is up there. When I look around my university lecture 70% of the students have MBP or some other ultrabooks, compared to that I would say it is a capable gaming machine.

 

I would agree with this point. For its size/weight class it does seem to be a very capable machine. Especially when modded to 650M (on pre-win8 models).

 

Hello Everynya,

S15 owner here. This place actually convinced me to go out and buy one a few months ago. I don't really have any issues to report. Just want to join in the fun. MBP is a very capable machine, I would think. In terms of size and weight, it's not worse than the Vaio S. But, in terms of price, the S15 is very competitive. Personally, I thought the S15 was a better deal than the S13, which is why I got it.

 

I got my SVS151290X CTO the other day. First thing I did was notice in the device manager that there was a driver issue with the Intel WiDi adapter. I fixed that by reinstalling the driver. Next, I wanted to make my recovery media. Every time I tried to, whether it be DVD discs or a USB flash drive, less than half way through the process, Windows 8 gives me a IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL screen of death.

I then did all the Windows 8 updates, driver updates, Sony application updates, and performed a RAM diagnostic test (no errors found) and tried to make recovery media again. Still the same issue. Any ideas?

I want to swap the stock 750GB 7200rpm drive for a Seagate 750GB hybrid drive, so I need the recovery media to get it done.

My Config:
- Intel® Core™ i7-3632QM quad-core processor (2.20GHz / 3.20GHz with Turbo Boost)
- Windows 8 64-bit
- 15.5" LED backlit Full HD IPS display
- NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 640M LE (2GB) hybrid graphics with Intel® WiDi
- 750GB 7200rpm hard drive (Hitachi HTS727575A9E364)
- 8GB DDR3-1333MHz
- Blu-ray Disc™ player / burner (MATA BD-MLT UJ267AM)

 

I have exact the same configuration and I had no problems with making a recovery disc in SONY VAIO Care application. I used 6 DVDs because I didn't have USB flash drive of 32GB. But considering of buying it, so I won't be needing exchanging DVDs if neccessary. How are you trying to do the Rescue disc?

Something off topic of rescue discs... I have it now on internal battery and it is on Speed mode downloading some patches, with Mozilla Firefox opened with 12 tabs and Chrome opened with 15 tabs, and battery status says 5h13min at 79% of battery level. Now... this is amazing!

 

Bad battery time on SVS 15???????????????????

SVS15 Win8 64 bit

Battery is in exelent condition in vaio care.

Battery life on stamina, dimmed screen, and cpu max 40% my battery lasts for 1,5 h.

I think shis is really bad,

I called support and they told me that 1,5 h is normal. I told them no way, 1,5 h is horrible and long under what to expect in batttery save mod. Buto sony support still told me that it is nomal!

My good!!!

Anybody else struggeling with batt capasity, please comment on this post.


Thanks

 

Hello All,

I am trying to decide between the black or silver versions. Any thoughts on if the silver scratches more easily? Thanks!

 

I am not sure about the scratching it easier, but I think, and please correct me if I'm wrong, that black one has a Fingerprint reader and silver one doesn't. I have the silver one

 

I've been having problems with window 8, after upgrading it, It doesn't run that smooth as it did on windows 7. Is there anyway to revert back to windows 7?

 

Thanks for the feedback!
I'm hesitating between S13 with 1366x768 and 1600x900.
I'm afraid the letters will be to small in the native resolution on the 1600x900. My main use will be office and productivity day long.
How do you find this resolution for working, surfing, etc?

Thanks!

 

Yes, you're right. Silver doesn't have finger print read but it's also cheaper.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Fridge

 

Well from my point of view, I'm kind of used to quality screens and as far as I know 1600x900 is much better than the 1366x768.
I actually went to the Sony store to have a look and that decided for me, which I would also advise for you to do.
However if you don't have the option to check it out, I would highly suggest the 1600x900. Just because it is much better, and I use it almost 24/7, really just can't stand to use the other counterpart.

 

Is my battery dying? Says "plugged in, charging" but percentage doesn't change, and charging light has been on days now, even overnight when the laptop is off. (not a battery care issue since I've tried it both on and off to no avail).

 

I'm having the same problem. It's really annoying.

I Did all the updates and newest drivers didn't help too.

According to Sony Support it's a driver/software problem, because if you uninstall Synaptics you won't have problems with the touchpad. Mine is on repairs on Sony and I still have no news about it.

I Have 2 SVS13 very similar and the other one is fine, however it's running Win 7 x64.

I Think it's an inconpatibility Issue with Synaptics and Win 8.

 

If that 'day-long' office and productivity activity is at a fixed place behind a table, why not buying an external monitor? These are very cheap these days.
The difference between 1366x768 and 1600x900 is really BIG: often 1366x768 is just a bit to small for many things. And 1600x900 is an OK resolution on a 13" and still good readable. 1920x1080 on a 13" THEN you really need good or young eyes
Why not visit some store and check the resolutions on 13" (any brand will do).

 

get 900x1600! you won't regret it. More info can be seen on the screen which is always helpful and you can reduce resolution any time

(my previous laptop had 1366x768 and the 900p screen is like heavenly!)

 

Hello I am a former Vaio F owner and I am looking for a new laptop. I was interested in the new windows 8 Vaio S series 13P because of the twin raid 0 SSD, nvivia 640m 2GB and the 3rd gen i7 2.9ghz.

I was surprised how the processor for this model is more powerful than the current 15 inch S series available.

Can any owner tell me what their experiences have been? I mostly work and play video games.

 

Hello all, I just got an S13 and am setting it up and getting it all updated. But am having an issue with the touchpad which seems to be stuck in right-click only mode. Anyone know why this might be happening?

 

Hi.

I have a question about sleep light above the connector for power adapter at S1512. Should it be blinking when in sleep mode or not? Mine is not.
Thx.

 

I Have the same problem. Are you running Windows 8 ?
If you enable the pressure graphics of synaptics, sometimes it will think that there is a Finger on It and the touch pad won't be usefull.

Try to unintall all synaptics drivers and check if the behaviour is Ok. You 'll lose some features, but will be able to right and left click properly.
Mine Is on repair exactly to check this issue. I was thinking that was a Hardware issue, but apparently they said it's drivers.

Before that could you please post the driver number that you're using?

Let's see.

 

Update ur bios.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

 

Sorry if this question was stated before:

Is the USNA 95 Poweradpator from Coolermaster compatible with the S13? Here are the specs: http://www.notebookcheck.com/typo3temp/pics/06580ef3e2.jpg

 

Hey,
I recently bought a S13A2 (Windows 8, SSD, 3520m i7, 12gb ram, etc) and it's great. Windows 8 is far better than I thought it would be after reading the negative reviews. I only have one problem with my new laptop and that is that the keyboard backlight will not turn on. I've tried all different settings in the Vaio Control Centre but no matter what, it will not turn on. Is this a known problem and is there drivers I should install? Everything is updated to my knowledge except for the bios - I held off on that after reading that you cannot overclock the Windows 8 S series with the newer bios. Is this correct or does my laptop already have the newer bios and there is an even newer one I can install?

Thanks in advance

 

Hey everyone,

I am wondering, why does my battery indicator light go on and says (100% plugged in, charging) every time I turn on my laptop from shut down?

Does this happen to anyone else?

I keep my charger plugged in while it is shut down...

Thanks!

 

I updated the drivers to the latest version via the Sony Update software and the issue has not recurred. Current driver version is: 16.2.16.3

 

I had same problem and turned out i need even more drivers.

There are couple drivers you need from windows 7 model page. I'm sorry i can't rememeber which ones atm but i'm sure they were under Sysem Components.

 

I was pretty concerned about using Windows 8 on a non-touch laptop but much to my surprise once you figure out its few quirks and touchpad gestures it's quite intuitive and works rather well. Of course, I still find myself switching between the Metro and traditional desktop interface but that's just because I'm so used to the desktop type functionality. Metro is very well designed however and the apps are all very easy and intuitive to use for the most part. I think most people complaining simply didn't give Windows 8 enough of a chance because otherwise it is a great OS rivaling Windows 7.

 

Just got my S15 and happy to report that everything went smoothly. SSD install, Win8 install from USB, UEFI no problem, no need for product key, everything activated. Very happy.

Also, no orangegate to be seen, tested a lot of images, looks great. Screen is great. Little disappointed in the touchpad, though I'm still getting used to it. Seems to jump around when I click sometimes, anybody else experience this? It could just be me.

 

yesterday i have bought a vaio svs1512 with i53210, intel hd4000/ g640m le 1gb, 4 gb ram and 500hd.today i noticed weird lines when moving my mouse over apps in windows 8.
i ihave made a video of how the lines look like. those lines appear not on all the apps but in some for example ebay app, engadget app, maps app. etc.

i went and test two other machines like mine in two different stores and they all have the same weird lines.
is this a graphic card problem or is it normal?

e.g. i dont experience any weird lines in other things but only on windows 8 apps.
i tried to run gpu test with either of the graphic cards but didnt notice any weird lines.

 

Make sure all your drivers and software are updated. Especially graphics drivers and Windows 8 updates.

 

Hey mate thanks heaps for the help but I've tried installing everything under System Components but the light still won't come on. I'm going to install the BIOS update but I doubt it will do anything...

Thanks

edit-
Great... I uninstalled Vaio CC to see if I could reinstall it (after reading my version was supposed to fix something with the light sensor) but now I can't install it! A messege pops up during installation saying that a newer version is installed (although no version is installed) and that the installation has been stopped. Can anyone help? Starting to give me a headache...

Thanks

 

i have all the updated drivers. i forgot to mention that my display is full hd ips panel 15,5`. Does anyone have the same problem with me?

 

OK so I think people may have briefly discussed this but I can't find it anywhere, I have a feeling its probably a couple thousand posts ago

To the point, there's an open slot right next to where my Centrino wireless card is plugged in.

The slot itself is under the part of the case that doesn't come off, but there is a riser to screw down the card that would plug in there.

It looks to be the same connector as the pci-e slot the wifi adapter is plugged into, which means an msata drive would fit, but would it work?

Any thoughts or opinions?

 

It would physically fit, but mSATA and mini pci-e aren't electrically compatible. At best it wouldn't work, at worst something would fry. I believe that extra mini pci-e slot is for 3G cards; Sony didn't just put an mSATA slot in there and not tell anyone about it

 

bought s13 svs131190x back in early november when it was on sale ($792 with 640m i5). Had the hitachi travelstar 5k320 (320gb) fail this weekend. Started having issues with slow read/write especially after startup about a month ago, errors during clean install of win7 but recovery worked eventually. But slow/hdd thrashing would occur after while. Sony sending another HDD after it totally failed. Put in a samsung 840 pro ssd 128gb for now and running silky smooth. Will probably drop the replaced HDD into optical slot when i get it later this week. Just heads up, anyone else have issues with the hitachi drives?