Official 2012 Sony S Series Owners Thread

right click on desktop and open up nvidia control panel. you can setup the game to always be openeed up using the 640m

or right click on the game launcher and choose to launch with the 640m

another option might be that you didnt reinstall the drivers correctly maybe?

which game is it out of curiousity?

 

After updating from the Sony stock drivers to the latest (non beta) Nvidia drivers my 3dmark06 score went up from 9300 to 9530.

Can anyone recommend the best utility to overclock the GPU?

Petrov.

 

Thank you! Yes I forgot about this option. I installed the latest beta drivers.

 

Oh by the way, has anyone noticed the keyboard a little sluggish? and I also can't do three buttons simultaneously.. am I missing a keyboard driver or something because that's a bit important in the gaming world..

 

I have recently read that if a laptop's user manual includes a guide on replacing/changing user-serviceable parts (eg, HDD, RAM) then it cannot void the warranty, the 2 things would contradict each other. This may differ on location though, so best to make doubley sure.

I will do a bit of further research as this is an important consideration for me with this laptop. I fail to see the point of including an accessible HDD bay and then telling customers that accessing it would void their warranty!!

 

Yup, I also found that though there's room for the spacer, the 7 mm drive will be held in place without it actually being needed. I put my spacer in there anyway, because meh. At first I was annoyed that I threw extra money away on the kit, but it ended up being a good deal anyhow; there's an usb connector for included, that I used for backing up my install onto the original drive, with the Norton Ghost software included with the Samsung 830 Series SSD.

Confirmed. My custom S13 Premium that 'supposedly' sported a 640m was actually the LE (not that I expected otherwise).


@Requisitioner/nilosays
Huh? I downloaded the Sony drivers I needed and the Nvidia Verde 304.48 drivers beforehand, and installed them all randomly without any issues. Maybe I was lucky?

 

So Malmer, how do you feel about the quality of the vaio s? I have just been in elgiganten and looked at the samsung 900 series.... it's very nice.

 

Many thanks for the answers.
Regarding the clean install, doesn't the USB install method still require the original installation files from a win 7 DVD? (Sorry for the newb question!).

 

No - you can download the installation file (in ISO format) legitimately from various websites. What you need is the activation key which is underneath your laptop (and may require a phone call to activate). Just google whatever Win 7 version you have and add "ISO" to the search query on google and you'll get loads of hits. Feel free to PM me if you're still having no luck.

Petrov.

 

I'd like to hear more about this, any three key combination isn't working? If so, that's really bad and might make me return the laptop right away.. Which would feel really stupid, because otherwise it seems like it's crafted for my needs.

 

Also interested in this issue - it'll be hard to tell until I actually get hold of it if 3KRO is enough for me to get by. If they haven't added the extra tracks around WASD that most keyboards have I won't be too impressed

 

Thats handy to know about the installation files. As for activation, as I mentioned in a previous post, you can extract the activation from Windows before you do a clean install and then re-insert it into the clean install. This saves having to activate using the sticker underneath the laptop and also saves a phone call.

 

This link may be useful for those wanting to do a full reinstall.

 

i'd use MSI Afterburner.

 

it's called Keyboard Ghosting and is present on a lot of laptop keyboards (unfortunately).

 

Perfect. Cheers guys.

 

Do you really expect manufacturers to make the keyboard of a $1200+ notebook ~$1 more expensive?!?

 

Got my Vaio S 15.5". Slapped in a OCZ Agility 4 and 8 GB Kingston 1333Mhz CL9 1.5v ram.

Wasn't too sure if the ram would work, but I saw this thread and decided to risk it and viola!

Windows Experience Index:

Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3612QM CPU @ 2.10GHz 7.4
Memory (RAM) 12.0 GB 7.4
Graphics Intel(R) HD Graphics 4000 4.9
Gaming graphics 1696 MB Total available graphics memory 6.8
Primary hard disk -GB Free (-GB Total) 7.3

Super snappy.

 

So upgrading to the nvidia 304.xx beta drivers definitely increased my fps at 1080p from the 40-50 range to the 55-70 range in a lot of games. I seriously recommend doing the patched inf upgrade if you game at all.

 

Hi All,
I am definitely thinking about getting this laptop and replacing the ODD with a Hybrid XT Momentus. However, for the primary drive I will use SSD, but I am curious as to which solution is the fastest? Will the RAID 0 256 (128 + 128) from Sony be faster than the Samsung 830 (or the other SSDs mentioned here)? If my memory recalls, a RAID 0 array would be faster than a single drive.

 

Could anyone please tell if it's true? This would be terrible.

 

I tried the widget, and it's pretty bad. I can't even press all the WASD keys together.

 

Did you do the "have disk" method or the full Setup method?

For some reason my Setup fails with the modded inf ("Required files are missing") but if I manually change the driver in Device Manager (once again with a modded .inf) then load NVCPLSetupInt.exe I get updated to 304.48 and I have the Nvidia control panel.

 

I'd be more concerned if you can't press 2 of WASD + shift or ctrl + E, R, F or spacebar

 

Just checked.. I can do all of that

 

I did the 301.42 upgrade first just by replacing the inf, then running setup, then used nvidia update, enabling beta drivers.
EDIT: I am able to press more than 2 keys at a time. Easy test is pressing ctrl+shift+escape (opens task manager).

 

how long it takes to build a S13? its been 4 days

 

Yeah, MSI Afterburner works.

I'm curious about the overclockability of the 640m LE. Do you mind posting your results?

Ordered: 6/15
Built: 6/19
Shipped: 6/20

And it should arrive tomorrow (6/25).

 

I'm planning on buying the S13, some questions.

If I'm correct, the difference between S13 and S13A is the lid material, does it make it lighter? If I configure both machines with the same specs, the S13A is over ~150€ more expensive. Are you really spending that much more for a change in the material, or am I missing something?

On the other hand, the S15 is attractive due to its wonderful screen. How is the mobility on that one compared to the a 13.3"? Is it heavier, more bulkier?

Finally, if I bought it with the lowest HDD, would it be possible to swap the optical drive with an mSata SSD, or too complicated? Maybe it would be better to simply replace the main HD?

Sorry if some of these have been asked, I've tried reading part of this thread to no avail.

 

The S13A also has a fingerprint reader and TPM (for security applications), which the S13 doesn't include.

It is possible to replace the ODD (at least using a special caddy), but it's a bit more complicated than just replacing the original HDD. Not mSATA, though, but a normal SATA drive.

 

The SA is 0.05" thinner and a tiny bit lighter (3.8 vs 3.69 lbs).

The SA has a 1600 x 900 display vs. 1366 x 768.

 

^ Though in Europe (where I'm guessing kemoryan's buying due to euros), the S13 can also be configured for the 1600x900 screen, and it's a really cheap upgrade, too.

 

I'm having second thoughts about ordering the S13. For $60 more, I could have gotten the S15 which is only 0.6lbs heavier but has an IPS display/1920x1080 resolution.

Although when I'm at home it'll be connected to a 1080p monitor so I guess it's not that big of a deal... :/

 

Nilo I am in the same position, not sure whether to grab the S15 or S13A, I have a FW with full HD and it would be nice to have full HD again but I am worried about the size of the S15 and want a smaller laptop but if the screen on S13A is not the premium vaio one as people are saying then S15 would be a better buy.

 

Okay. Update on the keyboard problem.
I was playing a game which I usually played on my m11x R1. I pressed Down + Left + A at the same time. My character fell off the map. I pressed Down + Left + A one by one. My character fell off the map. how do I fix this? Is there some sort of software side fix for it??

 

Your only option is to remap the keys

And damn this is going to ruin The Binding of Isaac :/

 

Could you tell me if you have the S13, S13 premium or S15? I'am also wandering how serious this problem is. However until know nobody else mention this issue. When do you noticed this issue, during gaming?

Not sure if it could be a driver issue. Previously someone did mention which drivers were installed after a fresh Windows installation. Maybe you could check if you missed one.

 

omg wth Sony should've thought of this problem. This is a gaming laptop sigh

 

Yes for all you gamers, this problem is there. I suggest you contact a Sony customer representative and tell them how problematic this issue is. They should know this laptop is for gaming given the graphics card they have in it. If Alienware and Asus (these two laptops I have), can incorporate the usage of three keys simultaneously then how come the "great Sony" can't? this is utterly devastating

 

I have never heard anyone describe the Sony Vaio S series as gaming laptops!?

 

Is it the same deal in a WASD based game? is this isolated to the arrow keys?

 

Quite the opposite, Sony doesn't do gaming laptops, their strategy is this, if you want a good gaming machine, buy a PS3

 

omg all laptop manufacturers should just assume gamers use their laptops if they put ANY graphics card on it XD

 

I increased the GPU memory mhz to 1000mhz (from 900mhz stock) and 3dmark06 increased from 9500 odd to 9642. According to MSI Afterburder, on a single run of 3dmark06 at the higher memory rate, the GPU didn't go past 61C. Increasing the memory to 1100mhz delivered 9727 3dmark06.

I can't get MSI Afterburner to push the GPU past 540mhz either (like Faceless Rebel), although something funky is going on, because when I reset it the clock goes all the way down to 405mhz.

In any case, with the GPU clock to 540mhz and the memory to 1146mhz (at 1200mhz I started to see artifacts - little white dots), I got 10311 3dmark06.

Petrov.

 

Does it let you OC the GPU past 540mhz? I couldn't make that work with MSI Afterburner.

 

Thanks. Could you also tell me if you have the S13, S13 premium or S15?

 

Hello all, is it correct that the 15' models have the numeric keypad and the 13' models don't? Also if anyone has the white color...how is it for showing discoloration ie dirt etc? Thanks

 

I see, thanks for the info!

Ahh, that must be the reason... so in EU the plain S13 should give better bang for the buck if the security features are no concern.

I have the same dilemma. And even more now that the S15 is practically the same price as the similarily specced S13.

Why does the spanish Sony put the S13 1600x900 screen as better quality than the 1080p from the S15? The first one reads "Vaio Premium" while the latter one "Vaio Plus". Isn't the S15 screen supposed to be IPS and all that? Is there supposed to be a screen upgrade (the spanish site shows none for the S15)?

 

S13 Premium

 

Afterburner doesn't seem to measure the GPU as going past 540Mhz, but if you load GPU-Z at the same time, that seems to measure the GPU as being able to clock past 540mhz. It must explain how I got 10300 3dmark06 - because I had a +100 value (or thereabouts) in afterburner and, even though afterburner itself said my gpu was only running at 540mhz clock, GPUZ would have said I was running at 600mhz - I think...

Petrov.