Official 2012 Sony S Series Owners Thread

Wow, you really pumped your system up You could probably have bought the RAM for half the price outside, though.

Once you get it, can you tell me how good the body is at avoiding finger/handprints, and oil marks? I have the carbon fibre black, and like I've been saying, it's a fingerprint magnet.

That said, I'm sure you're going to love your laptop!

 

Is the Nvidia 640M 2GB in the S15 GDDR5 of DDR3? Does somebody know this?

I'm very interested in a new notebook and it will probably be a S15 or the new Dell XPS15. I will only consider notebooks with GDDR5 GPU.

 

DDR3 on the 1GB variant.

 

2GB should be DDR3 as well. GDDR5 variant is based off the old fermi architechture... the 640M LE in the Sonys should all be keplar

 

If you can please run some benchmark on the following areas

-DDR3 low volatage (12GB) in your case

-SSD to see if it also running Sata2 like the Chinese released version.

-GT640LE 2GB

These would be my deal breakers.. thanks

 

Damn, that's a deal breaker . The performance difference between DDR3 and GDDR5 is about 40% .

 

it's a pretty strong GPU nevertheless. i don't think it will disappoint. besides, you can always overclock it, and given that it's a Kepler-based chip, it will run cool and will overclock easily.

 

I will let you know as soon as I get my typically greasy hands on it how it handles the prints.
Regarding the ram, I figure you are correct, I think at the time it was a $150 to upgrade form the 4gb to the 12gb. As it is such an easy thing to upgrade I should have used that money elsewhere! Looks like on the egg it would have saved $100 buying it seperate. Ill call this one new purchase excitement judgement error on my end. Will be in the back of my mind forever now! Makes that free PS3 look less free.

Either way pricing the same system today that I ordered a week ago, the costs have all gone up, looks like to order it today would cost me an extra $35. Still would have been nice not to get so trigger happy.

 

For those of you who already have the notebook, can one of you upload an image of the BIOS screen showing the empty SATA port?

My 15" should be coming this weekend, and after seeing the Sony option for dual SSDs in RAID0 I came to the conclusion that the S series must have 2 full SATA ports for 2.5" drives plus the port for the optical drive.

Of course, I can't confirm where the port is inside the laptop without actually opening mine when I get it or seeing a build manual. Hopefully when I get my 15 I can crack it open and find the port to add an SSD in combo with the data drive.

 

Has anyone played Starcraft II or Diablo 3 on this yet? I'm wondering if it could handle these games @1920x1080/Medium settings with decent frames.

 

Hi guys! I am debating between this and the T series as my new computer before college.

I had originally wanted to get the S series (13 inch) with an i7 and GT640, but I feel like that is too expensive and will have horrible battery life.

Would I be better off just buying the new T series, and selling the Vita to pay a 256gb SSD? Do you think that computer would last for 4 years doing basic college level tasks, assuming multitasking. (Like eclipse(programming)/word and lots of tabs, with iTunes in the background)

Is either of the 2 models more durable than the other?


In either case I will buy extra ram for it.

Also would the i7 upgrade on the t series be worth it? ($150, unlike the 250 it costs on the S)

(1.7/2.6 vs 1.9/3)

 

So guys, what are the discounts/deals you can get?

So far I've heard
1. Sales rep 10% discount
2. Educational discount
3. Free PS3/PS Vita

Is this correct? (assuming a student)

 

No it's not for the 640m LE. It's proven to only be around 10% at best (some thread here on NBR), as the GDDR5 are all Fermi while the DDR3 variations are all Keplar cores. GDDR5 keplar 640m LE's do not exist.

Apparently, sony's option for 2xSSD uses some weird connector RAID them into one slot (not 100% sure...)

Based on what notebookcheck says, it should beable to handle both on medium with decent frames (30+, but don't expect 60+).

They're meant for different purposes, with the T series being an ultrabook and really thin and portable. The S series is generally accepted to be more powerful, at the cost of portability. It's up to you.

i7 upgrades are almost never worth it, unless it's to an i7 quad core, in which then it is worth it. But i7 dual cores are just a marketing thing, for something that is only marginally faster

 

Probably a stupid question, but this'll be my first computer with SSDs: Can I reformat my 2x128GB sticks from RAID0 (256GB capacity) to RAID1 redundant 128GB when it comes, or are they hooked up in some way that I can't do that?

 

You can change them to RAID1. You will have to reinstall windows to do it though. Also remember that RAID0 will provided for a faster experience because of the fact that the data is striped over both drives, rather than cloned in RAID1.

 

Have you installed the memory? Which one is better?

 

Anyone know about the deals?

Also, is there anyway to take advantage of the Microsoft offer of the free Xbox as well? Maybe buy from the Microsoft store and call up Sony for the Vita? Possible? No?

 

Yes, I actually got all 3 Might be tricky, but its possible! I bought the docking station with mine, so they were willing to combine both discounts. As far as the free system... i called in after the fact when the order was placed and they just shipped me a system without cancelling anything.

 

I have both of the memory sticks in hand... my system arrives on Friday via FedEx Express. I can fill you guys in on more then! Can't wait for this system.

Also as a side note, Im going to be comparing this to a new fully loaded HP DV6 I bought during the 33% off sale... I still have another week before I have to return it. I'm going to try both and decide which one I want to keep between the 2.

 

@ rohandhruva
Thank you really for the time you're spending to answer our questions and your very precious review.
Just one thing, the battery life that you announced (5h49) is with word open or in idle with just windows running without any application? I suppose that it's the battery at 100%?

 

is the new touchpad Synaptics or Alps?

 

Are you able to open the laptop without holding the bottom part - just the screen?

Also, does anyone know if the free PS3 deal is available also outside USA?

 

Microsoft is only sending XBOX systems to customers who purchased their PC from Dell, HP, Newegg, or the Microsoft store. You can't double dip. I already tried.

 

It was with Chrome open, so pretty light surfing [i.e. no streaming music or videos]. Honestly, the battery life is pretty unimpressive.

Synaptics Clickpad.

No, I do need to hold the bottom part of the machine to open the screen lid.

Another extremely annoying thing I noticed: the time required to "Suspend" and "Hibernate" is the same. That is, if I just close the lid, instead of instantly "suspending", it actually takes about a minute to go into Suspend mode. Also, there is no indication that you have "Suspend"-ed as opposed to "Hibernate"-d. No flashing light, nothing. Only way you'd know is when you open the screen lid. Highly annoying.

 

Would love a link when u do the comparison.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

 

Great. cannot wait

 

I'm a SA21 owner.
I wanted to know if you SVS13 owners got sata 6Gbit support?
Also there is a bios update for you. Did anyone try that?
Did the update change anything about the sata speeds?
Thanks and happy with your new VAIO!

 

- Not sure about SATA 6GBit; how do I check?
- Yes, I tried the new BIOS, and I don't see anything really different
- Data speed? Nothing noticed.

As of now, my two major annoyances are:
1. Suspend takes as long as hibernate [maybe a RapidWake thing?]
2. For the life of me, I can't install GRUB2 bootloader because of screwed up EFI -- Sony VAIO S and EFI troubles

 

I have a couple of questions:
- Is slot CD/DVD/BR drive removable?
- Is SVS series compatible with sheet battery from the previous gen (SA/SB/SE) in the same screen diagonal category (13" or 15")?

 

According to the website, it is the same part number for the sheet battery for the 13 and 13A as for the previous SA's 13".

 

Do you have Intel RST installed? If so, that should show your hard drive's SATA connection speed in it's status/control panel.

 

Sorry for double post, but about your linux troubles, maybe these two links could shed some light?

[all variants] GUIDE: (U)EFI installation - Ubuntu Forums
[SOLVED] InsydeH2O bios Lenovo NOT booting in EFI mode - Ubuntu Forums

 

Just ordered a silver s15 off newegg,
It should be here tomorrow or Friday.

Does anyone know if the s15 has 2 hdd bays? I have a ssd and I'd really like to use it. I'm fine with swapping out the ODD if that's what needs to happen though.

Great to hear the gt 640m le is the kepler version though. And I don't think that notebookcheck's benchmarks are very accurate. My current laptop has am amd 6550m which is worse than the 640m le (assuming about 70% of the performance of the 640m le), and I am able to run modernish games (skyrim, dota 2, bfbc2, starcraft 2, tf2) at 1920x1080 with settings on high (no AA except for source engine games though) at 35-60fps.
I really don't see BF3 running fluidly on the 640m though, maybe on medium :/

 

Thanks. That sounds great.

 

it will run very fluidly on medium, but you should turn MSAA off and use FXAA.

 

How's the screen color quality on the new S13?

 

Yes, Microsoft is. But is SONY? Did you try getting from the Microsoft store and then calling up Sony? This is what I said in my post....

 

Just ordered my black S13 (non pro).

Core i5-3210 / 8GB / Geforce 640m 1GB / 320GB HDD, 1600x900.

With a 5 % off coupon code on the Dutch Sony store for € 987.

At first I was disappointed the S13A's price was increased recently, but the lowered price of the S13 compared to the previous model and the added customization options made that one a much better, cheaper choice. It's too bad it's a lil heavier, but otherwise, I would have gotten the exact same S13A specs at € 150 more.

Planning to upgrade to a 256+ GB SSD sometime in the future when they become more affordable, perhaps when (if ever) I'll upgrade to Windows 8 with the coupon.

I'm upgrading from my current SR2 series notebook that is over three and a half years old now and has been running with no problems at all and still running strong (typing on it now)! So I hope this one will please me just as well.

 

Comparing both the body of the S13 and the S13A/P are there any major differences in material? I know the black S13 has a nice rough (sandpaper like) feel to it. How does the A/P version compare?

 

I checked, and unfortunately, the SATA speed is 3Gb/s

Thank you for the links I finally got over my issues by replacing the windows bootloader with GRUB2!

 

hey rohandhruva,

how do you like the mouse pad??
how is the carbon fiber material on the laptop.
And is it worth it to buy the premium model

And does it feel durable?

 

How is the Premium display on the S13A compared to an IPS display if someone can compare? Especially the viewing angles.

 

Thanks everyone!
From info I got here I finally bought a new laptop after having my old Vaio S break a couple months ago.

I got a silver vaio S 13 inch with the dock, a black keyboard skin, a carrying case, and the free PS Vita.

Total was less than $1600 with tax. I wanted the premium SA but I always prefer a silver laptop as it doesn't show fingerprints as much as black. After an exhausting talk with sales over the phone I got info saying the computer has the fixed memory plus two memory slots, allowing for an upgrade to 12gb with 2 4gb sticks. Not sure how reliable that information is. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

Specs:

Product: US-SVS131190X-LBOM-2
Component: 3rd gen Intel® Core™ i7-3520M processor (2.90GHz / 3.60GHz with Turbo Boost)
Component: 6GB (4GB fixed onboard + 2GB removable) DDR3-1333Mhz
Component: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Component: NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 640M LE (1GB) hybrid graphics with Intel® Wireless Display technology
Component: 13.3" LED backlit display (1366 x 768)
Component: 640GB (7200rpm) hard drive
Component: Silver
Price: $1,231.89

 

Info show you can upgrade RAM from 2GB slot removable. Other slot fixed with 4Gb.

 

Just got confirmation my 13A has entered production. A bit disappointed in the dates I have been given. I am told it should be shipped from the factory between 22.06.2012 and 27.06.2012. It then has to go to the European logistics centre and after that another 3 days to the UK. Looks like it's going to be right at the top end of the 2 to 3 weeks from order as I placed my order on Monday. After reading how quick some of you guys got yours, I thought mine might be sooner.

Still not certain about the colour I ordered. I am fed up with black and gunmetal is not much better and cost more. The only other option in the UK for the 13A is gold so I went for that. I would probably have preferred silver or white. But still it looks a nice gold.

One problem I had with my (now deceased) SA2 was with the backlighting design on the silver keyboard. I tend to sit quite back from the keyboard at times (especially in bed ) and, because of the design of the keys, it was difficult to identify the letters on the keys. The new gold 13A seems to have black keys but I wonder if I will still have the same problem.

 

The free PS3 that came with my laptop is being delivered today. I'm excited just for that, haha. Can't wait till the laptop itself comes next week.

 

How did you guys put in the PlayStation coupon codes? Every time I do it I get an invalid message. Thanks

Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk 2

 

isn't it like 0.5 kg heavier?

Anyway, what's the main differences from S13A to S13?
Carbon fiber chassis for the first and plastic for the second,
gold Vaio logo vs silver Vaio logo and
no fingerprinter reader for the S13

.. right?

 

Approximatly right except that the S13 isn't in plastic but in Magnesium/Aluminum so the S13 is a BIT heavier (not 0,5 kg at all, more 0,1 or 2).

 

Does anyone know why 12 GB RAM isn't available in combination with a 128 GB SSD? The jump to 256 GB SSD is a little too pricey for me!