Official 2012 Sony S Series Owners Thread

Next applies to my country, The Netherlands (Europe):
The S13A/P (both the premium build) is only selectable as configurable model.
Another (big?) reason for buying this one is that it will be shipped with the premium 1600x900 panel. All other options do use the "plus" edition of the panel.

 

not sure what you mean, but the non-premium s13 can also be configured with a 1600x900 screen if you are in the EU

im also in the Netherlands and im typing this on all 1600x900 of goodness right now.

 

The X230 gets a lot of respect around the world for its ruggedness, keyboard, un-bloated software and excellent IPS display. Honestly, if Sony had used a better display, I would give it an Editor's Choice. I don't mean it's horrid, but it's just not a class leading panel (S13A). Obviously the standard S13 is a more basic panel.

Personally? I bought the S13 not the X230 But I try not to let my personal preference overly color my review and ratings. And yes, we'll definitely do a smackdown!

 

In Sweden it actually costs the same to configure the s13 with 640 LE and 1600x900 screen as it would to get the s13p entry level, so with the s13p you get the carbon, weight and height differences at no extra cost if that is the spec you want.

 

really? the s13 was 170euros cheaper than the s13p for me via the student shop.

was a no brainer for me to go with the s13, considering the identical specs. only thing i missed out on (component wise) was the 1gb vs 2gb vram

 

Is new S series CPUs soldered or socketed?

 

Hi,
I want to buy VAIO S 15.
I have Corsair SSD 240 GB (2.5 inch), and I want to remove HDD 640GB and replace it with my SSD, will it fit in VAIO S?
Is VAIO S HDD 2.5 inch?

 

Same in the UK, at least when I bought mine in the middle of june (not looked at prices since). Infact I think it came out £10 cheaper to go with the premium, once you add the screen and GPU

Edit: just looked at prices and noticed sony are offering a "half price memory upgrade". However, if you select the 12GB option, it is free! saving you £120 (or about 45 if you were to upgrade the memory yourself)

 

In theory, each SODIMM module is driven by whatever values are reported by SPD. In an ideal world, if the RAM's SPD value reports 1.5V, it will work at 1.5V. Similar result if the RAM's SPD value reports 1.35V, it will work at 1.35V. People have reported that putting a 1.5V module in the S15 works, but unless they check with CPU-Z what voltage the RAM is being given, I don't know for sure what it actually is.

 

i just test my S13a on Skyrim in 1600*900 in high settings 4X got great FPS during 5 min ^^ and then it's laggy

i got the I7 version with 4g ram and GT640 2go ...

i don't understand why !!!

 

throttling...

 

In the Sony control center, set cooling to priority ventilation for "speed" mode. That way the S13a won't switch down to Intel graphics or drop down fps.

 

Try setting the "priority to ventilation" option for speed mode

 

So far so good for my S13.
One thing I am really interested is restart/reboot cycle is amazing fast when compare to other older model.

 

thanks for the tip i'll try

 

Hello, i´m new
I have a new SVS13A1C5E (german) and a question.
I have a new WD Elements USB 3 HDD and it don´t work on the USB 3. Only at the USB 2 port (HDD is formated with NTSF), and then win tells me it will be faster at USB 3 but nothing happend then when i switch, only the light at the HDD goes on no dingdong. What will i do ?

My Galaxy Nexus Smartphone is running on the USB 3 Port

 

i got my laptop with 128gb ssd built in and now should i get 256gb ssd to put into the cd drive or should i get a 750gb hdd?

also would this caddy be good for a sataIII ssd? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005G4RZNU/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00

 

What kind of USB lead do you have? Does it have TWO ends that you plug into the laptop?

Not 100% sure but sounds like the drive isnt getting enough power from the USB 3.0 ports. However I understand that the USB 2.0 port allows charging of external devices so I reckon it been "beefed" up to output more current.

 

only 1 port. I tought the USB 3 Spec are overall the same to work ??
The HDD is still running at USB3, i can feel it when i touch the drive, same like USB2

 

That's generally the case but not necessarily true. A small .15v bump in RAM may not be much but RAM can be very finicky and the lower voltage rated RAM might not run all that well at 1.5v. Also to consider is that when in dual channel (and you should be for the performance gains) the two modules must have the same settings. Asynchronous settings are not possible.

One point that gets overlooked is that the Ivy Bridge (and Sandy Bridge) IMC operates <1.5v and requires RAM that's under 1.5v for its suggested settings. RAM that's set over 1.5v can actually damage the processor (though it would likely take years). It can support LvRAM and the price of LvRAM is quite cheap (you can find 1.35/1.2v sticks for roughly the same price as 1.5v) so using 1.5v is just a case of the manufacturer cutting corners.

Now the worst part of all this soldering is that RAM tends to be one of the first pieces of hardware to fail in a given system, whether laptop or desktop. Soldering a crappy stick of RAM (say it's high latency and high voltage and only 2GB) means you're handicapped as far as replacements and upgrades goes. Running dual channel is pretty much a necessity in AMD APUs because of how the processor itself works (relying on DDR Bus for cache whereas Intel portions off 1.5MB of that L3 for the on-die GPU) so if you're buying an AMD APU with soldered on crappy RAM you're double screwed. If that crappy RAM fails then you might as well sell the laptop piece by piece. On Intel systems you don't gain as much of an advantage with dual channel but nevertheless you're stuck with crappy RAM, 1 less slot and lack of user upgrades.

Don't buy soldered RAM.

/rant off

 

Hey, I know I said I'd attempt a full review but in light of MobileTechReview planning one soon, it might be easier if I just answered specific questions about the S15. I've finally got mine completely set up and clean.

 

I think lisa just said they didnt get a S15 from sony yet. So some decent pics and comments on heatoutput, noise under load and maybe a GPUz/3Dmark would be nice =p

im kinda juggling between getting the S13 or S15 atm

 

Same here, and more info about the battery in various circumstances please.
Prefferable with a battery eater test included.

 

You can find decent pictures on Google.

The back vent does get a bit hot, but nothing unbearable. Everywhere else is generally cool, even after playing video for over an hour.

I've not been able to get the fan to make an unacceptable level of noise. You can hear it at times, but it's no louder than typing.

 

I might do a full battery stress test if I'm bored later. I've been getting between 3 and 4 hours on Speed with normal/heavy use. I barely broke 3 when installing drivers. I like my screen at about 75% so I'm sure that doesn't help. On Stamina, I'm confident you could blow past 4 and maybe even 5 hours. For the hour or so I had it on Stamina, it only used about 20% of the battery.

 

NewLaw: please go ahead and post anything and everything you can/want. We don't have our official review unit in house yet, and the more cooks the merrier!

 

To be honest I was looking for a scapegoat. Answering questions is far easier than doing a full write-up and I have beer to drink.

 

Hey folks, not sure if this will help anyone but I bought the SB and returned it due to crazy fan noise. This one is vastly improved in this regard, only getting noticeable during call of duty, and even then it is quieter than it was when just typing on the 2011.

I also need some help from someone who knows about trackpads if possible. I am visually impaired, and use a program that magnifies the screen called Zoomtext. In order to decrease and increase the magnification, you hold alt, and then scroll the wheel up or down, or on trackpads, two fingers. This has worked on every laptop I have ever tried it on, however it is not working on the S15 touchpad. If anyone has any ideas as to what I could try I would appreciate it. I know that if you hold three buttons it can have problems, but this is just alt and scrolling. Thanks.

 

@NewLaw what about the IPS Panel , Red/Orange issue as well heat ?? )

 

Easiest way is prolly to change the keybindings of the application. Bind zoom in to ALT + Arrow up, and out to ALT + Arrow down or something.

 

It's fantastic. The red/orange thing is way overblown. It's easily "fixed" and is really only noticeable if you make your entire background red/orange.

 

LOL, believe me, I know what you're saying

 

How have you fixed it? I'm really interested^^

 

Turn up blues or turn down reds by a few notches and it's almost impossible to see.

 

Guys, how would I go about overclocking my GPU for the S13P? I'd like to see a couple more frames out of SC2, Skyrim, etc. I'm using MSI afterburner so is it still just like overclocking a regular desktop GPU?

 

The UK Sony site is now saying that the graphics options for the S13A are:

1) GT 640 1Gb
2) GT 640 LE 2Gb

I have queried the site text chat about this and they couldn't tell me if this was a mistake (i.e. 1Gb card should be an LE version too) or if this really is the choice available.

I then rang customer services who told me that it really is a GT 640 (not LE). I've ordered with the 1Gb card so we'll see soon enough.

If this really is the choice I assume a GT 640 is quite a bit better than a GT 640 LE even without the extra memory.

I haven't read this whole thread to see if this has been mentioned elsewhere but in the 20 or so pages I have read I've not seen this before.

Here's the order confirmation:

What do you guys think and has anyone else seen this?

Nick

 

My final invoice (has just shipped with DPD) for my S13A says 'GT 640M 1GB' - won't hold it against them if it isn't of course

 

Can anyone confirm that it is possible to get $100 off the sheet battery and the free PS Vita or PS3 together if ordering the S13? If possible I might order one.

Sent from my GT-I9100

 

Just heat and fan noise as others have said and whether there is still issues with red ok the screen. Also how is the build quality? I heard the screen can be flimsy.

 

I've come to the S15 from a 2008 Dell XPSM1530.

Heat and fan control is simply amazing - my Dell would sit and have its fan on from about 5 minutes in - I have to struggle to hear the S15.

You could fry eggs on the Dell - the only area of the S15 that seems to get hot, as has been mentioned before here, is the exhaust area at the back. Everywhere else is either cool or only slightly warm to the touch. The palm rest area where you'll make most contact with the machine is almost always cool to the touch, only getting slightly warm on the right hand side where the ssd/hdd resides.

The screen does have slight problem with reds (showing slightly orange) but the problem is only really there if you go looking for it - and by that I mean comparing it to another monitor side by side - 99.9% of the time you'll look at the screen and instantly see the colour is red, not orange.

The screen otherwise is stunning - bright and sharp. If you are worried about colour accuracy then imho you should be using an external screen anyway.

Again, imho the screen flex issue is completely over played. Yes, there is some flex in the screen but its only 5mm thick - it you want industrial strength then look elsewhere. It will flex if you try to flex it but in normal use opening it and closing it with one hand with your hand in any position is *not* a problem. To be honest the slight flex probably makes it that bit more resistant to damage.

Any complaints? Only 2 things and they are niggles. I think the placement of the fingerprint reader (above the Pause/Break button) is plain silly - you can't use it without touching the keys below it.

And the other is that I sometimes lose USB devices when coming out of standby - but that maybe something I'm doing wrong.

Otherwise I'm really impressed with this machine. I'm not a games player but I do stress it in other ways (coding, video editing, picture editing etc.) and its not stopped impressing me since I received it.

Get one!

 

Nailed it. I like the flex in the screen. It feels less brittle. If I had one complaint about the design it would be how the keyboard is recessed. I constantly think I've dented my keyboard in before I realize it was designed that way.

 

Just wondering what processor you got, since i'm looking at picking up this unit to do video editing and adobe photoshop work.. Did you get an i5 or i7?

 

Hi everyone,

After reading all of the comments in this thread, I decided to order the S15 to replace my 4 year old Asus. According to FedEx, it should be here next Monday. I can't wait! I have a couple questions whose answers I was unable to find.

I ordered the laptop with no additional RAM. I plan to install an additional stick of 1333MHz RAM in the future. Will there be any difference performance-wise if I choose to go with a 8GB stick versus a 4GB stick. Will the RAM operate in dual-channel mode either way?

To the S15 owners, did your S15 come with a TPM (Trusted Platform Module) like the premium S13 model does? Sony's site (the US one at least) does not specify the S15 model coming with one.

Thank you!

 

I don't know where this rumor surfaced. Maybe on notebookcheck. The 640M LE is an underclocked 640M - both ddr5 and ddr3 versions exist.

Also, both the Vizio and the Acer TimelineU M5 use a DDR5 kepler 640M LE.

Edit: Didn't hear about the drivers... do you have to modify the inf files to install drivers?

For DDR5 kepler 640M LE, see:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6026/acers-timeline-ultra-m5-ivy-bridge-ultrabooks-with-kepler-gpus

That is most definitely a kepler part my friends, Fermi doesn't have that many CUDA cores

 

I ordered the premium and got both the $100 off and the free PS offer.

 

How will i release the frame (hdd) from the s13a? There are 4 screws and the last one is under the flat cable. I dont wanna destroy it what should i do?

 

Looks like they've made the same mistake again on the store - 12GB RAM available for free but marked half price

 

I have the second level of i5 (3210 I think) and have Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere Pro (all CS6) installed. All work great. More important will be how much RAM you have (I have 8gb). A bit of warning though, if you're doing Photoshop work and want high color accuracy, the screen will hold you back (only real case that the red/orange thing is an issue).

 

I am considering purchasing either a 13 or 15" S series in the next few weeks, and I have a question for any Canadian members who may have dealt with Sony already:

Is there any deals or discounts available, similar to what is being offered in the US? Things like discount on the extra battery sheet, PS3, more RAM, etc?

 

Check here: AnandTech - NVIDIA's GeForce 600M Series: Mobile Kepler and Fermi Die Shrinks

That was when They launched the 600m series. That Acer would be the first unit that was a Kepler 640m le with GDDR3. So either Nvidia changed their minds since the release or the information from Acer is actually wrong (which is quite likely). Vizio does not even state what kind of memory there is on their site.

If you are gonna state that there are Kepler 640m LEs with GDDR5 (which goes against what Nvidia themselves say) you will have to provide a more reliable source than product specs from companies sent to AnandTech. As we know from Sony (listing GT 640M when infact they are GT 640M LE), computer manufacturers often make mistakes with small things like that.