Official 2012 Sony S Series Owners Thread

I'm running the Windows 8 Release Preview on my S15, and really like it. If you have any interest in trying out the new OS, then I say go for it. Worst thing that could happen is that you don't like it and go back to Win7. I haven't noticed any issues yet.

A lot of people can't get around the lack of a Start button or start menu, but I see the new Start screen as just serving the same function of the start menu. I see the start screen as a full-screen version of the start menu. Does everything the start menu did.

 

and to finish, here is my results for my raid 0 256 sony ssd.
definitely sata III

 

It's funny. Only the latest releases of MBP (MacBook Pro) got gamut close enough to sRGB. Previous models had more narrow gamut, yet people were happily editing photo and video without complaining and were "making living" doing that. What gives? I understand that it's 2012 but "This will not be accepted" is too strong IMO

Good luck with your quest for a better laptop.

 

Just got my free PS Vita from Sony for ordering the S13A. I'm wondering why they used such a large box though. They could have fit 2 PS3 boxes inside of the box they sent with the Vita, and then they put a ton of huge pieces of bubble protectors.

 

Ok...don't wanna be a noobe here but...has anyone figured out how to get the Advanced Network functions (wifi on/off & bluetooth on/off) back after a clean install? Haven't seen a reference to this since page 45...

 

install 'smart network'

 

Thanks for your feedback. I've tried win8 developer preview once on another laptop but had trouble getting all the drivers to work...especially wireless.

I saw somewhere in this forum that all Sony drivers work well with win8 RP. So I'm pretty keen to try it out - especially the super short boot time (even though my ssd already boots win7 pretty fast).

Any last warnings before I try it out?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

Can anyone with the S15 with the 3612 quad core comment on an throttling issues?

 

To follow up on my previous 120hz issue, I've found the highest I can get over HDMI before Intel's control panel complains is the slightly obscure refresh rate of 76Hz at 1080p (amazingly the monitor happily syncs at this). 72Hz also works which will be very handy for video.

Now the only task that remains is to hack the C_MODES_LFP_aa key to get past that silly 'custom resolution exceeds maximum bandwidth capacity' thing. Would love to see what the S13A's lcd is really capable of..

 

Does anyone notice that this laptop is extremely susceptible to scratches? I baby this notebook (the black one), however I'm finding hairline scratches everywhere!

 

Yes, I think that's a fair observation. My black s13p has got a couple of light scratches on it despite me handling it with kid gloves.

Petrov.

 

Just mentioning something I randomly found this morning playing around with the laptop: Three-finger click on the touchpad seems to work as right click, though it's not mentioned anywhere in the configuration utility. I was wondering why it wouldn't let me configure two-finger click for that purpose, but I guess the three-finger click is a suitable replacement.

 

Hello there

I'm in the middle of a laptop swap, and still hesitating, so I've got a few questions about the S please :

-Is there a need for a special caddy bay to replace the DVD, or is a "basic" model enough please ?

-In order to do some office/web stuff (mainly texts, server administration, powerpoint ...), multimedia (iTunes, mkv and else, maybe so music creation ...), some games (D3, DotA2, SC2 ...) and some MatLab/Maple/Solidworks from time to time, is there a real need to go from i5 to i7 please ?

-Does the hacked bios, and o/ced GT640M LE, give a real boost in games ? Are there some concrete examples please ?

-Has anyone succeeded in booting on / installing a Linux distro on the S please ?

Thanks in advance

 

I have the 3612qm and i have no throttling issues whatsoever.
As long as the cooling options are set to "priority to ventilation" while in speed mode the laptop will actually stay at 2.8ghz on each core, even after an hour of prime95.
The 3612 will run at 2.8ghz with the gpu stressed as well, as long as the gpu is under 95% load.
If both chips are pinned at 100%, which really only happens if furmark and prime95 are both running, the cpu will clock back down to 1.2ghz per core.

 

That's exactly I'd like to know too (with normal gpu clocks and with the bios mod)

 

Did you try if it happens on battery after being on Ac for a while then taking it off AC and working on battery for a while?

 

just installed windows 8 consumer preview but I'm having a few issues

1. Functions keys don't work - volume worked prior to installing "hotkey utility" but afterwards nothing works.

2. Vaio control center on shows system information and HDMI resolution. I've installed fan diagnostics and hardware diagnostics but extra options aren't coming up - I really want to change ventilation to priority on Speed mode!!

Anyone have any clue what's going wrong?

 

I got the same problems with my clean install of Win 7. After 3 hours of trying whatever me and the net could think of I gave up and installed Win 7 using the Sony restore disks I burned. Once I did that I saw I had been missing way more options than I first thought. Had to spend 3-4 hours uninstalling bloatware though.

 

@pchome
It doesn't matter if it's on Ac or battery it will always keep the clocks at 2.8ghz if the switch is set to speed mode.
when set to stamina mode the clocks are held back at 1.6ghz but i think that is due to a setting i have enabled.
I always do serious work in speed mode though so i actually prefer that stamina keeps the clocks lower to save battery.

@Enthusiast94
I have the bios mod to set my gpu to 1000mhz.
If i run prime95 for max heat, and start up furmark the cpu does drop down to 1.2ghz. Like i said in my earlier post, if both chips are pegged at 100% with the bios mod the cpu will clock down.
I don't know what the results are without the bios mod, but i assume they would be similar with it just taking a little bit longer before the cpu throttles down.
If you keep the gpu load under 95% or so, the cpu doesn't clock down.
While running 3dmark/gaming i'm pretty sure the cpu stays at 2.8ghz but neither cpu-z nor core temp will log the cpu clock speed.
If anyone knows a program that will monitor the clock of the cpu in the background while gaming i will install that and test it during a continuous 3dmark loop to test if the chip throttles under more real world loads

 

Exactly why I was wondering if anyone has found a hard case compatible to this laptop? Sigh maybe I'm just too used to seeing MAcbook pro people and their clear cases.

 

I got my S15 on Monday and so far I love it... Only issue: The speakers. Since I did a clean installation of Windows 7 the speakers are terribly quiet. I can barely watch a DVD because the sound is so low. Of course I installed the Realtek drivers from the Sony website (again and again), but nothing helps.

Anybody who experienced similar problems or ARE the speakers really this bad?

 

Problem solved. I downloaded a fresh copy of windows 7 pro from different place and it worked flawlessly.
Sometimes the solution can be too easy to notice in a first place.
I have no idea, why the first copy of windows installerd did not work tho.

 

Nice, could be that raid drivers were included in that Win build?. Can you report if you get all drivers working in Win 7? With my clean Win 7 installation things did not install, Vaio Control Center for example only showed 3 different categories (System Information, Keyboard and Mouse, Display) and within those categories all options were not avaliable.

 

Im installing all updates and needed drivers now.
I needed to download wireless driver with another computer, but everything else i can now download directly to notebook.
So far i downloaded and installed nvidia newest beta driver and intel newest graphics driver. Both installed just fine.
I will download and install only the drivers which are needed to get everything working. All other stuff which already works on windows drivers, i will not reinstall. I always prefer windows drivers to manufacturers drivers, because windows drivers always work flawlessly for me.

Another note which was a suprice for me on S15. The screen is not really matte. Its a glossy screen with nice reflection reducer on it. It still reflects direct light a little, but im happy with it, since it does not disturb much while working in daylight.

 

Go into VAIO Control Centre, then Sounds and then select Dolby Home Theatre. The speakers are pretty naff anyway.

I'm finding my VAIO S13 REALLY annoying. It keeps reverting to 40Hz when resuming from sleep, regardless of whether it's plugged in or not. Anyone else had this problem?

Also having wireless issues on battery where it will go really slow and sometimes appear to have disconnected. Fine when plugged in again...

 

For the 40 hz, right click on desktop display resolution, advanced settings and, then, set the value to 60 hz for the mode you want (battery etc...)

For the wireless, did you check the power settings in power options when you are on battery? It seems that your option is set to reduce the wireless. Simply put it on performance.

 

Thanks man, I worked it out, it's all in the advanced settings when editing power plans.

 

And being one of those people I would never rely on a laptop screen for such purposes . A good external IPS monitor is a must IMO if you do this kind of thing professionally*. I'm awaiting my S15, so I may find the red issue annoying, but I am expecting every other aspect of the screen to be very good.

*One caveat to this would be if you use your laptop to show clients what you're working on. This isn't a consideration for me as I predominantly work via email.

 

I've given up on windows 8 consumer preview. Tried all night to get function keys working but no driver from any Sony country website works.

Furthermore control center is heavily stunted and is missing most functions including setting performance fan to prioritize on ventilation...which meant that games lagged even though I'm using 900mhz BIOS mod. Yes I've changed global settings, application settings and power to prefer performance in nvidia control center.

I'm not sure how you other win8 tester managed to get everything working but its not for me at all and as much as I like the new interface, I'm now recovering the win7 Sony image.

Have to debloat the system again sigh...

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

 

My order is being "Custom Built" for me by sony as we speak... does that mean i'm allowed to post in the thread yet?

I went for the s13p with i7 processor with 2gb gfx upgrade, reduced the hard drive which came out at £940.

I'll pick up a stick of 4GB dual voltage 1.35v/1.5v RAM for £18 or so on amazon.

I see most of you have Samsung SSDs, has anyone replaced the stock HDD with an OCZ Agility 3 2.5" model? Will i need to pick up a spacer or mounting kit?

I know those Agility 3 drives have a bad reputation for BSOD, but i'm fairly adept at updating firmware and installing the correct drivers so hopefully should be ok. Price wise, i can get a 240GB SSD for £140 delivered, whereas the samsung 830s are in short supply in the UK, and cost about £90 for 128gb.

 

I'm using a 120GB OCZ Vertex 3 with no issues. 9.5mm height drives fit perfectly, no need for a spacer or adapter.

My only issue showed up when I installed the Intel RST drivers, the machine would stall every few minutes with a continuous HDD access light, and then continue on as if nothing happened. It has to do with Intel's implementation of LMP and apparently occurs with other SSDs too.

I made a reg file to fix the issue which I have attached here.

 

oh great thanks! i've emailed it to myself as i'll never find it again when my laptop arrives.

have refreshed the "order status page" a few times already today even though i know its a 2-3week wait ;(

 

am trying to do clean install of win 7 ultimate on crucial ssd. Failed to follow the instructions properly on initial install and did not format drive in MBR resulting in reduced functionality presumably due to current inability to boot into UEFI - legacy boot only available.
instructions were:
From your BIOS select to boot the Windows DVD without UEFI, go to the repair options, select command prompt and then enter this:

diskpart
list disk
select disk 0
clean
convert mbr
create partition primary
select partition 1
format fs=ntfs quick

am trying to do another install as per the instructions but cannot access repair options in the bios - this does not seem to be an option - is there another way to access cmd prompt in bios?
if this is not what is suggested I tried finding repair options when booting win 7 install disk but clean install or upgrade appear to be the only available options.

advice much appreciated.

 

I can't see any scratches on mine, although I have the silver one and scratches may be harder to see.

I removed all the stickers on my laptop (Intel, Nvidia, Windows 7, etc) and was worried I may scratch the laptop as I was removing them, but I can't see any scratches around the area where the stickers used to be.

 

Sony is pretty fast at building and shipping CTO models. I ordered my configured S13A on 7/12 and it shipped early this morning. Estimated delivery is 7/23.

 

Is there an order things need to be reinstalled in so that you get the optimal reinstall? I plan on installing Windows on a Crucial M4 in my S13A, and I know drivers are available online.

Anything I need to know before a complete reinstall?

 

check the first post..there should be a link to the order of things that needs to be reinstalled..specially for sony's drivers.

 

I been searching in the thread forever now but I cannot find it. How do I set something to always use the Nvidia GPU? I want to make sure that D3 is actually using the 640 as it feels a bit laggy and the FPS meter is at 0 so I cannot check via that. I got "Priority to ventilation" on by the way.

 

I still can't make my mind up between the 13 and the 15. I'm 100% sure I'm going to get a Vaio S (can't beat the hardware/looks of it for the price.. especially with the O/Cing of the 640mLE, and how easy it is to add extra RAM/SSD). But I just can't make my mind up haha.

13 - smaller footprint.. more easily portable (this laptop will be doing a fair bit of travelling to and from work, and to and from my gfs place).. more "premium" materials..

15 - IPS screen.. $30 cheaper..

I wish it was only one screen that had flaws.. Both of them having their own issues makes it tough to decide..

 

That just makes me sad! I ordered mine on the 5th of July and only today did i get an email saying that the build is complete. Still have to wait for it to be shipped from the factory to the warehouse :/
The wait is agonising!

 

I found the S15 too big to travel with. However, everyone has their own opinion. Can you go to a retailer and try lugging around both?

 

Just a quick question,

Once I swap my SSD for my HDD, what do I do next? Should I insert my Win7 discs and turn on the laptop?

Then I start installing all the drivers?

 

Hi there.
Okay I have done a lot to my S13A now, qdded M4 120GB as main drive, 320GB 5400 rpm inside the newly added caddy. 4 GB more ram to total of 8 GB, bios mod with 950 MHz working allright.
Installed WIndows 7 freshly with UEFI which worked quite well too.

But I have some problems after the fresh install...some VAIO programs seem to not be working properbly(followed the install order given in the first post):
1. Inside of the VAIO Control Center it seems to be missing some tabs:



2. my function keys don't seem to work either. The same thing happend to azelexx ( posted here)

3. while playing on the external monitor and using the notebook monitor as an extended display I seem to be getting quite low fps & lags in League of Legends which is quite fluently working otherwise.(NV Driver 301.42) Okay after some more tests it seems it has nothing to do with the external monitor beeing on or off. I will go and tr some other drivers but I guess the prolem is based on the ventilation settings.

So far I'm really happy with this laptop. Would buy it again and will tell other prople to buy it in case they have the money and don't are changing some minor parts to increase performance.

Edit: Thx darxide, edited the picture. Didn't really want to show any speecs only the missing options in the control center

Edit2: Seems like the GF is clocking down to 238 MHz after a few seconds of gaming...

 

^ you might want to black out your serial number and service tag number in the image above.

 

Some more news on the HDMI output - I've managed to squeeze out 105Hz at 1080p (with a pixel clock of near 300). Sadly my monitor has a hardware limit which cuts off any HDMI signal >85Hz regardless of resolution (oddly) after precisely 60 seconds.

So for those of you wanting high resolutions out of the HDMI port, as long as your monitor is (very) generous with regard to signal processing (if it has a DisplayPort input in addition to HDMI/DVI, it likely is), it will probably work. The ranges accepted by my monitor are pretty insane - any resolution at literally any refresh rate 24-120 with any signal polarity and almost any sync size/clocks I feel like typing in. Pity about the silly 85hz hdmi limit, but at least it's pretty close to where I can't tell a difference (around 95hz+)

 

Did you try higher resolutions too? Or does your screen only support up to 1080p. I don't care much for refreshrate most of the time I just use 59/60 Hz. But support for high resolutions would be nice.

 

All those problems are related to not installing all the drivers from sony. They're all linked to in the first post.

 

It's only a 1080p screen sadly. Just calculated the bandwidth usage and it's approx 6.64Gbit/s (using tiny blanking size), could be wrong though..

 

There seems to be some problems with that though, it seems the drivers do not install correctly. I had exactly the same problem on my clean install even though I followed the guide to the letter.

 

Quoting myself to see if anyone can help me with this.