Official Sony S11/S12/S13 (2010) Owners Thread

If they just released a premium VAIO S with the VAIO Z 1600x900 screen, than it would be perfect.

 

On my model there are 3 screws holding the HDD caddy in the chassis; two short at the front and one long at the back. Anyone replacing their drive should carefully check the particular arrangement in their S as they proceed.

 

True. My mistake. They are 3. Corrected the original post too not to mislead.

 

That certainly is my opinion, and I can show you why - try this, for example: on the UK site, compare the VPCS13V9E/B with the VPCS11V9E/B. You will see that the VPCS13V9E/B has 6GB DDR3 SDRAM ( 2x2GB, 2x1GB ). Which means it must have at least 4 RAM slots, if the info is accurate. You will also note that is doesn't tell you which CPU is used. So the specs are not complete, and more than likely not accurate, because I very much doubt that the new S has 4 RAM slots (and if it did, wouldn't 16GB RAM be supported rather than the 8 that Sony says it does?). I discovered this just glancing quickly at the specs, I'm sure there are many more inconsistencies...

 

I don't see any information on the VPCS13V9E/B page stating "(2x2GB, 2x1GB)"; nothing to imply 4 RAM slots.

You are entitled to your opinion, but I suggest you inform it by glancing less quickly.

 

Apart from the incomplete CPU spec., I pretty much believe it! Why not? Was S12 any different than S11??? Apart from 2GB more ram the rest was the same. So why not expect the same from S13.

And no - S will never have 4 RAM slots or support more then 8GB RAM, as this is a limitation from the chipset used and it will never change. I personally don't know any 13 or 14" notebook with more than 2 slots.

But wait and see yourself

 

PJF: Maybe you should "glance less quickly". See attached.

Gracy123: I'm just saying that the info is incomplete and probably incorrect in some cases.

 

Heh, I felt when I posted that I was going to get a kicking...

Still think you're out of luck on the wider point though. I based my post on Sony listed specs (across countries) and your minor find notwithstanding, there's nothing to indicate the specs are inaccurate.

More than happy to be proved wrong, though. This is the advantage of pessimism (to be proved wrong by good news).

 

I think, that for Sony is the main change between S12 and S13 the wireless technology for picture trasmission to a TV. Thats why it is calles S13, I think.

I do not believe in 4 DDR3 slots. 8 GB are limited by chipset and 4 slots need too much space. But I dont need more than 4 GB of RAM, because I need 32 bit Win7.

 

The wireless HDMI technology was just introduced! It will for sure not be a part of S13!

32 bit Windows does not need less RAM then 64 bit I will for sure upgrade to 6 or 8 GB some day 4 is fine for now though.

 

Hitachi drive got here. Attempted to remove the Toshiba one, got stuck in one of the front screws, it just wouldn't move! it's like it stuck there for eternity! ggrrrr

After a while i gave up as i am afraid it will damage the screw head further and I wont be able to do anything with my brand new hdd!

Any ideas!?

 

Depends on how you look at it. 32bit operating systems (excepting some server solutions) can't use more than about 3.25Gb due to limited address space. There's no point in putting more than 4Gb of RAM in a 32bit system because it'll never use it. In that sense 32bit Windows needs less RAM than 64bit, which can use the larger amounts.

But I know you know this already. You're plotting something.

 

Does anyone know which sony driver is causing the horrific battery drain?

 

A tiny drop of WD40 around the screw head. Allow to seep in. Although WD40 isn't a proper "liquid wrench", it's probably sufficient for this job. Select screwdriver that fits the best (important). Gently tap. Gently but firmly turn with a good downward pressure. Gently tap, turn, etc.

Obviously the drive mustn't be operating when you're tapping, but at this stage the battery should be disconnected anyway.

One of mine was stiff and this got it going eventually.

 

Thank you for the tips. I will go get WD40 tomorrow and get a bunch of screwdrivers and see if that works!

 

Not seen a general issue with horrific battery drain on the S. Vaio users of all kinds frequently mention an inordinate level of battery charge depletion when their unit has been switched off (with the battery fitted and charger disconnected). But since the unit is switched off it's not a driver problem because none are loaded.

I very occasionally see this "depletion" on my S. As far as I can tell it's not a real depletion; it's an incorrectly reported one. If my unit fires up and reports 70% charge instead of 80% for no apparent reason, the level indicator sits at 70% for a long time before any normal discharge is reported. Also during this initial reporting error period, there is no estimate of remaining time given. Once normal discharge is reported, the remaining time estimate kicks in.

 

wirelss signal to a display box is old school. they need to fix the dpi though

 

I agree with the above. I have experienced the same, especially when waking up from hibernation - it goes to 80% or less (from 100) just after waking up which if you look at it that way is a lot - 20% drain!! But you should notice it remains at 80% for quite a long time, which means it is actually much more than 80. It's just the indication that is wrong and misleading.

I haven't observed any other "drain phenomenon".

 

The s has a drain issue in either sleep. I have this issue with the 2, EA, Y series. I believe its a issue with the BIOS or certain drivers. Because when I remove the battery and leave it out there is no drain issue at all.

 

Sorry... could be an individual problem.... I have no battery drain, just like PJF and there's no need for you to try to convince me I just don't. I suggest you contact vaio-support and explain your situation.

 

Well, maybe I was “lucky”, but I just randomly clicked two models (1 S13 and one older S) and compared so I could see them side by side. Anyway, to be fair there probably won’t be any significant changes, I’m probably just being naive and stupidly optimistic... But hey, you never know, maybe we will all be pleasantly surprised and Sony will add some amazing new feature to the S series!

 

Yes, they will add their amazing brand new product price tag on it!

 

I guess you know but just in case in sleep or hybrid sleep it is normal for battery to be consumed. You are talking about having the computer totally off, right? As in shut down. As for the Y I haven't had any noticeable "battery drain".

 

haha yes probably!

 

Yes, I have engraving machine. Today I have Asus EEEPC, which is very small and handy, but very slow for some tasks as HD video playback from my HD camcorder. That is the reason, why I choosed Vaio S.

The RAM abowe the 3,5 GB limit can be used only with integrated graphics cards (f.e. Intel HD), wich has no own memory. But to have more as 4GB in 32 bit OS is not a good idea. More RAM=more power consumption from battery and no benefit.

Now I am waiting for final specs of S13 and then I want to buy S12 or S13. But on web I found on more pages, that S13 will have the wireless HDMI.

I hoped to an antiglare screen, but it seems, that the screen will be again glare. Has anyone experience with additional antiglare film? I hate glare screens.

 

Please browse/search the thread! The subject has been discussed, there have been a few reviews and experience-reports..... just spend some time and look for them. I personally have absolutely no problem with the glare screen as I never work out under the sun, whereas the image quality of a glare screen is noticably better.

 

Does anyone know how to program the ASSIST button? I'd like to assign a program or action to it, as I've uninstalled Vaio Care and it is useless at the moment (not that it was any useful before...)

 

A minor aside, but I'm not sure if 2 x 4Gb would use much more power than 2 x 2Gb. Using just one slot (say, 1 x 4Gb) would probably make the most difference to power consumption.

I've read good things about Vikuiti aftermarket films. They use 3M materials, which are usually very good. This page is for the S screen size:
Vikuiti? ARMR200 screen protector for Notebooks with 33.8 cm (13.3 inch) screens [294 x 165.5 mm, Aspect Ratio 16:9]

Initially I did wonder if the lady in the video might be Gracy, but she seems far too patient for that to be possible.

 

HDD replacement saga is finally over.

That annoying screw, it was my crap screwdriver that was the issue. I bought a new one and magically the screw was feather light.

Removed the whinning Toshiba drive and now my VAIO is a lot more quiet with the Hitachi Travelstar.

 

Opps, I searched the thread to confirm if the S12 screen is antiglare but with no success.

There is contradictory information over there. And a salesman at sonystyle Spain said me that the screen is antiglare, but I'm not sure if this correct.

Could someone confirm me that the S12 screen is antiglare?

Thanks,
Angel

 

S11 and S12 have the same screen - glare!

 

New Vaio Care out 24 Sept 2010, version - 6.3.0.09020

For
VPCS11V9E/B
VPCS12V9E/B
VPCS13V9E/B
(probably other models too, but too tired to check)

"This update contains various performance and stability improvements"


Will try during weekend.
.

 

I'd like to know the same!

 

It looks like Sony will be offering the i7 640M processor for the VAIO VPCS13. Details were on their website this morning but they have removed it for some strange reason.

Has anyone researched on why our VAIOs S with NVIDIA chips don't support switchable graphics? is it...

1. Sony's greediness for money (forcing people to buy the Z to get such functionality)
2. Sony's lazyness to release the appropriate drivers
3. The motherboard not having the relevant technology to control the Intel integrated and NVIDIA chips?

 

As far as I know number 3. Sony S has the cheapest and most simple Chipset/MB ( Intel® HM55 Express-Chipset) that supports i CPUs and as far as I'm aware it does not support switchable graphics. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

This Gateway laptop ( ID49C08u ) has Optimus along with the HM55 Express Chipset:
Gateway Official Site: Shop - ID49C Series Laptops


It's possible that adopting Optimus on the S requires a bit more work than BIOS and driver updates, and if that's the case it's likely that Sony would prefer to make that investment in a completely new model rather than an update.

If Sony wants to limit the S in order to maximise sales of the Z, it's a game they can only play for a short time. The S has to be competitive in its own right and it's just starting to fall behind.


BTW, Gracy, you were quite correct on the wireless dual band issue. I found the 5GHz options just where you said they'd be. Now I need to figure out if the 5GHz is operating under the 802.11a protocol or the 802.11n protocol - or both.

 

Looking further, most of the Optimus equipped laptops listed on the Wiki page for Optimus use the HM55 chipset (all of the ones I linked to).

It's certainly possible, including with the 310M 500MB GPU used in the S...

 

Also Sony don't show the S model in their website (Sony USA)!

 

What does that have to do with anything.....?

 

This is very interesting. The guys on this forum with a VAIO Z managed to do something similar.... get Optimus working using a set of drivers and bios settings (as the Z has switchable graphics but it is a manual operation).

I guess the way forward would be to somehow enable advanced options on the Insyde BIOS and install drivers for both the Intel HD & NVIDIA cards at the same time to enable it.

 

Would be great but unfortunately I don't see us having so many ambitious and knowing users in our S community They have some real pros in the Z.

 

hmm indeed, but i am sure the S model is equally popular with pros with a tighter budget lol

 

I don't think the budget is the problem.... Vaio is a premium brand anyway and S is one of the most expensive

I personally had the budget to afford the Z but it isn't what I was/am looking for. I'm sure I'm not the only one

Don't know why there aren't enough geeks here though

 

I wish i had the technical knowledge to do this! grrr

it is annoying to know that there is a good possibility of our laptop to have switchable graphics and start using that disabled intel hd graphics core to have the best of both worlds

 

It would be great, I agree. But I am still not sure there isn't a technical reason for that not being possible at the moment....

 

I think the S is marketed primarily to a fairly sober sector (business users) that mostly gets on with using the machine rather than fiddling. These types are quite happy with what the laptop does and if they have a problem they'll contact their IT department for support. This limits the pool of online geeks.

The Z, and especially the F, have an enormously active user base here; there isn't much about those laptops you can't find out. I can't even keep up with browsing the F thread (on its 4th incarnation!); if I had to actively participate I would have no other free time.

 

You are right indeed. But the F is anyway a totally different story.... whoever needs a multimedia notebook obviously has more than enough time

 

So the new S13 is available to order on sonystyle now. Cheaper than before with a Core i3-370M option. Base spec is as cheap as £709.01 which is by far the cheapest it has ever been for an S series. Though the spec is low it's made me think about getting one, though I was considering a Y series.

# Configured

* Intel® CoreTM i3-370M, 2.40GHz
* Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium
* White
* 320 GB Serial ATA (5400 rpm)
* 2 GB 1066MHz DDR3-SDRAM
* DVD disc drive
* 33.8 cm LCD, 1366x768 + webcam
* Intel® HD Graphics
* No Wireless WAN
* Office 2010 Starter
* No protection
* No Adobe® Creation

# Also Included

* EN - Backlit Keyboard
* 1 AC Adapter
* Wireless LAN + Bluetooth®
* HDMI(TM) output
* Finger print recognition
* Battery life up to 5 hours

They have also added Wavy White and Wavy back as colour options.




The CPU options really bump the price:

Intel® CoreTM i5-460M, 2.53GHz [+ £ 90.0 ] with 3 MB L2/L3 Cache
Intel® CoreTM i5-560M, 2.66GHz [+ £ 110.0 ] with 3 MB L2/L3 Cache
Intel® CoreTM i5-580M, 2.66GHz [+ £ 160.0 ] with 3 MB L2/L3 Cache
Intel® CoreTM i7-640M, 2.80GHz [+ £ 220.0 ] with 4 MB L2/L3 Cache

And its a shame that the graphics is £90 too:

NVIDIA® GeForce® 310M 512MB [+ £ 90.0 ] NVIDIA® GeForce® 310M graphics processing unit with dedicated GDDR3 Video Memory of 512 MB

 

The wavy patterns look really nice

 

I've seen a different issue: sometimes the level indicator is stuck and I keep seeing for example 80% for a couple of hours; then I need to turn it off and back on to see the correct battery level. It's really annoying. Am I the only one experiencing this problem?
BTW, what about your battery wear level? Mine is quite high in respect to the modest usage. I'm starting to suspect that my battery is not really ok.

Prices are quite different here in Italy (e.g: 40 € for the nVidia option), but the final price is usually greater than an equally configured S12 which in turn was greater than S11. In my opinion the S11, S12 and S13 names are simply related to different configuration sets(cpu models, case colours)/options(2-4-6-8GB RAM), etc.; in the meantime they included minor quality improvements launching the S12 revision. Don't know about the S13 model, but I'm pretty sure it's just a commercial differentiation.