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

I'm not sure that's at all possible:

1. Most likely you don't even have the slot for one - I learned that from my previous notebook - the model without dedicated graphic card had totally different architecture of the motherboard and had no slot for video.

2. You certainly don't have cooling system with extension for a dedicated GPU.... will need to change that too.

3. You don't have access to that part of BIOS where you need to disable the integrated graphics and activate external.

 

Hi there, wondered if someone might know the answer to a problem I have with my S11V9E. Basically, I cannot turn it back on again after it goes to sleep or occasionally if I tell the laptop to restart. All that happens is the display is off and the power light flashes green every two or 3 seconds. I cannot switch it back on - if I press the power button nothing happens but oddly it makes the amber battery light at the front go on.

Now often, it'll switch on itself after a random period of time or I have to unplug it and leave it overnight and it works ok in the morning again.

How can I wake it up, any ideas?

 

This is not a normal behavior. You should send it for repair. I have the same model and never had such an issue. What I can tell you though:

1. If the On Button flashes green - that means that the battery is nearly empty
2. It is perfectly normal for the battery LED on the front to illuminate when you hold the On button pressed down.

 

Thanks, I thought maybe a reinstall might help as I cannot afford to be without the laptop for an age returning back to Sony.

 

Give it a try but it doesn't sound like a software problem to me...

The problem you describe happens out of windows (the laptop is not starting at all).

 

Thanks, being collected on Friday.. I might reinstall anyway as it's no quicker than my wife's netbook to be honest by the time it's loaded all the Sony software in...

 

i see the problems but they arent problems they are more someone finding a reason to complain.

Realtek

I have a little battery wiggle but you want that.

and my sounds fine and the curvature of the lid is extremly protective

 

Well... that's a good self-protective mechanism too - seeing all problems as advantages! Manufacturers LOVE customers like you

I just ask myself one thing - is this your very first notebook?

And because you mentioned it - what is the "advantage" of a wiggly battery? Is it also distributing some force?

Damn if all other were aware...

 

had more notebooks than years youve been alive. and tight is not always good as loose. dont let anyone tell you that lie

 

Ok, no reason mentioned... it is just better coz you have it this way

A typical example of "what's mine is the best"

That's what I thought...

 

thats the mentality you use , i'm sorry

 

anyone know if switcheable graphics (optimus) is possible with the Vaio S with modified drivers etc.? Trying to decide if I should get the Nvidia or not, how much of a battery difference would it make?

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/522390-turning-s-into-hybrid-z-owners-please-help-us.html

Approximately 0,5 h from what I've read. The S without NVIDIA also runs cooler = quieter (less FAN noise, although it is barely noticeable, but still).

 

Bummer the new S series doesn't have Sandy bridge. I wanted a nice looking laptop without any dedicated graphics and good cpu horsepower for school. And when I want to play games I could set it up with a ViDock, I don't get why they couldn't put in Sandy Bridge.

 

Which one do you call "the new S" ? The last one officially released is S13 and that was a few months ago... not really new. And why do you need Sandy Bridge that badly... the difference to Arrandale isn't really that big...

Here the comparison between i5-520M Arrandale and i5-2520M Sandy Bridge:

http://ark.intel.com/Compare.aspx?ids=52229,47341

Is it the 100 extra Mhz you necessary need to have or the 200 Mhz extra Boost!?

Before you even strive for Arrandale, give the HDD some thinking - it is what bottlenecks PCs nowadays. You need a good SSD to take advantage of any modern CPU... and can you afford a high capacity SSD? But you MUST have Sandy Bridge, right

Or you could go to Apple - they don't even have Arrandale on 13"... now over an year after Arrandale has been announced

But to answer your question: They COULD, it is just not worthy (yet).

 

I would appreciate if you read my post more.

There is a new vaio S, it was announced at CES

Sony VAIO Y picks up AMD Fusion, S Series gets some Intel cores -- Engadget

I want Sandy Bridge because it enables greater bandwidth speeds through the express card slot making external graphics cards a lot more efficient through the DIY ViDock. This way I don't need a laptop with integrated graphics, I can just get a laptop with Sandy Bridge, and it will basically be a desktop replacement for my gaming needs.

Ahem, now if you'll excuse me

 

That's why you should have been more specific

Anyway, that's not the purpose of the S series... so my answer is still valid:

It is just not worthy "upgrading" to Sandy Bridge (yet), as the difference is too minor...

 

Sandy Bridge has much better GPU which would be better than the Nvidia 310m, this would solve my above problem because sadly the Vaio S can't have optimus..im just note sure if the integrated on Arrandales will be enough for me..

Also, the new Vaio S they showed at CES seems to be the same, the contract ends with Best Buy in US and Canada so I guess their just officially releasing it on their own now, specs seem to be the same. It's coming out on January 9th

 

What? It is worthy, did you not read my post? I want the most out of my graphics card. The S series not being able to play games (to a certain extent) is the whole reason I want it, so I don't have to spend extra money for discrete graphics I don't need.

 

What experiment you want to do is not something any manufacturer would consider - S belongs to the business series - it is not a gaming notebook! You just knock on the wrong door

Sandy Bridge does not make business applications any better to be worth an upgrade. Point. Same for Harman Kardon speakers, higher class video and audio card, etc.

In fact Sony does not produce pure-gaming laptops. But you can have a look at their Multimedia series, such as the F.

 

Oh my god it is so pointless talking to you. I made my point but you seem to ignore it. Good day.

 

@gracy, what is ur definition of a business notebook?

 

Tough construction + robust body + processing power + Multitasking features + qualitative keyboard + reasonable size touchpad + wireless capabilities (WLAN + WWAN) + small size + light weight = Sony Vaio S + Sony Vaio Z and partially Sony Vaio Y (go to www.sony.com and choose to view the business solutions - S and Z is what you will be offered)

I don't know any businessman who plays high end 3D games on his working machine, do you?

A business notebook is the thing you carry around on business trip and use for email + documents + communication in general (lots of typing) and definitely not the thing you connect to a DIY ViDock over express slot to play games, neither the thing you connect to your high quality audio system and expect pure sound quality from :GEEK: Basically a machine for adults!! Usually even without any dedicated GPU.

I perfectly well understand why bloodyfart thinks he needs Sandy Bridge... what he does not understand though is that he is at the wrong address with Vaio S!

 

yes I do. and I agree its pointless to discuss with you, since it seems its your way or no way

 

Happy new year

Hey leave sexy Gracy alone..she's the only reason I bought the s it the first place haha

 

I agree pretty much but I mean there are still some "business" programs that may require more graphics power which makes a good reason to upgrade to Sandy Bridge, you get more graphics without sacrificing battery life. Another question, what do they lose by upgrading to Sandy Bridge? Because as far as I know all they would have to do is upgrade the motherboard to accept the new socket, no re-designing required. I've also heard that the Sandy Bridge is actually cheaper to produce.

Another question, how long does the battery last with and without the Nvidia? I'm getting mixed responses from people, some say 2 hours and some say well over 4 hours..I'm talking about just basic web browsing etc. I'm trying to decide between this and the HP Envy 14 (yes I know that these notebook are designed for entirely different markets) and I cant choose..I like the small size of the S but the Envy gives 4:30 hours of battery life so I don't understand why the smaller and lighter S can't give as much...or can it?

 

Thank you dadon11

You are looking at it too flat-minded You forget the development and marketing part Why investing additional money in research (it needs to be assured that all other components work fine with Sandy Bridge and the new required chipset), manufacturing, testing and advertising, when the "upgrade" is still minor compared to Arrandale and the last S (S13) was released just couple of months ago? Should Sony throw all already produced S13 away or sell them without much profit?
Certain product needs to be sold good enough to pay the bills for its development! That's why no brand upgrades it's products too soon. Upgrading means new research, new testing, new manufacturing line, etc. etc.
I allow myself to be so confident as I am a part of the development process of new devices and pretty much know what numbers are in the game
Look at Apple - why do you think it took them sooooooo long to put Arrandale in their MacBook Pro (and they even STILL haven't upgraded the 13,1" Pro with Arrandale)? It is all a matter of numbers and not a matter of 50MHz faster GPU or CPU, not to mention thoughts about single users willing to connect a business notebook to a DIY station in order to play computer games

How many Arrandale owners would consider selling their 6 or 12 months old notebook to buy a new one just because it has Sandy Bridge? Would you? I wouldn't.

In this fashion, Arrandale will remain on the market much longer than you would think

And to be honest - I don't think PowerPoint presentations would run any "smoother" on Sandy Bridge The difference between the 2 generations i-CPUs is really minor - every technical magazine confirms that.

Not really able to give you any first hand information about those with integrated GPU as I never used one, but mine, which has the NVIDIA, runs about 4h on battery.

When I say 4h you should know that this is VERY usage dependent! If you turn brightness to the lowest possible and use all power-saving options, don't load the CPU much, etc., etc. you should be able to go up to about 4,5h. On the other hand - high brightness, no attention paid to the power mode used and so on could decrease the battery life to 3,5 or even less depending on the load. But with light usage (browsing over WLAN, chatting, etc.) and moderate brightness - I would say average 4h.

But to be honest this was/is one of the least important features to me. I keep on wondering why people strive to have a battery lasting 5 or more hours, considering that we live in a civilized world with electricity almost everywhere!? I travel quite a lot, use my PC in the office as well as at home and the max battery life I ever needed was about 3h and that was once or twice. And even if I was to need 6h of battery life for any reason I can't really think of - I would just choose a notebook that suits my needs the best with all other features it has and if needed - would just buy a second battery pack.

Currently I keep my battery charged up to 50% as advised (in order to ensure a longer life of the cells), which gives me about 2h time to go wherever I want and reconnect the charger. In 99% of the times, this is much more than I actually need.

But to sum up - if you necessarily need over 4 or 5h battery life (for whatever reason) - you either need a second battery or a different notebook, as the S (at least the one with NVIDIA) cannot guarantee you more than 3h. Everything on top of that is usage- and care- dependent. Besides that, it is NEVER good to discharge your battery to 0% and if you intend to do that (even on the Envy) - how long do you think the battery will be able to offer you the advertised 4,5h?? A month? 3 Months? Maybe half an year if you are lucky...?

But to be honest I do like the Envy I just like the S more (without being perfect either) and it offers a bit more to me

 

thanks for the info, 3.5 hours should be enough for me but I still can't come up with enough reasons to get the Vaio S instead of the Envy 14. Both seem to have excellent build quality but Envy 14 has better battery due to its standard 8 cell versus the 6 cell in the Vaio S. It is a pound heavier than the S but not sure how much difference that would make in real life usage. What more does the Vaio S offer you that the Envy doesn't?

Also, I thought batteries had safety measures that prevent them from going to 0%, so even if the notebook is dead the battery still has a little charge that its holding onto to..is that right? And how big is the AC adapter? Is it as small as the Y series have or bigger?

 

The biggest advantage - a robust magnesium body! I'm sick of plastic (the Notebooks in my signature all died from the same disease - plastic!)
I know the new Envy has Alu-body as well, but I think I read somewhere that important parts (such as the LID cover and some internal stuff around the hinges) are still plastic. Not 100% about that though, they might even have corrected that.

Besides that - lighter, smaller, WWAN Connectivity, GPS, better looking (IMO). I also read lots of advises not to buy HP notebook, unless it is a business series one, as the quality and support of home/multimedia notebooks is terrible! (Don't know in what extend this is true, but have read/heard it numerous times).

On the other hand, The Envy seems to have a slightly better screen from what I've seen in the store.

But the first reason alone was enough for me to go for the S

Yes. But while this is true, it is still advised not to discharge your battery to less than 10% if that's avoidable.

The charger of the S is quite big (I don't know how big the Y's is). Go to PAGE 110 of this thread to see a comparison picture between a few chargers. Be advised though that there are 2 or 3 types of chargers for the S, but they are pretty much the same or very similar size - 12,5 x 5 x 3,5 cm.

P.s. Just noticed something else about the Envy - heater on the right hand side!? I've had that - awesome in the winter when your hands are cold - your hand on the mouse on the right side of the notebook is never cold But in general - not really nice to have hot air blowing directly to your hand all the time! That's why most notebooks have their heater on the left side. Way to go HP...!

 

By the way as the charger was mentioned: Is any other smaller charger known which is compatible with the vaio s?

Nik

 

Been a while since I've last been here, after Sony's recent announcement of their new S-series and a seeming relunctance to release any other 13.3" thin-and-light notebook I'm considering sometime later replacing my SU7300 Y-series with the new S-series.

I know the i3-380M will have better performance, but I'm curious as to how much of a difference the i5-480M would make for a student like me who uses their laptop solely for powerpoint presentations, notetaking, web browsing, music playback, and online streaming (no gaming whatsoever).

I only ask because Sony is offering a tempting deal on getting the processor for free if I upgrade to Windows Professional. I suppose I shouldn't consider this, since I already have a Windows Professional Backup disc and key from my Vaio Y-series (I can give whoever I sell the Y-series to a Home Premium key). So really I just want to know if the i3 will be satisfactory for me and the i5 would be just a waste of money.

 

I was tempted to try the small premium charger from Lenovo T400 series - it has very similar voltage, BUT the plug is different...

All a matter of price difference. i5 is without any doubt a better choice (use Intel's comparison on their website to check the differences between both you are offered).

But if this is all you do - honestly... I don't think you would feel any difference between i3 and i5, especially while using the standard 5400 RPM HDD, which is the thing bottlenecking the system anyway.

However, i5 is a better investment in the future... but as I said - all a matter of price difference. I initially wanted i7, but the price difference brought me down to i5.

 

Why is this forum on front page say Sony is announcing the new S? Isnt this model has been at BB for a while?

 

Sony considers it a new model, though hardware wise I think it is the same as BB's Blue Label one (including the processor I believe). Still it has a unique SKU for the CTO and standard ones.

I tend to agree with you, I think I'll stick with the i3 whenever they do drop the price. i5 could be a better investment in the future, but I don't think software requirements will advance so much that the i3 couldn't handle my modest needs.

Also does the current S-series have a hardware switch to allow users to toggle the lit keyboard manually?

 

No. You will not find that on any laptop (incl. Apple).

The only way to trigger it is low light / finger on the light sensor.
Or if you decide to clean-install windows and don't install the proper drivers - it will light up for couple of seconds every time you press a button... which IMO is terrible.

 

I must say I'm satisfacted with my S, but if I had to buy a new laptop I'd wait a couple of months for the new thinkpad edge E420s. It's about the same class (affordable and nice looking business PC), it should be fairly priced and you can have a switchable ati 6630

 

I am on Sonystyle website and doing a CTO on this S.

1. How much of a battery juice do you save on the i3 vs i5?

2. Is having a ATI graphic card good?

I dont game but I will be playing 1080p movies and sometime run one VMware on it.

What should I get?

 

Honestly I wouldn't expect a significant difference. Not any more than say 15-20 minutes of so.

Unfortunately I can't answer your other question, supposedly the Clarkdale processors can play 1080p just fine on their own.

 

the new sony s with discrete is availiable in the us finally. and the other day i noticed they made a pricing mistake . they offered the bluray read and write for 150 . while the read only was 500. extra

 

How soon will the S get into other web store (beside BB and Sony site) so I can order it.

I am suprised no get rid off sale by BB since Sandy bridge is out.

Is this a good time to get a S?

 

Planning to get Sony S Series tmr. Specs are -

Intel® Core™ i3-350M Processor 2.26 GHz
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
HDD: 320 GB (Serial ATA, 5400rpm)
13.3" wide (WXGA: 1366 x 768) VAIO Display, LED backlight
NVIDIA® GeForce® 310M GPU with CUDA™ Technology
2 kg in weight with built-in ODD

How is the build quality of the S Series? Does it feel heavy?

 

What do you mean by "does it feel heavy"? It's 2kg, how could it be heavy

Other than that - it has a very solid base, whereas the LID cover could have been better. But overall - a robust machine. Browse the thread for more info - it has all been written more than once before.

 

I had an S series for a few months. Build quality was good, but I had a keyboard that had a squeaky space bar and the screen was absolutely awful due to poor lighting.

If you are not going for a SSD, I'd personally opt for a 7200RPM drive over the 5400...

 

You should get a 5400 HDD and install a 7200 HDD on your own, cheaper and you can get a good one for sale like Western Digital's.

 

There aren't any good (fast) 7200 WD WD are actually one of the slowest 7200RPM 2,5" HDDs

But yes - cheaper to upgrade yourself. Just don't bother if it is going to be WD

 

Does anyone know if stores carry the "signature" S-series? I've called all the nearby Sony stores. Any suggestions for where I might find it?

 

Bought the S Series yesterday, the back light keyboard looks cool. Agree with you regarding the screen.

Have not played with it , uninstalled a lot of bloatware though.

 

Welcome to the club

The screen just needs a bit more vividness, which you can add from the NVIDIA/Intel GPU settings menu. The rest is perfectly fine. It has all the brightness I need - I find it much better than any Lenovo T-series screen I've seen

 

Aah thank you for the tips on the vividness. Cheers. Got the extra warranty at a discount also.

 

What is "the extra warranty"?