Official Sony VAIO AW Series 18.4" Owners thread

ugh I want to kill myself. I got my cpu all changed out along with a new wifi card but was stopped in my tracks....why..... the tiny plastic clip that holds the ribbon in for the keyboard broke !!!!!!!!!!!!! on gods earth where am I going to find one of those..............its the black clip where the arrow is. why the heck do they design it this way !!!! oh thats right, they think most people will never crack the case ! URGH

 

that sucks. can you use something to hold it in? perhaps a heavy tape?

 

has anyone replaced both hard drives on a AW? I replaced both with 2 seagate 7200.4 and even though they are formatted I cannot get windows set up to boot onto either of them. I have the dvd set as the boot drive but its a no go.

any ideas

scratch that, figured it out

 

If heavy tape won't do it, how about a small dab of super/crazy glue. If you just put a touch on each end of the connector (use a needle or some other tiny applicator) it shouldn't permanently fuse the connectors together.

What replacement NIC did you use?

 

I thought about it but I am concerned if I damage it somehow. The ribbon I doubt is meant to have superglue because it seems to be covered with a flexible plastic. I am going to go down to a local computer store tomorrow to see if I can get a replacement.

I went with the Intel 5300 and enjoying 300mbs plus speeds. Can now stream a ripped blu ray over my network

 

please post an HDTune of your 7200.4's if you're running Raid 0. I need that bench to decide if I'm going to continue waiting for the 7200.4's to become available or just keep these 5k500B's.

if you can help by posting an HDTune bench, I'd be greatly appreciative.

 

not sure if this is what you are looking for but here is the HD Tune

 

that's what I'm looking for. + rep

interesting numbers indeed. here is the HDTune of my Raid 0 5k500.B's:



If you're up for one more test...CrystalDiskMark 2.2 or PCMark '05?

http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Hard-Disk-Utils/CrystalDiskMark.shtml

or http://www.futuremark.com/download/pcmark05/

I just have high expectations for the 7200.4's, and those numbers aren't as much better than these 5400rpm drives as I expected them to be. Especially considering the 5K500.B's are about $50 less per drive.

if you have time, thank you. if not, I understand. Here are my CrystalDiskMark results:



I really want to get the 7200.4's. I just need a clear reason to do so.

 

ok here you go. so what do my numbers tell you from Crystal ?

 

it tells me that I want it. lol.

not sure, but those numbers suggest to me that those 7200.4's just delivered an epic beatdown to the 5K500.B's!

gonna run it past some people who can interpret these numbers better than me. will let you know tomorrow.

thank you so much for your help. I'll be sending my 5K500.B's back, I think. How long does it take you to boot your machine? Have you measured the increases in any of your performance?

 

Hey fellas! I was thinking what about the 8Gb for improving gaming, because I installed GTA IV (which by the way is an excellent game to put you rig to max stress) and it sucks up about 1,3 Gb of RAM which alongside with the normal services sums 3.2Gb of used RAM(and by the way I disabled a lot of useless services so that´s fixed) and only leaves me with 800Mb of RAM. What do you think? Even with 8Gb would I still end up with a lot of "RAM sucking"? LOL!

 

boot with these drives and 8gb of memory is maybe 25 seconds or less.

shut down in 6 seconds

 

if u want ..
but expensive doh ..
http://www.4allclients.co.uk/?action=4&id=2001999&utm_source=GB_UK

dosn't matter if u have 4Gb 800-Mhz or 8GB 800-Mhz speed will be the same
only you get wider space ...
if u can have 1066 mhz, then u will notice some improve ...

 

so even if u get 8gb for a 2.26 proc, it wont make it faster?

so should one just put that money into a faster processor than? or an extra HD (currently have only 5400)

im trying to make it better than it is, its decent but i would like it better

im regretting buying the lowest model for the AW....should of spent some more money on it =(

 

the only component it makes economical sense to upgrade is the HDD.

if capacity isn't the biggest concern, get the 320GB WD Scorpio Black. 7200rpm, and is the fastest known laptop HDD available. it will make a noticable difference.

You don't need more than 4GB of memory unless you're doing industrial design, industrial-grade video editing or something similar. Get it out of your head.

You probably won't notice a significant uptick from an upgraded processor either. couple hundred MHz won't make much difference.

Up your HDD and value contentment. You'll go crazy like this.

 

The personal computer include mac whatever , is very wide comprehension every component is importatnt to improve performance ..
cpu,ram,hdd,gpu,

If you install more ram it will be better of course
But you have to know what speed of your rams is, cash latency or if its 400Mhz or if its 533Mhz .. then you will spot some sign of speed up..
If we talking about ram
If we talking about cpu don't look always only on MHz mor importat is what speed is bus what multiplier is ,what chache cpu have.. this is the main of cpu the performance..
if we talking about HDD if you have 500GB drive with 5400rpm or 120GB hdd with 5400rpm you will newer see difference of perform. between them, and the same is with ram..
if u install HDD with (again dosn't matter of storage space ) 7200rpm speed
THEN u will notice huge large improve ..
Don't look for QUANTITY .. look for QUALITY !

Like ajreynol said get 7200 rpm HDD
I just exchanged yesterday WD-500GB 5400 rpm with WD-320GB 7200 rpm and increased performance is breath taking !
Some 4GB RAM (max 800Mhz) CL5 timings

 

Hi fellas! Good and interesting opinions on the upgrade issues! The bottleneck though is as always between computer architecture and software development meaning that one always advances in front of the other or viceversa! Gaming example: graphic cards we had when Crysis came out! Total revolution making those gpu´s obsolete! We will never have up to date computers that´s the problem you see!
I´m really not bothered in booting up in 2 seconds and shutting down in 0.5 secs because I´m not in a rush for doing that, but for hardcore multitasking (and you dont have to be doing cad or video precisely) you expect your laptop or this one in particular to go like a rocket! Just a small reflection.
Driver question: Who´s got 2009 nvidia drivers certified and not messing blu ray playback? Anyone? Thanks.

 

thx for the info, was great.
so yea ill probably go for the upgraded HDD, because if i got the processor i would still need someone to do it, but i was thinking: would getting a 60 gb ssd or so on top of the 7200 hd be a good choice?

also, how would i know if i had a non-dedicated gpu, because i read that if i had that it would make my fps non-bearable?

when i open computer, it has Program Files and Program Files (x86), both of them. does anyone know what Program Files (x86) is?
when i download/put in new programs it gets sent to there. for example, when i downloaded Steam it sends it to the (x86) section.

 

djbootea, Program Files by itself is the default folder for the 64 bit applications that you install while Program Files x86 is for the 32 bit applications. That´s that!
You will fill up more the x86 folder than the other one I can tell you! The 64 bit road is yet a winding and troublesome traffic jam for most apps!

 

ahhhh icic makes sense now.

btw what kind of 128 ssd and 500 HD are using currently?

 

Djbootea

Hi
I don't recommend you SSD these early days ..
It's not 100% tuned up controllers are not properly compatible.
You need at least Windows 7,there might be some PROPER support for drivers and controllers..
I red couple posts how windows freezing with ssd how they become malfuction
in random time ...
My best opinion is HDD with 7200 rpm
You will get enough space for reasonable price .
But if I can suggest , don't buy hard drives from WD ..
I don't know mabe am not right but I have 4 WD hdd's at home and it's not good quality ..
I have experienced I have learned I have made complaint of WD 500GB Scorpio blue it took month to replace from WD company ..
I had to go back to shop make complaint of WD 3.5 1TB HDD I had to replace adaptor because one time I plugged it to wall outlet and it blew up..
On thursday, I received my new WD scorpio black 320GB 7200 rpm but I can hear,how
that reading/writting head inside hdd is clicking quite noisy its awfull!
Only one HDD what I have is 100% good, no any problems it's WD-500GB passport!
No one problem,its small,portable,easy of use,good speed (5400 rpm)

 

Is there any way to enable RAID on non RAID models such as AW11Z/B with 2 drives.

 

Is it just me or is this a great deal? Is this brand new? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834117886

 

it's a fantastic deal.

 

Is there any reason that Sony laptops still come with DDR2 over DDR3? Better yet, can someone explain the difference?

 

According to one review there you cannot return notebooks to Newegg, makes more sense to buy an AW from BestBuy or SonyStyle.

 

i bought a similar deal

it was 1,299 w/ blue ray, but had a slower proc and 5400

i think i got a pretty good deal and i ordered what aj recommended, the 7200 scorpio black hd

 

Hi
There is not big diff. DDR2-DDR3
All Vaio (newer) has DDR2 PM45 Chip
Only Vaio Z series Has got DDR-3 GM45 Chip

 

Hell it have everything I need but the blu ray.

 

Does DVD video playback on your AW suck! I've updated the video drivers on Sony's website and have adjusted just about everything else, but I'm still getting bad ghosting particularly on people's faces during playback. I'm using PowerDVD 7

I kind of expect mpegs and such to come out choppy, but DVDs should look better then this.

Any advice is appreciated.

 

No, no problems here. Never ghosting.

in fact, it looks spectacular.

 

There must be something wrong with mine, because it's very noticeable. I think it's the graphics card. Should I take to the Sony store where I got it or call the customer support?

 

If it's the graphics card then you would see on video mpg files as well. Did you test for that?

 

darklich, rent/buy a blu-ray movie and play it back.

if you still see ghosting, you have a problem.

maybe that can be something of a final check.

 

Hi everyone. I have the Vaio VGN-AW290Y which so far has been great. I'm curious about the nVidia drivers though. I have been playing Far Cry 2 and at the launch screen it says my video drivers are too old! On a brand new computer??? Anyhow, Sony's website of course only includes the original nVidia driver. So I go to nVidia's website and find the latest on their site which is 182.50 for x64 (my current forceware is 176.76). So I download it only to find out that it cannot be installed. Apparently I can only use the drivers sony provides due to the OEM. Now is there a way to get around this? Does it improve the graphic card enough? Or should I just let it be?

Also, I saw a question around here regarding temperatures. After a couple hours of Far Cry 2 these were my highest temperatures monitored with CPUID Hardware Monitor:

ACPI temps: 70 - 78 C
Cores: 70 - 75 C
GPU: Max 78 C

Should I look into undervolting?

P.S. and these temperatures are in my room which the AC is always on at 22 or 23 C

 

Is there any coupons or deals online from sony or any other 3rd party company like new egg, amazon, etc.. Im trying to get either a Sont VaioVGN290 or VGN235. I want to spend about $1700 for this laptop.

 

oh, and one more doubt. the VAIO AW-290Y's nVidia graphic card is indeed SLI enabled, right? So I can have another identical geforce 9600 GT installed in it?

 

Blu-Ray plays pretty well. I don't see the artifacts unless I'm really looking hard for it. It seems that the better quality the video, the less ghosting I see. Duh, right!

So, I downloaded a 1080p movie trailer from apple.com. http://www.apple.com/trailers/summit/thebrothersbloom/hd/

On the AW the effect is pretty visable. The actors faces shift and look fuzzy at times. This seems to be a problem with skin more then anything else. My wife, who could care less about things could even notice the poor quality video. So, I went to an apple store and looked at the same video on the 17 MBP, with the same card as the AW. My wife and I could definitely see an improvement.

I wish I could better describe the effect I'm talking about. It kind of reminds me of that commercial where they make real people look like cartoons. How does the trailer look on your AW?

 

I just watched that video at 1080p and did not notice the affect you're describing.

My recommendation to you: download that video clip (or any other video you're seeing the ghosting effect on) and put it on a memory stick. drive to the nearest Sony Style Store. They'll undoubteldy have a AW290 on display. Tell them your situation and that you'd like to play the video on your stick on their unit to see if it's your unit or simply how the AW displays video. they'll undoubtedly let you.

The results will tell you all you need to know.

If you see it, it's probably an AW thing and our eyes just aren't as sensitive to it as yours. You'll have to decide if you can live with it.

If you don't see it, it's time to RMA.

Best of luck.

 

Based on a tip in this thread (thanks AWFan!) I found an AW-160J/Q at Costco for $1499.

It has every feature I wanted but couldn't possibly afford as a CTO:

* Adobe LED
* 6MB L2 cache
* Blu-ray R/W
* 24 month warranty

My second choice would have been the AW-235J/B, but now that I've seen the LED-backlit screen for myself, that's the feature I'd hold out for. It's spectacular. Add a good pair of speakers and it becomes a personal high-definition home theater in addition to everything else.

 

^ I'm not sure if the 160 has the Adobe LED. I'd strongly recommend calling Sony to ask them directly. The 235J/B doesn't have it (though I'm sure you're aware of that already).

Lastly, I highly recommend everyone pick up the SRS Audio Sandbox application. It makes the built-in speakers sound absolutely fantastic. Much better than stock for every application but games.

But again, call into Sony and ask if those models have the Adobe LED tech if that's important to you.

 

just ordered the sandbox, cant wait to give it a try

 

FYI - there is a free trial for that app. Do recommend at least giving it a try. I'll be surprised if you're not impressed.

http://www.srslabs.com/store/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idProduct=6

 

well I bought the audio sandbox and now I have lost my sound????? using win 7 64 bit. Any suggestions. Driver installed and it was configured but no sound

 

Thanks AWestruck
My post was about a different model but this one is also listed on costco.com. If this is indeed the piano black model with LED screen then the only explanation could be that someone in IT department goofed up and instead of 2499.99 typed in 1499.99 as SP. Everywhere else on the net this model is listed upwards of $2500
Enjoy!

-J

 

I'm tellin you guys......call Sony. ask them about the model and ensure the hardware loadout.

No review or listing of the 160J/Q or 235J/B say anything about them having the Adobe RGB setup.

XBRITE =/= Adobe RGB.

Either call Sony or go to Costco and look on the box. It'll say "Adobe RGB" on the box if it's on there. I can take a picture of the label so that you know what to look like, if you want.

It's a no-brainer deal if it has that. Even if it doesn't, it's a fantastic price. These machines are performers.

 

So if I had to make a choice between the 160 and 235 what would u guys think. I like that fact that I can get 8 gigs of ram with the 235JB..

 

Well Sony marketing specs for 160J/Q do list Adobe RGB screen.
I envy you guys....I paid 300 more for non RGB screen (I did bought it on 3rd day after launch though)
-J

 

then that deal is epic.

GOGOGO.

 

yoyoyoyo

got the black scorpio 320g 7200. works great

but another problem has risen

after deleting a bunch of bloatware and downloading all my programs, on the last program i was dling, the cd-rom went out. dont kno if its the bd or cd driver. its says:

"Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware. The driver may be corrupted or missing. (Code 39)

Click 'Check for solutions' to send data about this device to Microsoft and to see if there is a solution available."

cant find the driver for some reason and windows says it already updated. someone wanna post a link so i can dl it?

thanks again