Official Sony VAIO AW Series 18.4" Owners thread

About HEAT:
No, I'm not having the same experience that you describe with the gfx card fan running in that way, not at all. I might feel concerned if I did tho. Combine that with the other areas of heat as you're describing & your concern seems reasonable to me.

Typically, this particular unit has run pretty cool except during video-intensive apps after which it cools down pretty quickly again. In the past 4-6 wks, I notice that any increases in environmental temp cause the system to run a whole lot warmer---I mean hot!---even when just web browsing, word processing, listening to music, etc, not using BD drive or video editing, games, etc. Anything that can melt, I keep clear of its left side vent! However, I expect the vent to blow out hot air (keyword being "out";-)

What concerns me is the untouchable heat that can quickly buildup on the unit's bottomside, esp left half of notebook bottom. This much greater heat buildup sharply increased as local temps rose---& at times, even with air conditioner running or at night. Now using an external fan which alleviates the problem some, planning on buying the NZXT Cryo shortly. The power brick gets insanely hot along with the bottomside (not coincidence?). I realize 'hot' is highly subjective here so as a reference: As an avid cook & baker (hobby), I handle very hot items routinely, fingers don't burn easily.

RE: Display
Sorry to hear you're having such problems with a new hi-end computer @ which you have had high expectations (or else why buy this model?). Having had plenty of factory-originated defects in the past, I understand the frustration. And from Sony, you expect Video Perfection (or whatever is acceptably close to that). Had 2 factory-defects on this brand new AW also. After consulting with local in-store techs & Sony US phone support, I was convinced by them that I'd have to ship my system in & do w/out for 2 wks to 30 days (no thanks!) - so I lived with the problems & postponed the repairs.

After 3 mos when I finally did call in for the usual RMA #, I was very pleased at just how friendly & easy the service rep made this repair. Just as the rep stated, needed parts were in stock in 3-5 days at which time the local field tech called to schedule an in-home repair. He did a great job, much better than the factory, replacing the whole screen & keyboard (all brand new now). I'm posting @ this service once again because I hope you will have a similar resolution to your issues.

NOTE: I followed *Derrida's* lead on this one.... Calling Sony's after hrs support (I used a 239 area code #) got my call routed to the Philipines Call Ctr. with much more desirable results than calling the regular 800 # during business hrs (had already BTDT). I realize there's no way to predict your outcome. Just a thought. Good luck to you! Hoping that you, too, have a positive resolution to report. However it goes, please update?

 

I had a toshiba x300 with the Hybrid Graphics that you are talking about. The system had maybe 15% more battery life (which is not a lot) when it was using the low end card to the 2 SLI 9800's.

The downside... you are pretty much stuck with the stock drivers they give you as all the nvidia releases dont support the technology, even laptopvideo2go drivers dont do the job properly.

Most BIOS's using the technology dont allow you to force it one way or another which was annoying if you wanted to use Linux or Windows XP and you had 3 graphic cards running!

The other thing, and the reason I switched is that I find this P45 intel chipset to be much more stable than the Nvidia chipset I had in the other machine.

I have the Dual SSD LED version of the sony aw laptop and I have to say its pretty much without imperfection.

I was going to go for the LCD screen to save a few pennies but was swayed by the LED screen. As a web developer I can honestly say I could not do without it now, it kicks my 24" samsung external displays butt on accuracy and depth of colour.

To be honest I've not found many perfect LCD screens on laptops, they all seem to have a bit of light bleed and a few imperfections. I appreciate it must be annoying to spend 2200EUR to have these issues, but keep on trying, maybe you'll get a better one. Good Luck

 

Which model no did you go with? I bought the aw190 and it's monitor still kicks butt compared to my other monitors in the past but I'm still tempted to see if I can return this and get an LED version. Where'd you get it?

 

ALSO, a question. Is there a matte finish top to these laptops? Mine is glossy and I was wondering if there were replacement skins one could get (would love a matte to match the inside of this beautiful piece.

 

I got the AW21XY/Q which is the uk version of the "2 SSD LED AW290"

I got mine from ebay, I was jubious at first but it came brand new and in perfect condition.

I saved £700 ($1100) buying it from ebay.

I have to say now I have had the LED screen and general design / ergonomics of this machine it'll be hard to find a new next gen machine in 12/18 months.

I did initially try their bottom end model but sent it straight back, screen was ok but resolution was poor, and the feel of the machine was cheap.

Top end model is imho really worth the extra pennies. The Samsung SSD's are great in raid 0 vs a normal mechanical drive, I think i'll put 2 3rd gen 64GB 1.8" SSD's for some uber performance...

 

Hi, my first posting here, and I already believe that I have to correct a comment of you.... BUT: Both are LCD Displays! The difference is "only" the kind of backlight - "normal" lamps, wihite LEDs or RGB LEDs!

I'm thinking about going for your model (AW21XY/Q), too, after a couple of days looking around for a new notebook. Found a local seller who seems to have both versions of screen in stock, so I should have a chance to compare them in "real life". In a couple of hours I know more!

Having a newer generation of SSDs and a faster HDD would be great, but on the other hand the price of this masterpiece already dropped, that compensates... (what doesn't mean that it's not still a big amount of Euros to spend...!)

 

Kind sir, I'd be obliged if you were pinpoint accurate on this one. "Pretty much without imprefection" means "None at all" or "Bearable"? See, if I do decide to put down 3600 euros and STILL find the screen to be imperfect, I will just kill the Sony reps, the Sony engineers, the Sony president and THEN commit suicide. I kid you not.

Plus... I appreciate the kind words but... isn't there something inherently WRONG in the suggestion of "keep returning it until you get a decent one"? I mean, MAN! This model is supposed to be the second best Sony laptop right now. This should not be happening at all, is what I think.

Funny thing is... look. I am a tech journalist. I get to use laptops from different manufacturers very, very often. And light bleeding I am seeing a lot of, yes, but in 800-1200 euro laptops. Not hi-end stuff. Especially not on models that are targeted at photographers! I was thinking this morning about that accessory Sony sells, in which you put the Vaio so as to protect the screen from environmental reflections that affect color accuracy... and I could not stop laughing. I mean, really.

I have contacted Sony, of course, and they are willing to send it back. You will not guess, though. I am typing this on a coleague's FW41, which he bought the very same day as me, and it has the very same problem but in ALL four sides and corners, not just the bottom and right corner. This model costs 1800 euros as well. Nothing to scoff at.

At least the ATI in this seems to be cooler by far.

Anyway... I guess I will have to dethrone Sony in my mind as the "deluxe" laptop PC manufacturer. Period. If they allow these screens in their top end models, and if I have to put down more than 3.5K euro in order to get a screen that does not bother me, they have no business targeting the hi-end of the market. And to think that Vaios are ALREADY considered to be expensive compared to other laptops with similar specs. Insane. Just insane.

Pardon the ranting, I am more than frustrated by this because the whole situation has pushed my work back by almost a week. Now I will have to sleep for 3 hours in 4 days in order to catch up with work that should have been dealt with easily on the AW. I just HATE Macs, but right this moment I wonder whether it would have been preferable to just get a hi-end MacPro and install Win7 on it alongside Snow Leopard. Anyway.

 

Without knowing this accessory in detail - this is very normal stuff for screens used by pro photographers, for exactlay the reason to prevent reflections from environmental light. I assume every manufacturer of high level screens has them. Does it look similar to this:?

http://www.eizo.com/products/accessories/lcd/hoods/index.asp


Beside that, in case you're talking about the AW21XY/Q, I hope you wouldn't have to spend € 3500,- for it...!? I ordered mine today (after I could compare the screens in a local store) for less than € 2400,-. Well, sure, I don't have it yet...

 

Yes, it's a similar hood... I was being ironic, though. If the screen suffers from color inaccuracy in and of itself, I find such pretentious accessories to be annoying to the point of funny.

I live in Greece and I would get the XY/Q from Germany anyway, but the price is around 3500 euros almost wherever I checked. Where did you score it as low as that?

 

Oh, sorry - I just see that there's something mixed up...? Below a AW21XY/Q is mentioned, but I assume that's a mixture of two models, isn't it? I only looked at the "21".

I ordered the AW21VY/Q. And I know the AW31XY/Q. But an AW21XY/Q

Anyway, will be this one:

http://vaio.sony.at/view/ShowProduc...s&category=VN+AW+Series&assetid=1218032875562

The AW31XY/Q can be found about 3.100,- (but not in stock...), but for me it's not worth the extra charge. Important for me was the RGB LED screen, and the SSDs. I assume the 2,93 GHz to be not too far away from the 3,06 GHz, and Memory is cheaper to buy not from Sony anyway...

 

What makes you think the macs will not have light leaks? You would be better off going to a store and thoughly testing the notebook/laptop before deciding what to buy. Before I bought my AW I tested several different notebooks in stores.

 

hi everybody, i am new here. i have VGN-AW120J model...and i am thinking about to buy a same new toshiba HDD on ebay and replace it.
i have now Toshiba MK3252GSX hard drive and i found this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Toshiba-500GB-M...rnal?hash=item19b61d57b7&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

will it fit into my sony vaio notebook? on what should I have attention?

 

anyone else with a 290 running Win 7 yet? I'm noticing I can't control color in the Vaio control center. and the option for the software to auto select between DVD playback settings and all that have vanished.

also, the 3 color temperature settings are there, but when you try to apply one, it doesn't actually change the color of the screen like it does in Vista.

is it just me?

 

Same here.

Obviously Windows 7 has "Calibrate Color" under Control Panel - Display which I guess is why it doesn't work... maybe.

Sony hasn't released official windows 7 drivers so give it a couple of months and it should work.

 

agree. I found a temporary solution:

nVidia control panel --> Video & Television

there, I adjust the color settings to resemble the best Blu-ray settings, as best as I can eyeball. for me that was:

Brightness 44%
Contrast 60%
Hue 0%
Saturation 55%

that's where I landed after about 1 hour of testing.

and the nice thing about the nVidia settings here is that it ONLY affects video playback. not the desktop colors or anything.

whenever Sony gets around to updating these components for Win 7, I'll just switch this back to letting the video player control the color adjustments. I'm just glad my colors don't look washed out anymore!

 

While trying to play the Blu-ray movie "Knowing", I received the following error: "WinDVD stops playback because of AACS check error". Has anyone here come across this error before? If so, did you resolve the error and how? I could not find anything by googling. Other Blu-ray movies work just fine. So, I suspect that something is wrong with the disc, but there are no visible scratches or blemishes.

 

Hi chaddle77,
Yes, I got the same AACS check error. It happened the first time I tried playing a blu-ray disc after updating the OS from Vista to Windows 7.
If I remember correctly, the error information had a link that took me to the WinDVD website where you can update or I think it may have been re-register and after that I was able to continue to play the blu-ray disc.

 

yep. winDVD just downloaded some access codes and it played fine. took maybe 10 seconds.

 

Mine just has an "OK" button, and no link to the WinDVD website. Why would other Blu-Ray discs work and not this one disc? I suppose it may all be in the implementation of the AACS decode, but that's just a guess.

 

it's the way AACS is designed. for newer materials, the keys or whatever have to be updated.

it's also why some older blu-ray players will never be able to play newer movies.

 

I have an european vaio vgn aw21s with two 500 gb hardddrive installed. The second one was installed by a vaio repair service after the buy.

In my bios there is no options under the advanced tab to show or hide the raid configuration tab.

I have compared the bios file of the vgn aw 21 xy/q (which has two ssd in a raid) with the one for my aw 21 s (with "comp") and they seem to be identical.

After searching the whole thread i have found no solution how to activate the option on my system. Even the sony repair service has no idea.

Has anybody here found a solution for this problem? Is it possible to patch the bios file? Or is there a register, that can be changed?

Simply reflashing the bios with the same version has no effect (that was a hint on a thread for another vaio model).

I would be very happy about any hint! There seem to be many people who have the same problem?!

Thanx
suggs

 

I guess I will have to wait for the 18-month AACS update window as I can find no way of updating anywhere else in the program, not even the error message I am receiving.

 

Hi, guys.

I need to disassemble my Sony AW. Any service manuals found?

Thanks.

 

Is it possible to make rescue disks having an image of recovery partition?

 

^ forget rescue disks. they suck. get ShadowProtect Desktop or Arconis TrueImage and make an image of the entire drive. much more handy and useful than a rescue disk ever could be.

has to be a way, bro. Call Sony.

Call Sony. I'm sure they'd be glad to link you to a PDF.

 

They should state somewhere, the best at the beginning of user manual that first thing user should do is doing rescue disks. Even tho I managed to recover that hidden partition after formatting system hdd, its not included in boot and I dont know how to fix it.

 

rescue disks only help you restore your system to its baseline state.

creating a full image will allow you to restore you system instantly to whatever it was the day you took the image. all your apps will be there and running, everything configured like the day you imaged it.

with a restore, you'll have to reinstall all your custom software, apps, etc. and you'll have lost anything you didn't back up.

Images >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> rescue disks.

but do what you want to do.

 

I dont really care about system recovery, I thought on that recovery disks/rescue disks there will be drivers, installation files for all the software etc.

 

Howdy AW owners...

Would you recommend getting a brand new VGN-AW180Y/Q from Costco? This is the machine that Laptop Mag review about a year ago. http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/sony-vaio-aw-series-vgn-aw180yq.aspx

It was nearly $4k back then, but now at less than half of that. Would I be paying something that will be obsolete in a hurry? For example, the internal analog TV tuner is now useless in the US, 4 GB is the max system memory, 4200rpm drive, and the infamous piano black paint that I understand will chip.

Also, I'm a bit uneasy about Windows 7 upgrade later, except, I'm sure this forum will have answers for whatever I need with the upgrade.

My most intensive use of this AW would be Photoshop CS4 extended, graphpad prism, and maybe Matlab with some plug ins. Currently running CS4 extended on a old Thinkpad T40, it's okay, but definite need more CPU power.

Please feel free to comment. Thanks.

 

The TV tuner should still work fine with cable TV outputs. 4GB is plenty for most apps including win 7. The specs indicated 5400RPM, but you can always swap the HD(s) for a faster 7200.

 

VaioBD: considering your username...I'd assume you're pretty much set on it, regardless.

Yes, It'll be a fine system, BUT...you might want to make sure 4GB is the max for ram. for a person that spends a lot of time in Photoshop, I wouldn't want something that couldn't handle 8GB or more. image file sizes are just getting too big. especially if you do print work or anything with high megapixel cameras.

if you're just doing web-type work...then what I just said doesn't matter because it doesn't really apply to you. But again, if you work with high-resolution files, you'll want a system that can do at least 8GB of ram.

and regardless, you'll want to upgrade your HDD.

Best scenario for you: Get a AW-2xx system that holds 8GB ram. Get one that has 2 hard drive bays and keep them with NO RAID on the system. Set your machine up and set Photoshop's scratch disk to your OTHER drive. That will ensure solid system performance all around and a good photoshop experience that won't slow down or be slowed down by the rest of the system's processes doing other things.

TV Tuner is fine, but honestly...who uses that stuff much? I've used mine maybe 3x in 6 months.

 

Does Photoshop really need more than 4GB now?!?

I mean I have like 20 programs open, THREE different Folding @ Home clients running, etc., and I'm only using half of my 4GB.

 

I've been reading the super long thread here about the aw series. I picked up an aw190jah through costco a few weeks ago. It has the 2.26ghz 8 gigs of ram, 9600 card and 7200 rpm hard drive. I don't know if it has the rgb screen but the thing is amazingly rich, almost too much for me to do my job (graphic designer whose life depends upon seeing websites as closely to mediocre as possible for consistency purposes).

I really would have preferred I got the faster processor but no matter how I slice it, even a cheaper 18.4 inch wouldn't have had 8 gigs of ram to start in it. That alone made it worth it. The tv tuner stuff would have been nice but again I love this for what it does for me. I can have all the adobe products open, firefox open, winamp playing tunes and I am still flying along without any snags.

I do wonder if I couldn't upgrade the processor at some point though? Can I replace that?

Other than that I am just glad I have another fourty days or so to really decide if it's the right machine for me. I love it so far but some of the weird and quirky issues people have had with their machines has me a little shaky.

This won't be a replacement for my desktop but will be much needed when I go out of town for business or pleasure.

 

Where do you monitor the amount of ram your computer is using?

 

I have worked on massive images in photoshop with less memory and had no problems. Maybe someone who works with complex layers a lot would need it.

 

Thanks for all your comments. This is a nice forum.

Yes, the AW180Y/Q maxes out at 4GB and is a concern for me. I will only know when I install all of the necessary apps and eval then. That's part of the reason it's essential for me to make the purchase from Costco. The HDD spins at 4200rpm for this unit and that's different from Laptop's review unit. No idea why two config for the same part number, a typo or maybe Sony sent for review with a better drive.

I looked at the AW190's for sometime, but couldn't make up my mind before Costco replaced that one with the 180's. I think I would have been happy with that too. The 180's selling points for me are: a bit more powerful CPU with 6mb cache, Vista Ultimate (so an Ultimate upgrade path to Win 7), hardware and maybe BIOs setup for three drives for future upgrade ease.

Coming from the Thinkpad, I think I will miss things like Rapid Restore and other system management software. But, this AW line is probably much more fun to use with blue ray and TV tuner built in.

 

The Task Manager. I just checked for the heck of it, and before I've got everything I'll probably launch today running (still 10 programs running, excluding background processes), I'm only using 43% of my RAM, and that may include RAM Vista is using as cache-I'm not 100% sure if vista displays that or not in that figure (probably shouldn't, since even though it's technically being used, it's really free and can be used for something else).

 

if you're working with print-quality stuff and a multiple layers, Photoshop will eat it like cake.

 

I have the aw190jah.

How hard would it be to install SSD's?

How hard would it be to upgrade to the T9600?

I just ordered this awesome backpack after much hunting.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001HY6CYG/ref=ox_ya_oh_product

I'll review it as soon as it gets here!

 

goddamnit. EMERGENCY OVER HERE.

does anyone have a link to any AW service manual?

a service guy "repaired" may palmrest (the rubber mat surrounding the mouse pad on the 290 started coming unglued and deformed so they sent someone to replace darn near the entire top of the laptop) and now the damn thing won't power up without battery power. He didn't check it and I didn't realize it wasn't working until he was gone for a good hour. Called him back and they told me that it was probably the new part (not that he forgot to reconnect something) and that a new part would have to be ordered. my machine might not be working until Wednesday! oh, and of course, he couldn't come back because the case had been closed in their system and he wouldn't get paid. this is completely unacceptable for a machine who's only problem was an irritating rubber mat.

If anyone has the service manual, I'll take the thing apart myself and check his work. I can't find it anywhere and being down 6 days is completely unacceptable.

 

That really sucks. I don't know if it is legit, but I found this and this.

 

thanks man. I actually got the bottom off and can see everything plugged in. to be honest, everything looks like it's in order. I think it was just a bad part.

I am, however, bitter because he should have checked this before he left. or he should be willing to come back and put the original part back on. Nobody trades a part with an ugly palmrest but a functioning computer for one with a pretty palmrest that can't turn on.

that should have been his first idea! I'm pretty sure he didn't volunteer because it would have cost him an hour of his time. the days of customer service are clearly dead. I'll be calling that contract company back in the morning to see if they can give me back that part. 4 or 5 days without being able to use my primary machine are simply unacceptable.

 

Hello! I have a Sony VGN-AW290JFQ with TV Tuner : Yes - NTSC (Internal) / ATSC (External USB Adaptor). I'm not able to watch any channel in europe(Moldova). Can anyone help me? Which application i need to watch channels using them? As i read on some forums already, with NTCS tuner i'll not be able to catch any channel?
How about ATCS tuner? I connected it to usb and i connected my tv cable to it, so, what application i have to use now? help me please!

 

I just received an e-mail from a "fan" of my wallpaper collection and he showed me a picture of a desktop background I have not seen before...



I'm not even sure if this is included with the AW series but if so, I would be most appreciative if an AW owner could post/email them to me or direct me to where I might this this and possibly others I'm unaware of. Thanks.

 

wow, I'd like that too.

oh, and an update for my emergency: I talked the repair guy into coming back today to check his work. he indeed left a cable too lose. problem solved. chump.

 

Hello! I have a Sony VGN-AW290JFQ with TV Tuner : Yes - NTSC (Internal) / ATSC (External USB Adaptor). I'm not able to watch any channel in europe(Moldova). Can anyone help me? Which application i need to watch channels using them? As i read on some forums already, with NTCS tuner i'll not be able to catch any channel?
How about ATCS tuner? I connected it to usb and i connected my tv cable to it, so, what application i have to use now? help me please!

 

Hi guys, anyone think that the AW will be updated any time soon? The FW is more powerful than the AW at this point, but I like the AW chassis a lot more. It's so clean, and the screen is gorgeous. I saw someone link a chart saying quads were possible but no one seems to have confirmed...

 

I've not seen anyone throw a Quad into an AW. Then again, that's because they're like $600-$1200. what we definitely know is that they can handle C2D 3.06'ers. Not bad. But if the chipset says it can handle it and it can get enough power from the PSU, i'm sure it'll work. and yes, the screen is to die for.

Use Windows Media Center.

In that app, you can go to Tools and setup your tuner. You'll want to scan for channels. There is a chance that you might not have any OTA signals in your area strong enough to get picked up by your AW. so just keep in mind that if you scan and it fails to find anything, it's the signal; not the hardware.

 

Isn't AW31XY powerful enough?

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=418147

 

Hello Guys
Want ask who has installed an SSD in vaio ?
and if somebody understand : Intel(R) ICH9M/M-E Family 4 Port SATA AHCI Controller - 2929
where should be SSD connected in vaio that will use AHCI controller ?
cos I have connected SSD on left end side which is IDE controller only
on AHCI says it's on location PCI bus 0 device 31 function 2
any ideas?
thnx