Official Sony VAIO F Series Owners lounge *PART 2*

Well mine is red hot so I spray painted it & added a sticker.

 

I'm confused. Is there a 100% working more current driver for the GPU? Tested and confirmed by a Vaio Owner? If there is, I will work on some instructions and then add it to the "Unification Post". If not, and it's all still "experimental" then I will refrain from adding that to the unification.

 

Rightly so. There is a driver (an official nvidia driver), but it requires modifying a .inf file. You can get more info here: http://forums.laptopvideo2go.com/topic/26254-nvidia-graphics-driver-19686-released/

There is also word that drivers for the gt 330m will be available mid-march.

From what I've heard from the posts about this so far, it would be advantageous to upgrade if you want fixed-ratio scaling now, or if you wish to and you feel comfortable modifying the .inf and installing the drivers.

If you're not comfortable modifying the .inf or installing the driver, it would be best to wait until the drivers come out from Sony (probably have to wait a while), or until the new drivers from nvidia are released mid-march.

Personally, I'll be waiting until "mid-march" (whenever that is) to upgrade.

Cheers!

 

UNIFICATION POST SONY VAIO F11 SERIES – ISSUES, FIXES, TWEAKS, REVIEWS.
(Extensive Editing will Follow, sorry for delay, law classes and work and little kids delay my posting life).


Reviews of the Sony Vaio F11 series:
(1) My First Review. I kept my Best Buy purchased Sony Vaio F11, and I am loving it more and more.
(2) EURO REVIEW (European model F11 seems to have premium matte screen option, unlit keyboard):
(3) Video Euro Review. If you are considering buying, watch these, and you will RUN and not walk to buy your Euro Vaio F.
(4) Best Buy Review, North America (Click on Customer Reviews tab in the page after searching for this SKU 9705382 at Best Buy's website).
(5) Newegg Reviews.
(6) Amazon Reviews (310M gpu).
(7) MangoSango's extensive game testing post with youtubes.
(8) Laptopmag.com Review which mentions transferjet technology.
(9) Poll about screen quality.
(10) Pictures of internals: Here. Here. Here. Glossy Screen Internals Fan Internals


Known Issues and Fixes:
Fanboy disclaimer: Many Sony Vaio F11 series do not have these issues, these are issues reported by users in this thread - users who appear to be predominantly happy with their purchases and are working to resolve these problems if they exist on their laptop. The most cited complaint is the screen quality in the North American version of the Sony Vaio F11.

Screen viewing angle (the glossy/semi-glossy 1080p US Screen).
Some comparison pics: here & here. Discussion of issue: here & here.

Screen dimness and appearance. Screen calibration can help this also, see calibration below.
See here and Steps 1-3 on this post.

Microphone “tweating” or "noises" or "morse code". Usually very quiet. Fixed by Sony in current builds by changing the laptop construction. Fixes here & here & Youtube mic tweat fix.

Squeeky Space Bar. Fix.

Loud cooling system (Fan Noise). If this is your first i7 laptop, they seem to be a little bit louder, and take some getting used to – there is a lot of computing power. Discussion about issue.

Fan Noises at certain speeds. Discussed here & here. In depth look at the fan, and discussion of fan tone.

Fan perma-running on max. Fix here.

Battery draining/miscalibrated, even when powered off. Detailed discussion and fix.
Alternate explanation for extremely light battery drain. TY username FolderTree for link.

Bluetooth Reinstall (Software issue). See fix here.

Speaker Distortion (speakers turned up, bass crackle on CPU speakers). Cheap fix = headphones. Or check links:
Here & here.

CPU Throttledown on Battery Power (BIOS appears to be the culprit, and appears to require a Sony Firmware fix). Long explanation. Relatively Short Explanation and Exact Throttle.

Vaio not sleeping or hibernating correctly. Software issue may be caused by different OS and software installed. Please review this list.

Failed power supply. Talk to Sony Support.

Tweaks:
Clean Install. Joe Bleau’s starter thread.

Remapping VAIO S1 Key (using Vaio software). Currently other VAIO keys don't remap. S1 Key Remap.

Getting FN keys to work after clean install.

Semi-Clean Install. Thanks Ninjanoodles. This seems to be a very good route to take for some users. Ninjanoodles Post.

Screen Color Calibration. (I used this myself. Obviously the best calibration would be to buy a calibrator and make custom adjustments to your laptop.)
Comprehensive calibration post Srosenfeld’s calibration. Euro Screen Calibration.

GPU Driver Update (This isn't 100% working for everyone, but users are reporting SIGNIFICANT gains in performance. Please read this thread - very impressive work here. Thankyou MidtownHD). Midtown's post.

Overclocking the GPU. (Note: GPU is soldered in, and can not be easily replaced, if at all).
Start here. Settings others have used (including myself).

Second HDD using optical drive bay. Confirmed working by Joe Bleau. (Many Thanks!) Comprehensive Link Posted Here.
Also, please see Here & here & here.

Removal of LCD and shim adjustment to webcam, see here.

Audio Tweaks. Read this page.

Installing Intel Wireless Card 6200 (detailed instructions & pics, middle of this page.

Others have done some of this in a variety of posts, I wanted to provide a comprehensive stopping point for others. I have stolen liberally from many other contributors in this and other threads. I hope this helps newcomers and other Sony Vaio F11 owners. Please provide feedback, and I will edit this post accordingly. I do NOT take credit for the hard work and research of others. If you notice I have stolen your work and want more credit, please send me a PM, and I’ll add your name to the bottom of the post as a contributor.

 

Excellent answer, and TY. I will not add it to the unification at this point, because if someone needs to know this info, they can search for it - it's pretty specific, and probably won't be relevant (at this point) to 98% of the Vaio owners.

 

Thank you so much for uploading these videos, they are a great help to many I am sure Sure beats describing how each game runs!

Yes, I look forward to the FSX video. If you could fly over, say, NYC, that would really best out the video card's performance. Thanking you in advance!

 

Great job man. That will indeed help many others. We should make that a sticky some how.

 

You can turn off the EQ settings, which I found caused the distortion.

 

Hi MelodyMaster, i'm using a Vaio bluetooth keyboard and mouse as I reported back here...

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=5903021#post5903021




Reviews are here...
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666005675
http://www.inglue.com/computer-peri...te-with-vaio-bluetooth-vgp-bms80-laser-mouse/

They are a perfect match for the F with the mouse featuring "air mode" and the keyboard with low-profile, island keys inc. numeric keypad. The benefits of bluetooth are there are no need for dongles or software and the extended range so you can control the laptop while connected to your home cinema. Battery life is supposed to be very long and this I can believe as both devices have an auto power-off feature when they are not used for a while.

Important note as mentioned by other users- go into the properties of the bluetooth modem and turn off the power saving mode, otherwise the internal bluetooth modem goes to sleep and you loose connectivity often. With this disabled, it is trouble-free!

matt

Petition to Mods...pls bring back Joe Bleau!

 

Crysis is the only game I've tried which I didn't like, I couldn't buy into the action or scenario somehow.. $50 wasted.

So, for benchmarking the F11, let's not forget MS Flight Simulator X. And, MS Train Simulator. Don't laugh, at best quality settings it is very demanding, distant screen draw is slow.. Also it often crashes on SOME systems due to audio driver incompatabilities.

Trouble is those are not available at SonyStyle.ca, only the tear-shaped mouse is there, about which I've read very little in the way of reviews.. I'm offered one free accessory, because the accesory pack was not ready yet when my F11 was shipped, and it has to be currently ON the Sonystyle.ca site.

That duo is a good idea though, I have a similar USB wireless keyboard and air mouse on a desktop.

 

Yes - I'll get the FSX demo and put up some performance figs for that. Is there a demo for MS Train Sim? I don't have it and don't want to pay for it lol (or pirate it...).

 

Omaroo, what is your problem, why do you keep asking the same question over again and again?

I have not been contributing to this forum at all to be honest except for 2 or 3 post in part 1 thread, but I have been reading all the posts, and your posts are just so annoying. The reason why am not contributing much is because I am waiting for the June/July refresh, and all the info I need is here in this thread.

I do my research here by using the search option which you always seem to ignore and ask questions that has already been answered few times.
Am sorry but I reported you to the MODS. You were WARNED by the mods once and your still ignoring and carrying on with repeating same question over again and again

To all guys in this forum, BIG thanks for sharing all your experience, tips and tricks, guides, solution to problems etc. This thread has given me a very good knowledge of this laptop which I was planning to buy, but decided to wait for the major refresh

 

Anybody seen this? http://discover.sonystyle.com/rocket/index.html

Just sayin that the F and the i7 is mad crazy powerful

 

F****

My power adaptor started making crackling noises and the LED started flickering. What now? lol I'm taking it back to Best Buy

 

Good idea. Try to get them to exchange only the adaptor. Good luck!

 

How does the Sony F with the 330M GPU handle Maya, and 3DSMAX? This is my deciding factor, then i'll join the Sony F Series Club!!

 

I haven't loaded 3D Studio yet, but how do you quantify "How does it handle..." Even much slower systems did ok with 3Dstudio, I've used a P4 2.2with FireGL; without a CAD card some rendering takes place in software and is much slower. For gaming cards used in CAD, ATI is better for Maya and 3DStudio because it has faster OpenGL.

With 8 Gigs of memory I can't imagine the F11 will choke on these programs.

I can't imagine they'll force a customer to return his whole computer, with its personalized settings and programs and data etc. for the sake of the external power supply box.

 

I certainly don't NEED the i7 but in your situation, I would pick the (X) simply because of the Premium Display.

 

Oh, I gave up modifying the machine, it's back on the factory install of Windows with very few things on it. Luckily, because the battery wouldn't last me time to remove everything I would normally have on there!

I'm happy to replace the entire machine, mine has a moaning exhaust fan, as stated before. I do feel sorry about it though, I was really starting to like it! Lol.

 

Hmm, quite quick really. Reported it first thing Monday. Replacement just arrived. However its not the same, its a AC19V36 (up to 4.7A) whereas I had a AC19v16 (up to 6.2A). So I called vaio-link and they are going to check if its ok to use, said it may be tomorrow before I get an answer. You would think they could look that up pretty quickly, but heh.

 

hi everyone...been using it for 3 days and loving it so far...
a) love the backlit keyboard, and wondering why there's no light under the space bar
b) 16:9 screen. It's great for movie, Transformers 2 on the 16.4" screen @ Full HD looked great

and here's what I don't like...
a) backlit keyboard, or more specifically the screen. The screen is very reflective and the backlit keyboard reflect right off the screen, making it really hard to read the bottom part of the screen.
b) 16:9 screen. It's terrible if I try to do some word processing work.
c) the noise, the strange noise, I've been trying to find words to explain what it is, and I just can't
d) There's sooooooooooo many VAIO apps on there, but was too busy so didn't bother with a fresh install
e) you'll probably think I'm crazy, but the touchpad is not the best. It's not sensitive, but that's not the most annoying about it. The most annoying thing is that it's placed a bit to the left, and I'm still trying to get used to the positioning of it.
f) a volume control on the side of the notebook is nice, but there isn't 1. Kinda annoying for me to press 2 buttons to mute the notebook.
now I got a few questions

a) Is there a way to make the backlit keyboard stay on all the time? I know covering the sensor is a way to go but I'm hoping for a software solution.
b) Another light question, the power light is bothering the hell outta me when I try to sleep. Is there some way to turn it off?
c) the annoying sound is there, and I have turned off the microphone. Is there some other newly discovered fix?

 

For point f) I found a great little utility 3RVX.
http://www.addictivetips.com/windows-tips/on-screen-volume-control-indicator-for-windows/
You can use the win key and your mouse wheel together to change the volume on your computer.

 

No need too, the problem was removed for now. Now let's talk F!

 

shahad you reported me, its up to you mate, everyone seems to ingnore what i am asking.

Why are people buying a mouse and a keyboard for the laptop. I just dont understand that

 

d) When you get the time, you should get revo uninstaller and get rid of the apps if they bug you. It really doesn't impact performance that much for me anyway. And from your complaint about the power button, it sounds like you dont often turn off the computer anyway, and the biggest impact that removing those programs will be boot-up time.

a) Not sure on this. I don't think there is atm.

b) The easiest solution would be to turn off the computer . I doubt there is a software fix though. The power button is usually controlled by the motherboard itself. You would probably need to hack the bios/firmware for the motherboard, or cut the wires that control the light on the power button from the motherboard.

c) Is it the same "morse-code" buzzing sound? Also, could you clarify what you did to turn off the mic? There is a solution where you shift the output of the mic to digital out and I'm not sure if you're using that fix or another one.

 

Gee, I bought Train Simulator for less than $10 as a "legacy" game, now it's some $100 as an out-of-print collectible.

 

melody or mango, is it true and updated or refresh f11 is coming out

 

Please somebody could tell me how many ICC colour profiles come in the EU Vaio by default? I dont sure if I have deleted one.
I have three ICC profiles
-srgb iec61966-2.1
-agfa
-vaio

Is that correct?


I have spend hours,because I used only nvidia color settings but each time I power on the nvidia panel changes to "other programs take control "in desktop color panel.
I have checked the "dont use colour profile" in vaio control center so I cant explain why my settings in nvidia panel change sometimes.

Thank you a lot

 

Ok, can someone tell me should the fan be on all the time ? I have an I5, I don't have the whistling noises, noisy mic, or anything, but the fan just never shuts off even at 1% cpu usage. Is this right ?

Note that it does ramp up louder at greater cpu usage, it goes from a drone to a more fanlike spinning hum, but I wasn't expecting to have to listen to it all the time even when barely ticking over.

 

Yes. When? nobody knows. Probably in the summer, or when nvidia's new GF mobile series comes out, but that might not be until Q3 or Q4 2010. Maybe later...

 

how much more better will it be better than the current f11. Is there any point in my waiting for it

 

There's no way to say at this point. It could be a lot better, could be just some minor processor updates and price adjustments. There's really no way to tell. You should find a sony speculation thread to get answers to those kinds of questions.

 

You know, I've had a similar problem, has happened on 2 or 3 different occasions, a strange sound coming from the power supply brick. Did not notice if the LED was flickering though.

I thought maybe it was just a bad outlet I was using because all the times I've noticed it, I was using this one particular outlet.

Will need to investigate further...

 

Thanks for the rep . Glad the vids are helping. I haven't been on that site, but just looking through a few pages, you dont have to scroll up or down to see the full image. Here are some screenshots of the site @ 1080p:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/126056/1/Capture.PNG
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/126056/1/Capture1.PNG
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/126056/1/Capture2.PNG

 

mango i assume u have the f11, would u get the updated one by any chance in the future

 

no. lol maybe like 5 years from now I'll buy a Z series, but not in the near future no.

 

I wish something were wrong, or would go wrong, with my F11 so I could start feeling Human again..

 

Don't say such a thing! Don't even think such a thing! I will come over there and pinch you really hard if you like.

Be glad yours is pretty much problem free. Enjoy it!

I think I will send my F back for the third time, this time permanently. It was fun while it lasted!

 

NO ONE responds my message :confused2:...

Please help...

 

Quick question: how to enable Bluetooth on my F11?

 

Thanks for the answer! +rep

I asked the same question in the other thread, though mine was more about laser etching, etc. I personally think I will forgo laser etching for a less permanent option like stickers. Etsy.com has quite a few good ones if you are interested.

I am loving that keyboard! That mouse though looks bad IMO. $99 seems kind of steep for a keyboard though, no matter how sexy it is

Thank you very much! I shall forever bow in your presence.

 

Hi Erdal,

I think that all users who have the fan/whistle sound have not commented because nobody has had this issue fixed yet, including me. There are a couple posters who will be receiving onsite repair service, but they are still waiting for that to happen. I have sent in my laptop twice now for repairs, but both times it has come back and the sound is still present.

Is your laptop set to "Power Save" mode? If so, try turning that off, it may fix your mouse problem.

 

Erdal - Poohkie is correct. We are waiting for the repair tech to visit for fan repair. I have confirmed with Sony that the parts are in transit to local east coast US tech. Once they receive the parts, the tech calls for an on-site appointment. That has not happened yet.

Attn: US Sony owners. According to Sony, depending upon the status (new problem, known problem with fix, etc.) and severity of the malfunction, a repair will either be sent back to Sony in San Diego, or if the owner is near a Sony Style store they will be sent there for replacement unit with hard drive swap, or have a repair tech from a Sony contracted outsourced repair organization sent to the location for on-site repair.

Since Sony has opted to send a repair tech to fix the fan and speaker problems on my F11J, I have to believe that Sony has come up with a solution for the fan problem - therefore acknowledging indirectly that there is an issue.

As I indicated in a previous post, I will take as many pictures as possible of the dis-assembly, repair and reassembly process.

 

I have European model F11S1E. I do have high pitch noise, if I use one of the tricks provided it is gone but I'm not happy to have it first of all.
As for fans I'm not sure I mean if you some load the fan is definitely noisy, with any game I would say this is very noisy and I cannot live with that. Fortunately I'm not gaming but I've tried guild wars - not the most intensive game around and it was ridiculously noisy. Anyone claiming fan is silent on this model needs seriously consider hear examination.
When just browsing - it is not that bad but I went from super silent large fans desktop into laptop world to have more silence and this laptop is kind of going back to the roots concerning noise. I'm confused right now.Screen has good colors and resolution is brilliant but it is not evenly lit and year of production 2002 means it is not definitely LED as somebody suggested so it will dip with years passing by. I will try to write a bit more in the weekend.
Anyways, I've paid 1299 Euros for this but I'm entitled to get tax back so in the real life it cost me around 1099 Euros and I think it is not a bad laptop for this money but nothing more.
I also have Samsung R710 and I found this laptop great. Keyboard is nice, CPU a bit slow, GPU fine, very low noise even during games ( Samsung GPU=Sony GPU and I even think Sony is less hot)if only screen would be HD LED, well...and there is this red glossy finish...hmm.
I'll stress it out once again - this F series is OK but anyone hoping for perfect machine will be disappointed.
Right now I'm trying to decide whether go to the store and try to get refund or keep this laptop.
BTW It was actually my wife who pushed me into buying Sony so I guess I still have somebody to blame if I would not be happy.

 

Hello

I am planning to purchase Sony Vaio F series. I am contacting you concerning the following issue: In the display section of “VPCF1190X Configure-to-Order”, there is a choice of 16.4" VAIO Premium Display (1920x1080) with NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 330M GPU (1GB VRAM), so my main question is whether this choice of display also includes Adobe RGB 100% and the matte coverage? On some of the official web sites of your company in the European countries, it is noted that the 16.4" VAIO Premium display (1920x1080) also has Adobe RGB 100% coverage, so why is it not mentioned on your web site?

Thus the display of exact colors is crucial in my job. So, could you please inform me if the abovementioned display of your Vaio has Adobe RGB 100% coverage? And if not how it is different from the ones that have this type of coverage?

Thank you in advance

 

VAIO Update (in UK) downloaded and installed the following software update this evening...

VAIO Power Management 5.0.1.01270

The only other update has been...

VAIO Care 5.1 5.1.0.12110

No reboot necessary.

I wonder what changes were made? ***

matt


EDIT***

VAIO Power Management 5.0.1.01270
What is this?
This utility provides a recommedation feature to Media Gallery, Giga Pocket Digital and for VAIO Location Search.

What does it fix?
This updates contains some improvements related to learning Windows Media Player playback history, and music recommendation.

Manual installation steps

Exit all running programs.
Download this update and save it to your hard drive.
When the download is completed, locate the downloaded file in the location you specified.
Double-click EP0000218579.exe to install the new version. Wait while the wizard updates your software.
When the installation is complete, restart the VAIO.

 

In Europe - X series if you configure from Sony style Europe, Z and S models =matt screen , i7 and Nvidia 330 only those 3 configs

 

Please people READ THROUGH THE THREAD AND LOOK AT THE UNIFICATION POST BEFORE YOU ASK THESE QUESTIONS. This has been discussed for hundreds of pages and the answer is NO. The US screens are GLOSSY and not MATTE and they DO NOT have the full adobe rgb color coverage.

 

@MelodyMaster + @Pookie

My F11 is at Sony for repairs now, according to them i have the morse code whine, and extreme light bleed from the screen. What experiences did you guys have dealing with Sony to get it resolved?

 

Mine gets very hot when I draw a lot of power, like when I'm gaming. Does anyone else experience this? Is it normal?

I ask because the same thing used to happen with the power brick for my old Inspiron. Dell finally recalled that power adapter model after some of them apparently melted or burst into flame.