Official Sony VAIO F Series Owners lounge *PART 2*

Why are they replacing the motherboard?!??! It's just a fan noise and they can't even recognize it. That's why I'm not so eager to send my laptop to some repair service which is most probably not aware of the real problem. I think you should make the support guy send the recording directly to the repair service, like tausif did, they would recognize it better.

Try this (I tried to emphasize the whistling pitch, easier to hear):

 

Hi all!

Would just like to say thanks to all the contributors of this forum... I took the plunge and ordered an F11 CTO a week ago! Great to see all the little problems and the massive successes that these laptops have been...

Specs:

Black
i7-720QM
GT330
Premuim HD Screen
640GB HDD --- Would have gone for SSD but ran out of money!
6GB RAM
BluRay Writer
No Backlit Keyboard...

I'm so looking forward to finally unpacking this beast...

 

@poohkie, I don't understand, if this is meant to be a fan problem and your fan was replaced , with still the same problem then it is not straightforward.

Melodymaster stated it may need redesign of fan blades and that ? the remedy was rushed into production. So do you know for a fact that there is a known remedy for which there is a definite fix ? If so where did you learn of it and futhermore what exactly is it we should be asking customer support to do should they need steering in the right direction ?

 

A user on the Z-series forum (arth1) showed a quick method to confirm if an SSD drive supports TRIM and is as follows:

Sorry, the above is in-correct. All that the below command does is to confirm whether the TRIM command is sent down from windows into the drive. Whether the drive supports TRIM is not confirmed by this


===========================
Open a command prompt with administrator privileges, and enter:

fsutil behavior query disabledeletenotify

If the answer is 1, you have an SSD that doesn't support TRIM.
If the answer is 0, the drive is either not recognised as an SSD, or it has TRIM.
========================

Even though we knew that the 256GB Toshiba SSD in the F-series does have TRIM, I just confirmed using the above command and it did return "DisableDeleteNotify = 0", which means the SSD drive does support TRIM.

Just an FYI to the SSD users on this thread.

Also, if someone wants to open the command prompt as an Administrator (to run the above command), they need to do the following:

========================
Click the Start button .

In the search box, type "command prompt".

In the list of results, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
========================

 

Well, from what I gather - there are many fans in a computer, it was not specified which fan they replaced in my unit, I am no computer whiz and did not think to ask at the time. I am grasping at straws here. I do not know what is broken and it seems that Sony does not know what it is either (if they DO know, they are not admitting it to me). What I do know is what Sony tells me - their current recommendation is to send unit in for repairs for the third time to replace the whole motherboard. Will this fix the whistle sound? I can't say for certain.

Out of the 300 or so units of the F series sold in Canada, there were only a few complaints that were actually sent in for repair. This was due to the touchpad morse code/buzz sound. After Sony Canada repaired the units. The customers were satisfied.

I possibly just have a lemon. A one in a thousand rare occurrences.

My recommended course of action would be to send the sound file to Sony, so they know EXACTLY what "sound" you are talking about, make sure they can actually HEAR the sound. Have them fix it however they feel fit. If you get it back and it is not fixed. Return for full refund and re-order.

 

I thought 2nd time was a laptop renewal , not a fan repair?! I guess, even if they took it for repair, they didn't realize the fan problem and sent it back unchanged.

@ Joe

Enough with the unrelated suggestions PLEASE!? We know it's a mechanical thing.. There is noise and there is NOISE! You didn't even experience the problem!!! Btw, there are only 2 major sound related problems. Mic/high pitched buzz/morse code thingy (which can be in fact easily fixed) and Fan whistling/whining/Constant pitched noise from top-left corner (comes along with natural air rushing). Everyone calls them different names, that's the issue.

Note: I only edited Tausif's recording, to make the pitched-noise more prominent. I didn't asked for permission, sorry if I made a mistake.

 

BINGO...that is the sound exactly...I'm gonna send this to Sony Canada and see what they say about it...
but given that poohkie had already contacted them and did not get it fixed...I don't know if it'll help or not...
well...I don't have time yet to spend hours on the phone with CS so i'll just stick with email contact for now...

 

http://ssdtechnologyforum.com/Thread-CrystalDiskInfo-3-3-0-A-Must-Have-Free-Tool-For-SSD-Owners

The above is a free utility that SSD owners will find invaluable. It shows a boatload of information on the SSD drive (including availability of TRIM etc) and several other things about the drive (screenshot available in the link).

 

Nope, only 1 fan in the Vaio_F so it works more than the two bigger ones in the bigger & heavier ASUS_G73JH-A1 Core i7 model for example:



I found this Z exploded view from this page:



You can download a cool large version of the Z exploded view here from the Sony_Press Center.



I would like to see one for the F.

For F shoppers, there is a bunch of high rez F images in this other Sony_Press Center.

 

I have seen them, in fact I have subscribed to the youtube channel. I can't play any games because of the inability for my keyboard to register 2 direction. I tried street fighter and it was terrible because I can't crouch and block (pressing down + right), it'll only register whichever one I press first.

 

Thx for subscribing . I had this problem with a desktop keyboard I used to have. Apparently to save costs, weight, etc, some of the keys on the keyboard deliver information on the same "channel" (with one "channel" being only able to support information for one key at a time). Basically, for typing and stuff, since you're only going to be pressing one key at a time (unless you do a shift+ or a ctrl+ combo), the "multiple keys per channel" works fine. Gaming is a different story though. My desktop keyboard, for instance, gets angry at me if I try to press shift+w+d at the same time (to run in a diagonal). It's really annoying.

I wish there were a fix, but seeing as it's a hardware thing I doubt there is. I thought that this wasn't a problem on the F, but it looks like it is. It's strange that it's the arrow keys though, because one would expect that people would press down+left/right pretty often. Does anybody else have this issue? I didn't notice it, but then again I haven't been in any situations that would make it possible to tell for sure. Thanks for pointing it out iversonai.

 

mango are you saying then the keyboard on the f11 is not suited for gaming then. I thought the keyboard was really good, by reading previous comments

 

same sound here on the F series I bought for my girlfriend...

 

I guess it depends on what games you're going to be playing. I've played (especially in the past month ) a whole bunch of games, and I didn't even notice there was an issue.

I'll see if my keyboard has the same issue. I have Street Fighter 3 TS somewhere....

 

ok please do mate, i wish to play most games without any problem, especially with the up, down, right and left arrow keys. Which seems to be causing problems.

 

Just confirmed via CrystalDiskInfo, that the Firmware version in the 256GB Toshiba SSD in the Sony F-series (AGSA0203), does not support TRIM.

However, the exact same SSD model in the below article, has a later firmware (AGYA0201), which does support TRIM:

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1230/3/

So seems like Sony owners who need the 256GB SSD to support TRIM, will need to download the latest Firmware version from the Toshiba Support site (is it available ?).

Can someone else confirm what version of firmware is installed on their 256GB SSD drive ? Slrosenfeld or MelodyMaster ?

 

Been thinking about that too. I suspect that if the fan issue has been made an "FRU engineering change" then there will be individual instructions packed with the part.

I will do my best.

 

@MelodyMaster + @Poohkie

I am getting frustrated with Sony now. Yesterday, MTC who is repairing my unit tell me that the screen is defective due because of the light bleeding issue. Now today, after Sony have spoke to them about the problem, it is no longer defective but is behaving normally. What gives?! Did you guys have problems dealing with Sony? Did you have to escalate the issue internally at Sony?

 

I have the exact same issue with mine. My is currently in for service, and they have not been able to hear the problem, so it is coming back to me unfixed. Has anyone had any luck with Sony on this issue?

Apparently they have fixed the morse code issue with mine, should get it back Friday, ill let you guys know..

 

Much appreciated.

 

This thread has worried me. Is it a sure thing that when my Vaio F arrives that it WILL have an annoying fan whine? It'll drive me mental.

Joe Bleau: dB != Annoyance level. It may not be as loud as another laptop's fan but it may have a more annoying sound, in this instance a whine which really shouldn't be there which will drive you mad much easier than a lightly louder fan.

 

Hi Enverex,

Do not worry! There are only a handful of F owners that are experiencing this whistle sound. I am almost 99% sure that if you order one, it will not have this sound.

I believe that for the lack of a better term, the first "generation" of F's may possibly have this sound, but all new ones do not have it.

I ordered the F in mid January, one of the first ones "off the shelf" I can't speak for the others, but I feel that this may be the common link between us all who have the whistle...as one of the first ones off the assembly line, maybe a part or two were not installed perfectly snug.

This is just a theory, don't quote me on it.

If by some miracle you order one and it has the sound. Sony has a 30 day return policy and you will also be covered by the 1 year Sony Manufacturer's Warranty.

 

Notebookcheck agrees with you as I quoted in this post:

It depends on your luck & hardware specifics, how good your hearing is, your tolerance level or capacity to mentally block a specific noise (like my girlfriend giving me cr@p ).

 

Also if the drive supports trim, it may be why I was getting 6448 errors in "System Cleaner" after running Vaio care one-step with defrag disabled. That program doesn't properly recognize the drive.
It's been confirmed several ways now that the 256 Gig Toshiba SSD does have Trim.

Or use an old-fashioned DOS batch command. ---
Make a new text file on the desktop, name it "command.bat" (or any name you like with a .bat extension) make sure to delete the".txt" extension Vista or Win7 will preserve. Ok the complaint.

Edit the .bat and just type (or copy and paste):

cmd | fsutil behavior query disabledeletenotify

Save and close. Now right-click the bat file and run as administrator.

("|" is Pipe, shifted backslash on the F11)

 

Agreed. My one (which whistles) has UK serial number 0000001, so is one of the earlier ones...

 

Hrm. I have far above average hearing and notice everything and I can't block it out... normal fan noise I can deal with, my existing laptop's fan is on at all times. A silent laptop is preferable but there's always a trade off with higher end processors, fan noise is fine but whines aren't.

Well I ordered one custom built (the i7 UK one) a few days ago so it should be as new as any Vaio F could be so lets hope it's flawless... *fingers crossed*

 

So brace yourself & expect the worse.

 

May I ask where you got those figures? Seems interesting!

 

Direct from Sony chief of sales, the lucky Gal!

 

Thanks for the reassurance, I'm contemplating canceling the order at this point.

 

roweraay,

There is more to configuring an SSD than simply trim. You should also turn off defrag, which is scheduled in Windows 7. Also, prefetch and superfetch should be turned off, as well as both file indexing and disk indexing. Turning off the indexing slowed my seek times down just a touch (perhaps .1 second, but I noticed a very slight difference) but stopped the SSD from constantly blinking that it was in use. This should mean a longer life. Also, I turned on caching and turned off the paging file. If you have a lesser amount of memory, keep the paging file, but if you have a lot of memory (the computers I work on with SSDs have 8GB and 12GB of RAM) feel free to get rid of the paging file. It freed up over 12GB of space on the SSDs. I will PM you parts of articles that I read and saved on the subject.

Bill

 

I've been playing catchup with all of the posts here and saw yours above. Congrats on finally landing a new F series. I have a question for you about the revision...how do you know that it's a Rev2 version? Is it something with the serial number code or something else? Just curious. Thanks and enjoy.

 

In case any Canadians haven't noticed, for the entire month of March coupon MARCHMADNESS200 will give a discount of $200 for any Custom VAIO over $1500.

 

I just noticed your post that NHMike quoted. Is this likely to be the same with any new "custom built" Vaio Fs? As it sounds like (with the exception of the loud drive) the laptop is faultless now (in terms of the actual issues).

 

Since no one else commented, I am glad you are back, Joe. I have been lurking on the forum since the first post after noticing the F11 at the CES Show in Jan. Am a long time novice computer user planning to do some light video editing. Thank you to all who provided much appreciated information. You all need to know you are helping all levels of users. And will admit only understand half of what is being said most of the time but still learning much - like what I didn't know about what I didn't know My only contribution is that I love my F11 and have no issues so far. And a Sony rep was nice enough in Dec when trying to order a FW to say to wait a few weeks until new F series available. And after ordering CTO received in Feb had a 15% discount - I was nice to sales rep! My question is: Want to ask what is best software for video editing for the novice to advanced user (hope not inappropriate for this thread) or any suggestions for forums or websites more knowledgeable users would know.

 

Well you did write this & will probably zoom in on any noise emission so...

If you ordered from Sonystyle, you can return it, right? If so, then worst case scenario is it will cost you the return shipping fee for a tryout period.

Why do you need a Core i7? What is your current laptop?

 

Glad the forum helps! In terms of video editing software, since this IS a thread about the Vaio, I would recommend Sony Vegas Pro . I've had limited experience with movie editing, but I've used Adobe Premier before. It was simple enough, and I know that more advanced users use it as well. When you do end up getting the software, make sure to tell us how it performs

Cheers.

 

I'm wondering how accurate what you're saying is now though considering Melody has pointed out the newer versions don't seem to have any of the old issues such as noise, etc.

Current laptop is in my signature. Returning is a massive pain so I try to avoid it at all costs. I don't -need- an i7 (originally I was looking for an i5), but this was the best laptop available that matched certain other criteria, one of the main ones being a very high quality screen (the i5 version has the inferior screen in the UK).

 

You should have had Premiere CS4 included with your computer. It's the best editor in its class (I believe) and at $299 or $345 as part of a CTO bundle it's a total bargain considering its $1000 to $2200 retail cost. And yes it is the full version with all the associated utilities such as Device Central, On Location, and various rendering tools.

And in the US you could get Vegas at a very good Bundle price.

I bought the F11 for the purpose of video editing, so the fact that Premiere could be bundled with it was a genuine bonus.

 

Thank you for your kind words.:wub:

"what is best software for video editing for the novice to advanced user" - I use the expensive Vegas Pro & Premiere but give a spin to the free & included in Win 7: Windows Live Movie Maker. Start > search: movie maker.

It's very easy to use & quite good. I used it for some Youtube videos.

After using it a bit, you could decide if it fits your needs or if you need a more advanced movie editor.

That's refreshing. :wink:

 

It's because 16:9 is made for watching movies, completely different from a 4:3 great for Word & other text editors as they offer more headroom. Check the link in your quote for a ton of posts on the subject.

This said, I'm happy with the F, I just have to scroll more for certain tasks.

The US consumer is driving the 1080p shiny display in the North American market, go to any big box store with lots of laptop to see it in action.

See this interesting DPI (Fineness) of Displays table with images showing the difference between more small windows on a high resolution display vs. larger UI with lower resolution.

"is this the wrong laptop to get?" - well unless you get a business class laptop, it's hard to find a display that's not 16:9 or 16:10 @ the present. Why do you need the number crunching power of the quad core i7? What kind of tasks are planning to do on it?

Image from Aspect ratio (image):

 

Thanks, MelodyMaster, I wish I was not too shy to ask before CTO ordering. Then, I would have included Premiere or Vegas. Hopefully your post will help others.

 

For really simple encoding jobs, I would recommend Virtualdub. It's open-source and it encodes to almost any format. Of course, this is redundant if you already have something like Vegas or Premiere, but if you don't want to shell out the cash for those programs, it works well. My biggest problem with Windows Movie maker was that it kept putting a black box around my gaming videos when I tried to encode them to 720/1080p.

This is a monster of a machine for video editing, by the way. With virtualdub, it encoded dvd-quality video to xVid compression at 32 fps (faster than real time!). For my 720p gaming videos, it generally encodes at a speed anywhere between 9-19 fps. For my 1080p videos, 2fps-10fps. I have the i7-720QM and 4gb of ram.

Oh, and the machine doesn't actually slow down by that much when you're encoding. I watched a 720p youtube video while encoding at 1080p and there were no hiccups. The CPU was showing 60% usage . The core 2 duo imacs at the computer lab here are stressed when they watch a 720p youtube vid, let alone while encoding a 1080p video

 

God...I wish this is the case...but I am beginning to think this problem is more wide spread issue. Mine (US CTO) had that same sound as well...
It was built and delived to me late Feb from Sonystyle US... The box had round green sticker on it. Yes...I tried the fix with "listening" and so on.
The sound was still there. I had to return the laptop because it would not power on after 1.5 days of use. I am getting my new one next Tuesday...
So, I will report back then.

 

Thanks, Joe. Will try Windows Live Movie Maker first. Main priority to include video for our website and more. May be enough for my needs. Another contribution is Spyder3Express made my monitor all I could ask. Huge difference. So cool you are all so helpful.

 

Good tips!

Do you agree that for a newbie (like the OP), Movie Maker is a good free learning tool? When I opened Premiere CS4 for my brother who wanted to edit a simple movie on my PC, he told me it looked like Chinese to him.

"Windows Live Movie Maker" tutorial "windows 7" search.

 

I don't necessarily need a quad core i7. I do email, surf, word processing, some photo work, and finances. I am looking at the Sony F because it looks like a nice laptop for the money. I want a faster computer in general and the quality of Sony or the HP Elitebook, but the Elitebook is quite a bit more costly. I've also considered the Sony Z but mobility is not that critical to me so I thought maybe a larger screen would be nice. I have had an SR290 for quite a while and I really don't mind the screen size though.

 

Heheh, we're on the same page here as well, in addition to gaming.

I don't consider VirtulDub to be an either-or with Premiere, but rather VD is an ADJUNCT to the true editing programs. Premiere does the best job of putting together programs, but it's clumsy when working with non-traditional codecs such as Lagarith or Black magic. However VirtualDub is in its element when working with Windows API AVI. So a typical project may consist of importing the HD video from a Canon HV20 into Premiere, then editing, but instead of rendering straight to Mpeg rather save to lagarith or HufYuv, then frame serve that via AVIsynth with any desired filters to HCencode, or opening in Virtual dub and doing trimming and direct copy to lagarith or via frameserve to any format required. Another workflow is to capture with VirtualDub, then trim with AVIsynth. Or capture with VirtualDub as Lagarith and open that in Premiere.

The best picture quality is ALWAYS achievable only by saving to an AVI of the same format as Premiere's project, then frameserving via AVIsynth to whatever the desired playback format. Premeire is slower, and has a softer picture, and does not do IVTC well for 24fps material, that being the forte of AVIsynth with Tivtc.

VirtualDub is the best Codec Shell program on the planet, but it ain't no editor, AVIsynth is the best, the ONLY dedicated scripting Shell, and Premiere is one of the best editors outside of Final Cut Pro and a couple of Broadcasters' tools.

 

haha yes - that's the best way to phrase it.