Official Sony VAIO F Series Owners lounge *PART 2*

I lose the network card sometimes and can't reconnect without a reboot. This is a win7 problem, not reassigning I/O resources properly so it needs a reboot to start over.. Vista had BIG problems with that and Win7 still has some.

 

Yeah... I figured as such. Luckily there's a SonyStyle store in the city I'm flying into that hopefully has a support center. Just replacing the keyboard should fix it, and that shouldn't be too hard. The keyboard was squeaky anyway

Btw, how did you guys who got repairs on their laptop begin a claim? I purchased a warranty from sony with my CTO and I can't find any info on starting the warranty claim process.

 

Yes. Go to "Vaio Control Center" > Display > Automatic Brightness settings >

....now turn off "Adjust brightness automatically".

 

Telephoning for an RMA will work.

 

How are you using it then?

(edit) by the way I'm running Mass Effect 1, which required several patches from MS to get going in Win7. It is as smooth as butter on the F11, very good framerates indeed. I've decided to play through ME1 before hitting ME2. And as a bonus my character looks MUCH nicer than I could achieve in ME2, she's real pretty.

 

Right now I have the on-screen keyboard up to type the non-responsive characters

 

Thanks for the info MM

 

Oh, handicapped options. never thought of that.

(edit) well not really handicapped. There are neat "Ease of Access" options, thanks for pointing that out.

(heheh) doesn't match the actual physical layout of the F11 keyboard.

 

Hehe yeah I did the same as well. After the overclock, the framerates stay ridiculously high in ME. I think I was getting a steady 60fps for most of the game at 720p

 

Have it at 1920 X 1080 now actually, I started out with it lower. "Dynamic Shadows" is turned off.

 

I sent my F11 to Sony Repair Service (Cihan Elektronik Istanbul / Turkey )

They refused the problems ( fan and microphone) ... What should I do ? ...

 

@mangosango,

I called up US Sony support @ 1.877.244.9959 and just mentioned my problem.

Isn't the Sony Consumer Relations number 1.239.768.7545 in US/Canada. *7576 (instead of 7545) for International? Is there a different one? I got this off the Sony website.

 

Maybe a troll messed up your keyboard while you were asleep?

Suggestions:

- try plugging in an external kb to see if it works normally

- ASSIST > Vaio_Care > Troubleshooting > Vaio Advisor > Input & Output

- ASSIST > Vaio_Care > One Click Care > Run One Click Care

- check this Sony_support doc: notebook keyboard is not working properly

- check if the kb works normally in Safe Mode to rule out a hardware fault

- initiate the repair procedure

BTW, have you tried calibrating your battery to see if it fixes the battery gauge error?

Good luck!

 

Congrats!

Any positive feedback on the machine besides "beautiful"?

You know that all newbies on this thread are required to check the Unification Post #2, right?

"1. It may just be me, but the screen seems dim even on maxed brightness" - no, it's not only you. In the UP linked above: "Screen dimness and appearance", "Screen Color Calibration" and check Vaio_F_Series Monitor Profiles Roundup

"2. Suggestions on optimizing performance for gaming" - in said UP: "(7) MangoSango's extensive game testing post with youtubes".

"I'm also very new to windows 7" - Windows 7 - Tutorial Index and this naturally: "windows 7" tutorial.

Welcome to the F_Series Owner's Lounge!

 

a bit of editorializing, forgive me..Since many F11 owners probably aren't up on what is going on elsewhere..

in other forums, including about systems that have been off-topicidly (?!) extolled here ..Gaming is troublesome, throttling is troublesome, heat is excessive, system shuts down without warning, bluescreens... but go to the F11 forum, "Oh my spacebar squeaks, the tragedy!!!" LOL.

There have been NO complaints about the actual performance of the F11 at all, (throttling on battery, well, these others throttle on AC even..) yet some of these other, expensive, premium laptops have all these issues.

As for non-design use of the F11, fan is noisy on mine when gaming, but only air rushing, that's expected. To get a quieter gaming laptop it needs to be actually bigger with bigger fans and bigger heat sink like the Asuses and Alienwares. The F11 is not a gamer and is not built like one but it does extraordinarily well with Mass Effect and Fallout, I'm ecstatic at its performance, especially for a non-gaming laptop!

We got really lucky by having the wisdom to buy a Sony VAIO F11XX.

 

Since there are no clues in your post title "Re: Official Sony_VAIO_F_Series Owners lounge *PART 2*" nor links nor quotes, I presume you are talking about my VAIO F CPU Throttling "Issue"? post, right?

Well every time somebody writes that there is a VAIO_F CPU Throttling "Issue" when running on battery, my reply is the same: a 57 Watts/h battery maximum output cannot feed a system that needs 116 Watts/h of power to run @ full Turbo mode like the F does when plugged in. For example, try powering an electric lawnmower with your laptop's power adapter.

I added some hard data & quotes to my last version of this post.

"Dell_XPS_16 (to my knowledge) doesn't throttle on battery" - well the CPU and the GPU throttles even when plugged in and even with_Dell's "fixes": 90w to 130w A/C power adapter exchange and a third BIOS revision so far. According to owners, it's a fundamental design flaw in the cooling capacity vs. the heat produced (TDP) by the CPU + GPU combo. This model has a slightly better ATI 4670 video card compared to the GT 330M but it is chocked by the throttling on A/C. From the thread linked below: "It means you're only getting 66% of the rated speed your GPU is capable of...".

See the voluminous S-XPS_1645_Throttling Info. and Updates thread. I rather have my Vaio_F running cool at full CPU & GPU performance for games when plugged & understand the 930mHz x 4 cores throttling by power management design when running on battery. Maybe it's just me.

You posted several times about the apparent F battery "issue", but did you try calibrating your battery as described here & could you report back? Vaio_F_Series Battery Overnight Drainage FIX!

Looking @ your posting history, I failed to see a single positive post about the F. Did I miss one? I would suggest that you could maybe return it & buy a different brand or model?

 

OK, so basically I had some issues with my VPC-F11S1E/B - European model with 6GB memory - 1333, BR player and mat screen. I was specifically looking for green sticker as some mentioned those are the good ones. I found small green round sticker on the box next to info about utilization . As I got back home some issues started to develop - like fan whining/whistling, morse code, battery drain and after couple days I 've decided I cannot live with those issues. Went to local store asking for exchange but they did not have this model and said most likely they will not get it within next month or so.
The only model they had was the more expensive one - VPC-F11Z1E/B - 8 GB of memory, BD burner so after a bit of discussion got some discount and went back home with a new one.
As I fired it up and there was back morse code but the fan from the very beginning was working in a different way. The first model fan was low from teh beginning and was constantly up and down and also there was kind of mechanical hum and whistling at particular speed. The new one was more like hi rpm at the beginning for couple of seconds and then low rpm. I am really surprised how quiet is this laptop at idling and even sites browsing. There is slight whining but I can definitely live with this one. Morse code - known soft fix. Hope Sony will find the cure.
I've done clean install and everything was smooth, the only thing system was not able to see bluetooth. Was trying to fiddle a bit and it turned out the only cure worked for me was to install Sony smart network. Once installed from recovery DVDs bluetooth appeared to be accessible again. Maybe somebody will have the same problem.
Also as I had a chance to try both European models with matt screen I've run Everest and below you can find what is the difference between memory in those systems. The only thing that is different is clean install higher model on the left vs. Sony default installation model with 6GB memory on the right.
SO you can some some difference in performance.
Right now I'm almost perfectly happy with this lappy. Very slight whistling almost inaudible to me, Have to test battery drain on this one.
Oh and interesting thing this one did not have green sticker on the box. I guess there are no rules just plain luck.
As requested I've resize photos.

 

Hear, hear I agree will everything you state above. I do truly enjoy this laptop, especially at this price point. I will add I am unhappy with the screen (US 1080) and feel the vertical angle is way too narrow. Last night watching a show my wife tells me ' I can't see". Find a direct viewing angle and the screen is fantastic. Brightness and color vibrancy is great. But man, looking at video with any sort of darkness or shadows and you see big patches of flat black looking...nothings. Very bad indeed.

 

While I don't think that my US 1080p display is bad, I agree with you that Sony_should offer a better EU Premium matte 1080p LCD Option. I would have paid $100-200 extra for that.

Let's not forget that as many owners pointed out in this thread, the low price point of the F considering all it's features is a major driving force behind the success of this model. I guess Sony_wanted to break the "nice but expensive" perception of their Vaio_notebook line.

Have you seen jacksjw's interesting take on the screen subject in the North American market here?
***

 

In my Country (Turkey) Sony denies the problem about F11 ... But I have found this information:

http://www.sonyinsider.com/2010/02/04/no-worries-the-sony-vaio-f-laptop-is-okay-and-back-on-sale/

I want to know whether sonyinsider.com is reliable or not.

Thanks...

 

A big magenta +1 for that post.

That's the two reasons why I got a Vaio_F11: actual performance & price point & this is where is shines brightly.

All the other stuff, I can deal with it. It's a good suggestion to F11_owners: check the other threads in the forum about other brands & models in the same class as the F, you'll feel much better about your buying decision.

Maybe all new visitor in this thread should be required to read first the Unification Post #2 before they can post?

Including those with squeaking spacebars.

 

Fast at beginning and then ramping down its speed as software control loads is absolutely how the CPU fan of a laptop or desktop system SHOULD work. If that doesn't happen then there's a clear defect. You're describing my system except for the morse code which I don't have at all.

 

Absolutely agree. I have HP at work and works exactly the same but my first laptop was acting like being on different BIOS settings.

 

I did the first two tests using the powercfg -energy command.

First test (as is configuration)
Second test (default power management as outlined by Joe Bleau):


FIRST TEST - Errors
Power Policy ower Plan Personality is High Performance (On Battery)
Power Policy:Sleep timeout is disabled (On Battery)
Power Policy:802.11 Radio Power Policy is Maximum Performance (On Battery)
Power Policy ower Plan Personality is High Performance (Plugged In)
Power Policy display timeout disabled (Plugged In)
Power Policy dim timeout is disabled (Plugged In)
Power Policy:Sleep timeout is disabled (Plugged In)
Power Policy:Minimum processor performance state is 100% (Plugged In)
Power Policy CI Express ASPM is disabled (Plugged In)
USB Suspend:USB Device not Entering Suspend (x3 times)
Platform Power Management Capabilities:ACPI _PSD Object Failed Validation (x8 times)
Platform Power Management Capabilities CI Express Active-State Power Management (ASPM) Disabled

SECOND TEST - Errors
Platform Power Management Capabilities:ACPI _PSD Object Failed Validation (x8 times)
Platform Power Management Capabilities CI Express Active-State Power Management (ASPM) Disabled

(since I can't upload html files)

Working on the battery drain now. Will edit this post once it's done

 

Agree completely with the above. I was actually surprised to see that the video was not showing any detail in the darker portions, while my HP/Compaq 8710W (Matte 1920x1200 screen) has absolutely no problems in doing so. This is certainly disappointing about the US screen.

I need to see some higher quality videos to make a final judgement on this.

 

But they already offer the great full-HD matte screen with a FAR wider color gamut, in the non-NA markets. A high-quality screen is a big consideration for a product that functions as the multi-media flagship for the VAIO brand.

Sure, one can always connect the laptop to an external screen but why not offer a good screen natively ? Love the laptop otherwise but this is not something that I am too pleased with, to be quite honest. If I could source the better screen via the aftermarket, I would certainly want to explore that avenue even if I have to pay extra to do so and of course if it is not too exhorbitant.

 

But, as has been pointed out, Europeans pay much more for their laptops. And the Matte screen is in short supply, - yet something else to run out as a North American CTO option and annoy customers. Dell and others have ALSO offered premium screens then delisted them due to supply shortages.

It's a bad screen we have, yes, but the overall package for the price is exceptional

 

Would you agree that powercfg -energy cmd is a superfast utility to see all your power management settings?

 

yes, It is extremely fast and easier to comprehend the overall power management picture. Is this information even readily accessible in the win7 GUI? A command line operation seems too much for a standard user.

The difference is quite large. I have to be more judicious about what settings I turn on to ensure the longevity of this battery.

 

Could you recommend an easier way to explain the powercfg -energy command than this? English is not may native language, only one of four I use:

Sounds pretty easy to me.

"Is this information even readily accessible in the win7 GUI?" - I dunno but SIW 2010 gives even more info in the Power Policy panel but I find the info galore almost overkill.

***

 

Anyone can advise me what to do...

 

Alright!!! I am back in business again. After returning my first one...Completely died after 1.5 days of use... (Melody told me it was power supply issue)...I got my new one today!!! (almost month later... )

First...I had a yellow (kind of highlight yellow) sticker on the new box. My first one had the green sticker. As far as the quality...I don't see much difference in two. They were both pretty good!

Both machines have the fan whistle/whine and high pitch noise (fixed by choosing the digital output). For some reason...the second one seems to be little more quite. I am very happy with the machine so far. I just hope that this one does not die. Crossing my fingers.

I have the US 1080p screen. And everything looks good... I do have a brighter spot at the bottom, but I think this is really normal. I had the FW and it also had the same issue along with my first one and this new one.

I have the Optiarc BD-ROM and it makes typical burping noise when boot...etc. Noise level when the drive is being use is pretty typical to any other Sony BD-ROM I've had in my previous VAIOs.

MAN OH MAN...This thing is so fast.

I got the large cap battery with this one...so I will post some battery life figures after I use the laptop for a while. And also try some Joe's experiments regarding the battery drain issue.

 

Ah no no...I didn't mean your instructions..They were easy enough to understand. What I was trying to get at was that the average computer user hardly ever does command line operations (much less click on cmd.exe) because the GUI is developed so that it is all they need to interface with the computer. Although, Vaio Care and win help+support only have generic explanations of performance vs. balanced mode.

Basically it is:
High performance = more energy used in between charges. Shorter lifespan.
balanced mode = saves energy where it can automatically. May increase the lifespan of battery etc.

It is interesting to find out that high performance mode and other settings that permit performance over battery savings is seen as an error (how would Windows explain that in their help guide )

Edit: +1 to Joe Bleau because I got to relive memories of using Dos (though I believe the command prompt is just a facsimile). The last time I used cmd.exe was to ping a computer.

 

Do you mean a reboot of the system, or a restart of the network connect utility?

I hadn't heard of anyone having to reboot their entire OS. Hmmm....

 

Got the Vaio F mainly for programming desktop (32 & 64 bit) and web apps and exceeded my expectations. But hopefully this machine will last at least 3 years as I'm carrying this everyday to the office and back home (10 mins walk).

 

That's because everything is relative.

That utility was created for: Using PowerCfg to Evaluate System Energy Efficiency.

As: my muscle car is very powerful but not very energy efficient.

The tool is very effiective in finding quickly your devices that may prevent sleep/suspend mode or wake up the system when you don't want to. It's a great power management troubleshooter.

 

Did I ever tell you guys I bought the F to be used as a laptop primarily? lol.

Playing wolf ET on the sofa at 1920x1080.. very yum. Or in class.. hrm whatever xD

It's no big deal, most of my friends carry insane laptops to class anyway.

 

I agree that OVERALL, the F-series laptop is a great product and the price is just great. No question about that. In fact, I am thrilled at what I got for my price, especially after factoring in the Vegas Pro that was included in the price.

Also, in places where this better screen is available (EU et al), it costs a whole total of around $50 more than the non-matte full-HD screen. So we are not talking about a huge price difference here, between glossy-Full-HD vs matte-Full-HD. Supply shortages I can understand but why is it freely available in an entire region, with NO supply delays or other observable signs of a shortage, while being completely shut out of a different market ? I think it is a deliberate specs choice that some idiot in the Sony NA organization made, "on behalf of" the NA users, than a supply shortage per se.

 

"I think it is a deliberate specs choice that some idiot in the Sony_NA organization made" ...because their marketing studies showed that the majority of US consumers want shiny stuff @ the lowest price point.

Why do you think Apple made their 13 & 15 notebooks with glossy screens? I would love to see their sales numbers for the Mackbook Pro 17" glossy vs. the matte option model in North America. Yes, they have the $50 option of matte for the 17" but they cost almost twice as much as the F with a lot less CPU, GPU, DDR2 vs. DDR3 memory, etc. And that was the deal breaker for me.

Go to any US/Canada big store with a lot of laptops on display. Do you see any in the same class as the F with matte screen?

Do you think all the manufacturers & all these big stores in USA are dumb?

 

I bought ii primarily to be used as a door stopper but I'll admit that I turn it on once in a while.

 

Is the 16.4" Sharp LQ164M1LA4A screen used for the FW's?

It not LED and it's glossy though but dual lamp with 1920x1080 res. At 14.4"x8.2" it seems it can fit. (never swapped a screen in my life)

If I remember, I never had an issue with a narrow vertical viewing angle with my FW590. I have to check again to see the picture quality but if it is good and if it fits I think I will have a tech replace this screen.

 

@Joe Bleau

What a door stopper!!! and to have your friend hand carry it all the way to Costa Rica....lol

 

And void the warranty? Why not be patient, wait for it to run out & search for an upgrade?

Or buy a good & large monitor for when using @ home? You are lucky, as we get a 40% tax here on monitors alone (not part of a full system) that already cost 50% more than what you pay:

Max. External Resolution via VGA: 2048x1536
Max. External Display Resolution via HDMI : 1920x1080

Eventually, someone will publish the brand & model number of the EU F Premium matte 1080p which, by an overwhelming majority, the EU F owners qualify as great. In fact, I will ask right now to Sony_parts EU for monitor details.

 

My Vaio F is dead. Pushing the power button does nothing. The screen doesn't light up, the hard drive activity light does nothing, no sound. I shut it down one night and everything was fine and the next time I went to turn it on there was nothing. After a short time after pushing the power button the fan comes on and if I hit a key the keyboard light comes on. I called support and they had me take out the battery and hold the power button down for 15 seconds, but nothing worked. I am going to have to ship it to them to repair. Support is thinking it is the motherboard and will likely replace that. Oh well, at least I am under warranty and I have a backup laptop and, well, multiple desktops. It happened a few days ago and I am already missing the Vaio.

 

But I wanted a classy & exclusive door stopper, in the price range of those used by the uber-rich Wall Street scammers.

 

Bummer. Good luck with the repair.

How is the LED on the brick acting? Is it blinking or something? What about the LED next to the wireless switch?

Just curious.

 

The LED on the power brick is lit up as it always does and is not blinking. The laptop power button comes on green and the only light on the front lit up is the light indicating that the unit is plugged in. And thanks Joe Bleau for wishing me good luck.

 

Sigh...I keep forgetting I paid for ADH...two years to wait.

External monitor for me is a no go because I need as much free space for my drawings and that's two desks at any given time. Three at the office.
(I like to spread out )

I will be in the market for a second notebook in a few months. I need something portable and think the Z would be nice and lighter. This F to me is truly my desktop replacement.

 

Hahahaha..that then you have and at this point 1-upped them. A lot of the young and new wall street jocks here in NYC are feeling the pain...Riches to rags stories everywhere...A fast way to taste the high life but ironically no sense in investing long term either because of youth or they thought that they now had it made....

 

Thanks for the info. I wish it would beep on post like for desktops where the beeping code is a diagnostic tool.

If it's not shipped already, have you seen the tips here about documenting the cosmetic state of your F before the repair?

Did you pull out the HDD to do a full backup?