Official Sony VAIO F Series Owners lounge *PART 2*

Poohkie... Format this and send it to Djamel and Linda...

 

Mangosango, How was the gameplay of GTA IV on the 330M? I couldn't find a video on youtube, didn't you post one someplace in the first part of this thread? I only ask because GTA IV has high req for smooth gameplay.

 

I have GTA IV, but not installed on my F11. I'll install this weekend and post some FRAPS results.

 

Welcome to the world of multi-national corporations with distinct business units in each country. There is no guarantee that these units talk to one another. I have worked for several global companies over the years and have first hand knowledge of the communication issues.

I suggest that you stay tuned to this global forum, learn from the solutions from the participants and hammer Sony with the knowledge gained from these discussions until they fix the problems.

After talking to local Sony Style employees, I realize that we know about issues 1-2 weeks before it is propagated through Sony's official communications channels. There was a country and western trucker song some years back that had a line "Give me forty acres to turn this rig around". The larger the organization, the longer it takes to make changes or disseminate information.

 

Glad to see pretty much everyone is enjoying their F11, I've had mine for about a month and the SSD drives still impress me My geekbench benchmarks are nowhere near the ones others have posted but seem inline with other F11 owners who uploaded their results to the geekbench web page. Here are my results:
http://browse.geekbench.ca/geekbench2/view?id=225642

I have a first generation model with the morse code sound, a slightly noisy fan(under load) and bad viewing angle monitor. None of these are a huge issue for me as I program on this computer and the viewing angle is fine if you adjust the screen angle. I've also gotten many compliments on the screen after I adjusted the colors/brightness/contrast.

Now here's for some interesting facts for others with the morse code, it disappears when using Ubuntu. And as another bonus for using open-source, the CPU isn't throttled when using the battery, not something I need but others seemed to think it was an issue. Unfortunatly the turbo boost isn't working though so I'm not getting anything higher than 1.6Ghz for clock speeds.

One more thing for Ubuntu users, chromes usage of Flash is a CPU glutton and easily gets a core running at 90% causing the fan to start revving up a lot and causing some sound. I got to say that this laptop is a pure joy and us canadians are getting incredibly cheap SSD drives as options which really puts this laptop in a class of its own for the price.

 

I haven't been able to find my disc yet - I might have lent it to someone. I'll get a video up when I find it though.

 

@Poohkie,

I have just setup for Sony's onsite service to replace my fan under warranty.
Give them a call. I actually did not even have to ask for onsite repair It was the only thing they offered.

 

Here is a link of the Neoprene sleeve. It also includes a smaller one for the power "brick". Perfect, glove tight fitment, soft interior and a zipper to keep it closed.

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...10551&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665442579

 

I agree - the fit for the laptop and power brick is perfect. There are some hidden pockets on the inside of the power brick pouch as well.

 

Like anything else that's actually worthwhile for the F11, you can't currently get that in Canada. I've been trying for several weeks.

 

NVIDIA pulls 196.75 driver amid reports it's frying graphics cards


What Nividia driver does the F have? I went to device manager but I do not know where to look. Please advise.

 

They have not once ever mentioned anything about onsite repair. Instead they want me to send it in by Purolator and ship from Vancouver, BC to Toronto, ON. It's on their dime of course, but shipping back and forth across the country seems a bit extreme and possible for a THIRD time? We'll see...

They told me yesterday that they would call me today because they need to talk to the technician first. No point in calling them again today, I will get nowhere.

So have I, there are pretty much zero accessories available in Canada for the F11 or any 16.4" laptop on the ss.ca site.

I was told this "There will be new carrying cases added to our line-up shortly. There will not be F Series specific carrying cases but new styles/designs will be available compatible with your model." on February 1.

I am not bitter, really...I would like to think I'm a relatively "positive" person, sorry for all the negativity, just very fed up with my situation.

 

It's not that one. Device manager is showing: 8.16.11.8783 (11/2/2009)

 

My Sony Vaio F looks like this now:







Hope you like it

 

That version number comes from an .inf file in the windows>inf directory. On my F11 it is "oem4.inf". I suspect that this is a Sony version number as they have to create this file to integrate the drivers. - only guessing. Lots of info on the NVIDIA forums about .inf files.

 

I do like it, I'll have to try putting my F11 through the washer and dryer too.

 

I feel vindicated, see this post: VAIO_F_Series NVIDIA GeForce 310M / 330M Video Driver:

This reply by ManuelG (NVIDIA Technical Support) is most interesting:

Nvidia 195.62 driver page:

 

These two issues are unrelated. The desktop driver that was pulled was causing the fan to spin down or stop spinning altogether. Please stop spreading the FUD. If you're in above your head, it's best to stop posting and let the knowledgeable folks take over. We can't all be experts in every aspect of PC hardware and software, so please defer to those who know better.

I also urge you to stop reposting the same blocks of text over and over.

 

Hi,

I have connected a 500gb internal hdd in an external enclosure via the esata port. It does not seem to be recognised in 'my computer'. Does the esata port have to be enabled first ?

 

People don't read all the thread (Lounge #1 & #2) & neither use the Search this Thread feature to find answers to their question, that's why there is 1,000 whining posts, repetitive questions about recovery discs, clean install, etc.

"These two issues are unrelated" - I think they are, for the technically challenged, it's safer to use the Sony_ certified driver. If they jam your F or fry your video card, Son_y will service it. They don't have to if you downloaded a driver from a non-Sony site.

Just add my profile to your ignore list.

 

What do you use to power your enclosure, A/C adapter or extra USB cable? Have you tried booting with the enclosure already connected? What brand, model of enclosure? What is the HDD inside: a 2.5 or 3.5"? There should be no need for enabling the eSATA port. Type Intel Matrix in the Start > Search box.

Have you seen the Sony_VAIO_F Power Over eSATA Port & ext Enclosures Benchmarks post?

 

@poohkie,

I really hope you get this resolved with Sony Canada soon! Sony should really pay attention to her issue on this thread and just fix it already...
+1 for putting up a picture of your dog!

 

Actually the laundry had the best light source to take those pictures haha. I like the new glossy LCD cover.

 

whaaa?? did you have your lid refinished to glossy???? I've never seen a glossy lid on an F until now

 

Thanks for your help on the benchmarks. It's amazing that even at 900-ish MHz the F series benched in the range of a 2.53ghz macbook pro core 2. lmao

nice!

I think I may be buying one today.

 

the enclosure is the Akasa Integral P2NES, powered by 2 USB ports to the DC in socket on the enclosure, the blue led is on on I can hear a slight whirring.

I tried booting with the enclosure connected. The hdd is 2.5 inch toshiba 5,400rpm, 500 gb.

btw, is the esata hot swappable ?

 

tried intel matrix. it says 'view hard drive status' : all hdd are ok. but it said this before i connected esata anyway and does not further specify.

i will read the latter.

 

Sony's video driver version is 187.83 as shown here.

 

Start > Search > Device Manager> expand Display adapters > right click Nvidia GeForce > Properties > Driver tab:



By ManuelG (NVIDIA Technical Support): "...so the next driver update will not support Sony_notebooks... You will need to grab driver updates directly from Son_y: http://vcl.vaio.sony.co.jp/sonyoem/win7.html "

Or simply use your Vaio_Update 5 to check for certified updates.
---

 

Yes, actually it was kind of an accident, and after working a lot to fix it, it ended up looking like this:

 

This is v odd.

I connected via USB2 and the new hdd is not showing in 'my computer'. furthermore, i tried connecting via usb2 to a different windows XP desktop PC and again, the new hdd does not show in 'my computer'. Both times it registered that a hdd was being plugged in and even found the driver.

i have set the switch on the enclosure to usb as opposed to e-sata. Any more suggestions please ?

 

What? Are you saying your are using 3 ports for that enclosure? One eSATA for data + 2 USB for powering? What's left for connecting other devices?

You should need only 1 USB for power with a quality eSATA enclosure with a not too power hungry 2.5" HDD, or use a A/C adapter with a minimum of DC5v, 500mA but I prefer @ least 1000mA.

What is your HDD model number, what is it's power requirements?

On this Akasa Integral P2NES page: "You better have two free USB 2.0 ports if you want to power and use the device over the eSATA interface. If you choose to utilize the USB 2.0 interface, you should be happy to hear that you won't need any additional power cables, as the device can be powered with that single cable. If you are willing to carry a power adapter around, Akasa sells one which will fit the P2NES" - but you can find a ton of cheap ones on Fleabay. Check the DC power hole size, many are the same as a Nokia adapter plug, good as long as it has at least 500mA, probably 1000mA for your power hungry enclosure when connected via eSATA.

I tried to find the power requirements for that model to no avail except for the DC5v info, but no mA data.

Owner FH123 had bad luck with two AKASA products here.

Yes eSATA is hot swappable on the F & Intel Matrix shows the LaCie 1TB eSATA enclosure I just connected to my F:



Does your F recognize that enclosure when using only 1 USB w/o the eSATA cable?

Edit: "Any more suggestions please?" - yes, check Akasa support (if any) for updated drivers, or maybe it's defective (or your HDD is) or get a Power Over eSATA enclosure like mine with only one special cable.

 

Looks great! If I had seen your picture before I ordered mine, I might have gone for the black one - I like the black-silver "VAIO" and black-green power button contrast. Oh well I'm pretty happy with my gray one

 

Joe, I have ordered the same enclosure as you too only I needed another soonish so bought locally as well today. I will take encl and hdd back to the retailer tomorrow, I suspect a faulty enclosure.

 

I agree, how much was the washer & dryer set?

Did you try the spin cycle on the washer to see how vibrations resistant is the HDD in the F?

What the heck, here is an other photo, this time with Zaza sitting on my mouse pad next to the F:

 

Maybe you could select an other brand of enclosure instead & check it's power requirements. You could bring your F with you to test maybe?

BTW I used the Power Over eSATA cable from the 2.5" enclosure to connect the 1TB Lacie enclosure to the F & it works as a regular eSATA cable in this case. An other +.

 

dude- you gotta post pictures. Show it proud man! Party on!

 

KITTEH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Just added HD Tune Pro benchmark for that LaCie 1TB Neil Poulton external enclosure (model 301315U) while connected to the F via eSATA, in the bottom of the Sony_VAIO_F Power Over eSATA Port & ext Enclosures Benchmarks post. (feedback appreciated about that post, took time to make )

I'm surprised that the Average Read transfer rate is higher than the F's internal Momentus 7200 HDD!

This said, I would not recommend that LaCie enclosure as when connected via USB or Firewire, the fan never turns on & the HDD overheats while via eSATA it runs all the time! For example, the temperature reported by HD Tune is 27c & the @#?%* noisy fan is running full speed for no good reasons.

LaCie support was totally clueless (several email exchanged) & told me there was no fan in that model: I posted a video about it a while ago to prove them wrong: LaCie External Drive Quirky Noisy Fan.

BTW, other F short videos I posted:

- Vaio_F_Series Whining, High Pitch, Morse Code Fix VPCF115FM

- Vaio_F_Series Display.Viewing Angles VPCF115FM US 1080p Nvidia GT 330M 1GB DDR3

 

I just received my F. It sounds like there is only one speaker on the left of the machine. Is there supposed to be two speakers? Thanks.

 

How can you say you just received it when you posted this on 02-18-2010?

You probably changed the speakers' balance. Click on the speaker icon on the task bar then click again on the larger speaker icon:



Is the problem the plane or in the cockpit?

Edited to add: have you tried with headphones or external speakers to see if you can hear both channels?

 

How exactly did you get it to become glossy... I think it looks quite nice

Also, how about everyone contributes pictures of their F so everyone can get a better feel for what it really looks like.

 

OK, here's my contribution to the F & washing machine Series:




I don't like glossy, that's one of the reasons why I chose the F!

Washing machine photo from this site.

 

Joe. Read his post again. And then tell me what laptop he was initially referring to.

 

US-VPCF1190X-LBOM vs. his son's NW. Why are you asking me this question?

At the time, I replied this to his question. He never reported back to say if his problem was fixed or not.

One might presume that 2 weeks ago when viewing said videos next to his son, he would have noticed if the sound from 1 speaker was missing, no?

 

I just got my F series, thanks guys for the answers! Will have pictures and thoughts tomorrow ^^ So far, I'm thrilled!

 

Hello, I am planning on purchasing the F11. For those who can comment on this: How is the F11's full HD display versus Dell Studio 15's full HD display. The Studio 15 is a WLED display. I recall in previous posts, some thought that the F11 had poor viewing angles and may have been lacking in terms of brightness and contrast compared to the Studio 15. Thanks.

 

Had my laptop 2 days and the adapter (vgp-ac19v16) has broken. Light on the adapter does not come on, laptop does not charge, no voltage on the output plug. I bought the laptop online from sonystyle (UK), what chances do I have to get a replacement in a real store?

 

It's not hard to find clones & OEM (make sure same V & A output) but if the clone cause problems to your machine, it may void the warranty.

The OEM is much better, did you call Sonystyle (UK)? How fast can you get a replacement?

 

It was simple in the end, the hdd hadn't been foramtted. btw, I thought that the largest hdd in 2.5 inch was 500gb, how do you manage a 1tb ? is there an external power source ?