Official Sony VAIO F Series Owners lounge *PART 2*

I think the new refresh might include switchable graphics, so it could last more then 4 hours. The intel HD graphics is there anyway, sorry...another speculation,that make me a speculator I guess

 

Only if you absolutely MUST have 6 cores, at greater cost, and Fermi is not necessarily an improvement over the GT330.

I doubt switchable graphics for a desktop replacement notebook.

 

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Originally Posted by To no End View Post

Phew!!! So finally the fan stopped running full blast!!

I had the laptop powered just on battery thinking to let it drain overnight. It was in sleep mode however so it was not a total drain.

Once plugged in the morning, The unit would not power on. It would just flash green once everytime I pressed the power button. This also happened the moment before the full-on fan blasting issue began last night.

I removed the battery and unplugged the the power supply. With the lid open, I pressed and held the power button for about a minute and then powered the notebook on after plugging it back on using the power supply.
Once powered on, I reinserted the battery.

WOOOHOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No more fan rushing at full speed blasting cold air through the vent!!!. In hindsight, I shouldn't have freaked out over the matter and did a full factory state restore. If I were more patient then things would have gone more smoothly.

Gonna have to reinstall all my apps again ......

Since it was not a software issue in the sense that I caused it , I'm inclined to believe that the sleep or hibernation mode that is automatically activated when battery is in critical state might be the cause for the fan to be on at all times. Why would that be though?

Just glad to have my F11 quiet again ---------------
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???? can it be real? can this technic stop the f series fan noise? ???????

 

I think the issue is when you do the hibernation, not sleep. Just notice it, every time you hibernate the computer, the fan will run at 100% before finally it went to hibernation, it doesn't do this when you choose sleep instead. I have no idea why would it does that, however do not put your computer into hibernation if possible, always use sleep or shut down. I would count it as another issue with this model.

It shouldn't be an issue, either a desktop replacement or not. Like the new macbook pro, its switchable between GT330 and Integrated, claim to last for about 9 hours or so. Asus gaming notebook also do the same thing, all these notebooks considered as a desktop replacements. Why wouldn't SONY do the same thing? When we browse, we dont need GT330, integrated HD would be just fine.

 

Happens to me on my HDTV as well. I'm actually stuck at 1080i/p and can't change it with nvidia control panel or anywhere else. Anyways, go into your tv's settings and readjust the image there.

 

yeah, they work great with the hazard distro, the 330m support was one of the 2 missing links (now for the wifi card).

Wanna find me that MacBook Pro dude? I'd happily trade him lol.

 

Some tests seem to show that the GT330 in a clocked-down 2D mode takes hardly any more power than the onboard chip. But yes, sure Sony may do that, I personally wouldn't make buying decisions based on swithcable graphics for THIS laptop, for a business 15"-er or less, yes.

 

Hello I have order my vaio f with the option of ssd

I would like to know if there is any news about Trim support and how much degree would have? it reads 195k/s and how much can go down
I would like to know if someone has the 128gb ssd toshiba option, can post
benkmark0 of this model (average read ,write)

And finally I would like to do a new partition ,anybody has done a "shrink" in administrative tools and remember how much is allowed to do?
Tis ssd would be really aprox 113gb free and I would like to have 57 in c:\ and 57 in d:\ ,could someone check this in his computer?
thank you

 

I'm really sorry to read that your Vaio_VPCF fan is stuck @ 100% again.

Maybe you could try a few things before sending it for repair as it may help some of us far away from the service center. I'm no expert on this as it never happened to me but here it goes:

- Those Intel screens flashing are quite intriguing, especially the one that said "booting from the factory default image". Next time if you are fast enough, you can hit the "Pause/Break" key to freeze the action & just hit any key after noting the details to continue the process.

- The only Intel related downloads available for my F model on Sony_support are: Intel Chipset Driver and Intel PCHM SATA AHCI Controller 6 Port Driver.

A search with Intel ME ignition firmware P55 chipset returns some interesting results so... re-installing that chipset driver above could be interesting?

- Did you try booting in Safe Mode to see if it makes any difference?

- You can change the Critical battery action ( Shut down instead of Hibernation), Critical battery level & Reserve battery level. BTW, what is your current Reserve battery level? If it's too low, the computer may not have enough juice to complete properly the Hibernation process and/or re-start on battery.

You can access that tab via S1 > Vaio_Control Center > Power Management > Vaio_Power Management Viewer > Advanced OR: Start > Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Power Options\Edit Plan Settings > Change advanced power settings > expand Battery:



- Start > type: event > and click on Event Viewer. Does it report anything useful?

- Thermal management is done by the ACPI Tables in the BIOS. Check this post about how to read them and links to forums that might help with BIOS questions.

Did you find a site for downloading your BIOS? I did not find any & according to my VCPC115FM system info it is: BIOS Version/Date: American Megatrends Inc. R0250Y6, 12/07/2009.

- You can use the free Windows Sysinternals Autoruns and search for Intel with the binoculars button.

The only 2 Intel Processes I have running on mine when booted are:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\Intel Matrix Storage Manager\IAANTMon.exe"
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Intel\Intel Matrix Storage Manager\IAAnotif.exe"

And searching for Intel in Autoruns > Driver tab:
- iaStor Intel Matrix Storage Manager driver - x64 Intel Corporation c:\windows\system32\drivers\iastor.sys
- iaStorV Intel Matrix Storage Manager driver - x64 Intel Corporation c:\windows\system32\drivers\iastorv.sys
- irsp Intel/ICP Raid Storport Driver Intel Corp./ICP vortex GmbH c:\windows\system32\drivers\iirsp.sys
- Impcd Intel(R) Turbo Boost Technology Driver Intel Corporation c:\windows\system32\drivers\impcd.sys

Searching in Services:
- IAANTMON RAID Monitor Intel Corporation c:\program files (x86)\intel\intel matrix storage manager\iaantmon.exe
- SampleCollector Collects samples that are used to measure system performance, to monitor running processes, and to detect DLL changes. Intel Corporation c:\program files\sony\ vaio care\collsvc.exe
- TurboBoost Turbo Boost Monitor Service Intel(R) Corporation c:\program files\intel\turboboost\turboboost.exe

And nothing else so the other Intel stuff is in the BIOS.

- Did you run Vaio_Care to see if it reports anything?

- Did you call Sony_support? Did they suggest troubleshooting steps or simply said to send the unit for repair?

- If you send for repair, could you ask for details of what was done?

 

I think the factory default image is an old- term Sony used back on the first vaios too haha. *ponders this*

 

Yeah this really sucks because as far as I can tell, apart from the fan, everything else works great.

I will send it in for repair and hopefully the engineer will disclose the nature of the issue and the repair steps to be taken.(Sending it in for service once my FW arrives.) I'll definitely let you guys know.

Nothing in the event viewer.

I did call Sony support. Tech chat does not solve real laptop issues. I believe their rule of thumb is that if something is a software issue, then the solution is to reinstall applications from the Sony downloads list. In my case, they told me to reinstall Notebook Utilities. (nada)

Booting in safe mode (any version) does not alter the fan issue. It comes on roughly about 30 seconds after the laptop turns on. Fan disables when put to sleep. The fan is also on when hibernate is activated until the laptop shuts off. Fan will start at around 30 seconds as well even in bios mode.

I'll try out the different powerplans again but I have a feeling whatever instruction the fan is getting to run at full speed is not affected by the Windows power management controls.

Bios tools searched for in the American Megatrends website for the Aptio bios
http://www.ami.com/products/product.cfm?CatID=6&SubID=14&ProdID=172
But I don't know if this is the way to go?? and if I will be installing the right utility software. Too many if's and I would not want to void the warranty and brick this laptop at the same time.

***This has happened to a number of people in the forum already. Either I/we have a faulty part or the issue of hibernating vs. low battery screws up the fan. ***** Either way, standard restoring to factory state and resetting to default values in bios does not do a single thing.

The two intel screens are interesting. I've never seen these screens before.
When it happens i'll do a pause.

By the way, Fan whine definitely happens only when the fan changes revs. At the constant full speed. the whine is not present and the fan sounds to run evenly.

EDIT: In short - As far as I have experienced, no standard end user fix has helped. If it is firmware, it would be good for everyone to have a patch so that it doesn't happen everytime the battery hibernates when the battery is low. IF it's a faulty part, then at least they'll replace it. I would advise those that have this issue just send it in for repair. The more people coming forward will get Sony's attention. For those who have no immediate access, then as a precaution until we hear something back from Sony not to have the laptop hibernate or let the battery drain.

Putting the laptop to sleep seems to be fine. I do it all the time and have not experienced any issues.

Edit 2:

Well though i've tried my original steps which worked the first time, it's not fixing it this time around. If there were some other minute steps that have actually helped to restore the fan to it's normal state that I did, it was not deliberate. (for example pressing the power button 4 times while tossing a coin in the air......hmm now that's just getting superstitious )

 

It really sucks on one side & really blows on the other.

I changed my Critical battery action to shut down as your fan got stuck @ 100% twice on Hibernation and the Sleep state consumes power so it further drains the battery. I did this on all power management plans.

Have you tried re-installing the Intel Chipset Driver for your F model?

Did you run ASSIST > Vaio_Care > Troubleshooting > Diagnostics > Hardware & Software tests?

What if you tweak S1 > Vaio_Control Center > Power Management > Vaio_Power Management Viewer > Advanced > Processor power management? Does it change the fan speed?

 

DO NOT DO THIS!it will make your laptop un-boot able, BIOS was made to suit each computer manufacture spec on each specific model, so anything doesn't match that spec would pretty much screw your computer.

Sending to SONY repair if you tried everything already, people here have a lot of issue when they received the computer back. Mostly scratches. Its a good idea if you stick an film/scratch resistant cover before you sent it in.

 

@ Joe Bleau

Installed chipset and all other drivers - No Change
Vaio Care One Click + Tune Up + Trouble Shooting - No Change
Processor Power Management - No Change

@new vaio F
Thanks! I will not try.
I will be putting a film on the lid and the palm rest. This worries me. Hopefully they will take care of it .


Yes! hahahha good one!!! IT definitely sucks and blows!!

 

Some suggestions if sending the unit for service:

- document the external appearance of your notebook with date stamped photos from all angles to show it's "before" condition, just like when renting a car and writing down pre-existing dents & scratches on the rental contract. It could make a damage after repair claim easier to prove.

- maybe add a friendly & humorous note stating that you love your baby & please try not to scratch it. After all, it's a human who will repair your F, if you put him in a good state of mind, he could be more careful with your machine. Add request for detailed repairs that were made as you like to learn more about your F.

- not your case as you already restored to factory state but for other people they should: create a System Image which contains a copy of Windows and copies of your added programs, customized system settings, and files with Windows Backup or an other backup utility. My most recent full system image size is 116GB so way to big for DVD's. An external drive should be used for this, preferably connected to the F via eSATA or Power Over eSATA vs. the much slower USB port.

This is an essential safety step if sending your F to anybody for servicing as Sony_does not guarantee your data & often wipes the HDD to eliminate users tweaking induced problems.

 

yeah I will take photos and now that I have one week till the FW arrives, I have all the time in the world to come up a with a kick-@$$ line to say to the engineer.

 

One week? Are you planning on using earplugs or headphones?

 

headphones....but will be running this notebook in a reduced manner. The fan running at full speed is as we speak wearing out faster than everyone elses fan in a normal state. (Hopefully they'll just change it since it will be going in for two repairs...Fan @ 100% + Fan Whine

@everyone
By the way, the Sony tech mentioned to me that they will most likely swap the fan and /or the motherboard. Does that mean that a new GT330M GPU will be installed as well or they'll salvage the current one?

 

Replacing the motherboard makes sense as it will eliminate a possible BIOS corruption and there is a circuit in there telling the fan to change speed & temperature sensors that may be defective & without temp data the system may kick the fan @ 100% for safety. BTW, could you check the Sensors tab in SIW?



You can go also in the Motherboard & BIOS tabs to note the data & compare with your F once repaired. You can also save a system report summary.

Some F users reported that the GPU was welded to the motherboard so I doubt the repair tech would waste time using the old one.

 

For what its worth I've always had great experiences with returning items to Sony. Most recently sent an AW-190 Premium in for a new screen and it came back in the same shape I sent in...except for the new screen that worked beautifully until the the laptop was stolen. If I remember correctly you can get the name of the person working on your laptop in SD, call him/her and create a rapport. That's what I do...let them know that lappies not a number and that it belongs to a nice guy.

 

Sony's own Z-series models have had switchable graphics for around 2 years now and is currently in its 2nd generation with switchable graphics.

Z-series obviously comes with Full-HD 13.1" LCD, 8GB RAM, 512GB Quad-RAID0 SSD, 330M GPU with 1GB VRAM, i7-620M CPU (with integrated Graphics), Built-in Optical Drive upto a Blu-ray Burner, Carbon Fiber Chassis........and weighing in at 3lbs.

 

The new Z, like the macbooks, cost an upward of $1,800 for a decent model

 

why wouldn't SONY do the same thing with F?Everybody doing it,as far as the hardware..the intel HD graphics is present on F since its integrated to the CPU.I assumed they disabled it on the BIOS.What gives?The Z was great for traveling, the cons its SUPER EXPENSIVE.

 

Expensive is relative.

 

The 720qm doesn't have an IGP on it, and the PM55 doesn't have an IGP or support one. Guys, the 330m is the only GPU you have

 

What is this June refresh?

The new Macbooks are out and I'm underwhelmed. I want to come back to Sony F, but will need a better screen this time around.

I'm cool with my 2 year old Macbook Pro in the meantime.

 

I have had my f11 back for 2 nights now. They changed only the fan.

First I have to say the UK centre returned it in the same **pristine** condition that it was sent in (granted, my f11 was a little dusty when I sent it off. ) There was also a note saying that they had "thoroughly cleaned" the unit as part of the service and enclosed a complementary Vaio microfibre cloth for future use. Indeed it looked as good as new with a crisp look and no scratches at all. I don't think UK users have anything to fear about the care taken if my experience is anything to go by.

As for the whine ... well I didn't want to post too soon, before properly assessing this. I think I soon perceived a slight whine was still there but I don't think it is as irritating to me as it was before, at least not as yet but I have to say I have not been able to spend as much time assessing this as I would like, what with a 1 yr old who can only be put to sleep after 10pm and then there are other things to do.

The whine still seems to be there at the idling speed but also seems quieter and less intermittent than before- this is my initial impression but I will update about this in another week when I have spent more time with it; currently, I am cautiously optimistic that I will be able to live with this.

The repair centre claimed they had compare the noise made by my repaired unit with "comparable units" and said things were within "specification", though I have never seen an official specification of noise level for any laptop, let alone the f11.

 

Hello stranger.

Me too I'm "underwhelmed" by the new Macbooks. The Apple_tax is pretty steep.



Edit: Thanks unknown_id for the CPU correction.

 

Hi Joe,
Actually the i7 is not the same! We have a better Quad core one, they are only putting in the 620 which is actually not a quad core processor. It has 2 cores 4 threads.

 

Reading through 258 pages is a bit straining, I've done 60 or so, but don't find the answer. I plan to buy the cheapest F11, that is, with the i5 core, and 310 graphics card, and normal hdd. Really got no choice as the cheapest F11 costs here $1650 and the most expensive with i7 core costs $2500 (yes it's terrific prices we got in Sweden : ( No way I pay $2500 when I can get a real good Thinkpad for that price, but in the $1650 area I think the Sony is a good choice.

BUT, I will change the hdd to a ssd, is that easy to do? And what happens with the warranty? Is there some kind of seal on the hdd, so they notice it's been changed?

 

You are right. I can't believe one can't find the CPU model number neither in the product page or the store!

http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/specs.html

They just flash i7 & I assumed 720QM.

Intel comparometer: i7-720QM vs. i7-620M

 

Changing the HDD to a SSD is very easy to do. For warranty purposes, you may wish to just put the HDD aside in case you need to put it back in to return the machine or have warranty work performed. The SSD will need to be formatted and you will need to install the OS, programs and utilities, including drivers. There are posts on this thread that will tell you the correct order in which to install these items.


Installing the SSD and all software took me an hour or two and was very simple. In fact, I have 3 more F11s arriving very quickly and I will again be installing SSDs in the new machines. This is an awesome upgrade!

Bill

 

I really am quite curious about the battery they use though. The specs are similar enough that battery drain would be about similar but macbooks still manage to have amazing battery life. Unfortunately, that's the only things that impresses me about them.

I would suggest you create a complete backup (system image?) of the original setup onto some dvds and then just load them onto the SSD. It will save you a lot of trouble.

 

I've just talked a bit with Sonycenter (one of two Sony stores here), and the guy claimed it was ok to change the hdd, or at least he said "well there's no seal, so it's easy to do and just swap back if necessary". Lol, that comes from a sony guy.

However, he said the screen was glossy! Not matte! I thought we were getting the matte screens in Europe? Or is that only on
the i7 top dog? : ( Glossy would mean problems outdoors I assume, I think I've only had matte screens whole my life so I wouldn't know, and I think they have sucked outdoors too.

I see a lot of folks rave about this machine but it seems all of you has bought the i7 core version, someone got the "cheaper" model with i5 and still loves it? The fan issue worries me deeply too, wouldn't want to buy a brand new laptop and first thing send it in for repairs. But every brand seem to have their issues and the majority of F11 don't have a fan issue right, and, won't the i5 core have less fan issues? An i7 demands a lot more? Am I wrong? I'm a complete tech idiot btw, so sorry for potentially dumb questions. Could one say generally unless you get a faulty fan, that the F11 is cool and quiet? I've been sitting with quiet (but hot) Dell latitudes for five years so I got no comparison.

I have a latitude d520 right now and the screen sucks real bad (not angles, but it's very dim and straining for some reason):

15" sxga lcd screen


I'd also like to add, would it be better to get a FW51 (before they're gone) instead of the new F11? Seems FW51 don't have the fan issue, and a better screen.

 

I used the "search this thread"-option and nothing showed up, so here I go. My vaio gate isn't working properly and I want to reinstall but there isn't a file on the sony supportsite that clearly says witch installs the vaio gate. Has anybody a idea how to reinstall?

Thx in advance

 

Sony_F_Series Owners Display Poll

If the EU F model you are looking at does not say Premium display then it's not matte.

 

Fans: no one has ever called the fans on the F quiet. The FWs were famous for their quiet fans. Same thing goes for heat: FWs were famous for not being hot; i7s are hot but Sony's are the coolest available (you can even read about Joe Bleau's smoke testing the intake outtake of the F's fans!).

An i5 should be cooler than an i7 -- don't know if it is as cool as an FW. You might want to check specific reviews of the two models you are considering which will give test specs of the temperatures we're talking about (notebookcheck and notebookjournal German Websites do serious testing and report temperatures, etc.).

If you search this thread's posts with my name (click on my name in the box to the left of this message), you can find links that show that the i5 screen appears to be the same screen that Joe Bleau and other North Americans have successfully calibrated for acceptable to good use, albeit with viewing angle issues. Sony glossy screens are actually semi-glossy, so the glare is not as intense as on most competitors' glossy screens. And colors are usually perceived as sharper on non-matte screens.

Again, my recent posts of the past three days or so contain embedded links to German and Polish tests and reviews, etc. of the models you are probably contemplating purchasing (some of those reviews are courtesy of Joe Bleau's research as well, BTW).

The FW5 in Europe did not have the same screens as the current and past FW5 in the states where the description of the screens is now the same as the screens for the North American Fs, i.e., not matte and not clearly dual-lamp, either.

The European FW5 screens, if memory serves correctly (but you can search model numbers at notebookjournal.de for specs in the Test section of the model you would buy), the European FW5 screens were all advertised as "multiple lamp" -- which means at least dual-lamp (and perhaps even LED).

And none of the Sony glossy FullHDs ever had problems outdoors -- the dual lamp assured better viewing. Another plus.

If I were in Europe (or even here in North America) and didn't need the power of the i7s (non-professionals rarely do), I would NOT get an F; I would get a Core2Duo Centrino2 FullHD "multiple lamp" FW. For the same price as the i5, you'd likely be able to get a processor that is even more powerful now that the FW5s are being clearanced.

And, in my opinion, for the average user the screen (and that means GPU influence as well) and the speed of the hard drive are the two biggest factors in the quality of user experience. Many feel the FW5's ATI HD4650 to be superior to either of the two NVIDIAs in the F series, and the FW5's European FullHD is superior to the normal F HD screen but not necessarily the F's Premium screen.

I say "not necessarily" about the Premium European screens because the FW5 was advertised in Europe as having 100% color purity (generally meaning 100% NTSC, way better than the average 60% or so of standard one-lamp glossy screens) and the F Premium screen is being advertised as Adobe RGB. Some people prefer dual lamp CCFLs to matte screens (truly matte screens) when the glossy screen has some anti-reflective coating as do Sony's FW FullHD screens. And the HiColor of the FW1 series (a dual lamp CCFL with lower resolution, 1600x900) was always reviewed as basically the equivalent of an Adobe RGB in excellence and user satisfaction.

So, click around notebookjournal.de (English version may be .com or .net) as well as notebookcheck.com (or is it .net -- you can get direct links from my postings on this thread from the past few days), read the reviews and the notebookjournal.de actually-tested specs on the FW screen, etc. and you'll be better able to judge. The Polish notebookcheck review (linked in English in one of my posts) discusses the screen on the F with the i5 specifically. Basically, lower contrast, lower illumination, worse viewing angles than the F Premium screen.

With an i5 as the only other price-point option, you're better off with an FW unless you can wait for the June refresh for the F series to see what comes next. Usually, Sony refreshes end up keeping the same price parameters but offer more value for the money.

In my opinion. To no End also posted that he felt the FW590 screen was better than the Fs -- he's someone who has seen both.

Good luck!

 

Say we compare this clearance FW490C5 (can't post URL link, but it's the VGNFW490C5 clearance model on sonystyle.ca) with the i7 F series Vaio...

Based on most people's opinions, they feel that the ATI HD4650 is better than the graphics card of the current i7 F1190 Vaio models, right?

Is the price difference of ~$250 ($849 for clearance FW, and $1094 for i7 F1190 with 4GB ram, 500GB HD, and the i7-720QM) justifiable if I am not going to run intensive programs, etc.?

Are there any problems with the FW490 (such like the fan problem for F series)?

 

I think you already answered your question. If you won't run intensive programs then why get a quad core laptop? The C2D laptops are more than capable besides the $1094 price tag only comes with the 310M GPU and that's not comparable at all to the HD 4650. The GT330M however does rank slightly lower than the ATI for certain games but the new 197.16 drivers with a 10-15fps increase should start to even the performance. By the way though the FW490C5 only comes with the 1600x900 screen

I had an FW590 and never had any fan issues. I just bought a refurbished FW490 for US$1200+ from Sony Style USA and got a 3.06GHZ C2D, 8GB Ram, 128GB Solid State Drive, blu ray burner, HD 4650 GPU and the 1920x1080 Full HD Xbrite screen. That I think is a deal.

 

I think that was a good deal for now, but with win 8 coming down the pipe I would love to have i7 instead and somewhat the FW doesnt look as good as F, I would rather wait for the next refresh of F then getting the FW. Core2 Duo is an aging architecture.

 

Happed to me, but after 50 restarts, i've managed to get the fan at normal RPM. I realised that when this laptop goes to hibernate, and you get the green led blinking from 5 to 5 sec, you need to wait for the led to go to orange light (like in sleep mode) to fix the fan. maybe you can try it again.

 

Thanks... I guess the only reason in my mind to consider i7 was to just have a laptop that's in the here & now in case the Core2 Duo was much, much slower than the i7 F1190.

No fan/other problems with the FW490 you just bought?

 

Enable private messaging so that I can share some ideas with you about the FW series (since this is the F thread after all). I think you click on User CP in the top bar and enable PM, private messaging.

I think you should get the FW but I don't want to hog the F list with additional FW info that isn't applicable to Fs!

EDIT: The single biggest change to the perception of speed is available with the use of an SSD instead of a HDD. If you don't need the power of the processor for professional reasons or constant gaming, you will likely see more subjective speed from a faster hard drive than from an i7 processor alone. My two cents. The rest is for private messaging when you're back on.

 

Can you be more specific and note the steps that you did
Can I be plugged in or does this happen in battery only. Can I not just click on on hibernate? If so, then what?

When the green power led starts to blink, I assume you mean when the battery is low?
When does it start blinking orange after green? Is that once it goes into hibernation but before the battery runs out?
When that happens, What did you do? Hold the power button until it shuts down or just remove the battery completely and restart from there?

Thanks

 

I wouldn't mind picking up an early FW with its excellent Adobe-like screen (at 1600 X 900) but they are somewhat of a cult machine, so still fetch good used prices. It's a lovely laptop ..is there a video like this for the F-series? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHxcQtSHC0I

 

Hahaha! Only the short video clip from SonyStyle and I suspect they're not using stock US screen or else the shading would be obvious once the camera rotates around the laptop.

Checked Youtube and the F11 keyword search flooded me with tons of Mangosango's (aka Mr Chowder Clam) very comprehensive game clips

 

I prefer to think of it as "mature" technology. I have an i7 F and a lot of the time I feel like a beta tester and other times I feel like I was seduced by a lot of hype about the F series that doesn't apply to me and the way I use a laptop. To each his own. There are people who really use those processors. They are passionate. Me? I'm more concerened now with my overall experience. Processors never get in the way of my enjoying the web. Heat, screens, and fan noises do. Just my .02. Joe and others love their lappies but they are far more advanced than I am in figuring it out.

 

... ... is it normal for it to 'shut down' (just like I've set it in the critical battery options), but then not totally shut down anyway and kind of hibernates instead with the powerlight on the on/off button flashing on and off every few seconds... it doesn't have enough power to be booted up again, but it's not totally shut off either.

Took about 9 hours before it actually ran out of power, and when I booted the laptop up I caught a glimpse of something about intel drivers (too fast) and then it resumed windows like it's hibernated, whilst I followed the instructions and told it to shut down when the critical battery level's been reached.

 

I've gotten the same feeling too. While using this computer (after being forced to keep it), I realize that I ordered it because it was going to be the latest and greatest processor at what seemed like a reasonable price. My primary use for this laptop is multimedia like music, videos and graphics editing and I think that Sony has been misleading in calling it a multimedia computer. The poor screen and fan noises definitely take away from my user experience more than a slower processor and video card would. Is it just me or does the fan noise stay in your head long after the computer has been turned off

 

First, Derrida and To no end: a big heartfelt THANK YOU for taking time to asnwer with such great detail! You're a goldmine to a forum.

But I must question the duo core, at a very good laptop store they told me (in general regardless of brand) and an i5 core is 40% faster then any duo core. False? true?

As for the fan: Is it that bad? The fan noise? I'm going nuts reading different posts, cause there's so many who says this laptop is truly great (superb even), and then there are a bunch who says the fan noise is terrible.