Official Sony VAIO F Series Owners lounge

This is the EXACT sound that I have as well. So glad that it's not just mine. I already returned my first VPCF111FD/B once, and the second one has the same sound. It is extremely annoying to hear that constant whistling sound and it does in fact sound like it's from the top left of the laptop. I've never used a computer with such a loud fan before. It could be normal, but I hope this persistent whistling noise isn't. Would love to be able to send my laptop in to have this remedied. Please keep us posted.

 

I definately heard the fan related noise in the recording. It is the same fan blade created noise that I hear in my F11J just as the fan starts to increase in speed as a load is put on the CPU. Just a couple degree raise in the core temperature of any of the four CPU cores will cause the fan speed to increase.

I reported this noise in my initial report back on 2/15/10 in post 3850 on page 385 of this thread.

While monitoring the core temperatures at 100% CPU loading, I could see that there is still a 30C margin until the CPU reaches the Thermal Design Limit. I even closed off the intake vents as much as I could and still had 10C left in the headroom.

To me, the fan starts its RPM increase way too early in the thermal cooling strategy. Still do not know whether this is an Intel, AMI or Sony issue.

 

Yep...they refund me $90 (the cost of BD-ROM Upgrade) + Tax...The total refund came out to $96.98. My sony account saids "Credited."
But has not posted with my credit card account. There is always some delay...

 

I appreciate the advice, but can you state an instance when a Windows driver/tweak/setting affected fan speed at boot - even while idling in the BIOS - when no hard drive was present in the system to boot from?

To be clear, some people here are speaking of higher-than-expected fan speeds and fan noise out of the box. My problem is different - the fan kicked in to 100% roughly 30 seconds after boot, and this could not be rectified. My concern is that the fan did not initially behave like this; at first, the speed was directly proportional to the need to dissipate heat. No amount of adjusting power use or thermal dissipation settings in the operating system would fix the issue.

Bolding this part for those who may be interested in some real data:

After some more research and a long discussion with a Sony tech on the "premiere" (toll charge) support line: The fan issue that I was experiencing is most likely related to the sequence of events that took place after I tried to resume from hibernation with a dead battery. Even after plugging in the AC adapter, I could not get the system to boot, and I pressed the power button multiple times, with no success. With the AC adapter now plugged in and the system off, I booted the machine; after a clean shut-down, I replaced the battery. The Sony representative I spoke with indicated that I probably missed a very brief message on the screen during the BIOS initialization regarding the battery: Sony has a hard-coded check as a part of the BIOS initialization which has some hooks to detect faulty and/or third-party (unauthorized, from Sony's point of view) batteries.

Specifically, the sequence that I describe above - in particular, attempting multiple times to turn the power on, and then removing the battery with the AC adapter plugged in - triggered some code which set the fan at 100%. On some VAIO laptops, the code which is triggered will even throttle CPU usage down. The lone remedy is to have the BIOS reflashed by Sony (unless, of course, you can flash the unit yourself, which I don't believe is possible on our F11 laptops yet, due to lack of a stock BIOS and proper loader/unloader).

So, I appreciate the calls to return the operating system to its factory state, but this isn't an OS-related problem.

Addendum: By default, all Sony laptops have a Windows service or driver running which is solely responsible for detecting non-Sony batteries. It's easy enough to disable.

 

Hey guys, my backlight keyboard stays on even in the light, what do I do to make it turn on only when its dark?

 

Hey, I want my laptop to do that but it does not. Go to Vaio Control Center and go to keyboard and mouse- Backlit KB and adjust there.

 

I don't know really see why we continue talking about your 100% fan thing as you exchanged the machine anyway and no other users in this thread (to my knowledge) reported a similar "problem".

What can be useful for you and other users is to remember this troubleshooting method if a problem appears after you messed around with your F and nothing else works. The idea is to see if it's really hardware of what you did.

Before doing anything:

1- preserve your current customized & added software software state: create a system image, which contains a copy of Windows and copies of your programs, system settings, and files with Windows Backup or an other backup utility. I used Acronis before but with 7, Windows Backup is fine.

2- backup your personal files & data (if any) to be able to restore them w/o re-installing your current customized OS state.

Personally, before tweaking anything major or installing a big software, I always do: > Start > Search > type: create a restore point, which I name Before installing X or Before Tweaking Z. So I can always go back to a fine working state before I messed things up.

What I wrote in the Fan Stuck 100% Messin' w/ Linux & BIOS? post is: "Did you try to restore to factory state to see if it was really hardware or the tweaks you made?

The only way to fully restore to factory is to totally wipe out the HDD (format) with the recovery discs & restore the BIOS to default." That's > press F2 on boot > Exit tab > Get Default Values (Load Factory Default Values).

I agree with this statement:

To check the fan speed while in the BIOS window is not a way to see if it was a hardware problem or not in the OS as my normal F is sometimes in higher fan speed, sometimes not, depending on if the machine is hot or not while in BIOS. jacksjw reported in his informative post: "When I boot my F11 into BIOS, my fan will power up to a high rev also".

@ jacksjw: I never said that the recovery discs will restore the BIOS, see above.

"Incidentally, I was pleased to find that I could repartition the disc during the restore operation into multiple partitions to isolate all of my personal data to the D:/ drive" I too when replacing the HDD 5400 for a HDD 7200 here.

BTW there is a Partition Magic style function in Win 7 so you can do this anytime w/o doing a full recovery (Shrink Volume): Resize a Partition for Free in Windows 7.

Important: if a user tweaks his F and does not mention it when reporting a problem, then it's one less variable available for troubleshooting & trying to help you out.

 

hi I posted the last whining memo recording. I didn't think I'd hear anyone whining that they couldn't hear it, they have to be tone deaf or stupid to confuse it with the typing sound.

I think Poohkie will have the earliest word on a fix once he gets his f11 back, soon hopefully.

 

Well you could exchange for a third F, buy an other brand or read carefully this post: Fan Noise Obsession, Whining & Tweaking CPU.

"So glad that it's not just mine" - that's not very nice for other users.

Well, the typing sounds shows that it's not that loud. Can you hear it from a normal working distance or do you have to stick your ear near the vent grid?

Read post linked above. Notbookcheck agrees with you, that's why they gave only a Good, 86% rating to their F copy (one of their top DTR rating, but not "perfect). Mine is rated 95% in my book, would get 100% with an EU Premium display.

 

The fact is that the FW (and the AW) were the best-selling models of 2009. The F series is the successor to the FW. People like the F series for most of the same reasons that they liked the F series.

So, in my opinion, if Sony truncates this series for four months to its lower resolution and lower graphics cards exclusively, that fact alone, together with the issues that caused Sony to stop production, will have major marketing repercussions.

Since Sony and Sharp actually own a screen factory together as of last year(originally for Bravia screens, I believe), it is not inconceivable that Sony will have substitutes for this first iteration of the F series from another Sharp factory partner -- substitutes that are of "equivalent" value, so to speak, with upgrades of a more substantive nature in the next (i.e., June, third) iteration of the series.

That makes December, March, June -- not out of line with the progression of the FW series, the F precursor.

In other words, I think we're both right: nothing dramatic in March, that's for June. But some fixes to keep the sales coming in for the current specs between March and June.

P.S. I vote for the free Microsoft Security Essentials as well (since that issue has come up again).

 

I cleaned up this thread a bit, let's try to stay-on topic and away from personal attacks.

Also, being objective is always a positive . . .

 

Not a critic of the product but check: Microsoft warns about rogue Security Essentials scareware.

 

It is good for the warning, I don't know if the "Security Essentials" has made their webpage look like the Microsoft Security Essentials one.

For those who need to find MSE, the real and legitimate free antivirus software:
http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/?mkt=en-us

 

No, you do not have to press your ear close to the vent at all, in fact, if you put your head right against the computer, the regular fan sound drowns out the high pitch whistling.

I can definitely hear it from a normal working distance and further. It is audible to the point where I can hear it over the sound of my desktop PC running and other regular background noise. If it was not loud enough to bother me, I would not go through all the trouble to return for repair. As I do love the laptop other than the whistle.

I did not make any changes/tweaks to the computer. It's my first laptop and I am not very computer savvy. So it pretty much came out of the box sounding like the way it does. Only add ons were Chrome/Firefox and antivirus software (ESET).

- Sony said they would do one final test and then ship it back to me Monday, so hopefully will have it back by Wed/Thu. Also, I am not a he!

 

I'm really surprised that there is not more feedback like yours about the EU vs. US LCD's coverage of the color gamut representation in this post: Vaio_F: 1080p EU vs. US Luminosity & Color Space Data!

Especially after the hundreds of EU vs. US 1080p posts in this thread!

 

NO.

 

yes

Unless you want to back that up. MSE detects crap that AVG doesn't while also having a simpler less annoying program than Avast

 

AVG is one of the worse programs to date. So anything is better than it. AVAST blows away MSE sorry to say and is rated very high.
Maybe you should back up your statements before saying they are inferior.

 

Like you did just now?

This is getting silly and I can already see this is going to be a flame fest from a mile away, so I'm backing off before I fall for your trollbait.

Honestly, give a simple appraisal of an AV software and some people act like you just insulted their mother...

 

Ok guys/girls, we just had this problem with aaronjb and Joe Bleau. No personal attacks!

Let's leave the discussion in this thread to the Vaio F and all of it's strengths and weaknesses. Please, let's lay off the talk of antivirus programs unless it's somehow specifically relate to the F and not which you believe is better.

 

http://www.brighthub.com/computing/smb-security/articles/63727.aspx

MSE vs Avast 5

 

I need to clarify that when we turn off the automatic brightness thing, what happens is that the perception of degradation of the vertical angles are lower than before. In other words, in a "dimmed" screen, the screen becomes well-nigh unreadable, pretty quickly, even with a slight change of the viewing angle. While a bright screen still maintains viewability/clarity, even though the view does reduce in quality with change in angle.

Bottomline, in a "dimmed" screen state (with the Auto brightness turned on, one is in a "dimmed" state pretty much all the time except maybe in direct sunlight), one could be seriously frustrated by the quality of the screen. By turning off the "dimming" (via turning off the Auto brightness setting), the screen is very much usable, for a larger range of angles, without becoming frustrating.

Hope that makes sense.

 

I have been reading this thread for quite a while and I was willing to wait until March or maybe April for a refresh to get all the issues straightened out or improvements made, but I'm not willing to wait until June. Sony's other models do not offer what I am looking for so YES I am strongly looking at other brands. Particularly the HP 8540p.

 

I'm going to start giving out infractions . . . next person to make a personal comment gets one.

Grow up and live with each other.

 

Thanks again mods.

 

I think I may wait until June to see what happens.
Until then, I guess I'll get a Asus 1201n to hold me over.
I really want the F, so I'll give Sony the time.

 

I think waiting is a good thing with high technology products. If you can wait, and make do with what you currently have, then you should. Only upgrade when you absolutely have to, since the "state of the art" is a constantly moving target.

Now in June 2010, there will be additional rumors of a new "significant refresh" in December 2010 and you may be advised to wait for that......and then once you get to December 2010, a new "significant refresh" in June of 2011 and so on....

I personally like buying the "state of the art" as it exists at the time of purchase and stick with the product for the next 5 years. Of course additional knick-knacks will keep getting added along the way, but my current tasks can't wait around for that, since I need to use the machine right now. Works well for me.

 

A couple of things I learned today.
1. The high pitched intermittent "morse code" noise is due to some sort of EMI issue with the audio circuit around the realtek chip. The audio circuitry is divided into two sections inside of the unit. Some of it is located on an audio/USB board that is what houses the 2 USB ports and the headphone/mic jacks on the right side of the unit. The rest of it (including the ALC275 chip itself) is directly behind the hard drive SATA connector. They are connected by a cable bundle. Moving the mainboard away from the the shield beneath the touchpad has a positive effect but does not remove the noise entirely. Tightening the chassis afterward increases the amount of noise. The cable bundle itself doesn't appear to be the source either, as moving it does not affect the volume/pitch of the noise. I am unsure of an actual solution for this but these are some clues.
1b. The ALC275 is configured to use dynamic switching of ADCs depending on the input source (i.e. mic or line-in). Since enabling the mic will eliminate the noise, it may be an issue with the line-in source. Has anyone tried using line-in and seen the issue reappear?

2. The SATA300 issue with the Samsung 500GB hard drive appears to be something forced in the HDD itself. Removing the drive and plugging it into another machine resulted in the HDD coming up at SATA150 also. There are no jumpers installed on the rear of the drive so it is not being forced. This is bad-ish news for people with a misbehaving Samsung drive but good news for upgrades - a SATA300 drive should work fine. My fear early on was that the BIOS wasn't configured properly - imagine how disappointing it would be to put in an SSD in a future upgrade and being stuck at SATA150.

 

I basically would like to see if there will be any upgrades to the screen.
Once I see that, I'll be ready to make my purchase.

 

Disabling the Auto Brightness was my first display tweaking.

I too used to keep my display very bright but I now follow Damien Symonds' i1Display2 calibration recommendations:

Give this a try on your US 1080p if you don't have a coloromiter like the i1Display2 than can measure Luminance: Fn+F6 several times > set to max (224 cd/M2 at least) > set to about 109 cd/M2 by going down two clicks with Fn+F5.

Try this US 1080p Native White Point monitor profile @ 109 cd/M2, it's the optimal profile achieved so far for my F for that given brightness level & editing photos. Please post some feedback if you try it!



How to install a monitor profile on the Vaio_F11:

1- Download & unpack Native_5900K_2.2_109cd-m2.rar I included two ColorChecker charts so you can check the results.

Navigate to the extracted profile on your hard drive, right click on it and choose "Install profile"

To verify that it installed to correct place, look in C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers\color (copy & paste in Explorer address bar instead of typing) The profile should be in that folder. If it's not there you can copy and paste it into the correct folder manually.



2- In Vaio Control Center (S1) > Display > Automatic Brightness Settings > uncheck the box that says "Adjust brightness automatically" and hit Apply

3- In Vaio Control Center > Display > Color Mode Setting > check "Do not apply color mode" and hit "Apply"

4- Adjust screen brightness > hit Fn+F6 several times > set to max > and set to about 109 cd/M2 by going down two clicks with Fn+F5

5- Open Control Panel and choose "Large Icons" in the "View by" drop down menu on the top right (if you don't already have it set like this)

6- Control Panel > Color Management > uncheck the box that says "Use my settings for this device"

7- Control Panel > Color Management > "Advanced" tab at the top of the Window > click "Change System Defaults" at the bottom left and in the new window > click "Add" near the bottom left.

8- This should bring up a list of profiles among which should be the one you downloaded called Native_5900K_2.2_109cd-m2.ICC. Highlight this profile and click OK at the bottom right. Then with your new profile highlighted in the box click "Set as default profile" toward the bottom right.

9- Toward the top of the window click on the "Advanced" tab, then check the box "Use Windows Calibration" toward the bottom left. As soon as you check this box you should see your screen change to the new profile and this profile should remain in effect until/unless you change it.

Thanks to slrosenfeld & MBGlider for posting most of these instructions earlier.

With a colorimeter & it's software, you just click the do-it button & lay back.

 

Does anyone, who either currently owns the F or had it at any time, seem to have this misty look to their screen that seemed to not go away, no matter what you did to the settings? This was the very thing that made me return mine.
I really loved, everything about the notebook, except this problem. That's why I'm hoping for some kind of improvement to this aspect of the system. The system is everything I want, so I really want to give it another shot.

 

I've spent a lot of time listening to music today on my F11 and I have to say I am not all that happy with the sound quality. Hard to describe but to say the sound appears 'off'. I am using Bose external speakers which I am very familiar with on other systems. It seems we do not have a Realtek sound manager software on our systems. Here is a website the offers a download but I am leery. http://www.top4download.com/realtek-ac-97-drivers/screenshot-xhyguwhw.html Anyone have any tips or opinions. I would like to tweak the sound with sound manager software. Please help if you have any imput.

 

I actually thought the onboard speakers sounded okay for a laptop, when tweaked a bit. Then again, I came from a 4 year old toshiba, so what can I say?!...

 

I agree roweraay.

In a previous lifetime, I was an engineering development manager for a super minicomputer company in Massachussetts. My hardware counterpart came up with the acronym ERDM (pronounced urdum) which stands for Endless Recursive Decision Making. Engineers would be well on their way in getting a board into wirewrap testing when one of our chip suppliers would deliver samples of a chip that would reduce product cost and incorporate additional features. However, the result of incorporating the new chip would mean a 6 month delay in getting the product out the door. (It used to take 4 years from start to finish to get a new CPU released to the public). Of course, in another 6 months, a different vendor would knock on our door with their new and improved chip and here we go again.

The moral of the story is clear: If you a committed to making a purchase, drive a stake in the ground, do the research and buy the best product that meets your needs at the price point that suits your budget. Do this with the full knowlegde that another computer manufacturer will be releasing a better product down the road and the one you are about to buy will become obsolete - possibly overnight.

Don't get caught up in the ERDM cycle otherwise you will never buy anything.

 

Same, if there are, I will buy. If there aren't I still will. I am satisfied with the F. But the possibility of a DirectX11 GPU and a better screen means it will be a more complete version of the machine I have decided on. It will be a much improved version. I'm not waiting around until the next "F" series, just until I can get a improved version. From a company standpoint, I would venture that it's possible they stop and fix all the stupid little buzzing and heating and droning, etc, problems that they might have in March or April, not much of a refresh. Then in June or July, midyear, they do a more invested overhaul. After that, it wont be worth it to do much more upgrading as they may want to focus on developing next years model.

 

That's it Zebra3, I also would like to have DX 11 support and a screen with a decent vertical viewing angle. If I can get at the least, one of these options, I'll be good to go.

 

Hi guys, I have a quick question about my prospective VAIO and figured this would be the place to ask it

Last week I ordered my Sony Vaio F-series customised from the SonyStyle UK website, it looks like this

•Intel® CoreTM i5 Processor
•Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium
•Black
•500 GB Serial ATA (7200 rpm)
•6 GB 1066MHz DDR3-SDRAM
•Blu-ray Disc(TM) writer
•41.6 cm LCD, 1920x1080+ webcam
•NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 330M 1GB

When I purchased this "V" edition and not the "X" I only thought that the difference would be the lack of Premium Black Colour and the i7 processor but reading this forum has confused me a bit...

Is it true that this model doesn't have a matte screen even though I have chosen the exact same option as the one available in the "X" series (bar the word premium...this could be significant I know), the option I chose looks like this;

41.6 cm LCD, 1920x1080, webcam 41.6 cm (16.4") VAIO Display HD1080 (1920 x 1080 pixels) (16:9) + built-in "Motion Eye" digital camera (0.3 Mega Pixels)

And the "X" series option looks like this;

41.6 cm LCD, 1920x1080, webcam 41.6 cm (16.4") VAIO Display Premium HD1080 (1920 x 1080 pixels) (16:9) + built-in "Motion Eye" digital camera (0.3 Mega Pixels)

Is the latter screen matte and therfore the superior option?

Also is it true that the wrist rests aren't rubbery on the model I have ordered but infact plastic?

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks Guys

 

I also find the speakers to be quite decent for a laptop, definitely better quality than my old Dell (8600) and Lenovo (T61p).

Change of topic: With the F11 comes my very first experience with Windows 7. Previously I was using XP all along (skipped Vista altogether). I am not seeing the "Safely remove hardware" icon in my taskbar. I already went to Customize and didn't see it as an option. Does anyone know how to get it to appear? I remember seeing "Safely remove hardware" icon on my parent's Windows 7 so I'm pretty sure they haven't gotten rid of it. THanks.

 

Me?.. I'm trying to get my system now (8 weeks and still waiting..) Once the warranty runs out I'll change the display myself - swap the invertor (if needed) along with the panel - the connections are pretty standard; and the video card will never be powerful enough for flat-out gaming due to the requirements of cooling while maintaining the F11 design profile, so DX 11 doesn't matter. The weakness in the Nvidia cards is with OpenGL and mirror mode, neither of which will ever be as good as ATI's (different design priorities) My desktop Q9450 with crossfire ATI HD4850 remains the gaming system.

A (sensible, noise-free) discussion of antivirus is worthwhile here, since the Fresh Start option leaves the F11 without an installed AV program.

 

Did you click the arrow at the left edge of the icon area? That opens a box with more icons. (It isn't a slide-in like XP)

 

Yeah I would love to have one (preferably the screen) as would probably a lot of people who went elsewhere (hope you listen Sony America) but I will be getting the F no matter what. If Sony Honestly told me, "sorry, we're making no such improvements," I would buy one next week. I have set my mind, I simply feel like painfully biding my time. I have other purchases to make in the coming months, plus I have to buy accessories for the F, so I have things to do. My list of F related purchases is as follows:

http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/electronics/detail-page/hp-FQ480AA-elite_keyboard.jpg

http://www.geardiary.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Firefox36.png

http://www.dclstore.co.uk/images/pr...ege-external-desktop-usb2-hddalum-34453-l.jpg

http://apcmag.com/images/apc/news/5ghz-linksys.jpg

http://img01.static-nextag.com/image/Samsonite-4-Aluminum-Attache/1/000/006/543/645/654364534.jpg

The last 3 first, they are actually important.

 

I did, it opens a box with more icons along with the "Customize" option, but not there.

 

I have found that the speakers on the new F are okay, considering they are laptop speakers. I have Bose Companion 5 external speakers too (when I am back at my desk), which too are not that great per se but gets the job done for the most part.

Fundamentally, I find that the sound quality seems to be heavily dependent on the source material. When the source material is sub-par, the output is also sub-par, while on the other hand, when the source material is good, I am okay with what comes out of the speakers.

 

Right on the money and precisely my philosophy on such purchases !

 

Joe Bleau,


The link for your profile, Native_5900K_2.2_109cd-m2.ICC, doesn't work. I'd like to try it.

 

Instead of that wall-powered WD or Seagate 3.5" drive, you really should consider a self-powered Esata or firewire 2.5" drive. They're smaller and more portable, can be used in the field with no AC available, and have no real disadvantages in speed. They can be hooked up with ease to a desktop system for swapping files.

(edit) IF it's a 3.5" drive in that iomega..)

(edit) http://www.geardiary.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Firefox36.png


Is that a bluetooth mouse? It would be a shame to have to stick in a USB receiver. I have both the MX Revolution and MX 1100, and they're great mice, I wish there WERE a bluetooth version.

 

A (sensible, noise-free) discussion of antivirus is worthwhile here, since the Fresh Start option leaves the F11 without an installed AV program.[/QUOTE]

I'm using Avast and Malwarebytes together, both paid versions. A friend, who removes computer viruses for a living, states if everyone would use this combo it would keep him out of business.

 

Agreed. And that is one of the first things I got when I received my new F with Fresh start.

I opted for Kaspersky Internet Security 2010, since there was a sale on ($49.99) in bestbuy, along with the fact that it seems to have a reputation for a reasonably low and non-intrusive footprint. Of course the fact that it comes with licenses for 3 machines, was an added plus.

 

I enjoyed your post but you need to add:
http://www.amazon.com/ACC-NT-CRYO-LX-Aluminum-Notebook-Adjustable/dp/B0014GVZS0/ref=pd_cp_e_1

 

Yeah I tend to do a lot of work at night lying in bed with the Asus notebook sitting on my chest. That F11 will get REALLY warm under that scenario!

(edit) has anyone actually seen comparative reviews of notebook coolers, re: perfomance and lapability?

(Another edit) I think I've found exactly what I'm looking for, it does cool a notebook to several degrees below that of sitting on a glass table, and it keeps your, ahem "investment" completely cool when sitting on your lap. It has several online reviews.

http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?C=1135&ID=1599