Official Sony VAIO F Series Owners lounge

When SSD prices drop I will probably pick one up. Does this machine have an extra bay for 2 hd's? My guess is it doesn't, so what would be the best setup for SSD if that's the case?

SSD as primary and then eSATA for storage?

 

That is precisely what I tried to find out with the 2 x 256 question above. But since it is a 1 x 512GB SSD, I am assuming there is only one HD bay.

 

Yes, even the cheapest Owner Made model seems to come with the 330 and Adobe RGB display here in Japan (confirmed here; just click on the 「主な仕様」 button). The current shipping date is Feb. 4th. I wonder if it's worth holding out for the new Z...

 

How come the new Z is not shown on the Japanese Sony site?

 

Do you know when the new Z's specs would be available in the Japanese market ? Are there any Japanese forums etc where they are discussing details on the new Z ? Like say what kind of RAM it has (DDR3-1333 ?), what kind of processors it comes with, does it have USB 3.0 etc..

 

I have been following the discussion regularly, and I aware of the other noise issue. But I think in my case, the sound is a whirring sound from the fan that probably makes the other noise inaudible.

Just to confirm my speculation, do all of you hear the noise from the left side ?

 

My fan does seem to whirl quite a bit and is not as quiet as some other machines I've had.

 

No. Unfortunately it does not have 2 bays for HDs. I'm in the same boat as you.
I figured that by the time I pull the trigger on buying an SSD, they will be quite a bit larger capacity.

 

And much cheaper too... SSD prices are expected to come down to terra firma over the next several months to a year. The technology is also maturing. Currently, there is a HUGE variation in the performance of the various SSD drives available.

However, I believe the Sony SSD is a raided SSD - would be much better than an aftermarket SSD, as far as I know.

 

One thing that I heard on the Kim Commando radio show yesterday, is that computer components are going up in price in Q-2 2010.

 

If you really want 2 internal HDD\SSD with the F series, it is possible but you would loose the Bluray drive.

 

No.

don't expect interesting prices in any capacity you might really want until 2011 or 2012 even.

seriously, if you want to do SSD in a VAIO F you either have multiple HDD bays, or are willing to sacrifice massive amounts of storage space. it's one or the other for all intents and purposes.

too bad this machine doesn't have a second bay. It's off my list of AW replacements now.

 

A bluray burner is an absolute non-negotiable for me. I would never buy one without it.

 

I think I would be perfectly fine with around 256GB.....512GB would be more than sufficient for my purposes. I always have external USB-based harddrives into which I can backup the data. I think several 512GB SSD aftermarket options should be appearing fairly soon, from several manufacturers, including OCZ, Samsung, Intel etc., with several other players joining the fray by the day.

Having an Blu-ray burner is a BIG plus too, since I can now backup onto Blu-ray discs (50GB+ capacities) too.

 

Actually, for the Canadian CTO, $225 extra for a raided 256 Gig is incredibly cheap. The same thing is $800 from my supplier. I wish to Hades I had the extra budget to have added it now, instead of waiting until such a thing becomes so cheap aftermarket. Absolute storage space is not an issue since I tend to use Firewire and USB external drives to save project material.

 

That is a steal ! Wish it were the same here in the US.

EXACTLY my viewpoint on this. I have 2 separate 500GB portable hard-drives onto which I regularly backup data. 256GB capacity within the laptop, is MORE than enough for my purposes.

 

The current thread is right here. It moves really fast (as in, new VAIO Z threads are created every week because they reach the maximum 1000 posts; it's now the 34th page!). There's no new information there right now, though. Normally, I wouldn't post about the Z in the F thread, but there's some discussion about the F as well (and why the Japanese keyboard isn't backlit, etc.).

 

If you can swing it, I think you should go for it. Simply call up Sonystyle and cancel the order and re-order based on the specific specs you are looking for. As our friend Derrida says, there is absolutely no re-stocking or other fee with Sonystyle and one option is for you to refuse delivery of the package and it will go right back....and then just re-order.

If you take delivery of this unit and keep it, you will keep on second guessing youself whether you did the right thing. I believe you also wanted the black model, right ?

 

Thanks ! I bookmarked it and will keep on scouring through it, periodically.

 

Actually, I don't know what to add. When I started scoping out the market in November, I looked at every major brand including Fujitsu, which is not supported in Canada, and the cheapest THEN seemed to be the Dells, the Studio 15s and their 13"-ers.

Time Marches On - to the introduction of the F-series, after I had cancelled two previous orders for a Dell and the FW. Now I had decided that I wasn't going to get a cheap laptop and then upgrade my X38-Q9450 desktop (with crossfire 4870s), but actually use the new laptop AS the upgrade.

With Sony, my favourite brand, now offering i7s I rechecked the entire market, with the precise features that I wanted in mind.. a BluRay burner was a MUST; and, not only did the VAIO F11s offer precisely what I had in mind, but it was the CHEAPEST bundle available of any brand, except for extreme price discounts from Dell Studio, Alienware, and Qosmio X500 - but they didn't offer a BD burner..!

So, compared with Fujitsu lifebooks, which are $1000 more, and the general market, Sony seems to have a true price point with the latest laptops, with some well-tested technology, such as the screen, rather than all new ideas, so that to me makes the F-series a budget line, even if they're damn good...

 

Hey Rens,

I do like the black and grey US-version, but if unavailble here i will go for the black one and order from the sonystyle.nl website. For direct contact you could send me a personal message.

grtz Jan

 

I see where you're coming from but I'll have to respectfully disagree that the F series is budget

I guess it all comes down to what your definition of budget is. Mine is a machine that falls into the sub $1k territory and cuts a lot of corners. The F series is the exact opposite.

I left BB with an F after paying $1300+. If you want something more than base configuration, you'll easily break the $1500 barrier. I can't imagine anyone saying they'd want a budget machine for that amount. However, I do think that the price/performance of this machine is absolutely insane. But consumers, especially in this economy are more demanding than ever and the F series really delivers.

Also, if you scan the "What notebook should I buy?" section, you'll see that people looking for budget machines more often than not want something for $800 and lower. Now that is budget.

 

Lots of people are saying Blu-ray burners are a must - I'm beginning to wonder whether it was stupid deciding £50 wasn't worth upgrading a reader to a writer. I back up to external HDD and don't need to make HD Blu-ray films... are there other uses I've overlooked? Was it a bit short-sighted?

 

Well, I hope to receive it on Friday, then I can decide if I don't like Grey; .. If it's at all like my Asus Netbook, which has a gold grey cover, black keyboard on a silver grey plinth, and shiny chrome trim and hinge, , it would be a thing of beauty. I also want to make SURE it has the GT330M, and indeed I'll have more money to spend... :yes:

 

Well I got an email back from sony support in response to one I sent them about the buzzing noise. They just tell me to try lowering mic levels and, check if it happens with the power cord unplugged, and reinstall drivers etc. I don't think they are going to take time to read through this long thread so anyone have any ideas. What I want to avoid is talking forever on the phone and having someone and have me try all the things we already tried. Anyone else wanna give them a try maybe if they get enough complaints they will get working on a fix sooner.

Also somone posted that their fan was really loud. What power plan are you using? If it is set to high performance your cpu runs at a higher speed and will likely make the laptop run much warmer and thus the fan is louder. Using CPU Z to monitor the cpu speed I see that on a balanced power plan cpu idle is at 931 mhz and jumps up higher under use as it needs to. But when set to power plan high performance the cpu is at 2500 mhz and above so of course this would make a big difference. CPU Z is a free program that gives you real time cpu speed and a wealth of other useful info. I just download the zip of that program for 64 bit from their website and extract it and run it from there it doesn't need to install. http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php

 

That makes sense with the cpu fan. I want high performance so I'll deal with a little bit of fan whirl

 

Well, budget is the reason I got an Asus N10E Netbook (Practically the first Netbook on the market). It's great for what it does, but I really wish I had got a TRUE laptop a coupla years ago.. Even my 2001 IBM T23 with Tualatin 1.2 Ghz and obsolete Crystal video card has better performance in some respects than the Atom N270. But then the late-run PIIIs were great CPUs, among the best Intel ever made..

 

I had the same experience. Tech Support is very nice but they don't see it as a design or software bug. I also wrote them and included the links and asked they forward the problem up the chain the command. That said, the solution posted earlier (muting the mic and turning on the option to listen to the mic) stopped the buzz and I don't have to set it everytime. Inthe short term, it's great.

 

Thanks for reply! But how many antennas does it have, 2 or 3 ?

btw, where did u read about Atheros ? i cant find this info anywere ..

 

Thank you

I just verified that the other sound that people mention about also exist in my laptop and it disappeared by following the microphone solution.

But fan noise is a lot more annoying and it's always there.

 

Another person with the buzzing noise and solved with the same solution. Maybe there should be thread dedicated for those with the buzzing noise?

 

Guys... some photos with the grey/silver model? I'm waiting for a whole week...

 

AGREED!!!!

 

Also the 'premium black' if possible...

 

Here are all CTO options for F from sony style japan including pictures of black, white and silver model (pictures are small )

http://translate.google.com/transla...e_include/html/F11/spec_vom1.html&sl=ja&tl=en

 

My fan does seem to run continuously. On my Macbook Pro, I never heard it unless the system was under very heavy load. Not sure this system is a keeper.

 

The white one is also really cool, although it reminds me a little bit of an apple macbook.
And it looks like they ship a remote control with it ?!?#?!

 

Yep, cheers - but you know how the promo shots always look slightly different... bit like McDonald's I suppose!

 

The Japanese models must have a TV tuner.

 

How is Atheros compared to the 5100 or 5300??

I read the reviews at Laptop Mag and they seem to think it gets slightly slower data rates at 50 feet.

I have never heard of or seen any reviews of Atheros products??

Anyone had any issues with the bluetooth or Wi-Fi?

 

I have a couple of questions for you guys who bought the New F Series as I am interested in buying my first laptop (this is for USA Vaios):

1) On the Sony Style Website, the F series model number VPCF11JFX/B (the 3 computer down listed for $1529) are you capable of hooking up a coaxial cable and watching and recording TV on it?

2) Does this model have blu-ray burning? I thought it did but I read that this model somewhere didn't?

Thanks so much guys

 

THERE ARE _TWO_ 1920x1080 FULL HD SCREENS IN JAPAN AND ONLY ONE OF THEM IS LISTED AS PREMIUM, RGB, AND WITH ANTI-REFLECTIVE ANTI-GLARE COATING. The "ordinary" FullHD has a specific entry of "---" nothing for where the special coating is listed for the Premium screen.

"Quod erat demonstrandum" on the coating and the RGB, but the jury's still out on the possible LED nature of the true Premium screen.

My "spec"-ulation remains that the European screens will be different from those in the American markets.

I also "spec"-ulate that the screens are not LED. Moseying around the Japan site there is no mention of the backlit keyboard or of LED anywhere. We'll see what rolls in next week as our European forum members receive their orders.

 

Optical Drive
BD-R DL Read / Write : 4x max
BD-R Read / Write : 6x max
BD-RE DL Read / Write : 2x max
BD-RE Read / Write : 2x max
BD-ROM Read : 6x max
Blu-ray Disc™ Support : Read Only20 (BD-ROM)
CD Support : Read / Write (CD/-R/-RW)
DVD Support : Read / Write (DVD±R/±RW/±R DL/-RAM)

Thats what it lists as the optical so its kinda fuzzy as it lists read/write on the different disks and then it says below that Blu-Ray Disc Support : Read Only.

So I would assume no it doesnt but if I where you I would just configure one with exactly what you want and you should get the best price for the parts you are looking for.

 

Okay, all you could want to know about the two FullHD screens at this Japan site: http://translate.google.com/transla...http://www.vaio.sony.co.jp/vaio/products/F11/

Upshot: Not likely LEDs, because the RGB Premium screen is advertized as rivaling and bettering the traditional RGB screen (which is an LED, right?). And the NTSC color scheme is evoked when discussing the regular FullHD (reminding us of the past FW FullHD screens).

Not likely LEDs because LCD is used repeatedly, just as has been the case in advertisements of non-LED Bravia TVs. Also, be mindful that this screen is a TV screen as well in Japan.

And lastly, it does appear that there will be a screen coating different from what has been on the FW before. Nowhere does one see anything about a backlit keyboard, BTW.

Again, this is in Japan. However, so far all of the Sony ordering advertisements in Europe conform to the Japanese advertising. None of the American SonyStyle advertisements correspond to the European or the Japanese specs, fueling my "spec"-ulations that the 110V screen is different, even in the "premium" version, from the 220V Premium FullHD screen.

 

I am very curious about which screen will be available on the European version. Especially if there is a difference between the i5 and i7 models!

At the sonystyle.nl there are two types of screen available for the i5 model:
one 1600x900 and one 1920x1080. in the header above these two options it is mentioned that they both have a special anti reflective coating.
For the i7 model only the 1920x1080 model is available.

No info on 100% adobe rgb is found.

Let me know if you more information about the european version of the screen! Especially if there is a difference between the i5 and i7 models!

Grtz Jan

PS: I just looked at the color options and it seems that the i7 is only available in premium black and the i5 as (just) black and as option grey. I guess i just have to wait untill the first euro-versions are delivered.

 

I don't think "LED" has anything to do with the screen's ability to cover a large color gamut, right ? "LED" is just a way of lighting it up, and like with other such things, there are many ways to skin a cat.

A low-end budget model like the CW-series gets "LED" - clearly indicating that if "LED" was a premium feature, it certainly would not have made its way into the CW.

Bottomline, I personally don't care if the HD 1920x1080 screen in the F-series is lit via "LED" or via some other means, as long as the other performance parameters are maintained.

I would definitely want it to cover as large a color gamut - Adobe RGB at least, since sRGB is too restrictive for the work I will be doing on it - as possible (wish I could get some confirmation on this). I would prefer that the screen was matte (the US version is glossy) but this factor is not a dealkiller per se.

 

I posted much earlier on this or another F thread (no time to go back and find it) that, indeed, the European models were touting a FullHD screen and a Premium FullHD screen -- again, that corresponds, we now know, with the Japanese advertizing.

I also posted a link to AUO's Website on HiColor (and elsewhere earlier in the fall) about the 100% NTSC coverage of the FW's FullHD screen, or so European ads described it. Most people agree that the Sony CCFL FullHDs of the past were as good or better than the RBG LEDs around -- I believe Phil posted that Notebookcheck gave both screen the identical high rating. So, right: LED is only an energy saver (and uses no mercury) but can also give more even backlighting than single or dual-lamp CCFL.

So, my guess is that you get a CCFL FullHD or a CCFL Premium FullHD (with Adobe RGB capabilities) in Europe (and it looks as though both FullHDs may also get the matte coating), but in the States you get a CCFL FullHD with the semi-gloss anti-reflective coating that most Sony screens have (less glossy than competitors but glossy nonetheless) and it's called "premium" only to distinguish it from the 1600x900 screen which is not FullHD and which, since not labeled HiColor, is less bright, etc. than the FullHD 1920x1080.

Again, we won't know much for sure about Europe until the models start arriving into members' hands; as for the U.S. screens, all descriptions seem to match the past CCFL FullHD of the FW series.

BTW Once the F series shows up at the EPEAT site registry ( www.epeat.net) we'll be able to know if the screens are CCFL by model number because each model is clocked in by the presence or absence of mercury for its ratings.

 

I have long been in love with the Sony VAIO FW-series (Scandinavian versions), considering it the perfect laptop bar a few minor details. These details seem to have been corrected with a vengeance in the F-series, and I'm now looking at a super-perfect machine - that is, judging from specs and pictures!

There could easily be some problem areas, though, that may turn out catastrophic for me, so ... here's hoping someone may answer a couple of questions:

DPC latency
The primary use for my new laptop is dj'ing and music production. This introduces some crucial demands, one of which is low DPC latency. Might someone who owns a VAIO F-series be able to give it a check with the standard tool DPC Latency Checker and post the results with a screenshot for perfection? I'm a little anxious about the result as the graphics are NVIDIA and not ATI.

Fan noise
Nothing is as bitter as owning the "perfect" laptop and then having to listen to music or do work with a constant hissing noise in the background - something which have been driving me ever closer to the brink of insanity, with the laptops of later years running so da*n hot! I would serenely sacrifice raw CPU power for cool and quiet operation; how is the F-series in this respect? How would one describe the noise level when the laptop runs at its absolute quietest?

 

My short experience is that the fan seems to run constantly (I'm running on high performance). I've had several machines and this is the loudest of all fans but by no means is it a deal breaker. It's a pretty subjective topic so it's hard to say if it will annoy you. I also find fan/general machine noise one of those things that eventually goes away because you become use to it.

So, compared to some laptops I've had in my recent past - macbook pro, hp dv7 and thinkpad t500...it's probably the loudest.

 

It's just not clear to me whether an i7 notebook can be cool and quiet -- they appear to have heat issues in other manufacturers' models as well.

In fact, when people posted here that they wondered why the F series is bigger than the FW, to me the answer is simple: keypad and hot CPU.