Official Sony VAIO F Series Owners lounge

"For the most part there's actually no improvement in battery life due to Arrandale. (i5-540) There are a couple of instances where we see a 5 or 6% increase in staying power but these two platforms are basically equal. That's great when you consider how much faster Arrandale is than its predecessor, but it's not great when you remember that we're talking about a fully power gated 32nm processor here.

If we look at our desktop Clarkdale results we see that idle power for Intel's 32nm part isn't very good. It's actually worse than the 45nm Lynnfield platform from earlier this year. Intel confirmed that there is a lot of optimization that has to happen with Arrandale. It looks like there are some silicon level tweaks that are on the roadmap to be implemented but we won't see them until the middle of 2010. That means while the first Arrandale notebooks won't offer any more battery life than their predecessors, the second wave of Arrandale should fix that."

That's one I could find, http://www.anandtech.com/printarticle.aspx?i=3705

There's also discussion on optimization and the next revision in the Intel forums. I'm sorry but I didn't save the links.

 

Heheh, when they shipped mine they cancelled the Hold but didn't initiate a charge. Anyway it makes things easier if I DO have to return the unit (due to its bad screen and with no replacement in stock) and have to reorder - no waiting for the refund before I can afford to try again.

 

This is a pet peeve of mine, about the people who maintain the sonystyle websites. Attention to detail is severely lacking. In the Alpha camera section, there are several mistakes peppered all around, which are very obvious to even a casual observer. I just wonder if someone is even proof-reading the contents, before publishing them.

Unfortunately, unlike sites like B&H etc., where there is a feedback option within the website, allowing users to point out mistakes to the staff, who in turn can then validate and if need be, correct them, the sonystyle website does not have any such thing.

Even the ordering process within Sonystyle is a bit archaic. Once an order is placed, even a minor change cannot be done to it, without first cancelling the original order and then placing a brand-new order. Of course when the original order is "cancelled", the credit card authorization for the amount will not be released for several days, even though the card itself may not be charged till the product ships.

Any other modern retail website would simply make the necessary adjustments to the original order (assuming it has not entered the shipment stage), and either charge or credit the difference in the changes made.

 

On a practical note, one of us that has the fan "whistling" regardless of the engineered design for keeping such a high powered processer cool, could simply post a YouTube video with good audio pick up. This will help Sony initially "hear it". Measuring the dB(A) noise is great, and who knows if Sony will determine that it's a problem unless enough of us that have it... complain.

I personally hear it, and wish it wasn't there but will learn to live with it in light of the overall performance and usability of this most excellant Power-Laptop.

 

True, but unlike the old generation of processors, the Arrandale includes a graphics core and some other mechanisms that were not part of the prior generation CPUs, right ? Thus when it consumes the same amount of power, it is doing so with a lot more activities that are happening at the CPU unit level, right.....when compared to the Core 2 Duo etc ?

 

Hehehe...Sony you'd better still be offering the i7-820QM on the F!!!

 

That would not work as you can tweak at will the mic & the video.

That's what I like about the German notebookcheck site, they believe in data for all aspects including display brightness in cd/m2, etc. Too bad they don't have a Vaio F review up yet.

Most people never had an i7 laptop before or can't compare the noise level with an other 17 laptop so nobody is talking orange vs. orange yet.

 

And you (Sony) should provide users the option to handle CPU performance when the machine runs on battery power or AC adapter. It will be more useful for users on many purposes.

 

It is not I, personally, who is saying that the Arrandale doesn't give more performance per watt, of course it does, I'm just quoting the whole thing that INCLUDES the fact that Intel is still working on optimizing the architecture.

 

Seen on Youtube: Crysis on Sony Vaio F Series

Here is a screen grab, there is a fair amount of glare including details of the wall behind the user :



Some of his comments:
"Playing on 1024 x 768, tried 1920 x 1080 but it wasnt playable. after 1 hour of gaming there were no problems of heating nor any throttle that i noticed.

fan is silent during typing documents, using IE, and looking at videos. The fans switch on when i start playing games".

 

Better luck with this machine it sounds like?

I was in the same boat as you -- went through several machines recently but now I'm happy to stay put with the Sony F

 

Has anyone measured the heat levels in this machine? I just used cpuid hw Monitor and I think they are excessively high..I might be wrong...

You can get the free app at: http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php

I bought mine at BB and the buzzing is very low, but definitely there and I am 53 years old.. .

I love this machine though and not sure if I want to part with it anytime soon.

 

Instead how about posting a review for the F in sonystyle website.. The reviews that you write are reviewed b4 it gets approved; so you can be certain that someone in Sony is reading it..

PS: But please dont give it a bad rating , because it does deserve a good rating inspite of the noisy fan

 

just got my preconfigured VPCF11 JFX/B. I am sorry I didn't get a fresh start because of all the bloatware on it. I too have the high pitch humming noise. My preconfig is
500 GB 7200 RPM HD
i7 720
backlit keyboard
blue ray burner/reader
1GB VRAM NVidea 330
6GB RAM
I was wondering if ROWERWay know what bloatware I can safely delete.
Other than that, I love this laptop my first one and thanks to all of you that helped me!!

 

Would you guys recommend the Sony F series over the HP envy 15. I have recently found out about the F series and see that both machines have similar specs. Not sure what to go for!?

In a quick comparison, I noticed the following:

HP Envy Pros
-Thinner and better looking machine (only 1.04" thick)
-Lightweight magnesium chassis vs plastic (5.2 lb vs 6.9lb)
-Faster hard drive (7200)
-More futureproof (USB 3 and memory expandable to 16GB vs only 8GB for sony)

HP Envy cons:
-Poorer battery life
-Throttle multiplier issue when on battery (not sure if this is also the case for the F series)
-No optical drive (this is not a major issue for me)
-Good spec model only available in the US (I am living in the UK)

 

K guys I got my F series two days ago and I can vouch for everyone in saying that I have both the microphone whining noise as well as the low pitch noise from the fan. The mic fix works, but the low rpm fan noise is apparent. I will be contacting Sony support but probably won't send it back for about a month until the bugs are worked out.

My question is this, I did a clean install with a copy of Windows Ultimate 64 and have been having issues. The install went fine and its nice to get ride of the bloatware, however I am having driver issues. Since Sony's website has been slow to getting up drivers I am forced to use the recovery discs and the Vaio Care. I install most programs except for the office trial, notron, evernote, etc. I have made sure to include all drivers and the sony shared library, video processor, etc. Problem is I get about 40% into the installation and its asks about a registry key change, I agree, and then its says I dont meet the minimum requirements to install. It installed the chipset, nvidia, bluetooth, but wont install all the other drivers. I am missing the wireless driver, transfer jet, and more. It also fails to install most of the programs. Has anyone else had this issue with a clean install that is not on the recovery discs and if so how do I install these needed drivers? Can i get them anywhere else?

 

You can go into the device manager and look for the specific manufacturer/model number for all of your components without drivers and find the drivers for those components online (most likely from the original manufacturer's site).

 

@elixx

I hands down would go for a Sony over an HP anyday.
A lot of the HP laptops i've seen kinda look great online but terribly disappointing in person. That said the Envy is probably one of their better ones though it will forever look like a macbook ripoff. The Dr.Dre beats version at least has a more unique finish overall.
---You have to see it in person really---
The general build quality of Vaios tend to be quite refined. The F does not look cheap. If you CTO you can get a 7200rpm drive or an SSD.
Also, it's a 16+" vs a 15+" screen.
The F at its worst is only mildly warm, I heard the Envy gets really hot.

EDIT
you might want to checkout hplies.com first. It makes for an interesting read its not just about the machine but the support for it as well...

 

I, too, was contemplating getting the envy (that hd5830 they have in it is sooo very attractive), but in the end the Sony was cheaper (atleast here in the US), and the envy had some really bad heat problems (I think 110 degrees F on the underside of the laptop while idling). These heat issues may have been fixed with the choice of an i5 in the envy, but don't take my word for it (lol reminds me of reading rainbow...)

imho the envy isn't very pretty either. With that design on the lid and all of those air vents, it looks like a ugly version of the macbook pro - it's minimalism gone all wrong. IF the envy was (even MILDLY) an original design, then I think I would like how it looks, but let's be honest, everybody is going to compare its looks to that of a macbook pro, and it's pretty ugly when compared to the mac. HP could've (and should've) atleast TRIED to make their design a bit more original. It's like the company is telling you that they were too lazy to design their own laptop, or that they didn't have enough confidence in their own design teams to make something beautiful... (i don't know about you but the fact that a company doesn't have much confidence in itself says something bad).

Finally, the envy is, well, an HP. Which used to be great. I have quite a few hp laptops/printers from the late 90s/early 2000s, which (surprisingly) still run fine albeit slowly. These days though, the HP badge on something make the product seem, i dunno, cheap and disposable.

I'm not sure if this is true, but I'm pretty sure the F is made from a mix of magnesium/plastic, as are most Sony laptops. But yes, the F is heavier than the envy.

So in short I would recommend the F over the envy. Also, you should take all of the posts here (and in the Envy owner's forum) with a grain of salt. It's hard to be objective when you already have your heart set on a laptop and are convinced that it's the best.

 

Indeed. I wish that the Dell XPS 1645 would not have been throttled under AC power, nor had a defective keyboard. I do like the overall experience & performance of the Sony F11, & have pretty much decided on keeping it - working through the minor issues. I think that after my Spyder 3 Screen Calibration system accurately adjusts my display, I'll be even more pleased. I will say the the RGBLED screen on the Dell was absolutely amazing.

 

Yes, I went into device manager and the unknown device is a network controller. I know its the wlan artheros driver but Sony doesnt have it posted, and neither does Artheros or I am missing it. If someone can find it and link it that would be awesome.

Also does anyone have a rough screen calibration, I realize all calibrations are different but this is for the premium HD screen, and I would appreciate a rough calibration, couldn't be worse than factory? Thanks!

 

@mangosango

I agree that HP has been lazy with their designs. They've so far been compensating it with fairly bland artwork on their laptops in an attempt to spice up an otherwise generic case. I think 3rd party skin graphics tend to be more succesful.
It was a bold move in HP's Marketing team to call it 'envy'. The name's backfired on them no doubt. ( macbook envy ... Hehehe... It's been said before but I couldn't help it )

the more expensive HP printers have been pretty reliable and no-nonsense in my experience. Just stay far far away from their software.

 

And it would also be nice if, here in the UK, we can have a backlit keyboard option too..!!

 

If i may digress somewhat here ... I have often wondered if it will ever possible to watch a blu ray movie on a laptop which would play at 24p ie. 24Hz on the laptops own display. The Laptop display is usually fixed at 60hz.

I wondered if Sony would ever pioneer in being the first. Maybe though there simply aren't people asking for it. Does anyone know, if you connect the f series to an hdtv, can you set it to output 1080p24 for blu ray movies ? Or is it 60p only ?

 

Happy to say I have Ubuntu 9.10 Karmic working well enough for me - the #1 issue for me was getting the display right.

On the initial install, it could not find a driver so the resolution was 800x600 using VESA. There is no linux driver listed for the 330m on NVIDIA's site, but the NVIDIA accelerated graphics driver version 185 seems ok for now, though not without some help. The laptop display was not recognized, so the screen would be blank, although my external monitor was recognized just fine. The trick was to export the EDID settings from windows, and use them in Ubuntu. Instructions on how to do this can be found here. The tool recommended there for the export did not work for me, but this one did.

 

Brilliant! Pray do tell us what does NOT work in Ubuntu? That's what we are interested in!

 

Can you post your xorg.conf (and other related files) here? (Hint: this forum supports attachments (below the icon section)). That would be most valuable!

Also, do you still have the whining noise? It could be related to the processor entering a certain C state (the microphone fix could also have the side effect of preventing the processor from entering a specific C state). It is the max_cstate option of the processor module. I got this option recognized on opensuse in any case.

Also, are you running KDE4? I am asking because KDE has some general settings for the colors on the desktop.

 

Does anyone know of a way that someone might be able to order a *customizable* F11 with a Scandinavian keyboard and a Danish version of Windows 7?

 

Hey guys,
I just received my Vaio F CTO and my HP dv8t CTO (wanted to compare before making a decision).

At first I ordered the dv8t because I was tired of waiting for blu-ray and other options to come in-stock on the FW. The next day, the new F comes out! lol

Here are the specs:
Vaio F11: i7 820, 8gb 1333, 500gb hdd 7200rpm, 1080p, backlit, BD burner, Fresh start (HUGE difference imo), 3yr ADH warranty ($2438)
dv8t: i7 720, 8gb (speed?), 500gb hdd 7200 rpm, 1080p, hdtv tuner, BD burner, 4yr ADH warranty ($2115). If I do keep the dv8t, I'll be exchanging it for i7 820 and dual 320gb hdds (planning on installing an intel ssd when prices drop, on either laptop I end up keeping)

I'm having a hard time deciding between the two. Maybe it's just because I don't have Norton on the Vaio yet, but it seems to be very fast. Boot time to being able to use it is 30-32 seconds. The fan is a little annoying vs. the dv8t. The Vaio fan sounds like waves in the ocean - crescendo decrescendo - but the backlit keys, non-fingerprint touchpad etc is awesome.

The dv8t is a fingerprint magnet, but I love the built-in hdtv tuner and the option to have dual hdds (boot ssd drive and a hdd for files, music). Not to mention the 4yr ADH was only $276 on the HP vs. $330 for the 3yr ADH on the Sony. (Educational discount for HP; EPP for Sony)

Help me decide!

Thanks guys. This site is awesome btw

 

So is the i7 820 noticeably faster than the 720? I know there are other factors so it's not a particularly scientific test...

 

I can't imagine the startup time has much to do with the differences in processors. If it does, than the 820 would be AMAZING. I think it's more related to the fact that the Vaio has no bloatware (Fresh Start) vs. the HP, which is full of it (seriously, the start menu alone is like 2.5x more filled with nonsense)

 

Thanks, now Ununtu is running perfectly

 

how about www.sonystyle.dk? The F-series is not available at the moment, but i guess it will be soon.

Grtz Jan

 

I think Sony has been reading this thread:

Dear Customer,

The Sony Style shop is currently closed. We are upgrading our systems to provide a better service. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

In the meantime, you can contact us by phone. Our Contact Centre is open weekdays from 9.00 to 18.00 and you can reach us at the numbers below.
Kind regards,
Your Sony Style Team

 

I have to say..amidst all that's happened since the release of the F series, I heartily applaud their quick action in getting it as good as it can be..

A big double thumbs up to Sony!!!

I'm glad to know they're listening ( though indirectly )

 

Some people have been complaining about the amount of speculation in this thread. Please try not to add more speculation or it may be removed without notice.

 

how exactly do i do a 'fresh' install of WIN 7? I recall seeing how to here some where, but seem to have lost the page.

Also, is there any 'important' Sony utilities or other programs i may lose by doing a fresh install?

Apart from quicker start up times, obviously done by removing all the bloatware, what exactly are the other benefits of a fresh install? If its just the start up times, obviously they can just be deleted from the PC.

thanks in advanced... getting laptop in the morn. cant wait

 

Sony for starters...

 

And a BIG thumbs down to their customer service (at least US based). Horribly rude people. Refused to give their names, I had a supervisor literally start yelling at me as if he was my father or something, rude tech support. It's amazing they get away with this stuff. It's uncalled for how nasty they've been. And if you can't go to a supervisor to solve a problem, who do you go to? They wouldn't give me anyone else's contact information. I then filed a BBB complaint. Seriously, they're ridiculous. And it wasn't one on one occassion either (spread over 3 or 4, different people)

(Just for kicks, I called SonyStyle Canada and UK. Asked the same questions. Extremely nice, went out of their way to help answer my questions)

 

Dell operates in exactly the same manner. Only what Dell did to a friend was to ignore the email trying to cancel the order and wait until it is in the shipping stage -- then they tell you it is in the shipping stage and they can't cancel it.

That's because with any configurable laptop, an order triggers the just in time assemblage of the laptop. So it has to go somewhere -- it can't just sit at the factory. So the order proceeds and the return sends it to the sale outlet.

Also, in the states, FedEx is apparently unable or unwilling to stop a shipment even though the package is scanned at several points and an update could easily indicate return to sender.

Nobody ever said that globalization was easy or that corporations operate in the most logical manner -- only in the most efficient manner for the bottom line, generally. There Sony puts the customer ahead of the bottom line with the 30-day no restocking fee return policy (except on engraved CTOs in the states). Pretty much everybody else hits you with a 15% or so restocking fee.

Also, if Sony is indeed holding up the production line to solve the buzzing problem (and get shipments of non-defective or better-engineered i7s from Intel) then that, too, is a good sign of its respect for customers.

 

Just call Sony U.S. tech support after hours (after 5 pm Pacific time) or weekends, I believe, and you'll land in the Philippines call center -- superb service, superior techs. Others have posted the same positive experiences with the Philipppines teams that a friend of mine had.

(Sony, if you're reading this forum -- and you should be -- you might listen to and act upon this often repeated complaint about the stateside teams. It's part of what will make or break the likelihood of a _future_ sale with the customer.)

 

I think we are going a bit overboard with terminologies like JIT etc. These are not engineered-to-order type of products. These are all near-fully-done assemble-to-order configurations with a pre-established list of "configurable" parts that are almost dead certainly stocked in-house.

So when the configuration is ready to be done (several days after the CTO order is placed, mind you), the technician picks up a "black" F-series and then adds on the specified RAM, specified HDD/SSD, specified CPU, puts in the specified optical drive and out it goes for the loading of the OS and the subsequent steps. In other words, between the placing of the order and the CTO technician actually looking at what needs to be configured, there is a gap of several DAYS and a better organized system can electronically transmit the changes in the needed configuration, onward to the technician, well on time. This is not where a mechanism like JIT kicks in.

I am not saying that there should not be a cut-off point for when changes can be made etc but the Sonystyle method has no such "cut-off point" or any such mechanism. It is a very crude CANCEL and then RE-ORDER. Remember than even a "CANCEL" will trigger changes initiated earlier by the order and is actually cruder than a "CHANGE".

Bottomline, between the placement of the order and the actual "configuration" to begin, there is a gap of several days. The customer creates the order, and then an hour later wants to make a change and there is nothing that should prevent that change from going through and being transmitted electronically, onto the place where they configure the products.

Having to cancel the entire order and then re-order is archaic and silly. Other retailers do it successfully and a high-tech manufacturer like Sony should be able to do the same.

PS: I am not exclusively focusing on the CTO orders, when it comes to this situation. I am also talking about orders where the products may be OUT OF STOCK when the order is placed, and then the customer wants to make a change, and the only option is to CANCEL the order and then place a new order. How slick is that ?

 

This is exactly why I won't give Dell my business any more. We ordered a 24" LCD monitor for Christmas, and something went wrong with their website. So we somehow ordered two. I called, waited on hold for 1 hour, got disconnected, got put on hold for another hour, got to talk to someone, then they transferred me to another person 45 min hold, and when I finally talked to someone, they told me I can't cancel it now as it was in production stage. I told them that is BS they can't cancel, and had it out with them. I even talked to a supervisor! They said the same thing. So I decided to call in the morning and give it one last try. I talked to a nice lady, and without a hitch, it was CANCELED! They just didn't want to cancel it so we would have to get the LCD and reconsider. What a bunch of crooks Dell is.

 

I would add the Sonystyle store in Madison Ave NY as a good reference point on how bad the customer service can get. The female sales help are generally friendly and knowledgable. The male staff always talked with a sour face and are not up to par with their own merchandise knowledge. I go there quite often but I'd rather buy online. One guy actually didn't know what the Z series was!!!!! After pointing it out to him and asking him some general questions, he just read out the info card next to it and then literally went silent. On another ocassion, my transaction was held up for a good 3 minutes because one of the sales help sauntered to the cashier and started going on about how his hook-up session went in the weekend ... Seriously there were more and enough is enough...

 

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=VPCF115FMB&LOC=3

 

hello guys

im not finding any review for the f and i need answers for these questions plz?

how good are the speakers?
when is the noise problem gonna be fixed?
at MAX customization, whats the best game the f can play?
what are the competitors of the f?

ty

 

The speakers don't sound good; no laptop speakers do that I know of. However, they are quite loud compared to macbook pro speakers and other laptops I've heard. I was playing some music at school and everyone seemed to be surprised by how loud they were.

Not sure about the noise problem. It's not really an issue for me, as I did the quick-fix or w/e.

MAX customization? (If there's some sort of customizatoin I'm missing, let me know ;p) The highest demanding game I've played with it is Call of Duty 4, which it runs pretty well I'd say. I can eventually get a video/fps test results up.

Competitors? I really don't know, but I'd guess the Dell XPS is a competitor. Maybe the ASUS G51 as well. (It is bulkier/heavier)

 

Two second search on Google.

http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/sony-vaio-f-series.aspx

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=442139

 

Yes, I know that JIT is not really what I was describing but, as you indicated, some assemblage of parts is necessary for CTO units. And I do not dispute that the system of changing an order rather than canceling it seems to us to be an archaic way of doing business.

What I do dispute is the implication that Sony is the only major computer retailer doing this. I recall when ordering an HP, I specifically asked for the window for cancellation before shipment and it was perhaps a day or two, so asking that seems helpful. But I don't recall anyone at HP or Dell telling me (or my friend) that you can alter an order without canceling the first order.

In other words, I think Sony has plenty of company in this "cancel the first order" policy.