Official Sony VAIO F Series Owners lounge

thnx for all of that was really helpful ;p

thnx for the review, you know what to type in google xD

 

The speakers aren't great. maybe a little louder than the FW.

I can comment on the Dell Studio 17 and the HP dv8t. Both have, imo, great speakers. The dv8t has altec lansing and a sub at the bottom. Hell, it sounds better than most built-in hdtv speakers, let alone other laptops

 

2 CTO just to compare


..and we are waiting...

 

I was listening to music with headphones the other day on this laptop...maybe I'm wrong, but I noticed it sounded particularly good compared to my iPod and stuff.

 

but ur comparing desktop replacements and mainstream lappy, u should compare it with other mainstream lappies ;p

and i wanna know when the noise is gonna be fixed?

sony said anything about it yet?

 

There will always be people who abuse the system and others will suffer because of it. That's life.

 

ye, life is good when ur system is abused ;p

 

You can't "delete" software, it has to be uninstalled, and with Norton that's a hassle.

To avoid bloatware you should have bought the Windows Professional image, and Fresh Start, otherwise everything gets put back on when restoring from the four backup discs. BACKUP TO DVD using the VAIO utilities before touching the factory preinstallation! That backup IS your one and only install disc set.

It's possible to use a generic Windows install disc - with a new serial, since the Sony OEM is a unique series, and download drivers and and utlities from Sony. You MAY be able to put back in premium software from the install images, I don't know.

 

so sony ever said anything about the noise? they're gonna fix it in the coming stocks or what? they have to have said something at least, lots of people are receiving their f with the noise problem

 

Hi, can anyone tell me where I can enable my microphone? It's not listed under the Recording tab. Thanks.

 

Sony has not issued any formal statements whatsoever. Everything here is still up in the air... With a few including myself talking to Sony specialists but I can't consider that real proof. Speculations were bound to happen since the F series sales was taken out globally just soon as it was released.

The moderator has already asked us to stop 'speculating' since there were complaints

 

Two tiny things:

One is that the system does of course, include 64-bit Windows; that would seem obvious with up to 8 Gigs of memory available, but nowhere does it specifically mention that, whereas the CW series and others blurb about 64-bit all over the place. It's a slight issue since I have a couple of preferred programs and codecs that will NOT run in a 64-bit environment, nohow, but virtual XP will take care of that.

Secondly, Ive seen the F-series packed three ways: (1) as an eco-friendly edge-opened box with all-cardboard supports and the manuals in a clear plastic bag, (it has to all be slid out)
(2) a top load box with black carbon plastic, and a special tray for the laptop (I think it's biodegradable) with the manuals in a box,
and (3) top-load box with FOAM packing materials, no special tray for the laptop, and the manual in an opaque plastic sleeve.
Just observations...

 

Two things:

One, has anyone had the problem of coming out of sleep mode after an extended amount of time, and having the mic buzz noise return. It happens to me and when I go into the sound tab in the control panel and click on the mic the window stops responding. I have to restart the computer which will then usually automatically mute the mic (and listen) again. WIERD! The event viewer shows a run32 error. Eventually I start noticing slowdowns and applications stop responding. The event viewer shows a bunch of different timeouts in the system control manager. After a restart everything goes back to normal.

Two: I did I fresh install with a copy of Win 7 Ultimate and need the network controller driver. It has to be the artheros WLAN driver but I can not find it on Sony or Artheros website. It will not install from the recovery disc either!

 

My daughter has an Ideapad from Lenovo, not a high end machine at all. But it has five speakers, two above the keyboard, two on either side of the screen and a sub on the underside. It sounds amazing. NOTE: this is not a competitor for the F Series at all, but it does show what a laptop can do if the vendor wants to.

 

@ melodymaster

I received the top load box with tray. I went high end with the spec. I thought it was a nice touch. The handle was extremely useful too!!

 

You don't want just the driver, but rather to install the whole software suite, some 35 megs. The general link was posted two pages ago, #1395, but here it is direct to the files. Also there are some important pre-prep instructions.

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-download.pl?mdl=VPCF115FMB&upd_id=5266&os_id=45

You can also get a generic connection suite from Atheros itself. I had to do that when updating my Asus laptop since Asus's Atheros software was not compatible with Win7 at the time.

 

Thank you! Sorry I missed the link a few pages back. Has anyone else experienced the buzz coming back after coming out of sleep? It is def. causing performance issues, based off what i am looking at in the event viewer.

 

I see the other packing methods on YouTube. The foam method was used for the FW's..

 

The speakers in the F are not that great. It does sound a whole lot better with headphones or external speakers.
That said... it's fine for daily listening. (set low and usually just for background noise while you work). If you want hi-fidelity to watch movies or music, then it might be a better investment to get external speakers.

There are laptops with better features but it comes to a cost in other factors such as bulkier cases, shorter battery life..etc. As mentioned before by many, the Vaio tries to balance performance and design. After all, Vaio prioritizes it's decisions in creating 'lifestyle' products.

 

For general purposes I'll be using the system with an external 96/24 USB DAC, that beats any built-in sound card..

 

My FW had the foam. No handle though. It did occur to me that the FW had better overall cushioning than the F during shipping

 

For sure, but even the externally powered speaker option is an improvement.

 

Hi k.dalgard. Here's what I found out using DPC Latency Checker V1.2.0; Initially latencies were low (ave around 150 usec) and the message "should be no problem streaming live video or audio" came on. However, some high spikes appeared (5000 usec) after about 50 sec of testing, and the message changed to "some drivers behaving badly...could cause dropped frames". After the short spike, latencies went back to low and stayed there for another minute or so, followed by another spike. This pattern repeated over a period of a few minutes. Following the suggestion in the software, I disabled the wireless internet adapter in the device manager, and the spikes stopped. I watched for about 5 min after disabling the adapter and no spikes the whole time. When I re-enable the wireless, the spikes came back (but infrequently, as before). I then turned off Blue tooth while leaving the wireless adapter enabled, and interestingly, the spikes were gone. Hope this is helpful. If there's anything else you'd like me to check or do regarding the DPC latency issue, let me know.

PS I'll report back with more info and impressions about my laptop (noise, heat, display, ergonomics, etc) after I've had more time to play--but I can say right off that this is one smoking laptop

 

Thanks for the feedback. How is the performance of the 256GB SSD ? Boot times ? Access times ? etc.

 

Melody Master: I downloaded the Smart WiFi Utility like you posted and have also downloaded and installed the sony shared library. However, I run the installation and the smart wif utility shows up, but the network controller still shows up as unknown device in the device manager and I still do not have wifi. Also, when I restart there is no visible signs of the smart utility. I am confused, am I doing something wrong?

 

In one of the reviews on the Best Buy website, one person complained of loud buzzing. They called Sony support and Sony said it was brought to their attention and are working on it. Good, hopefully they will get it fixed soon.

 

great ;p

.

 

I stopped my order via calling FedEx's number. Was easy. It took them two minutes, and my F is going back to Sony no prob. Would wait til they fix the buzzing.

 

Yes he should do the backup DVDs first. On the other hand they're stored on the HDD all the time, so if you'll want to reinstall it later, I found it easier to burn new disks again than to search for the old backup.

Also I heard from some regions (EU) that new Sony backup DVDs offer Fresh Start installation, even if you choose the W7Pro. Didn't find it on Japanese backup dvds though. But maybe I wasn't just searching enough, because I always prefer clean install.

 

What is this Fresh Start people keep going on about..? Is it an option to reinstall from the recovery disks a bloat-free clean Windows 7 installation..?

 

On the US Sonystyle site, you can choose to have your CTO free of Bloatware, only if you choose to configure with Windows 7 Professional. You can then reinstall from the recovery DVD's that you burn when you first start the machine.

 

If you choose Windows 7 professional as the OS, Sony CTO will offer "Fresh Start" as an option, which means that the laptop that will get to you, will be devoid of all the bloatware that will come with the product otherwise.

 

I am pleased to learn you were successful in doing that. Unfortunately, FedEx is not consistent in its application of that policy. Once, when I tried to do that, they required that I have the sender notify them that the order was canceled -- which I did.

Upshot from your positive experience: Definitely try calling -- it might work!

 

I just got back from Best Buy. I had to take my son to buy a video game. I looked at the Vaio F again. There is something about that screen that doesn't make feel all warm and cozy about buying one. The screen didn't look as bright as other computers around it. I disabled the auto dimming. The FW590 was very bright, but it looked like it had a real glossy coating. The screen coating on the Vaio F didn't look that glossy. It was reflective though.

 

I also have a new hp dv7 hanging around and although I haven't done side by side, I would say the hp is a good amount brighter. Probably because the hp is LED.

With that said though - I think the brightness level on the Sony is more than adequate. It's also less reflective than your typical glossy screen which is a nice bonus.

And the overall quality of it seems to be much better than my hp dv7 as well.

 

I have been getting high temperatures playing a low res game...Also the fan used to blow constantly while playing, now it cuts out all of a sudden and when felt, it is still burning hot, then after 30 seconds or so, comes back on...

See below what I am talking about...

 

So unfortunately, I stumbled upon this forum after I ordered mine. Seeing so many users complaining of fan noise and whining from the mic has made me quite uneasy about my purchase.
I'll still be able to call in and cancel my order, however I'd like to hear from owners whether or not it's worth keeping or if it would be best for me to just cancel my order and hold off for now..

 

Has anyone gotten the speakers to work under Ubuntu 9.10? I'm only getting sound from my headphones so far...

 

Those temps look fine to me.

 

What makes you think that 60 degrees is too hot? If I google a bit on temperatures for core i7 then this is not unusual. Also intel ( http://processorfinder.intel.com/details.aspx?sSpec=SLBLY) lists 100 degrees as a maximum temperature.

Looks like pretty effective cooling to me. Even so effective that the fan can be switched off every now and then.

 

I agree, those are excellent temperatures, especially for a mobile platform.

 

I returned my F series to Best Buy today. Yesterday, a yellowish like tint appeared on the bottom right of the screen. It made the screen in that area a bit darker and no colour calibration or restarting the system would remove it. I don't know what it is but I figured the screen might be becoming defective.

That, the whining noise and 3 very squeaky keys were just too much for me to keep this system. I hope Sony addresses some of the hardware issues with the laptop as it's packed with features for a great price. For the time being I'll use my netbook and wait until they fix/update the problems before deciding if I want to buy it again.

 

I guess I will quote myself:

Acting this way is selfish, it's not caring about the costs incurred by the re-seller & the manufacturer (opened box w customized item + employee time handling the matter) and the shipping delays caused to other buyers, not counting the carbon footprint of the stuff going back & forth for no good reason (imagine hundreds of thousands people doing this) because you can't make-up your mind before ordering or move your butt and go to a store to see them in person.

 

I guess you lost credibility with this post:

 

lol

How exactly? I contacted HP and said "you know, I think I'd like to go with the 820 and the ssd." What did they say? "No problem sir. Let me note your account so that you can keep that great price you got on your warranty (4yr ADH for $275.99). Just call give Tier 2 support a call @ 1800(etc) and we'll be glad to get your order out to you. I do apologize that we'll have to charge you for your second computer as we wait for this one to be returned to us."

I wasn't the one to complain about other people buying and returning. Who cares? Would you rather companies (like Dell) charge you 15%? Geez, people will find any reason just to complain huh?

 

Yes. I'm going to go cry now for allowing someone to take $2800 from me.

It's like buying a car at that point. If you go to the dealership and buy a car, week goes buy and it's been making this strange noise, or just doesn't "take off" as you thought it would...and the dealer said "hey, if you buy a car new from me, I'll give you a 21 day return policy, full refund, no questions asked." I know at least you would keep the car and be happy with it, wouldn't want to waste employee time now.

Do you always randomly go around arguing with people who weren't talking to you or anything about what you had to say? You're not the guy who tried to sue Sony for $55,000 because he got banned off PSN are you?

 

Why not also order a Qosmio, Asus & Sager so you could transform your living room into a showroom?

 

Is the VAIO F Premium Full-HD really that disappointing compared to the FW5* Full-HD screen?

 

@Joe Bleau and @RockOut25... your conversation is not appropriate or relevant to this thread. Please converse elsewhere!