Official Sony VAIO F Series Owners lounge

Yeah, but that description is not for the matte version of the screen, so I'm not worried, so far it seems only the topmodel European version gets the matte screen, I will know this in a few days, post a review, pictures and video.

 

Thanks for that.

 

http://www.calibration-direct.com/prodexpress.html

 

It's essentially the same for the F-series. The important point indeed is that the drive is SLID out of the Sata port before being lifted out, otherwise the connector can be damaged.

Since the article is assuming you're getting the drive from Sony including carrier, it doesn't show removal of the drive from the carrier cage, but that's self-evident.

Differences? For the F-series there are two screws on the cover instead of one, and there are four screws mounting the drive cage, two each end, instead of just one for the tab with three altogether as in the FW.

 

May I ask one noob question...I don't understand one thing most probably because of my poor English.

In the specs of Spyder 3 Express is written that it lacks the multiple display calibration. Does it mean, that I can't use it for more than one notebook, or does multiple display mean 2 and more monitors connected to one PC?

edit: I rechecked some more reviews and it seems it's the second one. That would be great

 

Ordered my F once more!!!!

Does anyone know if there's a quality difference between the Spyder3 PRO and Express calibrations? or am I getting the same calibration software but with more stuff on the side?

Thanks

 

I believe it means you cannot have multiple adjustment settings. Example: one for a bright light and one for a low light setting.

Itadakimasu!

 

I was in Best Buy this afternoon to once again play with the Vaio F. I noticed there is quite a bit keyboard flex around the "enter" key. Can this be fixed?

Could someone post a high quality picture of their display after the screen calibration? The screen still looks washed out to me. I really want this laptop, but the screen is a big thing for me. Thanks

 

With all due respect I think there is very little flex with this keyboard. I was considering the Dell Studio 17 and if you want to experience flex- that keyboard has it.

 

Anyone try to overclock the gpu? I have never done it but I'm toying with the idea since Call of Duty: World at War is just on the verge of being very smooth and could use a 5fps boost.

 

I also looked at one at Best Buy last weekend, and it had a great deal of flex on the right side of the keyboard near the enter key as well. Sorry but the Dell's do not have near that amount of Flex.

It can probably be fixed by putting some padding under the keyboard itself. Either way, it wasn't enough to bother me not to purchase it.

 

Douzo!

OK, just ordered one...really curious about the results.

 

Yeah, it is not going to deter me from purchasing either. I just noticed it and wondered if other people noticed it also.

 

If you look at the gallery on the UK Sony site, there's a picture of the "Premium Black" version with a backlit keyboard but none of the others. Here's crossing my fingers. If it turns out to be true, will be very glad i cancelled the play.com order.

http://gallery.vaio.eu/product_gallery/index.php?s=f&c=gb&l=en

 

Well, I've initially ordered a CTO i5 500@7200 fullHD 6gb blu-ray burner..

Then waiting and reading and waiting and reading and searching I've decided that instead of waiting for it (I then discovered that I might have received it tomorrow ) testing and eventually change it I've canceled the order and got a VPCF11Z1E

So now I'm waiting for my 'Ben Johnson' vaio

Fast (i7) Black (premium) doped (an intel x25g2 80gb for the OS is coming from the bay )


I'll have to wait a bit more but for a difference of 'only' 130€ I'm getting:

i7 vs i5
premium color and display vs normal
8gb vs 6 gb
500@5400 vs 500@7200 this is the only minus but since I'll use that only for storage I hope it wouldn't be so bad.

I think it was worth it.

By the way I was also looking in the bay for an esata dock, is there anything I should check or avoid?

 

^ It is definitely worth it.

 

Second that, that's one beast of a machine Slight envious!

When did you re-order, have they given you delivery date? I have a scheduled shipping date between 2nd to 9th Feb and express delivery *5 days to my door from Japan * and my payment only processed yesterday!

 

Maybe you meant a "Usain Bolt" Vaio ?

 

Hopefully by the end of next week, a looong week!

My friends in the italian forum are getting them those days

 

I see that later You got that

 

re: Spyder3 Express: You're going to be amazed, and you CAN calibrate multiple computers, I just did it on my 2 other XP based PC's. That simply means dual moniter support on the same PC I believe.

 

I'm still not sure the UK version has backlit keyboard based on the pictures, because the Enter key is 'US' style. Although the sales rep from Sony has said that the 'Black' version has it, I am going to ask for clarification again.

 

Good point. I never even noticed the "Enter" keys had different styles between the US and UK, been using US keyboards on most of my laptops.

But the US doesn't have "Premium Black" either which is in the photo .... guess we (I) should just try to be patient

 

Sorry if I'm being thick, but how is it US style? All the keyboards in the UK galleries for the F Series look like the one quoted above...

 

What is the key for selecting boot device on these? F12 didn't work, Fn+F12 didn't work. I want to boot from CD to run Acronis to grab a factory image in additional to the restore disks the system will make.

 

Think he's right, the symbol above number 4 is a $ sign as well Google Image UK Keyboard and the Enter is in-fact diff. on most results.

Still, pretty clear we'll have no idea till someone gets their hands on one of the P. Black versions ...

 

The European VPCF11Z1E has backlit keyboard according to product descriptions on Dabs.com, BT Shop, IT247. But not on the other models.
I rang Sony Style today, but the rep said no backlights on any models...despite the images to the contrary on their website.
No further forward...

 

Yep, the image gallery doesn't really show UK models. I know someone who got a NW series and all the images show the same enter key shape.When he got the laptop it had a UK keyboard with 'larger' enter key.

 

hello i know this is kinda like a stupid question but here goes. Can someone tell me wats the difference with the 5400&7200rpm does it mean like if your transferring huge files to your pc or something how fast it goes??

sorry for the noob question

 

Look at the bottom of this page:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/ARTS/MONCAL/CALIBRATE.HTM

The 2 big differences are: ambient light sensor & if you use a secondary monitor connected to the laptop, you can calibrate both screens so the colors will be the same on both. You can install & use the Express or Pro colorimeter on other PC's & create their own profiles.

@ smcgil9899: "Could someone post a high quality picture of their display after the screen calibration?" as Einstein said, "Nothing is as it seems to be and all things are subjective realities to the observer" so it would not work as it depends on the white balance, contrast, saturation, etc of the camera, the image post-processing & the settings of the monitor you are using at the present.

BTW, do the self-test on the page of the above link, if your current monitor fails the test, you would not be able to see what the F is capable of as slrosenfeld & wbglider reported that theirs pass with "flying colors".

You could take the word of many users on this board who said that after disabling the "Automatic Brightness" & screen calibration, the display was awesome. What more proof do you need?

Check this post if a $70 colorimeter is too much for an optimal display experience and easiness of use: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=5784440&highlight=profile#post5784440

@ shihouin: "wats the difference with the 5400&7200rpm..." use your search engine, everything is relative , including the quality of the respective drives...

 

@ joe bleau

Thanks..the chart was helpful! I'll go with the pro since it's on sale right now.
that and it would just be a good idea to calibrate the other display i'm using.
no sense in getting one good and one ehh display

 

I have had the F11 for about 5 days now, purchased from Sony store direct and configured with the i-7 processor, 6MB ram, 500 Gig 7200rpm hard drv, read/ write Blu Ray and 1080 P screen resolution. First impressions: I think the case plastic seems a little fragile as compared to my daughter's HP. The computer fan buzzes and also makes a distinct ringing noise when the turbo kicks in. Having stated that, however, the processors don't appear to be ever taxed even when put to multiple demanding tasks simultaneously- they have not registered more than 14% of processor capacity (impressive). The wireless network access hardware switch does not function at all unless Sony's program for wireless is running- I spent hours trying to figure out why I had no wireless access even though the switch was turned on. Unless you have a pressing need to record Blu ray,(- I rarely record even DVD ) and, or to have 1080p screen resolution, I recommend saving at least three hundred dollars or more on a less featured version of the F series. The auto lighted/auto dimming keyboard feature and motion sensitive camera are way cool! The key board in particular is one of those features I wouldn't have shopped for but now feel like I can't do without.
Significantly, the battery only lasts for about 2-2 1/2 hours which in real world translation is that it's gone instantly as soon as you go to battery power.

 

Thank you for taking the time to post your feedback.

It's an i7 quad core so some cooling needs & short battery life are expected. If fact, that's a thing not talked about enough in this forum, i7 may be too much horsepower for the average user who would be better served with smaller CPU for less fan work & more battery life for every day tasks.

For example, some noise emission data for different Core i7 laptops on http://www.notebookcheck.net :

- Dell Studio 1747: "The noise emissions were even still reasonable. The fan rotated quietly and was barely audible in idle mode: we assessed an average of 31.8 dB(A) and a somewhat louder 36.6 dB(A) at maximum. The hard disk integrates itself very well and also stays barely audible with 33.5 dB(A). In return, the DVD drive attracts disagreeable attention with its loud feeding mechanism and its quite loud operating noise of 38.6 dB(A).

It's even louder under load. We assessed a maximum of 46 dB(A) and that is quite audible. The fan reached this volume in several stages and then stays
constant operating under load. The strong processor and the graphic card take their toll. But especially in view of the good performance values, you can live with the system noise."

On battery: Idle (without WLAN, min brightness): 3h 45min, Surfing with WLAN: 2h 44min

- Qosmio X500-10V: "The Qosmio X500 is slightly up to very audible with 34.4 to 37.1 dB(A) in idle mode. The hard disk is hardly apparent with 35.1 dB(A).

In return, the BluRay drive during DVD rendering attracts attention earlier with 40.8 dB(A). The gaming notebook's soundscape increased to a very audible
41.5 dB(A) to a rather loud 43.1 dB(A) under load. So, we wouldn't exactly call the Qosmio X500 a pus*syfooter, but the fan's noise isn't ever disturbingly loud."

On battery: Idle (without WLAN, min brightness): 3h 27min, Surfing with WLAN: 2h 05min

- MSI GT740: "The GT740 already attracts attention in idle mode with 35.1 - 35.8 dB(A), whereas the hard disk also reaches 35.8 dB(A). The soundscape
increases to a very audible, but not yet annoying 37.6 dB(A). The drive rotates the loudest with 38.1 dB(A) at DVD rendering. In comparison to other gaming notebooks, the GT740 positions itself in the center field in terms to noise development. All evaluations were made at a distance of 15 cm."

On battery: Idle (without WLAN, min brightness): 1h 56min, Surfing with WLAN: 1h 29min

Etc, etc. Until somebody post some hard data expressed in dB(A), we can't objectively compare the F noise emission with other i7 lappies. Now comparing subjective noise emission perception of F i7 to lesser CPU & GPU, that's fair game and may help users thinking of an i5 or i3 instead, more in line with their needs. Personally, I need the quad to crunch numbers, heavy photo & video editing on the road so I don't mind the weight, noise & battery trade-offs normal for a portable & powerful DTR in a 16.4" form factor.

 

Thanks for your input- I did in fact wonder if something was wrong with the noise level, warranting a return to Sony- now I know better.

 

I am new to this. So here we go

Are cheaper parts used in the BB vs the one custom ordered on the sony website. With the exact same specs best buy has it at $1349.99. While sony wants it at 1469.99. (This is without tax). With me being so new, it does make me wonder. Does Best Buy have cheaper parts in the system? Or is that Sony's warranty thats the extra $120?

 

Parts are not cheaper but may be different. Unless you list specific specs (HDD rpm, memory size, video card & screen resolution, Blue Ray ROM or write, OS, etc), it's impossible to compare value.

 

BB specs: Intel® Core™ i7-720QM processor, Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit 6GB DDR3 memory, Blu-ray Disc-enabled DVD±RW/CD-RW drive, 16.4" high-definition widescreen display (1920X1080), 500GB Serial ATA (5400 rpm), NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M graphics (1GB), back lit keyboard. $1349.99

Sony custom: Intel® Core™ i7-720QM processor (1.60GHz),Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit, 500GB Hard Disk Drive (5400rpm), 6GB DDR3-SDRAM-1333, Blu-ray Disc™ player, 16.4" VAIO Premium Display (1920x1080) with NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 330M GPU (1GB VRAM)
$1469.99

As far as i can tell they are the same system. So why is sony's custom more expensive?

 

Makes sense that a CTO (configured-to-order) would be more expensive than a preconfigured model off the production line. Ever heard about Henry Ford?

 

If you talk to a Human at Sonystyle, or use a sometimes-hidden coupon, they're not. The CTO can often be a better deal than store-bought because of the availability of premium items such as Bluray burners, SSD, and bundled software.

 

haha i can understand a CTO could be more expensive. Is there any down side to me going with BB over a custom one? i am willing to save up more for the custom one, but if there is no difference with the performance and quality of the system am i not better off to go with the lesser priced one?

 

No if it's the same specs.

As MelodyMaster mentioned, with a special PIN discount (don't ask!) I could have gotten the preconfig VPCF11JFX/B listed for $1,529 on Sony Style @ the present for only $25 more than the $1,349 one on BB. Differences: VPCF11JFX/B comes w a faster 7200 drive vs. 5400 & Blue Ray burner vs. ROM (all the rest was same specs) but shipping date was feb 9 & my dead-line was yesterday to be delivered on feb 3 at the latest, so I had to go with the BB...

BTW on Newegg, you can get the same F specs as BB @ the same price but w the faster 7200 drive by trading-off a 4gb memory vs. the 6gb on BB.

 

In case anyone is interested: I have used nvidia tools to overclock the gpu to: 675/900/1430. After 30 minutes of playing Call of Duty:World at War my high temp was 66. CoD plays so much better now.

 

Okay thanks. I really don't have a need or want for the Blue Ray burner. Now a BR read is a must, but both seem to have it so no big deal. Also is there a huge difference between the 7200 and the 5400? I have heard there is a huge difference and i have also heard there is not much of a difference at all.

 

It would be nice to see some transfer benchmarks data comparing two F's with different drive speed but you are right, in daily use the difference is minimal, most users can't see the difference, except vs. a high quality $ SSD.

Anyway, I may replace the drive with a SSD when the price gets lower & simply use-it in an external enclosure for extra storage so there is no real loss in my case.

 

I was thinking of buying the BB verison and just buying an SSD also when the price comes down. I believe that would be the best bang for my buck. However money is really not an issue as long as its not over about $1600 for the system. I just feel if it came down to it and they were the same system i should just buy the cheaper one and maybe add an SSD later.

 

I assumed you used nTune. I'm considering as well. Did you hardwire into the cards BIOS as well?

 

For the real gamer, the Asus G73JH-A1 i7 coming out next month should give the high-end F a run for it's money because while being
heavier it is cheaper and: it offers a bigger screen (17.3" 1080p), includes a secondary 500GB 7200 drive, free backpack & mouse and last but not least the more powerful ATi Mobility Radeon HD 5870 w 1 GB DDR5 (vs. F's slower DDR3 card, DirectX 11 compatibility with over 1 teraflops processing power compared to the F's 330M with 182 GFLOPS.

 

About how much will this system be? I for one will be happy with the sony (not a huge gamer, I'm a simcity type of person). But it would be a good idea for a gift to someone who is a huge gamer.

 

Simply use Products search: Asus G73JH-A1

If it is a gift for a gamer, I would definitely go with the Asus. Read the excited posts in the ASUS G73JH-A1 with ATi Mobility Radeon HD 5870 1GB GDDR5 forum. More than 4,000 posts & counting!

But I agree, the F is the right mix of specs & price for my needs.

 

@ Joe Bleau

I'm about to order that exact pre-configured model.
Can you share that discount code?