Official Sony VAIO F Series Owners lounge

Yes, in this post :
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=5748529#post5748529

 

My first gaming experience yesterday with HalfLife2 running at 1920 x 1080 native resolution for 5 hours. When moving quickly from left to right, I get line distortion... don't know if that's caused by the ~video card. Anyway with my left palm on the palmrest, I can tell you that the left side gets pretty warm & the fan really cranks the hot air out. Having a lap platform between me & the machine helps a lot. I also turned the touchpad off since I was accidently touching it creating unwanted movements. Still couldn't get more than 6 threads to work above 50% CPU power... seems like a very capable gaming machine, but HalfLife 2 isn't the most demanding...

 

Yeah, surely 5 years old game is not the best for testing gaming performance What about pieces from the later times but not too graphic demanding - e.g. GTA4, Fallout 3, Prototype or Mass Effect 1/2?

 

My windows experience score is 5.9.

HD Tune results are:

• Transfer rate: Min 10.4MB/s, Max 82.8 MB/s, Average 69.0MB/s
• Access time: 17.5ms, Burst rate 40.1 MB/s, CPU usage -1.0% (obviously it doesn't understand core i7).

Of course, on linux one would use bonnie or bonnie++ for such performance tests.

 

There is only room for one drive in the F-series (outside of using an HD carrier in the DVDrom slot) The raid 2 X 64gig is actually contained in a single form factor, it's a single unit. There was a picture of that somewhere about. Run HDtune to verify the layout.

The screen IS a semi-glossy, it shows reflections when dark, but does not really show reflections when displaying an image. There is no "coating" on the screen used in North America.

To sum up, you have the right parts, you got the exact system you ordered.

 

Yeah, the problem with the advertisements is that Sony has TWO premium FullHD screens, only one of which is matte and an RGB (LED presumably). This is confusing because we've all been reading all over the Internet BUT Sony does NOT make any of the RGB claims on the North American sites so, in their eyes, they have not confused the customer. Their anti-glare coating is not advertized as matte or scratch resistant in the U.S. or Canada.

That's the fun about globalization and localization -- international corporations forget that, while the sale is local, information is GLOBAL!

 

It clearly even confuses the reps, one who told some guy earlier on in the forum that the black uk f series have backlit keyboards...

 

Just looked into the nvidia settings today and I enabled the physx acceleration of the graphics card. By default it is switched off!
j
And...call of duty modern warfare 2 is very playable at 1024x768 with everything else set to max. How about that for a recent game?

 

Thank you. But MW2 is relatively graphically intensive game, so I could imagine, it wouldn't go well in fullscreen. I would be curious, if the games which I noted in my previous post would be playable on the full hd. For instant I could play Prototype even on my "old" Z on lower resolution.

Also I heard somewhere that PhysX can in fact slow down some games, if your CPU is much stronger than the GPU. But maybe it's not completely true, as I got some more fps in Mirror's Edge on my Z with PhysX on.

 

I am a novice here but to me it all seems fine, i just like the best of gadgets and only using it for personal use.....

The palm rest is pure black and the casing around the keybord is a dark gun metal grey/black so it must have been the photo.

I think the speakers are excellent compared to my last HP and for speakers on a laptop in this tiny casing they do the job.

I looked at getting the FW and thought the layout and casing were not up to scratch however this is a gorgeous design, the keyboard is comfy and even with the numeric pad it is evenly spaced. Over all i am very happy with my purchase

 

If anyone lives in Nottingham or Derby, UK i know they have the F11Z1E in stock for £1399.99

 

My main reason for getting a new laptop is for the enhanced ability to do photo editing. The F series is the front runner, in large part because of its relative affordability compared with the other models I'm considering (which include a couple of business-class laptops: the Lenovo W510 and soon-to-be-released HP 8540w). While I think I would prefer a matte display, I'm sure I could live with a glossy screen.

Of greater concern is the fact that the US version of the F doesn't have the RGB range of the European premium display. Without 95-100% coverage of that gamut, will I be able to rely on my screen to show me what I'll get when I print, even if I've calibrated it? Are there other reasons to want the higher-quality display? Or am I overblowing its importance? Finally, while I can't expect anyone here to know whether Sony will introduce the European display in the US--I don't understand why it's not available now--is this a significant enough factor to hold out for that possibility?

 

Did you compared the full-hd FW51 screen with the F11 glossy screen?

 

Hi people,

I am going to be buying a sony vaio F series notebook really soon (Configured to order) (720qm, 4gig RAM, full hd display, DVD +-RW, Black, Backlit keyboard)(US version (California)). I want to know if the noise problem has reached any permanent solution. Would you guys advice me to buy one now or am I better off waiting. If not yet resolved, when will SONY resolve this problem and will I get a clean fixed computer, if I wait ?

Please advice me on this. I almost went to the payment page. Really confused !!!!

 

If you click on "More info" under the screen options of the F-series CTO menu, you will see the following:

======================
VAIO Displays provide brilliant colors, sharp contrast and crisp graphics. Also featured is a special, anti-reflective coating that lessens glare and light reflection so you can enjoy a better picture. Additionally, the F notebook has a 1600x900 resolution to help minimize those annoying black bars when you watch a movie.

VAIO Premium Display is a Full High Definition display. Premium displays allow you to enjoy the clarity and brilliance of a 1080p High Definition viewing experience wherever you take your F Series notebook. Whether you're viewing a Blu-ray Disc™ movie, gaming, viewing photos, or just plowing through your workload, Premium displays deliver an industry-leading viewing experience marked by super-crisp hi-def detail, richer colors and a brighter display.

Dedicated video memory is critical for use with programs that have intense video graphics, which many of today's games do. If your video card gets overloaded, your processor will borrow memory from your PC RAM which will result in slower reaction time, especially if your are running other applications. So, the more memory you have on your video card, the less your processor will have to borrow to display graphics, which will ultimately lead to overall better computer performance.
====================

To be quite honest, the above sentence threw me off a bit, when I received my F-series laptop (one of the first to be delivered in the US). After reading about the matte "premium" screen in the EU, and since the US version of the Full-HD screen is referred to as "premium" with an "anti-reflective coating that lessens glare and light reflection", I had a strong hope that we were getting the matte screen in the US too but obviously the US Full-HD screen is a full glossy screen. Not a show-stopper by any means but I have to admit that it was a bit disappointing. I strongly hope they would offer the Europen "premium" Full-HD Matte screen (with 100% Adobe RGB coverage) in the US too, at least as one of the CTO options. Curiously, they don't even advertise the Adobe RGB color gamut coverage of the full-HD US screen or the non-premium Full-HD screen in the EU (is it 100% ? is it 90% ? What is it ?).

 

I forgot to mention that I did run the Norton removal tool after I uninstalled the Norton trial. Your way of applying Windows updates after the Windows 7 Pro upgrade was applied seems like it a good idea. I wasn't sure if I should apply the windows updates first or not. But everything is running perfectly so far and hopefully it stays that way. I ran a backup with with windows built in backup. I don't know how robust this is, but I wanted to give it a try. In the past I have used Acronis True Image for my backup needs.

 

Are you suffering at all from the loss of Sony software?

 

Thanks. The windows experience score matches what I got too.

 

My interpretation is that the 1600 X 900 has the anti-reflective coating, whereas the "HD display" at 1920 X 1080 is not making that claim, sacrificing matte-i-ness for definition.

My information is that the supply of screens made for the FW is being "used up" in North America, whereas Europe gets the new displays. The F-series screens look different from the FW's because the VIDEO card is different; the ATI of the FW has been replaced with an Nvidia in the F11, and the default firmware for the FW screen matching the former card doesn't provide the ideal profile for the GT310/330. But this is all hearsay...which is as bad as speculation.

 

Hi all, I was interested in getting this laptop and I had a few questions. Thanks in advance guys.

1. How hard is it to replace the hdd and ram? Would doing so void warranties?
2. Is there a significant difference in performance between the 310m and 330m? Is it worth the extra money for the 330? Any chance of a new gpu coming soon?
3. Does this laptop suffer from the same throttling issues dell laptops with the i7 have?
4. Any deal breakers that would cause me not to get this laptop?

 

1. It's very easy to change memory and HD. Remember that computer failure often is due to the hard drive or memory going bad, and for sure Sony won't warranty aftermarket parts.

2. Yes the 330 is worth it over the 310, and you also get a higher definition screen. Other SERIES yet to be introduced may have high-power ATI parts, but the F-series seems to be stuck with Nvidia's midrange cards.

3. Yes, the Dells seem to throttle with the power supply but not under battery, the F-series is vice-versa. By design ALL i7s, including desktops, have throttling for heat mangement.

4. No.

 

For me (F116FX), the sound was vaguely noticable but not annoying really, and the solution posted in this thread solved it for me. Basically, it tells to switch the microphone off --> if you plan to work a lot with the internal microphone, there might be a problem.

I have an external microphone + webcam, dont need the built-in ones. For me, it is thus a non-issue.

goodluck deciding

 

To those who have the vaio already, would you get a sound card? I'm getting speakers but I'm unsure if a sound card is something that I would need to upgrade? If so, what are good sound cards out there?

 

Thanks!
I was wondering if there had been a "real" fix by Sony and not just some user tested fix.

 

The 1600x900 Eco screen in the States did not have a coating any different from that of the 1920x1080 FullHD. The only different 1600x900 screen for the FW series in the States was the HiColor which existed for the earliest models but does not exist any more. In the opinion of many it surpassed the FullHD of many of the subsequent FW refreshes.

All of Sony's screens that weren't Duraview/matte have an anti-reflective glossy screen in the States. Nowhere near as glossy as those of many other laptop manufacturers. But NOT matte, by any means.

This might be one of the hazards of being the only continent on earth that still uses the 110/60Hz power system: excess parts are sometimes condemned to be used up in North America because they likely can't all be shared around the world in other assemblages.

Or so hearsay would have it....

P.S. If I were about to purchase an F for professional photo use, I'd wait a couple of months to see if the matte Adobe RGB made it across the seas in the refresh....

 

Would you happen to have links to how do the swaps? I meant would just swapping the parts void my warranty, if the aftermarket parts failed I have no case making sony fix my problems. So the F-series still suffers from throttling issues? When I said issues, I meant the laptop goes to a complete stop to compensate for lack of power. If that is the case for the f-series, doesn't that get annoying using your laptop when not plugged into the wall? Thanks alot for the quick reply

 

As you may know, I had to return my F11 due to screen shading. I can't order a new one until Wednesday (feb 3rd) and that won't arrive until March. Although my first choice is a new VAIO, I also have an early Asus netbook which has been good to me, and the motherboard in my desktop is Asus. Please please talk me out of ordering this system instead of an F11...

http://www.pccanada.com/viewitem.asp?id=25279

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=447140

 

You could have ordered it online and saved yourself over £100.

 

That is probably right. Re-reading their information, it does look like the anti-reflective coating pertains to the non-HD display.

The above is probably right on the money too. Thanks for your perspective.

 

To partly answer my question, it doesn't have firewire or Esata, both of which are important for video editing. Also there seems to be no Express slot.

 

I don't suppose the fact that the Asus is ugly compared to the F, and that the manufacturer brags that its LED screen is "glossy" counts, right?

Just wait a month or two and most likely Canada will have the RGB screens on the F. Of course, if you don't like Sony's superior screens, an Asus should do just fine.... :GEEK:

 

I can't except to say that if you call Sony Style and ask for 10% off they'll probably give it to you. Or since you're like me and you had to return a unit, well, you could ask for another 5% off for "pain, suffering, and lost time", and they'd probably give that to you. Making for a total of 15% off that they'd probably give you, just like they gave it to me. That might make the Sony more compelling but byond that, the Asus looks like a good value.

 

Color accuracy is a big thing for me, since I will be doing a lot of RAW editing, where being able to distinguish between subtle shades of green etc are key.

I just wish Sony would come right out and state how much of the Adobe RGB color gamut is covered by the US version of the Full-HD F-series screen, than maintaining a defeaning silence on that point, especially after touting this model-line as a "multi-media powerhouse".

 

No, they're calling it the "fat butt," but it's handsome in its way, masculine. And a glossy screen provides better contrast. But it uses non-synchronous 1066 Mhz ram in its default config, a bottleneck.

I've been trying to get a new laptop since November, and now to wait for the F11 refresh....

 

You bet I'll ask! Last time it was $120 off. This time I need about 12% off to bring the total cost of my desired config under $2000, with tax.

 

Clunky isn't masculine -- it's just...clunky.

Yes, I know what you mean about matte screens and contrast. But with a Sony anti-reflective (semi) glossy screen you have the best of both worlds. I have not yet seen the U.S. FullHD on the F series to be sure it has the same coating as the FW screens.

But another reason for waiting is that the video card improves with each refresh. Just like a car, it's rare to have the first iteration of a model be perfect. Of course, the first FW series with the HiColor screen was darned near perfect....

BTW What I find very interesting is that the U.S. SonyStyle Outlet has no clearance (i.e., returned CTO's) or refurbed F Series yet (what is Sony doing with the returned F's?). With past FWs, there were always a couple showing up in the Outlet -- and a real deal was catching the Outlet's 10 or 15% off sale and combining it with an education discount of 10%, but I digress....

 

Yah but I was waiting for the F-series "refresh" of the FW, and so it goes on.

I infinitely prefer ATI cards to Nvidia's single-minded designs. ATI makes a better MULTIMEDIA card; I don't think the 330 even supports Mirroring, an important requirement for me.

I like the Alienwares also (even with Nvidia cards) There was a one-day Dell Club email coupon for $850 off their premium model recently, which actually brought it within my budget.

However the F11 does seem a nice compromise between esthetics, size, performance, and price, while remaining virtually perfect for multimedia (except for not having the second drive.)

 

I agree... you wait for a refresh, and there'll be another one just round the corner with another incremental upgrade. At some point you've just got to dive in, which I reckon is when a new series comes out (large upgrade!), so either first or second edition...

 

Many folks are unaware that the F-series has a multi-touch touchpad, the features of which are explained in the video below (link to which is present in the main Sony forum):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkD22bQllHo

 

I agree with this. The F-series is a large enough upgrade over the FW series that came before it, to jump in.

 

@rowerway, you might try what I tried too since you had to return one. I decided to get the F for now and to wait for the Z to go through a few refreshes.

 

Was able to compare the US and EU versions (backlit keyboard vs. leather palmrest). The first thing I noticed is the keyboard of the US version seems way better than the EU. The keys are smooth like macbook pros compared to the rough keys for EU f-series.

 

On the Canadian sonystyle.ca F series configuration both the 310, and 330,have premium displays

16.4" VAIO Premium Display (1920x1080) with NVIDIA® GeForce® 310M GPU (512MB VRAM) [subtract $53.00]
16.4" VAIO Premium Display (1920x1080) with NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 330M GPU (1GB VRAM)


SO how can you say u get ahigher definition screen?

 

Just want to thank every one in this thread for the help with issues that have come out. I've been a passive reader in this thread and the color template that was posted was amazing as was the sound temp fix to get rid of that buzzing. I'm soo in love with my laptop

I think I made a good choice!

 

I'm contemplating ordering soon, possibly tomorrow, but I have a few questions.

1. I don't need Windows 7 Pro, so would only get it for "fresh start". Is it easy enough to remove Norton with the removal tool linked above as well as any other undesirable "bloatware", thus avoiding paying $50 for Pro and "fresh start"?

2. Does the F Series with the i5 run cooler and quieter (fans turn on less)?

3. Does the F Series with the i5 only come with the 310M? I want the 330M, so if that's the case then it's i7.

 

So will the problem with the sony vaio F be fixed at all ? Won't sony give any permanent solution. I wanted to ask if someone with this problem (noise) has sent their laptop to sony for problem rectification rather than return it outright. The bad thing is that, till now Sony tech support people are ignorant (or atleast pretend to be) of this issue !

I don't want to be repetitive. But is there no way that I can buy this F series notebook without any problems ? IS THERE ANYONE IN THIS THREAD WHO HAS "NOT" EXPERIENCED THE NOISE PROBLEM AT ALL ?

 

Are there steps specific to the F Series for making a recovery disc(s)? I think I may have done something like this with Windows XP. I created a slipstreamed disc for XP adding Service Pack 2 (SP2). I just want to know the steps. Anything posted on this site or a link elsewhere?

Is it best to create a recovery disc right after receiving the notebook, before adding anything? What about if I get Windows Home Premium without "fresh start"? Can I/should I remove Norton and "bloatware" I don't want and then create a recovery disc?

Ultimately, I would like to be able to do a clean install of Windows 7 every year or two to keep things running smoothly, and want to ensure I've taken the proper steps. I want it to be as painless as possible.

 

One more question I wanted to ask : Sony style website upon configuring the F series to order, says that the laptop is out of stock and that it is estimated build date is Feb : 9th. Is this an accurate specification ? Or is it possible that I may have to wait longer. And what are the chances that this laptop that'll get built in another 10 days won't have this whining noise problem ?

I am really thankful to all answerers.

 

I was using the Canadian Sonystyle as reference, you can't get the 330 with the lower definition screen, it's all semantics. 330 with the 1920 screen is worth the extra dough.

 

Me, with an early North American build; and European users don't seem to have the buzzing.