Official Sony VAIO F Series Owners lounge

Hi guys, i'm an italian boy.
I need a feedback about fan noise, and in generally about fan job.

Thank you for any response.

 

I didn't try at Full HD resolution, I play at HD (720p) and it is very smooth. I have no idea about the FPS

 

Turning off, or muting in this case, a feature of the notebook to not get annoying feedback is considered broken. Combine that with the fact that there are several reports of others that do not have this issue and yes, it is broken.

I returned my first F11 because of the noise plus a stuck pixel that i could not get unstuck on my own. My second unit is perfect, besides the whining noise. I have applied the work around and am not bothered by the noise for most uses. However, one of the uses for this notebook is for Rosetta Stone and if I do not have an exteranl mic connected, the internal mic automatically unmutes and my ears are shattered becuase the whine comes through the speakers as the notebook "listens to itself". I then have to re-mute the internal mic, hook up my external and away I go. So bottom line, it is broken and a work around is not a fix.

 

How can I change the setting of Vaio/Assist/etc. button at the top right of keyboards if I do clean install? thanks

 

Has anyone had any luck installing more recent video drivers on their F?
I tried a recent one with the modified inf and when i reboot the screen goes off and when i cycle the "display off" button it comes back for a second but appears only one back light is on.... I am assuming that this may mean sony has added special stuff in their drivers and other drivers wont work?

thanks

RJ

 

And then there's the forum member's posting above about the flickering LED depending on HD usage. Remember that some FW owners have noted that the whine depends on the screen brightness, decreasing/disappearing at lower levels. Having the microphone on possible lowers the draw for the screen?

Yup, "minor" power issues seem to be plaguing the F. So, if you can wait a month or two until the next refresh, return it and start over then. By waiting you will almost surely also get a better GPU -- or screen -- option and usually without a real increase in the base price.

Yes, I know -- the waiting game could go on forever. That's the whole thing about marketing, to keep you always "hooked." But there is something to be said about not getting the first model of a notebook that has a processor whose performance in other manufacturers' notebooks has been plagued with power and heat issues.

 

Haha, thx, didn't notice thedifferencebetween 2.5 and 3.5

 

Start button > Control Panel > choose Classic View > right-click Sound icon > create desktop shortcut.

Sound shortcut > Recording Tab > Microphone > Properties > Listen tab > uncheck "Listen to the device" before starting Rosetta Stone.

 

This reads like something out of the Daily Mail. Nothing's 'plaguing' anything. Someone reported a flickering LED on the transformer? Let's not get too overexcited here

 

So throw-in some FW's & "other manufacturers" problems & steer the pot!

+1.

 

You're missing the point. I did not say that the work around was difficult, I just said it is not a fix and a PITA for a simple feature like an internal microphone. Also, you seem to be missing the fact that this apparantly is not an issues with several owners. It actually works as it is supposed to on their machines. My expectaction is that Sony fix these early adopter issues as it seems that they have.

 

The Realtek sound system is full duplex. The microphone should be able to record to disc, feed the software etc. without coming back out the speakers, thus causing feedback. In advanced mixer panel, for "playback," Mic should be muted or down and .wav UP. In record characteristics mic should be up, self-record and everything else DOWN. However one may also want to check sound card properties in Device manger to make SURE the sound card is duplex-enabled. Sometimes it is disabled by default.

I think you'll find online troubleshooting for Rosetta Stone discusses this.

 

Does anyone have any idea if the mic in can be used as a line in?

 

Does anyone remember how long after the FW came out that Sony did a refresh? I'm considering waiting to see if the i5 is offered on sony style US, but only if it's a month or two max.

 

With a pad, sure.. http://www.epanorama.net/circuits/line_to_mic.html

Even better is an isolation box http://www.radialeng.com/pdfs/smartsheet-jpc.pdf

And the final alternative is a good USB sound card with line and mic in, and line out.

P.S. no affiliation with the above links.

 

Yes, MIC's can be used as line in on any machine without anything additional.

 

Thanks MelodyMaster, I will check this out when I'm back in front of my F11.

 

No they can't, line level wil overload the preamp and/or AD convertor, it has to be padded.

 

Really? Because I have many systems at my office that are setup this way for Projector machines that do not have any problems for the past 5 years.

 

Are there any people here with the European i5 and Glossy FullHD screen? How is the fan noise on those machines? Is the fan completly off when doing things like browsing?

 

I'm sorry I don't understand how 1 reported flicker issue can be extrapolated in such a manner. Also, talking about projected "refreshes" is akin to talking about vaporware.

 

Update on the above:

As I said, my F111FD uses the AW power brick. It seems that this power brick has two levels of LED brightness, dim for idle and low current, and bright for higher current. It looks like the F at idle draws so little power that the brick is at idle. The extra power for the hard drive head servo is sufficient to switch it. I tested this by running a CPU benchmark test using SiSoft Sandra 2010. The brick's LED stayed at full brightness during the test. The fan ramped up during the test, but the hottest core only reached 61C, very good.

As a matter of interest the Core i7 720QM did very well against i5s. It ranked 3rd behind two desktop i5 7xx series, but was ahead of the i5 6xx series CPUs. I don't know the forum's policy re posting 3rd party links, so I didn't include the download link. The download is available on CNet. Be sure to get the 64 bit version for XP/Vista/Win 7, if you're interested.

 

Another small info for the ones 'waiting' fore the european screen.


In the specs of the EU models I've found this difference:

VPCF11J1E/B.IT1 200 nit (Normal screen)

VPCF11Z1E/BI.IT1 300 nit double lamp (premium screen)

What is a NIT? I've googled that:

"A NIT is a measurement of light in candelas per meter square (Cd/m2)
For an LCD monitor it is brightness out of the front panel of the display. A NIT is a good basic reference when comparing brightness from monitor to monitor. Most desktop LCD's or Notebook LCD's have a brightness of 200 to 250 Nits. These standard LCD's are not readable in direct or even indirect sunlight as they become washed out."


Well, anyones knows those info about the US screens?

 

@ MelodyMaster Thanx, ill probably get an external sound card... As for the first site, I'm a 12th grade student and everything that is written on the page is gibberish to me

 

I work professionally in audio-visual - convention setups and so on, plus I install projectors. Rarely is it necessary to feed a client computer but on a few occasions we do need to feed 0db from the portable rack to the house system, always via a wall socket XLR, and the signal absolutely HAS to be padded and isolated to prevent overloading and hum.

To feed a CD player or any consumer output into the mic input of a laptop it MUST be padded by 32db or more. Of course, desktop systems with a proper line-level input don't have that concern, but it's still a good idea to use an isobox.

 

Don't equate your official education level with the capability to understand technical concepts. The best education for actually dealing with the world is derived via hobbies and interests. :GEEK:

 

Thats what I have preordered now.....fyi just today xotic pc updated that Asus has pushed the 1st shipment back until Feb 17 and the 2nd shipment to March 3rd.

You were also correct there is no firewire esata or card slot.

 

The availability of the Quad-Cores in the F-series (not available in the Z) might be the tipping point. In the type of things I will be doing with the machine, all 8 of those virtual cores of the F-series (4 cores, 8 threads), will come in handy.

Still waiting for the Z to break cover, before flipping the switch. We are already in February.....and the Z pre-orders should begin soon.

 

Well I got my invoice cheques, everything's cleared, so I can order my new laptop (again) now. WHY did you choose the Asus? I'm thinking o going to BB and utureshop to LOOK at any black F11s I can find, first.

I'm typing this on my Asus (N10E) (with its bad "f" key) connected via a newly arrived Rogers Sony-Ericsson MD400G HSPA modem. It's incredibly cool to stick this system in my briefcase and then be able to pull it out and access the internet ANYWHERE, in addition to using this laptop as the data repository and reference platform and (wan-connected) email device it was bought to be used as.

Oh and it has full GPS support, which works with both Google Earth and Microsot Streets and Trips. Amazing!

But I guess that's all Old Hat, I'm behind the times...

 

A bit off topic due to this question not really being unique to the F Series.

If this PC is connected to an HD TV via HDMI or the PC external screen (if the TV supports this) and plays a BD is the image as good as from a regular Blu-ray player? I know there are issues with the 5.1 sound and such, but what about the image.

Thanks

 

I guess then that the US keyboard must be a design made in heaven The EU keyboard I have is definitely really smooth. No roughness whatsoever an a joy to type on.

 

I have a 1080p Pioneer Kuro Elite, and when I watched a Blu-ray from this laptop & it appears to be 1080p but not quite as good as my PS3 blu-ray... possibly. I also wonder if Dolby Digital / 5.1 sound is possible?

 

I7 720 CPU
2 500GB 7400 HD's
ATI 5870 GPU
1920x1080 Screen
17.4"
Blu-Ray
Backlit Keyboard

Thats alot of muscle for a VERY good price....honestly I dont even need that much GPU power as most of my gaming is WoW right now with most of my gaming on the PS3 but if you can get what is most likely to be the best mobile GPU out there for the same price or less then lappies with lesser GPU's and still get all the other goodies then why not?

I am close to jumping ship for an Acer 8940G which is even cheaper with a better GPU then the Sony or possibly this Sony F11 as well but I like the bigger screens since I never move my lappy so bigger is better.

Still undecided if I should wait for another change in shipping dates into March which by now I almost fully expect or just go with one of my other options now.

My laptop is on life support with a fan not working and having to jiggle the power connection every 15 mins to get power so I really am moving towards going elsewhere from the ASUS but if you can wait until it hits in the next 2-4 weeks it has to be the best value for the money right now with an awesome warranty.

 

A note to linux users. Standard system tools will report wrong CPU frequencies. For instance, for the i7-720QM these will not report more than 1600MHz. To get the correct cpu frequences use a tool like cpustat (see cpustat.c on http://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=15064). This will show that turbo boost is working.

 

I've been called from the shop, tomorrow the baby will be available and I have to pay it, I'm supposed to get it on Wednesday

So know I'm figuring out the action plan to optimize time and result when setting it up, any help/hint will be appreciated,

What I'm looking for is a dual boot with a possibly clean win7 and a smoothly working ubuntu 9.10. This should be working in the new ssd HD that I'm putting in the machine, the original one will be used linked to the esata for photo storage.

I've figured out two options:

remove unwanted software
install new software
create the recovery dvds
swap the drive
boot with the dvd
boot the os hopefully fast and smile
boot live cd and check issues and fixes
boot cd partition and install
boot ubuntu and start troubleshooting
format the original drive

or

remove unwanted software
install new software
create the recovery dvds
boot live cd and check issues and fixes
boot cd partition and install
boot ubuntu and start troubleshooting
use acronis or similar to copy this situation on the new drive
boot both os to check
format the original drive

Which one will be better or you have third options to suggest? I've always used to have the OS cds so I'm unsure if it'll be better to do the recovery dvds as the first step or as I figured.

Thank you in advance for your ideas

 

then why a laptop?

 

I like to use it in the living room so I can watch tv....watch the kids...feel like I am still around everyone instead of locked away in a seperate room where the desktop system is at.

There is no room in the living room for a 2nd desktop.

 

Asus is a good brand, but Acer?! Please God no. Absolute price isn't everything..

Which brings me back to the F11, it DOES have all the necessary ports. And I will ask myself a month after purchase "It has such and such a problem, SHOULD I have got the other one?" I strongly suspect that I'll have less likelihood of Buyer's Remorse with a VAIO, even with any possible niggling issues. I went in wanting a VAIO, there's no Earth-shattering reason to change at this stage. An Alienware or Qosmio at a bargain price, maybe...

And VAIOS are less common than the other established brands, and will garner a BIT more respect when I open it at a meeting to make a presentation than with a Dell or even Toshiba.

 

My impression is that PC playback is never quite as good as with a dedicated hardware player.

 

Me? My approach?

Make the recovery discs,
Remove drive, store safely,
Put in a new drive and install Ubuntu.

 

Acer seems to be hit or miss with people....most people feel the hardware is good but if you need service good luck.

I dont need those ports so that was never a concern....I looked at the Qosimo but for what I want the price gets too high since you cant customize at all. AW is way too high unless you got screaming deal somewhere.

I really like this Sony F11....GPU is a bit weak even at the 330M compared to some other brands for the same price...only thing really holding me back.

Another nice option just barely in stock now is the Asus N71JQ-A1 which minus the 1600x900 screen has all the other goodies....even a USB3.0 port.

You seem to really want a Vaio so stick with it and get a BB or Newegg version if they fullfill your needs instead of waiting.

Good Luck!

 

Alienware, Quosmio, and now the Asus G73 just have too much of an adolescent/gamer look to them. I know manufacturers are catering to a certain age group but they are alienating another group (anyone taking their laptop to work) by making these designs so ostentatious.

 

I thought the Realtek HD audio drivers enable 5.1 sound output, don't they?

 

Futureshop also carries VAIOS in Canada, though it's not mentioned in their flyers. Sometimes there can be better deals on Sony computers from FS than from BB. The first reason is that salespeople work on commission (unlike BB) and they WANT to make the sale. Secondly they just seem to not know much about the few VAIOS they carry, so can't tote up the cost of the options..

I was looking at an FW at FS this weekend ($859 Open box, with 6 gigs, 320 Gigs, and P8800, very tempting) when this stunningly beautiful salesperson (I mean, heart-stopping, exceptionally pretty) came over, and after I made a few flustered tries at stammering mumbled nonsense about the new i7/15, I had to actually POINT at a CW with i5. "Oh, THAT'S a Vaio?!" My heart melted, and after a bit of flirting I dragged myself on to BB, which had NO VAIOS with new generation CPUs.

 

For me it wouldn't matter, since I'm the eccentric wiring and staging Geek anyway. But it would be a BIT disconcerting to design a presentation with a client while working on this angular Alienware with demons peering from the corners and back..

 

I'm not! See my next answer below

Same here--which is why I did the following real world test. I took a set of images that I've been working on from a recent wedding--some particularly challenging images due to funky/mutliple light sources in the chapel, and loaded them onto my Vaio F from my desktop. I then proceeded to fully edit the images just as if I were at my desktop (ie correcting color casts, balancing exposure, make selective adjustments to highlight/empasize the main subject, selective creative desaturaton etc.) When I've tried the same thing with my old laptop, the results were disappointing, and I found myself re-correcting images once I got them back to the desktop. Not so with the Vaio F!

After I finished working on the photos, I copied them back to my desktop PC, and set the Vaio F next to my desktop monitor (a 24 inch NEC CRT, also calibrated with Spyder3Elite). I brought up the folder of images on each PC and ran through them one by one, with the same file on each screen. It was almost an exact match. The colors were spot on, as was overall exposure, highlight and shadow detail. All of the edits I made on the Vaio F screen also looked good on the desktop. I looked back and forth from one monitor to the other to see if there were adjustments I might make to an image as seen on one screen which wouldn't be appropriate when viewed on the other, and visa versa, and I found none. In other words, I can work on my images on my Vaio F with complete confidence that even the detailed, fine-tuning type edits would be accurate for posting to the web or printing.

The only slight difference I saw between the two screens is that across the board, the photos on the Vaio screen were a touch brighter, sharper and more saturated than on my desktop monitor. I made a 12x18 print of the more heavily edited images from the group and was quite pleased by how closely it matched the laptop screen. I've attached the before and after images, showing the edits I did on the Vaio F.

I discovered today that the SypderElite software has a feature which allows you to calibrate multiple monitors to a common standard, at a single session. I'll let you know once I've done this, but I'm confident that by calibrating my desktop and Vaio F simultaneously using this feature, I'll be able to remove even this small variance.

Sorry if this is a bit long winded, but hopefully this will be helpful to other photographers contemplating this laptop for photography work. Obviously I can't comment on whether the European matte Adobe RGB screen is better than this and if so, how much better. But I can say that I have no reservations about using this screen for photo editing, and I have no desire to return it in hopes of the (possibly) better European version becoming available in the US.

It gives numeric information about the display before and after calibration-- about gamma, luminance, response curves and color phosphor values--I guess it's possible that someone who knows more than I do could translate this into an estimate of the Adobe RGB gamut coverage, but I'm not sure. I did post this question to DataColor tech support, along with your earlier question about whether the Spyder could be used on different parts of the screen to assess uniformity. I couldn't find an obvious way to do that within the software--We'll see what they say.

 

That is a priceless bit of information to have at hand, thanks. That's decided me in fact, since I'm also working with offline stills and video.

One question, how does the colorimetry appear to CHANGE as you tilt the F11's screen back and forth?

 

Same here - can anyone shed any light on performance (benchmarks would be great!) or HD models Sony is using? Thanks!

 

Got that, I always do the same at home but with a smaller one since I quite move it a bit

You mean a drive for win and a dirve for ubuntu and no dual boot?

If so You'll surely get less problem with MBR GRUB and so but then I know that I'll be 'stuck' with single linux like I'm now

I prefer to get a 'screwdriver' to drink than to swap OS

just perfect!! got the number?

 

lol. You're a better man than me...I would've bought the CW to impress her and then snuck back to return it. Or I'd pass myself off as a guru (just check out notebook reviews...they call me a guru...I'm accredited) and for the price of a dinner (on me) I'd give her a quick course on Vaio's, and cpus.