Official Sony VAIO F Series Owners lounge

@zebra3

What color difference on the gray? To me it looked very much like the silver interior panels on the FW I had.
The Gray is very nice. It has that immediate Vaio lifestyle look to it but I finally got to see the black version in the daytime and it looked like it meant business.. Pardon my geek moment but It's definitely the version Batman would use

 

pretty much the only way to haggle there is to have promised to buy the protection plan, they are told not to haggle trust me.

 

Yeah that Black Viper Guy really knows his stuff. I had his site bookmarked for tweaking Windows XP. I learned all about the "unnecessary" services that can be disabled in XP. Freed up a lot of system memory. I also got my startup programs down to 1 or 2 - my firewall and maybe something else. I even created multiple profiles for different uses - a default one for reference; an every day use one; and a gaming one. That's when I was really into PC gaming.

As far as disabling services I never used msconfig. I only use it for stopping startup programs. In Windows XP I used services.msc to disable services, as
recommended by Black Viper.

 

Hello all. Does anyone know if Sony plans to upgrade the video card (currently the best one right now for this one is NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 330M GPU) for the F series laptop in the near future? Should I buy now or wait until they come up with something better?

 

I doubt they will. I forget from when they launched the fw, but they might only be upgrading smaller stuff than that, usually major complaints the average user has. Something more advanced would most likely wait until the next f series. I would wait only for something minor, though I am curious as to what people on here think about the topic. What upgrades do you think will happen?

As to my question for wireless video streamers:
What kind of wireless router do you use? What model?

 

With the native 5400 RPM drive finish the setup, then make the 4 backup DVDs. Put in the 7200 then boot from the backup DVD to install from scratch. the utility will create the hidden partitio0n and so on. You may or may not ahve to call Microsoft to rectivate Windows.

Or indeed you could clone the drive to the 7200 while it's in the carrier, then swap drives.

 

oh yeah you don't even get a hard copy of 7 to own do you?

 

Yes, I noticed that right away--softer for BluRay movies than for music or DVDs played on Media Player. And I agree, it is related to WinDVD. The problem is that not all of the features are enabled in the basic version of WinDVD that ships with the Vaio. If you go into the top menu on WinDVD and select tools, you'll get to a screen that seems like it should let you adjust the audio, but you can't do anything there--nothing is active. For $80 bucks you can download Corel WinDVD Pro http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite/us/en/Product/1189528458632#versionTabview=tab1&tabview=tab0 and this version allows you to adjust the sound considerably. Specifically, you have access to an equalizer which is not in the basic WinDVD, which can boost the output volume in each of 10 frequencies by about 60%. Doing so cranks up the volume during BluRay viewing quite nicely, although cranking all of them to the top does cause some distortion. There are also many other settings to tweak including various Dolby options, and simulated listening environments which I haven't fully explored. I imagine that with some tweaking of the equalizer and surround settings, I'll be able to coax some pretty decent sound from the system.

The ability to get BluRay playback volumes up to acceptable levels would probably have been enough for me to justify the purchase, but there's another benefit as well. The Pro version upscales DVDs to look smoother and sharper on the higher res screen. Not BluRay quality, but better with upscaling than without.

After I post this, I'm sure others will offer suggestions for other BluRay playback software that may be cheaper (or free) and accomplish the same thing. But I was curious, impatient and impulsive, and I'm happy I got the problem solved.

 

The top border of Firefox isn't gray on my screen, calibrated or uncalibrated--it' definitely blue--darker than sky blue--more like Royal. Sounds like something may be out of whack with your settings--or your screen may be different from mine--do you have the North American version, or European, and is it full HD? If it's a different screen, my profile can't be expected to give accurate results. Besides the top of Firefox, how does everything else look? If things don't look right to you overall, I'd suggest restoring the original Sony default profile, by reversing the instructions you used to install mine. As you mentioned in your post, the best solution is to get your own colorimeter.

If you followed the instructions that accompanied my profile exactly, it will make that profile the default for all users. If you only want the profile to appear under your user account but not others, you can do that. Just add the profile to the first color management screen you come to, and check the box "use my settings for this device" rather than going to advanced/change system defaults, etc. You'd then have to go back and restore the original Vaio F profile as the system default, if you wanted that one to be in place for other users.

 

I had the newer type with playback, still no colour though. Aiwa had a 1/4" portapack, then they introduced colour, prompting both Sony and Panasonic to bring out colour recorders, which still needed an optional colour pack for colour playback.

AV3400, this is my machine, a newer "Rover" with playback capability (the first Rovers couldn't even play tapes!) I couldn't find the camera but it's about somewhere. Compare the size to the HV20.




Here's a Panasonic colour-capable unit, the NV3085. I got it from a flea market a few years ago - for $5 including colour camera and colourpack. Unlike the Sony this one actually still works. (Pardon the dust..)

 

It's a North American (US) 1920x1080 screen. The taskbar is gray also. Can't remember what it was at default. Colors on website look good. There's nothing off, as far as I can tell.

 

...and here is my Spyder 3 Elite profile from the calibrated UK Vaio F Premium model... <see attached file below>

As before, I don't take responsibility for any problems caused by using this profile on your PC...

For best results, treat yourself to a Spyder 3 device here http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy...- Colorvision Spyder 3 Elite-_-Spyder 3 Elite

The difference on any laptop screen calibrated by Spyder 3 is night-and-day and makes images "pop" out of the screen and have an almost 3D quality.

matt

 

Major thanks Matt! Will give this a try later on today ... laptop is on its way down from Stansted as of 4am

 

I connected my machine to my Intergra DTC-9.8 Home Theater Processor with my new 25 foot HDMI cable, and have not been able to get it to switch to 5.1 surround Dolby Digital. I saw that the PRO version will give me either NEO 6 or Dolby Pro Logic IIx - no Dolby Digital 5.1... PowerDVD 9 Ultra has DTS, 5.1 Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital ES, and support for HDMI 1.3, but it's $100.00 & I'm not sure of drivers & compatibility.

 

In-case UK buyers are interested, this is the shipping path if you choose Express for the London area:

CROYDON, GB 10/02/2010 6:33 OUT FOR DELIVERY
10/02/2010 6:26 ARRIVAL SCAN
STANSTED, GB 10/02/2010 5:15 DEPARTURE SCAN
10/02/2010 4:36 IMPORT SCAN
10/02/2010 4:11 ARRIVAL SCAN
KOELN (COLOGNE), DE 10/02/2010 4:01 DEPARTURE SCAN
10/02/2010 0:02 ARRIVAL SCAN
EINDHOVEN, BEST, NL 09/02/2010 21:45 DEPARTURE SCAN
09/02/2010 20:24 ORIGIN SCAN
NL 09/02/2010 12:15 BILLING INFORMATION RECEIVED


I have yet to receive an actual dispatch notice from Sony. Replace Croydon with your nearest UPS Depot. Mine happens to be Croydon which is 8 miles away.

Not long now!

 

Holland, then to Germany, THEN to Britain?! Surely Nederland and France are closer to Britain than Deutschland?

 

They are indeed .. it does seem wrong to head in the opposite direction, but apparently the UPS hub at Cologne Airport in West Germany which is 1.5 hours drive from Eidenhoven UPS in East Holland.

EU distances are so much smaller than US I remember driving from L.A to Vegas and what was considered a mini trip by my fellow colleagues in Cali I thought was an incredibly long ordeal.

Sitting here wondering whether to head to the gym or wait on the off-chance it gets delivered before 9 am, seeing as its been on a truck since 06:30???

 

I got my F series today from Sonystyle.ca

Overall i am happy.. No buzzing.

The screen is not as great as teh FW series.. even with calibration etc he brightness level is not comparable at all.


A bit on the heavy side cmpared to the fw .. but i've used my asus a30 for so long and the asus is so light so it felt really heavy!

overall so far so good

 

Okay, got a question I'm almost embarrased to ask. I got my replacement F today and so far everything is lovely but isn't there some kind of biometric protection on this machine? There is no fingerswipe so I figure it must be an image capture but i can't find relevant info in Vaio care, troubleshooting, etc. If anybody could take a moment to out me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it.

 

Did sonystyle.com just changed the F's HDD options? Now I see a whole bunch of HDD choices but only one 256GB SSD option which is for $620 more. On sonystyle.ca the 256G SSD is only $235 more, with additional choices for 128 / 512G SSD.

US:
320GB Hard Disk Drive (5400rpm)
500GB Hard Disk Drive (5400rpm) [add $20.00]
320GB Hard Disk Drive (7200rpm) [add $20.00]
500GB Hard Disk Drive (7200rpm) [add $70.00]
640GB Hard Disk Drive (5400rpm) [add $80.00]
256GB (256GBx1) Solid State Drive [add $620.00]

CAN:
320 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [5400 rpm]
320 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [7200 rpm]
500 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [5400 rpm] [add $20.00]
500 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [7200 rpm] [add $25.00]
128GB (128GBx1) Solid State Drive with RAID technology [add $75.00]
256GB (256GBx1) Solid State Drive [add $235.00]
512GB (512GBx1) Solid State Drive with RAID technology [add $1293.00]

Also, one difference I noticed in the CA vs US sites for display options:

US:
16.4" VAIO Display (1600x900) with NVIDIA® GeForce® 310M GPU (512MB VRAM)
16.4" VAIO Premium Display (1920x1080) with NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 330M GPU (1GB VRAM) [add $150.00]

CAN:
16.4" VAIO Display (1600x900) with NVIDIA® GeForce® 310M GPU (512MB VRAM)
16.4" VAIO Premium Display (1920x1080) with NVIDIA® GeForce® 310M GPU (512MB VRAM) [add $53.00]
16.4" VAIO Premium Display (1920x1080) with NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 330M GPU (1GB VRAM) [add $106.00]

So the 310M comes with a premium screen in Canada and not in the US?

 

Receiving the F pretty soon and don't seem to have any empty DVD's laying around to make the discs. I do have plenty of external storage space.

Anyone got any reccomendations on a good piece of drive imaging software? Am thinking i'll just create an image of the drive in its present state and restore it that way if it ever becomes necessary.

Thanks!

 

That's pretty well the way it's always been. We've always had the optional 1920 X 1080 screen with the 310.
The 256Gig SSD is much cheaper here than at Sonystyle.com. All the HD option prices have indeed each gone up quite a few dollars at Sonystyle.com in the last couple of minutes. I'm not seeing those prices at Sonystyle.ca yet, even after deleting cookies.

 

Free & included in the F: create a system image, which contains a copy of Windows and copies of your programs, system settings, and files with Windows Backup

- create a system repair disc which is needed to restore the system image.

- out of the box, create recovery discs to preserve factory state but not your customization & added software.

 

In the interest of being lazy and not heading out in the freezing cold to buy some DVD's If I just create an image using the software you mentioned was provided along with the restore CD, would that end up having the same result as restoring using the recovery discs? Assuming I don't install anything before I create the image.

THanks for the info!

 

Maybe there is a SSD pricing mistake on the CA site, keep-it quiet!

"prices have indeed each gone up quite a few dollars" - maybe it's the dollar that went down again.

 

Just because of that, I think i'll order one now before prices are raised.

Another interesting thing for Sony Canada: If you choose the 330M option, it will come back as "product no longer sold", but 310M is still ok.

 

Apparently not. We also pay less for the BD writer, but don't get Vegas or reduced prices on accessories during sale, or AHD coverage.

 

System image is a snapshot of your system as it is when you make-it. It's a great way to make backups as it can include your files if you choose the option.

So yes, it will be similar to the recovery discs if you "don't install anything before I create the image" but since you enter some preference & data on first boot, it will not be identical to the factory state.

Recovery discs restores to factory state & does not include any of your files, tweaking or program you installed (2 DVD's or 1 DL).

Both are useful, get out of the house & buy some DVD's & 1 cd for the system repair disc.

There is no "restore CD", that's not a term used in Windows 7.

 

Just ordered

This will be my first VAIO after having worked for VAIO 10 years ago... (at the time I use the company provided z505...)

 

If I had a car, I would have, but the clouds over London promise to drench me if i venture too far. I understand what a system image is, so instead of making the trip I was hoping to create an image of the drive in its original state upon arrival. Then, If I ever need to restore to factory defaults, just use the system repair disc to bring back the image. It has the same effect as using the two Recovery DVD's, except I do have a blank CD laying around.

The only reason I can fathom wanting to restore to Sony's factory state is if i want to send it in for warranty service. Otherwise, am going to wipe the sony recovery partition for the extra space and put my existing 7 Ultimate License on here.

You know Sony is being quite cheap by not including these As cheap as im being lazy .... thanks for the input guys.

 

I hope you did not order 1080p w/ 310M? You said that 330M was not available @ the present on Sonystyle CA.

1080p on the 16.4" has 2.073.600 pixels while it's 1.296.000 for the 900p. The 310M card has less work to do w/ 900p so the performance should be somewhat similar compared to the 330M handling the 1080p.

GT 310M is class 3 while GT 330m is class 2 with 73 gigaflops vs. 182 (besides other significant differences) according to these pages:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-310M.22439.0.html

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-330M.22437.0.html

 

- or if selling it: format, write zeros to make sure you erase your data & restore to factory state.

 

Thanks for your concern.

Actually I did order the 310m. Is the difference really noticeable for what I'm doing? The most video intensive thing I'd be doing on the laptop would be just watching a video on it (and even that is rare). I don't do gaming on laptops anymore either. So I'm hoping the 310m would be sufficient for occasional 1080p video watching and rare, rarely some games. Right now I'm using a LG notebook with NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT /w 512MB and it is good enough for what I do.

 

I would not put some recaps on a Ferrari, but he, that's me.

310m ranked #102 & 330m @ #52 at the present on this page: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Mobile-Graphics-Cards-Benchmark-List.844.0.html

"Right now I'm using a LG notebook with NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT /w 512MB (note: similar to 310M) and it is good enough for what I do" - but how many pixels does that screen has? What is the native resolution?

 

Just checked sonystyle.ca again. now the 330m option is gone for CTO...

 

It's only 5 or $10 more for drives Don't order a 1920 X 1080 with the 310, that's a really bad idea and probably the reason it's not offered on the US site. I'd go for the CW or wait until we can get the EB, or until a better card is offered with the F-series again.

 

MelodyMaster, why not tell him that you too experienced the "product no longer sold" on the CA site? They should say: back-order.

I would add: or order the F w/ the 900p & 310M but I agree: wait for F, 1080p w/ 330M or better...

 

Yup, see

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showpost.php?p=5852203&postcount=3120

 

What's the full address of the link you're using? I'm just not seeing all these changes going in by the front door. I know the site is broken and that one sees different things depending upon how one follows the links.

 

My F11 has arrived and i'm typing to you right now on it! I found a couple of DVD's and am making Recovery Disks.

Initial Positive Impressions:
- Very sturdy build and an elegant looking machine!
- Sleeker than expected
- Screen has very nice brightness/contrast levels and comparing the colours on this screen to my Dell Matte screen, there is a WORLD of difference. They look completely different and my photos shine out on the Premium Screen.
- The speakers are loud and clarity is NOT as terrible as I was led to believe. My basis for comparison is an Asus G1S (horrible speakers) and my work Dell. I have never owned a system with JBL/Altec Lansing notebook speakers so cannot compare. The bass is non-existant but apart from that, i'm happy based on my past notebooks. They are very loud (though have not tried blue-ray yet)
- I have not experienced any fan noise. The machine booted and is running quietly (apart from mic issue noted below).

Negatives:
- The spacebar got stuck in the depressed position when I first pressed it. Caused some worry but it seems fine now.
- I didn't experience a whining noise. HOWEVER, the speakers would occassionally hiss loudly when navigating between control panel windows and web-pages. I had no idea why, but I suspected it was connected to the whining issue so I implemented that fix (using mic in as spdif out) and that issue is now gone. Still disappointed it occurred but i use a USB external mic/headset and make much more use of the SPDIF out so it won't effect me much.

More to come later. I took an unboxing vid though it didn't come out too well. Fire away any questions.

EDIT: My Wireless card is listed in Device Manager as an Intel Centrino Advanced N 6200! Pleasantly surprised it's not an Atheros!

 

That seems like a good profile. I don't know much about color, but I went to a friend yesterday and we created 3 profiles with a X-Rite i1 (i1Display 2 i think). I have a premium EU model as well. We made a 5000K, 6500K and 7500K profile. And the 6500K (the best in most circumstances) is about the same as your Spyder profile. 5000K is warmer and 7500K colder, as I understand it..

 

Do all the Vaio F11's have a SATA-300 controller on board? I have seen on Dutch webshops that the controller is SATA-150. But at the same time, the HD in it is definiteley a SATA-300 (I checked in a real shop). Ok, the webshop could be mistaken, but i just wanted to check. Or is there no real hardware difference between SATA-150 and SATA-300 controllers? Is it just software/driver settings?

 

Thanks for sharing

 

Ok NOW I'm seeing the listing to which Syim was referring, without the GT330, which means I wouldn't even be ordering an F11 at this point myself.

 

What hapenned to the GT330...I thought this was a performance entertainment laptop... disappointing...

 

In the Netherlands you can still configure an F11 with the GT330 on sonystyle.nl

 

Yeah and i was wondering if i would order the F series with an i5 and GT330 will this support the nvidia switchable graphics in the future?

 

Thanks for your advice. When Sonystyle stopped shipping the F Series for a few days did they implement a hardware fix for the noise issues that Best Buy units may not have? I don't mind ordering from Sonystyle if it means I'm getting a better computer, but the Best Buy spec looks fine for my needs and seems to be a better value.

 

For real? It happens to everyone? or only you?

 

My laptop is plugged in but shows it is not charging the battery. I have pulled battery out and reinstalled- still not charging. I have not used the battery much and it is currently at 91%. Any advise from anyone? Thank you.