Official Sony VAIO F Series Owners lounge

okay, this might seem like a stupid question.. but can the GPU on this laptop be swapped out (even for an arm and a leg) or is it physically impossible? I would like to get an F because they are available all around me, but the video card is really preventing me from getting one. Thanks again for your help

 

hey guys, can anyone give me a link to learn a little more about ubuntu and linux and stuff, i have seen you talk about it a lot, and i have no idea what are the benefits net to windows, or if i might use it... Thanks

 

She's absolutely wrong. Just need to talk to the right person. The lady I talked to was named Gail.

Read my experience:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=5829817#post5829817

I'd just call back until you get someone who is willing to deal.

(Basically, the secret is: buying a warranty bumps it to 10%, buying a case (or other accessory, I think), bumps it to 15%...which actually pays for itself...again, read my post).

 

I have some interesting thoughts about upgrading to SSD.

On a webshop I saw that all Vaio F11 models have a SATA-150 controller. Even though the HD that is in it can support SATA-300, but that doesn't matter.

Now, imagine you want to upgrade to a nice SSD in about a year. And the developments have been such that those things can pump 300MB/s, then you will be very dissapointed that your controller can only handle 192MB/s (which is equivalent to 1.5Gb/s, the SATA-150 standard).

My first question is whether it is true that all Vaio F11 models indeed have a SATA-150 controller. I checked in a real shop and saw "Intel(R) PHCM SATA AHCI controller 6 port" but this doesn't make any sense to me.

Second, I would like to hear from SSD owners or other experts whether this analysis makes any sense or not.

 

Definitely call back until you get a sales rep who's willing to accommodate. I guess I was lucky since I received 15% without buying accessories or a warranty.

I think the ultimate decision comes down to the manager(s), which is why the sales rep puts you on hold and says he/she will ask, but you have to get a sales rep who's willing to ask.

 

Sadly, no. I've been waiting for swappable notebook GPUs for some time, but for various reasons the concept has never caught on.

 

I had an F111FD/B that I returned due to a defective wifi card. On that laptop, the SATA controller and hard drive were both SATA 300 capable, but the HD was only running at SATA 150. I think that it may be a BIOS level restriction.

There was a big issue with unibody Apple MacBook Pros only running at 150. Apple later released an update that allowed SATA 300. On the HP forum I've read complaints about some newer laptops also only running at SATA 150 when the hardware was all SATA 300 capable.

 

I am trying crysis warhead now and indeed it is playable with these settings but then at a resolution of 1280x1080 or even better 1024x768. It's definitely not playable at full HD resolution.

 

You can do almost everything with it beside gaming (well You can indeed do some games both native and using wine or other methods but don't expect modern warfare or such run there).

well de benefits should be quite simple and clear some are:

- it generally uses less resources, so instead of throwing away an old laptop You can use it also if You have only 512, 256 or even less ram

- viruses, not really something to bother at

- customizable, you can chose your DE (desktop enviorment) programs, look, everything

- easy! Instead of what many people think it's really easy to use (not to fully setup), but using it.. let's say You need a program for doing whatever you want, what happens normally in those cases:

1 with win, what you do is... You go in a shop and buy it, or You do a research online then look at a couple of websites You found then sort it out then look for your version is it x86 x64 for xp, vista, 7... then download it (do search for viruses!) then eventually unzip it the cun the .exe then tell it what, where, desktop icons etc etc... wait a little and umpf, You're done!

2 You want to know how it works whit linux? well, open Your package manager and search there what You want, select it for installation and click apply. then? then nothing, that's it!

- have I've mentioned FREEEE? put up a machine with windows, office, photoshop, an antivirus and some other stuff, how much will it be? (I really don't know) well, burn a CD with the iso of a distro and that is what You're spending, want to spare that? Just make a bootable usb key with the iso and You are done!

You find tons of info about Linux and a lot of wikis, You can start there:

http://distrowatch.com/ for infos about all the different distros, if You already 'like' one then look for that specific one.

I'll suggest this for ubuntu

http://ubuntuforums.org/index.php

 

If you do that you'll have to cancel your order and reorder. Also, it may be that they aren't giving 15% off anymore now that it's all over the internet that they did that.

 

Here is the response I received regarding the "disappearance" of the 330M option from sonystyle.ca...

Hello Jason

The reason as per why the F1190 VAIO laptop with the NVIDIA GeForce 330M (1GB VRAM) graphics card was removed from our website at www.sonystyle.ca is because we simply ran out of stock. There is a very wide-spread shortage of these units and it isn’t guaranteed we’ll be able to re-stock them. The only F-Series model in Canada with this graphics card that’s available is the pre-configured, Bilingual VPCF117FDB.

Regards,
Sony Style Customer Support Team

 

Wow, that could mean they will have to choose another video card to put in this model.

 

Here we go again!

Hey, Melodymaster, post your unwanted & not yet arrived 330M on ebay.ca, don't open the box & gouge some Canucks!

 

This is great info. However, on opensuse 11.2 I cannot find the program xcalib. I can of course compile it and I will certainly try that.

My question is how this relates to the standard KDE4 feature of System Settings/Display/Gamma that allows one to customize the display. Is there a tool to take an icm file and get the gamma settings from there?

 

Can I just install a clean copy of windows on my new SSD and then run my recovery disks I made when I opened the box? To put it back to Sony Factory settings?

I have a Windows 7 64bit install disc that I had purchased for my desktop (Home Premium). Same as what is installed right now on my Vaio.

 

Got my laptop today and have just tried out Dragon Age. I could run it on highest settings easily, thats with the 330m, 4Gb RAM and the i5-520m processor. Does run warm and the fan is pretty loud but thats probably to be expected. Looks good on high settings, my last machine could barely run it and melted while I was trying to kill the final boss, hence the new laptop.

The grey model is available from sony stores in the UK now (at least in the East Midlands). No screen issues to report but I did have the whine/morse code which I fixed. Strangely though it didn't fix straight away but sort of got gradually quieter until I could only hear it if I had my ear to the palm rest. Gave me a bit of a worry for a minute.

 

Okay, if this is true, then it is a solid bummer ! I am going to call Sony right away to clarify.

Thanks for the heads-up.

 

Raise the back of the laptop a couple of cm when running a demanding task, it will be a lot cooler.

 

I have noticed various F11 models with the 330M on US on-line shopping sites for the same or cheaper than CDN prices. I just ordered a model from B&H with 720i, 1080p screen, 330M, 6GB, 500HHD for about $1500 US.

 

That is why I put the direct the link to xcalib

For KDE I cant help You now, I used to use 3.x and then gave it up with the 4.1 for stability... Right now I'm really curious aboout the 4.4

why would You di that? I mean if You're so lucky to do a clean install why go back?

and also if You want the OEM why don't just use the recovery dvds?

 

Just to add to this, shipping to Vancouver is only $50 and it should be here in three or four days

 

"install a clean copy of windows on my new SSD and then run my recovery disks" - that would defeat the clean install.

You need to go to the Sony support site with your model # & download everything including drivers before you start. Not sure you can use the factory license w/ a standalone OS, a poster said it was possible but did not say about Win 7. You may have to call Microsoft to activate after doing that.

The easiest if you already customized your machine is swap drives & boot from the repair disk and a set of System Image disks but you may not want a hidden recovery partition on your smaller SSD.

You could also clone the original factory drive. If it's a Maxtor/Seagate or WD, both support sites offer a free cloning utility that I used a few times, straight forward & efficient. They work only if at least one of the drives is made by them.

Hitachi does not have a cloning utility but on this support page, they recommend this free utility.

Note that not all cloning utilities will let you clone to a smaller drive. I've read that Maxtor's MaxBlast does it but never tried.

 

Thanks so much for sharing this information. It solved the whining noise on my Best Buy model. It's great to have such an active Vaio user community!

 

I think I'll do a clean install and download the drivers tonight.

Sonystyle.com only had nvidia 310 drivers will those be ok for the 330?

 

The GT330 is also used on Samsungs, several Asus, Dells. It's probably in short supply simply because it actually has useful performance with reasonable cooling requirements at a decent price point.

 

Yeah, I reclaimed my laptop stand from one of my housemates and now its much cooler and much quieter.

 

I always keep a triangular ruler in my notebook bag for raising the back in case of demanding tasks, light, cheap, quiet & it's also useful as a ruler or as a back scratcher.



I also believe that it extends the battery life & reduces the wear & tear of the hardware.

 

He is right. Sony sells only a partial Vegas Pro 9 for $399. No DVD Architect for menues and titles. The deal I worked out is this: Another $184 for a complete packaged Vegas Pro 9 including DVD Architect. What I end up with is 2 licensed Pro 9's. One already installed, one in the box, and 1 DVD Architect for less than Amazon. $583 total. Can sell 1 license to someone who loads video online only or who already has the DVD Artchitect from Mopvie Studio 9 and wants to upgrade. Turning lemons into lemonade...see what i mean?

 

That's interesting, Premiere CS4 did seem to be the full product, with auxiliary burning programs, encoders, flash utilities, the whole works, for $345 CDN or $299 US. I couldn't offhand find the serial number that I would need to register for the club and download extras, though the update to 4.12 can be done ok, but the rep assured me the serial was in there. If I ever get another F11 we'll see....

 

Wow, you got a reply with some actual info? They seem friendlier than on the US site.

Maybe you could ask something like this for us: ...for the EU F Series 1080p Premium, Sony specifies 100% Adobe RGB gamut coverage, could you provide the same gamut information about the Canadian & US 1080P?

 

I love B&H, I just ordered 2 hours ago a D300S & some other stuff.

I wanted to buy the F from them but for the same specs as BB except for a 7200 drive vs 5400, they were $150 more expensive. It was annoying to open an account w/ BB as I never bought anything from them.

The BB savings paid for an extra 7200 HDD & enclosure, so I now have 2 drive for the price of one on B&H.

 

Yes, I received a very similar answer (via phone convo). They have run out of stock world wide, Europe, Asia, N. America. I asked if the graphics card would be replaced with a similar spec item (another brand) but they said no, the laptop was designed for nvidia, so they have to stick with that brand.

If, BIG IF, they replaced it with a diff nvidia 1gb card - could happen in several months (Summer).

- for those that are following, I am returning mine for repair (again)

 

Exactly how go you select these changes, please ?

 

So "out of stock world wide" but you can still get a 15% discount? :smile:

 

? I did not get any discount ? confused

To clarify - out of stock - as in the option for the 330M 1 GB is not available/not an option for CTO's. Only way to get it is if you purchase a pre-built unit.

 

They used to give a % off but it seems no more.

 

I was mixing & matching posts from the last few pages.

If there is a shortage & not just CTO 330M Canadian quotas reached, then it would be understandable that Sony would reduce the discounts that some said that they got a while ago.

Features change so fast in the notebook world these days that manufacturers don't do big runs anymore, especially after the recent quasi economic collapse. I guess demand is much stronger than anticipated, the good Win 7 reviews activated people like me who skipped Vista & are enticed by the new cores w/ turbo and the lower price point.

JIT has it's weaknesses.

 

guys i messed up my series f, i uninstalled a bunch of stuff that sony bundles whit this laptop, in the midle of this i unistalled the software that shows the FN functions on screen, some of them work like sound, but auto brightness and other manual control of brightness doesnt seem to be working, what have i uninstalled that controls this and where can i get it?

i could do a system restore but i dont want that stuff

thanks guys

 

Several pages back, someone posted this link to the translation of Notebookcheck's review of the premium F: http://translate.google.com/transla...otebook.25324.0.html&sl=de&tl=en&hl=&ie=UTF-8

The review posts the brightness and the gamut range charts, alleges that the backlighting is LED (yes, I checked the original German site and that's what it says) BUT claims that the touchpad is not the multitouch and the two-finger movements are not possible. Someone in the comments corrected that. But no one commented on the assertion of the LED backlit matte screen allegation.

Personally, it makes sense that Sony would put an LED Duraview screen in the F since it already did that in the Z. Clearly the European and North American models are wired differently (backlit keyboard in US/Canada but not in Europe).

So, the beat goes on. Is it or isn't it an LED premium screen in Europe? Apparently, only Sony knows for sure and it ain't talkin'!

 

Thank you for re-posting the link.

The noise emission data is pretty impressive compared to other Core I7. The review is positive with a good overall score of 86%.

Can't wait for their English version. Meanwhile, the Google Translate is funny: "The massive 16.4-inch case is seen in its intended use as a desk-gun...".

 

If you messed up & don't want to restore nor did system image discs nor Restore points, then go to Sony support w/ your model # & download some stuff.

Is your shift key broken?

 

The VAIO Event Service package is what you're looking for Running a clean install of Win 7 Ultimate and even with all the VAIO software from the support page, it's running heckuva lot faster than it was out of the box.

Really loving this laptop. The RGB screen really is stunning, all my fears of it being matte have been put to rest!

 

I think he just un-installed some stuff, not a clean install.

BTW I think the virtues of clean install are a bit overblown in this thread. Not everybody has an extra Win 7 OS lying around. It's easy to optimize the stock Home Premium, I have no reason to give more money to Microsoft for Ultimate for example as I don't need these features.

In 8 days I will get my F w/ Home Premium & a day after optimizing, I am willing to challenge anybody with a clean install to some benchmarks & performance usage data.

I plan on doing a before/after with some screen grabs & report here.

 

Were u able to find drivers for the 330m? Sony Support is telling me the 310m drivers will work just fine and I'm scared to believe them.

 

Don't worry, it's the Nvidia unified driver thing.

If I go to the BB 330M model: http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=VPCF115FMB the Original video driver is 310M 12/18/2009 8.16.11.8783.

Just check your actual video driver version, is it 8.16.11.8783?

 

Yes sir it is.

Thank you.

So basically, tomorrow when I get my SSD, I'll go into bio's and make sure ACHI is turned on...swap harddrives...install windows and then install drivers from my thumbdrive.

This sounds pretty simple

 

Will Win7 startup time be faster if I set the boot number of processors to 8 or is this setting used by default? This is one of the first thing I did after doing a clean install of win7 ultimate weeks ago, so wasn't able to do a comparison.

Steps:
1. go to msconfig.
2. under Boot tab, click on advanced options.
3. check number of processors then choose 8 in the dropdown list.

 

Yes, that's too simple.

NOTE: below is only for a fresh install, and only for geeks! Don't mess up with your factory HDD if you don't know what & why your are doing it!

How to Avoid Reserved or Hidden Partition in Windows 7

 

I'd be interested in this data, as well as the details of your optimization - which programs you uninstalled/deleted, tweaks, etc. I also opted for Home Premium because I wasn't willing to pay $50 for Pro, which I don't need, and the "luxury" of less "bloatware".

I just don't know what exactly to remove/change and am not comfortable messing around. It's been a long while since I tweaked a system (XP Pro).

 

off the wall question...what alternative programs do you guys prefer as oppposed to the "normal" program people use?

Like I use sumatra as my PDF reader instead of Adobe and pidgin for my IM instead of AIM/MSN as Sumatra/Pidgin are both much lighter on resources...

Any others ?