Official Sony VAIO F Series Owners lounge

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=VPCF115FMB

 

thanks joe....

any you recommend that i should install?

 

Did somebody tried to use CPU RM clock software to lower voltage and possibly noise when CPU is under heavy load? Or maybe limit throttle f.e. 80% max that should bring down the temps and in a real life I would trade 20% performance for one level down on fan speed.
Anyone tried that?

 

Thanks to this thread it feels a bit as if i already have my F, but besides that there's something i learned from it: a single remark based on nothing can be really hard to ignore, and that's how romours get alive!

I was always against vista because of bad publicity; even removed it from my current laptop and replaced it with goodol' XP. But out of curiousity i installed it again, and now i regret not having kept the original partition on it.

Ofcourse i look forward to start using 7 on the F!

During the (seemingly) long wait, can anyone tell me the biggest differences between vista and 7 (and about how well (or bad?) the marriage between 7 and F works)?

Thanks in advance!

 

and You've been

Shall I try that too?

Well Joe, if he's sitting there... I guess what he is seeing is his butt

Joe, You put too much pressure on him, he seems a bit confused right now.



btw I do sometimes use laptops while 'working in my office' (closet )



@schemula I'm obviously kidding, I hope You don't get it wrong. I'm interested in the esata case You mentioned, does it need usb or a/c or just the combo esata/usb?

and about RAM usage I'm also for 'bigger is better', I'm actually using the OS with also 3 VM* open with 1gb each (when I do it while in Ubuntu i give to 7 even 2gb) and thank's to the i7 and 8gb I'have enough power to run them all and the native OS without freezing. I'm quite impressed

*I'm debugging alphas and betas of new distros.

Not sure about that, does CPU RM works with i7?

 

esata is ac powered and uses an esata cable to connect to the esata port.

I think most will be ac powered, at least the ones like mine which use a desktop drive

the one I bought, an Antec, has been getting mediocre reviews for the fan breaking or being noisy, etc. It was an impulse buy for this job and has worked well for this week, which is when I needed it most.

ok, sorry if i seemed testy, check my timestamps and you'll see that I'm not getting a lot of sleep right now... but this job ends in about 2 hours and I'm going home to sleep for about 10 hours, can't wait.

 

How does it compare to MBP ? Since there is no release date yet and I am not patient type, consider getting the F. The keys visibility is essential , I do audio and video live, even in studio work more in dark conditions.

 

well, thanks for the infos and get your deserved rest

 

This line taken out of context is hilarious

Sorry, I haven't had my coffee yet.

 

Hax, about the 330 OC how is it going? gains, problems, suggestions?

 

It's going great and the performance gains have been fantastic. I'm going to monitor once more today (I should be having an extending gaming session later on). Up to this point I've seen a max temp of 70 degrees under gaming load.

My suggestion would be to use the Nvidia tools and setup two gpu profiles: one gaming and the other normal. The normal is stock clocks and my gaming looks like this:

650 core
800 memory
1550 shader

Create a rule to have the gaming profile fire off for the games you wish to get some extra performance from; mine are: Wow, Left 4 Dead 2 and CoD:WaW. Then create another rule that loads the normal profile when those games have stopped - this way you're only OC'ing when you need it.

Note: I've noticed that the Nvidia tools will go back to stock clocks on battery (fine with me). However, when plugging back in it will not return to the last OC'd profile. Just be aware of this if you decide to have OC from boot, because once unplugged (and no reboot), the OC profile will not be in use. That's another reason why I decided to make start/stop profiles for games.

 

How will i be able to find out the battery wattage of the vaio F11?

 

It is wierd and could be that the other stuff I had caused a series of events leading to sluggishness but apparently I'm not the only one who had the problem - http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=232617

 

I'm also using the tools with the 'rules method'

Since now I've gone till 650 850 1430 keeping the 2.2 ratio between core and shaders. Have You also tried more than that?

 

I haven't because I'm happy with the performance/temperatures. Although that might change in the near future if I try the new Battlefield game

 

And also I have seen comments in Dell, Toshiba, and Lenovo forums about excessive heat when using the laptop with both LCD and external monitor - which may or may not be a related issue. I think a good approach would be to run a benchmarking program and see if the Gflop figure changes with an external monitor connected, it shouldn't. Maybe a TSR handling display managment is misbehaving. Try disablong any VAIO tools associated with display . etc..

 

does anyone know if the F11 optical drive is removable??

 

I promise myself to take a break from this thread until I get my machine but just can't resist.

This is true for a 3.5" eSATA external desktop drive. A laptop cannot power this type of drive.

But... the F can power a eSATA 2.5" external pocket drive.

There are two ways:

1- if the enclosure has a regular eSATA port you use the eSATA for data & a USB cable to get the power. The obvious caveat is that you have to sacrifice a USB port & carry 2 cables. You can also use only the eSATA cable & an A/C power adapter.



2- the F has a new kind of port & different names are used on the web to describe it @ the present: Power eSATA, Power Over eSATA and e-sata/usb combo port.

Here is an image taken from this MSI page. It's the same Power Over eSATA port found on the F but with a better description than Sony:



Learn more about this new port & see images of devices using that special single cable in this thread: What is a e-sata/usb combo port?

Note that you cannot use a Power Over eSATA cable with an enclosure that has only a regular eSATA port.

There are very few 2.5" enclosures on the market @ the present with the Power Over eSATA feature. crzytimes got his on Amazon & maybe he could comment about it & post a photo while connected.

Here is the Taiwanese manufacturer's enclosure product page: Tragant International Co Ltd: "Brand Delock and Navilock", exact same as the unbranded HE-2521B but more expensive.

A few other stores are selling it in USA: HE-2521B. For people outside USA, check eBay with HE-2521B & Include title and description. Some ship worlwide, I expect mine in 2 weeks. I got the F w/ a 5400 drive & an extra 7200 drive. I'll use this enclosure to clone HDD & then use the 5400 as a fast storage via Power Over eSATA.

Edit: I received my ebay Power Over eSATA enclosure & it works great. Wish the 30" cable would be 20" instead for portability:

 

Yes! And I intend to add a swappable second SATA drive using the optical drive bay.



See this DIY: Adding SSD or HDD storage using an optical bay caddy thread, search data for FW, it's the same bay type as the F.



Make sure that the caddy/notebook interface is SATA (for the F), with a caddy thickness of 12.7mm and that the caddy/HDD connector fits the drive you intend to use in it. That will be SATA in my case as I will use the 5400 HDD OEM drive in it & replace the C: HDD with a 7200 RPM drive.

Newmodeus sells the correct HDD caddy for the F Series with different bezel colors ($45 + S&H), these links are for a SATA drive: OBHD-SATA12-SATA-B (Black bezel) and OBHD-SATA12-SATA (Silver).

They posted a how-to video on Youtube. While they swap the tab, they don't show that you also need to transfer the side rails from the ODD to the HDD caddy, it's just two screws per rail.



If you want to use the bezel from your ODD: how to remove a bezel from an optical drive video.

Update: I could not find a HDD caddy with a thickness of 12.7mm on fleabay @ the present but found some 9.5mm thick caddy SATA/SATA: as low as $14 incl. shipping worldwide: R400 R500 caddy.

I asked on the DIY: Adding SSD... thread if I could use a 9.5mm caddy in the 12.7mm optical bay slot. Read nando4's (DIY thread starter, resident expert) reply & my following post. I went ahead & ordered one and will report in 2 weeks when it will arrive. Note that it does not include a faceplate.

UPDATE eBay 12.7mm Caddy::

Some caddy do not have holes to secure the HDD in place with screws, see this post for easy DIY drilling instructions. I intend to copy the tab & rails if I can't get part # from Sony_Support as I want to be able to swap quickly the HDD caddy for the ODD, they look simple enough.



Hard drive optical bay caddy seen on eBay & in the DIY thread:



BTW, this is an other way to power a 2nd drive from the F besides using a 2.5" HDD external enclosure with the Power Over eSATA feature or using USB + eSATA cables 2.5" enclosures.
---
Thank you to MelodyMaster, qbot, ilfuca & nando4 for contributing info & images.

 

Luckily, I was reading this while between two coffee sips.

Jokes aside, he is right about using a simple object to lift the back of the notebook to reduce considerably the temperature & fan work. It sure beats DIY CPU under-clocking gimmicks. Low tech is good sometimes.

Maybe I'll give the pickle jar lid a try!

 

Now all I need is a similar gimmick to improve the airflow when using the laptop on my lap. Usually it is either sitting on my lap or even on my chest as I am sitting in a lazy chair with my chain very close to the keyboard. It is not ergonomic perhaps but it works.

 

Search laptop lap tray for "cool" ideas. The F is heavy & hot, just like my ex-girlfriend.

DIY: there are many ideas on the web with how-to's. How about a breakfast tray and simply cut or drill holes for ventilation?

 

Wondered if anyone has any thoughts on the below:

While using my F series (it's great btw) only a few minutes ago, there was something that sounded like a mini car crash from beneath the palm rest, followed by a beep from internally (not speakers). Nothing noticeable happened on screen, but I wondered what this would be.

Hard drive is the 500GB 7,200RPM Seagate version.

Thanks

 

Yes, it's completely standard. Remember that you have to take the rails and back tab OFF whatever optical drive is in the computer now and remount it on the caddy.

This is old hat to me, (I suggested using a hard drive caddy on the F11 for a second drive earlier in this thread remember.) I used a caddy to replace the floppy with a humongous 3 gig drive on my Eurocom in 1997, (Dual floppy/ATA sockets) and my T23 has an IBM-supplied hard drive caddy instead of the DVD drive. Also I have the floppy as yet a third choice for that area.

 

Did you use a tray for her as well or did you solve the cooling problem in another way?

 

Trade secret, sorry!

 

But it may be good info for kids & newbies.

Err... in this how-to video on Youtube, he swaps only the tab which is needed to secure the drive with a screw to the laptop. Myself, I intend to copy that simple tab & have one on both optical drive & HHD caddy for swapping. If it's in the same session, it's not necessary to use the screw/tab all the time.

The ebay HDD caddy I linked to looks much more sturdy than the one shown in the video but also heavier. Maybe that light aluminum model shown in the video is better for cooling purposes or the mass of the heavier one is better for absorbing the heat from the HDD? BTW a HDD temperature monitoring utility is a god idea w/ this caddy.

Could somebody post photos about the F's optical drive interface & the rails if any?

Doing some detective work, found MelodyMaster's F optical drive photo from this post (includes memory & 7200 HDD pics), a Panasonic UJ240 with SATA interface & tab but I can't see any rails?



Image from this page (pricey):



Note that you must also select the correct drive/caddy interface type: SATA or Pata depending on your drive. See this page w/ photos.

 

According to Interl f11 should support "Serial ATA (SATA)* 3 Gb/s". What's the best (fastest) SSD that I can get now for my f11?

 

What's the sound quality/speaker system like? The UK one comes with Dolby Theatre. Is the sound decent?

 

I want the 256GB SSD on the new sony vaio f series, but is it worth $550 more than the 500GB 7200rpm HDD?

 

Probably not. It would seem faster in the beginning, but the SSD does not support TRIM so it will slow down with time. Although it probably (not sure) will be faster than an standard HDD, it's probably better to buy a HDD for now, and upgrade when it becomes more ''mainstream'' and all.

 

Thanks hxkclan!
This is the only decision holding me up from ordering online. Was also going back and forth about fresh start or not. Decided on fresh start.

Thanks to all the posters here! Very helpful!

 

My F Series came with an Atheros AR9287 wireless network adapter. Is it single-band or dual-band?. Would it be pointless to purchase a dual-band router if it the AR9287 is single-band?

 

The Recovery Discs require "3" DVD-R discs?
How many did you guys need?

 

Mine required 2 DVD-Rs for Windows 7 Home Premium, no "Fresh Start". I created them right when I received my VAIO, leaving it in its factory default state.

 

Just wanted to report: received new F11 CTO ordered 1/27 and received 2/10 with no noise, no squeaky keys, no screen issues, no problems so far. Am extremely happy. And thank you all on this forum for great info.

 

Replying to questions is nice too... Could you reply to this one adressed to you please? http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=5876945#post5876945

 

Sorry I didn't get back to this sooner But i was on a heater on Pokerstars...lol +$1k between yesterday and today so far.

That was not from a cold startup...my cold startups are a bit slower then that...maybe 18 seconds? I haven't found a program that does cold startup's yet (nor ahve I really looked).


Basically, I just downloaded all of the Sony drivers that I wanted from their website onto my thumbdrive and renamed them in the order I wanted to install them.

Basically, I went

• 
  Motherboard
  Video
  Audio
  Network
  Wireless Lan
  Memory Card Readers
  Webcam

I ignored any Sony specific software.

Then I installed all my personal applications...taht I use...

Samutra (pdf reader), Pidgin (chat client), my poker programs, Avira etc etc.

Then I followed this guide

http://www.blackviper.com/Windows_7/servicecfg.htm

Mostly copied him but some of them I didn't.

Then I turned off Aero Snap since that is the most annoying thing ever

I really am learning as I go, tbh. And I'm always willing to take suggestions!

 

Does this laptop support 2 hard drives? I want to buy one and have a 128 gb operating drive and a 500gb storage. Is it possible?

 

No "issues"??? That's boring.

Congrats!

 

It doesn't support 2 drives out the box, but reading above it looks like u can mod it too.

 

No, unless you do this: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=5884419#post5884419

 

What's considered normal noise when the F is not running hard, ie. web browsing? Mine has a constant feint audible electrical hum that can be heard from normal viewing distance. It's constant, but the loudness ebbs and flows. I placed my ear on the VAIO to try and pinpoint the location and it's definitely emanating from somewhere along the 15" x 3.5" textured rectangular section on which the touchpad is located, but I can't tell exactly where.

I just want to make sure whether or not this is the whine issue (not to be confused with the high pitched mic issue) that some have experienced.

 

Thank you for the feedback, it's about time after all your questions (just kidding).

You did not even install the Sony Notebook Utilities nor the WebCam Companion 3 Software (motion detection, etc)? Did you loose WinDVD?

Does your dedicated Vaio keys work?

Did you receive your Power Over eSATA HE-2521B enclosure? Feedback?

 

The webcam was on the bottom of my list. I didn' t install anything sony, maybe I'll read up on the Sony NoteBook Utilities and install that later and no the "Assist", "S1" and "Vaio" keys do not do anything at this time. I have lost WinDVD and that sucks...i'm gonna call Sony Support about it and see if there is anything they can do to help out on that, but I'm afraid they are gonna tell me to run my recovery disks or whatever...and that's not happening I'm currently using a free trial of AnyDVDHD but not all my blu-rays will play as I can't update software until I pay for a license...haven't figured out how I'm gonna tackle this problem yet.

Unfortunately, I didn't receive my Power Over eSATA case yet, but as soon as I do, I will post impressions. It came from a 3rd party vendor on amazon.com.

I know I've been asking a lot of questions and not giving many answers, I just don't feel very knowledgable compared to a bunch of the "regulars" in this thread I'll try to be more helpful though!

I love my laptop

 

Unfortunately I didn't get an angle that shows the rails, but you can just see the end of it in the bottom-left of this photo. The rest is in shadow. Each side is held in with two screws.


The picture of the UJ240 OEM I also posted clearly shows NO rails.



I guess everybody's too chicken just to do a simple optical drive removal.

 

What, still looking for defects on your F???

F Noise emission measurements (data!) from this Review Sony Vaio VPC-F11Z1:



So... if @ idle it's @ 31.3 dB or less, it's a normal & healthy baby!

When compared to other laptops with Core i7, that's very good data. For example max 36.6 dB @ idle for the Dell 1747:

 

Mine required 4 with Fresh Start and Adobe Premiere and all its utilities.

 

Depends on the make and model Sony uses. The better SSDs are around $800 retail for 256GB and have read and write speeds in the 200MB/s range.

As far as spending the money, that's up to you.

As I wrote earlier, SSDs are a tremendous advance, but you pay.

Mine boots in under 15 seconds. Illustrator and Photoshop CS4 open in 2-3 seconds. Response is generally instant in everything I do.

I have an i7 920 desktop overclocked to 3.4GHz. There is no doubt that my desktop is more powerful in CPU operations, but, there is also no doubt that my laptop feels faster in general use.

 

Thank you.

Come on chicken or lazy owners, please post an underside photo of the rails! :0