Official Sony VAIO F Series Owners lounge

I have these as well, same model, and use Win 7 with them without any issues. SetPoint works in Win7 just fine.

 

Sorry for ignorance, I checked that page and was like "Yup, dudes."
I suppose you can enjoy that screenshot of TV and Movie star Nathan Fillion telling the country, "How'd you like to take a bite of that green apple America???"

On my HP monitor, a black one is right at the URL bar. Drives me nuts.

 

You bought the factory 256GB SSD? What brand and model is the SSD? I am curious as to what they are supplying for an SSD. I bought a Crucial 128GB and will be installing it when the Vaio arrives. The 320GB 5400 RPM spinner will be installed in an external eSATA enclosure for portable use AFTER I am sure that my clean install is complete and working properly!

Thanks Roweraay!

Bill

 

If you get a CTO, does it come with that blu ray sticker on the upper left above the keys?

 

Just swapped an SR for one of these gems in-store, as they refused to refund. The VPCF11M1E/H with the 1GB video card it's a heavy beast though and hopefully it will fit on the desk at home, didn't want to give up the SR but the screen was such an almighty stuff up on Sony's behalf, the screen on the F looks much better. Can't wait to get this home, anyone wanna provide a summary of the last 500 odd pages? I think I read something about the fan, though I've got the i5 model - will this help? This is my third laptop now (after the SR and a crash-happy Dell Studio 1557) so it's not going back no matter what faults it has hehe

 

Am I the only one who removes all stickers, and if possible, brand names from my laptops/desktops I purchase? For some reason I just hate having them on there. Sucks when they leave a sticky residue but its worth it in the end to have a clean system.

Late the this thread as well. From what I have read, there are faults with some dead pixels, bad screen with no good angle, power supply failures, flex in the lid, a mystery whine from inside the machine and a squeaky space bar.

There are also rumors of a product refresh coming soon so I decided to put my purchase on hold for the moment until we get more concrete details. Hopefully they will announce something at CeBIT next week. Atleast then I would know how long I will have to wait.

 

Mine did not- I have player only

 

For fun I just bought a blu-ray sticker on ebay for $6.10 including shipping to US.

 

It is a Toshiba SSD. Device ID states: THNS256GG8BBAA

We talked about this a few dozen pages back and came to the conclusion that it is a 43nm model that Toshiba started shipping in August 2009.

 

I found the following in an Apple thread that compared this Toshiba SSD with one of the Intel models:

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=732583

 

hello all,

Well I have just finished reading every post so far in this thread. It took a couple of days, and was pretty interesting at times.

I picked up my F11 from BB about two weeks ago. I am pretty happy with it. I'll be going the SSD route in future. Probably using the CD drive bay for a second SSD drive. I wait patiently for the prices to fall....

anyway, I may have missed these points in all the noise, and would appreciate some input...

1. Did anyone find a registry hack to adjust the sensitivity of the backlit keyboard?

2. Any clue as to which mouse gestures the trackpad accepts?

3. I have had four kernel-power failures in the last three days. The system just freezes, and upon reboot the eventvwr just says "the system was shut down unexpectedly" Anyone else experiencing similar? My guess is that it could be related to the realtek audio chip.

4. Overclocking the GPU. Is it worth it? Would it invalidate the warranty?

Apologies if these have been clearly covered, after working my way through so many posts my brain is a little shot.

cheers,
john

ps. I'll happily post a review of the machine, but I think anything I say has already been covered. tl;dr - I love it, just need to resolve the system freezing

 

The i5 CPU only launched in January so does anyone know how long the Vaio F with i5-520m has been out for?

 

No it doesn't.

 

Although I did not do a clean install someone here has a solution for those who do and cannot get the Fn keys to work. Hope this helps.

http://windows7forums.com/windows-7-support/3860-sony-vaio-fn-keys.html

 

My desktop monitor has a lime green stuck pixel on the right side, have had it for years. I got used to it, I don't notice it much when there are lighter colours on screen.

If you find out why, let me know. It makes no logical sense to me

Poohkie = Lady

 

Are you sure you are not talking about the similar looking MX5 10 & up?

MX500 works plug & pray in Win 7, I said you just can't re-assign the buttons: "Win 7 Mouse Properties will not let me re-assign the buttons. So I downloaded the free X-Mouse Button Control small utility (2.5mb)".

Logitech staff & several mad users posted reports on Logitech's forum about Setpoint not working for the MX500:

CharlesB Logi Product Team: MX500... "We do have to pull a plug on OS support for a device after a while" coded for buy a new one.

Linda Yan MSFT, Moderator: "According to Logitech FAQ, MX500 is not in the Windows 7 compatible list. Please see HERE."

User MrBaron Logitech Forum: "I installed setpoint 4.8 to make my MX500 work with Win 7 x64, but it is still not working. When I try to configure my mouse I just see this screen with no possibility to make any changes:"

The first screen grab is the most recent Setpoint 4.80 with MX500, no possibility of adjusting the settings & buttons, the second is with MX510 & is normal:





My Win 7 Mouse Properties for the MX500 screen grab, only 2 buttons!



My X-Mouse screen grab with much more control over buttons:



Anyway, the 2.5mb X-Mouse vs Setpoint cr@pware @ 70mb that adds zero extra functionality to the MX500 and several useless services, what's the point?

 

Q1: For those in the US who ordered an F through the sonystyle, when they ship the laptop by UPS do you have to sign for it or they just leave it at the door?

Q2: What brand is the 500GB 5400 rpm hard drive?

Thank you!

 

Surprisingly they left mine unattended at my door. So I told them I never received and I will be getting two for the price of one! Sweet! Just kidding but they did just leave it at the door.

 

So you skipped all the posts by happy users with zero "issues"?

I guess you travel by bus as even for the top rated cars in Consumer Report have a percentage of glitch, that's why there is a warranty & return policy. The top rated ones have simply less problems.

Could you point me to a Notebook Manufacturers thread with zero problems nor nitpickers please?

"faults with some dead pixels" - two so far with stuck pixels, overhelming owners reports with none. All manufacturers have a percentage of defective pixels.

"bad screen with no good angle" - very few reported a defective screen. Several complained about the narrow vertical viewing angle margin, more said it's fine, none said a non-defective screen was bad. Mine is awesome.

"power supply failures" - I did not see any, could you link to one report?

"flex in the lid" - not true, the hinges are stiff & I like it as the screen stays in place when moving around the lappy. It's a large 16.4" wide display after all so if you grab a corner to change the vertical angle, something is wrong with the pilot in the cockpit, just grab in the center over the webcam. I don't want a thicker lid to remove imagined flex.

"a mystery whine from inside the machine" - that was for a few machines of the first run. Production was stopped for 2 weeks & the problem is solved. There are two easy fixes for early adopters, many owners report no whining, including me: STP12's easy fix and Fix #2.

"a squeaky space bar" - I saw 4 or 5 reports, 3 of them did the easy DIY spacebar fix I posted.

"There are also rumors of a product refresh..." yep, that's what they are, rumors & guessestimation. You can read plenty of those in the Mac rumors forum.

I can guaranty that the next best thing is coming @ some point in the future.

Meanwhile, my F is quite refreshing compared to my old laptop & desktop.

 

Thanks, I'll be watching for it's arrival like a hawk.

 

That's nuts! My BB came with signature required.

Something to request to Sonystyle unless it was a careless delivery guy.

 

I am ordering right now, does anybody have a eCoupon Number for a discount, please??? I am in the US.

No, the Canadian coupon did not work : ((

 

Try searching google. I did not find any coupon codes for the F11 for the US. Don't you get a free BD drive if you order now?

Some have reported that calling in and asking nicely can get you a discount

Or if you are a student, you can mention that also.

 

I got free blue ray player (back ordered) and $59 discount b/c I am a student but I want more discounts

I am searching google and searching...

 

I signed up the Sony/Chase Visa and received $50.00 off. I also received 10% off my purchase. When you call to order the computer, be ready to buy, and state you will be asking for a discount upon completion of the order. At this point in my order the rep did not guarantee a discount, only they would speak to a superior. If this is agreed upon, go forward with the order. If they emphatically say 'no', state Sony has offered others a 10% discount, but I need to be ready to purchase now . This is important to say- they know this is their procedure. Now tell them you are ready to order. Again ,if they emphatically state you will not receive any discount, calmly tell then no thanks and you will no be purchasing their product. Hang up and try another time with another rep. If they say okay, be willing to go through the order procedure, with a possibility you still may not get the discount. But remember, Sony has now spent time and money on you placing this order. Do they want to take all that time and resource not selling anything to you? I " I want to stay a loyal Sony customer- what can you do for me today" is always a great general line to tell them. Remind then this is not a cheap line of computers- you are spending a lot of money. You need to sell them on why you feel a discount is in order. Stay pleasant, never be nasty, and don't beg either. My computer came in over $2100 so getting a few options may help, I just do not know. Good luck in your discounts!

 

@ Fishon, some Sonystyle US customers mentioned you have to take some warranty upgrades or other stuff to get the discounts, like you did.

 

Please don't misunderstand. Those faults were just some of the few that I have found other users reporting in this thread, whether they were just in their head or a valid complaint. From the tone of the message I was replying to, it sounded like (s)he wanted the faults that some users had reported.

I know, from the dozens of pages I have read, that most of the F series users are happy with their purchase as I am sure I will be. The F series is on the top of my list to buy. Sorry if I wasn't clear enough. From what I have read, the nitpickers seem to be the users with buyers remorse more than anything.

Yes, all manufacturers and especially on the first production run of a new model line, will have issues with build quality, dead pixels, etc. As an IT worker for a large state government department we have had our own issues with returning new equipment.

As for the rumors, yeah there will always be some. Do you know if Sony is going to be attending CeBIT next week? That is when I was told that they would most likely announce some laptop line updates.

If they announce some new, exciting news (switchable graphics? ) then I might wait, otherwise Sony will have another order for the F series by the end of next week.

 

Phew, I've just ordered one!! VPCF1190X CTO.

i7-720QM,
1080p GT 330M
4GB
500GB 5400rpm (will be quickly replaced by WD)
Backlit keyboard, baby!!!
Blue-ray player
Total: $1267.61
Estimated ship date: 03/09/2010

You do need to upgrade for extended warranty to get additional discount, so the total price will be higher. I am happy with my order b/c it is still a very good price for a lappy with such resolution. I was thinking of buying a 14" CW with 1600x900 resolution and use it with external monitor but with F I do not need external monitor, given, at the expense of some portability. It is considerably and noticeably bigger than 14" CW (I am not even sure that it will fit in my backpack) but only 1.5lb heavier so weight is not much of a drawback.

 

I will look at it again tonight to see the exact model. But Win 7 won't without the SetPoint drivers installed. I have mine setup for multiple things (mainly for gaming). I also have a 3D Pro Joystick that works as well.

 

I ordered Monday and I received SHIPPING confirmation at noon today! This machine is for our church's use: Core i7 720, Geforce 310, 8GB DDR3 1333, 900x1600 screen, backlit keyboard, W7 Home Premium, 320GB 5400RPM. I will clean install new Crucial 128GB SSD, W7 Pro, MS Office, the church's database program and a server based internet security. I am hoping that this is a real screamer! Our pastor has been stuck with a 14" Thinkpad with a very slow processor, 512Mb memory and integrated intel graphics. I know that the G310 is very basic, but I figure it will be fine for non-gaming apps. Besides, I would hope that the G310 would also be less power hungry than the G330 and higher pixel monitor combo.

Anyways, it shipped after only 72 hours since ordering!

EDIT: Mine is coming via FedEX.

I hope this helps anyone considering a quick order!

Bill

 

I'm 100% sure that MX500 works plug & play in Win 7 w/o additional Logitech software as I tested it on the F.

I'm also 100% sure that the latest Setpoint 4.80 refuse to recognize the MX500. That's where Logitech drew the line and it's pretty maddening as the MX510 is almost identical.

Logitech simply wants to sell new mice, that's why they stopped supporting perfectly working older mice. I blame capitalism.

 

So, my dear friends, it's time for me to change the forum I've just exchanged my F11Z1R for a AW2XRY/Q with some +$400, but my F11 already got some scratches underneath... Seems to be that my convencing powers are quite good when it comes to pursuading Sony Center shop in Moscow to accept the return of a formally unreturnable laptop

Good luck, have fun!

P.S. My OBHD has arrived today when I had already returned my F11, so I was unable to try it with F11, but I'll still try to post some pics later with my new AW. So far I can only confirm that 12.5mm SATA-SATA OBHD doess accept 9.7mm (or what's the height of those standard 2.5" HDD...) drives

 

Clean Install

 

You did not reply to: which OS?

So with the stock configuration of BB's Sony_VPCF115FM/B Home Premium but swapping the 5400 HDD for a 7200 HDD like yours, first boot time according to Vaio_Care is 1:11 min vs your clean install with OS ? @ 0:54 sec also w/ a 7200 HDD? That's not much of a difference.

I removed Norton Trial & replaced with the free & highly rated Avast anti-virus, BB's marketing cr@pware & I am optimizing services & startup programs at the present & will report new booting time & system resource use in a while. Average boot time for the Last Month @ the present is down to 1:01 w/ Total Startup Applications of 10.

Since it's an "Average boot time for the Last Month", I suspect it's now actually under 1 min. I wish it would report the last boot time.

Re-posting my screen grab & yours:

 

EPP discount gives you 10% I believe. This is the EPP Prices for the config I looked at

Sad I can't get that speci in CW or something around 6lbs or less.

EPP Price:$1399.49

 

If I may offer some advice, be careful with EPP and student discounts. I don't know if this applies with Sony specifically as I haven't bought from them before, but Dell has a bad habit of charging more on the EPP and student discount pages. For the what you spec out on the EPP or SD side, you can get the same thing at the HOME or HOME OFFICE sections of their site for a cheaper price. I found this out when I was shopping for a new computer for myself and when I bought a new laptop for my wife. Just a word of caution.

 

guys im thinking of getting the sony f11 series laptop, question is are there any major problems

 

Don't get the VPCF115FM model !
Make sure you get the "Premium" display -

 

I took a video of my F11Z1E booting up with HDD and SSD, before I sold the HDD. The HDD booted in about 40 secs and the SSD in a little over 20 secs.

I can make a video with two timers if anybody's interested. But it's not exact science, since a was running the SSD for a while and installed my own crap. And the HDD was pre-installed with Sony's bloatware. Also, I had set the SSD to automatically login, while I timed the HDD until it reached the password screen.

 

No major problems at all. Great machine!

 

Yes, all F owners including I are fools.

 

Joe, I will never ask you again, however, are you considering posting your monitor calibrations sometime?

 

Last month I took the plunge and had my F shipped all the way from US to the Philippines! After 5 sleepless nights, I finally got my box with a big hole on one side. Good thing the machine itself had 0 problem. no noise, dead pixels, etc. well worth the risk.

 

guys is thi a great laptop or not, what are the problems

 

Absolutely untrue.

I agree that Dell EPP sucks, instead of giving you some discount on their entire catalog they shoehorn you into buying packages they have predetermined and included services like 2 year warranties, Lojack, etc. calculate that price (the same price you would pay in the catalog normally) than choose some arbitrary discount.

But if you configured something in the normal catalog the same way, you would pay more.

What Sony does is give you a 7% discount on your notebook, no tricks or gimmicks. Just a flatout percentage discount.

 

Sorry to hear that I'm not the only one who missed out on the bluray deal. My unit will arrive tomorrow! Of course also way ahead of the "estimated shipping date"!! Whee!

 

Lumpia for everyone!

 

anyone anwser

 

May I ask if you have read any of this thread? Seek and you shall find.

 

its too long to look through, all i want to know is the MAJOR problems