Official Sony VAIO F Series i5/i7 owners thread *Part 3*

Just to be clear, this will install over my sony drivers? The release notes say that the Sony Vaio's aren't supported. BTW: I have the 310M

 

just spoke to sony and they have said the f12 will come out in july. Kinda of expensive as well. Anyone with the f11 tell me can u play all new games at medium settings on this GPU, and is this GPU still a really gd one.

 

Yes, I installed the 64 bit drivers, however, using Acrobat 8 the scan only picks up the first page and is much lower than before ( same reso ). Tried Adobe reader 9- no luck either. I am forced to use Win fax and scan- which picks up all the pages, then convert to PDF. Frustrating since I purchased this computer to speed up production at work and it's doing the opposite. Not my laptops fault but still a struggle. Anyone's help would be appreciated.

 

Are you saying for the exact same spec'd machine (F11 vs F12) it is more expensive for the F12? That information does not sound correct.

If you want to know about gaming performance, look up Mangosango. He has posted a lot of information regarding games and even many youtube videos.

 

well they just dropped the price to 849, so i dont think the f12s are going to be more expensive...

 

Has anybody got a dissemble guide or a service manual of the F11 to help with cleaning the dust out of the cooling system , even some photo`s would be of use.

Thanks.

 

You forget that besides specific hardware configuration & patches contained in the system image, there is the Win 7 OEM license that checks if it's a_Sony laptop. Why not try it & report instead of speculating and arguing ad vitam aeternam?

*****

Fan, CPU & GPU Temp & Battery Life

Fan: you have a powerful CPU & GPU & complex thermal management, it needs cooling. Users are prevented from messing up the fan speed on the F. See this post: VAIO_F Series Variable Fan Speed & User Control.

Battery drainage overnight: if you followed EXACTLY the VAIO_F Battery Calibrator Plan Creation post AND the links in it, then you may have some setting where the laptop is listening for devices that are allowed to wake it up. I wrote to esupport.sony about it, their reply:

"...temperature between 50-53c degrees on all cores is good ?" - Yes, that's normal. Max CPU temp is 100C & 105c for the GPU. FYI: i7-720QM Processor max temp: 100c (212F) in specs here and 105c for the GT 330 (could not find max temp in the specs for the GT 330M here but did not search for a data sheet).

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So you want a budget muscle car with the mileage of a Smartcar? Sorry, it's not invented yet. Quad core CPU + powerful GPU + large 16.4" screen = power needs = short battery life. I get 1 to 3 hours depending on settings, power plan & usage. It's a DTR, not a netbook. As replied before, you cannot change the GPU on the F, the GT 330M works fine for my needs. See page 1, post #1 in this thread for link to Unification Post & game specs & fps by Mangosango or Search This Thread with his username.

*****

Cooling & battery care

Willscary seems pretty happy with his as he linked above. Personally, I use a simple stick @ home or a triangle ruler on the road to lift the back of the F & the bottom of the laptop is a lot cooler & it reduces considerably the fan work, the typing angle is better, it's free, quiet, does not need a USB port for power and it's transportable:



On your F: Start > Help & Support > search: battery to find many tips including To extend battery lifetime:





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Video Driver Update w/o Modified inf

I followed Gandalf_The_Grey's tip & installed NVIDIA beta driver 257.15 w/o any modifications after uninstalling the old driver & rebooting a week ago. Everything works fine including when running some intensive stability test utilities, thanks again for the pointer Gandalf!

DON'T install over existing video driver! As mentioned in the NVIDIA Release Notes (v257.15):
- Uninstall Nvidia Tools if you have them, reboot.
- Uninstall old Nvidia drivers ( all, including audio), reboot.
- Right click the desktop and change the display's resolution to 1280 x 720 before installing the new one because at the default 800 x 600 you will not be able to see & click the "Yes I accept..." thing to proceed to install.
-Then install new NVIDIA video driver & reboot one last time.

*****

F Internals Photos?

Again: See page 1, post #1 in this thread for link to Unification Post with several internals photos. MelodyMaster did that because of cat hair & dust, hopefully he could post a mini-guide but basically it's: unplug, use a towel on a table to prevent lid scratching, flip over, remove battery & all bottom screws, remove bottom, clean, reverse steps.

 

I heard June 26 for the U.S. release date. Where do you live that you heard July?

Just noticed that, as well as the VPCF11JFX/B high-end model is no longer available. They're probably preparing for the F12 launch.

 

For some reason whenever i Uninstall the Nvidia driver and reboot, Windows always reinstalls the driver automatically after its rebooted. Its never affected me updating the driver mind. If the drivers are not there i always thought windows Aero would be disabled? Ive tried without any network cards enabled aswell. (Clean Installed Win7Pro)

 

If I recall correctly, it installs a generic BASIC Nvidia video driver that defaults to 800 x 600. Something is needed otherwise you would NOT be able to see anything on the display. Feel free to install stuff on top of old stuff but don't be surprised if you have some glitches or some performance degradation or longer boot time because of conflicts resolution, etc.

NVIDIA recommends in the Notes to uninstall Nvidia Tool BEFORE installing the new driver because it remembers old tweaks you did with the old driver.

 

Windows automatically sees that your graphics card driver is not installed and installs a generic VGA driver in its stead. For installing new drivers, I would recommend uninstalling and booting to safe mode by pressing F8 during boot and installing the new drivers under safe mode.

This is because safe mode uses "fail-safe" drivers and as such doesn't install any generic drivers. Note that in safe mode your display will be set at 800x600, but once you finish installing the drivers and rebooting, your resolution should be normal again (1600x900, or 1920x1080).

 

Yes - you can play new games at medium/high at 1280x720. The display scales amazingly on most games, so the resolution isn't too big of a deal. See my signiture and my youtube channel for videos.

 

When keeping the default resolution @ 800 x 600 after video driver uninstall, I can't click "Yes" to accept the license & proceed to the installation of the new driver. How did you do it? Blindly hitting Enter maybe?

 

They released in Poland specs and prices of F12 M,S and Z models. They all have higher pricetag for about 200$ and almost no diference in hardware specs. Also, the F11 is running out of stock here so its screwed. Either you buy now last of the F11 or be ripped of your cash on F12s.

 

Everything is relative & when you say "almost no diference in hardware specs", what do mean exactly? Is the warranty the exact same? Don't forget in your pricing comparison that there is in the mix the ever fluctuating currency thing with the Zloty/Euro/Yen/Renminbi...

I remember all the Nikon USA stuff going up (including old models) 2 years ago when the FED did the hidden USD devaluation against all strong currencies including the Yen & Euro.

 

im from the Uk, kinda annoying waiting till July. Phookie what i mean with a faster speed its more expensive, i can get oe for £990 excluding vat, and that is expensive.

 

For what it's worth, Amazon UK has the F12s up for preorder, with a release date of June 15.

VPCF12Z1E - £1500

VPCF12S1E - £1250

You can still get a decent F11 (hardware-wise, not software) for £1309 if you configure to order on the Vaio UK website. This is the i7-720QM, Blu-Ray writer, 500GB 7200rpm drive, Premium Full HD screen and 8GB RAM.

The only difference in hardware between the F11 and F12 seems to be the CPU - i7-720QM vs. i7-740QM.

 

NO, for some countries it's CPU, + 2 GB memory & + 140 GB storage 640 GB HDD vs. 500 & probably a motherboard revision. That's what happens when people jump the gun before the official launch & speculates...

Also, we don't know yet what are the CTO (custom config) options. It may well be backlit kb for EU or matte screen for USA for example.

 

Hi there - I finally bought an F11 recently and read about getting rid of the Sony bloat here. I followed the instructions for a clean install (the various notes within this very helpful thread).
I've got it set up how I want it more or less now but am having issues with the activation.

I downloaded the Digital River ISO and installed Windows 7 Home Premuim. I used the product key on the bottom of the laptop and it doesn't like it - I keep getting prompted that it can't activate and I need a different key.

I thought it might be the windows version ? The label says 'Windows 7 Home Prem OA' - I figured that this was just the OEM version.

Any advice on where I'm going wrong ?
Thanks,
Ed

 

Digital River's is an upgrade or Student version of windows, you have to use the key purchased from them.

 

In addition to what MelodyMaster said, the Digital River edition is NOT an OEM edition. OEM editions ONLY come from manufacturers. It would not be illegal to find the Windows 7 OEM edition ISO online on some website and use the key that is on the bottom of your laptop...that is of course if you don't have the key provided by Digital River. It won't matter which version you download, Basic through Ultimate, as your key unlocks specific features.

I miss the old times when manufacturers provided OS installation discs and driver discs. It was very helpful. My two year old ASUS G1S came with a Windows Vista install disc as well as a driver disc. Oh well. Guess...it saves them a few bucks? I would pay $20 for those extra discs. It would cost them less than a $1 to provide us with each disc.

 

We don't know the full details, that's why I qualified my statement with "seems to be" and was fastidious about specifying that I was looking at the UK websites for Amazon and Sony.

So calm down there, there's NO need to go all caps on me.

 

I'm calm, only the O was in caps.

 

I thought that it was a way of reinstalling W7 when you didn't have the disk (not shipped withthe laptop). I just downloaded the iso and assumed that I could use the key from the bottom of the laptop.

I made recovery disks before I did this - guess I could either revert to the recovery image or would a solution be to use a friends official disk but with my product key?

Really just want a clean unbloated image to start with.
Ed

 

Please PM me.

 

You can use the OEM recovery discs & abort the installation before it installs the "bloatware" for a F customized clean install (booted in 48 sec. with my HDD). I've been procrastinating a how-to guide I promised 2 weeks ago. I'll make a quick page with some screen captures & post back here in 30 minutes with a link.

Or you could download an ISO for the exact edition you have & use your F OEM key: if it's Home than you need a Home ISO. Or you can use a hacked all editions unlocked Win 7 & use your OEM key.

 

Hello All! I've been lurking here since almost the beginning and am proud to say I've read virtually every post. It's been quite a ride! Thanks to all for your hard work.

Looks like the 32 nm i7 isn't coming in the F yet in this release. Whats the advantage of the 32 nm vs 45 nm anyway?

 

Not true. If he uses Ultimate I believe his Home Premium key will work. The keys just unlock features.

 

Download Windows 7 ISO (Official 32-bit and 64-bit Direct Download Links)

How to Select Any Edition or Version (SKU) of Windows 7 to Install From Single Edition DVD Disc Media or ISO

Windows 7 ISO Image Edition Switcher Free Download for Direct Convert

 

No, I know there are different versions to download...if you scroll to the bottom there's a way to convert the edition it is via a .cfg file in the ISO. All of the content of the Windows versions from Basic to Ultimate is located on the same disc. There's a number or something that is changed in the .cfg file...but I still believe a Home Premium OEM key will work with an Ultimate ISO. I guess it's for simplicity reasons you can change that .cfg file so that you don't have to reenter a different key to do the Anytime Upgrade.

 

What is the point in responding to you if you don't read the post or follow the links?

 

When I quoted your post, you must have added those two additional links like 1 second before I clicked quote. So I typed my post out without me realizing there was additional information in your quote.

 

No worries then.

I know that if you have Home, you can input a Pro or Ultimate key in the Start > Anytime Upgrade thing to unlock the features (I did that from Home to Ultimate on my F for the language packs) but I'm curious about what you wrote above: one could use a stock (non-hacked) Ultimate ISO & input a Home or Pro key & it would work? Did you tried it or have a link to an article about that?

 

Maybe I could be wrong...I was thinking the other way around would work too.

 

Ah thanks for the reply. Shall give it a test with installing the Beta uninstalling the Latest Vaio Driver now and see what happens.

 

Running win7 64 bit latest drivers and logitech bluetooth mouse latest drivers and skype latest ver. Twice today during a video skype session, I lost connect with the bluetooth mouse. This has never happened with other programs. Anyone have similar experiences or have any thoughts?

 

Hey guys, I need your honest opinion, would the sony F series fit my needs:

I'm wanting a laptop for a multipurpose reason. Be it entertainment, school, research (either school or independent) or gaming (as i might not take my PS3). So this is what I'm planning to do:
What I know I will be doing is 3D modeling, simulation, physics simulation, HE Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Data crunching, Algorithms, Programming (both High and Low Level), image/video analysis, conversion of natural algorithms (Image, Audio, Video into pure data), research/analysis maybe on the unknown/unseen/beyond (hard to explain ), being able to customize and create specialized functions, hacking/cracking/modifying, etc.



Also how is teh built quality ( i heard the laptop had weak points under the disc drive, in between the enter key, screen problems, s key mapping problems, and the gfx card needing to be overclocked for decent performance), is it reliable, did Sony fill it with bloat ware? I want best performance decent battery life and good price

 

Yes, Bluetooth mouse was loosing connection several times a day:

Note that the Bluetooth mouse setting is a different story as it may prevent proper auto sleep or Hibernate. If "Allow this device to wake computer" is checked then it may wake up the F while it's unattended or in your notebook case. See this post:

VAIO_F_Sleep & Hibernation Wake Up Problems Fix



Did you see this on esupport? Broadcom Bluetooth Firmware Update 04/29/2010 2.2.3.593.596, 2.22 MB. Check the Sony_esupport page for your model:

 

Yes, I have all the latest drivers and everything you mentioned I had already done. It's only happening with skype. I just noticed it today. I've never lost connection with any other program. I'm going to use skype again tomorrow and see what happens. Thanks for the reply.

 

All laptops in Poland come with standard Sony 2 year warranty. New F12 models are simply higher priced and thats all.


Here are the specs of S model:



Sony VAIO VPCF12S1E/B

Funkcje i dane techniczne:


System operacyjny:

* Oryginalny Windows® 7 Home Premium (64 bity)


Architektura:

* Chipset Intel® PM55 Express


Kolor:

* Kolor pokrywy Czarny


Procesor:

* Nazwa procesora Procesor Intel® Core™ i7-740QM
* Moc i wydajność z technologią Intel® Turbo Boost
* Zegar procesora (GHz) 1,73
* Maks. szybkość z technologią Turbo Boost (GHz) 2,8
* Pamięć podręczna L2 (MB) 6
* Liczba rdzeni 4


Pamięć:

* Rozmiar pamięci (GB) 6
* Dane techniczne pamięci PC3-10600
* Szybkość pamięci (MHz) 1333
* Typ pamięci DDR3 SDRAM
* Maks. obsługiwana pamięć (GB) 8
* Uwaga o maksymalnej ilości pamięci Część pamięci systemowej powyżej 3 GB może nie być dostępna dla 32-bitowego systemu operacyjnego.


Napędy:

* Typ twardego dysku Serial ATA
* Pojemność twardego dysku (GB) 500
* Szybkość twardego dysku (obr./min) 7200
* Typ napędu optycznego Odtwarzacz Blu-ray Disc™: BD ROM / DVD+-RW / +-R DL / RAM
* Zapis CD-R x24, CD-RW x10, DVD-R DL x4, DVD-R x8, DVD-RW x6, DVD+R DL x4, DVD+R x8, DVD+RW x8, DVD-RAM x5
* Odczyt CD x24, CD-R x24, CD-RW x24, DVD x8, DVD-R DL x6, DVD-R x8, DVD-RW x8, DVD+R DL x6, DVD+R x8, DVD+RW x8, DVD-RAM x5, BD-ROM x6, BD-R x6, BD-R DL x4, BD-RE x4, BD-RE DL x4


Wyświetlacz:

* Typ ekranu Zaawansowany wyświetlacz VAIO
* Przekątna (w calach) 16,4
* Przekątna (w cm) 41,6
* Współczynnik kształtu obrazu 16:9
* Rozdzielczość 1920 x 1080
* Maks. rozdzielczość zewnętrznego wyświetlacza 2048 x 1536


Grafika:

* Nazwa karty graficznej NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 330M
* Pamięć wideo (Video RAM) (MB) GDDR3 1 GB
* Całkowita pamięć graficzna Około 3831 MB*
* Uwagi * Całkowita dostępna pamięć graficzna dotyczy klasyfikacji pamięci graficznej w systemie Windows® i zależy od trybu pracy, wersji sterownika i wielkości pamięci systemowej.


Interfejsy:

* 4-pinowe złącze i.LINK™ (IEEE1394), 400 Mb/s 1
* Gniazdo karty pamięci Memory Stick™ TAK
* Typ gniazda na karty Memory Stick™ PRO-HG (tylko Duo) / MagicGate (MGR)
* Gniazdo na karty SD TAK
* Gniazdo mikrofonowe (stereo) 1
* Gniazdo słuchawkowe (stereo) 1
* Optyczne wyjście audio (SPDIF) TAK
* Wyjście HDMI™ TAK
* Porty USB (liczba) 2
* Wersja standardu USB 2,0
* Typ złącza USB A
* Złącze monitora VGA 1: mini D-sub 15p
* Gniazdo Express Card 1
* Typ karty Express Card 34 mm
* Port e-SATA / USB 1


Podłączanie:

* Zintegrowana sieć bezprzewodowa LAN TAK
* Maks. szybkość transmisji danych w bezprzewodowej sieci LAN (Mb/s) 300 (RX) / 300 (TX)
* Typ bezprzewodowej sieci LAN 802.11a/b/g/n
* Bezpośredni port RJ-45 (sieć TAK
* Sieć Ethernet 10BASE-T / 100BASE-TX / 1000BASE-T
* Bluetooth TAK
* Technologia Bluetooth (wersja) Standard Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
* Zasięg interfejsu Bluetooth (m) Maks. około 10 (w otwartej przestrzeni)
* Maks. prędkość transmisji danych przez interfejs Bluetooth (Mb/s) Maks. 2,1


Multimedia:

* Wbudowane głośniki stereo TAK
* Wbudowany mikrofon TAK: Monofoniczny
* Kodek Dolby Dolby Home Theater 3


Wbudowany aparat / kamera:

* Wbudowana kamera cyfrowa „Motion Eye” TAK
* Przetwornik obrazu (megapikseli) 0,3
* Maks. rozdzielczość obrazu filmowego (w pikselach) 640 x 480 (VGA)


Sekcja klawiatury:

* Touch Pad (tabliczka dotykowa) 1: Multi-touch
* Klawiatura numeryczna TAK
* Skok (mm) 2
* Rozstaw klawiszy (mm) 19,05


Charakterystyka:

* Przyciski specjalne Wyłącznik wyświetlacza, VAIO, Assist, S1, przyciski AV
* Automatyczna regulacja jasności TAK
* Blokada Kensington TAK


Oprogramowanie:

* Przewodnik po rozwiązaniach VAIO Gate
* Dźwięk MusicStation
* Zdjęcia / filmy PMB VAIO Edition (funkcje VAIO Creation)
* Multimedia Media Gallery
* Sieć domowa VAIO Media Plus
* Pomoc techniczna VAIO Care
* Narzędzia VAIO Transfer Support, VAIO Update, sieć VAIO Smart, przeglądarka Google Chrome
* Microsoft Internet Explorer 8, pakiet Windows Live Essentials
* Aplikacje biurowe Adobe® Reader® 9, Microsoft® Office Home&Student (60 days Try & Buy)
* Bezpieczeństwo i inne McAfee® (60-dniowa darmowa aktualizacja bazy wirusów), Norton Online BackUp (wersja próbna)


Dostarczane wyposażenie:

* Zasilacz sieciowy VGP-AC19V16
* Przewód zasilający


Wymiary:

* Głębokość jednostki centralnej (mm) 263
* Wysokość jednostki centralnej (min. – maks. w mm) 31 – 41
* Szerokość jednostki centralnej (mm) 387,2
* Waga z dostarczonym akumulatorem i napędem (kg) 3,2


Bateria:

* Typ baterii / akumulatora Akumulator litowy (VGP-BPS21A)
* Zasilanie 54 Wh (10,8 V / 5000 mAh)
* Liczba ogniw 6
* Waga (g) 330
* Żywotność akumulatora (min) 190
* Czas ładowania (min) 220
* Zastrzeżenie dotyczące czasu pracy akumulatora Faktyczny czas pracy akumulatora zależy od konkretnej konfiguracji sprzętowej i programowej. Benchmark: MobileMark 2007

 

Well the smaller the manufacturing processes get, the more transistors you can fit onto a chip, which equals more performance. And since each component is smaller, (I THINK) that less energy is required to achieve the same performance as well (not sure about that...).

Anyway, the i7 6xx series has a built-in graphics processor and the main benefits of having that specific chip would be automatic GPU-switching between the gt 330m and the integrated graphics.

 

Well I just accepted and hit the ok button with my mouse.... You could do it by tabbing through the items and knowing that the option to accept is the first radio button tab though and hit enter and then tab to the next button and hit enter.

But really, you should be able to accept the licence agreement even at a lower resolution (iirc the window scales appropriately). I can't think of a reason why it would be different for different computers.

 

Finally: Vaio_F Series Windows 7 64-bit Clean Install Guide Using OEM Recovery Discs.

 

Weird. I use Bluetooth: Sony_Headset DR-BT101 & Microsoft Laser mouse 8000 w/ Skype, works fine.

 

Joe thanks

I have not received my Seagate Momentus XT yet (nowhere in stock in The Netherlands), but as soon as I have it I will try your guide.

May I post a link to it in the Dutch F11 forum at tweakers.net?

For the people who are using a Windows 7 cd for their clean install there is an utility for backing up your Windows OEM key and activation so you don't have to use the key on the bottom of your Vaio and you don't have to activate Windows again:
ABR Beta With Windows 7 Support | directedge.us

 

Hi friends .
I want to know the motherboard chipset model of F115FM ?
Some person said to me it is HM55 but another said it is PM55 .
The sony support center also said it is PM55 .
Please give me some picture of the motherboard tab of CPU-Z or other software for check the chipset if you can .
My another question is why sony use the FM at the last of F115FM model name instead of FX like other models ?
Does it it have a important reason ?
Thanks a lot .
Have a nice day .
Goodbye .

 

Check my Vaio_F_Series VPCF115FM EVEREST Corporate Edition Report (Motherboard Chipset Intel Ibex Peak-M PM55, Intel Lynnfield) & post 1 on page 1 of this thread.

Why not? It's not finished yet & I'm gone fishin' until Sunday (not in the Gulf of Mexico. BTW the multinational BP is owned @ 40% by Americans according to NYT).

 

Thanks again Joe.
Here is the post: [Ervaringen] Het Sony Vaio VGN-F11 Series topic - Deel 2 - Complete Systemen & Laptops - GoT
Enjoy your fishing trip!
Glad I work for another oil company

 

Just caught this note on the release notes for Nvidia Verde did see this on the date f release maybe a sign of good things to come.

Note:

Hybrid Power technology with Intel chipsets is not supported by this release. Update: Sony has joined the Verde program by supporting the following VAIO notebooks: Sony IRX-5300 with NVIDIA GeForce 310M and Sony IRX-5300 with NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M. Other Sony VAIO notebooks are not supported at this time (please contact Sony for driver support).