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

Good catch.

It's not backlit because...

 

@Joe Bleau

If I were to wait for that new model (which looks amazing), what would be a good estimate of how much it would cost me? =o
Also, will the other models become cheaper after this release?

@Nuggstein
The laptop you bought is out of stock. :/ That's very sad indeed, I think that's also the reason why I can't upgrade the monitor and video card on the one they let you customize.

 

Please help . .

 

F117FX = USA = Glossy. F w/ matte screen is NOT available in North America @ the present. My VPCF117FX/B arrived a little over two hours ago...

Your guess is as good as mine.

 

Very odd. I just spoke to Sony support and the guy told me the spacebar's border is supposed to be backlit. Mine isn't. That's what i meant, not the actual key, lol. Now I have a real reason to send it back.

I wanted to customize mine like you wanted to, and it wouldn't let me, and that laptop was in stock. I spoke to them as to why they offered it in a pre-customized model together , but if you customize it yourself, you couldn't, and they couldn't give me an answer. They were like "that's just the way we do things." I further found out, that it's only the black model you can't configure it with the better graphics card. If you do gray it works. ...

 

Would you please give me some pics to show difference between matte and glossy ?

 

The spacebar is NOT backlit. Video: Sony_Vaio_F series Backlit Keyboard (US VERSION). You can't find it? It's not big enough? You don't know where it is

 

Yeah, I called the Sony Customer Service line earlier because I really want my HD display + better graphics card, and they weren't very helpful at all.

The first person I talked to was like, "Yeah, if you don't see it on the website, we don't offer it."

The second person was a bit more helpful but not much, she said that they were out of stock of the HD screens and better video cards ( I don't know how that's really possible, but ok). She then went on to check her computer and told me that she didn't know when they would be getting more, but that they weren't discontinued, and the best thing I could do was to keep checking the sony website.

Both of their reps pretty much gave me a "That's how things are" attitude. It didn't seem like they really enjoyed their job or wanted to sell their product.

The bummer is that right now they have an offer where if you buy a Vaio, the blueray player is free and it's only $80 more to add the blueray burner... I don't think it'll be like that after today. Hopefully another similar promotion will come along.

So now I guess I wait?

So far I'm not really liking their customer service...
does it improve once you are actually a true customer of them?

 

The F11, the laptop you're looking at, is officially discontinued, there will be no such thing as a new stock F11 in two weeks. Why would there be any effort to fill short stock on an obsolete model? Sony itself is the LEAST likely party to give out any info on what's going on.

To get the full set of options wait for the announcement of the F revision, the F12. I'm seeing availability for sale as being June 17th or 19th, and shipping as either the 19th or 27th. Or most likely there will be a graded set of announcements with additional options added after the initial run.

 

I just hope the F12 doesn't cost an arm and a leg when it comes out.

On the website posted above, it was priced at 1,699 euros... that's more than $2,000. :/

 

But it does not cost you an arm & a leg to go to university or to get medical attention in EU.

 

They're support is ridiculous. They just reply to you with preset sentences. And apparently tier 2 support told me some false information about the spacebar being lit...

I think the F12 is going to cost the same amount as /B model they offer now.

Also, Joe. This video which you showed before, at around 1:35 displays the spacebar being backlit...just saying.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9d7-d-umtLw&feature=player_embedded

 

Yes & it also shows flying memory cards @ 0:48 sec. which my F does not have. Maybe I should exchange my unit?

 

I wonder if the f12 will have fixed the whistle/whine that Bothered some owners. If the fan was redesigned then maybe it could be retrofitted to f11s.

 

Hi, I'm new here

Just ordered a VPCF11S1E/B and was told in the Sony Center, that the upcoming F12 is an addition to the current F11 series. Was I misinformed?

Will there be a whole new F12 series replacing the F11 models that are available now? If so I'll of course cancel my order and wait for the new ones.

 

OK. Does anybody knows in which colors the F12 will be available in USA?
Will they be the same as elsewhere?
Will the 1080p matte display also be available where I live?
Will the backlit keyboard also be available where I live?
Will it have the famous BD sticker? If so, what color?
Does anybody knows when it will be available?
Does anybody knows the pricing?
Does anybody knows if NVIDIA® GeForce® N11P found in the .LU link above means the N11P-GE1 code name for the GT 330M or an other chip?
Should I sell my F11 NOW @ a better price so I could buy the F12?
I already hate my F11 and NEED the new F12, is there a remedy?
Will the drivers be different?
Will it have the same bloatware?
How about the BIOS?
What about the new CPU's?
If you order one, could you post a blow by blow of the ordering & delivery process? We NEED to know where your package is @ the present.

When I first read this I thought it was a very witty post from Joe Bleau, but alas, it has become a reality.

I wonder if the f12... Too bad. This thread has become very uninteresting now.

 

Guys, guys. If you want to discuss whether to start a separate thread for the F12 please start a separate thread on notebookreviewreview.com. This thread is for F11/F12 discussion only.

 

And it appears 'I wonder if the F12' denotes 'discussion'.

 

I just bought a Seagate Momentus XT 250GB for my F11.
Seagate's Momentus XT Reviewed, Finally a Good Hybrid HDD - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News
http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...tus-xt-hybrid-hdd-w-built-4gb-ssd-coming.html
I had to choose between this hybrid drive or an SSD and find at this moment the SSD too expensive
My boot time with the SAMSUNG HM320II 320GB 5400RPM that is the standard drive for this model is 2 minutes and 21 seconds on a tweaked factory install according to Vaio Care.
I hope this drive is much faster in booting and application loading.
By the way Joe when can we expect your clean install from recovery media guide?
I can surely use it when my new drive arrives
Maybe you can give us some pointers how to accomplish this?

 

I think there must be something wrong with the people in this forum, maybe they're not the species known as Homo Sapiens Sapiens, maybe they've just arrived on Earth and are discovering the the whole concept of manufacturing updates, Advertising, and the idea of the evolution of technology for the first time.

Guys, ALL devices made by Man are updated and changed over time as the technology of manufacturing and the devices used evolve. Every laptop in existence has had more than one iteration through its manufacturing run.

The Waterpic I buy each year is totally different each time...

The VPCF1x laptop is being updated, like every other device manufactured on the planet. And as happens to every other computer discussed in this forum (Without starting separate threads!)

Get over it! That's the way the planet operates...

Really, a lot of you people are just children, crybabies....

I strongly suspect that any F12 lounge thread started here will be merged back into the F-series. Because, Guys, it's the SAME computer. The differences between the F12 and F11 are far LESS than between options WITHIN the F11. The F12 is simply an option update to the F-series, newer CPUs, some other minor stuff. It's the SAME laptop...

 

wah wah wah. let's start a thread for the f13 while we're at it haha.

@Joe...I guess yours is defective. My memory cards fly into my laptop. But again, I have that audio issue which is not software related. So...again, might as well. I'm seeing the family tomorrow for a BBQ...I'll let you know what happens.

 

Well... yeah. I believe that is what constitutes a discussion.

Can't wait for an official announcement for the F12. I've had my eye on the F11 for a while and really like it, I'll buy one if the F12 doesn't offer much of an improvement over the current iteration. Saw a real-life one in a shop (in the UK) - the screen looks amazing

 

The European F11s have a better screen (generally) than any of the North American runs. We're hoping the NA F12 gets the option of a wide gamut screen, but I strongly doubt it.

The announcement has already happened, indirectly. What we're waiting for is availability to BUY.

 

This is suuposed to be a LOUNGE. It's sounding like a PLAYROOM.

Lounge = people sitting around, maybe smoking pipes, discussing Boer war adventures, the stock market, "What happenedd to old Mr. Smythe" Ladies at the end of the room talking about the right to vote, the latest scandal over Miss thompson wearing a skirt above the knee....

Playroom = kids banging plastic hammers while squabbling over who gets to play with the bright red ball.

Which does this forum more closely approximate?

If I were a Mod I'd delete 80% of posts in this new thread, including mine, and give it a proper, dignified, start.

 

I love plastic hammers.

But in all seriousness. I know that Joe doesn't agree with me, but I feel that I should be allowed to return the laptop, and get the F12, since mine is less than 30 days old, and has a few minor issues that I'm anal about.

 

But I wouldn't discuss it in the forums. I'd just read up on things, then do as I wish, without airing the laundry.

 

I couldnot see any difference between the laptop in that video (F12) and the current F11.

Could you guys help me this?

 

I bet the laptop in that video is of an F11. They've put it there as a placeholder and also because the F12 will likely be very similar to the F11. As far as I know, Sony hasn't yet given official details on the F12.

 

I never said that video was of the F12, lol. Also, the two models will most likely look identical.

 

Hello everyone! I just joined and I think this forum is great!

I've been looking to buy the F1190XCTO for a while now but was sceptical of the display as many people complained about. I went to the Sony Store today (in Toronto) to check out the display and I found that it's actually pretty decent. The vertical viewing angle from above isn't so great (but who's going to be looking at the screen from that angle anyways???). Horizontal viewing angle is normal. It was the semi-glossy display with minimal reflection. It's not as good as some of the Toshibas or Dells but, bottom line is, I like it, don't love it.

Also if anyone is wondering, the manager at the store told me that I should wait two weeks for the new models coming out. He told me to come back June 14 or 15 because that's when they're getting the new arrivals. He encouraged me NOT to buy anything until then.

So there you have it. Sony Style in Toronto will be receiving the new F12 on June 14 or 15.

Cheers!

 

Seriously dude, stop trying to make us into your conscience. Make a decision, but stop going back and forth about it and saying the exact same thing in every damn post. You're worse than those crappy abc family shows my sis watches all about will they/wont they/is he/she ready/etc.

 

So I agree that you should try to exchange it for a_F12.

Now should all manufacturers accept returns of the old model every time they introduce a new one?

I don't know_Sony's employee discount policies & if they are entitled to the 30 days return even if not defective policy if bought through SonyStyle but in your shoes, I would certainly give it a try.

From the point of view of the two other parties involved, I would not be happy.

Everything is relative.

*****

I knew the thread would become boring fast for actual_F11 owners interested on exchanging tips, tweaks & troubleshooting for their machine but for me the discussion is closed:

If someone finds a more focused & useful thread for the_F11, please post or PM me a link.

I don't know if I will be able to disregard the F12_noise, repetitive questions, cross linking to reference posts to the two previous Lounge & skimming through posts is made double difficult because 95% of the posters don't > Go Advanced > and edit the title of their post so we never know by the title what the post is about. Not too usable nor efficient for skimming or search using the internal Search This Thread engine.

 

There is no issue with the thread Joe, you are the one saying it's a problem, then pointing a finger at any little thing that supports your contention. You are the one creating the "noise."

The F12 IS the F11, it's absurd to lock discussion into one or the other thread depending whether there's a "1" or a "2" following the F1. Many users won't even KNOW which they have. This is the transition period to the refresh, once the refresh is on the market then it will settle down to the normal dialogue (and questions about the F13....)

YOU are the one always saying one should look at other threads to see what problems Asus and Dell are having with their systems. Why not follow your own advice and read the FW thread, note FW Not FW190, FW320, FW390, FW460, FW590 etc. in separate threads.

You're just banging your plastic hammer Joe because you didn't get your way.

 

Thanks for the links to the hybrid HDD's, that's pretty interesting. From one of your links: "250GB $113 vs. 500GB $156. Why not double the capacity for $43? Just create 2 x 250GB partitions & use D for less used files so not to slow down C, keep fast C cleanup, defrag & frequent backups smaller. I would change my order ASAP in your shoes!

"...My boot time with the SAMSUNG HM320II 320GB 5400RPM that is the standard drive for this model is 2 minutes and 21 seconds" - That's not so long considering the 5400 rpm. Have you checked the Logon tab in Autoruns to see what's going on under the hood? Maybe something is taking longer than usual to load, check in your Event Viewer. While my first boot from clean install w/ recovery discs was 48 sec. now with anti virus, Adobe stuff, Bluetooth, etc the average for the month is up to 1:14 sec. (7 applications loading) but it's a 7200 rpm Seagate Momentus HDD. That average must be skewed by all the initial updates, patches & installations of big programs like Office, Adobe Suite, etc.

Don't be too optimistic about the shorter booting time shown in the graph of that article as he writes: "...I simply timed how long it took to boot into Windows 7 from the point the OS began loading to the time I got a cursor on the desktop" - which is not the full booting time from a cold start but partial booting time until your are able to start using the computer while other stuff finish loading in the background. You can observe this by looking at the HDD LED activity on your F and moving your pointer. It's a trick Windows 7 uses to make you think that it's really fast to boot. Personally, I prefer to wait for the HDD activity LED to quiet down before using the machine. I'm old school.

Does Vaio_Care measures the full booting cycle time or a similar "till it's usable" point?

"...By the way Joe when can we expect your clean install from recovery media guide?" - I will later tonight but I am posting this so you may change your HDD order before it's too late.

*****

 

You should thank God or whatever for the invention of plastic.

 

Why are we even arguing about pointless things? You guys should keep it new user friendly and just focus on discussing the topic of this thread.

I looked all around online today to find a Sony F11 that had all the specs I want, and I managed to find a few with everything except the blueray burner. I also don't know if they had the "premium" hd display or just the normal one.

I decided to hold off on my purchase until this new model comes out.

 

I doubt it.. I was also told in a Danish Sony Center (what Sony Style stores are called here) that the F12 is coming soon, but wouldn't Sony officially announce it if new models were right on the steps? I have spend some time searching for info on it, but have found nothing but very limited "I think" and "maybe" rumors..

 

Joe thanks for your response, much appreciated.

I ordered the 250GB version because that is the only single platter drive of the 3. A single platter drive can be (there are no tests of that particular drive yet, so it is theory) more quiet and more energy-efficient. I can also use my old drive in an external enclosure for added storage and backup purposes.

I'm not too optimistic about shorten the boot time, most of the time you only boot once a day ,but a faster drive must help

I don't know what Vaio Care measure exactly, but it is a tool we (almost) all have. So everybody could check their boot times with it.

I'm looking forward to your guide. I don't have the drive yet. It could take a couple of weeks. But I really want to try a clean install with recovery media on my new hd.

 

Well, I loaded the newest Beta drivers from Nvidia. As stated in another thread on this forum, I did not need to modify or replace any files. I simply downloaded and installed the drivers. No problems so far. Perfect stability. Of course, it has only been a few hours.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...ivers-update-197-16-gt-330m-10de-0a29-14.html

NVIDIA DRIVERS 257.15 BETA

I guess we shall see.

Bill

 

I think It is becuase F12 is just an additional upgrade on GPU and CPU of F11. Since it's not completely redesigned, there is no need to make an announcement.

If I remeber it right, when FW590 serie was upgraded from FW490 with new GPU and Harddrive, they didnt announce about it at all or did it but after releasing the product by sending people an email (not formaly published)

 

Actually, this is not a "new" product. It is only another iteration on an existing product line. It is still the "F Series", therefore I would not expect Sony to make an "official annoucment" on an iteration.

 

Were you using the Sony video drivers before the beta install?

 

People who got stuck with the F11 and cant replace it with F12 might not like about any info about F12 but this is F series forums, so we should be able to talk about any F series product, even the upcoming F13 if any. So stop hating about F12 even though its mostly still a speculation at this moment. I totally agree with Melody and I do understand how people who stuck with their F11 might feel however we need to create a neutral environment here.

I was thinking about the envy 17 instead of the F12, but we'll see..

 

I don't think anyone is "stuck" with the F11 if it's working well. They might have paid less for an F12 with similar options, and missed out on additional features, but four or five months on that's just due to the typical progression of technology.

 

This discussion is OVER. The mods named this thread "Official Sony VAIO F Series F11/F12 Owners lounge *PART 3*" so move on.

I am not "stuck with the_F11" BTW, I have been working & playing with it since 4 months. Pure pleasure.

Naturally, if I was in the market NOW, I would wait for the_F12 and compare it to the _F11. Then check for_F11's with a significant discount & decide if the latest & greatest if worth the price difference.

 

Did you uninstall your current video driver & reboot before installing 257.15 as normally recommended? Did you run any video benchmarks before & after updating?

If you wanted to link directly to Gandalf_The_Grey's post about Nvidia 257.15 Beta, just copy the permalink in the top right corner of the post.

Thanks to Gandalf_The_Grey for the pointer BTW.

 

lol I can't believe that the majority of the last 8 pages has been fighting over the F11 vs F12 thing.

For one, the machine isn't even out yet. If you don't want your F11 anymore, the best thing to do is go sell it on craigslist, ebay, or somewhere else. I can't believe people keep whining about the screen when it looks even worse in the store than it does in person. Besides, what did you expect from one of the cheapest i7 quad laptops on the market?

For $1300 you really can't complain. A better machine of similar build would be what, a thinkpad W700 or maybe an envy 17? Those will definitely cost you more. A macbook pro 17" costs even more! Soo..

If you hate the F11, chances are good you'll hate the F12 too. I really liked the FW, and ended up really liking the F because it was almost the exact same machine.

 

What are the chances of the F12 bringing the matte screen to NA? I was gunna get the F11 but im holding out hoping they give us the option. (Im going to college in the fall so this is a grad present )

 

I'm guessing as an added option when the F12 has been out a few weeks..maybe.

 

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