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

Ok so I'm curious, how is that 15% applied. Will they take the 15% off after they have added everything together? As it stands I'm getting the 5% student discount on the base laptop, then receiving a 10% promotional discount for adding a 2 year service plan. My idea was to get around 10% off the base laptop and still get the 10% promotional discount on top. I'm getting a pretty basic F series as follows:

# No Fresh Start
# LED Backlit Keyboard
# 4GB (2GBx2) DDR3-SDRAM-1333
# CD/DVD player/burner
# No Engraving
# Adobe Bundle
# Norton Internet Security™ 2010 (30 Day Trial)
# Black
# Microsoft® Office 2010 Starter
# Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit
# 320GB Hard Disk Drive (5400rpm)
# Intel® Core™ i7-740QM processor (1.73GHz) with Turbo Boost up to 3.06GHz
# 16.4" VAIO Full HD Premium Display (1920x1080) (Reg. price $100.00)
# NVIDIA® GeForce® 330M GPU (1GB VRAM)
# Standard capacity battery

It's coming to $ 1,129 .60 for everything including 2 year service plan, and 97.99 of it is tax. That's with the student discount and 10% off with 2 year plan. Any chance I'm going to get it cheaper than that over the phone? I know that's pretty cheap already but I need to save every dime I can.

 

The first F11 I bought received a 10% discount. The next 3 F11s received a 15% discount. After that, I bought 2 more and again received a 15% discount. The first one was purchased without any additional items or services. I simply told them over and over that others on this forum had received 10% discounts as students. They told me I was not a student, but I told them I was buying for a church. This went back and forth with a couple of different sales people (on the phone) until they gave me the 10%.

They were very nice about it, but I am sure that they are trained NOT to give more than 5% discounts, but also to make the sale.

Bill

 

I went to to the educational store and it seems they have a base promotional discount that renders everything 10% off if you include the service plan. (edu store only) I came with a subtotal of $1144.11 (tax not included)

I just remembered that with the 15% off, the service plan was not discounted. But not so in this promotional event. It actually totals less that the 15% discount.

With the 15% discount, the laptop using your configuration subtotals to $913.74 but, plus the price of the service plan at $249.99 the new subtotal comes to $1163.73. (this is calculated in regular retail pricing and does not even include the accessory.)

How did you calculate the configuration to get $1129.60 with tax included? If the chat sales gave you that pricing which is better than the online calculation with the promotional discount then go for it. You could try for an even better deal if you say that you'll buy an accessory.

 

Q1. Ok i will try doing it with a external monitor.
Q2. The brightness option has 9 levels. In the 9 and 8 levels (9-Maximum Brightness) the noise is gone . From the 7 level to level 1 the noise is there.



Legend:
1 - Level 7 - with noise.
2 - Level 9 - no noise, maximum brightness.
3 - Level 8 - no noise.

Q3. The sound begins when its booting up.
Q4. He unpacks properly but then nothing happens. Maybe he is installing in background. But then i restart the laptop and the drivers are still the old ones.

 

Joe i dont have external devices plugged in right now.

 

I have exactly the same problem. For me it goes away or get quieter after one hour...

 

Hi Guys,

I've been skimming through this thread and trying to get a good feel for the Sony Vaio F12. I just want to say this is my first post and hopefully will be able to contribute to this thread if I decide to go with the F12. I'll layout this post so it's easier to read. I hope you guys will be nice enough to give me a few insights and thoughts about the Vaio. It's a beautiful computer and I'm really debating on getting it. However, I'm just wondering (and I'm hoping you can help me with it) is it right for me?

Current Computer
Currently I have a Dell XPS 420 Desktop computer;
Spec's include;
Processor: Quad-Core 2.4Ghz Q6600
Video: 512mb Nivida GeForce 9800 GT
Memory: 8GB Ram
Display: 19" Widescreen 1400x900 resolution
Optical: DVD/CD RW
HDD: 500GB
OS: Windows 7 Pro

This computer is coming around to about two years old now. It still runs great and does everything I need it to do. However, I have a few reasons for upgrading to a laptop. One is mobility. I have an office, but if I want to move around the house or take my work outside to a coffee shop, it's kind of limited. Second is to get up-to-date with the current computers.

My Computer Usage
Basically here's what I'm more focused on in a computer;
I'm a web designer and front end developer. So my tools of choice are Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash and DreamWeaver (CS3) Once in awhile there might be a video editing project, but it's pretty rare.


I'm not much of a gamer, but I do have a few games and some of the heavy graphic games include Team Fortress 2, World in Conflict and World of Warcraft. I rarely play them, but if I own them, I'd like to be able to run them at the best settings.

Finally, the only other thing that I really care about is my music. I would really like to have a great sound card, but there are no options for sound on the website. My question: How is the sound on the F12?

Vaio Specs
Back to the Vaio itself; I've been into the Sony store and have felt the laptop and the keyboard and it feels great and looks amazing. Of course I can't quite get the true feel for it if I'm only playing with the in-store model. Which is where I'd like some thoughts from you guys (especially if you're a graphic designer. Print or Web, or even if you are just a coder)

So on the Canada website, I'm putting together a computer with such specs;
Processor: i7-740QM (1.73Ghz/Turbo 3.06Ghz)
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium
Color: Black
Memory: 8GB DDR3-SDRAM
HDD: 500GB SATA 7200RPM
Optical: DVD/CD RW
Display: 16.4" Vaio Display (1600x900)
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 330M GPU (1GB VRAM)
Keyboard Backlight: No
Battery: Large Capacity
Total: $1207.95 + taxes

Final Thoughts
Compared to my desktop, this computer seems to blow my desktop out of the water. At least I would think so. What do you guys think? I've read in a few different places that the HD display really kills the battery. I've also read that the computer itself seems to be a mixed bag when it comes to working correctly. What kind of problems have you guys had? If any. And finally, do you think this would be a great desktop replacement for the next few years? I'm trying to keep the price below $1200 before taxes.

Thanks!

 

Oh, I was including the 2 year service plan without ADH for 124.99. Which brings the total to $ 1,031 .61 before tax. Are you saying you would only get the plan with ADH?

So you're saying the 15% discount you got through the phone only applied to the base laptop before the service plan and without tax, which was added on in full? Sounds to me like the 10% off of the entire price including the service plan would be a better deal, since you're essentially getting the service plan for free (the one without ADH that is). If I could convince them to give me 10% instead of 5% student discount in addition to the 10% service plan promotional discount it would be almost perfect, but I might be pushing it.

Also, how many of you have a service plan? Is it only worth getting the one with ADH? What kind of warranty do you have without getting one, is it not very good?

 

Yeah since I already had in mind to pay for a service plan, I went with ADH because if I accidentally spilt liquid or if the laptop dropped out of my bag and broke the screen etc. it will be covered for full repair. The regular and extended plan without ADH won't cover accidental damages.

Seems like the promotional deal is worth it right now. I recalculated the subtotal price to $1031.61 which is $7.12 cheaper than what you would get with the 15% discount but with a non-discounted regular 2yr plan.

Try phone sales, it doesn't hurt to ask for additional discounts.

 

Silly me for not doing quite enough research but I was desperately in need of a laptop a few days ago. I just found the existance of the F12. The microcenter near me has this one in stock

Micro Center - Sony VAIO VPCF127FX/B - Black VPCF127FX/B

Intel® Core™ i7 - 740QM
6GB DDR3-1333 RAM
640GB 5,400RPM Hard Drive
Blu-Ray Combo Drive
Multimedia Card Reader
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 330M
10/100/1000 Network
802.11b/g/n Wireless
Stereo A2DP (2.1 + EDR)
16.4" Full HD Widescreen Display
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)
Black

Now, I bought a VPCF11JFX/B only a few days ago and it has the same processor and specs as above but also includes the BDRW and the 7200RPM 500GB hard drive (but I replaced it with an Intel G2 160GB SSD).

What are the main differences between the two? Are there any tangible improvements? Should I just stick with the laptop I have? I COULD live without a BDRW considering the F12 is about $200 cheaper due to 3.5% tax at Microcenter and the rebate.

I also noticed the two bottom corners of my screen have a dark hue to them

 

Hi, so I've got my Vaio F when it got released, I've had no problems so far, but I noticed high temperature readings when playing Call of Duty: Modern warefare 2 on multiplayer, or any game of that matter.

look at max temps, they seem a bit too high:



Feedback is appreciated :<

 

Hello there Guys,

Can any of u guys that has new F12 models tell wich Nvidia Video Driver does laptop come with ? And do u need to update it or is already update ?
Reason im asking is, on Nvidia site u have the following post for newest
Driver update Version: 257.21 WHQL


Note:

The following are not supported in this release:

- Hybrid Power technology with Intel chipsets.

- Sony VAIO notebooks. Sony VAIO Windows 7 users can click here for driver update support.


So not sure what is newest update we can install on F12 same as Forceware

Thx

 

Well both you guys' machines have symptoms that points to a defective inverter as making it work more or less via brightness or when cold or hot after working a while changes it's frequency. Think about a Neon that makes noise & won't start properly.

If your notebook is under warranty send it for repair or use the onsite service if you have it in your country. For people like me far away from service, it's easy to DIY repair as you need to only remove the bezel & not the LCD itself & the inverter is just snapped in & easy to unplug. Check the Vaio_F Series Laptop How To Replace the LCD Display & Inverter (link also found in my signature). I rather pay for a replacement inverter than pay the same amount for shipping back & forth the F with all the risks & wait 6 to 8 weeks at best because I live in Costa Rica. Can't be all good to live in paradise.



So that's the inverter's number for my US 1080p: 1-445-672-12 AMDB1 (2045S1). It could be a different model for 900p or Matte 1080p displays.

Searching using 1-445-672-12 returns several results. Searching w/o the dashes on servicesplus.us.sony.biz returns this part for $63: 144567212.

The VAIO_F Series 900p & 1080p glossy are using a CCFL ( Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp) tube for back-lighting so it's a CCFL inverter. The matte Premium 1080p as reported by some F users could be a 2 CCFL tubes so using a different inverter or even LED. As I write this we don't know which F models would use LED, you would have to physically check or call Sony_parts or your local Sony_support to find out.

 

@ Lucror; What MelodyMaster wrote makes sense. In fact I don't know why you ask us to stab in the dark as the BSOD should give info about the error as well as the memory dump. You could take a photo of your BSOD screen if you don't have time to write down the error description.

Check this: Windows 7 BSOD resource and How to read a mini dump and especially Windows 7 Blue Screen Of Death issues where the user had one bad memory stick, just like MelodyMaster described. It very easy to remove, reset or upgrade the memory on the Vaio_F Series:

 

That's right, F12_owners please give us the BIOS & video driver info using the free & standalone (no install needed) SIW 2010.



Meanwhile keduar, use the Search this Thread box top right of this page with: 257.21.

*****

 

Do you know every square millimeter of this laptop Joe?

Also, is there an advantage to downloading the 257.21 drivers? I mean any real improvement?

 

Oke, so i have the vaio f11m1e (eu) for about a couple of months and i'm witnessing mini-lags while gaming. It's not with every game but for example with MW2 or BFBC2 i'm having this problem. So i can say that especially with heavy games i encouter this lag. And when i do, de screen gets like a millisecond lag and the sound goes like kghhh for i slight second. The thing is. I have this mini-lag like once a second so it is very annoying. Since the sound also drags, i reckon it's either the gpu or the sounddevice. Anyone got a similar problem or has any ideas what i can do?

And when i just bought my laptop, my little brother threw a splash of fruitwater ( no sugar) over my new f11 =(. I took out the battery and the lappy seemed fine, it was on the left side of the keyboard. Could this have anything to do with the problem? I can't really compare with before the accident because i just had it for about a day. And i also formatted and reinstalled my pc with a clean setup. It didnt matter.

Thx in advance.

 

Did you overclock your GPU? If you did, then overclocking it too much would cause stability issues such as that you are experiencing.

 

Thx for your fast reply Nuggstein. No i didn't overclock my gpu so it cant be that. But listen up, i may have found the problem already myself. I disabled my sounddevice in device manager, then i re-enabled it, and now the problem is completely gone. The thing is, i have the feeling that its going to return. So what sound drivers do you guys use? Currently im using the stock sony one from their website. If this problem keeps surfacing i guess ill probably buy an x-fi or something.

Thx guys.

 

can someone chime in on this?

 

You are mistaken, the i7-740QM did not even exist when the VPCF11JFX was launched. Posted a few pages back but again: i7-720QM, 740QM, 820QM vs 840QM Specs Side-by-Side on Intel's site.

If the F12_is cheaper than the_F11 with similar specs (don't forget motherboard revision & more recent BIOS & software & drivers), I see absolutely not reasons to get the_F11. Seems obvious, no?

 

Mango, I just watched most of your youtube vids, good stuff.

 

What is the Bus/Core ratio? It says the 840qm is 14, 820 and 740 is 13, and the 720 is 12. What does that mean? Is that the multiplier?

 

From this Intel Definitions of terms of processor technology post:

We can't change that multiplier in the F_Series BIOS which I don't mind as the CPU in my F is working fantastically as it is @ the present.

 

my mistake, you are correct I have the i720QM currently. Since I'm experiencing some problems with the LCD anyway I will return it and get the F12.

 

So is the higher number better?

 

Thanks MelodyMaster and Joe for the links, I'll be sure to keep those resources. However, I have no motivation to make the time and zero patience to try and fix my 2 day old 1800 dollar laptop. This is something I might expect from the 7 year old laptop I'm currently using. Since tech support and customer care was so quick to say return it, I'm not going to fight it. I'll post back within a month with my next laptop experience. I do thank you again for the wealth of knowledge.

 

You are welcome.

It takes only about 2 minutes to remove & reinstall the memory sticks and it will not void the warranty as it is a DIY thing explained in the laptop's user manual so why not try it or try using only one at the time & report here? Could you tell us the error description on the BSOD screen?

This may help other F users with a similar problem. It's the motor of this F owner's thread.

 

Hey. Sorry abotu the random post, but I'm in need of some help for a minor issue..lol

I just took a numpad key off of my F series laptop to clean underneath and can't seem to get it back on. Sorry for the stupid question, but could anyone help. There are three pieces. Anyone know how I should go about this?

 

In this case multiplier is what it is, not much to worry about it.
to state what may be obvious:
If you cant push the memory any fastr you can only have a high multiplier to get a faster CPU frequency.
So with the fixed memory bus the 740 had to have a higher multiplier than the 720. It is what it is.
comparing to other machines we are blessed with a very nice 1333 MHz memory (outside of the exotic realm) this keeps the multipler as low as possible for a given frequency.
If we were overclocking we would entertain trade offs but as others said it makes less sense on an i7 in a laptop anyway.

 

How to Pop a Key Back Onto A Keyboard

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAI_AG3gFMo

Use that. I accidentally popped a key off my F11 and started freaking out. You may need the assistance of tweezers...make sure the two small plastic pieces are not broken. There should be two hinges and the key (if those are the three pieces). Hopefully that helps you. The hinges get connected to each other first, and then to the keypad, then the key snaps on.

 

How about posting some photos?

 

Removed keys = "Laptop P o r n"

 

It is already packed up. However, this is what I saved last night before calling tech support.

Problem signature:
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7600.2.0.0.256.48
Locale ID: 1033

Additional information about the problem:
BCCode: 7f
BCP1: 0000000000000008
BCP2: 0000000080050031
BCP3: 00000000000006F8
BCP4: FFFFF80002EDBA63
OS Version: 6_1_7600
Service Pack: 0_0
Product: 256_1

 

I don't mean to be rude, but you are very arrogant and ignorant. You posted on a forum and asked for help, and we probably could have solved your problem. While we're trying to help you, you decide to call Sony and immediately disregard any further educated assistance. Again, I don't care, but I just thought you should know. It probably did not require the entire unit to be shipped out for repair.

 

It may have come off rude, but that was not my intention. Basically the point of my first post was to give feedback on my purchase of an F12, since it seemed many were asking questions about it (mostly the 1080p vs. 900p screens). It just happened that I had this problem as well, and reported it. I had called Sony tech/customer service and agreed to return it, before posting here.

 

Well, thanks for posting that info. Searching the web with bluescreen BCCode: 7f 0000000000000008 0000000080050031 00000000000006F8, it seems it could be memory but also ZoneAlarm firewall that you mentioned having installed. Check this BSOD post.

Anyway, good luck with your replacement & don't install Zone Alarm, just in case.

*****

@ Nuggstein: It's OK to submit a problem to us, ask the community for some suggestions & ending up returning or having the F repaired by_Sony.

What is really rude is to ask for some help or tips & never come back to post feedback to say if it worked or not. That means not giving a ?%!#@ about the non-paid helpers for their time or the next user with a similar problem.

*****

 

^ I did tell him to start his computer in safe mode, did I not? -_-

 

Here ya go!

 

Yes - the F would be very good for the applications you listed above (programs that are coded to take advantage of multiple cores).

You should be able to max those games at 1280x720 (the display scales nicely). WOW and TF2 will probably run at 1920x1080 with highest settings, as they aren't very demanding of the GPU.[/quote]

I haven't had any problems (save a keyboard issue where my bottom row of keys stopped working. Sony sent a technician round the next day and fixed it up though. Good hint, say you're going to be out of town after tomorrow and won't be back for a while. They'll usually come by the next day ). It is a very nice desktop replacement and while it may not blow your desktop out of the water, it is really capable and well-built.

As a reference, the standard battery on mine lasts for ~2 hours with casual web surfing/youtube on medium brightness.

 

Hmmm 99C is a bit high. Is the air around you hot/humid when you play?

Propping up your desktop should help. Are you overclocking the gpu? Tone back the clocks a bit if you are. Also, try not to obstruct the chassis with anything. The airflow system is designed so that the hot parts of laptop draw in air from around the chassis through convection. A rule of thumb is to keep the speaker grille clear of any obstructions and the 4 sides of the laptop. Propping up the base should help with airflow and keeping the computer cool.

 

Thanks My internet connection is very very sketchy here so my 6-part AOE3 video isn't uploading very well...

On another note I just got Section 8 (oh Steam summer sale... I just can't resist ). Its built on UE3 so it runs practically the same as UT3, GOW, or any other quintessential "shiny big bad soliders in armor" game.

With everything turned up I get ~40-50 fps in areas without particles. The method of drawing particles in the game seems to be ridiculously resource-hungry and not threaded properly so areas with particles can get down to ~10-18 fps for a few seconds.

 

And to quote "I uninstalled zone alarm and it works perfect now!! weird I have zone alarm on my laptop with windows and it works great?
Anyways thanks again!"

Lucror, You could have waited for our advice about the bluescreen and might have very well have solved the problem by uninstalling Zonealarm. But instead to ship the whole computer back.....?\\

New stuff has problems, always; even maybe just a fingerprint, or loose screw, a door seal was off on one end on our new dishwasher. .. in most cases the problems can be fixed by the customer, let the manufacturer pay for shipping and service labour on REAL defects, and keep the OEM cost down.

 

I've had it on a cooling pad with 2 fans, but I guess its not a good idea while gaming, thanks for responding :>

 

Awesome

Thanks for your thoughts mango!

 

So the minute I add my SSD I void my warranty?

 

We told him to wait. :\

No you don't void your warranty. That is meant to be replaced. As well as the RAM, and possibly the optical drive.

 

Ordered my F12 a week ago and the ETA is tomorrow!

However, don't know why a package from California has to go through a big loop to reach Vancouver:

Carlsbad, CA -> Memphis, TN -> Winnipeg, MB, Canada -> Vancouver

 

Hi guys,

I just check the Nvidia driver site and seems Version: 258.69 BETA is just out,

NVIDIA DRIVERS 258.69 BETA

Does any F12 owener here already update it and see how it works ? Im getting my F12 this week , So what is best I can do update to 258 beta or just wait and go with 257.21 WHQL ?

 

Because the really big computer of the package delivery company said that it was the cheapest way to ship it to you. Your package hitchhiked on airplanes & trucks that we going where ever they were going & had some spare space. There is also the hub thing.

Same multiple stops as when you search for cheap flights. If you would have paid for overnight shipping, it would have probably flew direct to Vancouver.