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

To be fair to Lucror, in his first post here, he was posting feedback about his CTO_F12 & mentioning why he was returning it. That's cool because he took the time to do it even if he is not sure he will get an other one & mentioned a new BSOD problem that no other F12_or_F11_owner reported @ the present. His objective was to give back to the community.

He was not asking for our help because his mind was already set: I paid good money for product X and it should work perfectly out-of-the-box. And maybe it was.

The problem is that there is a million ways (at least ) to mess up a perfectly working system with all the tweaks & stuff we add on: software & peripheral hardware (mouse, external HDD, web access hardware, etc, etc. By system I mean the hardware/software combination that a F out of factory is. Just search the 3 F owners threads with "clean install" to find hundreds of problems caused by the users wiping out the software part of the system equation & not installing all the stuff needed for the F to work properly.

The reflex of people is first to suspect the machine instead of troubleshooting first with the assumption that it may be something they did or a known Windows 7 problem or simple a third-party software compatibility or bug problem.

I know I did the same with my new $5500 Nikon super-tele lens before reading about it & realizing that you need good shooting technique & a very good tripod to shoot sharp images at those extreme focal length.

I agree 100% with this statement besides the user caused problems thing.

I would really like to see stats & costs of laptop buyers returning non-defective products and also for the support cost for user caused problems & the impact on the retail price that we all have to pay for in the end.

This document by The Retail Equation is quite interesting: Retail Industry Customer Returns.

From my Youtube video laptop failure play-list: a guy abusing the_Dell's_Complete Care Warranty on purpose: How to Destroy a $3500 Laptop. The list includes a cute kitten finding the hot spot on a laptop for you girls.

 

Winnipeg is Customs brokerage. But mine took just one day from shipping to delivery in Mississauga even with the "loop".

 

ok, I picked up the new F12 last night and I'm happy to report that it is MUCH better than the F11. For one the LCD screen is pretty much perfect and the other big improvement is the heat dissipation. The F11 got very hot on my lap but the F12 is extremely comfortable even on my lap with shorts on.

I also removed the 640GB hd and replaced it with my Intel 160GB G2. So far everything is great and I hope this laptop lasts me a good 5-6 years at least.

I'm going to use the 640GB hd as an external drive using this:

Newegg.com - VANTEC NST-260SU-BK Aluminum 2.5" USB2.0 & eSATA External Enclosure

 

Edited:
This was a confusing description of the product. Newegg wording indicates up to 160GB supported, as well as first review. Then everyone seems to be using it with larger drives. One review says it has problems with smaller than 160G. I guess it is good for your application too.

 

I have to thank Joe Bleau and all the others that help me solve my inverter display problem. Tomorrow i will contact the sony support and hope to have this problem solved.

Thanks guys.

 

I just realized that the Vantec unit above does not support Power over eSata. I went through Joe's old posts regarding a Power over eSata enclosure and sadly it seems to be an out of production unit now. Are there any other confirmed alternatives?

 

This is the one I'm using: Amazon.com: 2.5IN Power Esata Sata HDD Enclosure with Otb:…

Unfortunately, you have to buy your own power over esata cable, as the enclosure doesn't come with one, but they're only like $5 on amazon.

 

thanks! ordered it but now I have 2 2.5" enclosures. I guess I'll keep a spare around from my overheating dell laptop

 

Will be purchasing this hard drive unless I hear negative comments on this thread.

Western Digital 320 GB Scorpio Black SATA 7200 RPM 16 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Notebook Hard Drive WD3200BEKT ($55.99 Amazon) along with the case 2.5IN Power Esata Sata HDD Enclosure with Otb ($26.84 Amazon)

Please offer any positive or negative opinions on this HDD.

 

Acomdata Tango USB 2.0/eSATA 2.5-Inch seems to have good reviews too.

 

Are you talking about the 1080p screen?

 

Hey guys, I'm currently looking for a laptop for college next year, and I think I've narrowed it down to the Vaio vpcf1290x and the asus g51jx-a1. I know that they're both going to do well as notebooks, but I want a notebook that will be able to play some games since I won't have my desktop in the dorm. I guess I'm not really a heavy gamer, I play a little Battlefield and some games on STEAM which I know will run fine on either, but since I'm planning on having the laptop for the next 4 years I want to be able to play games that come out a year or two from now decently. I don't mind playing on medium settings as long as it looks and runs good. To me the Vaio seems more professional compared to the asus "republic of gamers" branding which seems silly to me. But will the 330m card be a good choice with the 1080p for medium to light gaming?

 

In the past all my desktops were chosen by my parents and the last few laptops I've had were hand-me-downs. I am now looking to purchase a new laptop but have a few questions. I am not computer savvy at all so if they're obvious please understand. I searched a bit through here and read all the posts from the F12's release date onwards but didn't see the answers I'm looking for.

I was trying to decide between a Lenovo Thinkpad T510, Dell Studio 17, and Sony VAIO F12. I think the VAIO offers me the best value for the money but it would help me a bit to better compare the three if the following questions can be answered

1) The F12 has what is called "discrete" graphics and not "integrated" graphics, correct?

2) What wireless card is in the F12? I can't find it listed in the Canadian nor American sonystyle sites.

3) How many cells is the large capacity battery? 6? 8? 9? 10?

4) Does the large capacity battery stay flush with the laptop or does it jut out/stick out like how a 9 cell Thinkpad battery does?

5) The default Windows 7 Home Premium is the 64-bit version correct?

6) Does the F12 have a powered USB port that for example, can charge things or charge things while off?

That's it for now until I can think of some more. If I knew the answers to these I think I would have pulled the trigger a few hours ago and gotten a shipping date of Aug 3. Now I see it's jumped an entire week to Aug 10

Thanks!


btw, for those of you in Canada, was anybody able to obtain a discount by phone? not sure if I should do it online or try the hassle of calling them

 

First off, the GTS 360m in the g51jx-a1 is a more powerful GPU than the 330m. The GTS 360m is going to be playing games in medium to high settings at 1080p. The 330m is going to be playing the same games in medium to high settings at 1366X768 (which is still an HD resolution, basically 720p). The 330m can probably do 1080p once settings are scaled back, but even then there may still be a few games it's not going to handle well at all at that resolution. What it comes down to is the ASUS is a gaming laptop, and it's being marketed as such. The F12 is more of an all around professional notebook with high end specs, with the ability to play games. Most other specs between these two laptops are roughly the same, with F12 having a slightly better CPU.

You said yourself you're more of a light gamer, how important is gaming to you? How important is being able to play games at the highest settings? The ASUS is going to be overall heavier and offer less portability compared to the F12, and while both don't have excellent battery life I can easily say the F12 is probably going to come out better. As a light gamer, the 330m is likely going to meet your needs just fine. As far as the future? Both of these GPUs are several generations behind compared to desktop graphics as it is. Looking at benchmarks the GTS 360m looks like it may roughly match the performance of my 8800gt, and that card is already old news. 2 years from now? It will definitely be very outdated. I'm not saying you wont still be gaming with these GPUs in 2 years but just don't expect them to play all the new games in medium to high settings like they'll be able to today. Your living situation could be entirely different in 2 years. If you're out of the dorms, you'll likely have more space, which means you'll have your desktop gaming rig with you. The performance of your notebooks GPU wont be as important then if it's no longer your primary computer.

Regardless, both of these notebooks are excellent systems and they're going to be viable and good laptops for several years.

 

1) It has dedicated graphics instead of integrated. This means the notebook has a separate graphics processing unit with its own dedicated video ram vs sharing with the primary system memory. It's superior to integrated graphics in every way, essentially.

2) I don't know the answer to this one, but I've heard no complaints about the wireless.

3) I'm pretty sure it's 9 cell. It's supposed to provide 1.5X more battery life over the standard capacity battery which is 6 cell.

4) It sticks out.

5) Yes

6) I'm not sure.

 

When I ordered by F12, I did ask about "Education" discounts, or any other discounts that could be applied and the customer service rep on the phone said none were available in Canada. The only thing they could offer was free "express" delivery.

 

Found this on the sony website VAIO Support Europe.

Presumably it is a bios update to improve thermal management. Has anybody installed the new bios version? I do not have any troubles with overheating so I do not know what to do. I checked the serial number of my computer and it said it is affected by this issue.

 

Anyone seen this news?
Sony Recalling Some Vaio Laptops - WSJ.com
"The recall affects some F and C Series Vaio laptops sold after January 2010."

 

Your notebook could be one with a faulty temperature controll. Sony has just made a recall. See sony-recalls-500000-vaio-notebooks
Probably it is resolvable by a bios update

 

Ack, my bad, apparently the recall is not true: Twitter / Jack Schofield: BIOS fix RT @flashboy If a ...

 

Like you, mine is one of the infected but has not shown any heat problems. I decided to update anyway (better save than sorry) and the process was straight forward and painless. Takes about a minute and locks up the desktop while the fan runs at full chat. Then just reboot and carry on...

EDIT...

LOL I meant affected, not infected!

 

if you have time can you do some tests just to see wether the update improves the cooling. So maybe you can post some screenshots with the temperature at idle and in games.
Also did you notice any change in the noise made by the fan.... hopefully now is more regular and does not change that often

 

Well, in Europe Sony herself release the news that some notebooks of the C en F-series might have an overheating-problem. See Important Notification for the Sony VAIO F11 and CW2 Series

 

Good point, I was about to ask for feedback on the same with the new bios as regards oscillation of fan speed at idling eg. when only browsing the web. This is when mine whines/whistles ... I don't hold out a lot of hope though.

While on the subject, I have been on contact with another member of this forum who had an attempted repair of his f11 whine recently (post-F12 release) and it still whines...

 

I type my model number on VAIO Suport Europe and my F11 is not one of those affected.

BUT, here on VAIO Suport Brazil a bios update became available to download

Sony eSupport - VPCF112HB/BI - Software Updates & Drivers

This utility upgrade the BIOS to R0280Y6 version and bring the following advantages:

* Better thermic management
* Fix a problem where the computer maybe fail to start with the operational system (!?)

 

Well I've been running with the bios update for a few hours now and as far as I can tell, its made no apparent difference to my F's cooling behavior. Oh, and the whiney noise from the fan is still there.

My guess is that it just fixes a bug where a certain set of curcumstances could lead to insufficient cooling.

 

My VAIO never had any problems, but I upgrade the bios successfully.
I stop breathe in the process but everything ends fine.

No new options became available in the new BIOS' menu.

 

Well after stalking this thread for a bit and waiting for the F12 to be released I just order my Vaio up. My first one...should be interesting

I was thinking about the Refurb MacBook Pro but the price is just way to much for what I was getting. It looked like I had to spend around $2,400 to get something in the ballbark of these specs. Even though the resale of Macs are amazing it the hardware is just too much $$$ to throw down.





Product: US-VPCF1290X-LBOM
Component: Standard capacity battery
Component: Intel® Core™ i7-740QM processor (1.73GHz) with Turbo Boost up to 3.06GHz
Component: 16.4" VAIO Full HD Premium Display (1920x1080) (Reg. price $100.00)
Component: NVIDIA® GeForce® 330M GPU (1GB VRAM)
Component: Fresh Start
Component: No LED Backlit Keyboard
Component: 6GB (4GBx1 + 2GBx1) DDR3-SDRAM-1333
Component: Blu-ray Disc player
Component: No Engraving
Component: No Adobe Software
Component: No additional AntiVirus Software
Component: Gray
Component: No additional Office software
Component: Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64-bit
Component: 500GB Hard Disk Drive (7200rpm)
Per Unit Price: $1,291.49
Quantity: 1
Total Price: $1,291.49

 

Hey Tausif

Sorry for the delay but let me finally update the forum on the repair I had re. the fan whine/whistle.

I had the same issue as a few people on this forum have expressed, as in the fan on my F11 constantly whined and whistled. I was in contact with Sony support for a number of months trying to sort the issue and finally sent it away for repair the other week.

The repair took 5 days from leaving me to returning which was very good. I hear Tausif had to wait a number of weeks to get his back. Anyway since it's return I've had ample time to test it out to see what difference the repair made. The repair form indicated that they had replaced the mainboard (motherboard) and added TCN shielding pad.

Using the F11 since it's return I've noticed that the annoying whistle has gone, however the whine is still there albeit duller and less noticeable than before. I'm pretty happy with the outcome and I think anyone with the whine/whistle issue isn't going to get rid of it completely, therefore I'm not planning to send it away again.

Another thing to note was that the laptop came back in pristine condition. It looked brand new, so that was a nice addition.

Andy

 

Hi,

I'm new to these forums and I've been following the f series threads for a while now. Although there seem to problems, none of 'em actually effect the performance of the laptop so I decided to go ahead and buy one. My specs are as follows:

i7 740qm
6gb ram
640gb HD
1080p screen
Nvidia 330m
blu ray drive (read only)
back lit keyboard

Ive got several questions however.

1-) The ram is 4gb + 2gb...if i decide to change the 2gb to a 4gb module at a later date does it have to be same make model as the 4gb module or is it ok if a different make but running at the same speeds?

2-) although i assume my gfx card card will come with the latest firmware, for future updates do I have to do the .inf file thing? If so, will that .inf file work with future updates even though its for the 197 driver?

thanks for the help

EDIT: from what i understand most of these noise related problems were fixed with the f12 update...is this correct?

 

Unboxing a new VAIO, priceless.

 

Heads up for any Canadian F12 buyers.

Looks like they changed the pricing on the i7-720 vs the i7-740. Before it was the same price, now its $84.00 for the 740.

But who knows...when you click on "more info" the info is wrong anyway...the 740 turbo boost is not 3.06 ghz. those are the specs for the 820 - I believe Joe already pointed this out in previous posts. It is incorrect on the ss.com website also.

You can probably call them up and complain to get the 740 and not have to pay extra $$$

 

Concerning today's BIOS update- anyone seeing any performance loss due to this update? Since this is designed to help keep the laptop 'cooler' I would think this would be a logical question. My laptop has never been over 61C, should I ignore this update? Anyway to roll back a BIOS update- system restore would not do this correct?

 

You can use a different brand of memory as long as the speeds/voltage match.

 

You guys missed my post made 3 days ago about the R0280Y6 BIOS here: VAIO_F Series BIOS UPdate & CPU Tweaking?:

Searching the web with Tanis.7x's BIOS R0280Y6 I found this Sony_support page but w/o links for downloading nor notes saying if it would brick my mobo or not as BIOS updating is a dangerous thing if it's not for your specific mobo:

*****

WARNING!

To be on the safe side and to make sure that flashing the BIOS will not have a negative effect on your machine:

- First check your BIOS version with: Start > search: system information.

- Find your F's serial number in: ASSIST > VAIO_Care > VAIO_Support and there is a link to said VAIO_Support for your model in that tab. Or flip your F & look on the sticker on the bottom.

- If your model is listed & works fine, you don't need to flash the BIOS but if Sony_included it then one may presume that they made sure it would not harm your machine if you follow exactly the instructions:

- If VAIO_Support does not list your model or serial number in the list, there is no reasons to download that R0280Y6 BIOS version. You could write or phone VAIO_Support with your serial number if not listed to be on the safe side.

A manufacturer launching a revised BIOS is not unusual, as_DELL released one for the_XPS and HP_did the same for their new 17"_Envy as well as for the 15"_Envy.

My guess is that this BIOS revision may also solve the oddball fan stuck @ 100% that a few users reported previously and that can be fixed with disconnecting the CMOS battery for one minute.

Finally, to be on the safe side, a utility with a built in critical temperature alarm (including for HDD & GPU) is a good thing for your peace of mind.

The US esupport page is up: Important Notification for the Sony_VAIO_F11 and CW2 Series:

Thanks for the pointer ViperRS.

 

Just got off the phone with sonystyle.ca

The guy I talked to said that the 740 being no additional cost was a "price error" that has now been rectified. When I mentioned it's been the same price since June 21st he just laughed.

Apparently the fact the performance lists the 820 has no bearing as the 740 is indeed now $84. I was not able to talk him into giving it to me without the additional charge.

I love how they suddenly decide to raise the price in time for Canada's day. I should have ordered this two hours ago sigh.

Another thing is he said once made, you only have 24 hours to cancel or change an order. Is this true? Other brands such as Lenovo let you cancel as long as it's not shipped. The sonystyle.ca site seems to contradict what he said: "Please note that order changes and cancellations can be made prior to order shipment."

 

"WARNING!!: Before installing this update, be sure the computer is running from AC power. If the installation of the BIOS is interrupted by power loss, the computer may not operate correctly or at all!"

Well that warning is a waste of time because you can't install the update unless you ARE running off of AC power!

 

[

WHAT??? I am very sorry to hear that...I would recommend you try calling back and hope to get another sales rep who may be able to do something for you. Tell them you were trying to order off their website the other day but it wasn't working...as it WASN'T. When I tried to order it bumped me back to the home page.

I would fight for the $84 or at least ask them to throw in an accessory or something as compensation. I am not sure about this 24 hour thing...but I'm pretty sure you can change/cancel your order as long as it has not been shipped yet...and I am guessing your shipping date is like August 10th or something ridiculous like that if you ordered the 330M 1GB VRAM option.

Good luck!

PS: I have learned the hardway...always keep as much physical evidence as possible...you never know when it may come in handy

 

Hi All,

I have been reading these all the posts here for the past few weeks, and I finally received my F12 yesterday. Just wanted to thank all of you here for all the knowledge and information!!

Very happy with the F12 so far, l have to say I am a little surprised by the fan noise, but it is not a huge deal for me personally.

I have tried the clean install method posted, unfortunately, Windows7 can't seem to recognize my wireless adapter and I can't find the specific driver in Sony's site. Most of all, after the clean installation, Windows pops out a message saying that my battery is not original Sony or not installed properly Anyway, I went back to factory setting now, with "no additional software" option selected (which, of course, only eliminated a small portion of what Sony installed in the first place) . Maybe I will try the clean install again a couple months.

Thanks again!!!

Here is what I've got:
Product: CA-VPCF1290S-LBOM
Component: Adobe Creative Bundle
Component: Intel® Core™ Quad i7-740QM processor (1.73GHz)
Component: 16.4" VAIO Premium Display (1920x1080) Full HD
Component: NVIDIA® GeForce® 330M GPU (1GB VRAM)
Component: Keyboard Backlight
Component: Norton Internet Security™ 2010 (30 Day Trial)
Component: 500 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [7200 rpm]
Component: DVD +/- R DL / DVD +/- RW / DVD-RAM Drive
Component: Standard Capacity Battery
Component: Microsoft® Office 2010 Starter
Component: No Fresh Start™
Component: Black
Component: No Engraving
Component: Microsoft Windows® 7 Professional
Component: 8GB (4GBx2) DDR3-SDRAM-1333

 

Sony Recalls Half a Million Too-Hot-t... - Google News

Oops it's a Vaio

 

Not all of the F series sold during that time have heat issues right?

 

Hi All I hope someone can help. I just got my new F12 out of the box.
Product: CA-VPCF1290S-LBOM
Component: Adobe Creative Bundle
Component: Intel® Core™ Quad i7-740QM processor (1.73GHz)
Component: 16.4" VAIO Premium Display (1920x1080) Full HD
Component: NVIDIA® GeForce® 330M GPU (1GB VRAM)
Component: Keyboard Backlight
Component: Norton Internet Security™ 2010 (30 Day Trial)
Component: 500 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [7200 rpm]
Component: Blu-ray Disc™ Read and Write Drive
Component: Standard Capacity Battery
Component: Microsoft® Office 2010 Starter
Component: No Fresh Start™
Component: Black
Component: No Engraving
Component: Microsoft Windows® 7 Home Premium
Component: 8GB (4GBx2) DDR3-SDRAM-1333

I tried to access the internet via my DLink 628 router set to 5 Ghz and I couldn't find my router. I switched to 2.4 Ghz and found it. I called Sony to ask why I couldn't access my 5 Ghz and was told the Atheros wireless nic in the laptop only supports 2.4 Ghz! My old Vaio FW could detect 5 Ghz and 2.4 Ghz. This wireless nic seems like a downgrade from a much older Vaio? Was Sony support lying to me? Anyone else have wireless issues?

 

I've read 39 laptops have been effected. It's all over the news right now so I had a little fun with it, but I seriously doubt this will be a major issue. Look a few pages back and someone posted all the serial numbers that may be effected. I personally doubt I will be updating my BIOS but update states it improves thermal management and resolves an issue where the computer may fail to boot to the operating system. For the later reason I may update. Again, has anyone updated and experienced any change to their performance?

 

Relax. It works @ 2.4 Ghz, no? It was in the specs on the Sony_site > F's specs & posted many times in this thread & the previous ones long time ago.

Enjoy the fresh smell of your machine & have fun.

 

This is totall baloney, there is no recall as the fix is a simple DIY BIOS download & update. An other baloon boy story. No F user EVER reported overheating in this thread & the previous ones contrary to hundreds in the XPS_and_Envy owners threads. Check them out from the nav bar on top of this page & search for: overheating.

I ran some benchmarks + temp monitoring & made some video before/after BIOS revision. No change that I could spot so far: cool as a cucumber.

I finally found a way to see my fan speed: 3,000 rpm @ idle. Got to run, will post later as well as the videos on Youtube.

 

Just for reference, before people get all excited over Silly Season, not one person in this thread (and #1 and #2) has ever complained about an overheating F-series. NEVER! In fact the F-series was both professionally reviewed and described by users as one of the coolest-running i7 laptops. So everyone just calm down. It looks like just a few units after a firmware change got out with an overheating issue before the problem was caught.

(edit) and this is the first time a VAIO laptop itself has ever been cited as the cause of overheating. (Assuming this story is even real..) Previous instances have been due to the battery getting too hot when being charged, or due to an internal short, an issue that afflicted notebooks from several manufacturers.

 

Is there any info about what the bios update actually does? like many others, my F11 is as cool as ever and i don't see the need for an update at all but i might for the hell of it. my main concern is, does it cap CPU/GPU to limit heat?

 

thanks for typing out your replies. a sales rep told me it was an 8 cell battery and not a 9 cell. not sure how accurate he is though but I would be interested to know if this is indeed the case

thanks for replying. I was told express delivery was free too and accessories were 20% off

 

Hey I have been lurking around these forums deciding whether or not do get an F12 and decided to get it. Once I did I decided to get a clean install according to Joe's guide, but the options that the process is showing is different from Joe's instructions. My question is has anybody with an F12 tried a clean install and are getting different options?

 

Sony eSupport - VPCF115FM/B - Software Updates & Drivers

Sony states what the update does here.