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

i saw that but i doubt they would mention capping even if they did do it. they're just telling you what the end result should be. i wanna know what the process to get the end result was.

increased fan speeds? cap CPU/CPU? something else?

 

So I finally purchased a F1290 from Sonystyle.ca today through the phone. It was for the current i7-740 $84 price but I am *supposed* to be getting back credit of that + tax the day it ships.

For Canadians and Poohkie who might be interested, here is what I had to go through to purchase it:

Today, June 30, I had completely chosen all my options and had a configuration of $1366.92 showing in my cart. As I proceeded to finalize my order, I noticed the cart subtotal suddenly change $1450.92. Upon investigation I realized something had changed in the configuration options. The free Intel® Core™ Quad i7-740QM processor was now being listed as $84.

I called the Sony number and spoke to a male rep as stated in my prior post here http://forum.notebookreview.com/6413388-post1186.html After realizing he gave me incorrect info regarding the order change/cancellation policy, I decided to try another rep to see if they said anything different regarding the $84 issue. I got a girl who I spoke to about the sudden price change. Her initial response was that it never changed and that it had always been $84. I pointed out that it had been free since the F1290 was put on the site back in June 21st. She then checked with somebody and came back saying the same thing as the first rep, and that it was a price error.

I asked her if I could still purchase it at the original price before the change since it had changed on me with it in cart and it wasn't as if I called in days later to ask for it. As a sign of customer goodwill from Sony. She said she would have to speak to her supervisor as she wasn't authorized to give discounts and that he would get back to me. She said she would email him my number.

Shortly after I received a phone call from her saying she couldn't do it for me. I said that her supervisor was supposed to call me back so I could speak to him directly. She then said she never said that. After asking for her supervisor to call me back he eventually did a short time later. Right off the bat he insisted they never change pricing during the day because it was too difficult to do, and that the F1290 has never had any price changes period.

I told him Sony employees had confirmed the change and stated that the previous price was an error, and that other customers had ordered it without the $84 charge on the i7-740Qm. I also told him I had screencaptured the price in cart prior to the change (thanks for your help Poohkie even though I used my own caps). He told me he would honour it if I emailed him the proof, which I did.

However, after seeing it and confirming what it showed, he still did not honour the price and said that he would have to speak to his employees to find out what they told me, and speak to his superiors before getting back to me. None of which was relevant since proof was already shown. Furthermore, based on what he said then, if Sony never changed the pricing of the F1290, then this new $84 cost must be a price error and by that logic customers should get it free and there shouldn't even be any issue!

Sony employees seem like they cannot stop lying and for telling the truth I was being called a liar. It's obvious a change was made. To customers such as myself who noticed and to Sony employees who can easily check. I also provided a screen capture proving it was offered free of charge prior to the change earlier today. All this over $84 when I wanted to purchase a laptop costing over $1500. Somehow I doubt Dell or Lenovo would act this way. With customer service like this, it's difficult to justify purchasing a Sony anymore.

The supervisor had the first rep call me back to place the order for me at current price but stating I would be credited back $84 + tax for the processor difference. I hope they don't try to screw me there when the time comes! Took two hours and lots of anguish and frustration, but this ordeal is finally over. This is the first order I placed through Sonystyle.ca and it is an understatement to say it was a horrible experience.

P.S.

Goodwill gesture or not, my main issue isn't with obtaining it without the $84 difference. I would have been fine if he didn't call me a liar and insist it never changed. I would have been fine if he didn't ask for a screencap to prove it, and then act like it didn't matter after receiving it.

 

I downloaded and installed the new BIOS...no problems so far.

Bill

 

Just by the way, the OEM tray price for the i7-740 is LOWER than for the i7-720. It's not costing more to Sony to install the 740, but the 720 has probably been amortized in some way, such as by being dead stock.

Yes, paying in full then getting a credit card credit is a pretty standard way to get a discount. That's how I got the $200 off my first F11, but the second one was invoiced to an already-adjusted final cost.

 

I know, I've had this done many times such as with Staples. The only difference here is that after my order was completed, it had to be sent back to the supervisor to credit me, and nothing he did today made me feel that he was a guy who was honest or competent at doing his job. So it wouldn't surprise me if when the time comes, I have to call them up and go through more crap to get the credit. Maybe I'll even be called a liar again

 

Sonystyle.ca page is down now. I wonder what changes they're going to make when it comes back up.

Will $84 be there or not there, that is the question...

 

Glad you got it all worked out!

I would suggest you get this offer of a credit in writing. Have him send you an e-mail confirming what he said - that your card will be credited once they ship you the computer.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. Done!


"To: *supervisor's email*
Cc: [email protected]; [email protected]

Hello *supervisor's name*

Since it seems customers such as myself need to provide physical proof as documentation for what can't be found on Sony's side of things, and to avoid further possible conflict and being called a liar again, I am requesting that you please email me back written documentation that I will be reimbursed $84 + tax ($94.92) as promised, for my order placed today in the amount of $1,642.65.

Thank you.

- *myname*"

 

My guess is that there was a problem with the emergency shutdown in case of fan malfunction & critical overheating. The other possibility is throttling down the CPU & GPU when nearing the maximum operating temperatures: 100c for the CPU and 105c for the GPU. I tried every benchmark I could think of & never reached more than 86c with my 17-720QM & GT 330M.

Edit: from the esupport BIOS notification page:

I ran several benchmarks & the max CPU & GPU temperatures are the same as the benchmarks I ran before the BIOS update. Those temperatures are @ least 20c cooler than the same benchmarks I saw ran on the Macbook_Pro 17" or Dell_XPS or HP_Envy for example.

If for task A the laptop produces X Watts of heat that needs to be evacuated to maintain the CPU @ 70c for example, the fan will need to run at Z rpm's to move V volume of air to maintain the 70c temperature.

This did not change with the BIOS revision. The Idle fan rpm's did not change also.

Everything is relative:

- A recall for me means that you need to return your unit for repair or exchange/refund. This problem is solved @ home by the user with a simple dowmload & update.

- According to the official VAIO_Recall press release by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in coopearation with_Sony they received 30 reports of laptops overheating to the point of keyboard deformation out of 233,000 VAIO_F11 and CW2_Series so: 30 / 233,000 x 100 = 0.0128%. Wow, I'm nervous!

This said I would fire the guy in charge of communication that wrote the info about the BIOS update. They could have given much more details about what problem(s) it solves and what other benefit it brings, if any.

 

I'm on the phone right now with Sony Canada (on hold for 15 minutes). Going to order the F12 and complain about the 740 price hike. Hopefully I get a nice person who is willing to give me a discount Wish me luck!

 

I used to work in Sony (in fact, the department making VAIOs) and was really happy with the company. That's why I'm a fan of sony products now. So it really sucks to hear that you are having such a difficult time, especially being called a liar. I ordered when the price of 720 = 740, and I got the laptop today. Once I go home, I'll see what the invoice look like. If needed, I can send you a copy if they refuse to believe your screenshot / story.

 

Thanks for the offer, appreciate it. When did you order it by the way? If it was listed around June 21 yours shipped out pretty fast. Did you select the 330M? It seems like orders now are faster if you don't choose it or if your colour is gray.

 

6/22 over the phone (the webpage wasn't working because it kept kicking me back to the front page as I tried to pay for it)

it's 330M, 1080p, black.

 

Do you guys think the bios update would fix this? look at max numbers... thats after playing CoD for 30 mins, this started happening 3 days ago.



View attachment 52123

 

You've been saying you would buy this laptop since late May and all of June but waited until now. No offence but I don't see why you would complain about a price hike since you waited day after day and didn't bother to purchase it even after all your comments saying about to buy and amazing price. The fact you're on the phone now in the evening trying to get it finally seems more to do with the fact the price went up or with me being successful.

If you wait too long prices can fluctuate higher with these type of things. Anyhow good luck on your effort and update the rest on us on what happens!

 

Wow you pulled the trigger fast on this. Thanks for answering.

 

No, the BIOS revision won't change that. It has to do with the OS, video driver, over-overclocking, game settings, something you messed up, etc.

I never reached over 86c with any benchmark utilities either with the old or new BIOS.

Again: maximum operating temperatures: 100c for the CPU and 105c for the GPU. So while uselessly hot, your system is not @ the max yet.

 

No offence taken. But you're right, I did wait. I waited because I have been staying on top of this forum, reading about what others had to say about the new model. If there were any/same/more problems than the last one, I'd like to know about it and/or ask questions. I am definitely not the early adopter-type on hardware; software, yes!

I also, just moments ago, found out that July 1st was the deadline for the free 740. I'm not really complaining about the price hike nor am I making excuses. I mean, let's face it, it was bound to happen.

But anyways, I was on hold for an hour and half and gave up. I'll call on Friday, since they're closed tomorrow.

What is the average wait time to order products through phone from Sony? Should I have waited longer?

Cheers!

 

There's nothing wrong with waiting or being careful/cautious about an expensive purchase at all. Totally understandable. I was just pointing out that you kept saying you were ready to purchase yet never ended up doing it until now where you said you were going to complain about the price hike. Based on your prior posts it didn't seem like you were waiting but rather ready to jump on it ASAP.

Where did you hear that July 1 was the deadline for the 740? It's not July 1 yet, so if true, they jumped the gun. Not to mention it not being a price error.

That's a long time. I waited a few minutes the first time, a bit longer the second time, not counting the time waiting between the two call backs. I'm assuming they got more traffic after people got off work. Calling Fri is a stretch since it would be the third day of the price change. And there would be no justification for changing it back to free. Unless you're planning on purchasing it with the current price and eating the $84. Sonystyle.ca offers coupons for $50 off or $100 off pretty regularly I think so maybe this time waiting would be better?

I don't think 1.5 hours wait is normal for being on hold ever. You should have hung up and called again. Their hours end at 7PM, did you call after 7PM? Maybe they forgot to switch to a "our hours are over" automated message?

***I just checked the time of your post where you said you were on the phone on hold for 15 min. It says 7:06PM. If this forum's time is correct that would mean it became after hours while you were on hold and they probably all packed up and went home while they left you there still waiting.

 

That's funny!

 

Did I goof up on my order?

I went with no Fresh Start and 2 year Norton subscription. Is Norton that bad? The price seemed reasonable and I thought Norton had improved over the last year or two? I confess I was a bit lazy and didn't do much research on this option.

I was also nervous if I picked Fresh Start I might miss out on some interesting utility or program that I wouldn't have bothered to try if I had to notice it and download it from Sony. I assumed I could just uninstall any "fluffy" useless programs I didn't like. Is Fresh Start really that useful/necessary?

I might be able to get my order adjusted as the est. shipping date is July 20th.

BTW: Went with Win 7 Pro for the XP mode as I assumed this might be needed for some of my software.

 

You can research free options like Avast and see if it suits you rather than paying 89$ for Norton.
If you know you have some software that needs pro Sony doesn't charge a horrible price. But you sound like you bought it just to be safe. I would research your top programs in google see if anyone has problems with win 7. Anytime upgrade for W7 can be purchased later if you do find you have a problem on some software. Most people don't have issues.
I f I were to bet I would say you cancel both upgrades.

 

I like Norton. It has worked very well for me for over a decade. It is highly rated by most rags and sites and is trusted by a majority of business IT people. that being said, about 6 months ago I switched to (gasp!) Microsoft Security Essentials. It is free, has worked very well (so far) on over 30 machines that I take care of, and uses very little resources.

Until I have a problem that other security programs would have stopped, I will continue to use MSE.

Bill

 

I just played around with the CTO and realized if I had selected Fresh Start I would have given up the Adobe Creative bundle which I wanted! So looks like "no Fresh Start" was the correct choice for me.

Still curious on opinions about Norton. $35 for two year subscription seems reasonable to me. Is it really that bad?

 

Have Norton 2010 on 5 machines. I used Zone Alarm for years. But it got really buggy. Tried Norton on one machine as a free value add from Comcast. It is the least intrusive firewall/anti-virus suite I have ever used. It uses very little resource and I've come to rely on the safety ratings it gives on sites in search portals. That's why I put it on 4 other machines. However, it can be difficult to remove completely, there are reports that it will auto-renew your subscription without your opt-in, and that it conflicts with certain drivers/software.

 

Thanks for the feedback. For some reason Sony Canada is offering the Pro upgrade and the 2 year Norton for only $35 CDN each! For the Pro it seemed like safe insurance even if my current main programs are okay on Win7. (I just didn't want to kick myself later for only $35.) For the Norton I feel the price is very reasonable I just want to be sure it isn't a CPU pig or problematic in some way.

 

Thanks Glashub. I used to be a Zone Alarm user for many years as well. They didn't have a version for my current Vista 64bit laptop so I have moved on. On the auto-renewal issue all I have to say is if I didn't authorize it they won't get any money from me. Its your last comment about conflicts with certain drivers/software that makes me a little nervous!

 

Thanks Bill. I guess if I hate Norton I can try removing it and give MSE a try. Thanks for the tip.

 

Look top right of this page, there is an internal search engine: Search this Thread. All your questions were already answered but here it goes:

There is an XP compatibility mode in Win 7. Check this post with links:
VAIO_F Series Virtual Machine: Virtual PC vs. VirtualBox.

Don't miss the Do I need Windows XP Mode? paragraph. There is zero performance difference between Home or Pro or Ultimate.

----------

Comparison between Win 7 Home OEM factory state vs. Professional OEM with the CTO "Fresh Start" clean option vs user done clean install. Check also clean install link in my sig below.

Adobe Free Bundle & Fresh Start Caveat

With Fresh Start you get a cleaner system & everytime you restore to factory state, you return to said clean system but OTOH you loose the Adobe bundle.

----------

Norton Hog Myth Busted & Bargain (with link to AV-Comparatives.org (an independent non-profit Austrian comparatives of antivirus software for Windows). I use Norton @ the present, small footprint, I like it, found a key for 3 computers x 2 years for $15 on Fleabay.

OTOH, I beleive Willscary's testimonial about the free Microsoft Security Essentials & if the Norton key I got was not so cheap, that is what I would have chosen as AV-Comparatives.org likes it too (but less than Norton 2010 ).

Edit: ZoneAlarm caused some BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) on Win 7 64-bit system. Search thread or web or go back 5 pages & read.

"Sony Canada is offering the Pro upgrade and the 2 year Norton for only $35 CDN each" - That's cheap, other countries think twice & do your math.

*****

 

I missed that when I left Norton, but I found the free parent program, called Web Of Trust. It works the same way, and works quite well for showing you safe, questionable and unsafe sites.

Here is the link: Safe Browsing Tool | WOT Web of Trust

Bill

 

I don't know what the heck notebookreview is doing, if they want to block PageRank from passing out to other sites (NOT ) but when copying your link & pasting in Notepad I get this junk:

http ://go.notebookreview.com/?id=525X832&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mywot.com%2F&sref=http%3A%2F%2Fforum.notebookreview.com%2Fsony-owners-lounge-forum%2F487213-official-sony-vaio-f-series-i5-i7-owners-thread-part-3-a-123.html%23post6415572

 

very interesting...this is not the link I posted. I will try again: Safe Browsing Tool | WOT Web of Trust

 

Hey, I clicked on the link shown and it brought up the site, but I did not create a link that looked like this...my link was simply the web address.

Bill

 

No, at the end you link works as well as shows correctly when hovering. Just try to right-click, copy shortcut & paste in Notepad or what ever.

It's a gimmick.

 

Joe B., thanks for the very interesting and informative post. It looks like I could have got by without the Pro upgrade (I would have done more research if it had been more $$).

I may play around with Virtual Box anyway (when time permits) as it looks interesting.

Thanks for the great links to past details about Fresh Start versus non Fresh Start. Will have to give it a closer look once my F arrives.

BTW this excellent forum helped me decide to order the F. With insight and support like this who needs Sony Support.

 

So I got my CTO today with the 330M and 1080p screen. I'm not a photo/video editor so I'm not that picky about the screen. However, upon starting the machine, I immediately notice how bright the black is. I also notice color inversion when i flip the screen down a bit more, more so than my current laptop (LG R700)

Here I'm trying to position the laptops side by side tilted at about the same angle. (Note both laptops are set to black background with highest brightness)






Also I notice the model on the bottom right of screen says "VPCF1"

One more thing. I thought my LG's fan was loud. It's nothing compared to the fan noise of vaio when just doing windows update.

 

One would expect a muscle car to consume more energy & produce more heat so needing a bigger radiator & larger fan than a subcompact.

Could you list CPU & GPU data side-by-side?

"... fan noise of vaio when just doing windows update" - Depends on the update & how much CPU work it needs to install & fast it does it.

Run the exact same heavy task on both like video rendering for example & note how long it takes them to complete the job. I don't mind noise, I want power & speed.

BTW looking at your last image & the task bar & icons on the F, obviously it's over-exposed & brighter compared to x.

*****

 

hey guys I am planning to do a post repair clean install in the next few weeks and was wondering how I get hold of the serial keys for windvd and other pre-installed software?

I remember seeing this being discussed back in part 1 and 2 I think, but I've had a look and can't find it.

thanks in advance
Andy

 

This is the problem that I noticed also with the F11, but with F12, the light bleed seems to be gone. Maybe because it use dual CCFL, however looking at the image...it does looks pretty bad compared to the LG (the LG look superior).

 

Don't you see that the taskbar of the F is over exposed? That means that the display's brightness is much higher that the other laptop.

Is this supposed to be a Windows solid black background on both? Are the taskbars the same color?

 

LG runs vista (8600m gt), the task bar is dark grey
Sony is Win7 (330m, 1080p), the task bar is windows classic = light grey
both laptops at max brightness

yes it's pretty bad looking at black screens. but i rarely have black screens so it doesn't bother me that much. but the LG is obviously a lot blacker.

 

Same, the blacks on the Sony really do seem much brighter. Doesn't bug me too much, but I can see how others would be a biffed.

Anyway, I don't think anyone has posted comparisons with/without a color profile (To really see the difference, right-click and open in new tab and switch between the two).

Default (no profile applied):


With Srosenfeld's calibration:


Taken with a Canon Powershot SX100 IS

Also, the F looks pretty good in the dark

 

Why compare apples to oranges?

Right-click desktop > Personalize > choose solid black desktop & IDENTICAL solid color taskbar.

Adjust brightness so that the taskbars look the same.

Take photo. If one taskbar is brighter than the other then the brightness settings are not identical.

Check Vaio_F Series monitor calibration for tips. If you had a colorimeter tool like mine then you could measure exactly the cd/m2 & adjust the brightness of both displays @ exactly the same brightness level & measure the contrast ratio. Meanwhile, use your guessometer.

 

It's very natural to compare my old and new computers, no? Not saying the new one SHOULD be better in certain aspects - I'm just writing about my impressions coming from the LG.

I'll see when I have time to post some more pics. I'll definitely want to play around with calibration later.

 

Hi, I have purchased the F11Z1E and have installed all the latest Windows and Sony updates but still get the problem with the high pitched noise. The laptop also seems to run with the cooling fan on permanently which is quite noisy. I have seen that one of the Sony updates was supposed to fix the high pitch noise problem and there has been a bios update to deal with thermal management... Should I still be getting problems!? What solution am I likely to get if I send it off to Sony?

 

@Joe
Thanks for replying, I'm not overclocking anything, my game settings are set to normal.. my bf said it could be cheap thermal paste and being at 99*C for hours might have damaged it, might take it to sony today to have it checked.

and yea the bios update did nothing.

 

I ran today both Everest CPU and Furmark GPU stress tests @ the same time for 20 minutes. That's the CPU's all 4 core & 8 threads @ 100% on Turbo Boost and the GPU @ 99% and look at the maximum temperature:



I doubt very much that Sony_is using "cheap thermal paste".

 

Yep, that's normal. If the fan stops, turn off the laptop immediately & send the unit for servicing.

 

Please read again previous posts: I'm talking about setting both in the same way, science 101. Are you an art major?

 

I have a small problem. I made a system image and recovery disk with windows back-up and installed the new HDD. But when I want to load the system image to the new HDD, I get a message saying that no disk was found. While the HDD is recognised in the window before and it isn't excluded.
Anybody an idea?
Thanks in advance.
The new HDD is a WD black 320 GB 7200 RPM and the old one goes in an enclosure as back-up and for larger files.

I also tried a fresh install with the OEM-disks, following Joe's guide, but when I kill restart driver it restarts and goesgone with installing and when I kill it again, the next time it boots I get a message that I have to reinstall windows.