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

Perhaps you should return your VAIO and get a laptop with an i3 or i5 processor. You can't expect a high powered i7 CPU to run cold.

Prop the back of your vaio up on a block or something to let some air underneath and help it to stay cooler.

 

Yes, check in your Start > Help & Support & search for: listen to this device.

It turns your mic jack into an audio in: digital or analog.

It's included in your "$1200 computer".

 

Thanks for the info-looks like it's good for me.

 

martial_loh, mate is that £1380 price from sony UK, because i was on the web is well over £1450. Man am i getting ripped of because of the price of £1440.

 

START HERE:
F Series : VAIO and Computing : Models : Sony

Look at the preconfigured models and compare to the prices you've found elsewhere.

 

If he ever clicks that order button, brace yourself for a few more questions.

 

But they'll be practical, rather than hypothetical. Doeesn't that sound more appealing?

 

No.

*****

 

the 8gb one on that site is £1599.00

 

Then THAT is your basis for comparison. You cannot custom build a model from another retailer. You can only find deals on the preconfigured models (I think). Sooo.... if you can find one cheaper than that, you're not getting ripped off.

You can custom make an 8GB model for less than 1599 if you cut some things out. Try customizing one and see what you come up with. If you're going to list a price here, be prepared to detail the options you're choosing.

 

But, if he customizes, won't he lose the leather palm rest? Or perhaps the full RGB display? Or, maybesomething else? Or, maybe it will be less, but how will he know? Can you help him more?

 

WOW! Here is a great deal for someone who only wants a boot drive for programs, or someone who does not have all their music and videos on their F11!

 

I want the realtek hd audio manager!! HELP!!!




Also, can you tell me, which of the useless and junk vaio programs can i delete with safety? I want the Fn keys to work.

 

Some phrasing about eggs and omlettes comes to mind right now. LOL

Check out Joe Bleau's semi clean install page:
http://www.monteverde.org/images/Sony_Vaio_F11/Vaio_F_Series_Clean_Install_Guide.htm

There were some progams that I didn't want to uninstall, but didn't want them in the background so I disabled them from startup & services in msconfig

ie: VAIO's PMB and Metadata/Metacontent Programs.

 

so are you saying that the £1380 one is customised, thing is i can only get a pre configured one at £1440, and it looks like its a good price compared to other retailers.

 

To my understanding, you can only get preconfigured models from other retailers. Match up the model numbers/features to find out.

It's most likely that the 1380 was custom built. Try putting together a custom model and see what price you get. Put everything in it that you want.

 

You guys both have already the Realtek HD audio manager & maybe also the graphic equalizer if you are using the latest Realtek driver found on your esupport page. I dunno yet how to create a shortcut to open directly the equalizer, if possible. In Device Manager > Sound, video and game controllers > Realtek Audio > Properties > Driver, mine shows: 6.0.1.6101. If you go to the Realtek High def audio download page & get the "Vista, Windows7 Driver(64bits) Driver only (Executable file) R2.50 2010/7/9", it will show as 6.0.1.6151 in Device Manager. It's a more recent version than the OEM F12_audio driver and the update found in the F11_esupport page.

Make sure you select & highlight the Equalizer if you want to see the "..." button & click on it.



You can also try the Environment gadget:



Fishon, you can't have a panel with surround options as you posted because the F is stereo only. If you want the old Realtek equalizer, the rtlcpl.exe trick described here works, I tried it: Get The Realtek Equalizer Back In Windows 7 and you get a direct shortcut to this toy:



But why not right click in Media Player > Enhancements and simply use this:

 

omaroo,

This is for you:
YouTube - Barry Schwartz: The paradox of choice

 

has anyone done a clean install on the f12's yet? the process has changed as far as im aware...

 

in europe f11z has Intel Advanced-N 6200 AGN:



source: http://forum.donanimhaber.com/m_36912947/mpage_33/key_/tm.htm#msglink_41515941



also f12z has the same device:

http://www.notebookcheck.com/forum/index.php/topic,22469.msg133758.html#msg133758

 

EDIT: Also, this is a good place if you want some concrete numbers on performance: http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-330M.22437.0.html

Yes, the FRAPSing method does have its drawbacks, but because I don't have a camera that takes good video, I decided it was better to just FRAPS the videos. You would be surprised at how little the performance drops. Since most games nowadays use one or two cores, the 3rd/4th core on the F is left wide open to dedicate to FRAPS. The HDD performance has also become more of a non-issue since I got my esata drive + enclosure.

I realize, though, that no matter how you spin it FRAPS does reduce performance. The min/max FPS ia a very good idea - I will start taking that into consideration for future videos.

Still, no matter what the numbers are, the most important part of these tests are to judge playability. Not that this ever happens, but it's no use if the max fps is 120 and the min fps is 30 if the game alternates between 120fps and 30fps every two seconds - the game is going to be EXTREMELY choppy (even though the min/max/average frames look good).

This is where subjective feedback and observations about the gameplay are handy, and consequently why I've been indicating whether I think a game runs well enough to play without FRAPS recording. I realize this isn't the best solution and its a different approach from the traditional off-screen recording for benchmarks, but I've tried to include all of the information that I believe is relevant. I think it works.

Anyway, I hope my videos have helped people get a better idea of what the laptop is like. When I was purchasing my F back in January all I had was one written review, some speculations on notebookcheck and a handful of gaming videos of a lenovo laptop with a gt 240m. So consider yourselves in a better position than I was

Also: Yay, Joe is back!

 

@fishon

Go to Realtek High Definition Audio Codec (Windows Vista / Windows 7) - Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET Download.com
Create a restore point first in case of any problems. Download & install the codec. The first pass will delete your old one and restart the computer. The second pass will install the above codec. Restart again and you will see a small orange icon in your system tray by the clock. Right click on that and select sound manager. It will then bring up the HD sound manager, exactly as shown in your post and you can play with it to your hearts content.

The new one has a few more functions than the one you have shown, it is apparently an update to yours.

Dave

 

Have you tried this on a Vaio_F?

I don't see how R2.48 on Cnet would have more features than R2.50 on Realtek's site.

 

If you have a look as suggested on the Sony site, you will be able to configure an F12 to have the same spec as the VPCF12Z1E/BI for £1379.00 plus they charge £7 for postage, don't know if you can it free delivered or not.

This price will no doubt expire on Monday 26th July when Sony possibly stop giving the Blu-Ray writer away for free, then the price will be the same as the VPCF12Z1E/BI of £1599.00.

 

Anybody use usb sound card like this one?

Sound Blaster X-Fi Go! | Creative Labs Online Store

 

Joe Bleau, so we can't have the icon with the realtek audio manager in our taskbar. I didn't want it for the equalizer, but to change easy the dolby surround and the audio enhancer. Do you know any easy method?

 

Why we have nvidia hd audio driver with realtek?

 

I guess that is for HDMI audio output? Correct me if i am wrong.

 

Yes. So we dont use them?

 

that is correct

 

Wasn't there a software to create photo-dvds, vaio movie story or something similar? Do you know where can I find it?

 

J-Alex, just customised it and its exactly the same specs as the pre configured one but with a free blu ray writer. So if i dont get it from sonystyle, i will be paying £60 extra for a blu ray writer. Oh dont know what to do, as i have decided whether to get the F12, I hope the price stays at that.

 

Joe, No I haven't got my Vaio yet. The original query was he wanted to get the Realtek HD Audio Manager, as per the screen shot. I did a Google search for it and it came up with that codec on Cnet site. I installed it on my Medion desktop machine and it installed the required HD Audio Manager. I didn't say that the codec would have more features, I said the HD Audio Manager has more features than the screen shot which Fishon supplied. The Realtek R2.50 may also install the HD Audio Manager and if so, that may be the better option.

The codec works OK on my desktop with Windows Media Player (Win 7 Ultimate), but the objective was to get the HD Audio Manager, rather than the codec.

Update: 1800 BST I have now installed the R2.50 codec from Realtek's site and that also installs the HD Audio Manager. Look for orange speaker shaped icon in system tray by the clock and right click it for options. Please note; I have installed this on a Medion desktop, I haven't got my F12 yet.

Dave

 

omaroo, the free Blu-Ray offer has been extended once already, not sure if they will extend again if not the Free Blu-Ray offer finishes on Monday 26th July.

You will need to make your mind before then, otherwise your price of £1440 will be your best option.

 

Buy it, you will not find anything better that will outlive this laptop

My Fathers Sony Vaio S2XP, have almost outlived all of our laptops and it is from 2005-2006. The only thing that still lives is a Dell Cpt from 1999. xD

 

I think what you're looking for is VAIO PMB (Picture Motion Browser).

 

Vaio VPC F 12ZE experiences
Hi,
I am fresh owner of Vaio VPC F 12ZE and I would like to share my experieces. I hope I am correct on thread.
Thanks all for posting, it been my source for buying computer and even though most of you havent been positive about F11 series and Amazon reviews was scarry, I risked it (also money were question) I like to share my experiece.
LCD - so far so good, I will do a test still. on white contrast theme in dark you can see, little less luminosity on side edges, specially down corners. Very minor, I do not think its noticable during normal usage.
CPU cooler - so far silent or even very silent. Though it has a very slight litlle whining noise on top hearing fan, but you need to search for it. (Sound is part of my profession). True is that fan is almost always on even with trivial things, but thats price for i7 1,73GHz by my opinion. (I use simple fix - while on power socket, battery is out and I put book under upper part of notebook. It improves air circulation and its quietter.)
HP Pavilion DV 9000, 6000 sounds like vacuum cleaner, comparing F12.

- I will post development of whinning noise on top of fan noise.

Please if you have a specific question ask

Please if you know how to help me to change languadge - there is many ways - let me know. I need it in English, eventually upgrade.

My config in case of question is i7 1,73, 8GB, 1,333 GHz FSB, 500 GB HDD, nV 330GT 1 GB, 1920 - 1080 LCD, BR RW

 

Omaroo - yes, it's a custom build. I thought I might as well take advantage of the free bluray writer..(heck, I don't think I'll ever use it though!)

Seeing as this model has only just become available in the UK, I doubt the price will drop by a huge amount for the next couple of months... and you're certainly not going to get this sort of price for the 8Gig F12 in a shop for at least half a year.

 

You might as well buy it at that deal w/ the free blu ray writer. Sony is one of those brands that rarely go on sale. You're not likely to find a great deal anywhere, so jump at it when you do.

emtyx left a post with his first opinions of his F12. They are promising to say the least.

 

Hi,

are there any news on a clean install of the european Vaio F12? I'd really like to have a 'normal' Windows7 installation with the microsoft defaults (i.e. Internet Explorer as standard Browser instead of Google Chrome). I'm already trying to get my hands on a Windows7 Home Premium install DVD, but i would prefere to do it with the things i have bought with the laptop.

Best regards

--- Lars ---

 

I have the Nvidia 310M. I'm currentlyl running latest drivers on Sony's website. It seems in reading thru this thread that now one can go to the Nvidia website and get the latest drivers and load them without any modifications. Is this true? I thought Sony had an inf file that would prevent the loading. Has this all changed or what? Is there enough of a performance improvement to bother upgrading? I'm not a gamer. I use Premeire and Photoshop and the like. Thanks.

 

I think that the 256.xx driver series has support for GPU-accelerated computations for CS5 apps. I got photoshop CS5 a while back, and TBH I don't see a whole lot of difference between when I had the stock sony drivers and the updated 256.xx drivers. The i7 speeds through tasks well enough already.

 

Here's a link to download the newest driver for the 310M
NVIDIA - Download Drivers

 

Thanks for the link.

 

I am trying to decide between 1600x900 and 1920x1080 resolution display on a new F series. I've been reading that 1920x1080 display has small text that is hard to read. Is anybody using 1920x1080 resolution? Is text readable? Could you post some screenshots?

thanks

 

I just spent 30 minutes comparing the two available F12 screen resolutions side by side at my local Sony store.

Both screens had the awful, glossy, reflective surface that has become so common in the US these days. Even inside the store the reflections were bothersome. As far as the resolution is concerned, to my surprise I actually preferred the lower resolution screen. Although scaled photos appeared a bit more detailed on the full HD screen there was noticeably less contrast without any apparent difference in brightness. Looking at them side by side the full HD screen looked washed out. (We verified that they were both set to maximum brightness.) The salesman hadn't compared them before and he too was surprised by the significant different in contrast. I've pretty much decided to purchase the F12 and will save my money and get the cheaper display. My first accessory purchase will be an anti-glare screen protector.

The store also had some keyboard "skins" for their lower line machines. They were primarily for changing the keyboard's color, but they would have the added benefit of protecting the keyboard from accidents, pet hair and all the other things that gum up the works over the years. They don't yet make one for the F12 according to the sales rep, but he said they've been so popular that he expects they will eventually, although the keyboard back lighting may present a problem. The skins were so thin and flexible that I didn't think they changed the keyboard feel all that much. One of these skins will be my second accessory purchase.

After reading all the negative comments on the F12's sound I was surprised by how good it did sound. It's no high fidelity system, but I think it's fine for playing music occasionally when traveling and certainly for listening to webinars.

Thanks to everyone that both asked and answered questions concerning these laptops. As has been stated (and sadly flamed) in these forums, there is no perfect machine, but the F12 is a good balance that should last me a few years.

 

just wondering if anyone has successfully had their laptops repaired under the international service?

Im in Australia, but purchased my laptop in the US. The US sony site claims it has a 1yr international warranty, and that you needed to register on that website (cant remember which one).... which i have done...

might just give sony a call.... how long does sony usually take for repairs

 

I had a Creative Sound Blaster soundcard before and it didn't do much for me. Gave it to a friend. I do not recommend.

 

Have you tried the total bithead from headroom? It's not really for speakers, but I've heard (haha, pun intended ) that it does wonders for headphones over the stock DAC in the laptop.

 

Yes it's true. Go for it because the openGL & other stuff is better with the newer driver & it makes my Photoshop CS5, Lightroom 3.0, etc much more fluid when zooming in/out to tweak details & it also applies filters & other stuff to the image much faster than the stock old OEM driver version. It's all benefit & absolutely no downside. Download for Windows 7 64-bit International.

*****
1080p OS Size?

That was my first questions way back in the F owner's thread #1 because of my old eyes. Go for the 1080p, it's really sharp & very easy to scale the OS. I'm running @ 125% since day 1. Check this post: VAIO F_Series 1080p: Text & OS Size Scaling.

It's useless to ask if it's readable unscaled @ 100% as everybody has different eyesight. Same for screen shots as we can't post images @ 100% and you will be seeing it on a different display so totally useless to see how the real thing looks like. If I post a photo of a pizza, will you be able to smell it?



*****

Store Comparison Baloney

Sorry but 30 minutes in a store is total baloney for a comparison. Several of us in this thread have F's since several months & if the 1080p was washed out & not saturated & contrasty then it was messed up and not representative of what the displays can deliver as we posted many times.

Search for posts by Willscary, he bought for his church 5 F's 900P & one 1080p for himself & his conclusion is the opposite of yours. BTW he handled them more than 30 minutes.

Since when setting 2 different displays at max brightness is a valid comparison criteria? If one has a brighter output then obviously the colors may be washed-out. The method is to use a colorimeter, create a custom profile, measure exactly the light output cd/m2 or Nit and set them at the same real brightness actual output level then compare.

I suggest you read this article, take notes, download some profiles & go back to the store or visit an other one: Vaio_F Series Monitor Calibration and Users Created Profiles Roundup.

"...Although scaled photos appeared a bit more detailed on the full HD screen" - A "bit more"?

I respect your F 900p choice but saying that it's better than the F 1080p is simply not true IMO.