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

I could've sworn that I read somewhere the issue was happening regardless of the operating system (Windows, Linux, etc.) ... so I assume it's a hardware problem.

 

Or perhaps a BIOS issue? Firmware could be at fault. Something with the keyboard and fan control? idk I don't know that much about this sort of thing.

 

Kind of a bad comparison, but the 13" Macbook refresh didn't change much at all except the video card and a minimal upgrade in the processor (2.26 to 2.4).

But nonetheless, I held off buying the F because I wanted a better screen + video card (Canada is only offering 310 at the moment dating back to April), so this "difference" is pretty drastic for me

 

Okay, as it turns out the F11 I ordered is out of stock and delivery is about 1 month + F11's has started to disappear from price comparing sites... and STILL there is no info on the F12!
Does Sony not want to sell laptops, or are they just cocking about instead of getting s**t done??

I'm very close to taking my business elsewhere.

 

*double post*

 

Again, as I said, why should they manufacture a discontinued F11 to make YOU happy, when the F12 is being officially launched in a couple of weeks? So you either want them to dig up an officially obsolete model for you, or give you an advance over everyone else for an F12. In fact Sony is doing you a favour, you'd feel bad if you paid a certain price for an F11, and then two weeks later the F12 came out with a faster processor at the same price... Refreshes don't trickle onto the market, everybody gets a shot at the same time for the new models.

This is a refresh cycle, this is how it goes. On other refresh cycles such as for the FWs even LESS was available of old stock before the new models came out.

And they're promising the faster GPU for Canadian buyers in the refresh, a very big deal..

 

They shouldn't. They should keep their products available so that they'll make money!
My Acer died today and I need a new laptop, now. Not in two weeks, not in a month, NOW. I'll probably buy something else now simply because Sony can't deliver the product, or even a estimated delivery that can be trusted.
A lot of customers doesn't have time or patience for situations like this.
They are being very unprofessional if you ask me.

 

If you need a laptop now, you should just order a pre-built one off of newegg or amazon or something? Or even better - go to a store. I don't understand why this is Sony's fault and how it reflects on the quality of the laptop???

 

What is wrong with you?

 

WOW!

I ordered CTO models and waited about 2-1/2 weeks for them when there were no problems. You are asking for instant gratification, but you don't want to buy "off the shelf". Order something from Dell, HP, Asus, etc. that is configured exactly how you want it and see how long you wait. Not only that, but you want it from a model that is now officially being shelved for a new model. Therefore, there are no more being "built". There are only pre-built versions of the F11 available now.

Go ahead. Order from a different manufacturer. Order exactly what you want. You deserve it.

Bill

 

Mangosango/Willscary: Ordering a pre-built "off the shelf" version is EXACTLY what I did, and in a store (official Sony Center) and was told that I could pick it up Friday.. I went to the store to pick it up, but instead of a new laptop I got the message that estimated delivery time now is 1 month!
They didn't even call or e-mail me so that I at least could save the drive down there.
So far I am absolutely not impressed with Sony, and the sad part is that I don't even own one of their laptops yet!

 

Not informing you before the drive down was the STORE'S fault, assuming you had thought to double-check before driving down (you did, right?) Everything else is being created from your own mind., And the new laptops will be here in less than a month.

EVERYBODY has wasted time driving around trying to find something or another, do you think you have a Special Privilege?

 

Just order from new egg if you need it now, I posted the link before:
Newegg.com - SONY VPCF11NFX/H NoteBook Intel Core i7 720QM(1.60GHz) 16.4" 4GB Memory DDR3 1333 500GB HDD 7200rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M
Take a look, this is a pretty good deal with the spec above, and you can get it in few days.

 

Sony owns the store and delivery time was based on information directly from the Sony Denmark. How can it be anything but Sony's fault?
I don't care how, when or who. They can't deliver what they sell (I already paid for it) and they can't tell me when the new F12's will roll in either. IMO that is VERY poor service.

 

Thanks, but I live in Denmark and I'll stick with Danish dealers (much easier in case of defects)

 

Nygaard,

I have to apologize. I did not read that you were from Denmark. Living in the USA, I forget that it may be very hard for people in other parts of the world to find products. Where I live, there are at least a dozen places within 30 miles (50Km?) that sell Sony laptops. The only reason that there are so few places is because I live in a rural area and the nearest large city (Milwaukee) is a 2 hour drive.

Again, I apologize. Hopefully you can find something somewhere that can fit your wants and needs.

Bill

 

Well I just sent an email to the family friend who bought me the laptop explaining the issues. I told her I am willing to pay the shipping cost back for the return, as well as any additional costs there are when purchasing the F12. She should be perfectly fine with that.

 

Haha, out here the Sony was being sold by 5 stores in a 30 mile radius, one had 4 versions (including 1920x1080 and 1600x900 versions in gray and silver).

Ironically, they all had a big problem actually keeping the machines in stock.

I was just joking about how the one I bought is the first computer I've ever purchased that came with "enough" memory. In the 15 years or so I've had computers, that is.

I wonder how much memory my 8088 had.. I fondly remember upgrading my IBM 486 Thinkpad with a 16mb stick.. 16mb!! It took about 30 seconds counting up/testing the memory it had when starting up (20mb!) lol..

 

Hello everybody! I read this thread from a month waiting for the new F12.
Today I found the following offer from the Polish market, where I live:

Sony VAIO - seria F (16,4 cali) - iViO


Unfortunately the price of the F12 is about 150 euros more than the F11
I'm really unsatisfied. I hope that the price in Germany will remain the same and there'll buy my new vaio. I live near the border and is not a problem. Yours

 

It would have been LOVELY if you had told us (1) That you live in Denmark, and (2) that you had paid for the order.

Yes Denmark, Europe in general, has different marketing patterns from North America, and if you had paid for the order then just get the money back, NOW. Then decide whether to wait for a VAIO or go to another brand. I would have been more sympathetic, as would others, if you had provided these important pieces of information instead of giving us what appeared to be a self-aggrandizing rant. Please put the Danish flag on your posts, at least.

And the stores worldwide seem to have been told NOT to inform the customers about the refresh; it's policy by ANY company to protect any front office information that may offer competition a headsup. Meanwhile some pretty accurate information about the F12 is coming right from this thread.

.. So it goes...

 

No need to apologize
Looking at the US and UK Sony Style stores it seems that Sony Denmark has fallen behind in general on the laptops - maybe because it is a relatively small market.
We get 3 models to choose from (good configurations though) and that's it. No extra hardware/software options or anything like that, and that is also why it shocks me how messy and unprofessional this purchase has been so far.

 

Nice to see that something is happening in Europe now!

 

Interesting info on that page: X-black LCD w technologii LED. Sony_Vaio VPCF12S1E/B > Ekran.

 

As mentioned my Acer gave up on me today so I am browsing on my HTC Desire instead, and unfortunately having some trouble with selecting the flags.
Instead I put "Denmark" in location and assumed that it would do the trick

 

Joe Bleau. I think that is a mistake.

 

Man, I've been waiting for this F12 for more than 2 months since my current laptop had issues, now it's good to know that F12 will have better screen ( premium screen, oh yeah) so 3 more weeks to go

Despite how many times I've been looking at other laptops like Dell and Lenovo, I keep coming back for another VAIO

Love the MacbookPro design but it's out of my budget so this coming Vaio is the best bet for me

 

Look at the Asus N61Jx series, otherwise I guess we just have to wait. Maybe pickup a Netbook, as an adjunct, or a used desktop.. Actually in this day and age EVERYBODY seems to have two or more computers..

 

VPCF127HG/BI vs. VPCF117HG/BI.

VPCF127HG : F_Series : VPCF127HG/BI

VPCF127HG : F Series : VAIO Notebook & Computer : Sony Thailand

UK VPCF12S1E pre-order on_Amazon.

 

LED seems to good to be true

im confused how did the battery life die to 1 hour from about 3?

 

Truth in advertising.

 

Didn't the F11 get atleast 2hours or so though?

 

What is a JEITA A measuring standard?

 

The JEITA standard specifies no power saving, and measures battery life WHILE playing an Mpeg. The battery life discussed in this forum for the F11 was during just casual use, actively trying to preserve the battery. The standard battery on the F11 always did last no more than an hour and a bit while playing video.

 

Sounds too good I think too. Esp since no one on here got any info on that yet except a possible from some random foreign site. I dont believe it, but i think people deserve a screen with better viewing angles.

You think?

You guys really think the Sony Vaio F is an inexpensive/affordable laptop?

 

Foreign is relative.

Our Polish friend posted a link to a Polish site.

Maybe he could call them to check the info?

BTW it's on Notebookcheck Poland that I saw the F review they made with a laptop on loan from Sony_Poland. That review confirmed that the EU F 1080p glossy had the exact same brand & model # as my US_F11 1080p LCD. See the last part of the post: Vaio_F_Series Monitor Profiles Roundup & US glossy vs. EU Premium Displays



*****

 

Im from Poland and this x-black thing is not corect. F12 is not avaiable here yet, so they copied info from other Sony laptop series.

European matte (Vaio Display Premium) in F11 Z and S models have screen with 2 CCFL to backlight it. Also German Notebookcheck.de made a false statement in their review that this screen is backlit by LED which is false. Polish Notebookcheck.pl is often only translating German reviews to the polish language, as it was with F11Z model. They tested for real only F11M.

One of the "repairmans" from Sony told that the premium screen (matte) is backlit by 2 CCFL so I can assume its 99% correct.

 

Could someone who owns a model with the 1600x900 screen give me some idea about what to expect? I want to use it for everyday web-browsing, regularly watching video (DVD, BD and downloaded/streaming) and occasional Photoshop and Premiere CS4 use for non-professional picture and video editing.

I'm going to be switching from an HP vs19e 19" monitor, with a resolution of 1280x1024. I've been using this monitor for years with no real complaints. As long as everything looks good, I'm not concerned. I don't expect it to replace my HDTV. Thanks in advance.

 

You are wrong, the review I linked to was not a translation.

I never said that the info on that .pl reseller's site was accurate. We simply don't know as the current sport is to jump the gun & speculate about almost everything_F12. But I do know that "foreign" does not equal false.

Sony_is responsible for the confusion surrounding their display because they block the LCD model info from being shown in Device Manager or any system info utility & their marketing speak is also confusing.

"One of the "repairmans" from Sony told that the premium screen (matte) is backlit by 2 CCFL so I can assume its 99% correct" - Could you ask that repairman for the exact brand & model number of the LCD or a photo of the back of the screen?

Meanwhile, to chip off a few % points from your 99% :



Read more in my post here: Vaio_F Series: 1080p Premium is LED & Color Spaces Clarifications

*****

 

I travel a lot so my desktop doesn't really help me.
But getting a netbook is actually not a bad idea! Never had one of those cheap super-compact 10" machines so it would fun to try one

 

Joe, I wasnt talking about your link to the review and translation of it because I dont even know what review youre mentioning. Im just talking about about other reviews that are not correct - Notebookcheck.de and .pl review of F11 Z model regarding the Premium screen. Germans said in their review (which is also polish translated review) that this screen have LED backlight. They say also, after they've tested it and measured, its >not< 100 Adobe RGB. Its close but not 100%. I dont know if thats true and personaly it doesnt matter to me because the screen is good itself, wheter its backlit by a LEDs or a candle and a flashlight.

About the "repairman" - well Ive got him on the phone back then when I tried to confirm the backlight technology after knowing from Sony store owner it has 2x ccfl. He couldnt tell me whos the producer of the lcd panel because Vaios are not fully serviceable in Poland. Sony PL is sending them to Netherlands for repairs or exchange.

About my 99%: Only Sony Asia is advertising their Fs with RGB LED logo/badge. I didnt see that in Europe nor America and I agree Sony is fooling around with us. But sticking this badge on Asian site doesnt prove that is truth. Same as theyre advertising 465464325253:1 contrast on their LCD tvs - its pure scam.

 

And that's the problem.

 

I love my Asus N10e. But with the original Atom CPU it does bog down once antivirus and some TSRs are running. You can start with the newer N450 and get quite decent performance, especially with a dedicated video card. I use the F11 for most stuff, of course, but I can take the Netbook to work to record invoices and workflow, and with its data stick get on the internet and look up stuff and check email.

Don't overlook Sony's own M, W, and P series.

 

Well in January also in Europe we were told the premium display was covering 100% ADOBE RGB. See the press release: " Movies, games and your personal media collection are brought to life by the professional-grade 41.6cm (16.4” Full HD VAIO Display Premium. The anti-glare screen offers full 100% Adobe RGB coverage for the truest, most vivid reproduction of colour tones you’ve seen from a notebook computer. Other VAIO F Series models feature a high-quality VAIO Display with Full HD 1920x1080 resolution."
Now the " full 100% Abobe RGB coverage" is not mentioned anymore and on Sony websites they placed an "colour saturation" icon instead, what means absolutely nothing.

I still think the matte premium display is a very good screen. A RGBLED like the one on Dell's Studio XPS 16 display can cover more of the Adobe RGB gamut, but according to notebookcheck.net the contrast and illumination of the Vaio Premium display are better.

 

In absolute terms, no. There are hundreds of laptops cheaper than the £1200 or so asking price for the F.

Relatively speaking it is inexpensive. Show me a laptop with a decent, sub-17" 1920x1080 resolution anti-glare/matte screen, i7 processor and Blu-Ray recorder that's cheaper. Can you?

I can't even find something that matches the F's spec. The only alternatives I know of that are in the F-series ballpark are the Dell Studio XPS 16", which is more expensive when specced out like the F and has a glossy screen and the HP Envy 15; good luck finding one to buy on the HP website... in the UK at least, it's a car-crash of an online store.

 

You are absolutely correct. I have observed this before. I contacted Sony a few weeks ago to ask about this. And YES, they changed their supplier for the Premium Screen in Europe a while ago. But as I said before, I had an early F with the first screen and do not notice any difference.

 

I agree with this wholeheartedly, it's the main reason im attracted to the F series, for the specs you get the price is very hard to match from other brands. HP is incredibly expensive and they have heat issues. The only factors that you should maybe consider are - is this going to be annoying for me to keep in my bookbag, and do i need long battery life?

 

Maybe you missed it but as you can read on the links I just posted 2 pages back:

VPCF127HG/BI vs. VPCF117HG/BI.

VPCF127HG

VPCF127HG Sony_Thailand

READ this post to understand (maybe) the difference between these 3 graphs:

 

I'm thinking about purchasing an F series laptop soon, but I have a dilemma. I work at Best Buy currently, and I could pick up the F11 model with all the specs that I want (i7 720, 6GB RAM, geForce 330M 1GB GPU, 500 GB HDD, Blu-ray, backlit keyboard) for about 1200 dollars. I'd need to make the purchase soon, as the model has obviously been discontinued and will be replaced by the F12 shortly. My question is: do you think it's worth buying the F11 with the risk of manufacture defects (the whine problem, fan noise issues etc) or waiting for the F12? Should the F12 be in the same relative price range with the same specs when it comes out?

 

I'm also on a similar dilemma and needing a new computer rather soon. I'm debating with myself if waiting for the new laptop would be worth it.

By the way Koremora. Does your Best Buy model come in black, a blu-ray player + burner, and a 1080p definition display? That seems like a really amazing deal.
Hook me up.

 

That's a VPCF115FM with the bluray reader and 5400rpm hard drive.

Go for it? It's $1200 dude, you're not going to find a machine like that for $1200. (You could probably still slam an Envy 15 with i7 and 1920x1080 screen for around $1400 if you get lucky, but it's more $$ for sure).

And those machines have more problems!

What you'll probably get with the F:

* SOME fan noise. It's not a mobile hair dryer, you get used to it pretty fast
* It runs really cool thanks to that fan noise. Seriously, my MacBook got hotter with its puny 2ghz core 2 duo.
* Decent screen for a cheap laptop. I'd say 7/10, I've seen better on expensive laptops but most stuff in the price range is similar or worse
* Awesome keyboard (IMHO)
* 6/10 trackpad (noisy buttons and fussy at times, but pretty good)
* Poorly mated power brick (it will cause your lights to flicker, but that's just a nuisance, it doesn't hurt anything). However, it works.
* 2-3 hours of battery life if you're doing light web surfing with the screen brightness down and no flash being used...
* About an hour and a half if you touch anything that involves Adobe Flash
* Slightly more if you're gaming.. (NOT using flash.. because flash is such an inefficient POS)
* Stupid industrial design. The edges of the machine stick out past the sides of the case, nothing is mounted flush, and there are soft pieces of plastic that will squeak and creak. However, it's really solid and again, squeaks less than my macbook did when held from a corner.

The designer of the Vaio F had about as much common sense as a frog, however at $1200 I'd be hard pressed to find anything better.