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

The paint is extremely thin, it would be difficult to DIY paint it & obtain a similar look/color. Maybe if enough of you guys complain to Sony_USA, I could get them to mail me an EU/Asia rubberized palm rest? I would like that.

 

Difficult yes, but better than nothing if the spots really bug you (not you specifically, but, well, you get the idea).

I didn't even think of the rubber palm rest. You've taken the F apart before, so is the palm rest removable? If so, that is definitely a good solution. At the very least, they could send out replacement "black" palm rests.

 

I did not try it but my guess is that the palm rest is removable. Searching Sony_parts US with Model Prefix Starts with: VPCF & Description contains: palm, I found this. Looks pricey!



Seems like GM stands for Gun Metal & SLV for silver.

An other DIY solution would be to remove all the rest of the paint so it would be black for a similar EU premium color scheme. Now for a paint remover that does not melt plastic? Or spray rubbery paint? Or 1 week before end of warranty ask for a replacement? Or forgetaboutit?

 

There are paints made specifically for plastic which may last a little better than others.

Thanks for posting the info on the backpack and the Momentus XT......very tempting indeed!

 

I've been quietly following this very active thread for some time now and I am about to buy the F12 that's currently on sale in Costco. Some of the features are not exactly what I would have gotten had I ordered a CTO unit but the price is hard to ignore and it likely is still way more computer than I need for my purposes.

I read a lot here about "clean installs" and can certainly see the benefits of doing that on a new computer. The question I have is that as a relative non-computer-techie type compared to you guys (I have not even ever performed a system restore or gone into bios for any reason) I am concerned that I'd do something to really mess up my new $1k+ laptop. Do you think this is something an average Joe could do without messing up? I have looked briefly through Joe Bleau's guide and it does appear pretty technical to me at first glance and I remember thinking that I would instead just try uninstalling the bloatware that I wouldn't use.

 

Actually I did both: first uninstalled the unwanted software then tried my recovery discs trick. The later takes less time. Anyway, if you mess up, you can always return your machine to the exact state it was out of the box with either pressing F10 when booting & using the easy steps in the recovery partition or use the recovery discs. It's fool proof & very easy.

 

Bring it over and I'll do it for you.

I had never done anything like it, the first time. It makes much more sense after some practice.

Oh, wait. Olympia is a abit far to come from for something like this. Read my supplement to JB's clean install, in my sig. It might help it become a bit more clear for a first timer. But, like Joe said, you can always do a full restore and start over if you absolutely need to.

 

I was in the process of typing this reply and taking you up on your offer but then you posted your edit!

But I may just get brave enough to try it myself.

Joe Bleau, thanks for the encouraging words.....it made me braver!

 

Give a try, or two, and you'll be ok. Worst case, you can bring it up to here and watch me give it a try, or two.

 

Yep - software changes are almost always reversible . You should only start to get worried about irreversible changes when you start to fiddle with the hardware settings

 

hi everybody.

i ordered the f12s1b (i7, 6gb etc) and got it home yesterday. the noise level of the fan is awful. its really noisy. is it supposed to be this way? even if i dont do anything the fan starts to spin and sometimes i even fell that i get a headache out of it.

im on the sensitive side of noises but i wonder if this sounds normal? it is NEVER quite, when i close every program, every internet window etc the fan is noisy and its uncomfortable to be in the same room with it on if you are doing something else.

the fan is noisy even if it is in idle.

is this normal for f12s or do i have anything to win to send it in for repair or is it better to send it back and get the money back?

i suspect that this loud fan is normal for this product and dont want to ruin the chance to get the money back by sending it on repair.

 

For those who own the F12 - has anyone applied the latest bios update (3/08/10) in Vaio update?

Heres the details:-


BIOS - R1110Y6
What is this?
BIOS stands for Basic Input/Output System.
It refers to a piece of firmware which is run when powered on. Its primary functions are to identify and initiate component hardware, and to prepare the computer so that other programs can load.

What does it fix?
This update improves fan control.

Manual installation steps


1. Exit all running programs.
2. Download this update and save it to your hard drive.
3. When the download is completed, locate the downloaded file in the location you specified.
4. Double-click EP0000227024.exe to run it.
5. Wait while the wizard updates your software.
6. When the installation is complete, restart the VAIO.

 

As requested:

 

Having just done a clean install on my F12 yesterday I can say it really isn't anything to worry about, it sounds daunting but as mentioned, anything to do with software can be fixed. Just read through Joes guide a few times and absorb as much of it as you can before doing it.

 

Thanks! Will add them to the guide. Was this the first screen that appeared when booting from the F12_OEM recovery discs that you created?

I see that a few users gave you some rep, 4 in 5 posts that's quite a start.

Any feedback about the F12_machine itself, like, dislike?

*****

BTW, sorry guys if the guide is a bit cryptic, English is not my native language.

 

Yup, thats the first thing that shows up on booting.

I'm just happy to help.

So far I love it. I'm a digital artist so wanted something to use with Maya, Zbrush etc that was portable. My last laptop was also a Vaio (4 year old VGN-A617B) Which I've loved since I've had it, but it just didn't cut it anymore. I looked around at all my options for buying a new system, and to be honest if it wasn't the Sony I would have been looking at custom builds, like a Kobalt laptop, but then the price goes through the roof.

To be honest I can't really fault the F12 - even the fan noise doesn't bother me, its doing its job and Im happy to be pushing the machine to use it. I love the keyboard, the rubber palm rest is great, the matte screen is lovely, I thought 1080p would be wasted on a screen thats only 16.4" big, and some will probably argue that it is, but I think it greatly improves your ability to fill the screen with more content and not have it too cluttered. I even like the slightly muted styling (for a Sony Vaio anyway).

The only thing thats missing is a backlit keyboard, if they ever bring out an EU one I'll be sure to upgrade to it!

 

Hi,

that sounds great . Please let us know how the ssd performs and if it really runs
under sata 2 in your F12. This will eventually end the almost endless
testing-battle we all performed in the last weeks .

 

If you are doing art then color management should be important. Did you calibrate your monitor? If you don't have a colorimeter, try some of the F owner created profiles on this page. Sadly, no F12_owner shared his custom profile(s) yet. Vaio F_Series Monitor Calibration and Users Created Profiles Roundup. Did you vote? VAIO_F12 Owners Poll about the Display (LCD).

You can buy a Vai EM US backlit keyboard on Fleabay for $35 including shipping worldwide. See here and here and Search this Thread (top right of this page) with: backlit keyboard.

 

Ok first of all, does the fan sound EVER change? If it sometimes goes slightly softer or louder then it's normal. It's a quad core laptop. I just can't explain anymore. Unless you find a water-cooling laptop of some sort , you can't expect the noise level of a netbook.

If it doesn't and it sounds like it's on max spin no matter what you're doing, then it's glitched up. I'm not sure what exactly is the problem but several F owner's reported this. Resetting CMOS should do the trick, but that requires opening the laptop, and you just got it right? so you I suggest you send it back to get them replaced/fixed/resetted.

Edit: or it's a problem with the BIOS, so first download the BIOS update (it says improves fan control so it might fix your problem!!!) other F12 users received before attempting anything else

 

Hi Gobby,

mine was actually shipped with this bios version. I got it around the 26 of July.
I suppose that all the newer F12 should have it pre-installed.

They changed the fan settings?? I really don't want to know how loud it was
before the update

 

Maybe you should return it for a less powerful laptop. The F is a muscle car & needs cooling. The fan is always on BTW, even @ idle.

Could you post a recording?

Go to notebookcheck.net & check several reviews of different brand/models of laptops with a quad core i7 CPU. They always include a sound emission graph made with professional recording tools.

The F is not any different compared to similar configured laptops. Bring your laptop in a store and compare apples to apples but not to a Macbook Pro 17 that has only a dual core CPU + discrete graphic & trades fan work for much higher temperatures & cost almost twice the price.





*****

BIOS & Fan Work

@ kcirtaP: the BIOS update for the F11_and the_F12 does very minor things to the fan management. It does not throttle down the CPU or GPU like for the_Envy's for example to try to reduce the heat generation.

For a given task, the CPU, GPU & all the rest are consuming x amount of power & that produces y amount of heat that needs to be evacuated by the fan with z rpm's & the corresponding volume of air that can be more or less depending of the ambient temperature. A BIOS update does not change that unless it chokes the machine which thank God, Sony_did not do! I'll trade any day fan work for the crunching power of my F.

*****

CMOS Reset?

@ danielh97: no need to open the F laptop to reset the CMOS, just 1 screw to open the memory door:

 

First of all, thank you both for taking time to answe my question.

The fan is constantly changing speed and that it self is also annoying. Its like xspeed for 2 seconds, then yspeed for three seconds, then bspeed for 1 second and then xspeed again. not really that unstable but its really is changing its speed constantly if i surf the web for instance.

i suspect all of this is normal but i some how think that the fan is bad on my example but im really not sure. its kind of high pitched noise from it when it speeds fast also so t sounds like the fan itself is really noise and not just the airflow.

maybe all of this is normal but i cant understand why some people says it is quite when it idles. it sounds like a cd is spinning in a cheap cdrom.

 

I have tried almost all of the colour profiles in your link, and I noticed that it seems to turn my display very red - the default one seems to actually be quite well balanced! I dont have any equipment to do a precise calibration, but I did make my own through the windows calibration tool in colour management and when setting the greys, I did bring down the blue slightly but left the red up. It seems my colour profile now is somewhere between my default settings and some of the ones that have been created on here. I have also voted in that poll, gave it an awesome

It is tempting, the only thing that puts me off is that I like the EU layout - the large return key etc.

 

I'll trade you the US backlit keyboard gadget for the EU 1080p Premium matte display & the rubbery palm rest anytime!

If those would have been offered as options in the North American market I would gladly paid extra for it but I guess that_Sony's marketing studies showed that the majority here likes inexpensive & glossy stuff.

 

I've kind of gotten used to the noise now, so I'll probably leave the bios update till another day.

 

Hey now! I WAS able to get the fan to shut down completely using my laptop cooler and a small modification described in an earlier post. Unfortunately, turning off the mod made the temps come back up and the fan to begin again within a few seconds.

 

Yep, the F i7 is not for you. Return it & get a notebook with an i5 or i3 CPU for quiet operation & better battery life. Or go to a store or internet cafe to see/hear other brand/models or visit notebookcheck.net for soundscapes measurements.

 

That's cheating!

Me too I can get my F to stop the fan when I run it in the fridge. The problem is that it's quite hot down here & since I can't leave the fridge's door open, I can't see the display. The keyboard & mouse is not a problem, thanks to Bluetooth.

*****

BIOS Update - Safe?

@ gobby: Go ahead with the BIOS update IF it's recommended for your specific model by esupport, it's very easy since it's in the Windows 7 environment. Gone are the days of doing it in DOS with a floppy! Just follow_Sony's instructions, it's easy & takes about 3 minutes including rebooting the F.

 

Went into the Sony Shop again today, and saw that they had the premium black (with rubber palm rest) model with the matt screen. A side by side comparison between the one I bought and this premium model, the premium's screen is far more vivid and has much better viewing angles. Such a nice machine, makes the standard grey one look....cheap. I didn't note down the model number, but the premium model was abt £1650 and the standard one £1150.

 

May I recommend getting a laptop with Intel's wireless display technology?

Of course, then you would have to take it out every two hours to recharge the battery

 

Nah, I could plug it in the fridge's light-bulb socket. But wait, isn't that light turned off when the door is closed? Darn!

 

I did apply it, didn't notice any different.

The End is near, I can speed it. xD




EDIT: Updated the benchmark results

 

As explained with link previously, excessive write benchmarks to your SSD may kill it or shorten it's life seriously.

Read at will but write not too much.

 

I know, that was my first and only tests.

 

Emil,

Hard drive and Solid State drive benchmarks are completely dependent on block size. This is why 4K speeds are so much less than 64K speeds. All hard drives list their speeds as "up to" some speed. Review sites usually use the same software you are using and see all benchmarks giving about the same speeds. The way they do this is they make sure that block sizes are all the same for each test.

I can't be sure, but I see a very good result with ATTO, but a lesser result with HD Tune. Go intyo your HD Tune and click on the third radio button at the top (it has a pair of yellow objects on it). A new window comes up with options. On the left side of this window there will be 4 options. Click on the 2nd one down (Benchmark) and click on the pull down box that sets the block size. Set it for 8MB, which is the largest available. Click "OK".

Now check HD tune (READ ONLY WITH THE SSD!!!) and see if your numbers are better.

I hope this helps.

EDIT: By the way, your ATTO marks show your SSD to be a real screamer! When you decide that it is too much for you, send it my way!

 

As far as the fridge thing goes...

Joe got me to thinking...liquid cooling for desktops is expensive and only results in a few degrees C cooler temps. For the same price, you could purchase a dorm size refridgerator and drill holes in the side for cable entry and egress. Take out all of the shelving, insert a desktop computer (with side of case removed!) and install all of the cabling through the hole. Seal the hole with expanding foam sealant. Close the door, plug in and presto! The best possible cooling! If you had longer cables, you could set this up in the basement or next room and simply run cables for the monitor, keyboard and mouse. You could have long USB cables for peripherals. The only problem might be getting an external drive cable long enough to have an optical drive at your desk.

 

Updated the post, thanks for the info, should have known about blocksizes.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...7-owners-thread-part-3-a-354.html#post6587369

I can not sell my baby.

If you look at the name F160, it should be a 160gb disk but it was 180gb. The F60 is 60gb, F120 is 120gb, F160 is 180gb, and F240 is 240gb. Nice surprise I got xD

And my old drive preforms great in an E-sata enclosure.

EDIT: It is fun that I started the witch hunt and ended it (hopefully).

 

I wonder whether the constant auto-saves in Gmail aren't murdering my SSD. They would be mini-writes, would they not? And the darnedest thing occurs with the SSD in Gmail: When typing, sometimes a few letters just don't show up -- they get swallowed in a sort of "burp" of the drive.

It just might be that I should consider getting rid of my Gmail account -- or, if the Google gang is out there, they could get with it and offer the option of turning off the auto-save feature for those of us out on the "edge" with an SSD ;-).

Derrida

 

I am very happy that it is working out for you!

So...does this mean that the F12 is staying with you?

 

It will stay, even the "issues" this is the best laptop, price/quality/performance, I have found.

 

Hello All,
My Sony F12 shipped today. Here's the configuration.

Standard Battery
i7-740QM processor
16.4” VAIO Full HD Premium Display (1920 x 1080)
NVIDIA 330M GPU (1GB VRAM)
No Fresh Start
LED Backlit Keyboard
6GB DDR3 SDRAM 1333
Blu-ray Disc Player
Adobe Bundle
Backstage VIP Protection Suite
Genuine Windows 7 Professional
500GB HD 7200 rpm
Microsoft Office 2010 Home & Business
Black plastic

This computer is for personal use such as emails, finance, internet, movies, photos and some gaming. Do you have any recommendations for adding or removing software or for changing any of the default settings before I start transferring files?

Thanks!

BTW, I check with Sony Customer Care about the quality of the black case. The rep claimed that they (Sony) have not heard of any quality issues with the durability of the black cases and that over 50% of the CTO F12 are black. We'll see how well mine holds up.

 

You can also use a styrofoam cup with a hole in the bottom, filled with liquid nitrogen

 

So I'm about to go order that momentus xt drive, should I be prepared for anything, what should I do to make it just like my old drive, and should I do a clean install?

 

+1 as I'd like to know the answer to those questions too!

 

Condensation build up will kill a computer really fast.

 

well i have no discoloration on the palm rest like the picture quoted before but i do have an offset of color where the sticker use to be. There is a distinct lighter gray rectangle thats just sticking out like a sore thumb. but either way im not too worried its just so minor. love my notebook either way. i have the vpcf115fm/b. does that /B represent the black model?

 

my god joe do you take your vaio f off roading or something?!

 

Read Engadget's Momentus review. The drive will rearrange itself to fit your needs.

As for how to prep it- I would just make an image of your current drive then restore the image to the new drive.

 

Congratulations on getting your SSD. Fun, isn't it?

 

First of all, look carefully in the bios menu about the bios number cause laptops from July dont have bios versions from 3rd August.

Now go and upgrade it.