Official Sony VAIO F Series i5/i7 owners thread *Part 5*

Same on every F series. Its not as though as its should be by im connecting and disconnecting power adapter everyday for almost 6 months and its fine.

 

It turns out that what I am experiencing is probably "normal" Ground Loop. I got that from another forum. I will try with a Ground Loop Isolator on the auidio cable.

 

Let us know if that solves your problem.

 

yeah my cord could wiggle around a lil bit for a while but i just noticed this loss of charge link last night as i was playing SC2 and my comp lagged hardcore and i realized it wasn't connected T_T

 

Similar, but really unrelated to yours, I had unplugged my lappy last night so I could get the charge down to in the limits of battery care, and forgot that I had done so. A few minutes later, I'm trying to get a game setup on my PS2 emulator and I can't figure out why it's lagging so much. Took a while to figure it out. HAHAHA

 

Sorry for barging in, but I have been reading the previous pages, and I am a bit confused in regards to what some users are saying. Is it true that sound is distorted when the laptop is charging, I personally cant tell.

 

Sound can be distorted if you are charging and at the same time connect your laptop to an external amplifier. I havent yet confirmed this but it seems very likely to me. Google "ground loop" and "ground loop isolator"

 

Hey Sony F series owners - I'm thinking of buying the Sony F132FX. But I don't need a laptop till 4-5 months from now. Am I better off waiting for the next F-series model? There's a good sale on for the F132 - $999, but I've heard there are minor issues with the laptop. What are your thoughts, as owners?

 

Ok so on my Dads Toshiba satelite L550 laptop, i ran sc2 and the fan stays pretty quite, only going up to about 4500 rpm, and the temps stay around 70-80. On my vpcf116fg i run sc2 and my fan goes to 6000, it is INSANELY loud and temps around 80-85. Also, when my fan is at 4500 rpm it is much louder than the toshiba at 4500 rpm.

 

You get minor issues with most laptops. The minor issues with the VAIO F tend to be tolerable when compared to some of the competition.

The price is fantastic and you're not likely to find that price on a brand new release in 4-5 mths. The F13 is already 3 mths old, so it's not even "new".

The technology is on the verge of changing, as always, so waiting will get you a sweet piece of equipment, but not likely at a sweet sale price.

 

Zodah, I watch movies when charging sometimes, and i dont get distorted noise, why does this happen when on charge.

 

Thanks for your opinion. I didn't know how good a sale price that laptop was, I guess. I know laptops do eventually go on sale but I've heard sales on Sonys are far and few between?

Are there any other issues I should know about? I was worried about the size and portability factor but have resigned myself to the fact that the specs are just too good to pass up.

 

I just looked at your model. It's similar to mine, only newer. It's about a $1200 configuration for $1000. For Sony, that's a good good sale price.

You will most likely NOT experience the fan noise issue that many complain about. It's not a full HD display, but looks damn good anyway. It does ok for gaming, but the 330M or 425M NVIDIA cards would be much better for that. Had I the funds, I would have purchase accordingly.

It's a bigger laptop, by screen size alone, but is portable when in a backpack or something. It's mainly intended as a desktop replacement, but isn't near as heavy as my old Toshiba Satellite. I felt like my backpack straps were going to break when carrying that one around. hehe

 

I wanted to ask all you SSD fans about the Kingston 128GB SSD Now V Solid State Notebook Hard Drive Bundle that is now on sale at Costco for $174.99 after $25 off and $25 rebate. Would this be a decent choice for the F?

Costco - Kingston 128GB SSDNow V Solid State Notebook Hard Drive Bundle

 

I don't know anything about that SSD. You should try your question here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/har...thread-benchmarks-brands-news-advice-810.html

Watch out though, they get a little "fanboy" at times.

My guess is that it's a bit slower in performance, but will be much snappier than your HDD regardless of where it is on the performance scale.

 

Thanks anseio!! What model do you have? I really had no idea that Sony rarely goes on sale... I'll go pick it up tomorrow.

What's with this fan noise though?! I'm glad I most likely won't experience it but it has me a bit worried. Not full HD eh? They told me it was! Weird, wonder why it would be spec-ed as such. I don't do any gaming so the discrete card just has to be good for Photoshop and video editing.

Not portable, but I guess I really do need a desktop replacement. And even though I wanted a 15'' screen, maybe 16.4'' will be better for editing and such.

Huge thanks for your opinion! I hope they still have it in store tomorrow.

Is the extended warranty by Sony worth buying? Their service line sucks. I called today to ask about the product and the rep said "I have to let you go - I have a lot of calls. Call back in 4-5 months when we have more models out." WOW! Seriously?

 

I googled your model number, I may have read the specs wrong. I read them as:

500GB HDD
1600x900 display (not full HD as that would be 1920x1080)
NVIDIA GeForce 310M

New stuff rarely goes on sale, but as a model is about to be refreshed, the predecessor gets a sale. That's how I got my F11. It was a few weeks before the F12 rolled out.

My full model number and specs are in my sig below.

Get it only if you're sure that's what you want, or that you can live with it. HAHAHA. I was torn between 3 brands, and went the F11 dropped in price (the day after I looked at it), I was able to make up my mind quite easily.

oh, the onboard speakers are craaaaaaaapyyyyy. For movies and games and stuff, externals are the way to go. I got the Creative Labs GigaWorks T20. Another user, Fishon, has Altec Lansing (I think) and loves them.

 

I have essentially the same model as Anseio but the F12 version. Like you, I don't play games and use mine as a desktop replacement with a cooler and speakers. I have had no fan noise issues or any of the other minor problems others have reported and after five months of use I am still extremely pleased.

 

Also my GPU is always at 100%, what does this mean?

 

It can't always be at 100% unless something is using it or something is wrong. Can you be more specific?

 

Ha! Sounds like me. I was considering the Toshiba as it has better specs but it FEELS plastic-y and cheap. And the keyboard is really important to me. A lot of people have been recommending ASUS but I have a netbook by them and I hate the keyboard - not crisp at all. I'll probably hook mine up to a external ergo keyboard anyway for long pinches of typing, which is going to be annoying but hey, gotta do what I gotta do.

I take it your F11 didn't go on sale as much as this sale. I'd be willing to wait for the F14 or even the F136 but again, you're probably right that it won't be $200 off.

John_WA, thanks for your feedback on your F12. I'm glad to hear you aren't having fan issues either! I guess a cooling mat is a must though. I've never owned a laptop before so this is all very new. I really appreciate the advice and insight. I'm feeling pretty good about the decision to go with the F series. And I'm almost positive I'll pick it up tomorrow. Of course, I'm still slightly nervous about whether I should wait till May or even February, when the new model is released, to see what kind of sale the current model goes on for. There is the F136 which has extra 2GB of RAM and a 640GB HDD. But currently priced at $1500!

*oh! the extended warranty with Sony! is it a must? should I buy it tomorrow?

 

So your saying portability is an issue with this laptop? I actually got it even though i still have a desktop, both for school and for entertainment such as gaming on the road. My desktop with a 9800GX2 still runs games faster...

I havent actually taken it out with me yet, i hope i wont be too annoyed with the weight. I dont get why Sony wouldn't equip such high quality laptops of theirs with LED screens instead of CCFL. It would of make them thinner and lighter weight. Even if it would of jacked up the price an extra $50-100 i think it would of been so much more worth it...


Also, the battery is crap. Do you know how i can get the 9 cell battery in Canada? Im guessing the Sony stores dont carry that??

PS. I also got the gigaworks T20 (series II) for my deskptop. These speakers are really amazing considering they have no subwoofer! Better than the Bose companion 2 series II i had before these...

 

Oh, well if the keyboard is an issue, then definitely the VAIO. I hated the Toshiba keyboards. The VAIO keyboard is practically orgasmic to type with. LOL

I don't have portability issues, but it is a bigger lappy, and not intended to be super portable.

The Bose Companion 2 Series II were total crap. I got those first and couldn't stand that the entire mid ranges were muffled. I actually ended up getting the T20W (wireless) on craigslist for $50. So, I bought the wireless soundblaster card. Now the sound is unbelievable. One snafoo though... Creative is years behind on proper product support. Win7 drivers are still beta drivers. I have no access to controlling volume wirelessly from my laptop. I have to adjust the knob on the speakers. But... if I'm plugged in to the soundcard, instead of wireless, everything is fine. Good thing I got good prices on both.

Oh, the full HD displays are CCFL displays. It's the 1600x900 that are backlit LCD.

 

John,

This is an outstanding price for a "less than average" current SSD. By that statement, what I mean is this; This is a slower drive. It is not even close to current "state of the art" SSDs. However, this drive will be about twice as fast as the factory HDD at large reads and writes, and because of the quick seek times of SSDs, it will seem like it is 5-10 times as fast as the factory HDD when performing most everyday tasks.

Don't let others steer you towards Intel or Sandforce controlles SSDs simply because they are the newest rage. I would love a Corvette, but I drive a Malibu. My year old SSD might be slightly faster than this Kingston, and it has a better warranty. I also paid about $2.48 per GB (which was a steal at that time as most people were paying ove $3). This is a great price at only about $1.50 per GB (useable).

If that is all you are willing to spend, it is a great price. Besides, you also get the cloning software and the external enclosure that you can install your factory drive in. These are both bonuses that would definitely cost you some money.

If I was in the market for an SSD for my wife's or kids' laptops (both older) I would not hesitiate to purchase this.

I hope this helps.

 

Nope on both the everest ultimate addition, and the program that replaced everest (cant remember the name), under Cooling fans it says GPU is ALWAYS at 100%.

 

I can't find "cooling fans" in Everest Ultimate. Where exactly should I be looking in there so I can check mine?

 

click computer then click Sensor

 

When I click "computer > sensor" there's only one option under Cooling Fans and that's for the CPU, which is displayed as RPM, not %.

What model VAIO F do you have and what model GPU?

 

VPCF116FG and i dont know what model GPU

 

Go for Intel G2 120GB or Corsair F120. Dont even bother with Kingston. You could also try Intel G2 80GB for less money.

 

Well, exactly why, I cant explain. Im not an electrician. As I understand it it happens if you connect two components that have two different power sources. For ex a laptop that you connect to an external amp to get bigger/better sound. The laptop have one power source and the amp another. The electrical current creates a "resonance" that travels from one component to the other via the audio cable. It only happens if you have grounded sources.
See here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_loop_(electricity)

and here for a fix: Ground Loop Isolator - RadioShack.com

 

Sorry if this has been asked before.
Does anyone know when F series with Sandy Bridge will be released? Are they coming out at CES?

 

Thanks Willscary....That was very helpful!

Thanks for your opinion!

 

Theyre not planing at this moment F14 and youre asking about sandy bridge ? I would say sandy bridge wont be implemented in F series at all.

 

What do you mean by "backlit LCD". Is that an LED backlight or CCFL or something else (which i never heard of)?

 

I am just hoping im not paranoid, but it seems like my leather palm which is part of the chrome finish is coming of, when I look at one side compared to the other, it seems as though its a bit loose, im not sure whether it is supposed to be like that.

 

I use my laptop primarily as a laptop (this means I drag it to class with me, too!) and it's been ok. If you're shopping for a laptop to use as a laptop.. don't buy the F! Seriously! It cuts the CPU down to 931mhz (despite keeping all 4 cores on), and somehow that CPU/GPU combination can make some programs lag like hell (itunes, for example runs like it's on a friggin 486!)

Amazingly, the Envy 14 doesn't have that problem (I wonder if the 17 does?). I'd think if you were going to use your machine on battery you should go get a dual core i7 laptop instead.

 

A ground loop isolator works lika a charm

 

Im not sure about any lag. So far this thing has been really fast and not laggin g on anything ive thrown at it. I know you can also get a better battery for it than the standard one. Perhaps if i get that it will make it decent for portability when used on power saver. Although im not sure how to get it here...

 

I think all laptops are portable some more than others. I got a great PC, but i wanted a laptop which would last me a long time, with great specs. As well as a machine where i can use around the house and take with me to the library and uni. So for that i say its good. OoTLink how does yours lag, because on my laptop it seems pretty fast, im just kinda of worried that it may lag like yours in the future.

 

Thanks for the catch. it's LED backlit for the 1600x900 and dual CCFL for the 1920x1080.

 

Wow. I thought I had a nice system but others sure don't think so.

 

Anseio, is yours really LED backlit, if so why isnt the 1920 x 1080. I am in awe with the laptop, why people are critising the laptop is beyond me, there is not a perfect laptop out there.

 

+1 on the rep just to cheer you up. I feel that my 8 month old F11 is blazing fast and with my settings I'll still race mine against the F13s! (Crap, as soon as I can!)

 

Sir, I thought you had the Altec Lansing externals. I could have sworn it was you who posted that you had them. I tried the Bose for 3 days. All forms of speech, especially music, seemed muffled though the low end was fantastic. I hated the feeling that every artist/actor I was hearing had a lisp. LMAO The Gigaworks T20's do really well in all the ranges. Had my neighbour banging on the wall one night while I was watching an old season of Buffy. I didn't realize the low end was carrying so strongly, yet I heard all of the speech clearly.

Of course, the battery isn't crap and your SSD has been performing consistenly since you got it.

Yes, mine is LED backlit, not CCFL. I, too, am in awe with this lappy. I have no complaints other than I couldn't afford the configuration that would make me even happier.

 

So does anyone know anything about my permanent 100% GPU?

 

I had asked a question relating to your findings in Everest, but you may have missed it. Will you provide a screenshot, please, showing the problem?

 

Ok ill post up screenshot and my model is VPCF116FG

 

I was hoping for Everest screen shots. Downloading AIDA 64. will get back to you.

 

What's the model # for your VAIO and what GPU do you have?