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

Hi! I have a F13 series VAIO with Full HD screen but would like to use a 1600x900 resoulutin. Settings only offer 1440x900 and then I have black stripes on the sides. So I went and created a custom resolution in nVidia settings: 1600x900 but it only has a refresh rate of 59Hz while the predetermined resolutions have 60Hz. I think there must be a way to get the 1600x900 resolution safe, easy and with 60Hz refresh rate. If 1920x1080 has 60Hz then 1900x600 sholud too! Can you help me please? My graphic card is GeForce 425M. Thank you!

 

Windows uses a refresh rate of 59.94HZ regardless of what the monitor reports.

59 Hertz Refresh Rate

 

Wait a sec, did i talk about temperature? Or about the whistle which is not normal, read carefully ok, it is got nothing to do with temperature, there is f series owners with same nice temperature as i got on mine, but without fan issues ok?

 

I have an F11 with a GT330M video card. I had been using the previous generation NVidia driver and had a Windows graphics experience index of 6.3 or 6.4 under Windows 7 64 bit. I updated to the latest drivers from the NVidia website, as I had done before, and now my Windows Graphics index went to 1.0. The gaming graphics is still at 6.4 but the aero graphics index dropped to 1.0.

Has anyone else noticed this? I guess I could go back to the last series driver, or maybe just uninstall and reinstall the video drivers.

Just to be clear I had the 250 series driver from a couple of months ago before this, and just recently updated to the latest one from Mid January. Before that I had the most recent NVidia driver from their website, which was in the 250 version range.

 

Hmm don't wanna stress this problem ad nauseum, but apparently Poohkie tried to find a pattern by making a spreadsheet with types of systems having the fan whistle. http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...s-owners-lounge-part-2-a-355.html#post6177730
(Almost) all of them were CTO-systems. So is mine. Difference with an off-the-shelf system is that the configable components () are probably assembled on a different place, different way, even maybe different cooling components?
Is it like he #1 fan noise is a cto-problem? Are there off-the-shelf F1x's here with the #1?

 

But we are talking about temperature as well because the laptop would not need a fan if heat was not an issue. Airflow keeps it cool. Sony has sided on keeping the laptop cool, not keeping it quiet. The fan has been the subject of discussion throughout the threads and at some point I may not read carefully, fair enough, but I do have a healthy dose of skepticism. Are you hearing the same sound I am hearing with mine? I'm listening to my F11 and the fan is kind of whistling too. I cannot discern through audio clips. Unless we can get them all in a room and compare, subjectivity does play a part here. I want to be respectful to all and I think you're perception is genuine, however, I'm being honest when I voice some doubt.

 

My 330M has given me a constant index rating 6.5 and I've done three Nivida driver updates. Myself, I would benchmark and generally test to see if all is well and then just ignore. Most people do not take much stock in WEI but it would certainly get me to check my system out as well.

 

With all respect but out of your reaction, it is easy to deduct that you haven't heard a http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...7-owners-thread-part-5-a-315.html#post7161797 - #1-suffering vaio in real, because then I think you would try to focus your energy on trying to constructively solve that problem.
Now this is interesting. Your vaio is typed like "US-VPCF1190X". Is this a CTO-model?

 

I'm not speaking for Fishon of course, but I'm certain I hear that noise constantly and in fact it is worse than the audio clip that was posted recently by someone else who can't stand it, but I am focusing no energy on solving it myself. Different people have different tolerances. Like I've said before, my last computer had much worse fan noise and I could hear it from several rooms away, so this noise is bearable to me.

 

CTO- you are correct. And back and forth we go. You state 'suffering vaio in real, because then I think you would try to focus your energy on trying to constructively solve that problem' and I respectfully question this point in fact. Would you guys have the same opinions about the 'sounds' coming from my laptop? I'll ask this question. Anyone that has fan/whistle issues had theirs side by side with another F and can state without doubt their laptop makes noises/sounds where the other does not? There is too much subjectivity toward this issue in my mind. Finally, I could be dead wrong, but not to question this first would be illogical.

 

Whoops...

I just managed to mangle my vpcf12s1e/b premium screen! I closed the lid on my headphones, and accidently dragged them out leaving about a 3cm snot-like pattern on the left hand side of the screen. Just the soft outer layer is damaged - I can still see underneath it, but it's hugely annoying.

Does anyone know how much this would cost to get repaired? Preferably UK prices, but any other would give me a fair guide.

Thanks!

 

You might want to consider replacing it yourself. I don't know prices for you, but someone was saying Sony was going to charge them $800 USD just to replace the 1600x900 screen. I'm sure the European premium screen would be much higher.

Edit: just for comparison, the 1600x900 can be found for just over $200 in the US, so you can see how much cheaper it would be to do it yourself. There is a replacement guide on Joe Bleau's page. He has a US screen but it should be the same process - you'll just have a different inverter.

 

http://tinyurl.com/256h9py

Start looking here and decide if you have the courage to do yourself. With adversity one finds opportunity. Consider a EU Premium matte 1080p LCD 2 CCFL with 100% coverage of the Adobe RGB if you find it. And let me know if you do.

 

Mda. I won't say anything about what do I think about... Just couple links. look at them carefully. first one seems ok
NEW 16.4" LCD Screen for Sony Vaio VPC F12 - eBay (item 330533575401 end time Mar-22-11 23:49:06 PDT)
NEW 16.4" LCD Screen for Sony Vaio VPC F12 - eBay (item 140513900539 end time Mar-20-11 03:45:10 PDT)
SHARP 16.4" WXGA+ GLOSSY LAPTOP LCD LQ164D1LD4A - eBay (item 110641409298 end time Feb-26-11 17:29:20 PST)

 

Sorry - I wasn't very clear...

I'd certainly do it myself as I imagine it would be a fraction of the cost of an authorised repair centre. I'm really looking for a ballpark figure.

"Consider a EU Premium matte 1080p LCD 2 CCFL with 100% coverage of the Adobe RGB if you find it"
That's what I'm replacing. And it's a gorgeous screen (when properly calibrated!)

Thanks again

 

The 1.0 Windows experience index rating was the result of running a really old game right before I did the benchmark. Once I rebooted and ran the test again it bounced back to 6.5

 

Well if you think that whistle is ok when gpu stays cool it is your option lol, but my opinion would and will stay the same, you compare to mac with high temp., but problem is diffrent fan and design, mac is too slim, and diffrent fan and heat sink is inside, of course there will be a high temp., now back to business, fan can be louder and of course it should be louder, but without weird whistles, end this please, in case you are missing weird sounds i'mtalking about click on the link:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...7-owners-thread-part-5-a-315.html#post7161797

Download samples from"1", and tell me is this whistle to keep temperature down? LOL!!!

 

I got 6.5 for 3d and desktop, but with original driver installed i had 6.5 for 3d and 6.9 for desktop.

 

Well yes I guess you might be right. Some people can even study quantum physics while listening to Eddy Wally songs.

This morning while on shuttle train to Brussels, I coincidentally talked to a guy working on a F11. Asked him about the #1 whine, he told me he didn't have the problem but had read about it. It was an offtheshelf-system.

 

Sony state the following in the Service Terms and Conditions:

So you must add to this the cost of repair and the cost of the new screen (Sony’s price for the screen).

Add me too to the list!
I think many people on this forum would like to know the model number and price of the EU Premium Matte 1080p 2xCCFL LCD. So please post (including images) if you get any information! Thanks!

 

My F is a preconfigured model. Lots of complaints have been registered by people with preconfigured models. I've played with a bunch of them at stores in the US and here in Aus and they all pretty much behaved the same way, fan speed going up and down. I can't say whether they all whined to the same degree because ambient noise varies from store to store. On my F, the fan behavior does vary depending on what I'm doing, balanced vs. power saver, in a cool room vs. warm room, etc. But unless it's under load, the fan never really settles to a constant speed.

Anseio has said he believes the 1600x900 models are immune because they have the 310M. There is some logic to that because the TDP of the 310M is lower than the 330M. However, the 1600x900 model they have at the airport store here does cycle the fan up and down. Not sure if it whines or not because the airport is noisy.

I agree with Fishon that laptop fan noise is a very subjective thing. Always has been. Mine makes the same noises as mmm123's except maybe louder and it really doesn't bother me. It's nothing like those AMD powered HP leaf blowers from a few years back.

IMO, if you really want to do something about it, you'd be better off playing with underclocking & undervolting to reduce the heat generation or experiment with laptop coolers.

Ditto that. I've thought about changing to the FW screen which is also dual-lamp and can be ordered on line. But it's glossy so I've really hoping that somebody will find a source for the matte premium F screen.

 

I went to store today to see some vaio f, and so i put my head on keyboard and closed other ear to listen somne whistle from f13m model,and yep, there was a whistle

 

Oh noooo! Could my possible theory be correct?

 

This is great news*. You'll be able to tell us the part number of your broken screen, right? Pleeeeeease let us know, I am dying to replace my F12 dreadful 1600x900 normal screen...


* On second thought, I should have chosen my words more carefully... Sorry your screen is ruined

 

15% off all laptop memory today at Newegg

Newegg.com - Laptop RAM, Laptop Memory, Laptop RAM Upgrade, Notebook Memory, Laptop Memory Upgrade

 

Hell I don't remember where I read rhis, but I think it's a Sharp-display.

 

This is plain incredible, I did exactly thesame today with a F13z, priced 1700Euro in Mediamarket Brussels. The thing was sitting there just dead-silent, but then I asked to unlock the demo-prog, and started to get some load on it, and it felt like coming home, there was the whine at a (still low) certain rpm

 

Does any of your F's sound like this?

http://tinyurl.com/48u55pn

 

here on 5-th and on 2-nd parts of owner's thread

 

Can somebody help me?

I have a VPCF11Z1E and have performed the clean install of Windows 7 using this guide Vaio F Series Clean Install Guide - F11 F12 F13 by Joe Bleau.

Everything is fine but I cannot get the ASSIST button to work or the VAIO button. (S1 is fine).

Can somebody tell me which software and the order to be installed I need to install? The above guide is for the American version and software such as Location Utility and Notebook utility is not available for download on Sony Support Europe.
Thanks

 

Assist is for Vaio Care. Do you have that in Europe downloads? VAIO button is for one of those Sony Media programs that I uninstalled so don't remember the name of. You cannot use that button for anything else, other than MUTE. Edit: It's called Media Gallery.

 

I have vaio care installed but assist wont launch it

 

First thing to try is download Vaio Event Service. I see that on the UK site. You may have to reinstall Vaio Care after that.
Edit: Also, try manually launching Vaio Care in the Start Menu first time.

 

Okay probelm solved. I have installed Vaio update, ran it, updated everything and ASSIST launches Vaio Care. Happy days.

So the VAIO button is useless unless Media Gallery is installed?

At the moment it toggles mute on and off when pressed.

 

Yes, that is all the Vaio button can do.

 

what is that media gallery? shall i install it?

 

Well, like i said, I uninstalled it, so I'm not one to recommend it but I don't like those types of programs. It recommends things to you based on content of your media. You can see the Sony marketing for it here: VAIO Software | Sony | SonyStyle USA

 

Hi! I have 2 questions about F13 BIOS settings.

I want to disable the integrated sound card so that I can use the external one I have but I can't find that option in BIOS. How can I do it?

Why is Intel Virtualization Technology [Disabled] by default? What will I gain/lose if I enable that option in BIOS?

Thank you

 

Intel Virt tech gives you an opportunity to use XP mode on Windows 7. I doubte that it needs to be enabled by default.
You can disable devises using Device manager in Windows

 

Thunderbolt vs USB 3.0 vs eSATA

Thunderbolt vs USB 3.0 vs eSATA | News | TechRadar UK

Intel's Thunderbolt: Will Apple Exclusivity Help or Hinder it?

http://www.i4u.com/45523/intels-thunderbolt-will-apple-exclusivity-help-or-hinder-it

Bye Bye eSATA?

 

I get the sense of "firewire" effect in terms of adoption...

 

Hey guys,
I need help. I have owned the VPC115fm for one year now. I am having issues with the fan. At first I thought it was my hard drive going bad because of the way my laptop made a screeching/grinding sound. I opened it up to replace it and I discovered that my fan was the source of the grinding sound. This is my first laptop and I am not too sure how to proceed with repairing a fan. I tried to remove the fan but it seemed to be glued to the copper coils. Has anyone else had this problem. I didn't see anything about fan noise being so severe that it grinds like a failing hard drive.

 

Well, I was hoping to purchase the next refresh of the F-Series but now I simply have to wait until Apple's competitors incorporate Thunderbolt. This interconnect is a generational event in the computer industry.

Thunderbolt = Light Peak = Mini DisplayPort + PCI Express – Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat

Whoa there! So this little Mini DisplayPort connector includes 20 Gb/s of throughput in each direction, plus up to two DisplayPort v1.1a connections with 8.64 Gb/s each. This yields a grand total of 57 Gb/s over that slim wire. That’s one impressive interconnect!

It also has the capability to easily incorporate legacy devices without any speed loss:

As mentioned, just about any existing PCI Express chipset can reside on this Thunderbolt bus, and the topology is extremely flexible. A Thunderbolt peripheral could be an endpoint, using the PCI Express lanes to drive FireWire, USB, Fibre Channel, or just about any other interconnect. It could also be a hub, allowing further Thunderbolt connections, or a pass-through in a daisy-chain topology.

I am not very happy with Intel that they provided exclusivity until 2012 to Apple. I hope that competitors challenge Intel on this score!

 

Is it possible to replace a i7 720QM by a i7 840QM for example ?

Thanks

 

Has anyone noticed a weak red light at the top border of the Full HD premium LCD? It's outside of the 1920x1080 pixels, but the whole top frame weakly glows red, I noticed it first when watching a movie in extra wide format with black framing. Wonder wether this is normal (a "feature", lol) or a defect.

 

i have a simple question :
what should i use to clean my vaio f1390x screen without causing any damage to it ?
Thanks

 

I'm using a optical lens cleaner, alcohol and ammonia free. Microfiber cloth can be found for less than $5.

 

I do not recall anyone replacing the fan. Did it happen all of the sudden out of nowhere or did it get incrementally worse through time? I hope someone else chimes in here.

Definitely not. Within this unit, it's part of the motherboard. Neither can the graphics card.

 

I have never heard that CPU can't be ever changed.

 

My understanding is they are soldered onto the logic board. Please correct me if I am wrong.