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

Yep I know I can buy the external stuff from Newegg .. What I want to know is how do the internal Sony BD writers compare to external ones available from the market .. I dont mind slightly slower write speeds (I actually prefer to write media on slower speeds) .. I just want reliability ! If the internal Sony drives can write properly without any major issues, then I would prefer to go with the internal drive option .. However if you think that the internal drives do a -poor job at writing blurays and I'm probably just going to run into trouble after a couple of months, then I guess the external option is what I need, despite the fact that carrying the external drive around would be an extra hassle ...

 

Okay so I managed to remove the heatsink and fan.

The fan wasn't clogged up. It had a light coating of dust thats all.

The heatsink area for cpu and gpu both had thermal compound. The cpu itself was covered by compound. The gpu was mostly 'shiny' though. Not sure what this means.

Anyway, reapplied thermal compound, cleaned fan, fired her back up and I seem to have a slight improvement with temps.

CPU temps have stayed largely the same which is ok.

The gpu temps seem to be more stable when idle. However, when put under stress (100% load) in Furmark it still hits 100c but takes a bit longer.

I'm tempted to return the laptop but paid a really good price for it and other than this issue its perfect.

The gpu temps are causing my games to throttle back and the screen flashes when the temp hits 100c.

Any ideas guys?

 

I don't remember if you said whether you were overclocking. If you are, of course, the question is what are your temps at the stock settings. If you're not, here's what I what I would do before returning.

Do another clean install and do not install any drivers for any external devices - no printers, monitors, external drives, mouse, keyboard - no devices that are not part of the laptop. Do not install any software programs that are not required. Do install any required window updates and the minimal Sony programs that are necessary for the laptop to function normally.

Then install one game only - one that you are having this problem with. See if you still have bad temps. If you do, I would return the laptop while you still have the chance. If the temps are more reasonable, you probably have some driver or application conflict causing the problem that you can then find by trial and error.

Edit: Also try this with both the Sony-provided graphics driver and the latest final release driver from NVIDIA. And instead of installing a game, you can install Furmark. Some problems only show up in benchmark testing and some problems only show up in real-life use, so you can choose based on your experience with what is happening on your computer.

 

No overclocking. Standard speeds and voltages.

I'm going to do a full reinstall bloatware and all with no devices connected and run Furmark. If the problem is still their its definately hardware related.

I know that the laptop has had a new motherboard fitted last year. It was installed by a 3rd party (Tech Guys, UK) and not Sony. Does anybody know if this would have involved them fitting the gpu or would the replacement motherboard have come with it fitted? I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to laptop hardware. If so then there is a possibility they could have installed the chip badly ? :s

It seems strange that the cpu and gpu are connected to the same heatpipe assembly which is connected to the one fan and yet the fan is able to control the cpu temps but not the gpu.

The only other thing i can think of is there maybe a really bad connection between the faces of the gpu and the heatsink. The gpu chip is tiny though compared to the heatsink :s

 

So, of course, now I'm curious about Furmark testing. I just downloaded what I think is the latest version - 1.9.0. I don't want to run a ton of different tests, so what are best settings for me to test? Here are the options:
Burn-in
Benchmark with no preset or preset 1080 or preset 720
Fullscreen or not
Resolution (many choices but it is set at 1280x720 by default)
Anti-aliasing off or 2x or 4x or 8x
Options - Dynamic background, Dynamic camera, Burn-in, Post FX

 

Just run the burn-in on default settings. Thats what I am doing.
Once it starts, in the top left it will give your readings. Can you tell me what temps you reach for reference? Don't worry if you hit 100c as the gpu drops its clocks and throttles.
Thanks

 

ZPerf, what is your experience like with the Bluray writers you've tried in Sony laptops ? Are you satisfied with them and are they durable/reliable ? Keeping in mind what I've written a few posts above, would you say I buy something external or is the internal writer good enough ?

I'd like to get input on this ASAP so I can place the order ..

 

Ok, so I did two things. The "no preset" benchmark test at default settings and a 15 minute burn in test at default settings. The defaults are for Furmark version 1.9.0. I wasn't running any other programs except HW Monitor and GPU Shark and I had Paint open to Paste screenshots. To be clear, I didn't disable any processes or my normal start-up programs but my point is that I was not running anything to stress the CPU or additionally stress the GPU. The laptop was sitting on the glass part of my coffeetable during the test. I'm posting my Furmark and HW Monitor screenshots. First is benchmark - score 502 and max GPU temp 65C - and then Burn-in - max GPU temp at 71C.

 

Welcome ahmadka!

This is the first time when I see bigger prices in US versus Europe! (£ 90.0 ~= $145).
So the +$70 is just for the reader. You can swap your DVD writer with a Blu-ray writer for less than +$150.

Could you give some links of the burners you found, just to know what you are referring to and comparing to.

If the speed, the size and that it is an external Blu-Ray writer is not an issue for you, then I would say to go with an external drive.
Blu-ray writers are relatively new for me, but if I rely on my experience with the DVD burners, then you have higher chances to get a good and reliable 5.25” writer then a notebook writer.

Also, don’t forget to consider how you intend to use your drive and for what. In the end this is what defines what is good for you!
For example, I use my Blu-ray drive to save data (large system images of virtual machines, big databases, …) not just video (family movies, …), for which DVD sizes were not enough. Now even if I could use an external Blu-Ray writer, a built in Blu-Ray reader would be mandatory for me, because I access these disks quite frequently and even when I’m not at home. Also writing and reading speed is important for me, because I mostly write more than 12-15 GB of data, or even a full BD, and I don’t want to wait hours till it finishes, nor to wait very long time till the data is read. Buying an external fast writer and an internal fast reader was too expensive for me at that time, also having many external devices already, I was not very fond of having another one.

The drives I mentioned in my previous post are used in multiple notebooks, not just Sony (maybe not this Pioneer?), and mostly work ok. There were some problems with the Panasonic drive, but new firmware seems that fixed the problem. I had problems with the “Sony NEC Optiarc BD RW BD-5730S6” drive on my F12Z1E, but others are very happy with it, and some even say that it is the fastest from the drives I mentioned. Sony repair changed it to a refurbished “Panasonic (Mata) BD-MLT UJ240AS” drive, which was defective (I could not write any DVD with it at all), but I think it was just a defective unit and this problem is not specific to this model. This is definitely a bad point for Sony repair though! The “Pioneer BD-RW BDR-TD03” unit works well on my F13 and I’m very happy with it so far!

I hope this helps in your decision!

 

Well you raised some good points there ...

Okay, well my primary need of getting a bluray writer is because I too have large amounts of data to write, about 30 GB ~ 35 GB at a time (meaning I expect burning DL BDs), and this happens once every about 4 - 6 month ... I might occasionally write some HD video content too, but nothing much ... I expect to maybe use the burning capabilities at max around once every 3 to 5 weeks ..

Also, one thing you mentioned which has gotten me thinking is if I get an external BD writer, I would still probably need to have at least a BD reader in my laptop so that I can read the data without any hiccups .. Also, I have a small collection of bluray movies which I occasionally play on my current HP laptop sometimes (my current HP laptop has a BD reader, and it works just fine!) ....

So with this being said, what would you suggest .. Buying a BD reader and an external writer would probably be too expensive for me at this point, but provided the right reasons, I CAN buy both if this proves to be the better option .. Also, the extra load of moving around and plugging in and out of an external writer seems discouraging, considering there's an option to maybe get an internal writer ..

The reason why I'm not in favour of external drives is because I currently own 2 1TB external drives ... One is portable (no power adapter needed), and this seems slightly better .. However the other one I have is a desktop 1TB drive that not only is fat and hard to 'carry around', it also has the extra fat power plug for its own power, and because of this I never really detach it from my workstation as its too much hassle .. I imagine the same thing bothering me if I get an external BD writer .. Having to find it first (my room is quite messy!), then attaching the cords, then starting the burn, etc ...

I know there are a few 5.25" enclosures out there that are completely USB powered, but sometimes burning stuff through them isn't recommended because the writer may not be getting all the power it needs ..

But I dont want to get an internal writer if theres a high probability of it going to be problematic .. I don't mind slightly lower write speeds or something .. I just want something that works and does its job effectively and without errors, whenever I summon it .. Lower speeds dont bother me, as long as I get what I'm paying for ..

Also, the external solution I was talking about is this:

Drive:
Newegg.com - LG WH10LS30 10X Blu-ray Burner - LightScribe Support - Bulk - Blu-Ray Burners

Enclosure:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817347024

The total cost for the external solution is actually around $130-$145, depending on which enclosure I get ..

Also, I'm hearing talking of these '3D compatible' Bluray drives .. Whats that all about ? Isn't this relating to software rather than hardware (in reference to optical drives, not 3D displays, etc ..) ?

Thanks for your help ZPerf ..

 

‘Shiny’ chip surface means that the thermal compound was not applied correctly. Can also mean that the thermal unit is not fitting (laying) correctly on the chip’s surface. If there is only a very small gap because of mechanical positioning than thermal pads can help, otherwise the thermal unit must be changed!

If you have enough thermal paste to experiment, after the first try and running the notebook to heat up the chips (CPU,GPU) take it apart again and check if the paste was spread correctly and in a thin layer. If the layer is thick, that can be an indication for a gap. If the thermal paste was not spread correctly try to do it manually as described for example here.

I hope this will help to solve the heating problem!

 

Also, I had a question regarding the display ... Is it recommended to maybe get the 1920x1080 Premium display for an extra $100, or would the standard 1600x900 display be good enough ..

I personally normally watch Hi Def movies quite regularly on my current HP laptop, which has a full 1920x1080 display, but I dont really know if having this full HD display is really beneficial or not ..

 

As jpride already mentioned, we saw that drivers and some applications can push the temperatures to max and keep it there, but this doesn’t mean that they can push it ‘over the edge’, so if you are no over-clocking or you didn’t change the GPU voltage, than you can stop trying to find a software cause for this problem.

Even if it is possible to change the GPU by de-soldering and soldering a new one (see my previous post), it is very unlikely! I think is more a cooling problem issue (thermal pad/paste, thermal unit, …).

If the heat is not transferred to the thermal unit due to the incorrectly applied thermal compound or mechanical gap, the heat pipe will not transfer it.

See my previous post.

Reading your concern about finding, connecting and using the external units, reminds me about my external 5.25” USB 2.0 DVD writer which stays in its box since ~2 years now, because of this extra hassle to use it. I didn’t use it, then I packed and put it away, then you need to find it, unpack, connect, … . Instead I transfer the data using an external HDD and burn the DVD disk on the other computer with the built in burner (even if the built in burner is slower). So even if the infrequent use of the drive might suggest that an external drive is more appropriate, in these conditions an external drive is not necessary better, nor brings the usage comfort you might expect.

This depends on the writing speed and drive size (actually motor consumption). Faster writing speed needs more powerful laser and the motor also consumes more.

So far the “Pioneer BD-RW BDR-TD03” burned correctly all Blu-rays I tried:
BD-R DL: Sony 2x;
BD-RW: Sony 2x;
BD-R: Sony 6x, Verbatim 4x, TDK 4x, Verbatim 2x;

I hope this helps!

The LG drive’s specification is very nice, but the USB 2.0 enclosure will ‘cripple’ the capabilities of this drive. On USB 2.0 you can have a maximum transfer rate around 32 MiB/s, while the 10x Blu-ray drive needs more than 42.92 MiB/s. Which means that the USB 2.0 enclosure limits you to speeds under 7x Blu-ray speed (if we consider the overhead too)! Instead look for an eSATA or USB 3.0 enclosure for this drive (see for the speed details here).

'3D compatible' for Blu-ray drives (not Blu-ray players) means only that the drive must be capable to read any Blu-ray disk at a minimum of 4x speed (anywhere on the surface!). In other words, because the data quantity is doubled for 3D, the data read from the disk need to be read twice as fast (for non 3D Blu-ray the required speed is 2x).

For example, the LG UH10LS20, in the datasheet shows:

.

You are welcome!

 

Thanks for those points ZPerf ...

By now I've said a lot and you know what my requirements are and what I want, etc ... So based on all this, and based on what you've seen through your experience, and everything else, what option do you think is probably better for me here ? Would you say that I should still go down the external enclosure road ? or would you say that its probably safe to maybe try the internal BD writer option ? .. Like which option is better from my perspective ?

 

I did the same test as you ("no preset" benchamark) with my overclocked 425m
max temp is 72C

i could push more but im happy with the results
what do you think

 

GT 330M 1GB Not using my overclock settings max temp 64 degrees.

 

Thanks guys

That confirms in my mind that my temps aren't normal.

I have now developed another problem though!

It seems that my left and right buttons on the trackpad have decided to stop working but the trackpad works fine.

I have tried doing a fresh install and also a clean install - still not working. Have I managed to do this by opening the laptop up? Incidentally they don't work even when pressing F10 to enter into recovery centre.

I'm getting really frustrated with this now.

 

Welcome ahmadka!
I can’t make a choice for you, but my reasoning would be: Now that you know, that you want an internal Blu-ray reader (at least), the price difference we talk about is +$80 and not +$150. Assuming that you care about your data and you will not use cheap media (disks), than I would personally take my chances and go with the built in writer. It offers the comfort you expect and it is less hassle to use when you need it. If you don’t like it, you can still swap it for another model later. These units sell quite well on the eBay from what I saw (keep in mind, on the professional notebooks line they charge ~$500 for them, so many people want to upgrade after notebook purchase). If everything goes well, you may have another blu-ray drive (this time a writer) which satisfies you as the one from the HP you mentioned! Now it is up to you if you want to purchase it from Sony, and have the chance to get the Pioneer drive, or buy one of the other ones from eBay or … and swap the DVD writer.

It is just my opinion, and as I already mentioned, I’m happy with my choice, and the “Pioneer BD-RW BDR-TD03” Blu-ray writer from my F13 (CTO) works well!

 

Yeah I think thats what I'm thinking too, that I'll give the internal writer a try ..

A question though, how long was Sony's turn around time when you sent in your laptop for BD Writer replacement ?

Also, I posted an earlier question regarding Premium displays .. I'll quote it here for your convenience:

 

Personally I would only go 1080 for any personal usage monitor from now on. But many here fully enjoy their 1600x900 and tell us their viewing is just fine. Not sure what else to say. Get up close a personal with both and make your decision. To me $100 is a reasonable price for the upgrade.

 

I have the 1080 Premium Matte monitor and extremely happy. Especially working in Excel (yes I know this is a multimedia monster laptop, but sometimes we have to do "real" work as well)

 

Here in France, the time stated by Sony is:

In my case the actual time was less with 1 (or 2) day(s). To this you need to add the shipment time, and the failed pickups. By failed pickups I mean that you are there and ready, but they don’t call you and they don’t come. Nevertheless in their report, later, it appears that you were not available/joinable. So if you are lucky, on the last day from the three possible days, they come and pick up your notebook, if not you need to re-contact Sony and ask them to organize a new pickup and start all over again. This is not Sony’s fault, but that’s how shipping companies work in France. Also if you need to prove the problem you have with your notebook to Sony, it takes almost two weeks till they accept and organize the first pickup. But again, this is in France, so it may completely differ in the US!

I think this is a very subjective matter. As you can see in my signature I have the EU Premium FHD display with the gray bar/line problem. I wanted FHD, not just because of the advertised characteristics of this display, but also, because I bought the notebook for HD video editing and image processing beside the usual work I do. There are many people who don’t like the high resolution display, because the text is small, and if you change the Windows font size then some older applications look bad. Well … this sure depends on the applications you are using. Most of the applications I use allow zoom in one way or another, or allow to set up the desired font size. As a result I can tune the text size to my liking and the applications are still looking good. The extra resolution gives me additional ‘real estate’ and fine details for the images, drawings, … . So all is reduced to what you like and what you want. The best is if you can go the a shop where you can check out both resolutions.

 

I've got the 1600x900 and love it. It was also almost $600 cheaper due to sale pricing.

Would I could have afforded it, I would have bought the 1080HD for the extra screen real estate. It's about a 30% increase.

 

I have 2 unrecognised devices now: Base System Device (what is this anyway?) and Network Controller.

Thank you so much for that link! I hope that it will help me fresh install my F13. My VAIO button does nothing now but I would like to use it exactly for the mute function. How do I set it?

 

What is Base System Device

'You'll usually find this after you attach a new component and your system doesn't see it as it should.'

Base System Device Drivers

Windows device manager base system device under other devices.

And with Google Cloud Connect 'real' work is a little bit sweeter.

http://tools.google.com/dlpage/cloudconnect

http://www.thestreet.com/story/11033046/1/google-cloud-connect-rains-on-microsoft.html

Unless you are in the 'Google is watching me' crowd.

 

Card reader

It is automatic function. It must work from the beginning after properly installed Sony Applications

 

Guys, have a look at this:

VPCF13 ??? i7-940XM - Mobile01

From google translate (first post):

"Correction:

LQ164M1LG4BZ dual CCFL (Hong Kong, Japan) matte
LQ164M1LA4A dual CCFL (U.S.) bright side
LQ164M1LD4C 1 CCFL (Taiwan)

If the specifications of 1600x900, it is to use LG's LP164WD1

How to DIY their own screen for VAIO F Series? very simple, a diagram of a step, easy for yourself:
http://www.insidemylaptop.com/take-apart-sony-vaio-vpcf1-laptop-replace-lcd-screen/"


So, could LQ164M1LG4BZ be the premium FHD screen we're looking for?

I am probably going to buy one (even if it isn't *the* EU premium matte), but I have no idea where to get a compatible 2CCFL inverter (my current lcd is 1CCFL). What should I be looking for?

 

I received 3 new F13s today. I have one set up, but have not yet unboxed the other two. The first, a 840QM, 8GB RAM, full HD display is dead quiet. I have been on it for over two hours and it has no problems. Clean install tonight for this one and tomorrow for the other two. (switching to W7 Pro 64 bit for use on our church domain)

I will update here when I can!

 

I just pulled the trigger too .. I ultimately decided to go with the BD burner option .. Hoping this is a good investment ... Will update here when I receive the machine and try it out .. can't wait!

 

Does anyone else get a whining sound when lowering the brightness? I'm sitting in a quiet spot right now, on batter power. When I change the brightness to lower than 80% I get a whining sound from the monitor.

Any thoughts?

 

Hi guys! I'm new around here. I've got the new F13. It has the GT 425M graphics card.

I was wondering if I can update the graphics card drivers. On the nvidia website it says that only Sony Vaio with GT 330m are supported.

Should I install the driver anyway from nvidia or should I stick with the standard drivers?

 

I have been updating from the nvidia site since May of last year...no problems.

 

And if drivers are not compatible it will not let you install. Updated at least four times without issue. I'm using Verde Driver v267.24 BETA. March 1st release date without issue. Did the FurMark stress test today.

ahmadka Rep +1 for your purchase and promised updates.

 

Thanks a lot! That was helpful!

 

Hello guys! Just as I was starting to like my new Vaio, an unfortunate incident happened (you know how family life is sometimes) and now I have two scratches on the screen... They are pretty small and hardly noticeable but they are there. I previously returned a Lenovo T510 because of a dead pixel so you can imagine that I'm not happy at all with these scratches as I always wanted to have an impeccable screen. So I'd like to ask you which are my options now. I was thinking to buy a new screen from Sony (I live in Europe), maybe even go for a matte display this time but I don't know if it is possible. I would prefer not to send the laptop to them but I don't know if I would be able to replace the screen myself. Also, any idea about the cost of a new screen? Thank you!

 

Well done ahmadka! I hope you will enjoy it! Keep us updated! Thanks.

dan smith experienced some noise apparently from the LCD inverter. Check out this link, this link and this link.

 

I grabbed one of these too - gets here Monday. Got the i740, 8Gb Ram, high capacity battery, backlit keyboard, premium display/graphics, 7200rpm drive (smallest). I debated between this and one of the monster Toshiba Qosmios for the longest time, but I decided that the Qosmio was just too big, and didn't have USB 3.0.

I liked the Sony F and Toshiba Qosmio because they both had express card slots and firewire input (which I need). Its getting harder and harder to find laptops with firewire input, and many laptops don't even have express card.

I typically only spend $500-$600 on my laptops, so I hope I don't regret it. Thought about waiting for the new F's to come out, but it looked liked you might have to spend $400 more, to get the new one.

 

Guys, do you think an F series is good for CAD and future CAD versions?

Want to future-proof myself with a Vaio F series since I found a good deal out of it and the only 16.4 inches laptop I Found (17+ inches laptops are huge to me).

 

Hi everyone!

I bought my F12Z last december and It breaks one month after use. I installed last BIOS version but how it didn't fixed it I send the laptop to Vaio-Link.

They repair the laptop, but it cames with the fan out of control spinning like the laptop was working at full power when it only have just started running.

They told me that the problem is on the design of the computer, more than that, the problem is on the latest BIOS update I did before send it to them, on the C3/C6 power management.

They don't give me any solution to the problem and I'm trying now to restore the BIOS to the original version.

can anyone help me? have anyone got the original BIOS yet to copy and send it to me?

Thanks a lot!

 

New LQ164M1LA4A 16.4" 1920*1080 LCD for SONY VGN-FW - eBay (item 270711182408 end time Mar-25-11 22:50:02 PDT) This one is full HD glossy. Someone said on forum that this fits to F series

 

Maybe meet yourself halfway on this. Buy the monitor someplace and if you do not feel comfortable installing, have your local and trusted computer shop install for less than what Sony would charge.

Guys have posted here that do use their laptop for some of their CAD work but they seem to also have a desktop for heavy lifting. You may want to find a laptop where you can have 12MB RAM.

When I was shopping and considering a Qosmio, USB 2.0 was all it had- no SATA and their highest resolution screen was a strange size- no 1080. Too big and bulky for me too.

What do you mean it broke? Please elaborate. Don't let them get away with that statement 'it's in the design'! You had the laptop in your hands before and it did not behave like that. Elevate your work order to second level and speak to someone in that dept. State your issue to them and calmly assert yourself. BIOS options are very limited with the F and I do not believe you can roll back the BIOS. Someone correct me if I am wrong.

rogressem Rep +1 for your purchase.

 

Your options are:

1. Start ignoring the “small and hardly noticeable” scratches and let your brain filter it out after a while. You can still enjoy this nice notebook! ( … I know…)

2. Replace the screen by voiding your warranty (read as: screen not replaced by Sony).

2.a. Replace it by yourself. Buy a new, compatible screen (and inverter if required) from eBay, SonyVaioParts site, or … . Then follow this guide: “Taking apart Sony Vaio VPCF1 laptop. Replacing LCD screen” by InsideMyLaptop

2.b. As Fishon suggested, delegate the replacing part or the whole to a specialized notebook repair center.

3. Ask Sony to replace the screen and keep your warranty (I assume you don’t have accidental damage covered, so you will have to pay for it). I doubt that they will replace it with a different screen (like the EU matte) as you would like!

markds already raised the question about how much would this cost, so read this post and this post in order to put the pieces together.

What is the BIOS version you flashed ? Is it the R1120Y6 (CPU C3-C6 Enable-Disable Option) from the Sony site ? This BIOS was flashed by others too and they don’t complain about out of control fan speeds. I don’t think the new BIOS is the problem!

I would suspect a badly mounted thermal unit. What are the operations mentioned on the servicing report ? Does it include motherboard change ? Post the list here (without the serial numbers if any).

Also, what was the original problem why you had to send the notebook for repair ?

 

Thanks. I don't hear it today. But I'm not in a quiet environment and on power right now. Will have to investigate some more when I get home.

 

Thank you ZPerf!

 

Thunderbolt is increasing in popularity:
Canon backs Intel's Thunderbolt tech

If products will appear with the same rate as popularity increases, soon enough the home entertainment network will be backed by Thunderbolt! (Just one more, tiny thing is missing: eco friendly wireless Thunderbolt! Imagine the light beams all over your house ).

I stumbled upon some older news, but I found it interesting to mention them here:

New Unofficial S o n y Concept Laptop Notebook Design Unveiled
( It is very practical. You don’t need to move the lid to see what’s behind your notebook )

S o n y's 360 degree 3D display

Why Sony is not combining all these technologies and release a new Sony Vaio F 3D without glasses notebook ?

 

Sony announces 3D Vaio F series laptop - Telegraph

 

I was thinking... those scratches are indeed noticeable only if you know where and how to look so it's probably not worth the trouble to install the same type of screen, but if I could find a matte premium screen to fit my model (VPCF13M1E/H), I would go for it. Is such a screen available anywhere? Is this (Sharp LQ164M1LA4A B Full HD 16.4" LCD) the correct code for the EU premium matte screen?

 

It's just not as sexy as our F series models.

 

So far two models showed up as matte screen:

Sharp “LQ164M1LA4A B”: reported by twoflower5150 for his VPCF12Z1E and also I found it on the SonyVaioPart UK site as spare part from an used VPCF12S1E (see my post).

Sharp “LQ164M1LG4BZ”: found on eBay by blackball (see his post) and also found by me on a Turkish site (see my post). Blackball just posted a link to a Chinese site, on which someone states that this matte model is used on the F series in Hong Kong and Japan.

Unfortunately there is no datasheet for any of these screens to be sure.

If you want to buy one, I recommend that you start monitoring eBay and the SonyVaioPart UK site for these screens.

Willscary, could you tell me what is the BIOS version on the newly arrived F13s ?
Also please post the optical drive model if you have a Blu-Ray burner.
Thank you!

 

Does anyone know of a 2.5inch power over esata enclosure that supports a 640GB 7200Rpm HDD? All the ones I have found support up to 500GB. Will my 640 work with an enclosure that only supports 500GB?