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

I'm still confused

Giving a concrete example:

The F11Z1R is an EU model with a premium matte screen, correct? So it should be part of the 16.4/Full-HD_HDAR/HC_SlimAdobe_BP group. Is this correct?

What are the correct dip switch settings for this screen then? Off-On-Off-On or On-On-Off-On?

 

Because we don’t know that, we discussed just about matching correctly the display groups (16.4/Full-HD_HDAR/HC_SlimAdobe_BP, …) with the models (F13Z1E, …) and Sony part numbers. Of course, there is one more thing to match, the DIP switch positions. I think for this you would be the right person to give an insight. What was your DIP switch positions with the original screen and what is with the new one ?

 

I will need to get back to you on this. As I cycled through the various settings, I got one of three results:

1) Completely blank
2) Blue-ish garbage
3) 'Worked' with a grey bar on the right.

I wrote these down on a piece of paper- I'll let you know which settings 'worked' when I get home from work.

Even though more than one set of settings seemed to work, there may be subtle differences that are not immediately obvious... I wish we knew more about the function of these switches...

As far as my current LG LCD is concerned, I don't remember the settings off the top of my head, but I will let you know when I open the laptop again.

One thing to note is that the .jpg I found on the internet has 4 sets of screens, while jpride's service manual has 3 (it's missing the LQ164D1LD4). Of course, his is for the F13, while the .jpg I found is for the F11.


Edit: Looking at the dip switch settings page, I noticed that for each group, there are screens marked JP, AM, EU and AO (what would AO be, by the way? Africa/Oceania?). Doesn't that mean that there are American models with the *same* screen as EU (and JP and AO) models? Or am I missing something?

 

Returning to this point, I wanted to share some info on the screen cables-


The non-FHD LVDS cable that I currently have is this one: Sony VAIO VPC-F M930 LCD Video Cable 015-0001-1497_A A1772163A (Sony Part No. A1772163A, part no. written on cable is 015-0001-1497_A).

The FHD version part numbers are A1772164A / 015-0001-1500_A.


On the Sony ServicePLUS site, they are listed with the following descriptions:

"M930 LVDS CABLE (2 CH)" for the non-FHD and "M930 LVDS CABLE (FULL HD)" for the FHD.


On sparepartswarehouse, the descriptions are:

"M930 LVDS CABLE (2CHANNELS 1 Lamp)" and "M930 LVDS CABLE (2CHANNELS 2 Lamps)"

( A-1772-163-A - Sony Laptop Miscellaneous Parts and A-1772-164-A - Sony Laptop Miscellaneous Parts )


My point is, *both* seem to be 2-channel LVDS according to the Sony and sparepartswarehouse sites... The latter indicates that the difference has something to do with the number of lamps. That doesn't quite make sense to me though...

Anyway, thought I'd share it in case anyone could figure out why different cables would be needed (given that both are 2-channel).

 

Just picked up one of these today. Haven't installed the software yet but very excited! Accessory extraordinaire.

http://www.razerzone.com/talon

 

Concerning the single LVDS limit (~1.47 MPixel), this only means that for higher resolutions you need dual LVDS connection. It is possible to use the dual LVDS connection for lower resolutions than the limit. I just ‘Googled’ and there are many LCDs which uses dual LVDS at much lower resolutions. For example the LM190E08 ( 1280x1024 ~= 1.3 MPixel ), … .

In your case, ~3/4-th of the screen, horizontally is correctly lit and works. Considering that the CCFL tubes are mounted one at the top and one at the bottom, and they are as wide as your display, even if only one is powered with the old cable (the two additional wires to the second CCFL are missing), this should not affect the pixel data sent to the display (unless the LVDS cable is faulty).

With the new cable you should have the second CCFL working, and let’s wait to see if you get the data for the rest of the screen before suspecting another fault.

 

OMG! I so want one!

 

I looked those up previously and those AM models are South and Central American models. Those models should have the Adobe Premium screen, but no one has come on the forum who has one to tell us for sure. The couple people that have posted from those Americas have had US laptops.

Edit: and the AO is Asia. Maybe the O is for Other? As in Other than Japan? Not sure, but the AO is Asia.

 

hehehe which immediately begs for the question, especially for victims of fanwhistle noises: is the Arrandale unit whistle-free maybe? And can it be mounted on a core i7?

 

you wouldn't want the Arrandale thermal unit on a Clarksfield processor. it would overheat.

 

I have a question that I need help with asap. I have bought an f series (Sony VPCF136FD/B) Sony VPCF136FD/B Laptop Bottom line after taxes i am into it for 915.00 . After having it for a week I am sorry to say I am disappointed with the washed out screen but most importantly the fan is very loud to me. I have read the fixes and workarounds for these issues but the bottom line is these issues must be lived with to a point. So I have an opportunity to return this laptop and get all of my money back. Do you think I should jump on the chance to return this laptop or are the issues with this f series worth keeping for 915 bucks? I have been looking at the HP envy 17 but I need some good advice. Thanks.

 

Hi, I have a question: I have an application called Intel rapid storage technology installed and running in the background but I don't know if it does anything else except eating my system resources. What is it for, what does it do, do I need it? If I don't need it I will disable its startup using the CCleaner. Thank you.

 

IRST is the program that includes your chipset driver. You can go to Intel's site and download the driver itself. Then, you uninstall IRST, allow windows to reboot as necessary (about 2x), then manually update to the driver that you just downloaded.

Unless you have RAID, which is not supported by the F series IIRC, then you don't need the IRST program.

 

Would it be OK if I just disabled the IAStorIcon.exe from the Windows startup? Would that stop the program from running or the driver too?

 

Just interesting. What stops you from downloading driver and uninstalling that program? http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=19601&keyword=intel+rst&lang=eng

 

Nothing I guess. The link you gave: is it to download the driver or the program?

 

I think the fan sound is something you might have to learn to be ok with. Perhaps a clean install and a cooler will decrease it. I dunno, I don't have fan issues. Re: the screen... I'm assuming that you have the 1920x1080 display. If you do, then you seriously need to get a color profile and then you'll be very happy. Fishon posted a profile in a message within the last 20 pages of this thread. If you can't find it, I'm sure you could ask him to post it again.

The link James D provided is for the driver only. Don't be sloppy. Properly uninstall IRST, allow the reboots, then manually update the driver.

 

915 is a great deal. I have almost the same machine and the same fan noise. It is unfortunate that it is too loud for some.

 

Well m monitor went out on my f11 had a total greyscale from boot to post. This time around sony came to my house within 3 days and changed the the monitor parts and slapped another mobo in there.

I think Ive had every part replaced in this laptop within less than a year. Im seriously done with sony gave my laptop to my wife and built a hi end pc gaming rig.

Well at least the service was better this time around!

 

What's the resolution of your screen? The link you give says WXGA, but that can't be right. Is it 1920x1080 or 1600x900?

Normally, I'd say just return it (since you have two issues that will stay with you for the lifetime of the computer). But at $915, a quad i7 is quite a bargain. I don't think you will be able to find something better, unless you're willing to spend more (I don't live in the US, so I could be wrong of course).

I suggest you go have a close look at competing laptops in showrooms. See if the screens are better, for example. Then decide...

 

I doubt it's the 1600x900 screen as no one complains about it being washed out. Only have had complaints on the 1920x1080 until a color calibration is done, then people are happy.

 

I assume you mean the old Envy 17, not the brand new 3D model. The old Envy 17 has a much nicer screen than the F, albeit super glossy, and a better GPU. The build quality and reliability isn't as good as the F. The Envy 17 also runs hot during normal use and super hot when gaming. While the fan in the F can be annoying, it does keep the laptop cool. Pick your poison I guess.

 

Well, I complain about my LG 1600x900 screen. Perhaps we all have different standards, but when I first powered up my new F12 next to my ancient FE21b (dual lamp, x-black), the difference was staggering... It looks dim and washed out to me always.

 

OK, I will, thank you. How do I install it (I guess I have to update the driver in the Device Manager, but for which device exactly?)

 

It will be in Device Manager under IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers. Look it up BEFORE you uninstall IRST. It should read as "Intel 5 Series ...". Once you've uninstalled IRST, it will change to another name and possibly multiple entries. That's normal. Pick the obvious one and update that driver.

 

no its the 1600 x 900 and it even looks washed out when I run it on an external monitor. I see there are all these profiles for the 1920x1080 unit. I cant seem to improve mine. The blacks are like grays and washed out especially when watching video. There is a large price difference between the standard and hi res. is it worth another 3 or 400 for that hi res. screen?

 

Are you getting this thing new or used? Sounds like the color has been screwed with or something. Perhaps you can try manually calibrating it.

 

That's what I though but no improvement when I tried. However that is not to say I was doing anything productive when I tried. I bought this unit on an eBay website that I use often because they specialize in refurbished units and most are auctioned off with no preset minimum. So deals can be had if my fellow auctioners aren't crazy with the bidding madness. I have picked up several high end laptops for well below retail and the best part is almost all of them I have been able to register and activate full warranty periods. But I digress.

I cannot believe the limited viewing angle available on this LCD panel as well. Maybe I am spoiled by my tablet PC but you only have to move slightly left or right, up or down, and the screen goes right out of phase. Is this also normal?

 

Is there an i5 processor that offers similar horse power to the i7 found in this f series laptop but that performs much cooler an the i7 series? It seems to me that the quad core cooling needs cannot be met by any mid size laptop at least not running silent or near silent.

 

I cleaned my F11 this morning (the same way I always do) by using a vacuum cleaner with a small brush attachment sucking air through the exhaust port, AFTER I used the same brush to first clean out the intake grills on the bottom of the machine.

Just for giggles, I left the vacuum on the exhaust port, pulling cool air through the machine until the sensor temps were down to 35C.

I shut off the vacuum. The fan sensor shows the fan running and RPMs, even when the vacuum suction is the force that is driving the rotation. As soon as I removed the vacuum, the fan registers 0 RPMs. My fan comes on at 1,920 RPMs once the average of the 4 cores, GPU and moterboard hit 43C. At this point, the motherboard had been at 42C for a while, but had not yet risen to 43C. The cores varied from 41C to 45C and the GPU was 43C.

The fan, from 1,920 to 2,080 RPM was inaudible unless putting my ear to the exhaust port. Above that, I could here it slightly until it got to 2,600 RPM. At this point I could hear it, but it did not whine. It whined only when benchmarking to raise the temps. The whine began at about 3500 RPM, but was not annoying. The up and down whine occured between 4,500 and 5,100 RPM. I never see any fan speeds this high unless benchmarking or during very heavy workloads.

This machine has been a dream. If your fan is noisy at low RPMs, perhaps your fan is bad. Otherwise, if the fan runs at high RPMs, check your temps. Perhaps your room is warm or your intake vents are blocked.

I hope this helps!

 

I've got to say that washed out is not the norm for the 1600x900 display. Wierd.

Yes, that's tne viewing angle we got. Nothing to write home about, I know.

Not sure about how the i5 F performs. I can't recall any owners coming here and posting. It's a touch decision w/ the i7 - tons of cooling or tons of heat. the HP Envy thread last year had people stress testing and easily getting temps up to 100c. Most of us here can't get them over 66c.

 

I got through the start of your post and thought "Oh no! This is the time that built static up and caused damage." So glad that wasn't the case.

From hearing a recording and reading what you, and others, have stated about diff RPM's, it just seems like an acoustic resonance. Very hard to find and tackle that, I suppose.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge, anybody?
YouTube - Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse "Gallopin' Gertie"

 

I always wonder everytime someone mentions their RPMs why mine are so high compared everyone else. It's been this way since the day I got it, so it's not dust, and I do use compressed air on it frequently anyway. But my RPMs never get as low as others mention. If I have any program open at all, even not actively using it, I'm always at least in the upper 3000s, which would explain why I always have the whining noise. After boot up, before opening any programs, with less than 70 processes (forget the exact #) and 0-1% CPU usage, if the room is very cold, the lowest I've seen my RPMs is 3200. My temps appear fine - normally in the 50s. I can tolerate the fan so it's not something I'd send it to Sony for - I just find this curious. Obviously something is different/wrong with my machine compared to others. I just hope it doesn't have some longterm negative effect. Unless, it develops a problem that I feel really needs attention, I don't want Sony touching it though.

 

anseio,

No, I have not ruined any of the F series that i maintain, and I clean them with the vacuum in this way every 8-10 weeks. I know what others have said, but maybe I am just lucky. Then again, working on a dozen of these and doing this every 8-10 weeks means that I have done this over a hundred times without a problem. take it for what it is worth, but I don't adhere to the advice that the static buildup will destroy thes F series machines.


jpride,

my house is about 70F year-round and my cooler runs a lot of the time. My running processes may approach, but next to never surpass 60 processes and idles just under 50 processes. I have 5 startup items on my machine and the church machines that I take care of only have 3 startup items.

Perhaps the additional running processes keep your fans running, or perhaps your living space is a few degrees warmer. My machine, at idle, runs the fan at 1,920-2080 RPM and the temps run right around 43-45C. The fan quickly ramps up above these temps. In our church office, the room temps are 68F and those machines generally idle at 42-43C. Their fans are nearly always idling at 1920 RPM when I leave them sit.

I am not saying that you can't have problems. You can. I am simply stating that all of the F series machines that I have worked with behave very similarly, even though they are a mix of F11s, F12s and F13s, some have base graphics and displays while others are upgraded and two of the machines have the upgraded 800 series core i7 processors.

I hope this helps!

 

Same here, just like #4183 mentioned. On idle I'm getting around 3100 RPM with temperatures around 52-55 degrees. I'm running around 73 processes ( no clean install ).

 

On my F13, no clean install, some bloatware removed, with 23C (~74F) room temperature:
- After boot: 2800-3100 RPM for about 2 minutes (mainly because of the McAfee antivirus).
- Idle with AIDA64 (Sensors display) running: 2280-2520 RPM, constantly changing ( CPU usage 0-1%, occasionally 2% ). CPU temps 43C-47C, GPU temp 43C.
- Light usage, example multiple pages opened in the web browser and reading, scrolling, … : 2300-2700 RPM, constantly changing . CPU temps 45C-49C, GPU temp 44C. If ‘heavy’ active content or video on the page, then CPU temp goes up to 55C-60C and fan till 3800-4000 RPM.

I can hear the fan all the time, but under ~2400 RPM only if it is quiet in the room. Above ~3600 RPM it is audible even with music in the room, but it is not very loud! It is loud only when I push all cores to max and the CPU temps goes above 70C and RPM is above ~4400 RPM, but, of course, what is loud is subjective.

The noise #1 (whistle/whine) appears in two RPM ranges. Somewhere between 2800-3100 RPM and somewhere between 4200-4500 RPM, but it is not loud nor very annoying. The constant changing fan (noise #6) at idle/light usage is the one which bothers me and sometimes, working during the night, in a quiet room, gets really annoying.

Willscary, +rep from me for the nice post!

Because, what is considered loud is subjective, could you give some reference for comparison ? Or better, an audio sample with your fan and in the same recording a reference sound (for example, the click of a normal ball point pen, …). Anyway, one thing is for sure, you are the one who must consider acceptable and live with it. If it is not acceptable for you, then return it!

There are several links with noise recordings (audio and also video) in my post about the F1x noises (see my signature). Try to ignore the whistle/whine, and focus on the noise loudness to get an idea.

I hope this helps!

 

What do you mean by "looks washed out when I run it on an external monitor" ? Are you still talking about the notebook’s display, or the attached monitor or TV ?

Did you changed any color settings in the NVidia Control Panel ?
By default, the "Display" -> "Adjust desktop color settings" should be on "Other applications control color settings", and also "Video" -> "Adjust video color settings" should be on "With the video player settings".

Do you have any startup application which loads a gamma curve ? Like Adobe gamma loader, or other colorimeter’s gamma loader.

If you don’t have a colorimeter, did you tried to calibrate using the Windows built in display calibration (just to see if changes something in your case). You find it in Control Panel -> Color Management -> Advanced Tab -> Calibrate display button.

I hope some of these helps!

 

Thank you!

OK, now, on to your data.

Your room is about 4F (about 2C) warmer than mine and you can also see that your sensors are about 2C warmer. You run about 200-300 RPM more at those temps than I run at the lower temps. I just tried mine and when my sensors read the same temps you have at idle, my fan is between 2300 and 2500 RPM. This tells me that yours works the same as mine, but that your climate is simply warmer. As far as light browsing, etc getting up there...you are 2C warmer than me at idle and you have more processes running, hence a slightly higher load. I run about 45-46C when performing tasks such as that.

This is good to hear. Your machine is working almost exactly as the ones I work on do...it is simply in a warmer environment and has a few more processes running.

One more thing...this actually shows me that Sony is very concious of heat buildup and is aggressive in keeping temps low. I much prefer this to having a quiet machine running 10C warmer. The rule of thumb always used to be that for every 5C you can cool electronics, the life expectancy doubles. Cool electronics are happy electronics!

If I can rep you...+1 for the great follow up post!

 

To add to things, my place is always in the lower to mid 60's when I'm using my lappy and CPU temps are between 39c and 43c while on the web and playing music at the same time. Oh, got a cooler as well. Sorry, no RPM's to report. Too lazy to do that.

 

Do you have a fan sensor on a program? I will bet that your fan speeds are close to mine...probably under 2,000 RPM.

Can you hear your fan normally? Or, is it intrusive?

 

That would require me to install Everest again, since I don't have it installed on the latest incarnation of my OS setup. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow.

No, I only hear my fan when it's under heavy load. And then, it's just the whoosh of a busy fan.

 

What program are you guys using to check the fan speeds? I've tried several, but I only have temperature information.

Is it possible I don't have any fan speed sensors in my F12?

 

Everest Ultimate - which is now Aida64. You can download a trial version for free. http://www.lavalys.com/

 

Ok. I just installed Everest for the sake of getting speeds. At this moment, I'm streaming audio, downloading files, got WinAmp idling blah blah blah...

CPU temp is 50c and fan speed is 2400-2700RPM (mainly around 2400).

Oh, it's probably 63F in my apartment right now. So cold in Seattle. Spring has up and abandoned us.

 

Sorry for not really contributing anything and just asking the same question over and over but, I need information and such.

So, are there any updates on when the next F1X with Sandy Bridge processors are going to be released ? I know there was that fiasco but I would love to know if there's any rumours. And if none of those are availible. Can someone tell me the typical release cycle for said computers?

 

The F11 came out in Jan 2010, the F12 in July 2010, and the F13 in Sep 2010. Nothing new since.

 

with sandy bridge only SB SA and other sony series. Only SB is ready for preordering as I heard for now. It is small laptop

 

That looks correct. Can you get the RPMs while idle and the the temps are cool? Just run Everest Sensors and walk away for a bit. I believe that my fan turns on at 1920 RPM and 43C system temps. I am interested in if this is the case for you also since your fan speeds and temps look very similar to mine.

Again, the more people who do this, the better we can understand. People with fan noise are most likely in a warm environment or they have processes that are forcing CPU loads that raise the temps.

This has been my contention for quite a while, but now perhaps we can get some data to back it up!

Thanks anseio!

 

Just an FYI, there is a new version of vaio care out there. The release date was 03/29/2011

 

Good job. +rep from me