Official Sony VAIO F Series i5/i7 owners thread *part 4*

Gandalf, your Disk Random 16.0 Read should be higher IMO as I got 1.45 MB/s - 3.9 for the C partition and 1.59 MB/s - 4.0 for the D partition. Make sure your anti virus is turned off & run this 3 or 4 times & post the best results: Winsat disk & winsat disk -drive D: If you copy & paste the data, it would easier to compare with my Seagate 7200 rpm instead of a screen capture.

I have to buy 3 2.5" HDD's today for the 3 eSATA enclosures I ordered & have to decide between: 3x WD 750GB or 2 + an XT to swap w/ my Seagate 7200.4 500GB.

*****

 

I don't understand, could you explain differently? Are you referring to the white squares on black background? What is the " the 24/24 view angle"?

One should add that the shortcoming is for the glossy panels, not the Premium matte 1080p offered in many markets. I plan on getting one of those after my warranty is over if we can find the exact brand & model number.

 

But the enclosure I think you are buying states-The HE-2521B case supports both SATA I and II drives (up to 500 GB) with power provided by eSATA. Have you used one with 750GB?

 

Using test number 24 of 24, the view angle test. Add some background color to it. When looking at the screen from side to side the color really disappears and just looks black instead of the color.

 

RE: Premium matte screen. Amazing we have not found this information as of yet.

 

But I look straight up to my display, not from an angle nor do I have a co-worker that would like to spy on me.

This made Ootlink (I think) laugh so I'm posting it again for other's benefit. :



If one has $1,000 to spare & don't mind the lesser CPU, etc then one could get this instead of the 1080p glossy F:

 

OOPS! I ran mine with the AV and all other programs running!

 

I wasn't going to post this but since the subject came up...

http://i.imgur.com/Gdq61.jpg

 

Still love my Momentus XT

I don't know how to embed an image in a forum post, that's why I attached the screenshot...

Here are the best scores of winsat disk with Avast! disabled:
(I have only one partition)

Microsoft Windows [versie 6.1.7600]
C:\Windows\system32>winsat disk
Hulpprogramma voor Windows System Assessment
> Actief: Onderdelen inventariseren ''
> Uitvoeringstijd 00:00:00.00
> Actief: Opslag bepalen '-seq -read -n 0'
> Uitvoeringstijd 00:00:12.84
> Actief: Opslag bepalen '-ran -read -n 0'
> Uitvoeringstijd 00:00:15.12
> Actief: Opslag bepalen '-scen 2009 -drive C:'
> Uitvoeringstijd 00:01:03.29
> Actief: Opslag bepalen '-seq -write -drive C:'
> Uitvoeringstijd 00:00:09.53
> Actief: Opslag bepalen '-flush -drive C: -seq'
> Uitvoeringstijd 00:00:08.92
> Actief: Opslag bepalen '-flush -drive C: -ran'
> Uitvoeringstijd 00:00:16.86
> Actief: Opslag bepalen '-hybrid -ran -read -n 0 -ransize 4096' NV Cache not present.
> Uitvoeringstijd 00:00:00.03
> Disk Sequential 64.0 Read 87.86 MB/s 6.3
> Disk Random 16.0 Read 1.11 MB/s 3.2
> Responsiveness: Average IO Rate 2.61 ms/IO 6.6
> Responsiveness: Grouped IOs 11.36 units 6.9
> Responsiveness: Long IOs 10.54 units 7.3
> Responsiveness: Overall 119.76 units 6.7
> Responsiveness: PenaltyFactor 0.0
> Disk Sequential 64.0 Write 100.02 MB/s 6.5
> Gemiddelde leestijd met sequentiële schrijfbewerkingen 11.619 ms 4.1
> Latentie: 95-ste percentiel 65.617 ms 1.9
> Latentie: maximum 123.721 ms 7.6
> Gemiddelde leestijd met willekeurige schrijfbewerkingen 20.079 ms 2.4
> Totale uitvoeringstijd 00:02:09.12


Does anybody know what "NV Cache not present" means?

 

My F12 suddenly stopped booting. I hear the fan going and the optical drive head moving but the screen is blank. Sony tech reps are complete duds. Anyone have ideas?

Right before I turned it off I noticed the laptop got sluggish so I turned it off. After coming home from work I tried to turn it back on to no avail.

 

Bill, could you please stop sticking your finger in the wound?

We know, we know, the SSD's smokes the HDD's if only there were not so expensive & so small!

As I wrote above, I need to buy 3 drives today & was even considering a $400 160GB Intel Mainstream SSD but nah, a $69 7200 rpm 500GB will do for the present.

Maybe you missed this post? VAIO_F - SSD Bashing - Seagate XT Hybrid Alternative Real Life Benchmarks

 

HeHeHeHE

 

Try these if you see nothing by pressing ASSIST w/ the F turned off or by pressing F2 or F8 on boot:

- Maybe the LCD's backlight is not working? Connect external monitor or shine a flashlight on LCD to see if some Windows stuff is showing.

- Make sure there is no disk in the optical drive. Unfold a paperclip (or needle, etc) & insert it in the hole next to the eject button to manually eject the disc tray if the button does not work.



- Reset the CMOS, it's easy:



And please report back. Good luck!

*****

 

I'm not a certified tech, but my first guess would be a corrupted hard drive.

My first attempt would be to start the computer in safe mode. When the computer starts, but before windows begins to try to start up, press the F8 key over and over. When advanced options show up, start the computer in safe mode. If Windows starts, then I would begin looking for corrupted software and computer viruses. If Windows fails to start, then I would consider a corrupted hard drive. This could be do to corruption due to viruses, power outages while running, or a hard jarring of the spinning hard drive, or the drive may have simply failed.

As long as you have lights and a fan, the power supply is OK. As long as BIOS can be accessed, the motherboard is working, at least in some capacity. If you can get to memory diagnostics in the BIOS, you can check for memory errors. Memory has been known to fail once in a while.

If all of this is negative, I would again figure that the hard drive has died. If this is the case, then great! Hard drives are an easy fix, whether Sony does it, the retailer you bought it from, or you, yourself. The only downside is that any data that has not been backed up may be gone.

I would never wish a failed part on anyone, but computers are very complex pieces of equipment made up from many different parts made by many different companies all over the world. Sony is known for being better than average in reliability, but even the best electronics companies have failures once in a while.

Good luck. Let us know what the problem was.

 

Genuinely good luck to you. But here is another example of someone who traded in their first one ( fan noise) and got possibly something else..

 

Ok, I don't know how much credibility this has but here's what happened in detail. First things first. The HD is not corrupted, I'm typing this message to you now and I'm using the intel 160GB G2 SSD.

Prior to this booting I would SOMETIMES get the backlight on but nothing else. On occasion it got to the Windows 7 load screen but promptly locked up. I was wondering if it was a thermal issue so I put it near my AC vent. I let it cool and still no go. I'm still convinced it's a thermal issue and perhaps there's a loose heatsink somewhere.

I do take my laptop for work but it's in a nicely padded Ogio bag. Now, I started shaking the laptop and I'm hearing a bit of a rattle by the right side. I press the power button and the screen lights up with a brief message about going back to factory settings. It loads windows but locks up after I log in. I reboot and bravely, I update the bios from 7/27 and so far no lockups. Either way this is unnerving as I depend on this laptop like you wouldn't believe so reliability is key.

If you recommend opening this sucker up and looking around inside I'm more than capable to do so.

 

And right after I posted that the laptop locked up with funny colors and lines across the screen.. Wonderful.

 

Huge electric storm here, see you later!

 

Now THAT sounds a bit like a video card issue.

I am glad to see that it works off and on. Back up your files.

Do you overclock?

 

no overclock. this laptop is plenty fast at stock for me.

 

went to the sony style store near me to have a tech look at it but conveniently they "went home". I have to say Sony's support is 100% worthless. This is the last laptop I buy with them.

 

Come on now. You know the drill. Sony already allowed you to return an F11 before.
1.Call service and have them first attempt to fix it over the phone.
2. When they cannot, they will send you a box, whereby you send laptop for repair.
3.They will either repair or replace.
Are they not accommodating you to this degree? I will disagree with you if you are expecting more from any major manufacturer.

 

Thank you for the links, DeWinte.
Some of them are very nice and meabe I try them in my desktop.

 

Bought the SSD ExpressCard 32GB | SSD ExpressCard | Verbatim Europe - Data Storage, Computer & Imaging Consumables It will come on friday. I test it if I have the time, I will move back to the older apartment on friday too x)

 

+1 for Fishon's post:

So, it's not a booting problem as you said previously.

Look in your Event Viewer for errors. Start > search: event viewer. Run Vaio_Care > One Click, check Hardware testing while you are there.

My ultimate troubleshooting steps suggestions to rule out OS/Win updates/third party cr@p/non supported drivers/user messed up settings, etc:

- Create a full system image to an external drive, which is good practice anyway to preserve your customized OS, added software & personal data, with Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Backup and Restore > Windows Backup.

- Even better: also backup all your personal data by simply copying to an other drive.

- Restore F to OEM factory state with Vaio_Care > Recovery & Restore or your user created OEM recovery discs. And do not add any third party software nor external devices before testing thoroughly the machine as some may cause problems.

If the problem is still present then it's probably hardware. You can now ship your unit for servicing with the peace of mind of having a full backup at home.

I presume you did not try connecting an external monitor, etc as suggested above?

*****

 

Look, it WAS/IS a booting problem. When I was lucky enough to get it to work that is when the funky color/lines issue manifested itself. And I went through the normal channels with Sony support over the phone and chat (chat person was very bad and pretty much did not acknowledge that I could not see the screen and kept asking if I could get into the BIOS).

And for the record sony did not replace my computer. I bought the F11 from the sony store and the splotchy dark spots on the panel were present and began to get worse. When I left the laptop there for them to look at do you know what the tech said? Verbatim "the dark spots are a result of the LCD technology being used". If you are proud of your company feeding me that kind of garbage then you are no better than them. After speaking with the manager I returned it and bought the F12 from Microcenter.

Right now it's sitting at the sony style store and is presently not booting nor is the external monitor working at all. It appears to be some kind of hardware issue on a 2 month old laptop. Now I laugh at being unhappy with my Dell E1750 lasting me nearly 5 years and giving out.

As someone who is in the managed services business I know customer service is key and not having a tech there at the posted hours is no excuse. As a result I'm fully within my rights to be unhappy with their service and support.

 

With your attitude I would suggest to sell it asap & get that special brand that never ever fails & never ever needs servicing under warranty.

If you don't care for our advices & suggestions why bother asking? Just post your rant & be done with it.

Good luck!

 

Excuse me? I had to drive 30min out of my way to go to a store as directed by sony support only to find that the techs were not there during the posted hours. If that doesn't allow me to be even slightly pissed then I'll just stop coming here so you can all bask in the glory of the F1X always working and Sony never looking half assed.

 

Very nice pickup. Still very expensive and not readily available in the US though.

 

Following up on a previous discussion on the subject, I received today a $5.85 F keyboard silicone skin (price includes shipping worldwide). You know how I am a big spender if you saw my DIY stuff. Took 3 weeks from Hong Kong to Costa Rica, I thought I had received an empty envelope.

This is for the US keyboard only, did not see a product for the EU keyboard yet:



I think that all F owners agree that it has a great keyboard with matte keys & good feeling to it. I am biased against skins but got one anyway as I sometimes work outside in harsh conditions & with kids teaching languages with Rosetta Stone & other stuff.

It fits perfectly, it's the exact size of the keyboard, very thin but sturdy, it's a kind of slightly plastiky silicone but not sticky as it's textured like some Ziplock sandwich bags, still works with the backlight taking off some of the glare from under the keys & eating a little bit of the brightness, it's not perfectly transparent & adds some glare when looking @ an angle. Comes with two-sided small adhesive bands on it + 6 spares about 5cm x .4 cm.

After using it for about 1.5 hours: recommended if you need it but I won't be using it daily. Kind of putting something between you and your loved one.

Sorry for the quality of the photos, I did not do a full careful skin installation, my keyboard is very dirty & I used a point-&-shoot w/o a tripod in a dark room:



I got mine on Fleabay from seller feelstore from this product page. This search returns other results: keyboard skin vaio_f series. Note that some say "thermo plastic" instead of silicone, maybe they are more transparent but could also be more stiff. Some results also do not fit the F.

*****

 

Thanks for sacrificing your savings for us

I've been wondering about those for a while now. I would agree with you though- not really necessary and just another layer between me and my beloved!

I wonder how different the rubber skins from _Sony (for other models) are from this.

 

I guess it's luck of the draw with Sony_techs. They were surprisingly speedy with my keyboard replacement way back when (no questions asked they sent a rep out to my house the next afternoon - actually the same day - and gave me a completely new keyboard).

If you haven't done so already, I would also recommend that you contact Sony_over the phone. I think phone support is generally better than going to a retail center (haven't been to a retail store myself, its just that phone support was very helpful for me). A helpful hint when you call: make sure to be kind to them, and they will be kind back . It can't hurt to be nice to the support people (don't shoot the messengers!).

More than likely, Sony will send you a box for the laptop to provide a fix - after all, it doesn't sound like you caused the laptop to stop booting (didn't drop it, hit it with a hammer, spill drinks on it or anything?).

Here is the phone number (US) for vaio computer service:

You can also initiate a live chat from this page: VAIO Tech Support

-----------------------------------------------------

You should also take it up as a complaint with Sony_that the techs weren't there during regular hours. IMO they shouldn't be paying for their employees/subcontractors to be delinquent. Here is their customer service line. You should give them the location of the store and tell them the techs weren't there during posted hours. I wouldn't give them your name or anything, but you should be specific about the date/time you visited. (I'm assuming you're in the US?):

Also, the customer relations site: Sony Customer Relations

-----------------------------------------------------

I'm sorry you have to go through all of this for a bad product, and I wish you the best. Hope you get your problems worked out.

-----------------------------------------------------

Finally, unrelated to the above, I was playing FFXIV yesterday and felt faster all around. With overclock enabled, I checked the fps and it's actually about the same in populated zones (feels smoother though - I'm guessing they reduced the stuttering with some server-side fixes), but in the field where there's less people, I've been getting almost 40fps consistently (I even hit 55 in some spots). Just FYI to those who are thinking of purchasing the game - it looks like they're still optimizing things.

Also (off topic), but new Mass Effect 2 DLC is AMAZING. It's $10, but imo it's totally worth it.

 

Hey Arnoo - sorry nobody responded to your post, but you have to remember that the people here aren't paid for their help and generally have jobs/lives outside of this thread that take priority. We try to be friendly here, but we also ask that you have a little patience and try not to be condescending in exchange for the time we put into helping you guys out. IMO this forum is the best resource for info about the F_series.

That said, the i5 will play games just as smooth (possibly even better) than the i7.

The i7's main advantage is that it has many cores, so it's able to take advantage of programs that are programmed to run on many cores (video/photo/3d rendering or editing). Games, however, are very difficult to program for multiple cores (I can explain why if you don't believe me, but they just are). The i5 has less cores, but they have a higher clock speed than the i7, which means that games will run very well on it.

For me, the standard battery lasts about 2 hours with standard web surfing and youtubing. I don;t game on the battery, so I don't have any numbers for that.

If battery life is a priority, I would look at the macbook pros or other sony models (the E or Z series).

I hope this helps, and again, we're sorry that nobody got to your post sooner.

 

The fan was almost on max constantly. (changed in the higher rpms and didnt go down) The new (idencitcal hardware etc) one is much more quite as the one in the store.

Yes I know this but I used it as an example.

Thanks! I tested this and i could see where the problems defined them self. The test when there are red,blue and green crosses the blue one is not straight attached to the green and red cross. the green and red is aligned to each other everywhere on the screen though.

The problem is that I don´t have a good camera. I will talk to sony ..

 

As I wrote above the crosses are one thing but the white dots & white type are more important.

I just did a screen capture of the crosses using Prt Sc & think that this part of the test is flawed. 100% & insert magnified:



Don't expect a $1,000 display on a $1,500 laptop. My guess is that they will tell you that it's within specs.

 

Ok... Yesterday tried to get Smart network to take over my network settings (thought it would be easier to have 1 click and change proxy settings etc).

BIG MISTAKE.... Using a "communal" Wifi / ADSL service with IE proxy and GSM / 3G / HSUPA (for FTP and "direct Internet" access) without IE proxy.

Told Smart Network to take over the proxy - connection fails to Internet (checked on 2nd PC connected to same network - Internet 100% - checked via VNC on F12 (so Wifi is 100%).

Remove settings - reset / disable adapter, reboot, re-enable - delete all wifi networks - NOTHING

Ah.. check for update to Smart network - Install - Change profiles (use browser proxy) - NOTHING

Uninstall Smart Network - Proxy setup correctly in IE - NOTHING

OK - See there is an update for VAIO Smart network.. installs, no profiles, proxy settings right - connection failure..

SO - lets do "rollback to restore point" - 4 hours earlier

FIXED

BUT had since installed about 900 MB of Adobe CS5 updates (gone / missing / done after the restore point)

NOW 1/2 my Adobe applications just freeze

NOW tonight I will restore HDD image I made a week ago (just after installing Office 2010 and Adobe CS5 + 1st set of updates - legal versions)..

Will report tomorrow on how "easy" it hopefully is / was.

PS - will keep Vaio Smart Network (to turn on / off bluetooth - only way I found to do it) - but NEVER again for "easy" network switching...

3 clicks in IE to enable / disable the proxy - and I only do it once in a while

 

You could undo the restore you did instead of going back to 1 week ago. Did you try that?

 

Hi Joe

Yes, I could but then I can't get my networking fixed again :/

Perhaps it is time to "test" the validity of my backups

 

Thanks, the battery life sounds ok, i'll mainly be using it at home anyway, my sisters vaio only lasts for about an hour.

Anyway i'll be getting my first sony laptop later today then.

 

I just got a new Sony Vaio F12 today (vpcf12s1e)

There are 3 issues i have noticed within the first hour:

1 - PSU (VGP-AC19V46) is causing interference with my external monitor.

2 - There is a very high pitch whining sound (when PSU is on or not) coming from the laptop, it kind of fluctuates a bit, I don't know if it's the HD or fan or what.

3 - There is a gap between the LCD screen and the border around it at the bottom, it's about 2mm, it seems loose and it kind of wobbles around when you press down on the SONY logo. It doesn't seem to have any gap at the sides or along the top.

Has anyone else had any of these issues?

I don't know if I should get a refund on this, try to get them to fix it or what... I bought this as my Dell Studio has gone back for repair due to multiple issues and I hate dealing with Dell support, I thought this machine would be a high quality build, have I just got a dud or something?

Thanks

-Dan

 

#2 is well documented here. It is not a defect, simply the superb cooling of the F12 keeping the powerful machine cool. It bothers some people. I use a dual fan notebook cooler which is slightly louder, but without any whine, so I don't notice mine.

#3 is something that WOULD bother me. A new laptop should not have a loose display bezel. You can fix it yourself and there are posts on this forum as to how a display can be removed and replaced. There you will find how to re-attach the bezel. If the laptop then rattles or doesn't stay intact, I would return it.

Failure can happen to any electronics product. Poor assembly or a broken piece right out of the box is unacceptable to me.

 

Hello,
After 4 months of searching, reading your forum ( unfortunately not writing) i finally ordered sony vaio f ( VPN12JFX/B) forum sony style usa.
The problem is that the model i'm getting doesn't have the premium display and after i ordered, i noticed that there are f11 on clearance with premium display and are even cheaper. they have similar parts, only thing worse is a disk, which I will be replacing with seagate momentus xt anyways.
Sony assistant told me that there is no differences between f11 and f12 and i can return the laptop when it arrives with no problems and they will send the older model for me. Is this one really true that there are pretty the same? Or f11 had some bugs which where fixed in f12 series(i mean hardware fixes)?

Help me with the decision, cause this one won't let me sleep at night;-/. Is there actually this big difference between 1600x900 and 1920x1080 on such a small screen?

 

fiddo84 wrote:

Did you mean the VPCF12JFX/B?

There may be a different motherboard. The F12 may have a larger hard drive. The F12 may have a slightly higher clocked processor.

If the F11 has a higher definition display, it most likely also has the 330M graphics processor, which is quite a bit better than the basic 310M.

One may have a lighted keyboard while the other may not.

Other than that...

I love my F11 and I have no nightmares about the fact that the F12 came out shortly after my purchase. You can see what I have in my signature at the bottom of this post.

With the aftermarket SSD, this baby flies. I was hesitant to buy a laptop. I have always loved the power of a desktop and I have always hated the keyboard on a laptop. Not any more. This has great power and an awesome keyboard.

Yesterday I used a program that Joe Bleau posted a few pages back to test my display. Some people have displays with light leakage at the edges. Some have other display problems. Mine showed NO problems at all.

Perhaps it is luck of the draw. All I can say is that there are many more people on this forum (and others that I know personally) who are WOWed by this fantastic machine that there are who gripe about it. Sure, some people arrive with an occasional gripe about the F, but most are very happy.

the decision is yours. Any electronics product can have a defect or a problem. These are VERY technical machines. However, the Sony Vaio is generally more reliable than average and they provide higher spec'ed features for less money than the competition.

One more thing...if you are a gamer and a gambler, you may want to look at the Asus G73. It costs quite a bit more than the F, but has the best mobile graphics out there. The downside has been reliability.

Don't expect the Viao F to game like a $2k desktop with a top end video card. Don't expect concert sound from the F's dinky 1"x2" speakers. Finally, as Joe said a few posts ago, don't expect a $1,000 monitor in a $1,300 laptop.

If you heed this advice you will be surprised at how good this machine really is!

Upon further review...the VPCF12JFX/B is listed on the Sony website as having the 740QM processor, which is slightly higher clocked (and faster) than the base F11's 720QM. It has a backlit keyboard and is listed as having a 1600x900 resolution screen with the GT330M graphics. This means that the graphics are as good as it gets for this machine currently, but the display may or may not be to your liking.

I work with several F11s with the 1600x900 screen. I like my 1920x1080 display better. However, it is possible that the 1600x900 screens in the F12 may be of higher quality. I can not answer that because I have never seen one.

 

I have the same "issue" (maybe a bit less then 2 mm) but this isn't a very big problem. It doesn't move or wobbles when you don't press it. It stays put and doesn't touch any keys or something else of the laptop when the lid is closed. I really shouldn't send it in just for this. I sended it in for something else and the lid came back damaged (little scars on a line).

 

Can anyone install the LED backlit keyboard from f11, into f12 model?
Does it fit the f12?
I found an interesting manual.

http://www.laptopking.com/manuals/keyboard_f11.pdf

And this is the keyboard, I want to buy.

Nowa ORYGINALNA klawiatura SONY VPC-F11, F11. GW. (1216572663) - Aukcje internetowe Allegro.

 

Yes I had the bezel gap AND the whining. The latter bothered me more but the bezel gap was still a bit poor IMO.

I sent it in for a repair for the whine which took the edge off it but did not completely eliminate it. After I got it back i think the bezel gap had gone so they probably fixed that. Glad they did as I would worry debris might accumulate in there as I have the lid open most the time !

Also I did a clean install using Joe's method from the recovery partition. And since then it does not seem to whine at idling tasks such as browsing the web. Hope this helps.

 

"This is for the US keyboard only, did not see a product for the EU keyboard yet:"
This is not true. Poland is EU and they sell here that same keyboard layout like yours.

 

Hey guys, I really am enjoying my F12 notebook and as others have mentioned the fan is pretty busy. I dont get the whining sound, but definitely intermittently blows harder at times. I just want to make sure I'm not overheating my notebook and this is the normal cooling system of the notebook. I mean it doesnt whine but you can definitely hear it blow louder at times.

 

JefDeLathouwer always shows his internet speed. I'm posting mine here:

 

yes, i meant VPCF12JFX/B.

The laptop i found on the clearance is
Configured VPCF1190X :

i7-720
Vaio Premium display
gt 330m video card
500 (5400) hard drive
back-lit keyboard
4GB memory as 4GBx1
standard battery
They say clearance boxes are unopened so these are not returns

The F12 i ordered is almost the same, even the processors are the same because an overview has a mistake, there is no i7-740 but i7-720. Specifications tab gives the real specs.
The only difference is hard drive 7200(which as i said will be replaced) and 4GB as 2x2GB, so no room for upgrade there.

This why i have these second thoughts. you said that you had a chance to compare these screens...is there that much of a difference?
I mostly watch movies,play some games and as everyone use it for word, excel etc. so, will there be a viewable difference in quality?
I'm not in computer graphics, so will I even notice a difference?
I have no possibility to compare those two in store because I'm living in Poland and vaio's f have only full hd screens here.