Official Sony VAIO TT Series Owners Thread

guyyy i'm using the same Gobi card as you and i'm just using the TT290 64bit W7 drivers that i got from the US Sony website. First of all i installed the image and then the drivers. I then downloaded the Z51XG connection drivers from the UK support site. I then changed my firmware image over to UMTS.

I'm not sure but isn't Afghanistan on the HSDPA networks? If so you would need a sim card holder to use it anyway. You could solder one yourself or get someone to do it. As i mentioned before i've got an EU WWAN daughterboard and using the Z51XG Gobi card.

 

Fingerprint Sensor does not work at start of Vaio TT36

Hi
Since a couple of weeks my fingerprint sensor does not work when I am starting my Vaio TT36GD. It works fine under Win 7, also before the 7 screen appears. I have tried to change BIOS-settings, but they seem a bit complicated on this matter.
Could anyone of you help me a bit further?

 

Have you tried using updated/different drivers for the sensors?

 

i actually never got the gobi chip to work properly after win7 64 upgrade as well. the gps works, though i cannot seem to get MS streets and trips 2009 to take my serial number anymore... i have the us gobi, which came with the verizon connection manager thing. that program (even after multiple DL and installs) will NOT work. which is okay, 'coz i never planned to use it anyways.

another thing that i've lost, which bugs me quite a bit actually, is the ability to turn power off to the DVD drive. even before the BD upgrade, i lost that option to save even more power. any ideas here?

 

Well i got my TT back today, i have 5 antenna now in my bezel. It's too early for me to comment much about the difference between both cards.
golgo1313 try unreinsalling the ultility drivers. I would also reinstall the control centre also.

I installed the latest TT4 ultility drivers today and the most recent Event service. When i opened the control centre and clicked on the mouse my mouse just froze. It is disabled by default. I thought i could have had a hardware problem so i reconnected the trackpad cables.
I reverted back to the original TT4 drivers as these been generally pretty good.

 

Cool! thanks everyone on the Advice, When I get back to the US, I'll get it figured out. I might be able to use my Alienware for the WWAN if available as it was made for AT&T. Anyone know why I have 2 REP points but only recieved 1 from an actuall NBR Member. I think because of my post count?
Sorry if it comes off as uninformed, but I was just wondering!

I Still haven't recieved the palmrest I bought from ebay with the TZ trackpad so I can mutilate my TT! I emailed the seller, maybe it comes in today hopefully! I wish Intel made like a 256GB G2 X-18m I could really use the space, and I like it has TRIM.

EDIT: Yes Rachel you were right it is from a TZ it was a typo lol, the letters aren't even close on the keyboard, I don't know how that happened!

 

guyyy rep power is also influenced by how long you've been a member and how many posts you have. If somone with 10 rep power gives you rep that is the amount of rep you will have been given for that post.
I don't pay attention to rep but you can find out more about it here.
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sit...5516-reputation-points-power-user-titles.html

Are you sure you don't mean the TZ trackpad? I own a SZ7 and i'm not sure if i see it working too well. The TT trackpad is fine for me. I like it. However, it is not designed as well as it could. I had a look at it yesterday and it is pretty easy for the FPC to become disconnected.

I think battery life with 8GB and the 5300 is about the same as it was before with 4GB and the 5100 card. With the 3rd antenna located in the bezel the range is also better.


Edit
@ guyyy would you try RAID? you can take the casing of the Intel drives and use them in RAID.
I'm thinking about upgrading to a single Samsung 256GB SSD. I'm looking a bit more into the power consumption aspect though first.
The OCZ Vertex 240GB looks interesting so i might put my purchase of for a while and see how this latest drive performs. The Samsung as well can get excellent battery life around 13hrs indicated on a full battery.

The OCZ Vertex 2 2.5 SSD handles power consumption very well.

On second thoughts i think i'll pass on that 240GB having just seen the price.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/240G...50K-IOPS-MLC-Flash-Read-285MB-s-Write-275MB-s

2W in operation is also a bit on the high side.
http://www.ocztechnology.com/produc...ate-drives/ocz-vertex-2-sata-ii-1-8--ssd.html

 

Golgo: on my TT (Win 7) it's under Power Options in the Control Panel, ie, 'Change Advanced Power Settings', then select the 'VAIO Power Management' Tab.

KJ

 

I wonder if I go for a Samsung DXP 256GB (£250) or Vertex 2 1.8" which is much better and much more expensive

 

THERE ARE GOOD FEEDBACK ON THE HARDWARE THREAD

 

I bought one of those lol, the £250 drive i mean. This will be the last upgrade that i carry out. I like having the extra storage space. The other drive is three times more expensive and not worth it at all for my needs. I will have a 128GB left over but i don't think i'll put it in RAID. I've thought about just plugging it in and not flashing my BIOS to see the RAID so it just acts a usb drive but my computer acted totally erractic when i did that before so i doubt i'll try that again.

 

You better choose the Vertex OCZSSD1-2VTX240G and you will be happy!

 

Only if I could afford the price . The Samsung is 2-3 times cheaper

 

I got my new MMDPE56GTDXP (VBM9LD1Q) 256GB drive today. I think i made the right decision in going for a 256GB single drive over 128GB x2 drives in RAID. As the FW would suggests it shows up as supporting TRIM but whether this actually works i don't know.


Some of these new DXP drives seem to show up as PM800 drives or PB22 drives. I wonder why this is the case? I prefer the latter which is what i have got. It shows up as PB22-CS3 FDE. I bought a 128GB 1.8 PM800 DXP a few weeks back.


Here are my benchmarks, i'm using the stock Sony TT4 non RAID drivers. May be there are better drivers that i could use.
Edited to add:
I'm now using the Y1 SATA drivers and the last one is of that. Indeed TRIM does seem to be working.

 

any feedback of the use of the : SSDSA1MH160G201 from intel ?

 

Run a search on Intel SSD at the top of this thread and you'll find several user feedback and some benchmarks.

This is one that was posted

http://forum.notebookreview.com/6027200-post1378.html

 

I've tried searching here for this problem and reading through this thread, but haven't seen it address yet.

I've owned three TT's one died and Sony wouldn't fix it, one was stolen at the airport (RIP), and I'm typing on one.

Without exception each one of these had the chrome end cap come off after a few weeks to months of use. Underneath that cap are three loose parts
1. clear plastic disc with the on/off schematic
2. a thin opaque disc
3. a small plastic piece that makes contact with the tiny circuit plug and does the actual turning on/off of the machine.

Thankfully, I've been able to recover these each time. However, I just purchased a TT190 from ebay that-guess what- has those 4 pieces missing. The laptop will turn off and on by manually pressing the metal button.

I want to replace those 4 parts and don't need to replace any circuitry/motherboard parts. Everything I've found online seems to include those unneeded parts. Any idea where I can find them?

 

I've bought VAIO parts before from here:

Laptop Parts & Repair, Notebook Computer Repair, Printer Parts - Spare Parts Warehouse

KJ

 

Thanks! will give them a try

 

Somebody posted this a while back:

Negatives: ...... The touchpad can lack 'feel' and responsiveness for some users. It wasn't the best on my TT, but was overcome to a large extent by using a Dell or Toshiba driver that gave enough configurability to compensate. Other TT users have found their touchpads working fine without need of modification.....


Every so often I get the feeling that my touchpad isn't working properly, but as soon as I move my fingers a bit to the left, it's all OK again.

Is this normal, or is there a problem?

The touchpad seems to work "differently" depending on where my fingers touch it.

 

Yeah that would be consistent with my experience. Not ideal. When my TT is out of warranty, I'm going to fit a TZ touch pad.

KJ

 

Hi all. I just bought a second-hand vaio TT off ebay. I need to replace the hdd with a ssd and noticed several people have mentioned the intel x18-m as a good option. I searched ebay and there seem to be two of them and was wondering which one would work with the TT. The first one seems to be a micro sata while the second one seems to be mainstream sata. Many thanks in advance.

Intel Micro SATA SSD X18-M 1.8" Solid State Drive 80GB - eBay (item 150464547935 end time Jul-16-10 13:25:14 PDT)

INTEL X18-M SSDSA1MH080G201 1.8" 80GB SATA II MLC SSD - eBay (item 160421688097 end time Aug-06-10 01:49:29 PDT)

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/376925-fixing-sony-vaio-tt-touchpad-problems.html

 

The black one is a G1 drive and the silver one is a G2 drive. The 160GB performs slightly better than the 80GB one. Intel only make 1.8 microSata drives so if that second drive is a 1.8 drive it has to be a microSata drive.

 

Great! Thanks for the info. I will probably get the 80gb version of the G2. I am a grad student so don't have the finances for the 160 gb. Can't wait to receive my TT. =)

 

Yes! I just did this upgrade, and it is much much better than the old touchpad. It came out a little worse than the original guy's swap but not as bad as it could have, I cut just a little tiny bit more than I should have.

It works phenomenal thought! Rachel, sometime ago you said you had the same Gobi WWAN card as me. Are they all the same? Mine is for Verizon and as I understand that is CDMA, and most other parts of the world, including the UK mostly use GSM, or am I wrong? Just been thinking about that lately, although I really want this to be the very last time I open up this thing!

Thanks!

 

@guyyy they should be the same but you would need to solder a sim card holder/use a USIM to really find that out. A few forum members with North American VGN Z models that have the same card soldered a sim card holder and use their Gobi card in the EU. I doubt that the TT would be any different but i guess to be 100% sure you need to do the mod first.


I downloaded ibattstat the other day to see what my power draw was. My power draw hovered from 4.X to 5.6 w depending on activity in power saver mode on battery. It was about 5.4-5.5 surfing this website over FF. However, when i removed it my estimated battery life went down. Somewhere i think my AERO settings whilst on battery got messed up. I couldn't revert it so i had to a clean install. Well to do the maths to get 13hrs 20 mins at start up @ idle my power draw must be around 4.6W out of a 59.5w battery.

I really have a perfect trackpad. It seems like it is a luck of the draw thing. Also, i have a later model as well but i doubt that Sony changed anything with later models. I've not though read any complaints about the TT3's-4. I'm not big on multitouch, just the basic features are ok for me so i've stuck with the Sony drivers.

 

Hi Rachel. I noticed from your signature that you have DDR3 1066 mhz ram installed in TT while the default that comes with the TT seem to be DDR3 800 mhz. Did you do any mods to fit the 1066 mhz RAM and is the CPU/motherboard able to take advantage of the increased speed? Thanks in advance.

 

Anyone tried setting up the T1 with a SSD to dual boot using XP & W7? I'd like to do this but having problems.

 

I wish that i paid the £55 about a month ago to have the thermal paste changed. I will use ICD7 on the cpu and chipset. It is summer here and well i would like the TT to run a bit cooler. It's not like it is burning hot or anything but i would like it to run a bit cooler. The underside can get a bit warm in the summer. I would feel happier using the TT for longer periods after i get this done.

It is very tricky to get to the cpu that is why i don't even want to try to attempt doing this myself. It seems to average about the early to mid 50s in the summer with light load and about 5-7C less the rest of the year. It could be as well that the thermal paste is getting old as it's not actually that hot in my house.

When i get it done if i notice any positive changes i will post about my findings.

 

Just a quick update. I had to return the laptop to the seller because there were some functional issues with the machine. What a bummer! Overall, I liked the design and the features. Trying to find another 1.6 ghz Vaio TT but having no luck. Also, now I am a bit wary about buying used laptops on Ebay. If the seller had not agreed to take the laptop back, I would have been screwed. Thankfully that was not the case. Thought about the Z series as well but not impressed by the design and would prefer the smaller footprint. For the time being, it looks like I will be stuck with my TZ.

 

If you Amazon in your country you may get lucky, like I did, and get a open box, or refurbished Vaio TT at a fantastic price.

 

Thanks for the tip. I just checked and they are selling your exact model refurbished for a little over $1500.

 

Really, the model I have? Wow, I paid way less(under $1200) for an open box model direct from Amazon's warehouse. The only thing missing was the special Sony headphones, which isn't a big deal. and 3 months later the optical drive died, which was covered under warranty. Amazon gave me a $20 credit for the missing part(all I had to do was ask), which I put towards the extra 2gb of ram. I guess I lucked out. But, I am sure if you look well enough you will find the Vaio TT you are looking for at a price that fits your budget. If luck happened to me, so to speak, I am sure it will happen with you to on your TT purchase.

 

I got my Sony TT from ebay. I paid £750 or £790 for it i can't remember for sure (with all the upgrades it has ended up costing me quite a bit more) for it and it came with a receipt and it was as new. Someone bought it for their sister but they wanted a Mac instead.
These laptops have one year international warranty so may be consider from purchasing in other countries.
I have since registered the international warranty and had it covered under warranty and they didn't ask for my receipt, although i do have it.
My model is a Hong Kong model that came with a US keyboard.
May be restrict your search to items that come with a receipt for piece of mind. I had a very good experience, may be try again.

Also, may be check the Sony outlet store.

 

Hi all, coming late to the party but after my LG P100 developed a serious graphics card problem and now only runs with Linux I have been shopping for another laptop. I'm a big tablet PC fan and user and decided to get a convertible and sacrifice weight for performance - ended up buying a Dell XT2. But it's on it's way back to dell after developing a serious ghost touch issue with the dual touch screen .
I have decided to get a TT. I had great experiences in the past with lots of vaio's: U1, U3, U101, Vaio TR's, T's and even a TX.
The TT seems to be the last one made and unfortunately they don't sell it in my Country anymore so my option is to get a Japanese one. I'm trying to get my head around the various model types which is crazy. Anyone got any warnings/advice/gothchas?

 

^
Some models sold in Ocenia and some parts of Asia do not come with a HDMI port but you can add it in and i did that.
Some people do still use dial up modems, i've not really used the HDMI connector yet but i'm sure i will down the line.

May be try tradme.nz or graysonline.
Sony 11.1 inch VAIO VGNTT27GDX (Carbon Black) (0001-2101113) | GraysOnline Australia

Conics have none left in stock but Dynamism has one model but it is quite expensive. I'm not sure though how much you're willing to pay.

 

Thanks for the quick response. Now: WHAT!? I searched Grays today and found nothing, now you show me that one! Awesome. I'm in.

I've found lots on the Japanese Yahoo auction site and we have a good buying service here that gives us access to that. I'm very comfortable buying used from Japan and have had lots of laptops that way. Japanese sellers make pains to cover every defect so you can be sure you know exactly what you're buying. Thanks for the link.

 

If you can stand getting one from Kiwi-land :0), there are a couple of high spec TT's on Trade-me: TradeMe.co.nz - VAIO TT for sale, New Zealand

KJ

 

Just so you know, SonyStyle Japan is still clearing out their stock of CTO TT

VGN-TT93HSEVGN-TT93GSEVGN-TT93FS - Sony Style

Find an importer and they should be able to order it for you.

 

I've found grays online to be really overpriced before and this was no exception. The TT sold for $2050 with postage. That's a refurbished unit! With a 250gb hard drive. For that sort of money I can get one with 2656GB SSD out of japan.

 

nice. About 200,000 yen for a nicely spec'd one.

 

Quick question: what's the point of the hdmi out on the TT's that only have a DVD drive?

 

Having a model with a dvd drive doesn't stop you from connecting your laptop to your TV via the HDMI port. In fact i did this before i did the BD upgrade myself.
Other than that i've never really used it than to test it. I tried to connect it to my living room tv and i was not happy with the reproduction and used my dvd player instead.
It is useful though to have. Like i wrote before though some people do still use the dial up modem. I think for a few seconds i have even contemplated putting it back but i won't as the hdmi i think should be more useful and add more value to my laptop in the long run.

 

If you don't have a network connected tv, it is one way to view netflix, youtube or services on the like on your larger screen tv.

 

For those who want the portability and speed of the TT but can't afford it I suggest you try the Acer Ferrari One, it's lighter, and slimmer, and tougher...

Although not as fast it still has AMD X2 1.2GHZ/Dual DDR2 Dimms/2.5" SATA HD/Ati HD 3200 Graphics..

There is a 3G model available but hard to find... none 3G Version can be had for £340 online, with 2GB RAM/250HD

Advanatges are easier to upgrade and get to RAM/HD, also can swap wifi card to... I Have 4GB RAM in Mine, 64GB SSD, and Intel 5100 Wifi..

Graphics are alo better but no HDMI, has XGP port for future external graphics...

 

The Acer Ferrari One is certainly a cheaper option. There are other options out there right now like the latest Acer Timeline models that come with the latest ULV processors. Of course though a big selling point of the TT is the display.
I'm not though sure if the Ferrari One is any lighter than the TT. Acer list the weight as 1.5kg with a 6 cell battery.
Products

The Sony TT weighs 1.32kg with a 6 cell battery and standard HD.
VAIO : Sony Europe : Specifications

I'm also not sure if it is more durable either. I've used one of the timeline models and the Ferrari One has a similar design. The silver accents that the TT have may actually give it some protection and act as shock absorbers but i'm not totally sure about that. The implementation of the HDMI connector could have been better though.

Display wise the 'carbon fibre' display seems to be pretty solid and more so than some of Sony's other lines and more so than the Timeline lines. Whether though that rigidity helps it or not durability wise i'm not sure.

I agree with you though about the ram and the HD upgrades being more readily available.


edited to add:
Trusted Reviews lists the weight for AFO at 1.44kg
Acer Ferrari One - 11.6in Netbook review - Laptop reviews - TrustedReviews

They also list the TT at the given weight that Sony states and do they do appear to weigh these laptops. With a uSata SSD the weight might be around 1.26kg. Btw, an unrelated point the TZ with the built in wwan and standard drive appears to weigh 1.24kg and not the 1.19kg that most people seem to think. The model without the built in wwan and standard drive weighs that.
Sony VAIO VGN-TT11WN/B 11.1in Ultra-Portable review - Laptop reviews - TrustedReviews

I have attached some images. I see that Acer list the AFO height being between 0.9-1.2. Sony list the TT as being 0.95in. The TZ has also been given a similar height.

 

The Screen on the TT doesn't feel as strong the ferrari, although it it probably more scratch resistant, I have used a TT, bigger and heavier than TZ but a lot more durble..

The ferrari does looks better especially the Lid, the sides look great to as does the underneath... Also fan doesn't run loud at idle, where as most sony's I have used does...

Sony's are the worst when it comes to clean installing, very hard to get WWAN working properly on clean install, acers are very Easy..

I think I can find a bluetooth module on ebay for my model, also I hear the cpu can be upgrade to 1.6GHZ L510, although tracking it down is much harder...

At the end of the day The ferrari cost me £300 compared to £1500 for the TT, so if it gets lost/broken doesn't cost much to get another... that's the main reason for going it.. I use it more than the X200, as I didn't really need that fast of the CPU, since you can't game on the x200 as well as the cpu not even powerfull enough to video edit I fail to see why I would go back to it.

Only thing these ultra portable laptops are missing are USB 3.0 and Esata, not sure why they are not included, maybe cause non of the intel/amd platforms have their own built in usb 3.0 controller, meaning they have to rely on 3rd party solutions.. eg nec, which means more room, more money and more less battery life

 

I agree with you for £300 that laptop is a very good deal and is of course a cheaper alternative with some other more budget ultraportables out on the market today, i don't think that can be disputed.

What i was disputing though was the issue about the weight etc that you raised.

I'm not so sure on the looks though but each to their own as looks are completely subjective.

I can't hear the fan at idle.

 

I agree with Rachel. I've sold around a total of 50 ULV 11.6" sub-notebooks in the last 5 months, and while they are well made, good performers and good value in the size category (much, much better than any Atom based chassis), the comparisons to my TT are chalk & cheese. My TT is superbly quiet, case materials superior (with some exception), keyboard has one of the best 'feels' I've experienced, it's lighter, the wide-gamut LCD panel is jaw-dropping with Hi-res source, and I just love having a Blue_ray optical drive built-in.

I am impressed with the current Acer/Fujitsu/HP/Lenovo 11.6" ULV's I've seen and tried. Great value and probably why Sony may never produce another 'T' series, but not in the same league as the TT.

KJ