Official Sony Vaio CW Core 2 Duo Series Owner's Thread

Windows 7 can view AVCHD files and took 5 AVCHD files (1920x1080) and combined them into one. Took alot longer than my desktop (core i7) but it was relatively fast and worked well. Thats with the T6600. But I still wouldn't use it to do that often, my desktop i s built for that.

 

Cool, that sounds GREAT!! I've never heard of a system restore that gives you such an option!! That does sound pretty close to a "Clean Install"!

Question for you, how much space is available on your C: drive now or if you can remember how much was available when you received it from Sony/Retailer?

Thanks

 

Just received my cw, its my first laptop, and I chose for sony because of the good reputation...
First impression is not so good though, my keyboard's s is faulty, pressing it hard repeatedly ultimately results in an s, but it really sucks for typing! It feels as if there is something underneath the right lower corner of the s key which makes it hard to press... I can't have it repaired now as I will be needing it non-stop until at least januari and so can't miss it for 2 weeks or something...
What should I do? My first thought is disassembling it myself with a buddy who has done these things before in the hope that I can fix it... Does anyone have any experience with the keyboards on vaio laptops?

Anyway, apart from the s-problem, the laptop seems nice enough, really good specs for a reasonable price... The only thing I miss, apart from a fully functioning keyboard is keyboard backlighting, but I guess you can't have everything...

Grtz

 

No, these are the initial options. The options I'm talking about come after you click on Restore Complete System - then you get a couple different options as to how you want your system restored.

 

Thanks for the feedback, Barrok. I'll go P8700 then. I will be using it infrequently - but at least I know I can now (field work etc). You say Windows 7 can view AVCHD, but what software do you use for that, and are there new tools to edit, or do you use 3rd party software?

Thanks

 

rehangohar, thank you so much^^

 

I have a 500 GB hard drive, of which, windows says the capacity is 455GB, and now I currently have 350 GB free (this is of course after I put my files onto it - which i estimate to be around 70-75 GB). I think it was around 430 GB or more free before I transfered my files, but I'm not 100% sure as its been about a week now. Wish I could have been more help.

If there is anyone else who just got one recently, can you let us know (1) your hard drive size (2) how much free space is on it before you transfered your files onto it.

Thanks

 

your welcome mikejcw

 

Let me just say that I have been on many, many forums/blogs/newsgroups over the years and this one is one of the best I've ever been on...the folks that somehow find their way onto here are so friendly and helpful...I truly appreciate all the input and thoughts and Ideas, I truly look forward to catching the latest on here everyday...

Thanks again to everyone, this is truly a GREAT Forum

 

Thanks I appreciate you checking that for me!

 

Yeah, the LCD is disappointing for Sony. It has no real black - of course, that is exactly like 90% of laptops out there, but Sony makes some laptops with great screens, so it is disappointing. Of course, I am somewhat spoiled by my first-gen FZ, as well.

 

Thanks, that's a great find locating those on their Business Site. I guess I should have figured they had a business site, it just isn't as readily available on HP or Dell's sites.

 

Another question for anyone that can answer it, but is there a major difference between the performance of the G210M and the G230M? I'm debating whether I should get a CTO or just buy it from the store.

 

The G210M is a pretty weak card, on par with say a 9400M GT. The G230M is a pretty decent mid range GPU, it's much better than the 210M.

 

Mr President, thanks for your info on clean install, just a couple of questions:

1/ You said in some previous post (I guess) that the W7 OS resides somewhere in the recovery partition. Does that make any difference to download W7 (from MS site for example) and give the serial under the laptop (rather than starting W7 install from the recovery partition) ?

2/ Doing a recovery (system restore) apparently delete the C: partition completely, then reinstall the OS in there. When do we have a chance to create a "user" partition D: in order to put the data we don't want to delete on every install/recovery ?
I mean if the laptop doesn't come partitioned so as to have a "user" data partition in the first place, then the only time I can imagine being able to do it is when doing an OS install. That means, no matter you want a "clean" install or not, if you want your data in a separate partition than your system, you MUST do an install to create that "user" partition. And you should better do that very soon before putting any data on C:
I always keep the system c: partition just for OS and programs and never put any data on it in case I have to restore a ghost image.

3/ In short, how the HDD is partitioned when the laptop is delivered ? How big are the partitions ? And if there isn't any user/data partition in addition to the system c: partition, or if it exists but I want to change its size, do you confirm that I can create/change the size during an OS install only?
I just don't think it has the ability (like partition magic for example) to dynamically resize the partitions.

thanks
nalooti

 

One question: how do you change the hard drive? I would like to put in an SSD that I currently have on my M1330 XPS which is running great.

 

For Nalooti and anyone else who needs it:

Windows 7 Partitions: Dynamically creating and resizing

Method 1:
Within the Windows 7 OS (and Vista) is a built-in Microsoft tool that allows you to dynamically shrink an existing partition, then out of the newly available hard drive space you can dynamically create a new partition.

The steps to do this are outlined on this link:
Note: This mentions Windows Vista, but the steps also apply to Windows 7.

How to Create Partition or New Drive in Windows Vista (or Windows 7)
http://blog.eches.net/tips/how-to-create-partition-or-new-drive-in-windows-vista/

Method 2:
Use a free utility called Easeus Partition Manager Home Edition (I've only tried this on Windows XP, but it's says that it is compatible with Windows 7 and one of the reviewers on the site did confirm that the software worked great for them on Win 7):
http://download.cnet.com/Easeus-Partition-Master-Home-Edition/3000-2248_4-10863346.html
Note: They do recommend that you back up your data before resizing/creating new partitions.

I successfully used this utility on my Windows XP computer. It had one drive [c:] with 70GB and I used this utility to first shrink the drive to create 14 gb of new unallocated space. Then I created a new drive [e:] out of that extra space. It is sooo easy to use!!

Here are some screen shots from the program, and how I went from one (1) partition to two (2) partitions:

On this step I just slid the little slider from right to left, thus shrinking the drive by 14gb.


On this step you can now see the new "unallocated" space that was create.


Here is the result of clicking the "Create" button, to create a new partition:


Here I just click the "Apply" and the system reboots and it creates your new partition for you...it's that easy...


After rebooting, I now have a new Drive [e:], as you can see here in "My Computer":

 

My UK sony style order is still stuck on 'Your payment is currently pending authorization.' after 3 days

Anyone else seeing the same?
How long does it usualy take to accept payment?

I tried calling sales and they just said to call back on monday if still the same.

 

i_am_jon

Me too

 

And me.

I phoned them earlier to ask why. He said they can take a couple of days to clear and they may email you asking for proof of identity.

He did say that this does not hold up the production of the laptop as they do not charge you until the laptop is despatched.

I asked to check my laptops status and he said it had been released to production and was in a queue.

 

Thank you very much scottybgood !

Do you agree that if I want to clean install, I'll not need to use any such tool because the install process should ask me if I'm happy about my partitions and if not then it will partition following my request (i.e. say 30GB for C: and the rest for D) ?

Otherwise I agree that for those who don't want to reinstall the system, they need this tool to shrink the existing partition to make room for a new one.

 

i_am_jon & ninja2000 did you order a customized CW or one of the ready to ship ones? If you customized would you mind sharing the specs you guys ordered?

 

I ordered custom specs:

P7450
Nvidia 230
3gb (the 4gb added an extra two weeks and I have spare ram anyway)
320gb 5400
rest as standard

 

ninja2000 - did you order on line or by phone?
I ordered on line, and there was no mention of the 4GB adding an extra 2 weeks?!!

My specs are:
P7450
Nvidia 230 - it's a free upgrade anyway
4gb
320gb 5400
BluRay

The on line order system tells me 4-5 weeks delivery. Same in the acknowledgement email i received. I will call Monday to find out about any delay as i don't want it if it'll be delivered after Christmas?!!

 

The option to create, delete, format partitions is available during the Windows 7 Installation BUT I believe if you initiate Windows 7 installation while logged into the OS, and not from Boot, then you will NOT have the option to manipulate the partitions. The 2nd of the two articles I have listed below confirms this statement. Maybe if the Sony System Restore is initiated at boot, then the option to manipulate partitions will be available.

Windows 7 Installation Guide / Tutorial (This article shows how to partition a drive during the Windows 7 installation. You must choose the Custom (Advanced) installation type and then choose the Drive Options (Advanced) option.
http://www.techtalkz.com/windows-7/514412-windows-7-installation-guide-tutorial.html

BUT this article says the following on Step 7: WARNING: You will not have the Drive options (Advanced) option unless the installation is done at boot, and not from running the installation from within your current OS.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1649-clean-install-windows-7-a.html

 

EDIT: Woops I forgot, I think you and the other folks are in the UK, Sorry about that...maybe someone else can take advantage of this sale

FYI, I just found some prebuilt CWs (On Sale) with almost your exact same Config, but says they will ship in 3 to 5 days.

The Sale is $100 off for the following PreBuilt configuration (Sale Ends 11/15/09), Sale Price is $799.00. Sorry no White Color:

PreBuilt Config:
P7450
GT230m
320gb drive
DVD±R/RW Drive

Sony VAIO® VPCCW18FX/B 14" Notebook - Jet Black
http://www.jr.com/sony/pe/SON_VPCCW18FXB/

Sony VAIO® VPCCW18FX/P 14" Notebook - Poppy Pink
http://www.jr.com/sony/pe/SON_VPCCW18FXP/

Sony VAIO® VPCCW18FX/R 14" Notebook - Fiery Red
http://www.jr.com/sony/pe/SON_VPCCW18FXR/

 

Yeah I ordered online and took advantage of the 10% discount.
If you have 3gb selected it says 2-3 weeks when you select 4gb it changes to 4-5 weeks.

Give them a ring, they are pretty helpful.

 

Guys, i think the extra 2 weeks for the ram upgrade is a mistake, or at least just a safety net for sony. Ordered mine (p8700, GT 230M, 4gb, Blu-ray - Free gpu upgrade and 10% code) on tuesday and just had a confirmation email to say the credit card had been authorised.

In that email it said the estimated shipping date was the 24th Nov - 1st Dec... now thats basically 1-2 weeks shipping date, when the sonystyle website said 4-5! Like i said, i expect the 4-5 weeks estimate was a safety net, well happy with this shipping time if all goes according to plan!

 

Does anyone know what size pcie card the wireless is? I'm thinking about buying a intel 5100 off ebay (~$20) to replace the atheros one with and want to make sure i get the right one. I'm assuming is the half card, but want to check. anyone else do this? I would do the 5300, but don't want to tear the whole thing apart to add the 3rd antenna. thoughts?

 

Can someone please address my previous question: is it easy to swap hard-drives in this laptop? Does it make you lose warranty?

Also as a secondary question, is there a noticeable difference between the 2.1 and the 2.5 GHz processors? (Gaming wise, 3DMark06)?

 

From people who ordered their laptop online and already received it, how close was the sony ship times? When they said, will ship Nov-24, is that when it shipped?

 

No, I received mine within a week of my order. I don't remember exactly right now but the ship date was much earlier than it showed.

 

Yeah, the shipping is an estimate taken at the maximum time it can take under normal conditions. Generally the order will be shipped much before that. On some cases, if they run out af any parts, do the estimate increase.

 

On your second question about Processors, I would at least get the T6600 being that it doubles the cache from 1mb to 2mb over the T4300 and it uses the newer "Core 2 Duo", and I think it would be worth the $50 investment. As far as for most of the newest Games, they rely more on the GPU, from what I've read, than on the processor, so getting the GT230m is more important then getting the faster processor, as far as gaming goes, IMO. But some games, from what I've read, lean on the processor more, such as Crysis. So for such games the faster P8700 would show a more notable difference.

The three reasons I personally will get the faster processor (P8700):

1. I like to try and purchase the fastest, or close to the fastest processor available at the time, so it hopefully won't be outdated/obsolete as soon (I like to keep my computers for as long as possible).

2. If I'm going to spend the money to get the faster GT230m GPU, I want a faster processor to go with it, hoping to prevent any bottlenecks.

3. This last reason isn't a big deal to most people, but being that I work with computers for a living, this is important to me:
I want the capability of having "Virtualization", which provides the opportunity to run Windows XP Mode/Virtual PC, which allows you to run a Virtual Windows XP environment, so you can run any older applications that won't run/are not compatible with Windows 7. The T4300/T6600/P7350 processors don't have Virtualization built in, but the P8700/T9600 do.

There's my two cents!

 

How about the HDD? I would really like an SSD on this as opposed to a 5400rpm ...

 

Hi,

Even i would like to know if it is possible to replace a HDD with a SSD. Do they have the same dimensions and connetion such that a user can replace it?

 

To all those that currently own the CW:

Does it feel kinda flimsy (mainly the monitor hinges)? I was in best buy earlier and I was messing with the demo unit, which felt awfully flimsy (it did not have a battery in it, which is why I think it was flimsy).

How does the g210m perform? Have any of you run any modern games on it? If so do you know what your fps was?

 

Seems very sturdy to me if anything. The lighter weight might have made it feel more flimsy to you. Then again I'm am no expert of chassis' so I might not be able to tell such things. I've traveled with it frequently in my 3 or so weeks of ownership and it seems to be working like a champ.

 

Changning HDD's is easy. You can switch it for any 9.5mm SATA HDD or SSD. You just unscrew the HD bay on the underside of the laptop, unscrew the hard drive mount, then reverse with your new HDD.

 

I can't remember anyone on this forum writing any reviews about the performance of the G210m, but only the GT230m. Maybe someone else on here can??

Anyways here is a review of a New Model Asus UL80vt, which runs the G210m, so hopefully this will give you some idea of the GPU's performance. Page 5 of the review shows the GPU's Benchmarks:

ASUS UL80Vt First Look: Mobility Redefined
http://www.anandtech.com/mobile/showdoc.aspx?i=3665

 

HEy got it for 56k !!

2.53ghz
4gb ddr3
gt230m 512 mb
320GB HDD

 

yes it is the cw16fg
got it for 56k

 

Greetings - I have been reading thru this (long!) thread and found the links to the $799.00 CW's on J & R. I returned my last Sony, though, because of the bad battery drain issue. Has Sony fixed this on the CW Series - do the CW batteries drain 10-15% or more overnight when not plugged in?? TIA

Edited to add - I am seriously considering buying a CW - I have handled several at Media Markt stores here in Germany and I like the design and the samples I have seen have pretty nice LCD's (but with 210M graphics - not the 230M's being offered at J &R). I was very disappointed with the battery drain issue on my first Sony.

 

Here is a 16 Minute Vaio CW Presentation I found, covering some of the CW's features:

http://www.vimeo.com/7545315

 

Hi,

I am planning to buy SONY VAIO CW Series. However, I am confused between which processor to use and nailed down to following options - can you help me to tell which one is best performance and power wise?

T6600 (2.20GHz) + G210M GPU (256MB VRAM) = Option # 1
T6600 (2.20GHz) + GT230M GPU (512MB VRAM) = Option # 2
P7450 (2.13GHz) + G210M GPU (256MB VRAM) = Option # 3

I would like to know how much difference it would make in performance if I go with Option 1 when compared to 2 and 3. I read in multiple threads here that T6600 and P7450 does not have much difference and I am quiet convinced on that. However, not sure how much difference a VRAM will make.

Also, anyone know if T6600 & P7450 both supports VT.

 

I'm planning to buy a vaio cw with g210m graphics card. Will I be able to upgrade the graphics card from g210m to gt230m after sometime??

 

For the Europe customizable editons, only the P8700 (2.53 Ghz) processor supports VT

 

From what I understand the GT230m blows the G210m out of the water...I think because it has a 128bit memory bus width, versus the 64 bit of the G210...if you are gonna do much gaming, especially some of the newest games, or like me, you just like to have as much extra reserve graphics power as possible then by all means spend the extra $50 and get the GT230m!! And I concure with MattMitchell that only the P8700 and the T9600 support VT.

 

Any of you current CW Owners up for Writing up a little review of your experience with your CW? Haven't seen any reviews on here for Quite some time?...I'd do it, but I haven't quite got my CW yet

 

Yes T6600 and P7450 are very similar performance wise, but neither support VT only P8700 and the T9600 processor support VT. G210 is very weak compared to GT230 and having a bit more VRAM can give you an advantage on alot of programs that take graphics power like Games, video editing progs, wed designing, and multi-tasking too. plus many people have noted that with the G210 performance is a bit bottlenecked compared to the GT230 since the GT230 is more a midsized GPU compared to G210. plus its always better and safer to be future-proof . hope this helps you decide. Cheers!