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

I was really worried about that, thank you for the insight

What is this exactly? Does the CW touchpad have this feature?

 

On the website, it says UPS will deliver

 

Hi Azadeh
which color will you take? too bad there isn't green

I didn't see any P8700 at 2.8Ghz!
I think you did a good choice. Did you already buy it? don't forget 4GB of RAM; these are DDR3 and probably you won't use your old RAM.

I ordered gt230m not because I'm a gamer but I like googling around Earth (3D) and want to be on the safe side for the future, who knows...

take care

 

The Trackpad features of the CW and other features are covered in this 16 minute Sony Presentation that I came across last week (it was presented in Bulgaria, but it is in English):

http://www.vimeo.com/7545315

 

Hi there nalooti,
When I saw your username while browsing, I knew you'd know Farsi too. Great nickname by the way!

I haven't bought one yet but after checking one out in person yesterday in Paytakht, I'll get one soon. The only ones I saw on display where black and pink, I don't know about the other colors but I liked the former and hated the latter. But you're right, why didn't it didn't cross my mind? How cool the GREEN would have been

Sorry, it was a typo. You're right, both 1NFX & 1KGX have P9600 at 2.8Ghz (which their price would pinch my pocket a bit)
Thank you. And I suppose all the CW models have 4GB of RAM. So I'm safe on that part

You're probably right about the future, but after I was convinced that the difference btw g210 and gt230 - for my needs- is not noticeable, it was the Win7 Pro vs Home that pushed me towards 1JGX instead of 1LFX.
What about you? Where did you order it from? Do you have it now?

================

Thank you Scottybgood,

It sounds fantastic :drooling:

 

Ordered the following on Saturday:
Product ID : VPCCW1X5E
Description : Laptop VPC-CW1X - Configurable
Price : 776,04
Optical Drive : Blu-ray Disc(TM) Combo-drive
Hard drive : 320 GB Serial ATA (5400 rpm)
Memory cards reader : SD and MS card slot
Wireless LAN : Wireless LAN + Bluetooth®
Processor : Intel® Core(TM)2 Duo 2.53 Ghz
Display : 14" LCD, 1366 x 768 + webcam
Graphics : NVIDIA® GeForce® GT230M 512MB
Finishes : Blue
Memory : 4 GB 1066MHz DDR3-SDRAM
Battery : Battery life up to 3.5 hours
Keyboard : English QWERTY keyboard
Ports : 3 USB 2.0
AC Adapter : AC Adapter
HDMI(TM) output : HDMI(TM) output
Operating system : Windows7 Home 64bit without XP

Estimated delivery date after accepting payment is by 01/12/2009 - Can't wait!

Just want to get a good sized 7200RPM hard drive. Has anyone changed their hard drive? What do you recommend? I can't really afford an SSD though.

 

Mine hasnt arrived yet but I will be putting a 7200rpm 500gb Hard drive the day it does. Will let you know how I get on.
Mine should be here within the next two weeks

 

@mjames_84

is that poundsterling?
how many years of warranty do you get? is it international?

 

I got this:

Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor P8700 (2.53GHz)
500GB Hard Disk Drive (5400rpm)
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT230M GPU
4GB (2GBx2) DDR3-SDRAM-1066

I love it but something is scaring me. I put in a DVD which I didn't know what was on it, and it had a bunch of files with weird extentions (I guess I need codecs?) and I'm guessing it was trying to open it and figure out what it was...reading it and it didn't really crash, but it froze while working.

That's the only time that it happened...and then I put in the DVD into my old dell, and it showed me the files.

I'm pissed off that I can't "explore" a DVD/CD on Win 7? Or I just don't know how to do it?

Basically...after the "crash" or freeze of the DVD, other things were working, so I decided to restart and then I got that screen that scans for files because it wasn't "properly" shut down, even though I hit restart.

Should I be worried? I probably just rambled on and didn't describe the situation well. I'll get home, try it again and will let you know what kind of files were on that DVD.

 

Yeah it's Pound Stearling (£)

It comes with 1 year warranty, but I increased it to two years another £60 or so.

I'm not sure if it's international though, maybe someone else knows?

 

Maybe it's an issue with the DVD drive itself in the CW and not an issue with Win 7...

BTW, can you give us your opinion on the CW other than the DVD drive issue? Such as the keyboard, mousepad, screen, heat, battery life, performance, etc.?

 

Well, I'm no pro myself...but here are my 2 cents.

I burned 3 recovery DVDs and I didn't really feel heat from the computer. It was warm...but not like HPs that I felt at best buy. It was SLIGHTLY warm, just enough to let you know the computer's on.

They keyboard is great, I like it but it does take getting a little used to. It feels nice to type on it, but the fact that you have to press Fn HOME (two buttons at a time) bugs me a little since I have to use two hands.

I have a red one, and it is very cute and very universal for men and women. But it does leave a lot of finger prints. So eating cookies and handling the computer is a no-no. I just learned.

The mouse pad is huge! Comparing to my Dell Inspiron of 5 years...one thing I noticed though is when I move it around, as I type, I tend to place my sleeve or part of my hand on the other side of the touch pad and the mouse stops moving because it can't have two different parts of the pad being touched (does that make sense?) - you can't touch it at two places at once. The screen is pretty good. Since I didn't see any other SONY screens before, I can't compare. It is a wide screen and I feel like I need to get used to it because my other laptop was regular sized. One thing that really bugs me about the monitor is actually that I can't bend it back all the way horizontally. It doesn't bend over approximately 100 degrees. (Or is that only me?) Like, if I stand up to do something, I can't bend it over backwards so to speak so I can stand and look at the monitor.

I'm using it for basis internet, photos, blogging and so far it is good - I'll let you know when I will install Adobe CS3.

I did have a weird wireless problem! When I just go the computer, I simply couldn't connect, no matter what! And I have the intel card. I tried changing IPs, connections, passwords, anything that you could imagine, and nothing worked. Then, I called tech support and I uninstalled the drivers and restarted and they installed by themselves and still nothing worked. They checked the wireless card by PING-ing in command prompt (that's the right name - right?) and still nothing worked and they told me I might have an old router and would need to replace it. Then before work, I decided to play around with it the next day and I entered the password again, and miraculously, it connected! I just don't have a clue to what was the problem, but it was annoying and I don't like the fact that the computer does things on her own and decided to connect without me really doing anything.

That's all I have so far.....from the problems that I've had, does it seem like I need a replacement or send it in to fix it??

 

there u go! i was like...
ordered cw black w/ win7HP, P8700, 4 GB DDR3, 230M, 250 GB HDD, BD reader, default warranty, std battery for $893 (before tax) after student discount. will comment once it arrives and start using it.

 

I've just found interesting 3D Mark results - they are on Polish page, so the review itself may be not very helpful but numbers speak for themselves:

http://www.benchmark.pl/testy_i_rec...aio_CW_i_NW_z_Windows_7-2454/strona/7266.html

Their 2.13GHZ+ 230M scored 6152, which is some 500 higher than scores posted on this forum - I believe that they've done clean install and used custom drivers, however I wasn't able to confirm it (yet). It's either that or CW sold in Poland use quicker GPU settings by default.

Anyway, if true, it means that with a bit of work CW can be even better!

 

Hello all,

I got my CW VPCCW16 yesterday. I live in the Middle East and over here you don't many choices due to the small market.

I was looking for replacement for my Vaio SZ360 that I bought when I lived in the US. This time I thought I'd try and go with dell, particularly the Studio 14.
However over here they did not have the model, only the Studio 15 was available with low specs. I even tried to customize a Dell Precision which the agent here ships it in from Ireland.
Core 2 Duo 2.8Ghz 6MB L2 Cache, Win 7 Pro, 4GB DDR2, 250 SATA HDD, 9 cell battery, nVidia FX770M 512MB. The cost? USD 2525!

I thought that with that money I could get better but not over here. I went looking and found the CW. I looked at the Z, and the SR as well. However the agents here did not have the Z in stock. I wasn't too sure about the CW but thought that I would get away from the business laptops this time and went with it.

Let me say that it is pretty sweet and I'm loving it. Except for the darned bloatwares. However wish it came with Win 7 Pro and that the HDD was SATA. Another thing is wish the battery was better.

Over here they only have the VPCCW16 available brought from the UK.
Core 2 Duo P8700
4GB DDR3
320GB
DVD drive , no bluray
Nvidia GeForce GT 230M

I wonder if I should have waited until Sony came out with i7 cores...

 

On your website 3dmark is run in 1024x768 and not in 1280x768 ( http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-230M.17646.0.html) that's probably why it scores higher

 

Thanks for the review!!! I would say that none of your issues require a return or repair, except if the DVD drive continues to have troubles reading DVDs when those same DVDs can be read on a different computer, then the DVD drive might need to be replaced. As far as the wireless issue, I've seen strange things happen like that before...I would say if it continues to have a similar problem repeatedly, then there maybe something that need further attention...possibly a driver update maybe?

 

May be the reason, I thought that my CW defaulted to 1024x768 when running this test, but I'm not sure. I was wise enough to NOT mention the resolution here when i posted the results

 

for those who had asked about battery, I watched 2 hrs 15 min of DVD and still have 25% battery showing remaining. This was on power saver mode.

 

There was a discussion earlier about Sony Laptop Reliability...here is a report that was just posted on Engadget putting Sony in the Top 3 for Most Reliable Laptops...

Laptop reliability survey: ASUS and Toshiba win, HP fails
http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/17/laptop-reliability-survey-asus-and-toshiba-win-hp-fails/

 

Thanks for providing this, it is very helpful! Can I ask what CW Config you have?

 

Hi everyone,

I just bought my CW series this weekend and I am having trouble when it goes into sleep mode. The screen goes black and I can't get it to go back to my desktop. Moving the touch pad or lightly pressing the power button does not work. My computer is still on and I can hear it running, I just can't get the screen to come back on. The only way is to turn my computer off and back on, which obviously is not ideal.

Is there something I am missing here??? I can't imagine something is broken already since I just bought it!

Thanks for your help!

 

This may be able to help Lindssc1...

http://www.brighthub.com/computing/windows-platform/articles/53429.aspx

 

A lot of sleep problems are caused by gfx drivers, check sony's website for updated drivers or get them straight from nvidia

 

The HDD is a SATAII model. It's only 5400RPM but it is the most power efficient in it's class. It also has a 3Gb/s transfer speed.

 

I noticed you changed out the HDD and the Processor...WOW, what a processor! 4 cores, 12mb cache, does the CW still run fairly cool? Also can you confirm whether or not the Nvidia GPU can be replaced as well?

 

I am sure the gpu is soldered onto the motherboard especially in a compact 14" form factor.

XGX2007 - was it easy to switch out the cpu? Mine hasnt arrived yet but I have a P9500 and 7200rpm 500gb ready to put in

 

if possible do you remember the exact procedure on replacing your CPU? if possible and you dont mind could you do a step by step process as 99% users havent dissected their CW yet, and most want to change the wifi card, and CPU as well please and thank you!

P.S. it would be truly awesome if you do a step by step guide that it could also be done with picture by picture or video as oppose to a written step by step, but either way its fine. Cheers!

 

have you tried pressing the display off button? i know its a dumb question but you didnt mention it so i dont know if you tried since the display off does exactly so im thinking maybe its relating

 

One question, open to those who have a C2D 2.53 Ghz and G230...what is the battery life you get with the above processor and graphics card?

 

I am getting about 4 hours with light usage (web, typing, reading PDF)
That is with
40% brightness
Wifi on (moderate powersaving)
i400 and memory card off

For once, their description on the website is accurate

 

This is my third request about possible battery drain issues on the CW - I promise to not ask about this in this thread again!! That said - here is the link to one of the Vaio battery drain threads:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=423924

Hopefully Sony has fixed this on the CW as I would really like to get one. Has anyone noticed this battery drain problem on the CW?

 

Two questions to you official users:

1. How is the speaker max volume level? (I ask because I remember many incidences of my Macbook friends trying to show me a "funny YouTube video" in a public place, turning up their volume to max, and us all still barely able to hear it. I do NOT want that issue.)
2. I know the battery has been a hot topic. How do you feel about a 2.5 to 3.5 hour battery? (I come from a desktop computer so I have a limited frame of reference.)

I'm HIGHLY considering buying this computer, well, by Saturday, but I wanted your expert feedback!! Thanks y'all!

 

It seems the battery should be able to do that, but you will have to set it to a higher power saving setting. If you haven't had a notebook in a while, basically it means it turns the screen brightness down and a few other less noticeable things.

 

I second JellyGeo's request regarding this battery drain issue, which is basically the battery draining when the machine is turned off...if any of you could test this it would be much appreciated!

 

Update:

I have the cw with P8700, G230, 500Gb, 4Gb DDR3 and bluray writer and apart from my previous problem with the keyboard, I am reasonably happy with the cw.

Although I have some complaints:
-Arrived from factory with faulty button on keyboard
-Not as portable as i had hoped (quite heavy for 14" and battery doesnt actually last as long a i had hoped: my 4 year old 15,4" laptop lasts as long)
-Battery does indeed drain while off: If I leave it off overnight, it starts up with only 93% charge although I turned it off with 100%...)
-A lot of stupid sony programs pre-installed
-Wifi had problems connecting once when my other laptop didnt
-Already had one BSOD in under one week while doing nothing extraordinary

Wow, that actually seems like a lot of complaints...

Anyway, dont know if its a usable index but heres the windows performance index:
-Processor: 6.2
-Memore (RAM):6.2
-Graphics:6.3
-Gaming graphics:6.3
-Primary hard disc:5.6

So it seems the hd is the main bottleneck, which is not surprising.

Overall, i do like the laptop because it has no problems with the tasks i give it, and it runs quietly and cold.
You get very good specs for the money so good value but it certainly isnt without flaws.

 

-Battery does indeed drain while off: If I leave it off overnight, it starts up with only 93% charge although I turned it off with 100%...)


So just to confirm the laptop is actually powered down not just in sleep? If so that is quite a serious battery dran

 

yes it also occurs when powered OFF

LMAO : sony's explanation about drain

 

LOL who are they trying to kid!
I have owned many laptops in my time only one other laptop drained whilst off (HP Mini 1000) and even that was soon fixed with a new BIOS

 

Just got my CW. I love it. I have a question though. My friend insists that his lapop has a faster video card then mine. I have the Nvidia 210M and he has the Ati 3470 both 256. Which one is generally faster?

 

Awesome, this is the exact configuration I am looking at! You said battery doesnt last as long as you had hoped. Did you notice how much time it took the battery to drain while you were working.

I need to get this specs but am worried about battery life as i need at least 3 to 4 hours of battery while i am in class.

Thanks for you input..

 

Your 210M is twice faster.

You and your friend can run 3dmark06 on your system to check more accurately

 

Sony tends to down clock the GPU in their notebooks but generally I'd say the 210M should be a bit better than the HD 3470.

 

Cool thanks for the info. Also I see that the GT 230M is listed as a discrete video card with 512 megs. The 210M says it has 256 dedicated ram but doesn't mention weather its a on on board or discrete video card, which is it? Also mine has some pretty bad backlight bleed, does anyone else have this?

 

Of course discrete!

 

If I'm not much of a gamer I game on my laptop about 5% of the time. Is returning this laptop and going for the GT 230M a better idea than the 210M?

 

Apologies if this is a repeat question. I've narrowed my processor choice down to either the P7450 or the P8700. Does a faster speed kill battery life? the same for the Video Graphics card. I'm leaning more towards the 256 card, but curious if that impacts battery life as well. I primarily need it for internet, videos off the net, photo editing, email and minor gaming. Any input appreciated.

 

I'm not an official user (soon to be) but
1/ don't know about youtube but for music and movies, if you play them with winamp you get amplification as well as equilizer and a couple of other sound enhancement engine as plugins that you can use to boost the volume and the quality. I suppose there are other freeware to amplify the volume than winamp if you don't like it but then you can easily saturate your speakers. However I think there are room to enhance the sound before saturation.

2/ it depends for what. Watching movies for 2.5 hours is not that bad, but for working on documents 3.5 hours is just average; I think I saw some users here reporting higher usage for working on documents. For music you can switch off the display. Too bad there isn't any multimedia keys... I suppose you still have to switch it on for player commands (unless you can set keyboard shortcuts/Functions for those commands ?)

 

All the "P" series CPU are rated the same TDP.
I don't know for the graphic cards (not much experience on those) but as a rule, for a given job (say playing HD) if the GPU can't deliver enough, the CPU will have more work to do, consumes more power, the fan spins faster and the battery is impacted (I think in this case P8700 would be a better choice). Besides, more dedicated memory mean less access to main memory, but not easy to know which one consumes less.
I ordered the better video card but I may not have your concern on battery usage.

 

Thanks for answering. Any word on my speaker volume question? Does the CW have a decent speaker volume in public spaces?