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

Finally got our laptop today. Driver was going to leave the neighborhood, but my husband was about to run him down and the driver saw him.

We got the upgraded Blu-Ray write drive. Not sure if we will ever use it, but it's a nice thing to have after waiting for so long.

So, we ordered on Nov. 29. Got the build email on Dec. 18. The ship email on Dec. 23. and it was delivered to us on Jan. 02.

While we waited we talked to the reps twice, who did upgrade our shipping (or so they said). It could be all the holidays, but it took 8 days to arrive (not including Sunday or holidays).

Still haven't turned it on, it was freezing cold when we got it out of the box, thought we would let it warm up a little first. Hope it runs.

Thanks to everyone for helping everyone out on these forums! Might need all that information soon ourselves.

 

Not sure if this was posted before: new CW model
Sony Vaio VPC-CW2S1E/W
PN: VPC-CW2S1E/W
Intel Core i3 330M
4096 MB
Harddisk 320 GB
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
911,50 €

 

Slightly miffed that I just bought my CW on Wednesday, but I've yet to take delivery so I could still cancel my order. Someone please convince me that the new specs aren't anything to be psyched about?

 

Interesting.

Anyone know how the performance of the i3-330m is compared to the P7450?

 

I would cancel the order and wait for the newer model.

 

I second that.

 

Oh, I see you've already heard about this. Well, here's an article on the matter:
http://www.laptopshop.nl/product/86941/category-1561-laptops/sony-vaio-vpc-cw2s1e-b.html

Also, for those looking for info on the chip:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Core-i3-330M-Notebook-Processor.23753.0.html
"First performance results from [pconline.com.cn] indicate a very good performance per MHz. The site reviewed the upcoming Core i3 530 (2.93 GHz - no turbo) which was on average faster than a Core 2 Duo E8400 (3.0 GHz). Therefore, the mobile Core i3-330M should be faster than a Core 2 Duo P7450."

All that said, along with Best Foot Forward, could someone help comfort me with my purchase just a few weeks ago? Will this be more expensive? Is the difference in processing power only slight, barely noticeable? ...Anything?

I think if it were a jump to core i7 then I'd be more than a lil' upset.

 

If you download torrents at all, you can probably find a Windows 7 Home or Pro retail disk online, use that to install Windows 7, and then use the CD key on the bottom of your computer.

I'm thinking I should do a fresh install myself. I won't use most of the things that came with my computer. I made a complete backup a couple days ago, I could restore to that if I didn't like the clean install.

 

I really doubt the difference will matter for most things. For games the video card is what matters these days.

 

i can't believe this... must be one of the quickest laptop refreshes ever...

will the combination of i3-330m/GT330M be a peformance jump compared P8700/GT230M... in games at least?

When overclocked, the GT230m probably outperforms the 330m stock (comparision in shader/mem/clock speeds maybe doesnt ) , but just think: what would the GT330m be like overclocked? and the inclusion of the intergrated graphics chip on the i3, surely that would be benificial to battery life

I was expecting a bit more in a CW refresh than just the core i3... seems a bit crap, as it misses out on turboboost and hyperthreading i5 or i7 would have been nice

I'm actually considering returning my CW, not just cos of this news, but because the power port is still broken and sony are being stubborn about repairing it. I have 5 days left in the 30-day period

Decisions decisions

 

Oh it's going to have a 330m? I wonder how good that card is.

I also wonder if it will use some stupid "hybrid SLI" scheme.

 

http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GT-330M.22437.0.html

It's the same card with higher clocks. 230M is 500/1100mhz, the 330m is 575/1210mhz

 

when you look at the Z-series refresh on engadget, on the external link it says "Type videokaart GT 330M GPU + Intel HD Graphics", however when i looked at the CW refresh on the same website, it just lists the GT 330M and not the intel bit.
but then what i dont understand is that there isnt a variant of the i3 without a gpu onboard that will be released... confused

but wow, i was shocked when i seen the Z series is gonna contain the GT 330m... thats more of a shock than when the CW was released

 

The refresh is a nice step-up, but not significant enough to make me wait (again) so I'm just going to stick with my now defunct CW

 

Yeah i suppose your right. If it had been something a bit more (i7 or i5)... i would really consider it. But by the looks of it, the cpu performance of the i3 is probably gonna be just about identical to my p8700... and as for the 230m, well i have mine overclocked above the stock levels of the 330m, so it's not a big deal

besides it seems alot of hassle just to send a laptop back. cant be bothered with it all, I'm happy with my CW but i wish they would fix it already!

 

anyone know how to take out the dvd drive?

 

unscrew the one nearest the RAM compartment door (not the one on the door), it should 3 braille dots next to it on the casing.

and then unscrew the screw that is located on the very edge in line with the dvd drive (the one nearest to the headphone port, and again, it should have 3 braille dots next to it)

then just pull it i suppose, or wedge it out somehow

 

is there any other drives you can replace it with?

 

It would be nice to get the lastest and greatest. however, i would have to say that for those of us that bought after black friday and got the free burner upgrade, it would be hard to get this deal again. I am more than happy with mine. I do have one issue that i will get to in a minute. But here are my specs:
T6600
gt230
4gb ram
Blu-Ray burner
and my total before tax was $754.99
I don't think i will find a better laptop for anywhere near that price. So i will take it as it is.

now for my issue, there is a bulge in the keyboard at the lower middle section of my spacebar. does anyone else have this. i called sony and they sent a tech with a new keyboard and it helped. but it looks like the ribbon is what is causing it. he used some thinner tape and tried to do what he could but it is still there. not really a major issue, but just wanted to see if anyone else has this bump.

 

Does the Sony Vaio VPC-CW13Fx come in jet black? I've looked around but found contradicting answers.

I live in Canada if that makes a difference.

 

Judging by what i put in google, none. the letter at the end that tells you the colour of the CW is missing off the model you supplied.

for example: VPC-CW13Fx /R

the part in red is the bit that tells you the colour, which is missing

/B - black
/R - red
/P - pink
/W - white
/L - blue (at least it is in the UK, blue could have a different letter in cananda)

long-story-short, as long as you get the one with VPC-CW13FX/B then it will be the jet black one

hope this helps

 

Hmm has anybody had any trouble with the battery?

Mine won't charge past 80%?!

 

I have exactly the same bump under the spacebar on my keyboard too. Would be great if anyone knew how to fix it?

 

Its called Battery Care Function and is situated in the VAIO Control Center. It is actually a good thing as it helps maintain the performance of your battery.
If you dont want it you simply uncheck the option "Enable Battery Care Function".

 

I found this article, difficult to respond.

 

Ah cheers, I enabled that without looking at what it would actually do.

 

i just noticed Best Buy stopped selling the VPC-CW17FX/B on their website. they still sell the white and red models. does this happen often? do you think they will still sell the black model in a week or so?

 

The black model disappeared from the Sonystyle site (as an option during CTO) around a week back. Maybe due to the same reason BB stopped selling it ?

 

Hey all,

I'm in the market looking for a new laptop and figured I would check out the Vaio line. I really like what the CW has to offer for the price but it seems to be sold out everywhere (Sonystyle.com, BestBuy, etc.) I've read that they are refreshing the series with an Intel Core i3 processor? Would I be better off waiting for the new series to be released or just go with the CW the way it is now? Also, does anyone know when the new line-up will be available for purchase?

Thanks alot!

 

Thanks for this info.

I found that it does exist, however it seems to be rare. Amazon is selling it for 999.00 which is dumb considering i can get a different color one for $100 cheaper. Newegg also seems to have it:
http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?Item=N82E16834117957

but they don't have an option to purchase it .

I don't get why they make a laptop with different colors but wont make a standard black option readily available .

 

if you take your keyboard off, you will see where the issue is. the tech tried to crease the ribbon a little more and used different tape to secure it. like i said, mine is still there but it is quite a bit better. good enough i guess. the keyboard is surprisingly simple to take off. remove the battery and there are 2 screw under it. remove them and CAREFULLY push the little white tabs out. then flip the computer right side up and the top of the keyboard should be raised. carefully lift the top and the bottom will just slide out. I am no computer tech so this is just what i watched him do. Good Luck, J

 

I have a question. What happens if my battery is fully charged and i enable battery care function? My laptop will use the battery power or adapter power?

 

If you do that, it tells you that getting down to 80% will take a long time and that unplugging is recommended. So it seems like it uses AC and leaves the battery alone to drain naturally.

 

You got a free burner upgrade?

I ordered mine Nov. 30th, had to wait until Dec. 18th for it to ship, and no free burner here.

At least they upgraded the shipping to 2nd day for free, and I stumbled on a 7% educational discount.

Mine was $911.99 (before tax), which is still a nice deal, I think.

Specs:
Royal Indigo (at the time, it was the only way configure it with the GT230)
P8700 CPU
GT230m Graphics
4 GB DDR3
320 GB Hard Drive
Blu-Ray Burner
Large Capacity Battery

 

Does anyone have any inside track about when CW series will be available on Sony site?

 

Do the USB ports on these laptops connect directly to the motherboard or by cables/ribbons? The stiffness of the USB ports bothers me.. You have to wiggle your plugs to get them out, which makes me uncomfortable if the ports are soldered directly to the mobo

 

i seen pictures of the CW disected the other day, and by the looks of things, the 2 USB ports on the left side are soldered to the motherboard, but the 1 on the right next to the headphones/mic aint. the 1 usb port on the right wasnt shown in the pictures infact, so is must be on some sort of Daughterboard along with the headphone/Mic jacks

Below is XGX2007's picture of the CW:



Theres more pics of the insides of the CW here: (courtesy of XGX2007)

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=446220

Thanks to XGX2007 it's nice to see the insides of what i purchased

 

Thanks for the pic. I guess the ports being stiff is OK because the mobo has screws placed close to them.

What's that white thing at the lower right? The hard drive mount/plug?

 

Hey, has anyone seen this?
http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/04/scrybe-from-synaptics-brings-new-life-to-your-tired-touchpad/

More info (with video) can be had at their site:
http://www.uscrybe.com/learn.html

Personally, I'm just learning the ropes with the multi-touchpad here, as is. Is something like this really necessary/useful?

 

Yeah it's where the hard drive sits. it must sit in some sort of bracket cos there isn't any screw holes on the white area... unless... GAH i dont know

might open the panel up and have a look later

It's quite a relief to see that the power jack isnt soldered onto the motherboard. if i do have to pay to get mine repaired, then hopefully it wont cost that much. At least if anyone elses breaks it's only a small part that needs replacing

Wheres the bluetooth module? is it on the other side, or is it part of the motherboard :s

 

I had my CW open yesterday, the bluetooth module is placed on the motherboard under a metal bracket(I have removed the bracket on the pics).
I took some pics of it:

 

Thanks for the pics Torusy, really appreciated

If i was brave enough, and confident enough, i would deeply explore my CW but unfortunetely i'm not

A future upgrade i want is an SSD

Anyway, i have a question right about clean installing.

I have a retail dvd of windows 7 homepremium lying around, but the thing is: Can i reinstall windows 7 professional, using a retail dvd of windows 7 homepremium, but using the OEM product key on the bottom of my CW?

I'm sure with windows vista retail dvd's they used the same disc image regardless of version, and you would just select which version you had bought during install and it would install that version, but i'm not sure if the same applies for windows 7.

Also when searching the internet to see if you can use a retail dvd with an OEM product key, i just get mixed results...

I was gonna reinstall win7 using the semi-clean option, but i thought if this had any chance of working it would obviously be the better choice.

any thoughts anyone?

 

Like alot of people, I have been following this forum for quite some time, and the information on here definately made the purchase of my cw alot more reassuring. I got mine from London Drugs (Canada), which is the same version that Best Buy and Future Shop sell.

The Atheros Wireless card has so far had no issues with connection to my Linksys router. I was a bit worried about the screen, some on the comments made it seem like it would be a real pain to use, but it's actually very nice. The keyboard is great too, although after having my laptop for a week, I've noticed that the Z key can get stuck if you press it in the upper section.

The only problems I have with the CW is there is ALOT of flex in the body where the DVD drive is, and also the plastic around the screen is thin and has a gap between it. Also, the fan is noisier than I expected ( its constantly on too) and in general the laptop feels a bit sluggish for being new.

It would be great if someone could give a guide how to do a semi "Fresh Start", but honestly all this info on this forum is GOLD for anyone out there looking for a good all around laptop!!

 

Yes it is possible, if you install the Home Premium dvd without entering any key at first (just press next when it asks for a key). Then you use the built in "Anytime Upgrade" for upgrading too professional.
I have just completed that process now, because I have installed a intel x-25 g2 160gb

Btw, it starts ridiculously fast, 20 sec compared to 60 sec with original 320gb hdd.

 

yeah my laptop felt sluggish in the beginning also but once i did a clean install of windows 7 ultimate i was fine. the processes on were 100+ when i got it, now its 40-50 ^^

 

Not quite a guide but here are the services I've disabled. The webcam software (Arsoft and CamMonitor) may be necessary so you may want to leave that stuff running.

 

Hi folks,

I'm a CR owner and very happy with it, so after this thread I recommended the CW to my mother at Xmas. I've had a garbled message from her - she loves the computer, but she thinks the computer keeps switching itself on when it is not in use and the battery runs down all the time - I suspect she means she's suspending or hibernating it, but something is bringing it out of hibernation. Can't get over there for a week or two to have a look, so I thought I'd ask if anyone had noticed anything similar on their CW?

 

Torusy or anyone else,

What is the heatsink assembly like? Is the GPU heatpipe connected to the CPU so that both need to be removed before installing a new CPU or do they seperate? Pics would be excellent if anyone could post this.

Im planning on putting in a quad and just want to be prepared.

 

Hi All,

In my CW the battery had a slight rattle when the laptop was first picked up. I mean it seems it's not completely fit in the battery compartment.

Do anybody have the same problem?

Thanks

 

I got the impression that the gpu cooler and cpu cooler's heatpipes are connected. So you would have to remove atleast ten screws (red circles on the pic).