Official VAIO E Series Owners Thread

hi Mythdat, you seem to be the guy to ask re the 5650 card on my new vaio.
I'm having an issue with an old program and compatibility with this card.

Someone on the vectorworks forum mentioned it might be a driver issue (the program (landmark 2008) crashes when i try and do anything) it never used to with my old laptop/card setup.

anyway bit of a long shot but do you think a driver change to this from one of your previous posts:

http://www2.ati.com/drivers/mobile/1..._64_dd_ccc.exe

would help? i know theres lots of factors in the mix but im wondering how much difference it would make.

Vaio vpceb2c5e, i5 450m ati 5650 1gb, 4gb ram win 7 64bit.

 

Always figured laptop coolers were a bit crap and possibly wouldn't actually lower temps, however picked up a Logitech N100 cooler more for a nonslip stand while on my lap than the cooling function but have to admit after a 50min session on Burnout my peak temps were 6deg cooler than normal.

Usually if I check afterburner temps after a gaming session I have a peak of 62deg exactly everytime, however while using the cooler for 50mins my peak temp was 56deg.

Is also very comfortable and I no longer feel like I'm potentially lowering the laptops lifespan with it simply sitting on my legs.

 

So which company produces the best cooler?? your suggestions?

 

or just a thought, is it possible to roll back to xp drivers? as i'm trying to run the program in compatability mode.

pete

 

Remove the video card drivers.. then restart.. then find video driver through device manager.. select ATI in the list.. see if it works like that.. if not.. then go to the Sony support center and download the original drivers from there....

 

No idea, this is the only one I've ever tried, its comfortable and seems to do the job well, so I recommend this one

 

ZALMAN, their technology is entirely different

 

Having a bit of a problem - suddenly I cant change the brightness on my EB.. It's suck on full. The fn keys work but it won't work - it will only let me choose between 1 and 2 bars (even though the brightness is on full), and doesnt adjust the brightness at all. The brightness option has also disappeared from Power Options.

I've tried rebooting several times.

I've installed quite a lot of stuff recently so i'm not sure what it is that's buggered it.. Do you think going back to the 10.7 drivers will fix it? People are saying theyre much more stable.. if so, can you provide a link? Does sony's website keep older drivers or not?

 

have you tried a system restore or vaio recovery tool? i sometimes have the exact same problem but it goes away after restarting

 

Havent tried that.. do you know whether the screen brightness is associated with the display driver or not? I have ATI Catalyst installed, do you think installing the sony driver instead might fix it?

Edit: tried it, still not working. Gonna try a system restore tomorrow.

 

I don't know anything about that program or any compatibility issues it might have, so I don't really know if it would help. It can't hurt to try a driver update, though. If 10.8 doesn't work, 10.9 might - it'll be released soon, the desktop 10.9 was released yesterday.

 

What happened to the gunmetal black option, I was in a sony store yesterday checking out tv's and noticed a black e series which looked very, very cool, since there was a glossy black and a matt black also there I asked one of the staff which case style it was and was told gunmetal.

As much as I like my glossy white if I had been able to choose gunmetal black back when I ordered I definitly would have, is easily the best looking one of the lot.

 

I very much doubt that its a display driver problem. Its definitely a Sony Vaio Software/Firmware problem- an incompatibility with Windows.

 

https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/674/920...mobile/10-9_mobility_vista_win7_64_dd_ccc.exe

Whee!

edit: link doesn't work. Darn!

 

'cause it's not released yet! Wonder why, desktop and mobility drivers have been released at the same time so far

 

But it will work! Maybe! Some day!

Might have to do with the hotfix released just a short while after. Not only did it fix Radeon 4xxx x2 performance but it did also "unofficially" resolve some OpenGL issues. Maybe they'll be re-releasing 10.9 soon and include 10.9 mobility then.

 

It says it several sites around the net the same message from AMD/ATI:

guru3d, x-drivers, overclock.net, rage3d, all have the same message, same wording... not sure where it came from but since there is no release, it is probably right. I like to keep up to date as much as possible, but we will survive on 10.8. I am just glad there is a way to update.. they could be real turds and actually lock ALL files so we can't use them due to Sony's opt-out. It sure beats using that official file of sony.com... 10.1 or whatever it is.

 

So do you have any suggestions as to how I can fix it?

System restore didnt work.. not sure if the furthest back restore point was early enough anyway.

Phoned sony, he suggested reinstalling the display drivers, which i already tried several times, noticing that even with windows' default drivers the fn brightness key always behaved the same way.

Now all he can suggest is a full system recovery, which I really don't want to do as it will take a couple of days to get everything sorted again. Any suggestions?



Anyone have any other suggestions?

 

hit the assist button while logged in, try using the tools there to diagnose. reinstall relevant drivers from the vaio site- like color correction stuff and display stuff, at the end of the day, it seems like a system recovery.....i feel your pain. i dont think i got it but can you remember the circumstances/situation under which this happened?

 

Nope, brightness control was definitely working a few days ago, and yesterday it wasnt.. no idea when it stopped or what made it stop working.

How do I go about doing a system recovery, do I use VAIO recovery center and then restore from my backup when its done? Or just restore from my backup in Backup and Restore?

 

i'm not sure, hit the ASSIST button with the laptop turned off, i think its restore after you recover.

 

Hi.

Recently, I bought Vaio E-series 14" EA16. Specs:

Intel i5 520M 2.4 TB 2.93
4GB DDR3 RAM
500 GB HDD
ATI HD 5650 1GB Dedicated
Glossy Black
Windows 7 64-bit
14" 1366x768

for around 1095$ (Middle East region)

It's good looking and have most of my need. I own a FE series and I was looking for the Z series. However it's price were higher than my budget. I was considering Z with i5 540M, 330M Nvidia, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, 1600x900, no optical drive. but even it had a 750$ margin !!! Then I looked to S with similar specification (to EA) except the Nvidia 310M which is far behind the ATI 5650.


Now, I want to upgrade the rams to 8GB but which one to take, 1333Mhz or 1066Mhz (I don't know if the chipset support 1333Mhz). Also, I have a 500 WD Scorpio Black on my dell and I would like to install it on my new laptop - cloning my current one (will it be good).

At last, I searched for accessories and I didn't find much stuff. Just a screen protector and a keyboard silicon. I would like to buy a skin for it (Matte Black or CF pattern) because I didn't find any other color. I am intending to contact a Korean company which made skins for many laptops and mobiles (anybody interested?)

 

The i5-520m is a 1066MHz FSB so the RAM won't run faster than that (unless you overclock, which is pretty pointless for CPUs). The 1333MHz RAM might have slightly faster timings, though. But it won't be noticably faster than the 1066MHz RAM.

The Scorpio will work fine in your new laptop. By cloning do you mean cloning the HDD as you get it in factory state and then copying it to the new HDD? That should be fine too, although I dont really like the cloning method, too much potential for conflicts and things being messed up. I'd prefer to create the Sony recovery DVDs when you get your laptop, and then use those to create a new fresh install on the WD Scorpio. But cloning will probably be okay.

 

Thanks Mythdat

Now I will go with Kingston 8GB (2x4GB) 1066mhz or are there better brands?

About HDD, I don't know how I didn't think about making it from the recovery, knowing that it still brand new and I didn't install any programs on it

 

i've just got my vaio e vpc-ea2s1e
14'', 1600x900, 500gb hdd, 4gb ram

now i'm going to unpack it !

 

Corsair and Crucial are the best. Transcend follows them..
Go to Crucial.com There is a tool to find out what RAM is best for your system, select from dropdown, the model of your laptop,.. Similar tool should be present in corsair..

 

Just a question.. I have created recovery discs as I got my laptop.. Then I have installed a lot of softwares, So what happens if I create recovery discs now.. Will I get all those softwares back to my laptop if it crashes and I put my disc in?

 

system recovery puts your laptop in the state you bought it in- only with vaio software and windows 7 installed. you will have to re-install your own software

 

howdy... i have an eb 16 fx and am extremely annoyed!! The computer wakes up from sleep without prompting (I program it to go to sleep when the lid is closed). I did this with my old nr160e laptop and never had it spontaneously wake up, but this one almost always does. i'm never around when it does, and it must take at least 4-6 hours to do so, but does anyone have any idea what might be causing this?? i have had nonstop problems with this computer, p.s....

 

Just thought of posting my results:

I3-350M
4GB DDR3
500 GB 7200 RPM
HD5650
15,5 1366*768

Downloaded free edition of 3dmark 2006 and got the following scores:

Screen res test was 1280*768

Stock: 6680

O/C using AMD GPU tool to 650 GPU and 900 Mem: 8193

This is all after fresh install of windows and stock sony drivers.

Default with

 

you may have a device that wakes the computer. Go to device manager and well...yeah open the properties of every device and see if the device "wakes the computer" no device should wake the computer. You should try things like the Wi-Fi adaptor, or the USB Ports

 

Solution for the high pitch noise

I had the SAME EXACT problem, I even opened my brand new Vaio E, & traced the high pitched random noise from center, not the HDD, or the FAN.
before opening the laptop, I thought the sound is coming from the FAN, but it is not. BTW, When I started in Safe Mode, the noise goes away.

I FINALLY Came to a FIX! FINALLY, I was playing around in the BIOS, & I just disabled the 'CPU C3 C6 Support' and Voila the random high pitched sound is Gone!!!

Then I searced on this Feature, I came across this page:
[Solved] P55A-UD3R - Random beeping associated with C3/C6/C7 - Gigabyte - Motherboards-Memory

Hope this helps

 

mythdat earlier quoted this to be due to resonating capacitors which seems to be the best explanation.

 

You can also just disable the idle processor which will increase fan noise but fix the squeal. This squeal is common on all of the mobile budget 5000 series boards from Intel.

Also, earlier someone (i can't scroll back while writing I think it was mythdat) mentioned the "FSB" being 1066 on these machines. The HM55 has no FSB. Intel replaced the antiquated FSB with DMI (or QPI in higher i7 models) in this architecture.

The highest rated memory available in this architecture is DDR3-1066, according to intel spec - this is the same for all desktops. However, in desktops most will know hardly anyone runs 1066, most run 1333 or 1600. It is possible to add DDR3-1333 or 1600 to this laptop as long as the voltage is 1.5v. I wouldn't go as far as 1600, because this is a laptop and that will use a bit more power and overclock the uncore in a low end i7 more than it can probably handle. If you add some 1333 the bios will automatically update the timings and uncore speed to default SPD settings.

I am running 8GB (2x4GB) Corsair 1333 at the CL9 timings. At stock my VAIO had a mem read bandwidth of 7379 MB/s, with the upgrade 8456 MB/s, using Everest. The latency went from 103.7ms to 75.5ms. Windows Experience Index went from memory 5.9 to 6.5. My only reason for upgrading was because I wanted to go from 4 to 8GB, where when looking I found most 8GB kits had CL timings of 9 in both 1066 and 1333... so I just went 1333.

 

i just got this laptop this evening
i5 520, 4gb ram, ati 5650
im looking for the best clock settings and ati driver.
can someone help me + give me the url link please?
i didnt get any recovery disk and driver disk when i purchased this
how can i make 1 set of those disk?
thanks

 

1) The most recent ATI mobility driver is here:

https://a248.e.akamai.net/f/674/9206/0/www2.ati.com/drivers/mobile/10-8_mobility_vista_win7_64_dd_ccc.exe

To overclock the card, which I don't recommend since the 5650 is a bit power hungry for a laptop that has either a 4 cell or 6 cell battery, try one of these programs:

AMD GPU Clock Tool v0.9.8 download from Guru3D.com
ATI Tray Tools
MSI AfterBurner 2.0.0

To make your recovery disks, either a) use VAIO recovery tools, or b) use Backup and Restore in the control panel.

 

is that the most stable ccc driver bro? 10,8?
how bout has anyone flashed their ati card?
overclock em from the bios?
using flashdrive etc?

 

Any of you guys ever had your E series make a weird buzzing noise, blank screen, and then power down completely with no BSOD, while overclocking and playing games?

I was overclocked to 650 core, 900 mem. Is that too high to be stable or something?

 

The new model - VPCEA2GFX

 

is that the most stable ccc driver bro? 10,8?
how bout has anyone flashed their ati card?
overclock em from the bios?
using flashdrive etc?

 

10.8 is the newest, I have no issues with stability. It really depends on what games you want to play - 10.8 is completely stable for most tasks but in certain games I know some people find 10.5 to be more stable. I would just use 10.8 and if problems report back.

I have attempted to flash the card, but cannot even pull the bios with rbe or gpu-z. Both programs are unable to grab the gpu bios.

 

Totally finished now, need something else to absorb my free time any game recommendations welcome, especially RPG's (not Mass Effect, DA, Oblivion).

 

Can anyone advise if the Atheros AR9285 wireless card in my 15.5" e-series supports WPA2-PSK?

 

It does. I use wpa2 in my home network and have been connecting and maintaining a connection without drop-outs for months now.

 

Thank you

 

I bought that Burnout Paradise a week ago to have it ready when my Vaio arrives. I also bought Fallout Collection (a must-have, if the graphics don't mess with your head, Fallout 1 and 2 are the second and third best game ever) and Baldur's Gate 4-in-1 Set. Heroes of Might and Magic III (turn-based strategy/fantasy rpg) has been the game of all time for me though. Played that for 11 years, with a couple year break here and there. Try that first, then V (skip IV). Although you can get III and IV in a box for reel cheep. You won't regret it!

Also try Warcraft 3 and StarCraft 1 and 2! Haven't tried 2 yet, but the first one kicked some serious a$$.

As a hint, you should always play the earlier games first, so the graphics won't bother that much. Btw, I was playing my Super Nintendo this evening

 

I've got a ps3 and a pc, and the system I boot up the most for gaming is my trusty SNES. That thing is, what... 20 years old now? Mario Kart, Chrono Trigger, Zelda, Super Metroid, Earthbound, Actraiser... man... those were/are the days.

 

may i know what driver is this?
10.8?
hmm


Driver Packaging Version 8.672.1.2-100113a-094402C-Sony
Provider ATI Technologies Inc.
2D Driver Version 8.01.01.973
2D Driver File Path /REGISTRY/MACHINE/SYSTEM/ControlSet001/Control/CLASS/{4D36E968-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}/0001
Direct3D Version 8.14.10.0708
OpenGL Version 6.14.10.9117
Catalyst™ Control Center Version 2010.0113.2257.41150

 

Yes, 19 years I think. Well, I had a PS3 Slim 250GB + 45 games for about a month and will sell it to my friend as soon as my Vaio arrives. Didn't really need it, because I have 8 or 9 Super Nintendos and ~100 games, a NES, two GB Advances, three Dreamcasts and a PS2 (got it for 30€). Old game consoles are just what gaming used to be about, having fun!

 

I used the same tool from Kingston. Now I found three deals I will consider, I want to know the best

Amazon.com: Crucial CT2KIT51264BC1067 8GB 204-PIN PC3-8500 SODIMM DDR3 (4GBx2): Computer & Accessories

Amazon.com: Corsair CM3X8GSDKIT1066 XMS3 8 GB PC3-8500 1066Mhz 204-pin SODIMM Laptop Memory: Electronics

Amazon.com: Corsair 8 GB DDR3 Laptop Memory Kit CMSO8GX3M2A1333C9: Electronics

I downloaded this one and then I went to (Can You Run It) site to check my system with some games. It didn't recognize the model of my Graphic Card. I thought it was from the driver (it shows 5600/5700 series) so I went to Device Manager and Update it from there and I ended with ver. 8.672.1.2000. CYRI didn't recognize the card also. So, I will download the driver now from ATI site but it says