Official VAIO FW Series Owners Thread

So I finally received my FW CTO yesterday evening...I couldn't wait to get my hands on it!! It is indeed a sweeet machine

A few quick things:
1. They sent me the extended battery instead of the standard battery I'd ordered, so that's good
2. The fan runs very quiet from what I have observed so far, its not noticeable at all during normal use.
3. During startup, there is some uneven lighting noticeable and a not-completely-black screen .I'm guessing this is just due to the brightness of the double lamp screen.
However, the screen looks fine throughout when looking at pictures, watching movies etc.

 

I also have a constant quite high annoying sound the same as Sueveed coming from my laptop even when it's completely idle. This can't be normal, can it?

 

Well like i said, i couldn't really see that much of a difference between the hicolours and the Ecos, just a slight brightness difference. i won't be buying it CTO, just pre-made out of the store.

I'm not sure what i want. i REALLY want the FW, i do. but i'm not sure if i just want it for all of it's features and looks, instead of school. well i have no doubts that it can handle the applications i will be running, but i need to learn the Mac OS inside out, but i will be working on one at school. i'de like to own one, but want the FW more lol. i just don't know if it would be stupid on my part for choosing the FW over the MBP now, and then buying one when i'm done. lol i sound like a broken record...

 

Well, ordered FW this morning so now waiting begins. I really liked the screen and keyboard of this laptop. I appreciate all the help here and will look forward to hearing more about anyone who has successfully done a seme-clean install of Vista on the FW and also some of the Vista tweaks you recommend. It will take a while to get the machine useable for my normal work purposes which are routine now under XP Pro but just the tremendous ergonomics of this laptop should make it a pleasure to use. Will post further when arrives and here is what I ordered from SonyStyle.

Intel® Core 2™ Duo Processor P8600 (2.4GHz)
Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium with Service Pack 1
Titanium Gray
3 GB DDR2-SDRAM (DDR2-800, 2GB+1GB)
320 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [5400 rpm]
Blu-ray Disc™ Read Only Drive
ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3470 with 256MB vRAM
LCD 16.4" (XBRITE-HiColor™
WLAN (802.11a/b/g/n) with integrated Bluetooth® technology
Extended Battery

Gary

 

Thanks to all of you and the great info on this forum, I've just joined the club

Just got off the phone and I should have my CTO FW in a couple weeks. I'm really looking forward to it. I've had a HP DV8000 series the last couple of years and have been dissatisfied with it. I baby my stuff and the paint is coming off the front grill and the finish started coming off the touchpad months ago...the thing looks like it's 5+ years old. I got my wife a pink Vaio a year ago that's been great.

The only think I don't like is leaving XP. I'm sure I'll be hitting you guys up with questions about dual booting.

Everett


* Intel® Core 2™ Duo Processor P8600 (2.4GHz)
* ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 3470 with 256MB vRAM
* LCD 16.4" (XBRITE-HiColor™
* WLAN (802.11a/b/g/n) with integrated Bluetooth® technology
* 320 GB SATA Hard Disk Drive [5400 rpm]
* Blu-ray Disc™ Read Only Drive
* Titanium Gray
* Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium with Service Pack 1
* 3 GB DDR2-SDRAM (DDR2-800, 2GB+1GB)

 

Gary....we must have been on the phone at the same time I did get just the standard battery though.

BTW...I don't remember who it was, but thanks for the promotional discount tip...you saved me $100.

 

@Everett,

Amazing - pretty much same config for FW as mine and same present machine I guess, DV8000. My screen on it is wonderful but the keyboard has been a pain from the beginning 2 years ago.

Gary

 

Ordered about 90 minutes ago I guess but look forward to that tremendous isolation keyboard where you probably are not going to bump into keys and hopefully all keys will register as typed.

Did not want to take the chance on ordering the standard and getting the extended so I guess I wimped out on that one. i want the extended for sure. Still look forward to getting it and hopefully keeping it.

Gary

 

I really want to do a clean install of Vista once all of the necessary drivers become available. Has anyone had success in getting Sony to send you a OEM Vista disc?

 

I've also started to notice some kind of smell coming from the laptop like something is overheating. Have you noticed that?

 

What applications will you be running?

 

Gary,

That's pretty funny. Specifically I have the dv8230us. The functioning of the machine has been fine. But the quality is just not great IMO. I've also noticed over the past couple months some new dead pixels along the bottom of the screen. Plus it's just a beast to carry around.

 

Yes, I agree. After seeing the FW in person, loved the form factor of the laptop.

Gary

 

I just called Sony CS to ask about the battery situation. The guy I spoke with, and his manager, had no idea what I was talking about.

 

from what i understand, we will be using the Adobe Suite...PS, In-Design, Dreamweaver, illustrator... then I will be using 3D-Studio Max, and on the Macs we will be using Final Cut, Motion, Garage Band, Soundtrack Pro etc. obviously i can't run all of those on a PC because they aren't compatible, but 3D Studio Max isnt compatible with Mac either. i will also be doing some word processing.

BUT, according to the coordinator, we are not expected to do any of that at home just because of the software and equipment. however, if i can't do it at home i would be practicing at home, so i would still want it to run those programs flawlessly.

 

These programs work exactly the same, PC or Mac, so it doesn't matter which you use.

But these are obviously Mac-only programs.

Your last sentence says that you'd probably be happier with the Mac. If you want to save some money, pick up a refurb. Apple is supposed to have very good refurbs.

 

Ordered 8/5 received on 8/12. exactly one week.

 

It does smell something, I'm note sure if it's normal or not.

 

no, lol ide probably be happier with the Vaio. BUT i have to look at what's more beneficial for my education. although there are Mac-Only programs, there is a PC-Only program as well, which is 3D Studio Max....

how far do you guys think Macs will go in 2-3 years? if i were to buy one now, do you think i will have to buy a new one in 3 years to do my work on? because now, i have the labs at school to work on, but when i'm done i'm going to have to get my own.

oh and, do you think i should get the 180 over the 170? the processor and graphics cards are slightly better... i think there is more dedicated memory on the 180...

 

Hi everyone I too have been reading this thread from the beginning and have really appreciated all the helpful discussion. I've narrowed and narrowed down my options and have decided on the beautiful FW. It had been between the FW and the HP DV5t-1010 for awhile, since the HP had nearly everything I wanted, but talk of the heat issues with that series was enough to knock it out of the running. Besides, I love the look/fit/finish of the FW as well as the keyboard and wide screen. The option of the white lid/keyboard and a dedicated ATI graphics card (nervous about Nvidia right now) put me right over the edge.


A quick question though......Which of these harddrive options (from the CTO menu) would be 'better' in terms of speed & perhaps lower heat? Price is the same on both. (Sorry if this is a painfully newb-ish question...)

320GB @ 5400rpm --OR-- 200GB @ 7200rpm?



One more question...... I was checking things out at the Sony Style store the other day when I noticed something strange. I couldn't get the sales guy to believe me that the FW had the white color option online. To prove my point he let me pull up the CTO page on his system behind the counter. After showing him the option, I noticed that the pricing was different. As in, the Hi-Color screen was a $90 option on his version of the site rather than $100...and the starting price on the CTO was $9xx rather than $1059. (There were other price differences, but those were the ones I am sure of.) I mentioned this to him and he said I must be confused (nice, huh?) or that maybe the site had been updated since I last saw it. Of course when I get home and pull it up I see the same $1059 starting price I'd seen before I went to the store. So, what could this be? Would I actually be better off ordering it off their computer? I had asked him if the lower price was any sort of promotion, and he said those are the regular retail prices (?)

 

Yes, but you can run the PC program on a Mac. You cannot run Mac programs on a PC.

You should really go to a Mac forum for these questions. The Mac folks would be better able to answer these questions. They certainly think they know better, anyway...

 

The 7200RPM is obviously faster and you will certainly notice the zippier feeling of your notebook.

It may produce more heat however but I doubt it's anything substantial. I've been using 7200RPM in my notebooks since 05 and wouldnt buy one without it.

BTW, I would do what I did, get the stock HD from Sony and buy a 7200RPM from NewEgg, you can save money and get a better quality drive. (I bought the Scorpio, the 320GB is only 170 I believe plus you can then sell the stock one on ebay and make money back. I bought the 160GB for only 100 bucks and I'll probably get atleast 50 for the stock one)

 

Sure sounds like it!

 

Unfortunately this is not always true. Some 5400rpm drives outperform 7200rpm drives.

Here are some examples:
http://www.storagereview.com/Hitachi250WD320.sr?page=0,3
http://techreport.com/articles.x/15079/4

Generally speaking a 200GB/7200rpm drive performs similar to a 320GB/5400rpm drive. Due to the higher data density of the latter.

If you would know for sure that the 200GB/7200rpm is a Hitachi 7K200 I would pick that one. If you don't, go with the 320GB drive.

It would be even better to buy the cheapest option and install a better harddrive yourself, like John suggested.

 

Hey guys, can you tell me if i will be losing a lot of i go with the 170 instead of the 180? i think there is only difference in the the processor, P8400 to P8600, and 2.26 Ghz to 2.4 Ghz, and i think there is a bit more dedicated video memory on the 180 than on the 170... but will i be able to tell difference in the performance?

 

Thanks for the replies

Philflow - You stated what I had vaguely remembered reading during my research as far as the increased speed with higher density. (I'm glad I wasn't *too* off base lol) I'm guessing though, that as that 320 size fills up the speed benefit is lost? Whereas the 200 GB 7200rpm would keep its quickness no matter how much space is being utilized?

RE: Hitachi 7K200....Hmmm...I wonder how to go about definitively finding this info out from Sony. I'll have to give it a go calling CS and see if they know their stuff.


In all honesty, I'm more comfortable purchasing the config I need without additional fiddling. This is my first notebook purchase and I'd hate to buy less than I need and not get around to and/or feel comfortable with upgrading after the fact.

 

I understand where you're coming from but it's extremely easy to unscrew the HD bay, remove the stock HD and pop in the new one...could probably be done in under 5 minutes.

 

Will I be able to use the Vista Home Premium 32-bit serial to install the 64-bit version? Is the screen brightness adjustable after the clean install?

 

But I must admit that I'm really curious why this is? I've really been taking note of the pricing of this notebook so I'd know when to jump on a good price. If this is a built in discount that everyone gets by doing an online order from a physical Sony Style store, than who am I to complain? I just wonder why I haven't heard it mentioned on any of the forums here before in that case? The price difference with all the options will be at *least* $100-$150 cheaper. It's a good thing to know if thats the case for folks who live near one of the stores....

 

No. The 320GB has 160GB on one platter while the 200GB has 100GB on one platter. This means higher data density. This means the 320GB gets higher transferrates than the 200GB if they were running at the same rotational speed.

You could try calling Sony but I don't think they will be able to tell you. I think it would be better to ask other users what drive thy got. That may be a better indicator.

But why not ordering the cheapest drive and replacing it yourself? You can pick up a 200GB Hitachi 7k200 for $89. And then use the stock drive as an external or sell it.

 

You are right and I appreciate the advice. Between those two harddrive options on the CTO list, I was just curious to see which would be my better pick for the same money. Maybe it's my reluctance to deal with evilbay to unload the stock drive that is holding me back...lol Going forward, it is good to know that if I'm unhappy with the HD I can snag one from Newegg and not have too much trouble swapping it myself.

 

Finally got to spend some quality time with my new FW (cto hicolor, 160gb, 2.26Ghz, 3GB, no blue-ray. got extended battery). Agree with all the good points said so far. dont want to repeat them. I used to have a FE with hicolor...so I was kind-of expecting the kick-*** screen that I got. In fact it seems even brighter than what I had before (on 100% brightness). I just wish Sony makes that standard and dont even offer the eco.

was pleasantly surprised with the speakers....not great but way better than what I had on my FE. I havent connected them to my externals yet but the dolby seems to be delivering. just watching the spiderman-3 trailer (that's already loaded on it) eliminated all my doubts in few minutes. I did go in and tick the couple of parameters and increased bass.

The only thing that I did not like was the dvd drive when ejected. Seems too flimsy. After ejecting, if u hold it by a finger and try to move it around gently, you get a feeling that that thing will break any second. Is the blue-ray drive similar?

Any suggestions for some low-hanging bloatware fruit to uninstall ?

 

That would be me...my commission check can be mailed to....

 

Errr, I talked to them yesterday and they knew exactly what I was talking about. Talk to the CSR with ID# 4404.

 

Somebody needs to write a FW clean install guide! from a fresh new HHD!

 

hey guys, aside from my other quesion, isn't the FW 64-Bit Vista? i thought it was.... can i put it on there? also, does 64-Bit Vista improve the colour/crispness of the laptop?

 

mine is 32bit as far as i know?

no, all i can think of that 32bit does is let you use more then 4gb of ram, although i have a fw11e and its only got 3gb ram. so for me, i think all it would do is give me crap drivers


how stupid can sony be, they didnt even give me vista, i need recovery discs.....

 

Hey guys, do you guys know what exactly comes with the "Photo plus" option when configuring an FW from sonystyle.com? It says photoshop elements(image editor). Does anyone know if its gonna be the same with he full version of photoshop elements 6? I'm confused because on sony style it costs $20 when configuring and I know the full version costs $100 or so.

 

Ok, I figured out how to fix this so the ATI color/brightness settings stick.

Right click the desktop and run ATI Catalyst. Select Advanced Settings. In the Color section, set your gamma/brightness/contrast and press Apply and then exit ATI Catalyst.

Now go to Control Panel->VAIO Control Center->Display->Video&Photo Color Setting and uncheck Enable the Photo Color Setting and press Apply. It will ask you to restart the system. When the system reboots it will remember your ATI settings instead of overriding them with Sony settings. Now you can tweak the ATI settings as desired.

I use the following ATI color settings for my HiColor screen to give very nice black/grey levels and purer whites:

Red Gamma 0.95
Red Brightness -20
Blue Gamma 0.95
Blue Brightness -20
Green Gamma 0.95
Green Brightness -35

Note, I found overactive Green causing dingy whites, greys, and blacks. So I set Green lower than Red/Blue to give a better white balance. I've had to do the exact same thing when calibrating my HDTVs. Try it, you'll like it.

You may not want to decrease overall brightness as much as I did...just try to keep the color balance so that Green is lower than Red/Blue. In any event, screens can vary so YMMV.

 

Could any FW owners comment on the heat of the laptop? Is it comfortable to use on the lap for extended periods? Does the palm rest or the touchpad get warm and, if so, does it lead to discomfort when typing for a long time? I am still considering buying one but I am concerned about the heat, especially in the palm rest and/or the touchpad area. I've tried several different FWs at local stores and each one I've tried had a fairly warm area around the trackpad. I do a lot of typing and my current laptop, a thinkpad, is very cool around the palmrest and the trackpad area. Thanks in advance for all your feedback in this thread.

 

Wow, I just tried your settings and they look great -- thanks for the info. I did A/B comparisons with yours vs. the default settings looking at several photographs and it was like night and day.

edit: I was just playing around with the individual color settings to see their effect and you are absolutely correct that the green was the problem. I wonder why sony shipped the FW's like that? I'm floored by how nice it looks now.

 

This is cool...thanks for the tip!! The screen looks much nicer now

 

Glad to share this one....I know it's been bugging a lot of us and it does look tremendously better....nice thing is it doesn't impact Blu-ray video either since that is a different Sony setting (and Blu-ray was already perfect).

As for why Sony did this, I don't think it was intentional...I think it is the nature of this display and we simply needed to "calibrate" it ourselves.

 

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

OOOOOOOOOO!!!


lol, finally .. FINALLY.. my FW is has been transfered to the shipping department..

In canada, how long from shipping to home does anyone have any idea?

 

yes, it is the full version of photoshop elements 6. I got my FW two days back loaded with it. Sony must be getting it cheaper from Adobe than we do.

 

Well guys, I've joined the club.

I just pulled the trigger on a Sony Vaio FW.


Big thanks to GuanYu for this post with a great deal from (the dreaded ) Newegg.

 

about time you joined in soundsgood. lol. welcome to the crew. You'll be throughly in love with the screen. I am!!!

whats the model number on yours, i think it might be a business model since consumer models don't have a HiColor screen anywhere near that price.

 

Thanks.... and I hope you're right!

It's the VGN-FW190EEH:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...17780&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-34-117-780-_-Homepage

As long as it has Vista Home Premium and not Vista Business, I'm good. And it does!

 

As long as it has Vista Home Premium and not Vista Business, I'm good. And it does! [/QUOTE]

Does that mean newegg installed Vista Home Premium or some recovery disc from a consumer model on it? business models come with Vista Business by default, well let us know when you get it. BTW did you have to pay tax?

 

Thanks alot! I loaded my cto fw with it. Thank God I didnt go out and get the full version for $100