Official VAIO FW Series Owners Thread

Thanks Wolf. I've tried installing it and it updated the drivers on a device, but the unknown device remains. Any more ideas?

 

Hmm I am having second thoughts now whether to buy a laptop, especially the FW. I am hearing that quality on the parts is not up to sony spec and some people are having issues, dvd playback, fan noise, the trackpad and buttons, possible heat issues. I don't want to buy it and then have to send it back and sony telling me "sorry no refunds".

Maybe I should just get a normal pc. Maybe it is the lack of a good review.

 

1. Does anyone know what the maximum battery life is?
2. Is the HD3470 better than the X1250?

 

Could anyone who has FW notebook set his/her FW to maximum performance mode, then run at least 3 different benchmark programs "at the same time". I want to see whether the CPU fan will make those "High frequencyLow volume" noise. The noise will on and off very other seconds after CPU fully loaded at least 5 minutes. The Sony FZ and some HP is famous for that kind of noise. HP used to ask the users to set the notebook to "battery saving mode" which actually reduce the CPU performance. The customers willing to pay extra for picking a faster CPU in configuration, but endup to reduce the CPU performance for less noise! Thank you for people who give it a try.

 

Nearly forget. Please listen to "high frequency cpu fan noise" at the place where is as quiet as possible. Like library or a quiet small room. I used to have a FZ which did not heard those high frequency noise until using it in the library or did some typing at midnight with a cup of coffee.

From the "internet chat" with Sony yesterday, Sony said that the warranty will void if customer replaces the harddisk.....harddisk must be replaced only by Sony technical people in order not to void the warranty..."

Does anyone has both Lenovo T model and Sony FW?
Any comment between this two notebooks? Does Lenovo display is not bright enough? Most local stores put Lenovo T61 at the place where lack of light. Do not know whether it is by purpose or not.

Does the owner of FW using it to play games too much, so the touchpad button is broken by applying too much force when too exciting in playing game? A lot of mouse or touchpad are design ONLY for office work instead of games.

Thank you.

 

With the extended battery, expect 5-6 hours of battery life. With your notebook set to power savings mode, expect a bit more.

The HD3470 is better.

Hope this helps.

 

Do you see a Bluetooth Radio device? Do you have the Bluetooth icon in the notification taskbar?

 

I already posted this in another thread but to put more emphasis on the problems some experienced, here's a repeat, because I was supposed to get the FW140D delivered on friday from sonystyle but due to some delivery problem, they forgot to write my complete address on the box, now I gonna get it on next tuesday, but the bestbuy deal with the free printer is sweet and for the same price 999$. Oh and I can get it tomorrow.
http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&sku_id=0926INGFS10108934&catid=26955

So does anybody know if there are more defects in the best buy models compared to the ones online at sonystyle since BB stacked the very first of this models?

So any thoughts?

 

Just placed an order on my Sony Vaio FW11S INC: Bluray read/write, P8400 2.24Ghz processor, 4Gb of ram, ATI HD 3470 256 MB VRAM, 1600 x 900 X-Black Dual Lamp screen, Scorpio Black 320Gb 7200 HHD, Standard battery !!!

What do you guy's think? Cant wait to join the FW club, delivered 2-3 days so wooo! And yet again hope i dont get a dud, will check the whole thing and if one little problem arises its going back to be replaced

 

I bought that model a few days ago and what can I say, I think I got lucky. I don't have any problems with it. It's quiet (and it's set on high performance and checked to see that the CPU is set on 100%). I have not experienced any of the problems listed on this forum yet (knock on wood).

I still have to check gaming performance and how hot it gets then and battery life. The only "problems" I have so far with it is a slightly wiggly and loose DVD tray and slightly loose trackpad buttons but considering I barely use the DVD tray (maybe once or twice a year) and I mostly use a USB mouse, these "issues" don't affect me that much. And yes, the trackpad buttons are kind of "clicky" and loud but the keyboard is amazing.

EDIT: What's also weird is that I also never experienced the YouTube fullscreen issue either. The videos play perfectly, albeit crappy quality but that's a different story.

 

Great configuration! Where could you choose the harddrive like that?

 

Black dual-lamp is Euro config for Hi-color...if ATI 3650 is allowed, I will take the 3650 instead of 3470. As for game testing, once warhammer online is released, hopefully someone can post on how FW performs with 3470.

 

I think you are mistaking, black scorpio is a harddrive not a screen.

X-Black Hi color is the name of the screen.

 

Well the scorpio will be in the notebook once I fit it As just wanted to post my final specs as the 300 4200 drive is no much to go buy. If there was a site where you could configure the notebook to have a scorpio put in there would be quite a premium to pay for the privilege! Not to sure about loss of warrantee Meh!

I will be looking to do a clean install for the scorpio probably in 32bit for the moment not making use of 4Gb. There is just too many problems with 64 bit at the moment!

Ow.. Does anybody know where the best clean install guide thread, as I dont have a clue how to do it ! Hard or Easy

 

If it really voids your warranty to replace the harddrive (which I doubt anyway) you could always keep the original harddrive around to put it back when you need the warranty.

Doing a clean install is fairly easy. Installing Vista and then installing the drivers. As someone pointed out the order may be important, so have a look at TZ or FZ guides to see what order they use.

But if you do it in the wrong order, the worst that can happen is that you will have to do it again.

Looking at this list: http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=VGNFW150E&region_id=1

I would do it in this order:
1 Intel® Chipset Driver
2 Intel® ICH9M-E/M SATA AHCI Driver
3 VGA driver (Intel or ATI)
4 Audio, Ethernet, Wifi etc.

-Maybe the shared library has to be installed first, I'm not sure if it is necessary.
-If you want to install the Vaio utilities (which I would avoid), I'd expect the shared library would have to be installed before the utilities.
-I like to install drivers by going to the device manager, click a component, properties, update driver and manually point to the driver (instead of running setup.exe). This way you have less bloatware.

If you're going to do it it would be nice for others if you write down the order you did it in and post that on the forum.

 

i just purchashed this laptop and I love it. could someone help me . i want to remove all the bloatware, could anyone provide a list of bloatware programs?? thanks

 

Hey guys, I could use a spare A/C adapter, but Sony's prices are pretty high.

Anyone know where I could get a cheaper adapter? This would be for the FW.

I looked at eBay, but ya never know who sells the good stuff vs. the stuff that will make the laptop explode.

 

Got my FW for a week now. the HiColor screen is realy good, even better than the macbook pro screen in some if not many ways.
Here in holland you dont get to configurate your laptop. We only get a set of models to choose from. I got the highest with 3650 and T9400. The only downside is that it has a 4200 rpm drive. What was sony thinking....

Gaming performance is pritty good. I can run cod4 50 fps +/ TF2 40fps+ / C&C Teberium wars 30fps all fine on maximum resolution with medium / high settings.

Only thing that bothers me is the fact that Sony downclocked the HD3650 to 450 mhz on the clock and 600 on the memory. I am going to callt hem on monday about it for a carification.
Overclocking aslo isnt a problem. I can OC the GPU to 520 mhz without trouble.
If any of you want to see some more games/benchmarks be ran on the 3650/T9400 then just telll me and ill see what i can do for ya.

 

If you look at ampere and voltage and what size the plug is, you could find a replacement. It has to be the same voltage and at least the same ampere.

Maybe the FZ ones for example (or AR) also fit. Ebay might have them.

You could also look for generic adapters. I'm using a generic one on my Asus laptop because a genuine Asus one was more expensive.

 

guys any info on which progs I could remove without a risk to hardware/software??

 

If you're running another program like GPU-z, it might not be accurate. Try using "AMD GPU Clock Tool," latest version being 0.9.8, to verify the clocks and temp. The clocks should change in real time depending on stress.

 

Hmmm... does that mean my Dell adapters might work? Or is that a no-no?

 

I think the Dell plugs are bigger... there may be polarity issues as well.

 

There is a chance, if it complies with the 3 criteria I mentioned. (voltage, ampere, fitting plug)

By the way the fitting plug also needs to have the plus and minus the right way but this is almost always the case.

 

Ok sad news, i think they realy lowered it to 450 both 3d and 2d.

BIG NEWS:

Ok guys... THIS CANT BE RIGHT....

----And thanks for Shiny Falcon! bigtime. I used atitool to OC but it always --crashed passed 520 mhz with out getting driver errors (not artifacts due to OCing but driver crashes) I never tryed AMD GPU tool a shot since i had 2900xts but since you posted it i was like aah wehy the hell not.

With AMD GPU clock tool i OCed it to 700 mhz .... i dont think this is acutaly 700 mhz ... i dunno man! but GPUZ says its doing 700 mhz instead of 450.
AMD GPU clock actualy is doing somting. Cause the ATi tool cube on stock speeds has a max fps of 250 - 260 ish and with the 700 mhz it goes al the way to 305 - 310 max fps with no artifacts whatsoever.

Ill try some benching later. gotta run. Thanks for the tip again!

EDIT i upped the memory clock 100 mhz and now getting 340 fps max in ati tool cube test ... *** - ME IS HAPPY lol

 

Anyway, I'll give it a try. I'll cancel my sonystyle order and go for the best buy one with the free printer. What do I have to loose, if it's a bad one, I'll give it back immediately.

 

got some weird question / problem
When typing really fast sometimes my "space bar" doesn't work when i'm pressing it at right or left side very gently.
Weird, but I have to remeber to press it always in center to get some space between characters.
Is this just my keyboard, or each and every mounted in vaio's?

 

Under the Bluetooth Radios I have listed Generic Bluetooth Adapter and Microsoft Bluetooth Enumerator. I also have the bluetooth icon in the taskbar although when I search for devices, none is found (I don't actually know if it's supposed to find itself lol ).

 

I just bought an FW last weekend... everything seemed okay until yesterday when I plugged in a monitor into the VGA port. The picture coming out of the VGA to an external monitor is awful! The monitor was a Dell LCD... so I tried a different one... a Sony Trinitron. The picture was still dim and blurry. I tried all the different resolution/refresh settings, but nothing could fix that. These monitors had nothing wrong with them as they work perfectly with my two year old HP laptop and my 7 year old Pentium II.

I called Sony and two hours with tech support still couldn't fix it, so I went to Best Buy and asked them to plug in external monitors into their FW laptops. They plugged a Westinghouse LCD into an FW that had an Intel graphics chip... and a Dell LCD into an FW with the ATI Radeon graphics chip. Both images were really poor such that the sales people even commented to themselves how it didn't look right. They fiddled with the graphics settings and also couldn't fix the image. But they said I could not return my laptop as defective because it works... it's just poor design and performance on Sony's part.

My question is whether any FW owners out there have tried plugging anything into their VGA out, cause so far out of a sampling of 3 FW laptops, none of them produced decent images on the external monitors. If you don't have another computer to compare your VGA output to, you can pull up your VGA's onscreen adjustments to see what a crisp image should look like.

I know that there is HDMI on the Sony, but I have two perfectly good VGA monitors at home, and when hooking it up to projectors for presentation, those projectors usually are VGA -- not HDMI. Any feedback would be welcome, 'cause it seems this might be a general Sony FW flaw.

 

Guys, how much is your 3DMark06 score? I ran it yesterday (specs are in my sig) and expecting a score around 2000 (as was the case with the Notebookcheck mobile graphics card comparison) but it went to 2578. Pretty **** good for such a video card, if you ask me.

 

Hope I don't have any problems using FW with my projector but that will be one of the first things I test with VGA cable. This could be a deal breaker if it does not function well but will report back. Still waiting on mine.

Gary

 

both HDMI and VGA work verry good.
They both autoaticly adjust thier resolution to the screensize and HDMI also transfers the sound

No blur effects on either the HDMI and on VGA. Tested on 1 projector and 2 screens

 

Great to hear and thanks. Then, are we seeing these problems on BestBuy models for the most part? Hope they can be remedied for those who have them.

Gary

 

Sounds to me like you are in business. I wouldn't worry about the unknown device.

 

That's about what I get. Yup, it's a good card...certainly plenty enough for casual gaming.

 

Cool stuff, thanks for the help mate.

 

The VGA worked perfectly fine when I connected it to my LCD TV. It automatically detected it and even adjusted the resolution on my TV. The picture looks sharp. I'll try it with my Dell monitor.

Sorry to hear about that, especially since the Best Buy noobs thought it was a general FW problem. Clearly you got a defective model and you should be able to return it.

 

I just bought the vaio fw 140D from best buy...
so far nothing really to complain about.

First, it's quiet, very quiet...so no problem there.
I tested in a really quiet room and you can't hear a thing or barely.
The screen, an eco, is pretty good.
Oh yeah...and the computer is not that hot.
I was watching a dvd while playing a game, using the webcam...
the laptop was on my laps and not hot.
The only complaints I would have is about the wobbly CD tray
that some complained but it's not a major problem and the
click button below the touchpad.

Oh yeah, the bass is not really that strong and the strength of the sound
really depends on the programs.
Play a music in windows media player and the sound is powerful.
I listened to a DVD at maximum sound and it was not so powerful.

I will try to play some games like gears of war and report on it.

I already posted on http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=287657that
but I really need your help guys, because yesterday I played with the AVIVO
settings on the ati control catalyst thinking that I would be able
to put back factory settings.
The problem is that ati factory settings aren't the same as the
sony factory settings.
And I pushed that horrible put EVERYTHING back to
factory settings.
Now when I was playing back a DVD (Shinobi) ,
the video was all washed out or really too pale, which it didn't do first.

Can someone post the screenshots of the all the original settings from the analyst control? Or is there another way to do it?

I only remember some of the values like 144 for the brightness...

Thanks:smile:

 

Thanks for all the GREAT information regarding the new Sony Vaio FW. I'm a prospective buyer and you all have been absolutely wonderful. Nothing better then opinions from persons with hands-on experience.

I do have one MAJOR question for you all...
Does this notebook support Windows XP?

I have been speaking with Sony Sales and they change their story every other day. One day it's yes, order a FW with Vista Business and you'll receive Windows XP Pro Downgrade. The next day it's we aren't sure if it's even compatible.

Is there anyone here who is running their FW with Windows XP Pro? If so, where did you find the drivers since they are not available via the Sony Support Website?

Thanks in advance for your time and answers.

 

Can you overclock the graphics card?

 

Did anyone get the extended battery? If so, what is the battery life with normal usage?

 

Super_1919,

Thank you for your effort to verify any noise in quiet room when cpu is fully loaded. I have been waiting for a nice FW owner who willing to do it for days. Thank you.

I am still deciding whether to buy FW or Lenovo T500. If you want to know the Sony video setting, may I suggest you to use Sony's live chat at Sony homepage. Some of them did provide detail information.

If you do not mind could you verify any heat near the palm
rest area? Could you verify the display focus when using external LCD monitor by VGA or/and "HDMI-DVI" port.

Thanks you very much.

 

Hi, first post here.

Thanks to all for all the great info. After weeks of researching decided to join the club and bought a Sony VGN-FW139E/H from Amazon.

$1,119

# 16.4-inch screen
# 2.26 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 processor
# 250 GB hard drive
# 3 GB RAM (4 GB maximum)
# Dual-layer DVD±RW drive
# Quad-mode Wi-Fi - Intel WiFi Link 5100
# Bluetooth with A2DP streaming
# ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3470
# HDMI
# Windows Vista Home Premium (SP1)

Woot!

 

1st post here as well.

Except my VGN-FW139E came from newegg.com for $999 and free shipping.

Specs are the same as the last guy but I think I have a different wireless adapter. It says Atheros AR928x.

I have the standard LCD and think it is fine. Its brighter then any of my desktop LCDs.

 

Show-off!

Oh well, at least I got free two day shipping as well.

 

Are there any retailer stores that sell this notebook with a Hi-color screen?

 

Newegg does. I'm not sure if that is what you meant by retailer.

 

Nope. At least not yet, anyway.

 

I think he meant a store-front location.

I got mine at Newegg too (see link in sig).

 

I ordered it on a Thursday and got it on Tuesday. UPS kindly left it right on my front step with nobody signing for it! At least it was in a plain brown box and not a big VAIO STEAL ME logo on the side of it.

However, my Vaio was not brand new sealed mint. The Sony tape was cut and a new piece of Sony tape placed over it. It lacked that right out of the factory fresh smell that I was looking forward to. There were no fingerprints on the unit and it appears to be new but I know it was an opened boxed item. I don't know if I should bother pestering newegg about it.