Official VAIO FW Series Owners Thread

FW351 vs. FW378

- Intel shared graphics vs. ATI dedicated graphics
- 5400 rpm HDD vs. 7200 rpm HDD
- 2.0 Ghz processor with 2MB cache vs. 2.4 GHz processor with 3 MB cache
- Eco screen (1600 x 1200 resolution / single lamp) vs. FullHD (1920 x 1080 resolution / dual lamp)
- DVD writer/Blu-Ray reader vs. Blu-Ray writer

If you are planning on watching Blu-Ray via HDMI on a flat screen TV and do not mind inferior screen and processor, the FW 351 will do just fine for your intended use.

You can buy FW378 online for around $1350 -

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001O9J9LC/interactiveda8786-20

or if you do not need the Blu-Ray write capability you can look at FW373 (identical to FW378 but with Blu-Ray reader) -

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-VGN-FW37...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1241125918&sr=1-1

 

Appears key point is one has a ATI card and the other the Integrated graphics (don't know the letters designations you're looking at). But I have the Full HD - great for movies, extra screen space for office work is fabulous. Screen is crisp, clear and vibrant - go with the full HD - well worth it.

 

I sent Sony an email and they said they would give me a credit. Thanks rgilld!

 

Ok so I just bought a new sony vaio laptop. I wanted to install the newest 9.4 ATI drivers for the gpu. So heres what happened:

- Downloaded newest drivers from ati official site
- Went to the uninstall programs section in control panel, closes thing I could find to ati drivers was "Ati catalyst install manager", so i uninstalled it and it uninstalled ati drivers within the process.
- Then restarted the laptop
- Then installed newest drivers with the catalyst control center.
- Restarted laptop
- After the restart the highest available resolution was 1400x1050, I couldn't find the ati control centre and can find no evidence of the laptop even recognizing the ATI GPU after the restart.

I've gone through this sequence twice now and each time the drivers haven't been updated properly and the same thing has happened.

I've restored the system so now I have the 8.4 drivers on my gpu but I really can't figure out how to update them, PLEASE HELP!


Sony vaio
-2.66GHz core 2 duo
-Ati HD 3650 512mb GDDR3
-4GB DDR2RAM
-Vista 64-bit
-320GB HDD
-1920x1080 Full HD display

 

Didn't you get any error during the installation? Since Mobility Modder doesn't work with newer drivers. The newest version that will properly work is 9.1.

 

I want to update my drivers for the Ati HD3650 because I'm really not getting the performance I was hoping for in games atm.

Playing hitman blood money on 1920x1080 resolution with most settings set to low and barely anything going on the FPS were dipping just moving the camera round. And if I reduce the res to 1024x768 with mid/high settings there was still some (not as much) fps dips when just moving the camera.

Could it be that because it's an older game it's only using one of the cores? or is it something I can fix? I thought it would be because the gpu drivers are out of date.

Sony vaio
-2.66GHz core 2 duo
-Ati HD 3650 512mb GDDR3
-4GB DDR2RAM
-Vista 64-bit
-320GB HDD
-1920x1080 Full HD display

 

Hi Everyone, I have a problem with my new VNG-FW390J that I received yesterday. I don't mean to double post but since this is the official thread for the FW series, I might as well give it a try.

Out of the box, the screen was a pinkish color and would flicker between normal and this pink color. It happens a lot when I do the "alt-tab" to switch between programs or if I use Aero. I'm not sure what to do. I did a bios reset and that didn't help, I also updated the ATI drivers and that didn't help either. Is there a new bios update that I don't know about that might fix this problem? I think it has something to do with the graphics card. If it has to come down to it, I should be able to return it for a new one right? I got it from Sony's website CTO. Here are my specs:

2.66ghz core2duo
ATI HD 3650 512mb
4 gig or RAM
Vista Home Premium 64 bit
320g 7200
1920x1080 display

 

Your best bet is to return to Sony ASAP to exchange it for a new one.

 

Sorry for another shameless plug.

But my FW373J/B is now 900+ shipping

Link is here.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=377177

 

Anyone out there followed the instructions for the semi-clean install for FW?

 

Trackpad went spastic this morning on my Vaio. It was like trying to pull a ball and chain around. Seriously wondering is the trackpads problem. Not happy, since Vaio's are known to sometimes have problems with their trackpad hardware.

I want to get my whole laptop replaced. The trackpad is faulty, and the screen had 2 stuck pixels within a week of use. Plus the laptop finish has begun to mark where i rest my palm, its as if they thought no one would ever actually use this laptop, because whatever they have finished the laptop shell with sucks!

 

i have a problem with my FW-31J. i can't use the volume buttons, play-stop-Av Mode-S1 buttons.. no matter how long i push the buttons, there s no response..what should i do? is there any installation i should do?

 

Approximately how good is the FW for gaming? The only game I really play is BF2, so if I can run that at high/medium settings with a good 60 FPS I'll be happy.

 

Depends, you can get reasonable frame rates (30-60) on 1600*900 but unplayable on the full HD screen. You might have to play on low and medium settings

 

Funny how this thread, which was sooo enthusiastic about this model only a few months ago has become a FW-bashing thread!
PS. palmrest finish is also beginning to come off on my FW (a minor issue compared to others I've had).

 

i mentioned the weak palmrest finish 1st day i got the lappie 2 months ago-it's almost like there is no transparent coat on it-i swear if i had an ideea how to remove this cover i'd to the whole paintjob myself... i don't think i will ever complain about it though as the fw is soo great

 

Indeed, considering I paid so little for it, I didn't have high expectations. Now, if the laptop would have cost 2 grand, then I'd be running circles around it.

 

iv returned me FW sicne and got a dell studio xps, and its a lot better.

the dell has a solid build, more features, more powerfull and looks nicer. plsu its got better support

 

I have a FW139E with the Standard DVD RW and I am wondering is it possible to replace it with the Blu Ray Drive?

ie. will it be compatible with the 256MB ATI GPU and Screen (XBrite Eco)

And does anyone know who makes the Blu ray Drives for Vaios (FW)? or is it just one size fits all; with any manufacturers drive that fix in will work . . . .

Any Post Appreciated

Thanks

Conor

 

Dude just reinstall the Driver from the Sony Support Site, (think there's a link in the Vaio Support and Registration Icon the the Desktop) if that doesn't work you have a hardware Problem!!!

Conor

 

Ye Dude I live in Europe (Ireland) and bought my FW139E nearly a year ago in San Francisco, I swap out the US plug end of the cable (not the transformer) with my old PS2 cable (European) and its works great!!!

The US Transformer Works Fine!!!

 

I was just wondering, do any of you hear a faint buzzing sound? This is not the same buzzing sound from the screen, but a continuous one, maybe from the fan but I can't actually pinpoint its origin.

 

Someone has made a complaint about this on newegg.com and he/she said it was from the speakers so that could be it?

 

Does anyone know what Sony refresh cycles are like? It seems like the FW should be getting a hardware refresh soon.

My wishlist:
-DDR3 memory, even dell has it by now
-Radeon 4K series card
-fingerprint reader, but this is far from a deal breaker

What about you guys?

 

Definitely not coming from the speakers since well, I use headphones and if I heard the sound, it would be in my headphones. The sound is coming from the side of the laptop. Like, if I put my ear where the HDMI/VGA outputs are or on the other side where thr 3 USBs are, I can hear it.

I still haven't solved the problem with the screen. I went to the Sony Store and they agreed to take it in but since the Sony Repair Center is closed today, it was useless to leave it there, so I'll take the laptop myself to the center hopefully this week sometime.

 

Picked up a Sony FW270 at the local Best Buy. Seems to be a good deal for $799. although the included Blu-Ray viewing software leaves a little to be desired.

Anyway...Is that a decent price for that model? What are the thoughts on the included Blu-Ray playback software? Have you replaced it? Any speed issues that you have noticed?

Thanks much.

 

My bet would be around Q4 this year when Windows 7 goes on sale. The FW series is starting to look a bit aged, esp the graphics cards and memory

 

Hi guys,

I have a a FW 290 with a Hitachi 320 7200Rpm drive - and I permanently hear a noise coming out of the left part of the machine....Is it HDD spinning in idle, or a video card cooler that works all the time?

Can anyone tell, especially I`m interested if this machine has a separate Video Card cooler and if it does how can I change the settings for it.

Thanks,

Igor.

P.S. Sorry if it was already answered. I have tried searching, but the thread is huge.

 

Is it a faint beeping noise that almost sounds like morse code? I have a FW 390 with the same drive as you and I have that noise also on the left side under the fan vent. I inquired about it before, but I'm not sure what it is. The drive is located under the right palmrest, so I'm not sure if it's the drive making the noise.

 

Agreed, thats really all that needs upgrading. A Radeon 4670 and DDR3 system memory would go a long way.

 

I don't see anyone would need DDR3 RAM. As far as the tests show, it yields no significant performance advantage and the lower voltage is really negligible in terms of battery life and heat output. Even the Dell users with DDR3 RAM didn't notice anything going faster over their DD2 RAM lol At this poin, adding in DDR3 RAM would just be an excuse for Sony to increase prices even more(as DDR3 is still more expensive than DDR2 for little to no gain)

A better GPU would be nice however. A lot of mainstream companies are moving to ATI's HD4xxx series(Dell and Hp have already) so Sony should as well ^^

 

Yes, but as DDR2 gets phased out it would be harder to upgrade it a few years down the line. Actualy i remember a recent article saying that DDR2 prices were rising while DDR3 prices were falling, i'm not sure how long it will take for them to reach parity though.


A Radeon 4670 would be fantastic, it has double the number of stream processors as the 3650 in the FW.

 

Okay so being a newb and not wanting to cause an uproar here instead of starting a new thread I'll ask my question here.

I have a FW140E and don't really care for the grey on the sides of the keyboard and the touchpad, would it be possible to use vinyl or a skin on that area since the grey on mine is getting discolored from so much use? (not wanting to skin the area around the keys or the touchpad itself just the sides maybe black to give it some contrast)

 

hi everybody, i guess this is the best place to ask this, and what better community too

I recently installed the Virtual XP program on my vaio (running windows 7 RC 7100) and it gives me this message:

http://i410.photobucket.com/albums/pp188/DaRonRon/vxp.jpg

So i went into the bios and there's no setting for hardware virtualization. After some googling i found that Sony for some reason hides it on their laptops. I came across this link:

http://www.linuxformat.gr/?q=conten...ualization-technology-vt-sony-vaio-laptop-and

Do u think i could follow these instructions considering it was done on the fz model?

 

Well from an upgrade point of view, I suppose having a DDR3 capable machine would be good, however if you got the standard 3-4Gb, I doubt that in the 4-6 years of the laptop's lifespan that you'll need to upgrade to more RAM and let alone DDR3 RAM unless you're using the machine as some workstation which needs that much horsepower. I haven't upgraded the RAM in my computer for over 3 years and honestly, I don't feel I should lol That is, unless in 1-2 years all software becomes insanely demanding and even MS office needs 2Gb of RAM to run by itself

And yes, an HD4670 would put the Vaio FW ahead. It's currently the strongest 128bit GPU on the market(until the HD4830/4860 arrive) so it'd be a worthwhile investment. The FW is said to handle it's current heat output very well too so adding in a more powerful GPU wouldn't be problematic IMO.

 

See this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=350209

1. Start from around page 5 and read on.

2. Visit http://levicki.net/articles/tips/20...ony_VAIO_notebook_with_AMI_Aptio_EFI_BIOS.php for detailed explanation of the solution.

3. Get the solution from http://levicki.net/downloads/

Note: any flashing of your BIOS is done at your own risk!

 

It was only a few years ago when 512MB was "overkill", nowadays i wouldn't be caught dead with a system with less than a gigabyte of memory, preferably 2-4.


Plus, we never know what Windows 8 will bring to the table lol

 

A few years time is usually a laptop's lifespan anyways. most ocnsumer laptops last at msot 6 years in terms of optimum performance. By the time you'll need a RAM upgrade, chances are you'll need a CPU upgrade and a GPU upgrade as well >.> Technology is rarely limited to one upgrade at a time lol

At this point, factoring DDR3 would just be an excuse to increase price(and lord knows the Vaio FW is already nicely priced as ti is lol ) as DDR3 is in most places still significantly more expensive than DDR2. Not to mention they'd need to revamp motherboards to perhaps a completely new generation(vs only swapping a motherboard with a different GPU socket).

 

Well if using DDR3 meant Sony would increase the already "nicely" priced (as you put it ) FW, than i could live without it. But lets face it, memory IS the most commonly upgraded computer equipment, far more common than upgrading a GPU or a CPU.

Something else that would be nice on the FW would be an LED backlight. i mean Vaio's ARE after all supposed to be luxury products, yes? Sony should keep them on the cutting edge, and its clear that they arent.

 

Hey guys small situation, apparently my wifi stopped working, I turn on the wifi switch and jack happens, is there another way to turn on wifi other than wifi switch?

I checked device manager and everything seems fine, the wifi connection is working in the house for sure so its not the router nor the connection.

any way to fix this other than sending it to sony?

OK edit, I turned on the wifi using windows mobility center so it looks like my wifi button stopped working, hurray for that. not

maybe it will start working again but I think I can deal with it, and as long as the wifi card inside works I will not complain.

 

If it brings you problems, unistall the wifi adapter from device manager then restart. This usually fixes the button not working error

 

thanks for the info, apparently the button is working again, not sure what was up.

 

Soon to be joining the FW crowd. Just ordered the FW390JAS model yesterday night. Should be here by Monday next week.

Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 2.4Ghz
4GB DDR2 Ram
250GB HDD
Ati Radeon Mobility HD3650

$800 Free Shipping. So excited! LOL

 

Jebuz, some of you are getting the FW for cheap!

 

Is it just me or is the Canadian version of the FW overpriced, even considering the exchange rate?

 

No the Canadian version is pretty high priced. Canada has a lesser laptop market so the companies price their stuff higher, not jsut ebcause of the exchange rate.

 

That's what i thought. Why do all companies hate on us Canadians :cry:

We never hurt anyone!

Edit: i keep thinking of stuff that would improve this laptop, the latest on my list: a backlit keyboard.

 

So I left my FW at this Sony Authorized Tech Center for the light bleed found between the bezel and the screen and the lady at the counter managed to hit my laptop on the desk while checking it for scratches.

It was torture just to see how she handled my laptop. Now, I have to wait until Monday for a stupid "diagnostic" from the technician. I don't think I'll be able to sleep at night not knowing what the hell they're doing with my laptop.

 

Hope it all works out for you. (fixed lappy and no damages)

 

hi
do you know wich country is building SONY VAIO FW 36GJ/B
US?
CHINA?
or SINGAPORE?