Official VAIO SR Series Owners Thread

Dude.. if you read the bing FAQ it'll say if it doesn't appear within a certain time period then contact them. Only got notice of my bing cashback after 3 days or so when JR finally charged the card.

 

It is magnesium and i've heard pretty good things about the build though.

 

What hotel gives free towels?

 

Where can I get a keyboard cover for my SR?

 

What do you use to cover the screen from scratch while in your back pack?

Go to fleabay and search "sony vaio sr keyboard cover" and ye shall find plenty.

 

I went to Sonystyle to price the same configuration as the one I bought from reseller and it cost $50 more after rebate. I dont mind since its Made in Japan.

But you know what kills it? The tax! Why do they charge tax in GA? Is there a Sony store here? Just like the Dell kiosh that I never see?

 

For the U.S. market, there is no Vaio SR notebooks that are assembled in Japan. They are either assembled here in the U.S. or China, depending on what model you buy.

 

Ebay is one place you can buy a keyboard cover. I bought mine for my Vaio Z notebook from an ebay seller who's based in Hong Kong. I tried to look for his products on ebay but I didn't find him selling those keyboard covers right now. I'm sorry that I couldn't help you out.

By the way, there are 2 kinds of keyboard covers:

1) silicon
2) TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane)

I personally prefer silicon keyboard covers but that is just me. Some people love silicon keyboard covers while others hate them & the same goes for TPU keyboard covers. Once again, I apologize because I'm unable to tell you which type is better because this is all personal preference IMHO. Good luck.

 

Can someone confirm the SR430 is not shiny screen? I just want to be sure.

 

It is a glossy screen.

 

It is ??? Oh no. But the SR is business laptop.

My other choice the Studio 14z is also shiny.

I guess the end of matte is here.

I'll have to live with it.

 

Don't worry. Although the screens on the SR are glossy, they're not that bad. They certainly are way better in terms of reflection when compared to the screens on the MacBook Pro notebooks.

By the way, congrats on your Vaio SR notebook purchase. I'm sure you'll enjoy it, just like you enjoy your Vaio Z notebook.

 

Thanks JJ! I prefer silicone and I found 2 possible covers I may get.

 

I also have to agree that the SR has a great glossy screen. There is little glare compared to the MBP line.

 

I need help!
Bluetooth can't find anything! Even I can find it through my phone, I can't connect to it. I've downloaded latest Bluetooth drivers but they didn't helped either.

Should I try to install Vista SP2? If yes, then how can I install it? Just install it or there's are some things to remember?

(By the way: I think Windows Update messed up my Bluetooth)

RESOLVED. Thanks damaph for trying to help me!
I restored my C: drive using Vaio Recovery center. And it's working ok - for now

 

Was it working before the update?

 

The problem is that I haven't tried it before and today, when I tired it gave me

"Bluetooth service error an error occurred while windows was saving your settings. the bluetooth device might be unplugged"

then after reinstalling drivers it became discoverable. After that I tried to connect my phone but its doesn't display anything. (no activity, no errors)

I'm thinking about updating to Vista SP2.


RESOLVED. Thanks damaph for trying to help me!
I restored my C: drive using Vaio Recovery center. And it's working ok - for now

 

Is the lack of a latch a problem for traveling?

 

Thanks JJ.

That makes me feel better. So the screen is not that reflective right? I sure hope so. I wonder when the movie theaters are going to have reflective screen. You see what I mean?

I dont have my SR yet. I wonder whats up with this reseller. I call them yesterday and it say give it time. Its still in "submitted" status. Whats up with the sweet time?

 

IMHO, it is not a problem for traveling as the magnetic clasp is strong enough to hold the lid & the palmrest together when closed.

 

I did a clean install however my buttons for the mode and settings etc at the top aren't working.

Anyone know which drivers or programs control that function????

thanks!

 

Movie theaters don't need the gloss cuz their stuff is commercial grade. What LCD or LED screen is going to have the black levels and contrast of a theater screen? Their million dollar facilities aren't just using a piece of linen cloth and a $500 projector.

And how would we know anything about your order status.

 

As anyone buy from J&R on their Sony laptop? Whats your experience?

I order the SR and it is still in submitted status. Its been 1.5 days.

I have called 2 times and each time they are of no help. They keep on saying give it time.

I am thinking of bailing and go to Frys and get me one since its tax free days this week.

 

JR.com took 2 days before sending out my notebook. Not ideal, but you sir seem very impatient.

 

Haha, I think he's just excited that's all. I ordered mine from Sony Style and I can hardly wait either.

 

quick question, is the hard drive speed on the SR420 5400rpm or 7200rpm?

 

The HDD in the VGN-SR420J/B is 320GB & running at 5,400rpm.

 

5400rpm and 7200rpm doesn't make much of a difference in notebook form factor. It's not like desktop 5400 vs. 7200.

 

Can anyone who bought the SR430 from J&R ( http://www.jr.com/sony/pe/SON_VGNSR430JB/) confirm that it does in fact have an HDMI port? They claim it does not, which seems wrong, as it has the 4570

 

It does have an HDMI port. It outputs both video and sound.

 

I got unlucky with my J&R order. I ordered on a Sunday morning and it didn't ship out until the Thursday after.

 

Any news on the rebates?

 

Quick question guys, does the HD 4570 that comes on the SR490DEB use DDR2 or DDR3 memory (graphics card, not the er...general OS RAM)? I've seen both mentioned which has made me even more confused.

Also the only difference i can see between the business versions of the SR490s & the normal ones is that the business ones come without all the extra programs & trials.
Is there anything else that i'm missing?
From browsing online it seems the Business ones (from various stores) are cheaper than an equivalent specced 'normal' one from SonyStyle.

Also has anyone here had any problems or are there recurring problems that others have posted re: SR490?
Just that without an international warranty (i'm not sure if the business ones come with IRSP or not) it's a hassle for me to send it back, being located here in Australia & purchasing from the US.

Thanks

 

Pretty sure the SR uses DDR3 for the GPU.

 

Man, that is indeed unlucky. I wonder what is taking so long with them. 4 fregging days of wait time?

For those you that need any info under the sun, go to http://esupport.sony.com/ and click on the "Manuals, Specs, Warranty" icon. Do option 2 and find your model. Under Specs, do "Marketing Specification". What you find on the reseller model, it should match that spec on the PDF. Otherwise its fraud.

Why is that 7.2K vs 5.4K rpm doesnt matter in the notebook?

 

I can confirm that the SR uses GDDR3 for its GPU

 

Again, another ridiculous statement. Some 7200s are quite a bit faster than 5400s, and some aren't. Blanket statements like this serve only to confuse.

I have two dell laptops at work spec'd exactly the same except for their hard drives, which are the same manufacturer and size, but one is 5400 and the other is 7200. On a cold boot, the 7200 loads Windows Vista 7 seconds faster and is 10 seconds faster at loading Photoshop. So in that comparison, the 7200rpm drive performs better.

If you're going to make grandiose statements like this, please use "in my experience" as a qualifier so posts like mine aren't necessary.

 

Thanks for the confirmation guys!

Vaio rep here in Australia was telling me DDR2, even after i asked specifically about the GPU ram to avoid confusion.

 

My bad, In My Humble Experience

 

I have been looking at the SR-490 CTO and am about ready to order but I have some questions that maybe this group can help with.

1. I notice there is an option to get a student discount of 5%. I can configure and go completely to the checkout without being asked specific questions about whether I qualify for the discount or not. Can anyone qualify for this discount?

2. There is also a promotion where you apply for the Sony Visa card and get $100 credit back on purchases of $299 or more. Can this be combined with the student discount?

3. Also notice there is a free bundle option available for the SR. Can this be combined with 1 & 2 above?

4. Color - Hard to go wrong with the black but I am thinking of the titanium grey or even the champagne which has the light colored keyboard. Might be easier to see at night than the black.

As a side note I am thinking of getting the P8700 or P8800 processor not only for performance reasons but wouldn't the 25W TDP make the battery last a little longer?

Comments appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

Hi again.

Is it OK to download and run the Vista SP2 update on my Vaio SR490 (64bit Home edition)? Any suggestions?

 

3. Yes
4. I was in a huge dilemma between the black and the grey. Ordered the black initially, then visited a couple Sony stores and a Bestbuy (they don't have same models with different colors on display). Changed the order to a grey and am pretty sure it's a better choice (not to mention the pure black would clash with the rest of the room). If you have a Bestbuy nearby, they have the grey SR on demo.

You would need to be running the system at 100% before you'll see the difference between 25w and 35 TDP. And if you're running it at 100%, well your battery life either way would be absolutely dismal so you wouldn't see the difference anyhow.

Uh huh. Updates are "updates".

 

I did a semi-clean install which allows you to keep your vista home premium with all the sp2 updates after your restore function. It works fine, just make sure you back up your stuff first.

BTW got TF2 and CS working on this bad boy and it plays fine!

 

Ouch, I'm only getting ~2.5 hours using a semi-modified Vaio Optimized power plan on Win7, brightness 40% and set to dim to 0%. Been maybe 10 minutes and it's already ate 10%.

 

That should improve a bit with time. I get about 3.5-4 hours with similar settings, but I'm just using the baseline Windows 7 power management settings.

 

Yah, my SR430 just shipped. It takes 2 full biz days.

I did take a look at the SR420 at Fry's just now.

Let me just say I am not crazy about glossy screen. Period! And thats the way the world is. Same with glossy PDA phone which I also hate! Thats why I also avoid Samsung HDTV and any plasma.

I will miss my Z540.

 

You can always buy an anti-glare screen protector & apply it onto the glossy screen of your Vaio SR notebook. Good luck.

 

I checked today and it seems they've added the other SR models now. Give it a try.

 

glossy screen is not bad at all. this is coming from someone that previously used a 4 year old vaio with regular screen. Its not a big deal its not extra glossy

 

Thanks I did it earlier today. Appreciate the info..