Official Vaio Pro 13 Owners Lounge (SVP13 2013)

Thanks! I had no idea the Sony Stores changed their policy. This is definitely a "good to know" when I decide to make that purchase.

 

What I meant was that Sony (and most other laptop manufacturers I've tried so far) just don't allow you to make any deeper BIOS-based changes.

If they allowed the user to toy with those rather sensitive settings as fan control etc. (that have direct influence on the hardware and heat dissipation), they'd just compromise the reliability of the system and risk a higher number of (costly) long-term guarantee cases. As they are mainly "closed systems", most laptops are specifically designed to run at exactly the settings the manufacturer deliberately chose for them. That's why the options in laptop BIOS (in the vast majority of cases) are generally just very sparse and mostly restricted to setting a system password, choosing a boot device, and making just a few more, very high-level choices. They won't let you make any more "influential" changes in hardware settings. And if those settings aren't "open" to be changed in the BIOS, they usually can't be changed by any software either (software like SpeedFan will only work if it has permission to access the system's fan management - which, in the case of laptops, it usually hasn't).

All that being said, I actually did check the Pro's BIOS settings (you can access BIOS by pressing the "ASSIST" button when the system is turned off) - and it's the usual case of a very restricted laptop BIOS without any deeper options.

The only thing Sony actively allows you to change, via their Vaio Control Center, is the throttling profile for the CPU/GPU (which doesn't add much since you can adjust that in the Windows Energy Profile, too).

The problem with hoping for a BIOS-fix is that any new BIOS version needs to go through a very complicated validation process. And it's rather unlikely that Sony will change very sensitive system settings (such as the hard-coded, presumably extensively tested fan management) after release - at least if there isn't some kind of explicit bug - and as far as the Vaio Pro is concerned, we aren't talking about a generally bugged fan management, just a very aggressive one.

It would be a different story if people kept complaining about serious heat problems - as I've actually seen a few BIOS fixes in the past that INCREASED fan speeds in order to solve any problems that possibly endangered the reliability of the system (note that I'm very careful to debunk any heat-related complaints in this thread - the last thing I want is even more fan noise). As for REDUCING average fan speeds (and hence increasing average heat levels / possibly endangering reliability - even if other manufacturers like Apple safely run their CPUs at way higher temps) - that's, realistically, rather unlikely to happen.

I won't give up hope, though

EDIT: And all that being said, just to stress that point one last time: As far as I'm concerned, less noise would be GREAT - but it's not like fan noise is a really bad problem for me. It's there and it can be mildly annoying and I wouldn't complain if they reduced it a little - but at ambient temperatures below 25°C, the fan generally doesn't bother me too much.

 

New BIOS

A BIOS update appeared a couple of days ago for my SKU and I tried it. It didn't change anything of note (the changelog contains minor issues).

HOWEVER

I almost got locked out of my machine because I used a boot password, and the BIOS password screen at boot didn't allow me to type all characters on the screen (the right third of the keyboard is disabled). I got lucky because one of my password had no special characters and an external USB keyboard worked. So for those using boo passwords, I'd be careful...
(I also figured out I had to have my BitLocker key handy).

Laurent

 

Does anybody know the right procedure to Clean all (HIDDEN) partitions and do
an install from USB stick (windows 8 non pro)? There is Standard ONLY 66 GB of 128GB free
I could not download an iso from Windows beacuse the key (belarc can find the bioskey)
is not Retail. I just want to make a Windows 8 USB stick (with Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool)

Other "experiences"
- USB 3.0 stick not recognized by bios. (Datatraveller 111 16 GB USB 3.0 stick) not able to boot from it.
- Bios is like my first BIOS (no control of anything + no info about anything 8 GB ram of what? 128GB harddisk ..WOW)
- because of crapware I tried Windows reset, Reset crashed at 70%--> Windows would not boot.
- Vaio Care Recovery mode: (install takes forever . Not too strange with all that crapware)
- Recovery Mode Computer says: restart Computer in 9....1 seconds:
but it does not restart. You will be staring to a black screen forever.
You have to manually press the on/off button to restart (several times)
- Fan makes (too much) noise There is noise even while doing basic tasks I do not want to hear a fan. The fan should Not even be spinning in teh first place.
My Dell studio 1555 ,Lenovo X200 Tablet have NO fan spinning while I type in Word or when I Boot or watch youtube clips.
Hotwell Intel CPU cant beat old generation CPU? or crappy heatdisposal from Sony
My galaxy Note 2 makes ZERO sound while playing movies.

 

Just how bad is the fan noise? And is it the same problem for the SVP 13 as it is for the SVP 11?

I went into the Sony shop but there is so much ambient noise it is impossible to compare it to something like the Sony Z.

 

Well said on all fronts. Appreciate the insight.

 

Poll is up and running, please vote here

 

You have to pay return shipping/insurance though.

 

I can also confirm the BIOS update did not change anything on the fan noise.

 

I was speaking of the bricks and mortar Sony Style Stores, whose return policy used to be different from Sony online.

 

I voted Matte as it allows me to work long hours without tiring my eyes.

The touch screens I have seen are so reflective they are almost mirrors. They are gimmicks.

 

I totally disagree with you. For me the matte is NOT crisp and vibrant enough. But, on the other hand, the glossy touch screens are IMO prima for watching, both pictures and text, over long time. No problems with reflections, and IMO they are not at all "mirror-like" - and certainly NOT "gimmicks".

People have different views (!) on the different kinds of screens, and users just have different preferences.

 

I just got mine in this morning, and have been using it for a while now. I have to say, I'm loving it. It's incredibly thin and light, the screen looks gorgeous, the build quality seems good, and I've had no problems with the touchpad or the wifi. The fan noise is there, especially when running updates, but it's not really a concern for me because you will have a hard time hearing it if there is any ambient noise at all. Sony's bloatware was easy enough to remove, so I decided not to do a clean install to save myself having to track down all the drivers. It seems to run smooth and fast anyway. Boot times are quick and I was able to stream 1080p from Netflix no problem. The only drawback I've noticed is that the screen can sometimes look a little "fuzzy", mostly seen when there's a lot of white on the screen. It's easy to overlook though.

Right now I'm installing Civilization V to see how it runs, and then I'm going to try installing Linux alongside windows 8. Overall I'm very happy with the purchase, seems like it was worth the wait.

EDIT: For reference, I have the US touch version, with the glossy screen. It's configured with i5/128GB SSD/8GB RAM. I have a 5.9 in the Windows Experience Index, so I think the extra RAM affected it.

 

I prefer the touch screen, glossy. I do some photoshop work on the side and I prefer a glossier screen. I have a glossy screen on my old FW and had a semi matte screen on the Vaio S and I wasn't a fan of it. Also metro is not that bad with regards to some apps and once win 8.1 arrives it should get a whole better, hopefully.

Also I tried my WEI and got 6.4, with the cpu at 7.1, RAM 7.6, both gfx at 6.4, and disk at 8.6.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUzMqeDwchc

 

How do you get 1080p streams from Netflix? I thought heir "HD" stuff is at most 720p

 

I finally bougth a $9 Wifi USB stick. Here are the averages from several measurments:

break room work 80 58 24 19
kitchen home 14.6 1.92 12.76 1.86
bedroom home 0 0 2.78 0.92

So, sitting directly under the router at work, the built in wifi is much faster. At home, about 20 feet from my router, the two speeds are comparable. A few feet further away, the built in Wifi shows 4 bars, but the laptop will never connect to the internet. With the cheap stick, it is definitely still usable.

 

Hi. I'm new here and after reading the owner's thread regarding pro 13 I wasn't up to reading all the written thoughts regarding the duo 13.

What I realized about pro model that they often seem to have problems with the fan going on with very low temperatures (max 65C vs Macbook air's 95C), just saying it seems to make noise at very low temperatures.

I live in Finland and many upgrades for duo are twice more expensive compared to pro13. Like processor and hard drive.

Is it just they built pro in China and Duo in Japan.

I don't have really time to order one for testing and returning one back and order other model. Hopefully there is one song.tore where they might have both models available to have a look even in the back lands of Finland ;-)

I'm by no means any kind of drawer but I do make a lot of notes by hand and would dream of using mindjet's mind mapping with duo, but I guess that's not available yet in the form of handwriting the maps. Also I have some work related things that makes me perhaps lean towards the duo but the simple form factor of pro 13 is hard to rule out. Mainly I would be still writing and creating. One thing in duo is the possibility for mobile connections. I have a 3g modem free of charge, but I've always preferred the machines to work independently without anything additional.

Also the battery life of duo is amazing vs pro. I don't know how practical the sheet battery is.

Still especially if I would prefer better specs here the price difference is quite big compared what for example mobiletechreview.com said (around 150$).

In Finland the basic configuration is around 1700e vs 1200 pro with touch screen.

Anyway I need a new laptop and would simply appreciate some thoughts from you guys and ladies ^_^

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD

 

I am expecting my new Vaio Pro 13 to be delivered this week. After all the alleged problems with the Intel wi-fi adaptor, I might just send it straight back. I don't have the time to be searching for a fix that maybe doesn't even exist, especially on a NEW £1500 laptop!

 

Can you take it down since it makes it look like the screen type is what this thread is about when nothing could be farther than the truth?

BJ

 

I know I've already asked this but can anyone comment on the CPU - whether there's a big difference between the two models and if the i5 is able to handle multiple tabs plus HD playback when underclocked? Thanks in advance.

 

The guy at the MS store yesterday was saying that they moved the Bluetooth antenna to the top of the screen for less interference for the Haswell Pro 13 Touch refresh.
Maybe that helps with the wifi problem too.

 

Hmm I noticed something peculiar about my Pro. Whenever I browse and use the scroll wheel or use the trackpad to scroll, there is a faint noise coming from the laptop, almost like a needle reading something, ie a mini standard hard drive. not sure what it is. The sound becomes louder and more pronounced when it is on performance mode, so probably something to do with the CPU. When on power saver, the sound almost disappears. I hope it is not a defect, because I can't return it now unfortunately.

Perhaps the reason the noise is audible is because the laptop is so thin? any ideas?

 

Random question, and it applies to the Pro 13 and 11....

What are the keyboard backlight options on the Pro's? On the Z1, you could set it to stay on indefinitely, but on the Z2 Sony made the max timeout one minute.

Which way'd they go this time?

 

Always off
Always on
On in low light : Off in 10s, 30s, 60s and do not turn off

 

In the Vaio Control Center, you can choose between:

- always on
- always off
- automatic on (light-sensor based); sub-options for timeout in this catergory are: 10s/30s/60s/stay on.

So, yeah, can't think of any important option they missed

They even allow you to set two independent profiles for power supply operation / battery operation.

 

Good review of the 11" at Test Sony Vaio Pro 11 SVP121M2EB.G4 Ultrabook - Notebookcheck.com Tests in German - translate via google translate etc.
(also video at Testvideo Sony Vaio Pro 11 - YouTube )
Lots of good pictures - outside use seems unlikely.

Main complaints are
+ Reduction of performance on battery use
- in particular screen brightness (is this true?, not overrideable?)
- ever changing screen brightness on battery
+ Fan noise main complaint

They state no TPM which is not quite true AFAIK.

(I know this is the 13" thread)

 

Thanks for the feedback.

 

I agree the obtrusive nature of the poll popping up on every page could be indeed misleading, so I've asked a mod to take it down.

 

Ambient temperature in my office has dropped to ~21°C due to colder weather today - and fan noise has practically stopped being any issue whatsoever for me. No fan noise while typing or web browsing (even with some flash stuff). No fan noise while doing some work in Photoshop. Watching 1080p videos makes the fan kick in - but just at very low rpm (I had to put my ear right next to the venting slots to hear it). Perfect.

The problem really is that the base temperature at which the fan starts to kick in is chosen so low that a variation of just few degrees in ambient temp can make all the difference between a dead-silent system and more fan noise than would actually be necessary.

I can only repeat that SONY could probably make A LOT of their more noise sensitive customers very happy by just increasing their fan management's base-temperature by a few degrees. Just make it so the fan doesn't kick in until the CPU/GPU reaches 50°C - and (if you really have to retain those very, very low 65°C while running Prime95) let the fan rpm incease a little steeper from there .

The Vaio Pro is a machine that oozes obsession with quality engineering and details - why they cheaped out concerning the fine-tuning and optimization of the fan management is beyond my understanding.

With a CPU that tops out at a TDP of ~15W, just a few degrees of temperature-offset in the way the fan management is handled can make a HUGE difference in noise. It's not like this machine produces that much heat in the first place - so why blow cold air when you don't have to?

 

Has anybody with model SVP1321C5E gotten their Sony Update to work? Mine says it doesn't find any drivers and I haven't been able to find a newer version of Sony Update for that model The machine is working quite well (except for the occasional fan noise) but I'd still like to get the newest drivers (touchpad, GPU, etc.). For instance, my trackpack isn't doing everything it should be. I can't get the tap + drag function (or whatever it's called) to work, even though the tutorial says it should be possible.

If there's no way to make the update feature work, could I just install drivers made for a different Vaio Pro 13 model? For instance, there are many drivers for SVP13215PXB.

BTW: Is my model number the one that Vaio Care shows me (SVP1321C5E) or the one that's at the bottom of the computer (can't find any information of that model on the Sony website...). I have a CTO model.

 

What is the fan noise like compared to the Vaio Z in terms of volume and pitch?

My Vaio Z seemed to whiz the fan just for the the most basic things like building thumbnails of photos in windows explorer.

The chip eventually detached from the heat-sync which means it shuts down even if doing a bit of web browsing.

 

I've got that model. Vaio Update doesn't recognise it yet, but if you go to the Vaio support website, type in that model number (one that Vaio Care shows) & it'll bring up all the updates you can download.

 

Hello everyone, after spending quite some time reading this thread I want to give back my first impressions on the Vaio Pro. It (13"\i5\8GB\256GB/CTO) arrived last Friday 26th of July here in the Netherlands (Europe).
I have read about a several issues in this thread, and though there is always an internet bias towards complaints in stead of compliments for a product I was curious to see how my personal experience would add up.
My experience with laptops is limited to a plastic-fantastic Acer from years ago (a heavy-weight 17"), a Dell e6530 3kg workhorse and a MacBook Pro 13.
I was in fact looking for a haswell 15" laptop, with touchscreen weighing 2 kg but couldn't find any. This is a trade off, sacrificing screensize for weight and mobility.

As many have written before me: the weight is no doubt its major selling point. While I am not going to use this machine for work much, weight is still an issue. A lightweight compact machine will let you use it in more ways. In bed, on the couch or just to do a quick search for something. Opening up a big 3kg laptop is often too much effort, And with a 1kg weight it is almost like using a tablet (especially with the touchscreen) but you'll get a fully functional machine as a bonus.

I have not done anything special to the laptop. Just pushed the "on" button, updated windows and the sony drivers en got to work on the machine. No manual driver installation or clean windows install.

My conclusion after four days: excellent machine. If a macbook pro has a built quality of 10, the vaio pro scores 9. The touchpad suffers somewhat from the light chassis as it could be firmer, also a 9, where a macbook scores 10. The keyboard is excellent, and not noisy at all. (why is keyboard noise an issue anyway? can we please drop the whole keyboard thing? I type on a keyboard for a living, is you listen you can hear me type, so get over it already!) . The fan noise is absent. I've tried running a 1080p movie to get it starting, but could only make out standard fan-noise. So unless you're in a fully noise-free environment you wont notice. The fan is not noisier than other laptops I've used. In light use scenarios (browsing/office work) it is completely silent.
The screen is a blast, though small if you're not used to this kind of laptop. When using the touchscreen it will wobble a bit.
Overall firmness of the body is good, almost no flex unless you try to stress is.
While running the HD video, I noticed stuttering. changing the energy scheme to "high performance" solved it, but that should not have needed user input at all.
Wifi is solid, using vaio update immediately after first booting (as the quickstart guide will advise you to) I am using the latest drivers.

To sum it up: a quality machine, fast and overall a pleasure to work with. I have not experienced any of the problems other users have reported. It could be that sony has improved its production process in the mean time.
Very happy for now. Biggest issue has been getting used to windows 8 (first time user)

Cheers!
Rogier

 

Alright, I'm so lucky to live in Denmark where we have both the touch and non-touch versions available, so today I went to the Sony Center to comare the two.

First of all, the touch display reflects ALOT, the store was indeed well lit, but not much more than your typical workspace would be. Its doesnt reflect any more than other touch displays, or Macbooks, so if you're already used to reflections, this wont bother you. If you're used to a matte display tho, this will take a little while to get used to.

There's a 80g weight difference between the touch, and the non-touch display. This doesn't sound like much, but once they're next to each other, the non-touch version actually feels quite a bit lighter, however both are EXTREMELY light, and you wont break your back with either of them. I couldn't really spot a difference in thickness, perhaps there's a slight difference but its most likely less than 0,5 mm.

As for build quality, I saw no difference, they both felt and looked the same, if there was a slight difference, it would be the brushed aluminium pience on the wrist rest, the piece on the touch unit seemed a tiny bit darker, but it might as well have been the light hitting in a slightly different angle. I will say tho, that I do like the finish on the touch screen more, the glass piece stretching from edge to edge is far prettier than the "old" design of having display and frame as individual parts. Also the display flexes a bit less thanks to the glass, but its still very easy to bend.

My biggest concern was that Sony would, like some other manufactorers use a better screen on the touch version, compared to the non-touch version. However in terms of image quality, both seems nearly perfect. One issue tho is that display's aret too bright, and as glass do absorb a little bit of light, the touch screen seemed a little bit more dim than the other. This isn't something that I would take note of however, as both display's wasn't quite bright enough for my taste in those wel lit surroundings. This was testet on maximum brightness.

Now, I bought the non-touch version, its a bit lighter, perhaps a tiny bit thinner, it doesnt reflect, and it's a bit cheaper too. That said however, the touch screen works very well, and if you wan't a "true 2013" ultrabook, then this a clearly a good choice, operating the touch screen wasn't as awkward as I had thought, in fact it sometimes felt just right, lets say you're cooking, or cleaning up, and your Vaio is playing music, if you want to swap track, the touch screen is a fact a lot more convenient than the trackpad (or mouse, for that matter) So it clearly has its uses, and I'm sure that this is only the beginning of the "touch era"

So if you're deciding on which version you should take, I hope this has been a help to you.

 

Yeah but there's no update for GPU or touchpad :/

 

I'm having a serious problem with my week old vaio pro 13. Battery says it's charged 77% and doesn't charge anymore and when i remove the charger, computer shuts down and won't start. I tried to call local support and got worst service ever. Guy was sending me new battery and said its very easy to chage I watched some how to open up vaio pro video and called back that I'm not so sure if it's such a good idea...
Do you have ideas what I could try to do. Of course there is a good chance that the battery is broken. But my problems started when i tried the battery preserve function so that would maybe indicate that problem could be in software.

 

If it's just a week old, just get a replacement. If you open up your Vaio, you'll void your warranty. If switching the battery doesn't work, what will you do then? You'll have voided your warranty & you'll be screwed.

I have the battery care function enabled. I've not noticed any ill effects so far.

 

I'm not changing it on my own, just really wondering how sony's official support can say that they send will me a new battery and you can change it, I called back and said doesn't really seem like somthing that can be done at home. Wouldn't really want to send my laptop away to be fixed, after waiting for it to arrive from Sony over a month. So it would be really great to find some kind of solution from software.

 

Hello, I am guessing you are in europe, finland by the looks of it. try the link below.

Sony : SVP1321C5E :n päivitykset | Lataa SVP1321C5E:n päivitykset

In reality, you should be able to use the drivers from other european nations, but best to stick to the one from your own country.

Perhaps try reinstalling Vaio care and see if that solves the issue
Sony : SVP1321C5E :n päivitykset | Lataa SVP1321C5E | SVP1321C5E:n päivitykset

For the trackpad, the function you mention might have to be turned on or it is turned off on your machine. Go to your vaio control center, then input device (for the trackpad/keyboard) then in the section touchpad operations select details. Near the bottom find device settings and click it. Mouse properties will open up and then find the last tab called Device settings, it should have a red symbol on it, click it. Then select settings. Once there you can find the one you need.

For the GPU driver and intel's drivers I opt for this, Chippy posted it on his site and it works wonders for the drivers.

http://www.intel.com/p/en_US/support/detect

it will detect your drivers and see if they need updating, I used it on my Vaio S all the time and had no issues.

 

Correct. Thanks for the link, I'll try to re-install the Sony Update.

I have the function enabled but it still won't work :/ From what I understand I believe I should just highlight the folder/file etc., tap and hold the touchpad from anywhere and drag the file, correct? Nothing happens when I try it, maybe new drivers would help but I can't find them for my model.

I tried the intel driver update site but it won't work :/ This is what I get:

"Product Detected Intel® HD Graphics 4400
Current Driver Installed 9.18.10.3071
A customized computer manufacturer driver is installed on your computer. The Intel Driver Update Utility is not able to update the driver. Installing a generic Intel driver instead of the customized computer manufacturer driver may cause technical issues. Contact your computer manufacturer for the latest driver for your computer. "

And there are no drivers on Sony's website. Guess I'll just have to wait for Sony to release something.

 

Odd the intel utility works for me, this is my latest driver

Current Driver Installed 9.18.10.3165

I'd go ahead and install those 3 updates on there if you haven't already. If you want the gfx driver for the 4400, it is this one

Sony : SVP1321C5E :n päivitykset | Lataa SVP1321C5E | SVP1321C5E:n päivitykset

But if there is no update, I am sure your's is already the most up to date for your region or your laptop, I have a CTO but its from north america. good luck

 

hey guys i just ordered my vaio. for those of you who did a clean install, how did you get your product key for w8? i just called sony and they said i would have to purchase the product key LOL

i was trying to use this

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/upgrade-product-key-only

TYIA

 

The product key is embedded in the BIOS. W8 will not ask you for the key during installation, it will read it automatically. If you want the actual numbers, there are some applications you can find on Google.

 

i see. i just ran the windows 8 setup app on a different computer, so i presume that when i run it on the vaio it wont ask me for the product key?

sorry for the Q's guys first laptop since 2009 (vaio SR)

 

I also wanted the Pro 11. I went for the 13 because I also wanted non-touch and 8gb RAM.

I was hoping an 8gb RAM non-touch version of the Pro 11 would come out in my country, but I couldn't wait any longer.

I probably would have even compromised on the 8gb of RAM if non-touch was available here.

 

Thank you, such comparison is something i was looking for for a while. No i just need to find the easiest way to order to New Zealand.

 

Have any of you guys installed Ubuntu with UEFI? I get my Vaio Pro 13 tomorrow and wondering whether to battle UEFI or not...

 

Is my Vaio Pro 13 Dead on Arrival?

I plugged it in and pressed the power button and the green light is lit, but nothing is happening. The QS guide says it takes several minutes for start-up, but nothing appears on the screen at all!

I also notice a 2mm gap between the bottom of the bezel and the screen (bezel separated from screen). Could it be broken??

 

That's not the latest intel gpu driver for the ivy/hw igp...
Can someone please try to install the latest version from here?!? intel drivers pour chipsets Graphiques