Official Vaio Pro 13 Owners Lounge (SVP13 2013)

Please read back a few pages in this thread, this was already covered regarding the computer waking up after being put to sleep.

 

thx... I did it on the first day, but after the Wifi Driver Update, the settings must have been resetted and I totally forgot about it.

 

My Vaio Z13 fan became detached from the heat sink and therefore the fan went full speed even when doing simple tasks like browsing. What is the fan noise on the Pro 13s like (volume and pitch) compared to Vaio Zs going at full whack?

 

Instead of having 136 pages of driver solutions, could somebody (competent) ask a moderator if a separate thread can be created which lists in the first post all of the driver issues and the solution?

It would stop people repeat-asking the same questions and therefore stop this thread getting as large as it has so quickly.

 

Please, provide signal strength as a dBm value, like -50 dBm, so it can be compared by others and also can be compared between operating systems.

Mine is currently -35 dBm where I usually use the PRO, 3 meters away.
At 6 meters out at the balcony with door closed and the balcony wall in-between -63 dBm (yep, Windows is showing full bars)
At 6 meters with door open without wall in-between -47 dBm
At 6 meters wall in-between with door open -47 dBm,
At 0.1 meters, -13 dBm

Wifi network is 5 GHz (n).

Download speed was earlier at 9-10 MB/s, I'll check it later this weekend (need to put the server up and running for that).

 

Remember that wifi range at 5 Ghz is always worse than at 2,4 Ghz. In most cases its better to use 2,4 Ghz becouse of the range and download rate is also good enough for normal use

 

I'm looking at getting a Vaio Pro without touch screen (regular black) in the UK. Are the any photos of this model? I believe it's a matt display. Is it still 1080p IPS and Triluminous?

Thanks

 

Yes it is!

 

I get -42 to -47 dBm at 4m from the router (2.4 GHz). At 9 to 12m, behind 2 walls, I have -72 dBm. From -60 dBm, you cannot keep a xDSL download at full speed (dropping from 800 Kb/s to 500 Kb/s). At -72 dBm you disconnect several times, and sometimes download at 150 Kb/s.

Under Linux, I get no improvement when I disable power management for the WiFi card. But, the connection is more stable when I limit the max rate to 11 Mb/s. I guess this is what the Windows driver do: They limit the max rate when the dBm become bad to try keeping the connection from dropping.

Verdict: the WiFi is good... only if you have no obstacle between you and the router...

I have opened my Vaio, so I will post later some photos of the antennas. They are in the same place as the speakers. Maybe they cause some interferences?


Edit: BTW, while running the Vaio with the bottom case opened, my download speed was better. It's like the carbon fiber would not be WiFi friendly either...

Edit2: "I know that carbon fiber and 2.4ghz radio signals can be a bad combination. RC aircraft flyers have to take precautions to make sure their radio signals don't get blocked by receivers in carbon fiber fuselages."
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1455202&page=9

Funny...

 

I've got a serious problem, sorry for my poor english, i'm french. Since yesterday have some issue with sounds and video. When I play video on youtube the sound sizzles and the video slows. I try dans uninstall and reinstalle flash player, drevier audio, realtek, intel graphic but nothing ! I try to restore my laptop in an ohter date but nothing too. I will try to format it and I will see. I don't want to send it to sony, I need it in to week for school.

Someone to help me please ?

[Edit] problems appeared after updates: bios and wifi driver.

 

The latest silent-mode BIOS update works great for me. I noticed a marked (subjective) difference in fan noise and (objective) difference in fan rpm readings.

As for wireless drivers: It's weird, but the standard Windows driver (i.e. the one automatically installed by Windows 8 after deinstalling any add-on wireless drivers) actually works best for me. Version number is 16.0.5.3. Any newer driver on Sony's website just caused more problems for me. Aforementioned version works flawlessly in my case.

My bluetooth mouse still keeps loosing connection sporadically (even after applying all the fixes mentioned in this thread and installing the latest BT drivers). The only thing that entirely seemed to fix bluetooth drop-outs so far was deactivating WiFi (I deactivating WiFi during a long train ride a few days ago and was able to work 6 hours without my BT mouse loosing connection for a single time). That can't be a real solution, of course - but it indicates that Bluetooth vs. Wifi interference can be a problem for the Vaio Pro. Made sense when I read that they revised / plan to revise (?) the position of the BT antenna in the first product refresh.

 

I've some problem with sounds and video after update my wifi driver and bios on Sony's website. Can be the wifi who makes problem ?

 

Is there an application you guys use to gauge your computers screen on time? My computer will always tell me about how much time I have left, but I'm always curious about how long its actually been running. Thank you

 

As promised, some photos (click to zoom):

Whole view with battery removed, and position of the antennas (right below WiFi logos, under the speakers). The antenna on the right might be the bluetooth one but I'm not sure, maybe they are both used for WiFi&BT:


Left part of the MB:


Right part:


Zoom on fan (with its 1mm thick fan blades):


SD card reader:


One antenna (seems for WiFi). It requires too much work to seen the other one completely (need to remove the heatsink or the whole MB):


A desperate move, added a shield on the LCD cable:


Not sure if it did a huge improvement. The only thing I know is that I can now connect a bit further than before, but not sure if this is the shielding or because I have replugged the antennas or the M.2 Intel N7260 card.

My connection was better (but not that great) when the bottom cover was off. It seems the case create interferences itself (ie. reverberations, absorbing part of the radio-waves)

 

Thank you for posting these photographs!
In your picture it looks like the black antenna wire contact is touching the screw which holds the wifi card in place. Could you try isolating this to avoid any potential short circuit and see what happens?

 

I ensured that was not the case when I replugged the antenna. But I don't think the screw is conductive thank to the black paint.

In any case, it didn't solve the WiFi issue. If I had spare antennas, I would have tested with them being outside of the chassis.

Edit: If you unplug the battery, you need to start your laptop the next time using the power adaptor. Seems that the battery keep a capacitor charged. Just to let you know, so you don't panic like me on the moment

 

I reinstall windows 8, no problem with sizzles sounds or low. But i'm afraid to do some sony's website update. :3

 

This one works well for the Pro 13 and it's only $9. HDMI Cable, Home Theater Accessories, HDMI Products, Cables, Adapters, Video/Audio Switch, Networking, USB, Firewire, Printer Toner, and more!

 

My wireless driver is Intel 16.1.3.1 Is this different from the one Windows 8 installs by default?

 

5 GHz is actually better at least for my machine. 2.4 GHz seems to drop even more behind the wall and is also slower.

I just installed DD-WRT to my router and gained 2-3 MB/s more download speed resulting in 13 MB/s max using 5 GHz and 11 MB/s using 2.4 GHz. Speed drops to around 5 MB/s behind the wall at 6 meters using 5 GHz and to 3-4 MB/s using 2.4 GHz.

 

From my experience:
When one device sees another one = 5Ghz
When there is something between like wall =2,4 Ghz

There is a possibility that where you live are many other users and common 2,4Ghz frequency is full of trash. In this case less known 5Ghz is better.

 

Ditto on the fan for me

I run the Sony WiFi drivers and have had no problems like you I have good and bad days with the BT mouse ie today no problems and the Pro is been on and off restarted etc but yesterday evening it was troublesome it seems to happen more when you are web browsing

I had almost identical problems with MBAir bootcamp W8

 

Hey can I just burn the recovery disc from another Vaio Pro?
Or does anyone know where I can download or buy the recovery disc for the vaio pro? My computer bluescreened and can't find the recovery files after I did a system restore right after I got it and I need to use it really soon.

Thanks.

 

I believe you can use another person's recovery disc from their Pro.

Microsoft should really adopt the same technique as Apple when doing a full recovery. Everything is over the air - wifi. No need to burn recovery discs.

 

Too bad, it seems that the antennas connectors are bigger on the standard size module (left one). So I cannot test connecting the antennas of my old laptop, to check if this an issue with the Intel chip or an antenna issue.

Not sure it would be easy to buy spare parts on those kind of things either, to test it ouside of the laptop....

 

Yesterday I found that even raising the router on its stand may improve the download speeds quite dramatically in the same spot, which to me points to the issue with low signal strength reaching the card. Hence inadequate antennas could be indeed a likely culprit. Combined with the infancy of the drivers this could explain the behaviour we are observing.

 

My quick two pence : After considering a few Haswell options, I got the Vaio Pro 13" i5 a week ago basically for battery life, screen res, weight and price - they just fit perfectly into my equation! Now, I am no power user - just a normal business user whose primary usage of the laptop is web surfing, Office Apps and Music. Now, have to say, though it might seem biased, this seems to be a phenomenal buy, it just hits the home run.

Basic +'es:
- Such lightweight you don't even feel it !
- Amazing screen, I own an iPad Mini, but in secret, I want to do all my stuff on this laptop
- I have always been a Lenovo Thinkpad Enterprise-grade user, "touch" is a new experience, I can live without it, but its not too bad once in a while !
- Great battery life, I am easily scoring 8 hrs+ (will appreciate if there are any tips on the right profile to max it !) and with my sheet battery due to arrive tomorrow, I am looking forward to cross those new MBA losers !
- Fantastic keyboard and touchpad - I was really afraid to move off the Lenovo but Sony, you beaut - the key travel is impressive and the touchpad is just great !

Wonky -'es:
- Why the sharp edges Sony, did you have Ninjas in mind while designing this ? I envy my wife's Samsung ATIV Book 9 curves, these edges definitely dig every once a while in my wrists, hate them ! Want to sandpaper / saw them off !
- No manual keyboard backlight turn on / off option - Sony's automation is very wonky !
- Windows 8 - but I guess it will grow on me. Can't wait for Sep 17's Win 8.1 launch enuff!
- Poor wifi in the starting, but as someone in this forum itself solved for me, its a Win 8 problem and not Sony's. Once I fixed the setting, all was well !

Somehow, I never got the "Fan Noise" - I have tried very hard to listen for it

I think while Sony tried to make this Ultrabook "appealing", its one hell of a great Enterprise business user laptop !

 

Who else have pitch noise ? Not the fan noise, the noise in background

 

Does this configuration exist out there ( USA) in carbon black? I can only find it in silver.

Sony VAIO Pro 13 Touchscreen Ultrabook
13.3-inch Full HD touchscreen
Intel Core i7-4500U
8 GB memory/128 GB SSD

 

Both my original and replacement had those terrible high pitch noises. I returned it and got a refund. Drove me crazy.

 

So, what can i do now ? What sony's technicien can do if i send it my laptop ? and I need my laptop in two week for school.

 

If you received it within the last 30 days you can return the laptop for a replacement or a refund, that's what I did. If you want to do that, ring up the Sony online store, NOT Sony technical support.

 

Not denying that, but when a simple phone has a better/no drop connection than the Vaio pro, it still suck either way.

I believed that until I moved behind a wall...

 

Yeah I'm having that noise.

But only since the latest bios update.

Is there any way at all I can roll back the bios firmware? Or anywhere I can download the old one?

I can cope with fan noise..... But NOT intermittent high pitched sounds

 

Yes, it does exist. In fact, I posted this info on an earlier post. Also, offered in Silver with the same configuration. Here it is again:

Sony VAIO Pro Ultrabook 13.3" TouchScreen Laptop 8GB Memory 128GB Solid State Drive SVP1321CPXB - Best Buy

 

You can have any combo on the Sony Store custom build option in the USA except the non touch screen and the slower SDD offered in Europe if you opt for the custom build you can usually get around $350 promotional discount currently.

Strangely if you opt for max spec or any other that matches pre-built versions it says 30 days delivery yet the pre built is 2

Best Buys and other retail outlets even Sony Shops tend not to have the top spec with the largest SDD

 

I've my laptop since July 2. So too late ^^ thanks for your help

 

Can an administrator please take the above idea and implement it. Nobody is going to/should have to read 139 pages of posts to find out driver issues.

 

What browser do you guys like to use on your Pro?

 

So after the restore, I updated in the following order - Windows Update (everything); BIOS updates; All VAIO updates (except wifi); Then the Wifi update. No issues this time with one exception, the touchpad stopped working so I had to manually install Synaptics software from the VAIO website. So far, so good. Still trying to get used to Windows 8, jury's still out on that one. The laptop itself - wow. Thin, amazingly light, killer graphics; extremely fast start-up. Keyboard feels good. Touch screen seems pretty responsive. Windows 8 did a strange job making some stuff easier with the screen and others with the touchpad. Corners are sharp, but as long as you are aware and keep them away from your eyes, you'll be fine. Mine is not noisy or hot. Overall, this is one very nice notebook/laptop/ultrabook.

 

So far, IE, because it seems to be the only browser that allows the double-tapping to zoom into paragraphs, just like Safari on my old MacBook. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I can't seem to do that on Chrome or Firefox.

 

Alright, so i returned my Vaio Pro 11, and upon returning it the guy in the store convinced me to swap for the Pro 13 for only 75$ more since it was an exchange. I figured this was a good idea.

My first thoughts on the Pro 13:

-Build wise, the laptop is MUCH more flexible and bendy then the Pro 11. So much that its almost scary. When holding the laptop by the front corner, the entire laptop bends under its own weight. The flex under the keyboard is also quite.... large.
-The noise was MUCH louder then the Pro 11, after all the updates though it seems pretty much fine.
-After installing all the updates the touchpad stopped working with any gestures, i had to manually install the old driver.

Odd things:
-When watching shows in VLC a few times between each episode the laptop made no sound. I clicked on the sound bar and no sound emitted. I turned sound on / off, and everything was fine. This happened 2 times between two epsiodes.

Another thing that seems Very ODD to me is when searching for the driver i did not even find this laptop on the sony site, i typed in the model number which is SVP132A1CL and NOTHING came up. A list of SVP13 came up, but none with my exact number....

so i basically downloaded my touchpad driver for the one which seemed closest.

Speed wise, the laptop does not feel very quick. I know benchmark wise this laptop is supposed to be faster then the VPC Z1 but... in reality it feels about 2x slower. When loading web pages and scrolling down quickly, it lags, and slows down...

I am not sure whats going on, but the same was on my Pro 11.

So far i dont know what to think. I almost feel bad coming back to the store AGAIN to return a laptop for the second time since the staff was so nice....

but overall nothing about this computer feels premium in anyway except maybe the screen.

and i know the flex is supposed to be normal and its carbon fiber and its strong but still... i mean the laptop just bends like crazy across the entire board. It just feels like cheap junk.

at this point it feels like everything was sacrificed for weight, everything. from features, to speed, to ports, to flex.

I am not sure what to think yet, this is the 2nd day i have the Pro 13.

 

I think your model no problem has been resoled its an Australian model no used by the techs apparently your real no is SVP13213CG. and can be found under the Sony Asia site

As for your other comments they are a bit subjective but never the less important to you. It's like buying a camera if it does not feel right don't buy it

Take it back to Sony and move on, it took me just a few days to forget I had been using MBAirs for the last 2 years and why I liked the old Z series

 

That sure is odd that its an Australian version since i got it in a store in USA. However it was an open box... odd.

 

Strange. I'm getting lightning fast page loads probably 4 times faster than my desktop quadcore on a wired connection.

It does flex some but seems fine to me.

I am experiencing the random sound muting also.

 

I have seen several Pro 13s and they all had SVP132A1CL written on the case (including the one I am typing this on, which is a US model from 1st week of production).

So I don't know if they are all marked that way, but at least many seem to be marked that way. Your real SKU is available in the VAIO control center.

Laurent

 

I'm having trouble with the sound quality with the Pro 13. When I have headphones plugged in, the sound is echo-y and the quality is poor. Is there a fix to this?

Thanks

 

not sure if you checked the vaio control centre but once you open it up, select sound quality and then see what option is selected, I have clearaudio+ for music and it sounds great on my headphones and speakers.

@cenkaetaya

While I agree there is some flex and my SA and FW are more solid (the base but the SA's screen was quite flexible), I am not bothered by this since I know the material is carbon fibre and that is the nature of carbon fibre it flexes and bends but will reform back to it's original shape.

 

Nomad416

My best guess is that you Pro 13 Windows is still indexing your files . It does take time. After that the speed of the UI, browser etc... increases to lightning speeds.

I had the same thing during first couple of days.

 

Nah, I've had my Pro for many weeks now. When I double-tap on some text in Chrome and Firefox, all it does is just highlight the text, not zoom into the text like in IE.