Official Vaio Pro 13 Owners Lounge (SVP13 2013)

If you read this Sony VAIO Pro 13 Touch Ultrabook Review - Pre-Configured SATA PCIe SSD Far From Ideal | The SSD Review (important: second and fourth page) it seems like you can get the vaio pro either with the toshiba or the samsung. As i understand it, it depends wether you buy you vaio pro from sony.com website, or in a physical shop.... But not sure?

 

I went ahead and ordered the Lenovo Thinkpad USB 3.0 Dock and have been pleased with the results. The dock immediately recognized my monitors as 1920x1200 resolution and set them up accordingly. I chose the Thinkpad for its two DVI ports, though have settled on using the SVP's HDMI port for my main monitor and the USB dock for the other monitor (as you did) due to the slight emulation delay. I'm also using the SVP's LCD panel as a third screen, but don't really need the real estate.

After thinking about it, I think it makes sense that the "up to 2048x1152 max resolution" that is specified on DisplayLink's list of docking station is meant to convey that 1920x1200 is within the stated max resolution, as 2048x1152 has 55,296 more pixels than 1920x1200. Therefore, this dock (and the others linked in my earlier post Official Vaio Pro 13 Owners Lounge (SVP13 2013) http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony-owners-lounge-forum/720737-official-vaio-pro-13-owners-lounge-svp13-2013-a-192.html#post9389045) are capable of handling 1920x1200, though my belief is completely unfounded in any actual technical knowledge.

I thought about returning the Thinkpad for the Targus (to save some money) or the Belkin (for the nice stand form) since I can do without two DVI ports, but I think it would be more trouble than it's worth and it might be nice to add an extra screen one day.

Thanks again,
Austin

 

Use Postbox Courier to buy stuff from USA/UK, have used them multiple times to buy from Amazon USA/UK
Once you registered you can book a parcel to be delivered to their USA or UK depot...if you need help - send me a private message.

AFAIK the 512GB model is only available from Sony UK/USA directly. Last I checked Amazon US only sells upto the 256GB model
Would probably be better to buy it from Sony USA rather than UK as it would work out cheaper and the Vaio Pro 13 in USA comes standard with PCIe SSD(which is faster) compared to SATA SSD in UK/Europe.

 

Just received my Sony Vaio pro 13, everything is perfect - just one issue, the foot on the left hand side feels a bit ..lose? i can move it sliightly and it makes a little sound, where as the one on the right hand side is solid and cant move at all. Is this a problem? It is like this on receiving :\ Don't know if anyone elses has this or if its just me?

Other than that, really happy with my purchase! 0 wifi issues, fan is totally silent

 

Did a fresh install with windows 8.1 pro. how can i get control center show all items? can't see keyboard lights, fan speed and so on

 

@ascariss

I may have accidentally solved partially the brightness key issue after resume from sleep.

I had problem with my Bluetooth driver(Intel driver provided by Sony eSupport) constantly unloaded by windows indicating it had a problem. At the same time, I experienced 3 Crashes when resumed from Sleep/Hibernate and the Bluescreen viewer indicated the error as:

DRIVER_POWER_STATE_FAILURE caused by driver ntoskrnl.exe
(This means Drivers errors encountered when you put computer to sleep or out of sleep)

I sent my dump files and msinfo32.nfo to Microsoft Community and the expert pointed it towards my Bluetooth driver.

So I uninstalled my Intel Bluetooth driver from Device Manager and Windows automatically installed a Generic Bluetooth driver by Microsoft. So far, for the last three days, my Bluetooth mouse has been working smoothly and no more crashes or drivers unloaded by Windows warnings. Guess what, it may have solved the Brightness key not functioning mystery.

Now if I sleep or hibernate my Vaio through the Power Option settings or manually Sleep through Charms/Settings/Power/Sleep, I have no issue with Fn + F5/F6 keys or brightness slider. However, if I sleep the Vaio by closing the Lid, then the problem still exist. Temporary option is to go to Vaio Control Center/Power & Battery/Lid Close Action - "Do Nothing".

Last year Microsoft released a fix for this issue for Windows 7 and lets hope they will do the same for Windows 8 or 8.1.
Screen brightness changes and you cannot adjust the screen brightness after you resume a laptop from sleep mode in Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2

 

Have you ordered your unit from official Sony Store after they allowed to configure it with i3 and PCIE SSD?

 

Unfortunately not I ordered from the Sony UK store BEFORE it was available so I have 256 gb SATA ssd and i5. I'm thinking about sending back and re-ordering a 256 gb PCIe ssd instead!

I'm having NO problems with Wifi at all though, none whatsoever. The product is perfect for me other than one of the feet used to raise it up being a bit loose. One thing that is slightly annoying is its ability to pick up fingerprints but that happens with most ultrabooks.

 

I don't have wifi or fan noise problem but I do have some serious issue with this new laptop. picture shows better than explain. Wonder will sony learn to build some laptop? After waitin 2 weeks and spending a lot of money. is this?

 

How do you guys get NFC to work? I tried transferring a very small word document from my Nexus 4, held it to the mousepad and it buzzed and asked me to tap again, but nothing happens on the laptop end

 

I have the same issue on the bottom part of the screen, where the sony logo is located. It seems like sony cheeped out on the glue or did not let it dry.

 

@sommblog - thats clearly build quality problem if hasn't been dropped or anything! in the first 2 weeks. I'd definitely send that back for a swap out!

@ejbi - do you mean this location?



This 'foot' feels slightly loose to me, the one on the left hand side is perfectly stable. If you mean anywhere else and its severe like sommblog's thats deefinitely something you should be returning!

 

No its on the front, right below the screen.There is a little gap between the frame and the screen it self. If i put pressure on the frame, the glue will stick on for a while to come of after a couple min later.

 

If I ask for replacement probably it will take another 2-3 weeks as I need a laptop these days very much. maybe I should try to glue it.i never thought that I will need glue for brand new laptop. at second day it start to falling in part. sony should shame on theirself.

 

OW ! Sommblog, it just poped out? I am still using mine at home, at my desk, I haven't started to carrying it all around, stuffing it in my backpack, travail with it, airplaine using it... but I'll start doing it now... how do you use it? Damn...

 

I know its not cheap, but a slip cover like this: VGPE-MCP13 | VAIO Slip Covers | Technical Specifications | VGPEMCP13 | VGPEMCP13 | Sony is so worth it! Just for the safety of the unit whilst traveling. Sucks that your unit appears to have been poorly constructed though, I know its a long time to return it and you need it but its so worth it when it most likely cost you over £900!

If you have the money in your bank, and you are in the 30 day period, order a new one now and also schedule a return, you can continue to use it until return date - obviously this isn't convenient for a lot of people though!

 

Hi
It just happened today when i was lifting up the screen. Obviously pressure make it happen.When screen is opened it looks fine. But only when you are opening the screen. I never dropped. It was always at safe place. Thanks

 

Hi thanks thats an option. I will call them and see what can i do. I loved this laptop. it is so light , look and feels good. long battery life. but screen problem is soo annoying

 

@ejbi @PaulJ1992 : Yes, in my Vaio this left foot is also slightly loose, while the left one is stable... I haven't noticed that before... seems it's the same for everyone...

 

Thanks a lot for the reply... I'll try not to put too much pressure when opening it... here in Canada they are not selling the carrying case yet, but in USA it cost $50 bucks, and the leather one $99 ... kind of expensive, I think there may be cheaper models not-sony in the market...

 

@paulocruzfilho

The sleeve is available at Sony Store for C$59.99. I got this one two months ago at Sony Store Richmond, BC.

 

Yes, sorry guys, thanks Wiclee, I did a terrible job looking for it... just found it (out of stock presently): Sony VAIO Pro Bag | Carrying Case for VAIO Pro 13 | VGPAMCP13 | Sony Canada

 

anybody can confirm if disable usb selective suspend affect the battery too much ??I can't live with this pitch/noise but I need my battery life too , if it will affect it by 2--5% it's ok but not more ??

 

Sony usually gives a coupon off accessories when registering the laptop, anyone know if this could be used for the extended battery?

 

I have a model svp13215pxb and I can not figure out how to configure the device so that I can use the touchpad pointer/cursor on the screen for all links. Most of the time I have to use my finger on the screen to invoke a hyperlink or other feature. Any ideas as to what I need to configure? Many thanks for your ideas!

 

Refer to manual:

 

Yes, it does. Apply it on check-out under e-Coupons

 

Just started using my Vaio Pro i7 [SVP132A1CW]. It comes with only 4gb of RAM here in Dubai. They told me in the shop that it can't be upgraded. Bit disappointing as I'd be much happier with 8gb. Does anyone know if there is a possible upgrade for this machine? Thanks

 

No, there is no way to do that. Once you bought it you will always have only 4gb.

 

Thank you for the reply. I knew about this, but thanks for pointing it out. I may have been unclear in my post. In fact, to reply to this, I had to physically touch the screen with my finger, as the touchpad will not select the link. It appears like it is going to, but it still requires a physical touch on the screen itself. But the touchpad will allow me to select the Favorites tab and things like that. I can not use the touchpad to select the Post Quick Reply button... when I hover over it, it displays the http:// information for that button, but will not allow me to select it. Thanks again for the assistance.

 

Strange! I am now using touch-pad to post Quick Reply, just tap on the Post Quick Reply Button.

Ok, go to Settings and see if the Tapping is Checked.

Control Panel>Mouse>"Device Settings" tab/"Settings" button.

 

Strange one but does anyone in the UK either
1. Know where I can buy the black Sony microfibre cloth that came with it or
2. Want to sell theirs (providing its new/clean)

Lost mine and it is bugging me especially as I'm getting key marks on the screen. Using a spare glasses one for now but want a fullsize again if possible.

Otherwise, would someone get back to me with measurements of the one that came with it and I'll get one made

 

Hi, I'd like to get from you some opinions about this notebook (indeed, it would be to say "ultrabook", were it not that I hate the term).

Before starting with questions it's good to do some premises.
I'm interested in i3 and i5 versions only (the i7 version not because, apart from being useless, it costs really too much) to be attached to my Clevo's 15,6'' gaming notebook, and I would use it exclusively for university and for "programming works", and for this reason it would be often carried around or from home to university whenever I need it, since it would really be useful for several exams of the first and subsequent years, including programming and programming laboratory.
Obviously my intention is -once purchased, if I decide to buy it- planing totally windows and put on a Linux distro (probably Debian, OpenSUSE, Gentoo or Arch).

Well, now we move on to the questions themselves.
1) General question: is it a good ultrabook, and especially suitable to be often brought to university (with appropriate protection, of course)?
2) I have read a few reviews around the web (including that from notebookcheck, but unfortunately has tested only the i7 version) and I saw that there are some conflicting opinions on the keyboard. Some say that is flexible yet robust and there is no risk of breaking it, while others say that the risk is there. Well, for me the keyboard is an important element: since I'll have to write the code I would use it a lot. In this sense, given the thinness of the notebook is there some risk of damaging it in the long run? And above all, how is the feedback?
3) I've never tried the i3 and i5 ULV. May them be worth the expense of about 800-900 € (the price of the notebook with i3 or i5...I use Euros because I'm Italian) and be good for the use I described above (mostly programming and so on)? Or are they really crap?
4) I have read (around on the web) negative opinions about the wifi reach...is it really that bad?
5) How's the battery life? This factor is very important to me. I read that it is about 7-8 hours, and I have often lessons from morning to 17:30 in the afternoon and having the notebook always with enough battery charge would be fantastic.
6) How would you judge the cover? I mean the fact that a part protrudes below when you open it. Is it uncomfortable or useful in long terms (lightly lifts the notebook)?
7) The fact that it only has one SSD might give me problems with Linux? Or in general, might I have problems with the hardware installing any distro?
8) Knowing the use that I will make of the notebook and the fact that I need battery life, compact size and portability, would you recommend me the 13,3'' model or the 11,6'' one?

I think it's all I need to know before I make any decision about purchasing it. If someone could answer to all or at least some of these questions I would be very very grateful.
Thank you in advance!


PS: For those wondering why among all the other ultrabooks I bet on this Vaio Pro is because it is small, it is made ​​entirely of carbon fiber making it extremely light, and has a FullHD display in a 13,3'' screen (which is a programming manna), and especially because it costs relatively less than its major competitors that offer more or less the same thing and whose price is much higher instead.

 

Can you share your setting please ?

 

I was going to suggest until you added the HD display that you go with the MBAir 11" revamped for W8 as it simply is robust, has clip on cases and does not need a sheet battery to get +8 hrs use and the KB and trackpad that are second to none, but as you stated HD you do not really have much choice I'm afraid.

The Pro is more styled for a business user IMO but that does not mean it's not robust just more angular the KB is more for light fingered users You will have to get the sheet battery for the use you want so the lid on your knees is not relevant. Don't dismiss the I7 as it's low power clock speed that will count for you. Both the MB Air and Pro have WiFi issues for some unlucky users.You can add an external drive easily and the Pro SD card fully recesses which is a bonus, tough call but HD limits your choice really

 

Hope this helps - As mentioned, I use it for pretty much what you will be but probably bit more for work related stuff and I have no issues with it at all.
Very happy with the purchase

 

Thank you very much for your advices, you've been more than exhaustive! I'm a step closer from buying it now

3) Honestly I don't know which CPU should I choose. I think I definitely don't need the i7 because is also a fake-quadcore (2q+2t) so not so different from the i5 one, and anyway is more temperature/heat-dependent than the other two. So, I think the choice would be between the i3-4010U and the i5-4200U. Honestly I would prefer the i3 for the less consumption and heat, but from the other side it has no turbo-boost and, if I choose the 8gb ram option, I think the configuration will be unbalanced.
Which may be better for my use? i5-4200U + 4gb ram or i3-4010U + 8gb ram...or the less i3-4010U + 4gb ram? Really don't know, and I have a limited budget so I need to save money where I can :-/

7) The problem lies in the fact that not all the Linux distros fully supports SSDs, and also I don't know if they have and use functions like TRIM, the Windows bult-in one that reduces the writes of the SSD and this significally increasing the life of the SSD itself. So my fear is that using only Linux on SSD could decrease its life very quickly.


Just another thing: I thought I understand from your post that you have tried the extended battery, right? Is it removable or fixed as the standard one, and how much raises the notebook? If it's not fixed, it is possible buying and putting it later?

 

The best eco config is 4200U, 8gb Ram, non-touch. I know your budget is limited, but I'm 100% sure that you will regret in future not upgrading Ram to 8gb or CPU to 4200u. 4gb of ram is not very much nowdays and you can easilly exceed the limit only by browsing the web. With CPU the same situation 4200U is a good procesor but not very fast when you compare it to non ULV models. When you choose i3 it would be even worse, you will notice a difference in everyday use. It is worth to pay an extra 50$ for having 8gb of ram and 4200u. Thats it. If you still can't afford it than get i3 + 8gb. If I were you i would do that.

 

Agree 100% with the above
The ram is soldered and you will not get a chance to upgrade in future...ever! So get the 8GB for sure.
and as a minimum i5 although stretch to i7 if possible especially if you're coding which could be seen as more CPU hungry

 

Well, actually the reason why I prefer i3 is mostly because I have the fear that the i5, being more powerful and having the turbo-boost feature, may be worse in both consumption and heating than the i3 giving me disadvantages when I use battery.

I'm also worried about the fan noise with a more powerful cpu like the 4200U. But if you are sure that the i3-4010U is really crap and not enough for linux and programming (writing and compiling in java, c and so on) then I think i don't have much choice but to get the i5

Anyway, for ram is ok...+40€ doesn't make me poor

 

When you will be only programing with wifi off, you can make your vaio work for 7-8 hours for sure (i5). On my first vaio pro 13 i tried to use windows 8.1 for about 2 days. I have noticed battery life improvement, but didn't have time to test it for sure. If i'm right battery life on 8.1 was better even for 25-30% . Now I'm waiting for official windows upgrade hoping I'm right.

Let's get back to your case. Don't worry about i5 being hotter and more hearable. In normal not heavy use, vaio is silent, it changes only under stress like playing video.

 

First of all, thank you all for the answers! :thumbsup:

Ok then, I think I finally chose the configuration. So i5-4200U, 8gb ram, non-touch panel.
Well, buying it from the Sony online store the total is around 1.038€ in my currency...not so cheap of course, but yet less than others. I would have preferred €898 but that's it, and in fact I'm sure once bought I definitely won't regret the decision (i5+8gb ram).
Does Sony (on the official online store) make any discount with coupon codes or something?

All ok except two "small" thing.
1) The first is the Linux compatibility. No one can tell me more? Because as I suggested, the main problem may be the SSD. Win7-8 in fact have a function, TRIM, that limits the writes on the disk making its life longer. Don't know which Linux distro have something similar, or IF they have it.

2) The second is about the extended battery. Is it fixed or removable? And if not fixed, it is possible buying it later from Sony online store?


Again, thank you for the patience. Unfortunately (for you ) I'm usually a bit cautious and meticulous before spending amounts quite consistent

 

On the german sony website i found a new uefi:

Bios Update - R1040V7 07/10/2013 (7th of October)

What does it fix?
Fix memory test bluesceen issue for unit with Samsung 8GB memory.

Fix Shift Key issue during Machine Password BIOS Setup.

 

Check this code at checkout: VCHGENPAFF1A13 (works for me in Poland, hopefully would work in other EU countries), it's 5% off

 

Point 2: Removable.
It just clips on and can be removed as and when you want although it's slim enough to fit in my case so I never remove it

 

Thanks, maybe I could buy it later
Anyway, i was searching on the web if someone tried to install Linux distros on it...what I found was terrible. A lot of problems with some components like the wifi card, but mostly problems during installation and with boot after installed. Some even says that -with some distros- is necessary to rebuild the kernel to make the distro boot!!! :-|

Unfortunately, it's not a matter of what complex the install procedure is, but the fact that I have no time to spend on it now. I was hoping I would only have to change a few options in the bios and then install the distro normally, like I did to my desktop pc or my other notebook but I hadn't consider the fact that older pcs have obviously better support over the time, while new hardware (like that on this Vaio Pro) have less.

If I had to give up everything just for this, it would be really a shame. This notebook was almost prfect for my use

Nope sorry, doesn't work. But thanks anyway

 

Would you consider running Linux in a VMWare Workstation virtual machine? I read that VMWare Workstation is really good with hardware acceleration, as opposed to VirtualBox and VMWare Player. You could theorically run Linux with only 5-10% performance loss, and your SSD worries would be taken care of. That's what I'm planning to do with my next Windows 8 ultrabook.

 

Is there any way to turn off touchpad gesture that switches applications (something like horizontal swipe from left to right)? I was playing with this touchpad at local store and found this feature really annoying but cound't find an option to disable it in settings.
Thanks!

 

Unfortunately the Haswell versions of the base Core i5 and i7 ULVs (that is, the 4200U and the 4500U) don't support hardware virtualization.

Source:
ARK | Intel® Core
ARK | Intel® Core
(It's called VT-d)

I would have needed it too...

 

Control Panel>Mouse>Device Settings>Settings