Official Vaio Pro 13 Owners Lounge (SVP13 2013)

I got my Vaio Pro 13 days ago & the fan noise is driving me crazy. I have done all Windows & Vaio updates including latest BIOS & still the fan noise is nuts!!! The fan kicks off when CPU temp reaches 50C & then just gets louder and louder. I have set the fan noise to Silent in Vaio control panel. As a comparison, I checked my Vaio Z I use at work & the fan doesn't even turn on when CPU temp is 65C. How can I control at what CPU temp fan turns on? IS there a way in BIOS to do so or will Sony provide a BIOS fix for it?

 

Hi,

New to the forums

Has anyone got a solution to the metal frame coming loose from around the screen on the VAIO Pro 13? Seems like the adhesive backing is pretty weak now. Suggestions on what to do (double-sided tape?) or whether there are spare parts available to buy on say eBay/suppliers to replace the frame? Thanks.

My fan speed fluctuates dependent on activity which is what it should do. Firstly under "VAIO Control Center", go to the "Power and Battery" section and check the both the "Power Plan" and "CPU and Fan" profiles. Mine are currently set to "Balanced" and "Standard" respectively.

 

Hi.

Sorry to ask again, but I wonder whether anyone has an idea of how to stop the Vaio Pro 13 from turning off at night? I have it set to 'sleep' when the lid is closed and yet every morning it is off. Any solution would be wonderful - it's driving me crazy!

Thank you!

 

I recently purchased

Vaio Pro 13
Non-touch screen
Intel® CoreTM i7-4650U, 1.70GHz avec 4 Mo L3 Cache
Intel® HD Graphics 5000
LAN(a/b/g/n/ ac)
256 Go SSD - PCIe
8 Go 1600 MT/s DDR3L-SDRAM

No problems with touchpad and Symantec software (which you have to "fine tune" for your needs).

There are three CPU and Fan operation modes in Vaio Control Center: performance, standard and silence, so no noise whatsoever in "silence" mode. Games like Simcity, or multiple opened tabs in Chrome work just fine in a silence mode. Performance mode is intended for heavy load such as video editing.

Regarding the drivers: I uninstalled all of the Sony programs except Vaio Control Center (in order to be able to change the fan & cpu speed).
I downloaded DriverMax (2 free drivers/day), upgraded all the drivers and everything functions just fine.

Regarding some previous complaints about the WiFi: I have an old Acer Aspire and this new Vaio pro 13.
I noticed that Vaio's download speed was very slow compared to the old Acer.
I called my internet provider and they changed the name of my box/router (for example from Numericable 7654 to HOME), reset the connection, and now, the speed on both laptops is maximum (40-70 Mbps) for a WiFi connection via broadband.
So, call your provider! You'll be surprised!

Tip: Download Stardock Start8 to get the classic looking Start menu.

 

I'll ask you the same question I did to JJ15k:

Could you give me more details about the matte non-touch display (if it is a LED as the touch one and if it got triluminos) and mostly about the Black finish (is it a "cheap" painting on the carbon finish or is it good anyway, compared to the Carbon Black?)


Thanks!

 

Hi

I had the same problem with the bezel coming unstuck from the screen. I phoned Sony and they took it in for repair. However, it has been OVER ONE MONTH so far. Apparently they are waiting for the spare parts to arrive.

If I had known I would have probably tried to glue it back together myself!!

 

How should I check whether it is led? The finish looks good to me but i had it for 3 days so...doesnt look cheap to me at least.

 

I am currently undervolting using intel xtreme utility but the fan noise is really bad, rest temp is around 45C and it very quickly goes above 50 when you do more than browse the web.
I dont understand them, my max temps are around 75C, if they just updated their fan policy everything would be fine

 

Guys, I just broke the screen :< I have no idea how this happened, the frame of the LCD (non touch model) was coming of on the right side which was annoying, so I kept pushing it back inside. Turns out there was a metal element under the IPS panel, right under the bottown right corner and the screen eventually broke :/ This is a disaster because it's not my fault, I had this issue from the very beginning but SONY wont probably repair it under the guarantee, so now I have to buy a new IPS LCD which will probably the same as a new VAIO Pro ultrabook. Jezus Christ.

 

I've got the 11" model, but I assume it's the same with the 13". It's the exact same LCD panel on touch and non-touch models, just without the touchscreen attached on top. It is LED backlit. As to Triluminos, as far as I know, the panel manufacturer is Panasonic, so I'm not sure if there's any truth to those Triluminos claims or if it's just marketing. The matte surface is fairly light and not quite as reflection-resistant as, say, on older Thinkpads -- I'm guessing it has to do with a higher pixel density (more coarse antiglare would cause too much distortion).

I don't have the touch version so can't easily compare, but, for what it's worth, I like the finish on mine.

 

Thanks all for the reply!


Yesterday I was wondering around the sony online store and I saw that the 128gb sata SSD model isn't available anymore...it's a problem because i was thinking of buying the vaio pro 13 with it. Do you think it will be available again before the vaio dept. closes?

Are you saying that the matte screen is not so "matte" after all?

 

Does anybody has a recovery media for the new SVP 13 ?

I am fighting with Sony Support to get a copy of it after the laptop failed on the second day when I tried to restore it from rescue mode.

Now Sony Support is trying to sell me the media for £50 ...

 

Are there any differences in performance between the HD4400 on the i5-4200U and that one on the I7-4500U, or they're completely equal?

 

They should be equal, only the 4600U has the hd5000

 

For those of you thinking about installing Windows 8.1 Update 1, go for it. The 3rd patch takes up to10 minutes to install but it installs and runs fine.

 

Can anyone help me out with a factory image or restore media for the Vaio pro 13? I bought a used one yesterday, but the person I bought it from installed a fresh copy of Windows and there are no other Sony programs.

I'd like to get it to how it was when you guys first took it out of the box and set it up. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Has anyone found a suitable quality power supply for their Vaio Pro? I want a spare, one for the bag and one for home. And honestly would rather have the Sony one in my bag because of the added USB port on it, nice touch.

But I don't want a cheap PSU that will burn out or harm my laptop, and the official Sony one costs $80. Just want a quality PSU that I can use with the laptop while at home.

Thanks!

Edit: Nevermind I found an Vaio Duo PSU replacement for ~ $35 on eBay. Same voltage and pin size.

 

A few questions peeps.

1.) Does it have a two finger tap right click menu on the touchpad that way we don't have to press the lower right of the touchpad?

2.) SVP13213CXB model, what default wireless card that comes with it?

3.) Screen questions, how bad is the backlight IPS bleed on it? Does it have a grainy/greasy look to it especially when viewing white backgrounds? Does it have any yellow cast to it like when whites look kinda yellowish?

4.) What's the realistic battery life can you guys squeeze out of it at balanced mode @ 40% brightness just continuous web surfing and doing productivity office work and light media from 100% battery down to 5% hibernate/shutdown?


Thanks

 

I got this Psu, its an original one same voltage but wattage is less @ 20 watt, but its charging fine and its much smaller than the original one
its so good i got one each for 3 of my friends with pro 11 and 13
we've been using it fine since last august
Amazon.com : Sony VGP-AC10V2 VAIO AC Adapter for P Series Lifestyle PC (Black) : Electronics

 

Thanks! I might consider that. I'll measure peak power draw of this machine and see what it is. It may fall within the 20W only anyhow. And on the go, if you're not playing games or doing any major system stress, it may be fine anyhow. Great that it's so small.

Now all I need is a good, but small bluetooth mouse to go with it. No matter how good a touchpad is, nothing beats having a mouse.

 

When you get the laptop, could you tell me how's the touch screen? Also, is it worth waiting for the Iris GPU refresh?

I've also read, why does the Vaio Pro underperform the Duo 13 or even the Surface Pro 2?

 

Take a look at the Logitech T630 !

 

Sec, what do you mean by this?

The Vaio Pro has already got updated...and also the Sony Vaio dept. will be closed by the end of March, so there will be no more refreshes or Vaio Pros to buy on the online store. Isn't it?

 

What do you want to know about the touch screen? It's no different than any other touch screen I've used. Not sure where you read the Vaio Pro underperforms, or in what instances?

 

1. It does.
3. I think the screen looks great. But the reflection can be annoying. If you sit with your back to a window, it's really uncomfortable.

I haven't tested the battery life, But it charges up really quickly

 

Hey guys, what is this problem i keep reading about from users and notebookcheck review that once the vaio pro 11/13 is on battery, the brightness automatically reduces and you cannot control it? Does that problem exist? Was it ever fixed?

 

Does anyone know how to prevent the integrated graphics from throttling? I notice when I try to play a game and the temp hits 60C it immediately starts throttling and it makes playing anything pretty much impossible. Throttlestop works great for the CPU but doesnt seem to help with the GPU and I cant find anything in XTU that can prevent throttling.

 

U can disable intel power saving technology and turn off auto brightness in vaio control center .then u can put the brightness to max at anytime

 

I'm having brightness changes even after disabling the auto brightness.

In a bright picture the brightness goes up and if I switch to a dark picture the brightness goes down.
Some sort of dynamic brightness to make dark movie scenes darker?

This is very annoying, as it happens even when switching between browsing tabs. The brightness transition is not smooth and takes a few seconds.

 

There's three spots to adjust to eliminate auto brightness:

(1) Windows Power Options - under advanced options, display, enable adaptive brightness set to OFF (remember to set it for each power profile)
(2) Intel Graphics Properties - under Power, on battery, display power saving technology set to OFF
(3) Vaio Control Center - under Image Quaity, Display Brightness, set to OFF

Now you should have manual control over your brightness and none of the silly auto brightness which is more annoying than useful IMHO.

Enjoy!

 

Thanks!!!

I missed checkbox in the Intel driver.
Now the brightness is constant.

 

Anyone here from germany who can send me a copy of his recovery cd? (of course not for free!)

 

Quote...I need the answer too

 

Guys, I'm about to buy the weaker model of the Sony Pro, the one that came first on autumun... with i5, 4GB and 128GB SSD...
Can anyone tell me if by now the Wifi problem (weak signal), with newer firmwares and the latest wifi drivers, is resolved???
If not, If I go to a Sony assistance center, do they fix that??

 

I'm about to order, but there is still one thing I'm not sure. I hope that you could help me....


The i7-4500U is now at the same price of the i5. Until now, I've always preferred the i5-4200U because, from various test i read, it increases the battery life by (more or less) one hour than the i7-4500U...and the battery life is what i need most.

The problem is that I also want to play some recent games (nothing so demanding, mostly graphic adventures) such as The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, and others (but always graphic adventures).
To choose wheter or not take the i7 I would need to know if the gap in performance between it and the i5 can justify the loss in battery life, but also the worse fan noise and heating that could come with the i7.

Also I need to know if the plus of 100 mhz on the HD4400 mounted on the i7-4500U can do somthing in games such as the ones I mentioned above.


Thank you!

 

I have the 4200U and I cant seem to play any games because the integrated graphics starts throttling HEAVILY at 60C. Basically I will load up D3, it will run fine at 60FPS (720p, min graphics) for about 30 seconds and then the throttling kicks in and it goes down to like 10 FPS. I have no idea how to fix this so if you intend on gaming I wouldnt get this laptop unless you can find a solution to this problem.

 

Yes, it does throttle down to about 600-650MHz. I actually opened up my system and repasted the CPU with IC Diamond and now it tends to stay at about 800MHz for longer periods. I also make sure fan is set to performance. But it would be nice to disable the throttling of the GPU.

 

can this be done with Intel extreme tuning utility?????

 

Nope. But I did undervolt it, and it seemed to work better. But haven't tested enough to tell if it really worked.

 

Hi there,

After having installed Windows 8.1 update, my keyboard no longer works. Effectively, my Sony Vaio has become a tablet, save for the mouse pad.

Can anyone advise how to get my keyboard working again? I have trawled through the threads and cannot find the solution.

Any assistance greatly appreciated.

 

Ok, just replying from myself,

I just notice that this is a different model from the first one that was released on 2013.
The one that I got, is the SV-P1322M2E and the first was SV-P132 1M2E. Also this one is a touch version, I don't think that the early version is a touch...
For now, no problems whatsoever with Wifi signal and with the fans.

 

Just to update on the situation. I am still using my SVP13 WITHOUT the synaptics driver. It is much better, I don't have "crazy auto-right-clicking issues" any more. Sometimes I got a "auto-left-clicking", but when I disable the autopad and use an external mouse, it goes smooh and stable. I won't install synaptics any more, at least until things go stable as they are going now.

 

I found the answer here: How to Unlock My Vaio Keyboard | eHow

 

Wow good find. Will come in useful for others I'm sure. That's odd. I did an update to Win 8.1 with no issues. Did you do a clean install of 8 or the factory install?

 

What the heck, video drivers from Intel's site won't install on this machine?

 

They will not install on most of laptops out there as most manufacturer make their own driver.

 

I was also shocked by this...

I know that normally laptops that have ATI or Nvidia cards cannot upgrade from the generics drivers, but... I had at least two laptops, one Sony serie S (from 2011) and one Samsung S9 (from 2012) and both have only the intel integrated graphic card, and both can be installed with the generic drivers... don't see the fuss here...

Maybe it's possible to modify the inf in order to get the installation correct?? Anyone??

 

I'm still thinking of buying a new SVP13 before it goes away. I sold my SVP13 and I kinda miss it. The 900X3E I got as a replacement unit isn't really that fun. Sure, it is silent, but it's troubled by its own problems:

- gets very warm around the keyboard, unlike Vaio which was basically cold all the time
- battery life seems terrible (maybe it's because I got i7)
- the screen just doesn't stand up to Triluminus, and 9300K temperature is so outdated it makes my eyes bleed when I look at it
- the keyboard sucks
- BIOS kinda sucks, i.e. the screen's min lumination time is 30s (why so long? annoying when watching a movie... Vaio turns off backlight after 5 seconds, and doesn't turn it on when you touch the trackpad). In addition, energy saver limits SSD performance by around half... while Vaio's one works normally. Meh.

There is no perfect ultrabook, I'm afraid... 900X3E is silent, yes. It also has a great touchpad (Vaio one sucks) but that's about it, it's weaker in every other aspect: heavier, having worse battery, uncomfortably warm, screen temperature is a joke (= color accuracy) which cannot be changed, and the keyboard reminds me of a cheap 200$ laptop rather than a high-end ultrabook.

So.. guess I'll get my Vaio back and sell 900X3E. For that AWESOME keyboard, I might just forgive Sony for that whiny fan.

 

I can't live without my pro it's really different from any other ultrabook ,specially when u looking for amzing screen and keyboard .

 

I guess Sony has a way to make stuff difficult to part with

Come to think of it, I'm using Sony TV, Sony consoles and Sony Phone, haha.