Official Vaio Y 13.3 Series Owners Lounge

Just received my Sony Y Series today. I'll post some comments later once I get it set up, but here's my unboxing video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xJZnwfIUqk

 

sweet, finally a small sony power adapater comes standard! hope the Z gets a similar one too

 

The Y looks pretty nice.

Thanks for the video!

 

Thanks for sharing!

Let us know how you like your screen and battery life!

 

Let us know how you like your 1.3GHz processor for $1,000!

 

lol.

I considered the UL30VT, Timeline and other laptops, but I need an ExpressCard slot, which those don't have.

The ExpressCard slot will be used for a wireless modem and also for a USB 3.0 port. No other CULV notebook offers this.

Also, it doesn't hurt that the $999 Vaio Y comes with two batteries in the box (standard w/8 hrs life and extended w/12 hrs life). I figure this gives me somewhere between 14 and 20 hrs of battery life when I'm on the road. The Vaio came with Windows 7 Professional instead of Home Premium and the specs say it's upgradable to 8GB memory whereas the others are limited to 4...

Believe me, I price compared a lot and was close to buying a UL last week until I saw the news about the Vaio.

The screen on the Sony is better than the Asus UL BTW. When I looked at the Asus, I could see a discernable dot pattern when looking at a white background, whereas the Vaio is smooth.

The Asus glossy surface and keyboard flex were also a problem. The Sony is just in a different quality category despite the speed difference.

 

Cool video. It's a little bit hard to see in the video, but are there any panels on the bottom for easy DIY upgrade of memory and HDD? I am assuming the 500GB HDD is a 5400RPM drive?

Congratulation on the purchase.

 

Yep, there's a single panel with 3 screws and I can see the hard drive through the vent, so upgrading the drive should be simple. It is currently a 500GB 5400 RPM drive. I assume the memory is accessible through the same panel.

 

Windows Experience Index...

 

Could you please test, if the battery drain issue (using battery when off) is still there? Thx

 

Are you thinking of trying to overclock it 33%, like the UL30vt is?

 

wow, lower than my sr in all categories...

 

You don't compare a CULV-based laptop with a laptop like the SR.

 

You can if its overclocked 33% and has switchable graphics

http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptops/sony-vaio-sr-series.aspx?mode=benchmarks&cids=2019,pa

http://www.laptopmag.com/review/laptop/asus-ul80vt-a1.aspx?mode=benchmarks&cids=1873,2017,1854,pa


UL80vt: su7300 (1.3ghz CULV) overclocked 33% and 210m
PCMark Vantage 3,600
LAPTOP Battery Test 09:17 hours
3DMark06 3,463
Far Cry 2 (1024x768) 41.00 fps

SR (older t6400/ATI 3470 model):- the newer SR will be a bit faster.
PCMark Vantage 3174
LAPTOP Battery Test 04:26
3DMark06 2450
Far Cry 2 (1024x768) 29 fps

 

an sr with intel graphics, 2.2ghz, older ram?

 

Good question.

 

Possibly, but battery life is most important to me right now, so I may hold off on doing this.

 

I'll test this. I had this problem on my Sony SZ and my UX, so I'm curious to see what happens with the Y.

One thing I can say so far, is although the battery life is decent on the Y, Sony's claims of 7 hours on full brightness with the standard battery are not accurate, from what I'm seeing so far. I hate when manufacturers advertise long battery life without qualifying it. The only way I can see getting this battery life would be by turning off wifi, lowering the screen brightness to the lowest setting and using software that makes minimal use of the hard drive.

I've only had a limited amount of time with the Y so far, but I'm getting around 5 hours of standard battery life with wifi on and 60-70% screen brightness while using my browser. Like every other laptop, screen brightness seems to be the key here. I'm sure the included extended battery will at least get me through an 8 hr day, so I'm not too disappointed about the standard battery results. The standard battery will probably end up just being backup battery for me ultimately.

 

Try using the silent mode setting it is in the Sony control centre. 5-6hrs with 60%-70% brightness is ok. With my TT using the silent mode with power saver i boosted my battery life quite a bit. It is worth a try if you haven't given this a go. What is your standard battery rated at?

 

It looks like sony finaly considered the difference between euros and dollars, normally we pay the same amount in euros as americans pay in dollars, but this y costs 800€ here in belgium, which is a very nice price for such a slick looking laptop...or is it called a netbook?

 

Great suggestion. I'll try this today.

 

Most definitely a notebook.

 

I have a VAIO Y too. But the screen keeps flickers/blinking after I connected it to a monitor using HDMI.

 

Sorry mate but the EU version = the $799 us version....

as always here people forget that all EU version include all taxes.. TAX is added to US versions at the time of purchase

So Euro 800 = 672.27 Euro (less 19% VAT) = $966.46 !!!

The US $999 = Euro 694.90 = including 19% VAT Euro 826.93

So they actually got WORSE !!!


The Devil is always in the detail !!!

 

Please help me answer on these :
1. Does New Sony Vaio Y Series support SATA II / SSD?
2. Does it have WWAN Slot / 3G Module?
3. How long the battery can last?

Thank you

 

How is the screen?

Driver issue. Try updating your driver.

I wouldn't count on it. The Z has a much higher power draw than the Y.

 

Looks like a very nice machine!

 

Made in Japan or China?

 

Any Y-series owners w/ Zune Software or another multimedia software as taxing?

How well does this run on your CULV processor?

 

I just picked one up at the Sony store and I'm hoping to try to do a mini-review of the unit since there isn't one available online. Stay Tuned!

 

Please include a screen review as best you can.

 

Unfortunately I am fairly busy and cannot complete the review. However I also discovered this model has the characteristic high pitched whine noise that Core 2 duo's have when going into sleep states. I will try and get a replacement before completing a review.

 

Processors make "whining" noises?

Not the harddrive?

 

Unfortunately I ended up returning this machine. The buzzing noise was getting on my nerves.

Quick impressions:

-Very solid feeling, sleek, no creaking, lid feels strong with no rippling when doing the back push test. The bottom actually feels like matte stone. Hard to describe but it is very solid. I tried to open the machine but it was very difficult. Build quality is definitely A+.
-weight is balanced throughout the machine and lid. At 3.9 lbs it is fairly reasonable and does not feel heavy in a certain area like how some machines may feel.
-Fairly quick (exactly what I would expect from a culv machine)
-Screen viewing angles are comparable to a mini 311.
-Contrast and color look a bit better than a mini 311
-Screen is glossy coated
-nice large keyboard buttons. Very comfortable to use
-touchpad is big with nice button feel. I actually think the touchpad may be too big but i guess it is easier to do the multitouch gestures. The touchpad is by synaptics.
-Fan noise does exist but is very quiet. The fan will spin up when doing some heavy processing.
-Sound from speakers is acceptable.

Cons
-This machine and the floor model i listened to has the characteristic C3/C4 state high pitch noise.

If there was a way I could disable the lower sleep states to silence the high pitch noise, I would have considered keeping the machine. As of now, I do not believe the lower sleep states can be disabled by bios or software unless rmclock gets an update. This may also push down battery life slightly.

I did not get a chance to run down the standard battery but from the short time I ran down the battery I feel it would get close to the estimated 7 hours.

Conclusion:
Unfortunately due to a small design flaw, I can hear this high pitch noise on two of the machines I listened to (mine and the display model). Due to this issue I exchanged my machine for something else. If this does not bother you, the sony Y series is a great CULV alternative if you are looking for one with a bit better build quality.

13" CULV Competitors Considered ~$600-900:

Vostro v13
HP Probook 5310m
Asus UL30a
Acer 3810T timeline

 

What exactly is this high pitch noise? From the speakers, harddrive spinning, or fan?

Also how well did the the CULV processor run media programs like WMP, or stream music through Pandora/last.fm? I ask because I wonder whether the Y-series can handle web browsing, Microsoft Word, and Zune Software at the same time.

 

Laptop mag rated the battery life of the Y-series to be around 6 hours. Can anyone else confirm that?

 

Hi folks,

Im shopping for some nice, lightweight 13 incher with good battery life. I had SZ and TZ before and great thing about those notebook was the xbrite screen. They were actually usable outside and because of this Im used to study/work outside for whole summer. Finally my question - does it have same type/quality screen as TZ/SZ (which I assume were higher end models)?

 

@ Snipester:

The high pitch noise is a very common 'defect' in Intel CPU's. I also had this problem on my Dell XPS Core2DUO, but I 'fixed' this problem with RMCLOCK, by disabling the C3/4 steppings.

But, this workaround does not work with the Vaio Y series? Because then I think I'll have to reconsider.

Thanks!

 

Funny you should mention the SZ. I actually own the SZ750 N/C and have it sitting next to my Y on the desk. That SZ is an amazing computer and the Y compares favorably to it. However, the SZ screen is noticably brighter and has whiter whites than the Y when viewed side by side. The Y performs better than the SZ in every other category, though.

Here's a side by side shot. The Y is on the left and the SZ on the right.

 

I haven't experienced any high pitched noise with my Y. I'm sensitive to that sort of thing, so I'm sure I'd notice it, but I haven't heard anything like that. The Y is whisper quiet.

 

Hmm, okey. Just in case the high-pitch noise is present, why isn't it possible to disable the powersavingstates in RMCLOCK? (Commenting on Snipester's post) Is it because of the ULV-type of processor?

 

Has anyone noticed a battery drain issue with this model, similar to that of the S-series?

 

How? The SZ has a faster processor.

 

True, it has a faster processor, but I installed Windows 7 Professional on the SZ this monring and the Windows Experience score is only 2.9, whereas the Y has a Windows experience score of 3.4.

The SZ's hard drive and esp. graphics have lower scores than the Y.

 

I've got a TT with a SU9600 and a SZ with a T9300. The SZ has a faster processor and i can feel it. It also has speed mode. I upgraded to an SSD that gave me a 7.4 in WEI anyway.
Still. the ULV is a decent performer especially with the 4500HD.

vaiofan, did you ever do a battery life test? I know it can a bit difficult when the battery life is quite a lot to sit there and actually run it nearly right down.

 

Found this while looking for the F series. Thought a couple of you might dig it..

http://www.call-t.co.jp/blog/mt/archives/entry/011302.html

 

I haven't done a battery life test; I can only comment on my real world experience. Battery life isn't as long as I'd hoped, but it is acceptable. For the first time, I don't feel compelled to carry around a power supply.

For me with as many as 7 apps open & frequent hd usage:
Standard battery at 70% brightness is around 5 hrs.
Extended battery at 70% brightness is around 7 hrs.

I'm sure these numbers can be improved with changes to the brightness, wifi and less hd usage, so others may be able to get better results.

 

Can everyone with a VAIO Y confirm that it's whisper quiet?

 

That seems wrong to me SZ series is discontinued for years and still seems to have "better" display (IMHO brightness is main feature for outside viewing isnt it?). As I said - I know they are on opposite ends of portfolio, but SZ7 is like 3 years old? C´mon Sony.

 

Agreed, but I think the Y is bright enough for outside viewing. I've used it outside and didn't have any problem seeing the display. Just when compared with the SZ, it isn't as bright. The SZ has a lot of advantages over the Y (carbon fiber case, switchable graphics, etc.) and the price was at least double the cost of the Y, so I'm not surprised about the display difference.