Official Vaio Y 13.3 Series Owners Lounge

Hey guys, I bought a vaio y a few weeks ago and was wondering if anyone has any cleaning tips for the outside case (magnesium I think?) It has some stains, looks like oil or something..

I tried water and fantastic but that didn't work. Maybe alcohol?

 

Could one of you folks confirm if the Y has a backlit keyboard and multitouch trackpad? I can't seem to find this info anywhere.

 

No backlit keyboard. It does have multitouch.

 

Does anyone have the bad quality paint problem, regarding the mousclickbuttons? (Seeing that some users have complaint about that in the Vaio S topic.)

 

Alright so I just bought a Y at the sony store yesterday and when I connected the battery, it seems like theres a loose hinge somewhere. The battery doesnt stay completely snug in the compartment and slides back and forth a tiny bit. Although this doesn't affect operation, is anyone else having this problem?? I would hate to have to drive all the way back to exchange it.

 

newb to the forums here...been lurking for a while and just registered. @remy...i just bought the Y as well and am having the same battery issue, it moves around a little and doesn't fit snugly. it's driving me nuts, i've actually stopped using the Y and switched back to my trusty TXN. I'll be returning the Y (not happy w/the battery jiggle and screen quality) and picking up a TT instead.

 

Sony just dropped the price of the Vaio Y on their website from $799 to $699.

The version that comes with the extended battery also dropped from $999 to $899.

These appear to be a sale prices, so I'm not sure how long these will be available at these prices.

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666073304

 

I haven't experienced any paint problems or loose battery problems.

 

Got back from the sony store, all the staff in the store was just as surprised as me. All the floor units had the same problem - though to different degrees it is existent in every machine. But for the price... I'm keeping the Y. I was planning to get a Z instead but IMO SSDs are not ready yet for mainstream. I don't need a $3000 laptop with a platform that hasn't been proven yet. I'll probably throw out this Y in 2 years and switch for a Z then.

I'm coming from a unibody MBP here, but definately sony is the way to go for business.

 

They are ready...

 

what happened to degradation issues? and Z using RAID0 w/o TRIM?
i know it hasn't been officially released yet so no one knows an answer, but it's things like that the average consumer wouldn't buy in on.

don't get me wrong, I love the idea of running SSD over HDD

 

Hi, for a non-gamer is the processor in the Y series fine?

All I do is search the web, watch youtube videos, write essays and do excel spreadsheets and listen to music.

It seems like a great quality of build, batterylife and price. but i'm wondering if the cpu is decent enough to support snappy response times?

 

It will be more than adequate for general basic use.

 

just found out (aka read properly on the site) that the Y series in Aus only comes with 2gb ram

it's upgradable, but damn - they charge us enough here anyway... not cool.

 

Vaiofann:

Can you please test some items for me? I am trying to decide for a new net/notebook but some issues are just mandatory...

1. Any lose battery issues?
2. How about keyboard play? Almost ALL keyboards I know have some play when you press keys, especially on the sides of it (left or right sides). Is the keyboard sturdy? Or do you need to type gently not to hear the keyboard rattle?
3. How about HD video content playback? Can it handle MKV files with 720p/1080p resolutions?
4. I know it does not have any dedicated VGA card, but is it possible to play some less demanding games like football manager or similar games?


Thanks in advance for you answers!


RM

 

Wow, thanks for that. I'm tempted to get one right now but I'd rather wait till April when prices are at their lowest.

Very tempting though.

 

I would be really surprised if the price goes lower than this any time soon. What makes this sale good is that it does not require a coupon so savings can be stacked on a student discount on EPP.

 

I suppose you're right, it is unlikely it'll get any cheaper anytime soon.

I'll go ahead and order it this weekend.

 

Deal breaker.

The Sony Style site says that "Y and Z" laptops have backlit keys. Apparently that should read "F and Z", which is what I suspected.

I'll have to consider putting out $999 for the Dell Adamo Admire.
--

 

I'm not noticing any issues with the battery losing power with the power off. I had this issue with my Vaio SZ, but so far not with the Y. The longest I've left it off the charger, though, is about 10 hrs, which may not be long enough to notice battery life loss.

Keyboard is sturdy. I don't think I could use a computer with a lot of keyboard play or rattles. The quality of the keyboard is on par with more expensive notebooks/laptops.

It can handle Hulu's 480p videos without any trouble and YouTube 720p play flawlessly too.

Haven't tried any games at all.

 

vaiofann:

could you try, please:

- youbute 1080p videos
- 1080p mkv files
- some light games

One last question: how about the wireless button, on the front onf the computer, does it rattle? I had a vaio w where the wireless button rattled just like if it was going to fall apart.

Please tell me something about those tests as I need to decide if the Y is the perfect notebook for me, and I need to buy my new notebook on monday!



Thanks!


RM

 

I can already tell you that if you plan on playing light 3D games, the Y-series is not for you.

It has intel's integrated graphics, maybe if the Y had the i5 CULV processor it could handle light gaming.

If you're a student and want a good notebook with a small screen that can possibly handle games, I recommend the Sony CW series w/ i5.

 

Although it can play games, I doubt that it is ideal for gaming.

It does play YouTube 1080p videos fine without skipping (once the video fully loads)

I haven't tried and don't use mkv files, so I can't comment about its ability to play those.

 

I was thinking about the recent price drop and on a hunch I figured something, is the current Y-series price drop due to an upgrade coming up soon?

Is the Y-series getting the Intel i5-520UM processor sometime soon? Just wondering, because I may return the Y-series I ordered to get one w/ that processor.

Though from what I have read the SU7300 fits my tasks just fine, just considering the possibility of getting something with more performance but similar battery life.

 

I think it won't get i5 as it is CULV model.
Perhaps the price has decreased because "new" S model will appear on sonystyle soon.

 

You misunderstand, the i5-520UM is a CULV processor, the only Arrandale CULV processor as of now actually.

 

i just did a quick google on that. i understand it is currently being delayed for release. there was an article with speculation for the Y series to get this cpu.

this sucks though, as i pretty much need a laptop now. uni starts tomorrow. one week is probably the very longest i can wait. su7300 would suit my needs aswell it's just the problem of paying for technology that is now going to be upgraded very soon.

 

you were right...
http://www.cybercrave.net/2010/02/intels-new-core-i5-520um-and-i7-640um.html

 

sale for Y series has just ended

 

Yep, definitely was a clearance sale.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-10444827-64.html?tag=mncol

Oh well

 

but wouldn't the price of the Y fly up?
at the moment (in aus anyway) the Y is cheaper than a ul30vt and ul80vt

but NOT even near the prices of "Dell Adamo, Toshiba Portege R600 and Hewlett-Packard Envy 13"

they all blow this laptop out of the water with regards to price, so with the article comparing the new Y to these, you'd expect prices to be comparable, no?

I mean at the moment is Aus;
Y = $1099
Adamo = $1780 (with a massive price cut)
HP Envy13 = $3300
Toshiba Portege R600 - Starting at $2800

that's a difference of $+1000 on all models (when adamo wasn't being discounted)


Can the Y at the moment an support SSD or a 7200rpm HDD? Nothing is stated on the sony website.

 

When they do put the i5-520UM in the Y-series, I imagine the price will actually remain the same if Sony wants to remain competitive in their prices and considering that the processor price is closer to that of the SU7300.

We'll see, probably in March is when the upgrade will happen.

 

I think you will find the Y has a different focus.

Sony engineering and design in a budget package. It is the S for the people who cant afford the S. Actually, I would go as far as saying it is the Z for people who can't afford it (because it is lighter then the S).

I am a fanboy of Vaio (and with good reason) and I would love a Y as a companion device for something larger (like the EB).

 

Well, it isn't meant to be compared with either the S or the Z.

It is a ULV notebook, for those who want long battery life, thin notebooks, and light weight.

While the S is for multimedia and is an less expensive professional/luxury model and the Z is of course the expensive professional/luxury model.

Instead it should be compared w/ the HP dm3 or Asus UL30VT.

 

Vaiofann: about the wireless button? Does it rattle?

When I was questioning about games, I meant llight games like Football manager, nothing demanding on 3D acceleration...

And the fan? Is it quiet?


Mikazukinoyaiba: are there any clues about the possibility of SOny updating the Y series processor? I am bout to decide myself on buying it but I don't want to buy a model that's about to get updated.

TO anyone that might know: would it be possible to use photoshop on the Y?





Thanks

RM

 

Other than from the article I and others have linked to and the price drop there aren't any other clues I'm aware of that indicate Sony is about to update the Y-series this Spring.

As for using photoshop on the Y, depends on what exactly kind of photoshop work you want to use. The SU7300 Y-series uses Intel's integrated graphics and while I have been able to do minor work in Photoshop with my HP dv4t (same graphic power), if you want to do some really intensive art major level work I wouldn't get the Y.

Unfortunately ULV notebooks and gaming/video editing/heavy graphic work doesn't go hand-in-hand.

 

The wireless button rattles if you play with it, but it doesn't rattle if you're not touching it. The fan is always on and it's quiet, but you can hear it if you listen for it. It's not noticable to me unless I'm in a room with no other noise. I use Photoshop CS3 on the Y without any trouble.

 

Can you tell us something about the screen and its quality? It's very important to me, because I recently bought a ASUS UL30Vt and I was VERY disappointed. I'm hoping to exchange it for the Sony Vaio Y, and sacrifice the dedicated GPU.

Please, as much details as you can! That includes: vert/hor viewing angles, color reproduction and saturation, black deepnes, contrast etc.
I want to buy this laptop mainly for graphics/programing and office work.

 

Screen quality is better than the ASUS UL IMO. I've seen the ASUS in person and the screen had a visible dot pattern. Also viewing angles weren't that great on the ASUS. The Vaio screen is easily viewed from any angle (vert/hor).

The screen, however, is noticably less bright than other laptops I have. I suppose that has something to do with the LED backlighting. I find myself sometimes wishing there would be one or two more levels of brightness.

 

Could you maybe do some additional photos using this test http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/ ? I'm mainly interested in the contrast, black levels, and gradient tests. Also is the screen uniformly back lit?

 

What's up with this?

Sony used to have some of the very brightest and sharpest displays on laptops.

Not anymore.
--

 

Sony is also trying to be more consumer conscious. Some savings have to be made somewhere.

The Y-series is still the best ULV notebook I know if in terms of hardware and build quality.

 

Well I've had both the Y series and the new Z series side by side & the screen is identical on both units. Horizontal viewing angels are great, vertical not so great.

I'm still really torn on the Y series - I want to get one for my wife, but over here in Australia it only comes with 2GB and I just feel like I'm being ripped off.

Also rumors are around that it will be refreshed with a Core i3/5 cpu soon.

 

Unless you wife needs it soon, I say wait for this Spring refresh.

 

are you sure about that?
If I'm not mistaken, Y has the same screen as S.
And here are the comparison pictures from the guy from Russia of Sony Vaio SR, Z & S series. (from left to right)

http://picasaweb.google.ru/ayu.domo/VaioS#

 

...
Which of the Sony Vaio series has the best screen available? Except the Z series, which costs an arm and two legs?

 

Probably the F if you need a new laptop.

 

Ahh yeah my bad it was the Y & S series! She's got a 4 year old SZ1 at the moment and the screen on that is sooo damn good, hopefully the Y screen will compare favourably

 

I just been to a Sony store, and I saw a FW model. Granted its bigger, but in comparison, how does the screen stack up against the Y or even S? I'm searching for a laptop with a screen quality like the FW.

 

Only The F series (the replacement to the FW) and the Z have the high quality screen. Maybe the B series as well, but not many people talk about it.