Official Vaio Y 13.3 Series Owners Lounge

Whoa! I think I'll pull the trigger on this too. I mean I want the Z and all of it's glory, but for ~$1,500 less, I think I'll just get the Y now.

Z is great, but it doesn't have ~$1,500 worth of stuff on top of the Z.

 

Well compared to the Y, its .8lb lighter, has a standard voltage CPU, 900p display, optical drive, backlit keyboard, and Nvidia graphics. I think its worth the $1500 more if you can afford it...but for people like me, the Y is good enough =D

 

good point. For me, a notebook is all I have so idk if the Y will be enough. Im gonna wait till late January or February and see if the prices of Z come down, because the lack of a video card in the S is enough to make avoid it

 

Speaking of purchasing, where's the college/campus discount? I know they have it for people who are actually in academia.

 

Sony doesnt seem to have any student discount, all they offer is 5% off if you purchase an extended warranty, but the warranty costs $200 so 5% would basically only get $100 off the extended warranty.

 

That... sucks. It would be sweet if I can knock off another $1-200...

 

Yes, no problem. For that kind of use, even an Atom would suffice.

The 11.6" model that just came out in Japan has an ExpressCard slot in the front but no dedicated graphics. I doubt the US model will have a dedicated graphics option, but who knows?

 

the lack of what?

think twice ))) My NVIDIA feels offended! )))

 

Im in the USA so we only have one notebook from the S series and it doesnt have a video card. I was looking at ebay UK to see if I could order the UK version with video card but it would cost me $1500 and plus it wont have warranty. For that price I might as well get a Z

 

Well, my decision against the S is that, I have no need for an optical drive. On my current HP4t (2years old), I think I used it like 10times max, and half of that is from burning/installing Windows 7.

Also, I'm pretty sure the optical drive is broken by now.

 

I agree, I dont use the optical drive either but theres 2 things that are keeping me away from the Y. The lack of a backlit keyboard and a low voltage processor. Im not a gamer or anything but ive never used a ULV so I just dont know how good itll work. Let me know how you're Y is once you get it

 

@waleed786

Hi,

The i5 430um is just fine for everything you commonly do with your laptop (internet, movies...), everything is very snappy, and is even good for more intense tasks. For example :
- a 90 min dvd is encoded in less than 2 hours (xvid, normal quality, 2 passes),
- Oblivion all settings maxed out at native resolution is amazingly smooth (with ati 540v though).

Of course, it's less powerful than a normal voltage processor (e.g. Civilization V has quite long charging time due to processing power), but on the other hand it lasts longer when not on AC.

Overall it feels much more confortable to use, except for games, than my desktop (winxp, [email protected], 2go, hd3850). Of course the SSD in my Vaio Y plays an important role in that feeling.

 

LOL

Yeah, the prices are great in the US but sometimes we get stuck with the low end configs (e.g. integrated gfx only in the S, no premium screen in the F, delayed availability of the premium screen in the Z, etc.)

It could be worse though, I just moved to Australia and here I see only low end configs but at premium prices.

 

Don't generalize though USA is by far not the world

There are currently 9 differently pre-configured "S" on sale in Europe + the option to configure it yourself....

Ask someone to bring you one from Europe There was a time when everyone was bringing electronics back from the US, currently all my colleagues traveling to the US are doing the opposite for someone out there )

 

Thanks for tips, with the low price on the current Y I should have enough money to spare to get a 128gb SSD, im sure that'll boost my performance. Some poeple say that the 430UM can be compared an Athlon X2 performance-wise, do you know anything about that? I used to have a Turion X2 which I think is similar. I dont play any games any at all but I do multi-task with 5+ browser tabs, and maybe some Microsoft office applications. And what about Adobe CS5 programs? (Dreamweaver, flash, a little photoshop) would it be OK for those?

lol its a good idea but I dont know anyone in Europe...maybe you could stop by one day and bring an S =D

 

Can anyone tell me the specs on the new 2190x. I want to know what chipset it uses so I can tell if it is sata 1 or sata 2. Also is the NIC gigabit and can I upgrade the ram to 1066? If you dont know, use CPU-Z to get this info. Thanks!

 

is it possible to play The Sims 3 with i5-430UM processor and ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4550 GPU (512MB VRAM)?

 

I'm not sure you can easily compare i5-um with athlon x2 which is much older.
i5 has hyperthreading, some new sets of instructions, etc. It's basically more optimized.
But you're right, some benchmarks show performances close to x2 4400.
Here you can select processors for comparison:
Mobile Processors - Benchmarklist - Notebookcheck.net Tech
There you can see the i5 470um (133mhz more than the 430um) is quicker than x2 4600+ and just below p7350 (core2duo 2ghz) in cinebench R10.

And don't forget it has turbo boost also, so it can run at 1466 mhz (2 cores 4 threads) or 1733mhz (1 core 2 threads).
For games for example, it runs constantly at 1466mhz.

By the way, 5+ browsing tabs + office is no problem ;-)

 

Not really an achievement - a 200€ netbook manages that as well

 

Well I was just answering to waleed786 about that

 

will the Core i3-330UM processor be sufficient for general web surfing, youtube, facebook, microsoft word, excel, powerpoint, skype. typical home usage. No gaming, no video editing. But I normally have a few tabs open, etc.

if anyone has the core i3 um (ulv) that could please share their experience i would really appreciate it.

 

Maybe on the next version, the Y-series takes on a backlit keyboard with a i5-460M CPU and Nvidia Optimus GPU. Perhaps an optical drive that you can replace with an extra hard drive. A configured Y with 500GB HD, 4GB RAM is $650 + tax ($400 more with SSD) which is not bad but a better configured Samsung Q-430 for $650 that you could have had for $550 out the door the other day at Amazon.com is an excellent deal.

 

backlit keyboard+i5 460m+Nvidia optimus+optical drive = the 13.3" Vaio S, they already have that, as far as I know they're pretty much keeping the same specs for the new Y but just changing it into an 11.6" notebook. Hopefully Best Buy's contract with Sony ends in 2011 so they can officially release the real Vaio S in the USA and Canada

Ive never used an i3 UM but based on all the research ive done it should handle that fine. Its pretty much the same as the i5 but without the turbo boost. I have on old AMD notebook that can easily do all that and it has a windows experience index score of 3.8, the i3 330UM has a score of 4.2, just so you have an idea

 

I have a question about the batteries.

Is Sony still shipping two standard batteries? Or is it just one?

I also have a question regarding the large capacity battery, how big is it? Will it elevate the laptop?

 

It uses the mobile Intel GS45 Express chipset. It supports SATA 2. The NIC is Gigabit Ethernet with wireless B/G/N and Bluetooth. The chipset itself supports 1066 MHz DDR3 memory but when used with a ULV processor as in the Y, it's limited to 800 MHz. The FSB speed and maximum graphics clock speed are limited for power saving in this application.

Yes.

Just one battery. You can choose which one if you CTO. The large capacity battery has a round protrusion sticking out the bottom, so it elevates the rear about 1/2". It's good for desktop use, not as comfortable on your lap. I posted pics at some point earlier in this thread.

 

Alright thanks, i'll go through this thread to find those pictures.

Can you give me a rough estimate on the battery life on general, casual, web-surfing use? Sony claims 7hours with the standard battery and I HIGHLY doubt 7hours out of a 13inch screen.

 

Found it... Wow that would be sort of annoying if the large capacity battery is my ONLY battery.

I'm assuming you ordered the large capacity battery separately since you have the standard battery as well. How much was the large capacity battery by itself?

Finally ordered

Sangria Red
i5
ATI gpu
300gig 5,400rpm (didn't want to spend money, going to swab for a SSD when the prices go down)

Can't wait to get it! Hopefully going from a normal-voltage core 2 to a UL CPU won't be that big of a change.

 

Congrats. The current deals are awesome.

The large capacity battery is $250 (!!) if you buy it separately, which I didn't do. The Y in my pictures is an older model (SU7300, etc.). It's the Y118, which was unique in that it came with both standard & extended batteries, Win 7 Pro, a more business-oriented software preload, bigger HD & more memory for $999. I got it for ~$650 on clearance when the Y21 came out.

Sony's estimate of 7 hours max was fairly accurate with the older model. I've gotten close to that several times. I also had a Y21 model with i3-330UM that I've since passed on to a relative. It lasted more like 6 hours max. I think with the i5 and ATI option, you should expect a max of around 5 hours with the standard battery, 7.5 with the extended. The extended battery isn't worth it unless you're going to be using the computer all day away from a power outlet. I only use it for long international flights.

 

are there any ATI drivers we can get for the 4550 to make it switchable? That would be a big help with battery life

 

Just passing by, but that might be of interest to some people: I've just used my Vaio Y (i3-330, no graphic card) in a transatlantic flight for a full 5 hours. I did constant video playback with minimum screen luminosity (which was still too much for a night flight imo) and of course no wifi.

I started with the Windows 7 "power saver" mode but there was not enough power to do video playback and my computer crashed a couple of times because of that, so after 15 minutes or so I switched to "balanced" and it solved everything. Initially I feared that would drain drastically more power but in the end I'm rather satisfied with the results.

 

That's strange. I watch HD video frequently in power saver mode. What video player were you using?

5 hours of video is quite good though, regardless of mode.

 

What would be a good case sleeve for this laptop?

I'd like one of those neoprene sleeves. I think this is what I'm going to get unless someone else has a better recommendation:

Case Logic 13 MacBook Pro® Laptop Sleeve > Laptop Sleeves > Case Logic

 

I use a caselogic sleeve for my S and pretty happy with it. Just a standard 13.3 size - I wouldn't buy anything that has Apple name on it

 

Which sleeve do you all use with the 9 cell inserted?

 

Yeah, here is the "non Mac" 13.3" version:
Case Logic 13.3 Laptop Sleeve > Laptop Sleeves > Case Logic

Odd thing is if you go click on the "will this case fit my device" button this version says it doesn't fit the Sony Y (and they point you to the Mac version). But... comparing the dimensions, there is basically no difference at all. One is 1/2" taller and a touch thicker.

 

anyone know if there is a way to change the "tap to click" sensitivity on the trackpad? I keep inadvertently clicking when I don't want to.

 

ORDERED
US-VPCY1290X-LBOM
Component: Kingston v+ 64gb hdd
Component: 6GB (2GBx1 + 4gbx1) DDR3-SDRAM-800
Component: Intel® Core™ i5-430UM processor (1.20GHz) with Turbo Boost up to 1.73GHz
Component: ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 4550 GPU (512MB VRAM)
Component: Large capacity battery
Component: Black
Component: Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64-bit

5% discount by calling to order

WIN.

 

5% discount by calling to order?! ?!

I didn't know that... That's $30ish dollars for me, not to mention I can pay less taxes too! -____-

 

I just got my email saying that the laptop is being built. I too got "US-VPCY1290X"

I thought the 1290x is an older one, and the 2190x is the newer one? Not to mention on sony's site, it says VPCY2190X...

Any help? Or am I better of contacting Sony?

 

It's just a typo. I got the same thing.

 

I called one day saying I am broke and was wondering if theres any discount. They asked if I was going to get a service plan and because I wasnt could only offer 5%. So I called back in a few days and said 'I called the other day and was offered 5%, if you will still honor this I will place my order now'.

 

Offtopic: It's amazing how much one can get out of saying "I'm broke" A friend of mine got a rental car upgrade that way - Prius ----> Mustang GT

 

Been there done that. I went from a yaris to a mustang convertable and no under 25 years old fee.

 

Man, if I was the operator and someone tried to pull that "I'm broke" nonsense, I'd be like.

"Quit wasting my time, your broke- shouldn't be buying a laptop anyway and probably won't anytime soon."

 

It's been shipped! Yay!

 

I just ordered my Y -- from some coupon sites, it looks like the $549 starting price promo now lasts until the 25th, and since the Core i5-430UM was only released in May and even in Japan, apart from the smaller 11.6" sibling they're still selling the same 13.3" unit, I decided not to risk a price increase.

Works out really reasonably -- $699 before tax. standard battery, 500GB HDD, 4GB RAM, Intel video (I'm putting Linux on it -- and from my experience with the Vaio EB, you do NOT want a recent ATi card on it, at least for the next few months, unless you want to run an old Linux distribution supported by the commercial graphics drivers).

Going to hold off on getting an optical drive -- I don't need it for installing Linux, and there are some cheap Lite-on external drives on Amazon.

 

Could anyone tell me about their SSD experiences on the Y?

I'm thinking of getting a 64GB one off of newegg.

I'm curious just how "snappier" the laptop feels. Also, have you noticed any difference in battery life? Either longer or shorter (Toms Hardware had a controversial article a couple of years ago declaring SSD drives actually lowered your laptops battery life).

Anyway, any thoughts appreciated.

Also, did you just Acronis True Image or similiar software to move it over?

 

The battery life impact depends hugely on which SSD you get. Most of the SSDs on newegg have their power consumption numbers listed. Some are better but some are way worse than a conventional hard drive. The power consumption numbers for a regular hard drive can be found at the manufacturer's website.

 

I'm interested in getting the Y series but confused about whether I should opt for the i3 with 6gb ram or i5 with 4gb?

My main use will be for web surfing, some excel spreadsheets, photo and video management not so much editing, some occasional video watching and web chats.

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks and Merry Christmas to all. God bless.

 

If you're in the US, the upgrade to 4GB is reasonably priced. I got a 4GB module for about $50 from newegg so the upgrade to 6GB is a rip off.