Sony CW i3/i5/i7 Official Owners Thread

lol. i just said it was in native resolution. anyways im gonna go to two more best buy tomorrow to see if they have the newer i5 models with the 1600x900 panels and compare. thanks for the input.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw2kCwyuHY0

I just seen the video about this.

 

yes looks great AS IS, but i played with the resolution AND DPI settings just to give some input to the folks in here... In the past on other monitors when i messed with those settings, the display always got distorted. It looked great at all settings i tried, but i use the one it came at (1600x900) and i'm loving it to pieces!

 

not sure if you will find any on display with the 1600x900 res. i tried but there weren't any except for the big monster with the 1920x1080 res. Are u going to bring yours with you and let the Geek Squad see if maybe its just your unit and its defective?

 

does anybody notice their new i5 battery drains when its turned off for a while. is this a normal aspect of owning a laptop?

Thanks

 

i was going to get that black gel overlay for mine too... lol..decided against it in case it wasn't a perfect fit, PLUS i am loving this chiclet keyboard. i type better than i have ever typed.

Smilepak, i don't think ANY CW's come with a backlit keyboard, do they? Cuz i sure had wanted one, but there wasn't one. Unless maybe that Business edition but it wasn't available in white, so i passed.

omg did y'all see this one?

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...44649998&N=4294954789#/Glossy Carbon Fiber Z/

$4,499.00 for a computer? does it come with a guest house so you can live in it? lol

 

i notice my battery drains if i "just look at it sideways" but i'm in denial about the poor battery life of Lil Snowberry so shhhhhhhh...lol

(thinkin' of changin' the name of this room to "Dummbunny's Place" cuz i seem to be about the only posting... where is everybody? don't tell me y'all all went a got lives?!)

 

Just picked up my icy white! I got it in a box, not a bag. it was very well-packed. many air-bubbles in it. the laptop doesn't move at all. I will post later after I open it.

 

Let us know if you LOVE it! yayyyy!!! now make your signature!!! u can use this but change a few things

ECSTATICALLY ENJOYING MY:
Sony Vaio CW Series-
Model: VPCCW26FX
Color: Icy White Frost
Intel Core i5-520M/2.4 GHz
NVIDIA GE FORCE 330M GPU
Display 14" 1600x900
4GB / 500 GB
If you could wed a computer, i'd marry this one!

 

please let us know how you like your display

 

About the grainy issue on the screens. All the new CW, NW, and S series have grainy screens. Sony is using a screen " ID = SNY05FA" on these and if you have the CW 1600x900, they are using "SNY06FA".

These screens are CRAP! The contrast ratio is horrible, there is indeed pixelation / grainyness. Look closely to your screen under a navy blue background or white, it is easy to see to spot (Look at the jellyfish picture under your Sample Pictures folder). I spent 30 mins in bestbuy looking up all the screen ID and grainyness. They all have it; even the new S series.

The F series however do not have this problem. They have a screen (ID = MS_2500). My SR have a screen (ID = MS_0000). Apparently, the MS_XXXX are the good non-grainy screens. Just a speculation

By the way, four of my co-workers got the 1600x900 CW from bestbuy. ALL suffer the same grainyness and has the same screen ID, "SNY06FA".

Now I am not saying the screen is completely crap. Others may not care or will get used to it. For one, I am sensitive to grainyness - I hate it. If you look at something dark (A tuxedo for example), it really kills the picture w/ pixelation and also photoshop work too.

Note I am not talking bad about the CW. I love the CW, my gf uses the CW (she doesn't notice the grainyness so I decide not to tell her cause she's a perfectionist). Just the screen is a slight disappointment coming from a company that makes great TVs.

You can check your screen ID via Device Manager > Monitor > Double Click Generic PnP > Details > Hardware ID.

 

Not disputing what you are saying because obviously you have done your research, but let me just say, "this is the most i have ever enjoyed a crappy screen! I love it.

My HP, u don't even have to look close, even from a foot or so away, you see the cross lines of the mesh they used. Between THAT & the 1280x800 resolution, i do not know HOW i dealt with it for over a year, because display is NUMBER ONE priority to me when using any monitor or notebook. HP Dv5 1035dx.. Now THAT is a crappy screen (GREAT computer tho!)

This one i don't see ANY dots, all complete characters, EVERY single other computer i have ever looked at you can ALWAYS look close and see the individual "dots". But i can't here. And also very bright and i find the contrast just right. I've been on this since 6:00 this morning, and i don't have an ounce of eye strain! (Everyone else prolly does from reading my gabillion posts, but i don't...lol

also, i couldn't find my Hardware ID:

 

you have to click on the drop arrow. i have the same display.

damn. $130+ to return it.

 

Very quick review and impressions...

The screen is average. viewing angles are terrible. just terrible! It looks a little grainy but it's not as bad as my ASUS UL laptops. very bright! I love this resolution. EDIT: EW! so damn grainy now that I view youtube. Again, viewing angles are horrible...

my hard drive is making a soft but high-pitched noise. It's very annoying. I hope nothing is wrong with it. it's a Seagate HD. ST9500

The body is a beautiful and refreshing matte finish with a glossy palm rest. The lid is glossy too but doesn't show fingerprints in this color. Almost no keyboard flex unless you push down really hard. There is flex above the DVD drive but every laptop with a DVD drive is like that, anyway. The keys are firm. Great response and comfortable to type on.

Touch pad is incredible. Soft, matte texture. I don't feel the dots. The buttons are loud but responsive.

The GPU is very under clocked out of the box. I will over clock it later to play Aion. No games played yet.

The hard drive is really worrying me...

 

oh h*lllll no you should not pay a restocking fee. You tell them it is UNVIEWABLE and UNACCEPTABLE- DO NOT allow them to penalize you for returning it. Thats an order!!! Speak to a supervisor!! You have a legitimate reason for return if its as bad as that.

NOPE, that didn' bring it up either.. LOOK:

 

right below it. click Hardware Ids

 

I can't seem to figure this out...I've used bing once a while back, but I can't A) Find this laptop and B) Can't even find bestbuy as a registered Bing cashback company

 

k i found it and it is indeed the one he said. How can it be some find it "atrocious" and some are loving it? (meeeeeeeeeeeeeee) Strange... sorry to hear that, lordy knows i know how it feels when you sooooo look fwd to a computer and u get it and there's something about it u just can't rise above... (sad face)

 

well, this has happened about three times already. I should have waited for more reviews. This screen and the hard drive is enough. I'm returning it. Won't even try playing Aion.

 

No worries. I just opened my Bing account today. Let me walk you through this.

1. Open Bing account.

2. Use Bing and search for "sony vaio"

3. 4th link from the top will show Best Buy (for TV's), click that link.

4. You will now be on the Best Buy site. Search for the Sony Vaio CW (either search by Sony or just goto premium laptops) and order it.

5. Expect $95 cash back in your Bing account after 30 or so minutes.


That's it

 

I'm not seeing what your seeing and my vision is 20/15

 

I see them too.

 

Yes ! I second that. Thank you.

 

If you can, pick up the SR590 with the ATI Radeon HD 4570 graphics card. The screen on the SR is so much better than the CW's. You won't miss anything at this point with the DDR2 RAM that the SR has compared to the CW's DDR3.

 

I think the grainyness you are seeing is inherent in the jellyfish picture (which ain't exactly high res as its a 757kb file).

I looked at it on the Sony and on my desktop system (dual monitors, one analog, one digital connected to a Geforce 9600GTS) and aside from subtle differences in color temp, the image looks basically the same to me on all three screens.

The three resolutions were 1600x900 (Sony), 1440x900 (Viewsonic digital), and AOC 1280x1024 (analog) all at native resolution.

The two desktop monitors are not LCD backlit but traditional CCT.

Anyway, just adding to the controversy..

 

Repped...

but I don't see the Best Buy TV link at all That is where I am stuck.
www.bing.com -> Search Sony Vaio

These are the results from the search:

No Bestbuy TV's

If I then click on SHOPPING I just get tons of Sony Vaio laptops, but none of which link to bestbuy and again no bestbuy TV's...

 

I just double checked and searched for "sony vaio" via Bing. I still see the Best Buy link (except it's 3rd from the top now). If you use that link, you should have no problem getting the 10% off. I hope you get the $95 discount!!

 

I'm having a very different experience than you...

HD is absolutely silent and virtually no vibration compared to a polycarb Macbook (buzzes like a hamster wheel to me)

Screen is very bright, at home in the dark I have to turn it down a bit

Vertical is not the best but horizontal angles seem fine to me

Agree that the touchpad is awesome...much better than the HPs and IMO as good as Apple

Like the keyboard a lot...much better than many chiclet designs I've tried

The tray mechanism on the DVD is not my favorite, seems to drag on surfaces but so far no problems (I do not have blu-ray)

It is indeed a purty machine...sorry you are not as happy with it as I am but this is a big upgrade from my 5 year old Compaq V2000 and heaps better than the various iterations of Dell Latitude we have at the office

 

Is there any way you can link me to the search page because it is sure not coming up

 

psy2cho, please PM me if it still doesn't work. I'm 100% positive it works since I just did it today and I'll be more than happy to walk you through it.

 

Says you are not accepting PM's lol

 

Sorry, not sure what's up with that. I'll double check my settings. Anyways, here are my screeshots.

http://www.stockposition.com/cw.jpg

http://www.stockposition.com/cashback.jpg

 

Ahhhhhhhhh.....Its because of my firefox adblock program. Those "sponsored" sites never show up. That's it.

Now...Let me get this straight, even though the link was to a TV's, as long as I am logged in and followed just that tab to the laptop via bestbuy's search on their site, I should still get the cashback? I am so glad I waited for you! Thanks a million for the screenshot...We probably would have otherwise never have figured it out LOL.

 

You are absolutely correct. I was trying to figure out a way to get Bing cash back on this order and I found none. Finally I just decided to search via Bing and see what I came up with. Surprisingly, Best Buy showed up, but under TV's. That's when I figured I might as well try the link out since I was going to pick up the laptop regardless. To my surprise, 10% discount via Bing 30 mins later. Needless to say, I was beyond happy. Hope you get the same 10% off

 

Order sent!

Fingers crossed about Bing...but not a huge deal if it did not. Bestbuy rewards gives me 1 point for every $1...250 points = $5 so I'll have $15 rewards card to spend at bestbuy too

 

Good stuff ps2cho! Grats on the new laptop. Keep checking your Bing account. That $95 should show up any minute now.

 

I'd like to make a correction!
it's not my hard drive that is making the noise, it seems to be the wireless card. I have to do more looking... The noise is gone when I deactivate the wireless.

 

Hi this forum has been super helpful! Just got my new Vaio CW from BB via UPS (standard shipping)! Nervous about the way it arrived: in a box with air bubble bags on top of the Vaio box which means nothing was protecting the Vaio box on the bottom... did everyone else's arrive this way? Already broke the seal, but need reassurance here!! Thx for your help!

 

What type of noise is it? Is it like static?
I wonder if the card is not grounded well?

 

Dang...wish you guys had brought this up a couple of weeks ago...sigh

 

Sorry Znutar

I just ordered mine today and figured it out.

 

I didn't have a noise, but in an old Compaq I had, when I upgraded the memory and closed the access panel, the wifi stopped working. Banged my head on this for a while and discovered that when I closed the access panel, I crimped a wire that connected the antenna to the wifi card. Open up the access panel for the memory and see if something funky is going on with the wifi card.

Just a thought...

 

no worries, this thread helped me decide to go and buy the darn thing and I've been vacillating on laptops for the last 4 months. The folks on this forum saved me at least $100 worth of grief

 

hey there.
im stuck in the same point you were. i just cant see the bb link after performing the "sony vaio" search.
what is the adblock and how can i disable it? btw im using chrome or ie8...

hope you can help.
thanks

 

can someone recommend a docking station for the CW ? Thanks

 

this is a little off-topic, but will BestBuy store accept a return without a restocking fee? I see two people here did it. What should I say?

 

Try going on the best buy website, and searching for VPCCW27FX (which is the high end configuration, but sub $1000).

That worked for one person who had the same issue.

 

ok....but how do i get the cashback here?

 

anyone else notice how long it takes to charge the battery? like 2 hrs

 

Man, I was all set to buy an F Series and then I come in here, and although I've only read a dozen pages or so from page 59 up, I see a lot of happy buyers. I wanted the larger screen of the F Series, but for me i7 is overkill. Plus there are a few issues - buzzing noise (solved), fans are loud and run continuous for some, some bothered by keyboard flex, etc. All relatively minor, but subjective, so how much they bother a person, if at all will vary.

So an idea sprung in my head. Do I get the F Series or the CW and with the money saved buy a 22-24" monitor sometime shortly thereafter. What do you guys think?

For those who have used or tinkered with both the F and CW how do the keyboard and touchpad compare?

I think I'll check out BB and compare them firsthand. Particularly to see if the 14" screen on the CW is too small for times when not hooked up to a monitor, if I go that route.

Really appreciate any feedback as this will my first serious notebook. I'm in dire need as my PC has crashed and burned. I'm using my ps3 browser in the meantime - when I can't borrow my sister's slow 4 yr old Dell Inspiron - and it sucks the big time.