Sony CW i3/i5/i7 Official Owners Thread

to me the light leakage goes all the way half the screen so lets say you have a solid black wallpaper, you will see it.

 

Does anyone have a clue as to when/if these will ever hit a brick & mortar store?!?

I really want and need to experiment with one....

 

I hear you. This is the first time in my long history of buying laptops that I bought one sight unseen. I'm happy with my choice but it took a lot of agonizing to pull the trigger.

 

Yeah, I wanted to chime in further about the screen. I think people just have different expectations.

To the user that said only high-end lcd's and CRT's will suffice as far as viewing angles...that's simply not true. At all. Everyone of the laptops I have owned in the last 5 years (that's over 8 notebooks/netbooks have had a better screen) has been FAR better in terms of viewing angles. Color uniformity begins to degrade severely at a few degrees of change. I agree with another user that it's a lot better than the UL line from Asus but that's not saying much since the UL line is well documented as having among the worse screens on the market.


Comparing this to 10 year old laptops, sure it's better, but I have to say I don't think I can deal with this. I still have 9 days to decide.

Instead of ignoring the topic, had I known or if someone even mentioned this at all I would have definitely gone for the Envy. Now i'm stuck with a 15% restocking fee.

Too bad. This is sooo close to being the perfect notebook.

On a tangent...my battery drained from 100% to 10% in 30 hours without being on. Is anybody else having this issue?

 

wow. thats bad. my issue was when i installed the viao software, a popup comes up and tells me to click ok(only botton) which will put the computer to hibernate mode so i can remove the battery and put it back on. the system message comes as "your battery is not installed properly or your battery is not compatible with this system" lol

This popup comes up even if you end task it again and again within seconds.

I already asked for a replacement system. we'll see if there are any improvement with the other one. I really like this laptop besides the screen panel, the lack of sound, and driver/software issues with the fn key and battery.

 

Just saw on a shopping website that the vpccw26fx/w model for $899.99 on Bestbuy.com will expire on 2/1/10.

Put my order in via bing.com and got a pending $90 cashback in the account. Will need to wait for 60 days before receiving the cashback.

 

then something is wrong because I ordered 2 days ago and it is still not showing up

 

Hey i just got mine from BB and im loving it! it looks so nice in white (get some mac-users) only complain so far is that the battery is pretty hard to remove and to put back in.

 

Well I just called BB and she said it went through and they still have some in stock. FYI! If you are on the fence, tomorrow is the last day rumor has it before the price jumps.

Once it ships I'll contact bing about my $$$$

 

Good idea about following up with them. I received an email from Bing shortly an hour after I placed the order. The email had information about my BB order and the $90 cashback. Good luck with clearing it up.

 

There should be no reason it didn't go through. I turned off all popup blockers, I started off on bing and only used links on that tab. I did not switch pages, browsers, nothing. I followed all directions and the link to the bestbuy site had the affiliate redirect in the url.

 

I had this exact thing happen when I did a fresh install of Win7. I managed to fix it by not allowing the Sony Battery check software to do the initial startup check. Run msconfig from the search menu, go to Startup and make sure ISB Utility is unchecked. Reboot and hopefully it works!

 

Update
I think that I solved most of the issues that I was having with my CW i5.

The blu-ray drive noise is actually quiet for audio cds and dvds. For blu-ray discs, the drive is less noisy than before but I could hear it still. The reason why the drive was noisy for some of my cds and dvds is that the discs were not balanced correctly from the manufacturer. Anyway my CW is not going to be my primary blu-ray/dvd/cd player because I have a dedicated blu-ray for watching movies.

The screen is actually good after turning off the Sony color mode setting in Vaio Control Center and using the Nvidia control panel to change the desktop color settings. I left the brightness, contrast, and gamma at their default settings, but change the digital viberance to +23. Still the viewing angles are not good, but I'm use to my Plasma tv which has better viewing angles than LCD panels and LED panels. The CW uses a TN panel with a LED backlight and typically TN panels have the worst viewing angles and have light leakage, this explains why the CW i5 has some light leakage and not so good viewing angles.

The speakers are not very good on CW, but I use my Creative Labs GigaWorks T20 Series II speakers.

Now I really like my CW i5 and might just ignore the return shipping that Best Buy is going to send me by Tuesday.

 

How's the screen relative to the MBP after you made those adjustments. Also, is the video playback grainy (especially in the darker colors)?

I am quite shocked by the complaints on the screen...Sony (at least was) has been known to make some of the best screens on the market.

 

I'm actually not a big MBP fan at all but the CWj screen isn't even in the same realm. MBP panel destroys it.

I actually am/have been using the same nvidia color profile since it's a good deal more vibrant than the default. It improves the color accuracy but it doesn't really help with the rest of the screen's weaknesses.

 

Are they still charging you a restocking fee?

 

I am getting a VPCCW27FX..
Can any one tell what is the diference between VPCCW26FX and VPCCW27FX? Is it just the blue ray?

Can't wait to load up the BF2 PC demo on the 330M it's going to be amazing!
show that to my friends with the MBP lol

 

Just the Blu-ray as far as I know, and the color. So, will the price shoot up to Newegg's price after the deal is over? I still need to time to decide. Want to order and test, but restocking fee is a scam!

 

I have the VPCCW21FX/W

I have two issues with this computer.

The first is the plug going into the power block. Does yours look like it only goes 1/2 to 2/3 of the way in?

The second issue I am having is when my laptop is plugged in and I have my headphones on, I am hearing electrical noise in the background. It is not super loud, but it is still very annoying. If I unplug the computer, the noise stops. The wall plugin that can with this is only the 2 prong type, not the 3 prong grounded.

Your experiences?

 

This was a common issue with my Inspiron 1520 as the case wasn't grounded well enough.

First turn off WIFI and see if that kills the static.

 

Has anyone tried Mass Effect 2 on their 330m models? how does it run?

 

Oh that reminds me....those who bought from BB with Expedited shipping, did they leave the box or did you need to sign for it?

 

Had regular UPS shipping and a signature was required.

 

ok thanks.

 

Tried your settings while under battery power and had the opposite reaction...I thought the Vaio setting looked a lot better than your recommended Nvidia settings. When I tried your settings it made everything strongly blue tinted and not as warm as the Vaio settings. Seems like messing with the panel settings is a very subjective experience.

By chance did you try the other profiles in the Vaio control center like TV or DVD/BD?

 

What the heck happened to the web button?!? It's now replaced with the assist button. Anyway of changing it?

 

I would like to know how does the I3 330M compare to the C2D P8700? Are they about equal or is one much better than the other. I had the CW with the P8700 and the GT230M but returned it. Would the GT330M with the I3 330M be about the same or different

 

The p8700 is better than the I3, but the 330m is better than the 230m. Since the 330m is almost the same as the 230m, I would think the p8700 + 230m is the better system.

 

With Bing cash back I can get the CW with the I3 GT330M and 500GB HD for $799 that is about $200 less than I paided for my old Cw with the P8700

 

Yes! I am having this issue with my CW, and I am wondering whether to return it... I got a 14% power drain in 2 hours when it was asleep/hibernating, and I got a 30% power drain in 24 hours when the computer was OFF!

This seems to be a problem with the Z series too (although perhaps not as dramatic), and I started a thread on the general Sony board (see this: http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=455551 )

Please post your problem too - it seems like the BIOS is still pulling power from the battery even if the computer is off. Not sure there is a fix, and Sony has called this a "feature", at least in relation to the Z model, so not sure if there will be help forthcoming from Sony.

Alex

 

Ok I will probably get the tigerdirect one. Now should I get white or black. I hate finger prints and scratches, which one would hid finger prints and smears better?

 

Not only is white finger print resistant, it also makes the laptop look thinner.

 

Aw cool. Well if I get it at tigerdirect I also get $80 cash back from bing

 

Anyone else?

This seems really odd.

 

I am not sure if the others got it worked out, but there was one guy that got $95 back via bing through bestbuy. The BB model with the i5-520m is better, the 520m kills the i3-330m.

 

its like the color of cars, black you can see all the scratches and smudges. get white

 

Yeah but the BB model has a resolution of 1600x900 that's why to small for a 14 inch in my opinion. I have bad eye sight so it would be very hard for me to see on that. And if I bought it at BB I would have to pay sales tax. I actually went with the NW series white 275 for $700 shipped from overstock. Its got everything I need plus its matte casing not glossy...

 

I am testing mine now. For those complaining of power drain, what do you find acceptable for sleep mode? You do realize that the board and ram among other things still have power to them in sleep mode dont you???

 

I don't know why you're even bringing up sleep mode. I'm fully aware of what sleep mode is/does.

My laptop is OFF completely and it's draining almost dry in 30 hours.

 

The glossy palm rest of the CW series is actually a color gradient. On the bottom is the solid glossy color, and it fades into a silvery version of that color as it moves closer to the keyboard. Kind of cool actually.

In regards to the resolution, I have the 1600x900 res on my CW, and I think it's very visible and clear. Then again, I'm 22. The 1920x1080 res on some 16in laptops, on the other hand, is extremely overkill. My dad's laptop has that res, and, because everything is soo small, you can't see anything. Even I had trouble reading from the 1080p screen at normal viewing distances.

 

R u the only one posting on the board? R u the only one complaining of power drain? My post was a question to all who have been complaining of problems (which some people have complained of sleep mode as a matter of fact)

I just tested my CW with sleep mode for 1 hour 20 minutes.

35% power loss!!!!!! (and i had wireless and bluetooth off)

Something is wrong. I am now going to test with unit completely off and see what happens.

 

maybe this laptop was meant to be plugged in at all times =(

 

When computer is sleeping or off but the battery drains, is the computer plugged or unplugged?

 

Unplugged.

Tonight I am going to remove the battery and see if it holds its charge. Maybe there are defective batteries that can't hold their charges at all... Would be the simplest explanation, and would just necessitate a replacement of the battery. Unfortunately, my gut tells me it will not be so simple.

 

I am testing mine tonight. Battery at 50% and turn off. After unit is off unplugg it. Tomorrow plug up unit and turn on and immediatley check power. If it is not at 49 or 50% then something is wrong and I will try your test of removing battery from unit.

 

Test voltage at the battery before and after with a DMM. This should tell us if the battery is ACTUALLY draining or windows is reading it incorrectly.

I would assume you can just probe the pins and it should give a readout? Find something in your house to ground on...maybe your metal inside the case in your desktop?

 

Wow I found something that made me smile just now...



So once we overclock the GT 330M (not even all the way, just a bit) this laptop can compete and when overclocked further, be FASTER than the Dell Studio XPS 16!! I was in debate over the CW or Studio XPS and now I very happy knowing I did not sacrifice any performance. I saved money and got the size I wanted!

With the SXPS16 added up with all the features I wanted, it was going to be a little over $1300. Yeh I don't get a 1080p screen or awesome onboard speakers, but who cares...I usually have headphones and I am totally content with 1600x900. I just did NOT want 1024x768 junk resolution. It is 2010, not 1990. We should have a high resolution standard by now on all 12"+ laptops.

Awesome

 

The XPS line from Dell is no longer their gaming line after they bought up Alienware. The 330 when it came out was definitely going to be as fast if not faster than the 4670.

 

Right, but I personally don't like the Alienware line. Far too "flashy" for me. I prefer sleepers like cars.

 

There was one guy on this thread who posted overclocking values on par with the Qosimo X300 as well. The 330M is definitely not an average graphics options