Sony CW i3/i5/i7 Official Owners Thread

LOL! Lack of sleep got me.

Which wireless driver you used on your New Intel 6300-Ultimate N? No connection issue at all?

 

Think I can upgrade my CW26 with one of these?

http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10011674#BVQAWidgetID

 

hello,
i am about to order my new cw..confused abt the colour...i want the fiery red...but just cant find them in the showrooms in india..whats u guys opinion?.the red colour looks contrastingly different in various pics and videos.can anyone share how the red looks actualy,or share some pic with the real colour.

 

I just used the driver from the intel website for it. No connection issues at all. Main reason I got it was b/c it supports 5ghz so I could maximize my new netgear 3700 Dual band router. Connects at 2.4 and 5ghz perfectly fine. Also getting 300Mbps and thats with just using antenna input 1 and 2, 3 is still open.

 

I want OS X on my CW!

 

Okay, thanks for confirming.

Please keep us posted when you have installed the 3rd antenna. I might use the 3rd antenna too.

 

Is there a third antenna on the wireless cards that come with the laptops? I have heard on other manufacturers that they tape it shut but there is one...

 

@shriek11

Please check post #2145

 

Hi there, it is a little different because the offered paint jobs between models and countries is different. I was told the two white models were different...and I know Canada offers a Yellow CW that cannot be found in the US. The one's here at least (they had all of the new colors on display at the SonyStyle store nearby on a rack behind the CWs on display) are a deeper red (but *not* quite Burgundy). Not bright really, but darker with a slight metallic hint. The area around the keyboard was a black matte finish like most of the darker colored laptops, and the palm rests were that same metallic red but with a bit of a gradient to them.

 

I didn't see what but I could be blind, did you catch one in there?

I've seen this on custom ordered laptops I've worked on but only recent ones (Since about early 2009). Almost all of the dell CTO's I've taken apart have a third wireless antennae tucked in there. The question I have is if each antenna has a specific place or if it doesn't matter.

I have that model. I have a Majia in it I think? which I stole from a Vaio FW that my dad doesn't use. It matches the slot type and I think it is the same, but even for mine I wasn't sure what software to use to play blurays. It loaded fine (windows popped up and detected it readily), and it reads (sees) discs properly but I haven't been able to get software that can play them.

...I was wondering about that. Updated i5's, atheros, Nvidia 330m, kind of matches the new macs pretty well. (btw are we allowed to talk about hackintosh in this forum or is that taboo, I got warned for mentioning such things before at another forum and I wasn't sure)

 

The CW27 has no 3rd antenna (as shown on the photo). I referred shriek11 to that post for him to confirm that there no 3rd antenna.

 

Which one is the wireless card there? The one on the right???

As for hackintosh (lol), I have heard their service is better than Sony but it costs a lot more as well though flash and usb ports aren't an issue like the Ipad. I already see dead pixels on my Sony (little over 1 year old) though you have to get close to the screen to see them (3-4 that I have noticed) so as long as I am not conscious about them it is fine. The only thing I worry about is the adapter port on the laptop as I think it might come lose one day as I plug and unplug it at home. I am wondering if putting tape on it might help or not..

 

I'm never sure with notebook motherboards...they hide a lot of secrets on the unseen sides, and I'm rarely brave enough for such a full disassembly of parts. (although with some it's necessary).

 

I uninstalled my intel turbo boost software, any idea how to re-install it? Everytime I try it pops up with "I/O error"

 

Yep!

l0char

 

What about playing World Of Warcraft on CW 14" i3 and GT 320m ?

 

Heyy, I know this is kinda late but I have experienced it too later this morning. I'm not sure why and how did it happened but what I just did when I saw 'Operating System not found' during my boot us pressed Ctrl+Alt+Del to restart then voila everything's good now. Lol I hope its not a major problem because my hd looks good.

 

Has anyone tried "Hazard 10.6.2 OSX86" on this yet? Anything to report?
Any OSX distros for that matter?

 

hi cw owners

ive more or less made my mind up on the cw and going to purchase.

I live in UK and the deals here are not as good as what the US has to offer, also very hard to find places with stock so i may well be ordering from US

My main questions would be is how much difference is there between the i3 and i5 processors, are there certain specs i should try and avoid? i really cant decide which color, im stuck between red and the indigo/blue. Or i might just be a bore and get black!

Do any of you guys know e-tailers who do international shipping and stock the cw at a good price? so far datavis.com is all ive found

last but not least, is there going to newer variations of the cw? I ask this because when i go to sonystyle uk to try make an order none of the cw's are available...its been like this for a few days now so im wondernig if there bringing in 'new' stock with better specifications?

 

The CW from best buy has the best specs for the best price, the only thing I don't like about mine is that it has an atheros wireless card and a 5400 rpm hard drive, but the hard drive really isn't that bad (and it's easily replace-able) and the wireless card can be replaced if you really want to...

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony+-+...218159867078&skuId=9723951&st=vaio&cp=2&lp=10

Also it's only available in black...

Edit: On a side note, is there a vaio that supports USB 3.0 yet?

 

thanks for your reply mrnelson

yes i believe bestbuy do have the best prices, unfortunatley they wont deliver to UK, i wish i still spoke to my family over there

can i ask the main downside to the atheros wireless card?

 

The main downside to atheros is probably slower speed and/or alternate OS compatibility. It's the same chips the macs use I believe, and if you want the top speeds it won't be there. I believe it maxes out at 150 mbps. But mine has been reliably efficient AND has less problems than my intel 5100 did. Still from my room which is only about ten feet from the router it stays consistently at 65 mbps. Which is fine, but not great.

The other is compatibility. Specifically Linux-distros, I don't think you would have much luck. Or it would work but reconnecting constantly.

Although I've read conflicting reports. Some said it could run at a higher speed (300 mbps) on dual band ( 5 Ghz frequency), others say it didn't have dual band which investigating doesn't prove to be true. I haven't really tested it though because my router is a single band (2.4 ghz) router with issues so I set it on a lower speed (130 cap) and have a much more reliable signal.

 

thanks for the explanation

my last query is the led screen . is there a big difference between the 1366 x 768 and the 1600 x 900

in uk i can only find the cw with the 1366 x 768 resolution

 

I have a dual band router and my cpu will NOT recognize the 5 ghz band, only the 2.4 ghz. It is slower than it could be but it still works fine streaming hulu...I'm just worried about when SC 2 comes out and my latency goes through the roof, lol, which is why I'm looking into guides about replacing the card with one of the newer intel models that are compatible.

I would imagine if you don't use your laptop for HQ video, then you won't notice a difference between the 1366 x 768 and 1600 x 900, but I have the 1600 x 900 so I can't say for sure. Also, I have the blu-ray drive in mine so in that respect it makes a huge difference if you are watching blu-rays.

 

^^^Thats why I upgraded to the Intel 6300 so that I could use my new Dual band Netgear 3700 in the 5ghz N band and also got better signal.

Word on me adding the extra third antenna I did gain some signal strength. In my room which is 20 feet from the router and with a wall I went from having around 163-180Mbps to now a constant 214-240Mbps. I know that could be due to some random facts but I'm guessing probably not.

 

Do you have a photo with the third antenna installed?

 

Hi again guys

i went an ordered the cw i3 yesterday and it arrived this morning...unfortunatly here in uk not many places in stock with the spec i wanted.

i am contemplating doing a clean install, as i always do when i get a vaio as i dont find much need for there programes

what is the best method to do this? i have a windows 7 disc etc, is everything available from the sony support site or should back anything up?

 

You might want to check this page.

PS: No need to install the Intel Turbo Boost since its an i3.

FYI: The SmartWi Connection Utility comes handy. Try it

 

i dont think the i3 has turbo boost?

 

I'm not sure if you are saying or asking a question Either way, I stand corrected, your i3 has no Turbo Boost Technology and you wont need the Intel Turbo Boost driver.

 

lol cheers...how do i burn recovery disks off so i ever want i can get it back to the way i bought it?


Ah its ok found out

 

whats the smartwi utility?

 

Hi guys.... I almost bought a macbook pro then someone showed me their Vaio and I fell in love. I have zeroed in on these models.

Please suggest which would be a better option -
http://www.sony.co.in/product/Compa...=hp_en_IN_i&models=VPCEB16FG&models=VPCCW26FG

VPCEB16FG - E Series
Intel® Core™ i3-330M processor 2.13 GHz *1
Display - 15.5 (39.37 cm) wide (Full-HD: 1920 x 1080) TFT colour display (VAIO Display Plus, LED Backlight)
ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 5650 Graphics 1 GB DDR3 SDRAM
eSATA / USB port x 1
Wireless LAN Frequency-2.4 GHz (802.11b/g/n)
2.7 kg (including the supplied battery)

VPCCW26FG - CW Series
Intel® Core™ i5-520M Processor 2.40 GHz with Turbo Boost up to 2.93 GHz*1
Display - 14 (35.6 cm) wide (WXGA++: 1600 x 900) TFT colour display (VAIO Display, LED Backlight)
NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 330M GPU with CUDA™ Technology 512 MB GDDR3 SDRAM
Wireless LAN Frequency - 5 GHz (802.11a/n), 2.4 GHz (802.11b/g/n)
2.4 kg (including the supplied battery)

I was thinking of getting CW cuz of better processor, faster wifi and better battery backup but battery drain complains and higher resolution on E series one have me confused.

Please suggest what would be a better machine of the two models listed.

P.S. - CW one is about 170$ more expensive than E series one.

 

Its the Smart Wireless Utility - gives you the option to turn on/off your bluetooth/Wireless without having to manually slide the wireless switch on your laptop. And the best part is, you can turn them on/off individually.

 

The battery drain issue is not solely on CW series. There were several Sony laptops with different series were reportedly having the battery drain issue (I haven't tested mine yet since I had it on AC mode most of the time).

i3-330M doesn't support the turbo boost technology, i5-520M is more preferable, IMO.

 

Well if it came down to it I would go CW for size,weight, and processor reasons.

I do like the E series eSata port and full HD screen though.

 

Sorry no pictures. I just mounted it on top of the Blu-ray drive facing down. No where special. I really didn't feel like messing with taking off the back cover of the monitor and placing it the correct way.

 

hi im about to do a clean install on my cw, can i delete the hidden partition and just have it all as one - i have created my recovery dvds...or will i need to keep the recovery partition in tact?

 

Okay. Did you get the antenna off eBay?

 

I just wanted to add that I have the BB VPCCW26/W. The one without the blueray player, just a DVD/WR.

I also bought the Intel Extreme N-6300 from babyhemi on these forums. It was an easy install. But damn, there must be about 30-40 tiny screws that you have to take out. Most of them are the same size/length.

However, when I took the bottom plate off. I grouped the screws and remembered where they went. There are some that are more shiny that go where the battery is. Also, the screws for the hard drive, and mounting plate are different size, a bit thicker.

I didn't buy the third wire and haven't really needed it because it will connect to my Dlink DIR-655 at 300 Mbps whereas the original atheros only connected at 150.

I may buy a third antenna because my router has the 3x3 mimo and will help out. Any recommendations on what wire to get and where, ebay???

EDIT: Correction to the bold above. It is Intel Centrino Ultimate N-6300. Not extreme...

 

Yes you can delete all of them.

 

After many hours of troubleshooting, some with Sony support, I got to the bottom of a really frustrating problem with my Sony VAIO CW. My specific model is VPCCW27FX running Windows 7 Home Premium. I made great use of the forums here and so it feels good to give back by posting the solution.

So the bottom line is that ReadyBoost, when enabled on my model, causes mysterious and frustrating behavior after hibernate or sleep functions are used. I was using an 8GB Sony MemoryStick as the ReadyBoost drive. Once I knew that ReadyBoost was the cause, I experimented with using both partial or full device ReadyBoost configuration. I also tried FAT and exFAT formats on the mem stick. In all cases whenever ReadyBoost was enabled strange things would happen. Without ReadyBoost the laptop works great, specifically when going in and out of hibernate and sleep.

The symptoms with ReadyBoost enabled are as follows..
- 'System' task takes ~25% CPU after coming out of hibernate
- after hibernate applications are sometimes OK but sometimes really sluggish despite the only 25% CPU usage showing in Task Manager.
- when doing a Shut Down, laptop gets stuck at the 'Shutting Down' screen
- after a few minutes on the Shut Down screen laptop sometimes blue screens with a 'Driver Power State Failure' message.
- laptop sometimes doesn't go to sleep when lid is closed
- laptop sometimes doesn't come out of sleep or hibernate, the power light turns on but you get a blank screen, must hold down power button to restart.

Sound familiar? Try turning off ReadyBoost.

By the way, I'll comment that I love this CW, now that it's not freaking out that is. The size is just right to be both portable yet not too cramped to work on. It feels both light and solid. On the inside it's a real PC that's a well rounded performer, not like some netbooks that use a puny CPU or omit a real GPU. Gripes will include the poor viewing angle of the display, especially in the vertical where you won't get perfect contrast at the top & bottom simultaneously. Love the keyboard, it would be perfect if it was also back lit. Real sound also means external speakers or headphones. Overall I'll call this mid priced compact laptop a very good value.

Sincerely,
Jacko

 

Funny how I've been away for a minute and came back because I'm getting terrible download speeds on this laptop. My bars are only at 4 now.

I'm going to upgrade my router - I have an older Linksys - and was thinking of upgrading my wireless card as well. Came here and found my answers right away! As usual, thanks for the sharing

Otherwise, I have been loving this laptop! I went out of town with it and was thankful for it being lightweight. Its a little funny about being handled too roughly though.... dern airport security! grrr

Oh, and I installed my skin protector on the wrist and mouse pad just fine, but I got fingerprints all of the protector for the lid, so I have to reorder. The lid skin is very tricky to get on neatly and I just lost patience, so it was really my fault.

 

Hey guys, I've been looking at laptops for college for months and I've been set on the CW for the last few weeks. I think I'm gonna pull the trigger soon.

1 question - is the performance upgrade from the i5-520M to the i5-540M worth any decrease I might see in battery life? Obviously my main selling point on the laptop isn't its battery life in the first place, but it seems the Sony Style store has cut prices and the difference between the 2 processors is only about $20. Worth the upgrade?

Also, on the issue of battery drain, have there been any official fixes announced by Sony yet or is it still on a "happens to some but not all" basis?

Thanks for any input.

 

I've just got a CW27 from Tigerdirect.
Specs: i5 520M, GT 330M, 1600x900.
Love everything except the lame HDD (5400 RPM). Thinking about a SSD.

 

Yes, it was the cheapest and best deal. I ordered: http://cgi.ebay.com/Triple-Tyco-Uni...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3356bf6cdb

Can't really go wrong with under $4 shipped for 3 haha It did come from china but only took about 7-10 days to get which was a lot faster then I thought it would come. When I got it two of the antenna wires were bundled together so I used the 3rd single one for my third antenna.

Also after a couple of days of use I have noticed it did bump up my connect speed. BTW I'm using the 5ghz N mode to connect to not the 2.4ghz

 

Hi guys, new to this forum, but I have gotten a lot of great tips here.

My Dell laptop of 5 years just crapped out on me. I think it's a GPU problem, which means it is probably not worth it to fix. If anyone is interested or would like to help, check out my detailed description here on another forum.

After some research, I think I will get a Sony CW series. Now I'm faced with two choices: online or Bestbuy, and two sub-options for each choice.

I live in Vancouver, so I plan to get the laptop in the States because of the great prices and the strong loonie. Bestbuy has two models for sale: this one with i5-520, 500gb, 4gb ram and DVD-RW drive for $899, and this one for $979, with the only difference being a blu-ray readable drive. The question for the Best Buy option is whether the blu-ray is worth it for $80 more, and how much less battery life would I be getting with the blu-ray one?

The other option is to order it online. Of course, the disadvantage is that I would have to wait longer and pick it up from a friend in Seattle instead of buying it from the store in Bellingham. The advantage is that there are more options, and is at least $20 cheaper for the same configuration as Best Buy. Here are my two choices: should I opt for the blu-ray readable drive for $959 (Same specs as the Best Buy one), or instead go for a larger battery that would give me "6 hours" of usage instead of "4 hours" for $969?

Is the bigger battery worth it? I'm leaning towards the blu-ray drive now because my rationale is that I could get another battery as a spare, but it would be more difficult to get a new drive (what to do with the old one). What would you suggest? I want to keep it under $1000, but if you guys think it's worth to have both, then I'm open to getting both. Also, it would be great if you could suggest whether I should save the hassle and get it in store, and if buying from Sony means better components. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

@jcmkl

Extended battery life depends on your needs goes for the blu-ray drive. If you can live with stock battery (4 hours) upgrading from HDD to SDD is the better upgrade, IMO.

PS: Look for the Intel SSD (G2) when ever you get one.

 

@jcmkl

Get the one with Blu-Ray? Coz BDR's the shi~ Also, yeah you can just have another extra batt if you really need and you're always on a travel.

Re: Battery Drain Issue
I guess almost all of the people here are experiencing it. I too experience it during a complete shutdown of my laptop. So what I just do is to remove the battery lol. Afaik there isn't any fix about this one yet, I hope Sony could release a BETTER battery for their laptops.

 

I know it has been discussed at some point in this thread but could someone give me a battery life number, please? I have heard anywhere from 3 hours to 4.5 while doing basic surfing. I am having a really hard time decided between this and the Asus U30Jc-A1 and I keep coming back to this because of the GPU and higher screen resolution, and because I prefer a 14'' screen. If this gets 4+ hours with brightness at 50% and wifi on then sign me up.

Thanks in advance.