Sony SE Owners' Thread

Also came from a mid-range Toshiba. The projects I worked on started to need more power so I had to retire it. It still makes a decent computer after 4+ years. Wish I still had the Toshiba's keyboard, this chicklet style isn't the best...

Hoping Sony can live up to my Toshiba's record, obsolete before broken

 

I've always used a notebook cooler with my laptop. I don't have temp monitor but the palm rest is always cool to the touch.

 

Aha! I actually really like Sony's chicklet keyboard in comparison to Mac's keyboard. I think the Toshiba P Series offer plenty horsepower, but what really sold me was Sony's screen... I absolutely cannot go back to an inferior screen now that I have seen the light. I gave the Samsung Series 7 a brief trial run but I ran into so many problems with the graphics card I had to return it. It sounded way too good to be true.

 

Hello,

I am here and looking for a new notebook?

What the major CONS of this notebook?

SOme people say battery life is horrible and it is very loud?

 

The battery life is not horrible, it's very decent. It also has a sheet battery option for those who have extensive battery needs.

The fan is a bit loud.

The strength of the SE is its IPS screen, its lightweight and thinness factor, and its relatively decent price for the power it packs.

The major cons are the abysmal color gamut.... and the fan noise whir is very obvious and high-pitched.

 

Hey Ryan, is the fan noise under Heavy heavy use or just like browsing etc?

the colour gamut? same issues like the HP ENVY? but the screen is for sure IPS? i read the first 35 pages and people were having mixed suggestions

 

It is IPS.

A few pages back I posted a link to Sony Korea brochure that states IPS.

And yes, the same issues with the Envy, the "Orangegate".

The fan noise is okay under idle, but quickly ramps up in RPMs. The problem with this model and the SA is that the fans are more like "whirrrrrr" sounds, and are more high-pitched than the other models and are more likely to be heard.

 

I'm browsing with 10+ tabs (a few videos in those tabs), skype, photoshop, and winamp going on Stamina mode.

I can't hear the fan at all. Maybe if I was in a library? Normal ambient sounds drown out any noise.

It's been the loudest during backups, windows update, certain games, and some Blurays. Speed mode is always louder.

I think it's been settled that it is an IPS screen or at least behaves similar to one in terms of viewing angles. The colour is off for sure.

I am with you on the screen, I chose this over a few more powerful options at a similar price. The mobility and the screen sold me. I was recently on a train surrounded by dozens of other laptops, for the price this is pretty good. I think you have to hit another price tier to get a better quality screen.

I think I'm just against all keyboards that are chicklet, I don't know the name of the old style (traditional?) but I can type faster with fewer mistakes on that style... Boo this trend! Maybe I'll adjust over the life of this laptop.

 

Don't get the black version as it attracts oils from your hands like no other. I'm no greasier than the average person but I clean my laptop every day just to keep it looking presentable. Maybe I should invest in a keyboard cover... anyone has a recommendation?

Because it is so thin, it also feels kind of fragile. The speakers could also be better. I had the Samsung Series 7 for three weeks and the speakers on that thing is just insane!

I also don't like that the battery is non-removable, as I almost use it exclusively on A/C. But that seems to be the trend with more premium laptops these days...

 

^ the silver version's palmrest shows signs of wear after some use. i've already seen two reports of this happening here.

the battery is removable; you just have to open the bottom panel.

 

Hi guys, signed up to say I've joined the club.

Ordered my Vaio SE on the 31st. Said it would take 5-6 weeks prior to ordering, is this a normal timeframe? Thanks

 

It seems to be. I ordered on 1/21 and my order is estimated to ship on 2/8. I got an email 2 days ago saying that they started to build it.

 

If that is how long it will take for it to start to be built I guess an upside is I may get included in the feb hardware refresh?

 

Mine was during the Christmas break and took 2 weeks. I think someone mentioned they are short on some parts like hard drives due to the flooding in Thailand and haven't been able to restock yet.

Also I guess it depends on what country you're ordering from.

 

You probably won't get the refresh. It looks like their phasing out the old hardware right now. i5 isn't even an option and same goes for the lower end video option.

I was going to wait a few weeks to order but the discounts on the i7 upgrade, free sheet battery and then 75 off for a student discount and free shipping was all to good to pass up.

If some ones thinking about ordering one in the near future, hit the live chat and ask for promo stuff or discounts. My friend just pre ordered a Vita from the sony store and got free next day air just because he asked for it.

 

Do you mean Ivy Bridge?

I didn't know there was a February hardware refresh..?

 

check out this thread http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony/640811-new-vaio-refresh.html


It's a small CPU upgrade by .1 ghz. There's some confusion on whether or not there's a new screen on the SE but only time will tell. (go back a few pages on this thread for info also)

 

Thank you for the post, I must have missed it. Rep to you.

But yeah, I don't think there will be a new screen, the screen is IPS already, Sony just hasn't advertised it like the HP did with their Envy.

 

Can any one with an SE tell me what wifi card they have? The suspense is killing me waiting for mine. Or if anyone has a 5ghz router and know if it picks up the 5ghz signal. My current Sony CW series was a huge disappointment when I got it home to find out it only did 2.4

 

How would you rate this notebook vs the Samsung series 7. I am suck trying to decide between the watered down best buy version Samsung or the Sony Se with the i5 because of price constraints and can t make up my mind.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

Does anyone know if the cpu is user upgradeable?

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

I went with the Sony because of all the issue people are having with the Series 7 over in the Samsung section of this forum. Also the Samsungs screen looked horrible to me when I saw it in best buy. Low res and terrible viewing angles.


I'm pretty sure neither has a user upgradeable CPU. About half way through this thread someone did a tear down of the SE board.

 

It is not upgradeable. The CPU is directly mounted to the mainboard.

 

I really wanted to like the Samsung but it kept BSOD on me while watching videos on YouTube. Apparently this is a known issue with their graphic card that they are not going to fix because it's due to the hardware. I also had issues with the space bar.

Otherwise, the Samsung is sexier, sturdier, and faster than my SE with i5 from the Microsoft Store.

 

I heard there is a workaround to play flash videos by setting the browser to use the Intel graphics

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

 

Yeah... something about a known issue with viewing YouTube on Chrome and that you can change a setting in Chrome to fix it.

 

Okay I'm very close to pulling the trigger on a Sony refurbished unit from the outlet with an i7 1gb graphics. I have a few concerns, mainly I wanted a quad core cpu and Sony doesn't offer that. Is there a noticeable difference? can anyone speak for the quality of the refurbished units?

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Proud new owner of a Vaio SE here, been playing around with it since last night. I just have one problem/question:

I mainly use an audio interface (M-Audio FastTrack) when at my desk at home and it works fine with almost every program. However when I play a Blu-ray using power DVD it plays over the internal speakers. I don't see any options within the program to change the sound device. Anyone else have this problem and are there any workarounds?

 

So your streaming your audio to a usb audio thingy. Have you tried to disable the internal speaker in windows? `Control Panel\Hardware and Sound\Sound`

BTw I noticed that the anti glare it pretty great on this laptop @ sunny train rides


edit:

Did anybody find a solution to the high pitched noise problem from usb usage? It just started after aprox 4 weeks of use, very annoying sound. I dont use the internal keyboard. So its making a beep at every keypress and mousemove.

 

Maby another mouse / keyboard could be a solution?

 

so the new updates are up online(USA)

New model # SE290X

they added a upgraded i5(2.6/3.3) for $100

you can buy win 7 Ultimate($150)

(the display says nothing on the CTO section about it being IPS only Full HD)

you can no longer get the 500 gig HDD

and you can now upgrade to a BD-Burner for $200

oh and the starting priceis at 1019.99 prob reflecting the HDD selection.


on aside note I ordered on the 31st and on my order it definitely says "SE190X" so I wont be getting the new ones. not that it really changes much I hope there weren't any changes in other internal stuff.... I also think that the quoted battery life changed but i cant remember the exact times that were stated so i can't confirm this.

E-mail says Shipping on the 10th ... time moves so slowly when your waiting for something like this...

EDIT: the new laptops seem to all sport TPM chips as well.

 

I ordered a few days before you. It feels like its been an eternity. My order finally changed to completed on Friday but no shipping info yet. Still scheduled to ship on Wednesday. Really wish I picked next day or 2 day shipping.

 

Sony offers dual SSD option on their site. Also they offer WWAN option.
So, can anyone confirm that VPC-SE got internal mSATA slot available?

 

If anyone gets the new SE... please let us know if OrangeGate still exists.

 

Maybe you've already received your system by now, but my SE has an Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230 and does do dual-band.

 

I ordered on the 31st, still says "Your VAIO order is being custom built for you."

 

Awesome thanks for the confirmation!

 

does anyone know where the cto se is made/assembled ? im in the uk waiting for delivery just wondering where in the world its coming form !!

 

I do think in Foxconn factories in China, except the Z in Japan.

 

I had to wait 3 weeks for mine. Ordered on the 13th and didn't get it until the 3rd. I never want to go through that again, lol

 

The FedEx slip said mine started its trip in Yantai China. Not sure what factory is there, maybe it's just the processing facility for FedEx.

 

I just got my E-mail.... shipping from CHINA ?!?!?! it says 5 more days!

 

Just got my shipping email also. I kinda assumed it would come from china. Figures it'll be delivered next week while I'm away for a business trip.

 

Why is China a surprise?

Isn't that were *everything* is made... even Samsung and Apple.

 

I don't really know much about their assembly process. I figured all the parts were made in China, but I guess I assumed at the time that they would assemble it somewhere in country. I thought that because the US & Canadian Sony sites had slightly different build options.

Silly me

Once it was built, it was shipped to Shanghai quickly then showed up in Memphis for a day before being trapped in Winnipeg for 5 days for some reason...

 

I originally ordered a Vaio SE1 CTO on feb 1st, (most likely after midnight on jan 31st). Last night i decided to cancel the order and buy from amazon instead. My CTO order was still processing after a week.

Both amazon and newegg are selling the SE1 for $880 (w/ i5 2.4 ghz and 6470m). Although amazon stock seems to be fluctuating.

Originally my CTO had the i7 and 6630m, but after i learned the i7 was not a quad, i realized it wasnt worth the extra cost, and not to mention time. My CTO was still probably a week away, and was about $1215 after tax (including about $60 off from the university discount, and the upgrade deals they had last week). Thats like $335 (38%) more for 17% more cpu power (2.4ghz vs 2.8ghz) and a slightly better gfx card.

Not to mention w/ prime i got $3.99 one day shipping. Its already shipped, and should arrive tomorrow the 9th. My CTO probably wasn't going to arrive any sooner than the 14th.

 

I also ordered from Amazon... no tax and you get it quickly (you just can't really customize what you get).

 

not to disappoint you, but 6630m is not "a slightly better gfx card"; it's miles ahead of 6470m. i totally agree with the i5 vs i7 argument though.

 

That's fine. I wasn't even interested in the 6630m in the first place. Main reason i included it in my CTO was because the 6470m was out of stock on the sony store.

 

So over in the HP Envy forums, everyone's complaining about OrangeGate because the IPS screen on the Envy 15 is a $150 upgrade from the regular panel (for the SE, there is no other screen)... and there are quite a few returns.

Even reviewers and tech sites have pointed it out and I believe HP is looking into it. I do think that Sony sourced their panels from the same source as HP and I'm wondering if Sony plans to remedy their own OrangeGate issue... or because VAIO owners are not as fanatical as Envy owners... that's not going to happen?