Sony VAIO F 3D series owners lounge

I thought I'd make a thread dedicated to the new Sony VAIO F series laptop:

The all-new VAIO® F Series 3D laptop. | Sony | Sony Style USA

http://ces.cnet.com/8301-32254_1-20026868-283.html

Is anyone else interested in this laptop? It's looking awfully tempting to me but it looks it's going to be quite pricy with the options I'd want.

Anyway, I hoped people would post more links and information as it became available

 

Nobody interested in 3D VAIO ? LOL!

Anyways the screen on the 3D F is gonna be AWESOME.. Its a 100% NTSC panel

 

I like how it looks in the pics.

 

I know. Can you imagine my friends at school seeing me with that thing?

But I could never get a laptop just because of its s.ex appeal...

I wish it were available with 1600x900 because the last time I tried 1920x1080, I got horrible headaches from the tiny text

Now I want to know what kind of battery life it gets and whether or not it's available with a core i5 (probably not). I find the core i7 unnecessary and I wouldn't want to have worse battery life and a fan that runs non-stop for something I don't need...

 

The new sandybridge I-7's have much better battery life than previous iterations...

Is it just me or is the F-series in another segment now? They were always at about $1000-$1200... now $1700? ?!

I'm going to be deciding between the new F-series and the new Envy17... The envy is going to be a better deal it looks like...

 

It's cool to know that this notebook will have 3D, very excited to see how this wil work, but I don't like the design at all. It's very thick etc. Also it looks like it has the power button like the X-serie had.

 

yup looks like the F series now is in another segment, which is sad, I was hoping for a new F or similar size from sony that was thinner, and lighter but same size. I have no use for 3D and will not have use for it anything soon, maybe 5-10 years from now, but now in the immediate future.

 

The only thing that is a disappointment is the graphics card - GT540M is just not capable to run games in 3d at FHD.
So the 3D F will end being a 3D Multimedia laptop and not a complete gaming and multimedia 3D beast.

Envy 17 3D, G73 3D, and the upcoming M17x 3D have very high end graphics to enable 3D gameplay.

 

That's good. The battery life was one of the main things that made me not want the previous F. And yeah, looks like the new F is on par with the old Z. It's a high-end luxury computer now. And I want an SSD, which probably means an extra $500

 

Vaio F 3D (Model No: VPCF21Z1E/BI) available for pre-order on the UK website for £1,799

F Series : VAIO and Computing : Models : Sony

F Series : VAIO and Computing : tab4 : Sony

 

wow that display is just incredible sounding and I don't even buy into that 3d stuff! 240hz full hd etc.... wouldn't mind seeing more high quality 100+hz screens tbh

 

lol 1,799 pounds, that is over 2500 US which is ridiculous.

 

I like design very much, though it's quite thicker comparing to current/outgoing F. Any idea on its weight? Old F was 3.2kg

 

How does that GPU compare to the one being used in the older F, the GT 425M for 2d gaming? While it may not be the best solution for 3d gaming, i wonder if its good for 2d gaming at FHD?

 

I'm afraid No. The GT540M will be 10-20% faster than GT425M. It will run most games smoothly at medium settings but demanding games cannot be run at full HD.

 

Annoyingly all the specs are listed except for the processor listing only as i7.
I phoned Sonystyle and typically was given another number to call - this chap has logged my query and will escalate internally before calling me back.

Interestingly there is only one model listed on the UK site - not sure what to make of that - or the fact that Sonystyle UK has it available for preorder first - that never happens, though of course there is no actual release date against it!

Does anybody know the i7 processor(s) that will feature?

Finally the UK F will have a backlit keyboard, but is that screen glossy?!

 

Movie of the new F series

YouTube - VAIO F Series launched at CES 2011 brings your 3D world to life

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iagq1-U7p08&feature=related

 

Lol such a thick screen and you still need glasses to see in 3D. I think its best to wait untill Toshiba's 3D screens become common (they do not require glasses, but use a webcam to alter the displayed immages to your specific eyeshapeand or something like that )

 

Sonystyle UK - which processor is it....somewhat updated.

Checking out the new intel range there are only 2 quad processors (ignoring the extremes) - so it will be one of them.

Whilst the processor isnt listed on the spec page, it does say quad and also a cache of 6mb.

This means that its probably the 2720qm - not the 2820qm - I dont know how much difference these have between them - or how they might compare with my current - i7 840qm - the intel spec list looks similar with 8mb cache and up to 3.2ghz - inbetween both of the new ones - but of course these are meant to be a fair bit faster - anyone know? !

 

No No No

The sandybridge base quad core which is 2630 is faster than the earlier core i7 920Xtreme processor. So the i7 2720qm will just blow your current 840qm away far into space

Hmm so its the 2720qm then. Its alright I guess as its still much faster than even the previous fastest mobile processor. But 2820qm would have been sweet!!!

 

Good to know that my current F is not that much worse than these newer 3d ones! And its thinner/lighter as well lol.

How much better is the battery life going to be on these newer i7's? Thats gotta be the biggest issue i have with my current F...


Will it be able to run most games at medium at FHD or lower resolutions? I overclocked the GT 425m and managed to get it running most games pretty well at FHD at low-medium settings depending on the game. (BFBC2 on low averages about 30fps at FHD, but its definitely hard on the machine...)

 

Well ive got the F12 with the GT330m inside so if the 425 is 10-15% quicker and then the new one is 15-20% quicker, thats worth consideration.

It does look like it could be quite heavy and noteably not mentioned on the SOny uK specs either!

 

The interesting question is how long can you get it to last with just the embedded intel GPU and two cores disabled via BIOS.

Can we finally get our dream of a plugged powerhouse yet lasting mobility all in one laptop?

By the way, damn Sony... still VGA - why can't we get a proper display port, HDMI is great for TVs but blows for computer screens...

 

Here's the bigger question.. is this going to be the ONLY F-series in Sony's lineup??

I certainly hope not.

At any given time I find myself wanting more in a laptop than the current tech or marketing provides.

Two laptops ago, I was seeking what marketers now call the "multimedia laptop". I found the best match in a Toshiba Satellite 5205-S505. 15" lappy with an insane-for-its-time resolution and a subwoofer delivering incredible range for any notebook of its era.

The laptop after that was a 2004 15" Toshiba Qosmio F25-AV205. No subwoofer, but it sported an internal NTSC tuner for integration with WinXP Media Center Edition. (Mobile PVR, y'all!) Marketers nowadays would call this kind of notebook a "Desktop Replacement". The Qosmio's 1.8ghz CPU started showing its age around the time of our nation's DTV transition.

My current notebook is the Sony VAIO FW. At the time of configuring it, I wanted something that would mesh nicely with a mobile high-def lifestyle; editing and playback. The mobile i7 wasn't available back then, but I found that the 2.8ghz C2D armed with 8gigs RAM was powerful enough to edit HDV High Def -- plus being the only notebook at the time to sport a Blu-ray burner. ExpressCard slot even let me add an ATSC tuner that plays nice with MediaCenter. Good amout of power and way more portable than my 8lb Qosmio, I can state that my FW has been my favorite notebook so far.

I'd been eyeing the FW's immediate successor, the F series, but its i7-920 power bump wasn't enough to justify that 90-minute best-scenario battery drain.

Now the new F (F3D?) has been announced and looking over the initial details, they've designed it into a category I don't want. That Sandy Bridge i7 ? Based on Anandtech's findings: I WANT IT SOOO BADLY. The power and increased battery life? Yes PLEAAASE. That's the kind of power that'll be needed to edit HD from big-boy dSLRs. BUT what gives me major pause is how Sony now knights the F3D as a "desktop replacement". This gives them excuse to latch-on what looks like a seriously thick screen... same exact lid shape as my old clunker Qosmio! I absolutely hated the stowability of my Qosmio. And of you ARE an A/V titan like Sony and plan on naming your multimedia notebook as a "desktop replacement", what's up with tinny speakers you're probably carrying over from the early F and FWs? You can label and co-brand your speakers all you want, but if it's not assisted by a subwoofer, I have zero confidence it's gonna do the job in anything but a dead-quiet room. None of the press shots so far show an ExpressCard slot, so I hope they haven't nixed it from the design.

Taken as a whole, the F3D is aiming for a very niche audience. I want a powerful 16" that'll HELP me be more mobile, not hinder it. If I want to watch HD in 3D, I'll do it in a home theater on a bigger screen. If I'm on the road, I'm perfectly blissfully fine with 1080 on my current FW. 6 months down the road, I posit that folks will find it's not worth the extra bulk (screen & 3D glasses) to plant yourself outside the home for a 90+ minute 3D flick.

Sony, if you're gonna go THIS niche, offer up an F geared as a multimedia workstation(tm):
- i7 2820QM or i7 2720QM. $1k added premium for the i72920XM is too rich for my blood.
- 16.4" 1080 fullHD. Love mine for CAD & editing. Won't ever wanna go back.
- Triple-channel RAM slots for those of us who NEED more than an 8GB ceiling.
- Blu-ray burner/reader. I'm daydreaming for the ones that support the newer 100GB specs. BD-XL?
- Smaller i7 architecture footprint means more space to offer us 2 bays right? One SSD bay for the OS, the other for a 500-750gig HDD. Those who don't need a 2nd drive, earmark the space for a discreete gaming card and subwoofer. Use modular caddies so we can swap in different drives.
- Svelte aluminum chassis no thicker than the FW. I'll even settle for your magesium display lid if you can keep this well under 7lbs.
- ExpressCard, HDMI, FireWire, eSATA & USB3.0 ports mandatory. Round up your VGA and RJ11 jacks and shoot them, please. More USB ports in their place.
- Bluetooth. My bluetooth mouse and stereo headphones thank you.

F3D? That bulky lid and 3D feature is what'll make me shop for something else when it's time to replace my FW. Sorry.

 

So well said! Rep +1!!! And offer a high end graphics card.

 

Just how thick is the screen/lid on this laptop? Some pictures make it look like it's over half an inch! :| Maybe I've just been spoiled by the Mac...

 

Probably, because the PQ will be epic.

 

Checked it out at the Sony booth yesterday. It's HUGE. Especially the LCD lid. You could fit a Vaio X in there. LOL.

The 3D effect is quite nice, though. Not something I'd be interested in though.

-Ed

 

Ed, how was the brightness of the screen? And general build quality/appearance in person? I'm coming from a Mac, tossing up between going for something like this Sony or going for the next Apple...the age old debate.

 

Also, I read that the overall weight was 3.1kg (6.8lbs), and that the computer had a 52Wh (5000mAh) battery. Hopefully with the new processor platform the computer will manage 3+ hours with light-regular use.

 

Not a very bad news but slightly disappointing nonetheless. 3D F will come with Core i7 2630qm processor, which is the base quad core SB cpu and not the 2720qm as we were expecting

 

I like the design but not the "2 tablet form". I prefer too see "one unit" when you close your laptop.
Disapointed for the processor, should be 2720qm
who give a %@$? about 3d glass, we don't buy laptop of this performance for the 3d. I think it's the reason why the laptop is pricy.

Well, now i will have to look other competitor, maybe hp envy...

 

Lol, the difference between those is negligible, somewhere around 10%.

 

You don't think the other one would be an available option?

 

I assume you are in the US, so yea you will have options but not us in Europe and Asia

 

Okay so there is a review of Asus N73 on notebookcheck with the same graphics card as Vaio F 3D and a better i7 2720qm SB CPU. Comparing game benchmarks with Vaio F13 with GT425M and i7 740qm, the difference ranges from 3-7 fps increase on average. In some games it performs worse. And that is when comparing it with the underclocked GT425 on F13.

So apparently there is not much gain at all. F13 overclocked could easily match/beat the new 3D F with GT540M.

 

This is a nice 2011 laptop surprise somehow.

- I do like the screen !
- Nice specifications, but no SSD ? :/

but in a 16" laptop it's disappointing that they haven't chosen a better graphic card, especially if it has a 240 Hz 3D and Full-HD display !!
Native full-HD 3D resolution will kill the card when gaming, 3840*1080 is huge..

But the design, hmm, I like it once opened, especially its side looks, but when the lid is closed, I really dislike the space caused by the angle of the screen and base laptop.
At least it looks better than the VAIO SA.

If VAIO SA is being the Z remplacement, it looks the next flagship may be the 3D F ?

 

I wanted to buy VAIO F13, but after Sony announced the new VAIO F 3D, I will wait.
But why Sony doesn't offer VAIO F13 discounts since it will be outdated in few weeks?

 

I know computer product cycles come and go in a blaze of ephemeral glory but now that we are talking about the F13 being outdated, I have to wonder at the business sense in all of this. It was only released in October 2010. I still remember what I was eating for breakfast back then.

 

I noticed that the F13 series isn't available on Sony's website this morning. Must be in the process of moving them over to the Sony Outlet store.

 

I was considering getting the F13 at the end of November. Glad I waited...

Although now I'm not sure if this new F is really better than the F13.

The price was just lowered dramatically but the screen is listed as "out of stock" so you can't even order it. :\

 

Will 3D be optional in customization?

 

Not in the new one - 3d will come as standard.

I'm wondering what processors, ram and hdd will be available on the US store. The Uk site is currently limited to one model which does not at this time list the processor (other than i7 ....something).

 

Biggest differences:

F21
-Intel Sandy Bridge CPU+Chipset (big improvement)
-Nvidia GT 540M GPU (fair)
-16.0" 1920x1080 Premium LED-display (100% NTSC) 3D 240Hz (probably 120Hz + BFI) (probably very big)
-2D->3D
-1,3MP HD-webcam 1280x1024 (big)
-Bluetooth 3.0 (fair)
-Bass-Reflex speakers (don't know, fair?)
-Littlepit bigger (same weight) (only downside)

 

Yeah, it has impressive specs. It's just that the F13 was already big and had bad battery life, I can't imagine what this one's going to be like...

 

Here are the specs for one pre-built model http://www.docs.sony.com/release/specs/VPCF215FXBI_mksp.pdf

 

thanks, still no info on its weight??

 

VAIO F13 is in stock again.

 

You missed out EXMOR Lens for the webcam and S FORCE 3D surround
And its still BT 2.1 not 3.0 sadly

 

VPCF21Z1E/BI (VPCF21Z1E/BI) : Technical Specifications : VAIO and Computing : Sony

Bluetooth® standard Ver. 3.0 + HS