Sony Vaio CB Official Owners' Thread

Hi Sony Vaio CB user

I'm an architectural student, sony vaio CA user, powered with Radeon 6630 M too

take a look at this..

on Google SketchUp


on 3dsMax 2010


I think Sony is kidding me
until now, I can't make 3D building model with complicated situation because it's so laggy


damn sony,, please fix this immediately . . your notebook so expensive but why you do this for us

 

Was originally thinking of buying a Toshiba p750 but read a review that said it had a poor quality screen so now I will most likely get this laptop.

I have a couple of questions for c series owners.

1. Is the gfx card under clocked? I've heard that Sony under clocks their graphics cards. Will the 6630 get the same framerates as stated on notebook check. AMD Radeon HD 6630M - Notebookcheck.net Tech (presuming the switchable graphics works)

2. Does the switchable graphics problem occur in only some games? Will most mainstream games work? E.g. CoD, L4D, Portal, Sims.

By the way earlier on in the forum someone mentioned an i7 version. it appear one exists after all. VPCCB17FG : C Series : VAIO Notebooks & Computers : Sony New Zealand

 

You mean virtual machine under Windows, right?

I want a real dual-boot setup.

Could you just try booting with iboot and see if you could reach upto the osx install screen?

 

so far from the games i have played using the amd graphic card
sc2-the ground texture can only set on on low otherwise it is completely black, other settings can be adjusted accordingly
world of warcraft-works fine, graphics look really nice
world of tank- works fine

and to other cb owners, do you notice the cover for the hard drive bay can be pushed in and makes a really low noise when you squeeze the area under your right wrist with 2 fingers, i just find it sometimes annoying when i push down slightly hard with my right hand on the resting area then lifting up. thanks for checking that out

 

i just tried google sketchup, even though i set it using the amd graphic, but it still only uses intel one, but when i created 3D objects, there were no lag or any blurred views though. i took a screenshot too

Spoiler

 

how much fps are you getting in sc2....someone at ca thread said that he is getting 50fps at ultra settings!

 

dude, are you kidding me too ? yes you created 3D object but just a box like that , intel can handle it easily

I don't have a problem with blurred views too



why don't you try to create or download a small house, or building

 

AMD's hotfix should fix your ground rendering issues in SC2.

AMD Catalyst? 11.5b hotfix

 

How did you go about installing the hotfix, is it just to run the hotfix or are there any other steps involved.

 

just run it with administrator priviledge... it will automatically update your CCC

 

so i heard that the 6630 gpu is underclocked....
so how much will be the differnce in fps from as stated in: AMD Radeon HD 6630M - Notebookcheck.net Tech

 

Nobody knows. If you happen to have been following the thread lately, the Radeon card isn't being detected currently. Nobody knows yet

 

no,there is a hotfix which solves this problem and the card is detected in most games except brink and google sketch

 

Okay clarification:

The 6630M worked fine for most games even before the hotfix. You could pretty much just watch Vioz87's benchmarks for proof of this. The hotfix fixed the DirectX 9 Rendering issues which affect certain games -which, while not caused by the detection issue, were difficult to troubleshoot because of it.

Sony set up the card in such a way that it's always detected as an Intel HD 3000, no matter which card is enabled via CCC. This is troublesome for a number of reasons, one being that programs that rely on detecting the card won't run properly. This seems to apply to Google Sketch, Photoshop, Brink, and a few other 3D rendering programs I've tried.

It's important to note that the detection issues may not actually the problems with Brink, but issues like this are extremely difficult to troubleshoot when faulty reporting occurs.

 

@cassy101 yeah,i saw his channel before.....he has the highest resolution(1920 x 1080) in all of the videos....if we decrease the resolution,we will get more fps,right?

and what aboout this?

 

yes you'll get more fps...

about underclocked or not... we can't make sure...

 

No, the 6630 is not underclocked by Sony. 6630m is factory "low clocked" by AMD to generate less heat which means manufacturers do not underclock it. And you can overclock this card to get the performance slightly better than ati 5730.

 

if someone in here know how to OC the GPU,please inform us in here ASAP.thx

 

Try using the AMD GPU clock tool. Google it.

 

do not know if it works but you can try with MSI Afterburner or AMD GPU clock tool

 

So if AMD underclocked it it will get the same benchmarks as stated in notebook check right?

 

Yes but it depends on the configuration.If the other components are the same, E.g. CPU, Amount of Memory, Clock rate of the Memory, then the difference should be negligible.

* Also at lower resolutions you are more CPU bound, so a faster CPU will give you an increase in FPS.

 

Hey guys i want to show you all why it states the Intel Graphics Instead of the Radeon Graphics, its because of how AMD did their switchable graphics, they went with a more hardware approach than a software approach as can be show in the diagram.

 

Shouldn't then all laptops with AMD switchable graphics (including HP) had this problem? As far as I know, only Sony laptops have this problem.

And we know that this is a software implementation problem. And we believe that the culprit is Sony.

 

No, people here are simply ignoring all the problems with other laptops with different AMD cards. The only problems we know of so far are a very poorly documented issue with some aspect of photoshop, and brink. And I know for a fact (which a minute of googling will tell you also) that the brink issue (which reports as intel graphics BTW) is an issue with seemingly all AMD HDxxxxM cards.

 

You keep ignoring the fact that lots of different people have had the very same open gl issue with brink. If you look at their crash reports they all say intel HD and also report that their laptops (of various manufactures) have AMD cards. You keep saying 'Sony set up the card in such a way', well did they setup the card for other manufacturers also? Because they are having the same issues. The common thread here is not Sony, it is AMD.

You have come to accept that the AMD drivers were rubbish enough that a simple patch dramatically improved performance meaning that the cards were initially crippled by AMD, but you can not contemplate that AMD could be responsible for anything else.

 

finally bought this machine today......
and i love the screen

not yet created recovery discs....
i installed arcania gothic 4 demo and it is giving me a "d3dx9_42.dll" error....

 

Heya i think u require the Directx End User Runtime, here's the link and i hope that solve's ure problem.

Download details: DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer

 

actually i did a minimal installation it excluded the directx and other things which came with the game......
i reinstalled it and it ran perfectly......forgot to edit it....
any ways thnx.....

BTW how to on/off backlit keyboard??
left side is getting pretty hot....

 

VAIO Control Centre is where you can turn the backlit keyboard on/off. Heating issues for me are minimal, it gets lukewarm if i do anything intensive if Mathematica counts...

 

The all those forum posts that you, yourself, linked to all showed that Brink recognized the card in question, except for one of them... a Sony Vaio. Show me the recognition issue occurring on other hardware.

This is just going back to what I said way back when... There are two separate issues here, but the recognition issue is still on Sony. You seem very intent on arguing that that's not even an issue and I'm still not even sure why.

Best,
Cassy

 

Also in the vaio control center, you can adjust the power settings for the fans to help with the heat issue.

Under Power Options ---> Thermal Control Strategy

Here you can set it to performance mode while doing something intensive to make sure that your laptop is properly displacing heat. Though, I've been fine on "Balanced Mode" thus far.

 

You need to go back and read them. It is 50/50 split between those that recognized the card and crashed and those that didn't and crashed. Since they are both crashing with the same error it indicates the card switching is not the issue, they crash identically either way.

You are still yet to provide even a single example of software that will run on non sony amd 6330 cards but will not run on sony laptops. Just a single example will be fine. Just one.

 

To be clear here: it's an AMD Radeon 6630M.

Also, I'm still holding that the recognition and the Brink issue are probably two separate issues, but can you provide an example of another laptop equipped with 6630M switchable graphics that is experiencing the recognition issue? I can find an example of an HP laptop configured with an AMD Radeon 6770M that isn't experiencing any recognition issues. But that's not an exact match.

I've been in contact with AMD, who after transferring me to higher tiers of support acknowledged that such settings were controlled via the bios, and were beyond their control. I've also been in contact with Sony, who then acknowledged that card recognition is indeed controlled by the bios and that they would begin working on a fix.

Best,
Cassy

 

confirmed... i've contacted technical support in my country, and they confirmed this case as sony's issue..

 

Will likely get this configuration within the next few days.

Sony-VPCCB15FGD 15.5inch Black

Intel® Core™ i5-2410M Processor 2.30 GHz
4 GB (4 GB x 1) DDR3 SDRAM
500 GB*4 (Serial ATA, 7200 rpm)
DVD SuperMulti Drive
AMD Radeon™ HD 6630M
15.5 inch wide (Full HD: 1920x1080)

Will post pictures and review if anyone still wants it.

 

i think you r right cassy101....card recognition issue is due to bios...But if sony provide a bios update, will it solve brink problem? u said it is two seperate problem...that means we need another ati driver hotfix...am i right?...

anyways we will wait for the bios update....

 

i dont know a thing about creating recovery disks....

1,should i remove all the bloatware before creating recovery??
2,i am thinking of only removing the trail version like antivirus.....
3,any other thing to keep in mind??

 

^^
You don't get an option of what to keep and what not if you use the standard method. So don't do any of that.
Step 1: Get 3 Blank DVDs ready. Insert Dvd 1
Step 2: Open Vaio Care, click on recovery under recovery & restore
Step 3: Click on create recovery media
Step 4: Once DVD 1 is burned take it out and write down "DVD 1" on it and insert DVD 2
Step 5: Same as above, insert DVD 3
You're done!

And now you can delete the hidden recovery partition to recover the space from HDD.

P.S. Where are your impressions on the laptop ? Do you like it or not ?

 

thanks! i saw the the recovery manual which came along....

MY IMPRESSIONS

pros:
superb display,best i have ever seen
keyboard is great
looks great

cons:
speakers suck
mouse pad is not placed rightly
the whole laptop is a finger print magnet

finally i can say that i made a right descion,its fast,does not overheat and would suffice all my needs....
played battlefield bad company 2,arcania gothic 4 demo and super meat boy and all of them performed well.....

 

What specs did you get mate? interested in which screen and gfx card you are using?

 

^^ Only the base model is available in India - i5-2410M, 4GB DDR3, HD6630M, FHD Screen, Backlit keyboard.

@reddead

How much did you pay for the lappy & where ?

 

as pauldmps stated it....

well my dad himself bought it for 53.5 k from sony flagship store.....

 

That isn't true, the highest end CB model with i7 2620 is also sold in India - VPC CB 17 FG

 

My vpccb17fg i7-2620 was bought from hongkong. U can check it on youtube bout benchmark test for gaming.just type in ''vpccb17fg'' or ''amd radeon hd6630m'' on youtube.Enjoy and have fun

 

We were talking about the 15" model. Redded got that one. Most people aren't interested in 17" laptops anyways.


@redded
Then the price of 52.6k at letsbuy.com with free Targus bagpack would be a better deal. Those Sony Stores suck big time on pricing.

 

Actually that model is 15 inches as i have that model. Its available in a few places i think the SEA region. Australia does not give you the option to customize it.. instead they give you two options and the only option available in black here is VPCCB17FG...

 

@paul
CB17 is not a 17 inch model but 15.5 inch. 'CB' model refers to size 15.5. The next numbers 15,16,17 refer to the configuration (higher the number,better the config).

 

hey pals, i have uninstalled vaio messenger because it was giving me errors on startup... I'm looking to reinstall it but i can't and it seems it is not inthe list of drivers and applications on vaio care... Some help would be very much apreciated....

 

guys i ran into some serious problems....
i installed that hotfix for ccc today and since then i am getting a flickering screen in all my games making them unplayable.....
is there a way i can remove the hotfix??
or any other way to solve it?