Sony Vaio CB Official Owners' Thread

can any1 tell me,hows amd radeon 6630 can be compared with nvidia 525m and 540m in gaming performance??? It can help me to choose between dell xps15 and vaio cb...

 

^^
AMD 6630M stock is in between 525M and 540M, but with a slight overclock it will equal/better the performance of the GT540M.

 

i dont think anything other than sound which beats vaio cb in this range...what do u say avmaxfan???

 

performance from another competitor with the same range of price, beat CB out of cold

 

but you cant have max style...vaio cb is really sexy...and at the expense of that, performance is not that bad....

 

Design wise, especially in black i think it looks better than most other laptops.

It also has a backlit keyboard and a way better screen than the competition. To me thats more important than slightly more powerful hardware...

 

The difference between ~1:175 and ~1:675 is actually quite big, almost 4 times as big. Furthermore the human eye can perceive more than 1:400 and up to 1:10000 contrast ratio, unless we have screens of over 1:10000 contrast that would be really overkill. click wiki link

Having stronger components also have it's own drawbacks, you have more heat to dissipate, so you need better airflow since everything is already jammed into a small package, etc.

 

Well IMO CB advantages over rivals in your budget

+ Better Design
+ Better Screen - FULL HD resolution
+ No heating issue
+ Fan noise is not too high
+ Adequate Gaming performance
+ Backlit keyboard
+ Lighter

Negatives

- CPU is only dual core compared to i7 quad core from HP, Dell

and
@accel

The human eye can notice the difference in contrast ratio very easily, you don't even have to try hard. The reason YOU did not notice a difference could be due to the fact that you saw the FULL HD screen Asus model and the one someone linked a review of here, only has a 720p screen. The FHD screen perhaps has same contrast as CB.

 

k,i am here after a long time...
whats happening with all the bios and driver updates....
BTW i am not having any issues with graphic thing on my stock drivers and bios....

 

^
What is your BIOS version ?

 

Busy on TDF, eh? Try visiting here of TE sometimes too.

This might help you understand the issue: The Sony Vaio CB15 Review - Page 4

 

Hi,

So far I see no point in uploading bios backup as new one is working very fine. The only possible risk is overheating of dedicated video card, but bios updated firmware as well, so it is highly doubted.
Anyway, if someone would need backed up old bios let me know.

Now I finally can see that PC has 1 GB of dedicated video ram and full control of keyborad is possible.

Using my favorite game I was able to avoid glitches for the first time and now I have proof that assigning apps to gpu and using different GPUs separately really makes difference. Mixed mode of GPUs (default) still uses some part of Intel GPU.

It took some time for Sony to prepare proper bios for full GPUs and keyboard control, just see the numbers in bios versions!

Guys, trying better to understand Sony's logic, could you please post info on internal parts in different series for comparison.

Like this:
CA190X
Monitor: MONITOR\AUO203E 1600x900 This means Optronics This one is good
HDD: Seagate 500GB so so
Blu-ray drive: MATA_BD-MLT_UJ240AF Panasonic real crap on boot

Please add your comment about quality of the part in your humble opinion if it is not too much of trouble for you!

Glad about our progress! If not this crappy Blu-ray and slippery keyborad now the PC looks really nice, especially in orange!
Shut down with 300GB SSD takes only 2 seconds, boot up time 5 seconds!

All the best,
Alex

 

ro230v2, 17-2-2011

nah, not active on any forums actually....
about the WEI i am getting 5.3 rating right now without the bios update

 

yeah you're still plague with the bios problem, update and yours will be 6,7 with full AMD support

 

@Aleksandras : yes,i would like to have the old bios..

can u pls tell me how to make a backup of my current BIOS [RO240V2]..And can u explain the procedure to update the BIOS to the one u posted and the things to do afterwards in detail....u see,some of us are not experts in this area...A single post with all the details will help me and other new members.

Has anyone with new BIOS tried Brink..its the only game that didn't work on my laptop.


thanks
bipin

 

You're definitely paying a premium for the Vaio design. For example, a few Asus models boast better specs, but are a pure eye sore to look at.

Also, for the price, both the graphics card and processor are a little weak - so I'd probably add "expensive" to the cons category.


And while I'm obviously bias, I like to think the replacement I purchased for the CB I returned is worlds better.

 

Same here. I haven't visited this forum for quite some time.
Thanks pauldmps for the link. I installed the new bios and it ran perfectly. (WEI jumped from 4.4 to 5.9).

pauldmps, what settings did you set for the configurable graphics in catalyst control center?

Thanks

 

why do people want to revert back to old bios?? anything wrong with the new one??

 

Do you mean "switchable graphics" ? It is set to AMD when on AC power & Intel on battery. Now I get 4.5-5hrs of battery as compared to 3.5hrs before.

 

My bios version is RO230V2 dated 2/17/2011, so i guess, i need to update my Bios .

Can somebody list, step- by step, as to what needs to be done ? My keyboard backlighting is intact & i have not updated Bios yet .


I am confused . What all needs to uninstalled first ? Can somebody list it in proper sequence along with links ( in sequence ) to what all is to be installed .

Thanks in anticipation .

 

Guys,

If you do not know what you are doing better do not start it at all.
Remember that you are doing all this at your own risk.
No one is responsible for any consequences you can face if something will go wrong.
1. Backup old bios using /O switch. You must name file somehow like BIOS.ROM or any other name in command line, just use .ROM extention. Without this step finished only the guy from Russias could risk his PC (brave man!). I do not advise to go futher while this step is not finished.
2. Update bios. Better from DOS, but in this case it can be done from Windows using upt. bat file.
3. Uninstall utilities: PM, VES, VCC, BC.
4. Install Updated SSL for CA290X, then BC, VES, PM, VCC for CA290X.

Actually after bios update one can use CA290X update page as default except Bluetooth driver.

And remember that you are risking your own PC, nobody is responsible for any consequences if you dare to do this. I do NOT recomennd it to anyone!
There is no quarantee that everything will work fine in a long run even if it is working fine right after the procedure.

Revert to old bios can be done only with special switches and most probably only from DOS so it can be very difficult to revert back to old bios if you do not have enough competence in doing this.
As bios updates firmware as well there is risk that old bios will not work as expected after reversion. Old firmware can not be saved as old bios file.

So think twice before starting this!

Good luck,
Alex

 

I got 6,8 max with a litttle OC

 

yeah same with me... 700 coreclock + 900 memory clock

 

I updated the Bios . Now -

- the recovery Partition no longer shows in my computer . It has become unusable . How do i get it back ?

- from where, can i get the original Bios version from ?

 

@manoja

Recov partition is a hidden partition you could not see it in your my computer windows. You could access it with vaio care...

 

Earlier the Recovery Partition was showing in My Computer . Now, after the update, it is not showing there .

Also, from where can i get the original Bios version ?

 

@Manoja

Could you try installing drivers from vaio care? If it can be installed, then, the recov partition is hidden and it's supposed to be that way.. I can't see my recov partition too...

 

Ok, i will try that .

What about the original Bios ? From where can i get a copy & how can i restore back to my original system ? I am experiencing some lagging/ some heating issues after the update & may need to revert back .

 

you should ask alex about that... i can't provide you that... because i don't backup my old bios.

 

Aleksandras, please help .

 

We definitely need a way to get back old bios in case anything goes wrong. Alex please help!

 

@@Manoja
If you do not know what you are doing better do not start it at all.
1. Backup old bios using /O switch.

How should I put it clearer? One more post like this and I will delete all my posts in this forum. READ carefully BEFORE doing anything to your PC!

Recovery partition is hidden by default so I do not get the panic ground. What do you want to do to/in/with it?

To unhide isystem partition is the simpliest thing in the world but if you modify it you will not be able to recover to the factory state of the system. DO YOU COPY THAT?

One more time! BEFORE MODIFYING ANYTHING IN RECOVERY PARTITION CREATE RECOVERY DISCS FIRST.

To unhide partition:
1. open cmd as admin
2. type: diskpart
3. list disk
4. select disk 0
5. select part 1
6. assign
7. exit

Yes, it is that simple, but BETTER leave it hidden because there is nothing inside you can not reach using recovery tools. Unless you want to join sny files to get sony.wim but it is pointless as this image is language neutral and it is necessary to integrate language pack to use it for clean install, trust me...

Well, I asked all of you to share some info on hardware and got zero response. I do not see the point in one way games, please share if you want me to share with you!

All the best,
Alex

 

hmm, this is my hardware line up...

CA16FG ( Asia models )
Monitor: MONITOR\AUO203E 1600x900 Optronics good contrasts, what i don't like is just not matte...
HDD: Toshiba 2,5" 500GB silent 7200rpm, but could have been using faster drive
Blu-ray drive: Matsua DVD-RW... quite good, really silent

the keyboard is not as good as asus, but it's okay... and the plastic around the keyboard is good looking, but kind of not lasting long...

 

CA190X
Monitor: MONITOR\AUO203E 1600x900
HDD: 120 GB INTEL SSD 320 Series | Western Digital Blue 320 GB 5400RPM
CD/DVD:TSSTcorp ts-l633c (Toshiba Samsung Storage Technology Corporation) - External
RAM: 8 GB G.Skill DDR3 PC10666

 

VPCCB 17 FG ( ASIA MODEL )

Operating System
MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
CPU
Intel Core i7 2620M @ 2.70GHz 55 °C
Sandy Bridge 32nm Technology
RAM
8.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 532MHz (7-7-7-20)
Motherboard
Sony Corporation VAIO (N/A) 55 °C
Graphics
Generic PnP Monitor (1920x1080@60Hz)
AMD Radeon HD 6630M (Sony) 50 °C
Hard Drives
625GB TOSHIBA TOSHIBA MK6461GSY (SATA) 44 °C
Optical Drives
MATA DVD-RAM UJ8A0AS
Audio
Realtek High Definition Audio

 

Aleksandras

You must appreciate that everybody here is not an expert . What may be simple or stupid for u, may not be so for others . If one is stuck up with a problematic system, he would make every effort to get out of the problem .

I have posted the details of my system . Can u help me in getting the original Bios ? I was not wise enough to do it at the time of Bios update .

Can i now do it, as per yr post -

"1. Backup old bios using /O switch."


Do not understand the above . Please give an detailed way of doing it .

Thanks .

 

@MANOJa

What was your original bios version?

Mine was R0240V2.ROM. There is other version I saw in this forum R0230V2.ROM or something like that. If you do not remember your original one it is better not to risk reverting to the version you are not sure was original one on your PC. You can brick your computer in one mouse click irreversibly.

Again, think TWICE before asking me to upload my version of old bios.

NO, you cannot backup your old bios AFTER you updated it with new one.

My greetings come to accel and Nand@. Thank you for the info I was looking for. I will be waiting patiently for more responses.

Alex

 

Alex, my original bios version was RO230V2 dated 2/17/2011 .

 

@aleksandras

I fail to understand your logic in trying to analyze individual hardware components of the CB/CA. What are you really trying to achieve and how does this have any connection with the hybrid graphics problem ?

 

Listen,,to check the recovery partition,right click my computer>manage>Disk management..Here u will see all ur partitions...u can see the recovery partitions too..I do not know how to make it visible in my computer [Actually there is no need to make it visible].u can use this partitions to reinstall windows and installing drivers ..by clicking Assist button..CLEAR ? ...

i suggest u to make a recovery disk ,if u didnt do that so far..

I dont know about ur BIOS query...

 

Thanks, bipin . Got the point .

.....am looking for a solution to get the old Bios version & how to revert back .

 

Could u post pictures of your switchable graphics settings ?

I am getting similar battery back up as earlier ( about 3.25 hours ):confused2: .

 

@avmaxfan

The switchable graphics problem is solved after bios update. I just want to see the hardware differences in 190x versus 290x models as well as Asia versus Europe. This info can be useful while trying to understand Sony marketing policy. If it is not too much of trouble for all of you I am still waiting for this info ...


@MANOJa

I do not have this bios version backup, sorry. So far I see no side effects with new bios version. Full control of GPUs and keyboard is just fine.
What we all can do to be sure there is no need to revert back is to measure CPU and GPU temperatures after intensive usage of dedicated videio card on newest games. If it does not come over 95 C, then it is safe to stay with new bios. Temperature higher than 145 C will burn the PC straight away.

If you have heating issues please mesasure CPU and GPU and post info here.

Alex

 

^^
There is no major hardware difference between CB190X and CB290X. Its just a model refresh with minor changes, nothing else.

 

See attachment. Make sure the highlighted option is checked.

I beg to differ. In most cases, if the temp is more than normal, the machine will immediately shut down to prevent burning.

 

guys i am getting a strange problem, the ac power is plugged in but it says "plugged in,not ccharging"..
any help??
ps:not yet updated to latest bios

 

if it already full, then it's not charging... or you use 80% batt care then it's not charging after it reach 80%

 

Thanks for the help . Appreciate it .

 

problem solved....
actually i enabled battery care function[i dont remeber when] which caused all this....
thanks accel for your help

 

problem solved....
actually i enabled battery care function[i dont remeber when] which caused all this....
thanks accel for your help