Sony X Series Official Owners Thread

Interesting. I seem to be having better luck than others here. So I downloaded and ran the Battery Status program (thanks for the tip by the way!) and learned a few things:
- I really am averaging about 4.2-4.3watts when doing light-duty web surfing (and at 4.3watts, the total runtime indicated by Windows and BattStatus is about the same: 7:55). When idle (doing nothing), it gets down to as low as 3.2watts (in that case, BattStatus immediately refreshes to show max life of ~10hrs while Windows still shows the same 7:55). It gets to as low as 4.0watts for simple websites, and as high as 5.5watts for websites with Flash. My LCD brightness is set at 3/8.
- Here's a MAJOR issue though (I had no idea until I ran BatteryStatus): under PowerSaver mode, the CPU usually runs at 800MHz! (It does step up at times, for example that was the case when it hit 5.5watts) That's probably why Flash video felt sluggish (not as much from the graphics chip stepdowns), although with ordinary websurfing, I'm not bothered by it. With Balanced mode, CPU seems to run at 1.6Ghz, and HighPerformance mode runs at the full 2.0Ghz

So yes, I seem to legitimately be averaging 4.2-4.3watts, but I guess that's in part (in large part?) due to the CPU downscaling to 800MHz. That's fine for my needs 80%+ of the time (and I think dynamic speedscaling is a good thing!), but obviously may be a deal-breaker for others.

 

alavida - that's certainly impressive power consumption and it explain why you get such long battery life.

However, there're still some important information left out - your desktop theme/wallpaper setting, tweaks you've done, things you removed, you model (with WWAN or not, HDD capacity). Some of them will affect the CPU or overall battery usage too. If you could also provide them it'll be great!


laser21 - will do so, still searching for a good codec to play smooth 1080p under windows 7 first and then only I'll try on XP...

 

My battery status on average:

Balanced:
Light web on wifi - 6w
Youtube on wifi - 7w
Youtube on 3G - 9.3w
Youtube on 3G + max brightness - up to 10.5w (!!)

Power Saving:
Light web on wifi - 5.8w
Youtube on wifi - 6.5w
Youtube on 3G - 8.9w

My setting:
Web surfing - notebookreview forum as benchmark.
Youtube - 360p
Brightness - 1/8 with latest 2024 GMA500 driver (unless stated on different brightness setting
HDD - 128GB
CPU - Z550 2GHz
No intergraded Gobi WWAN, I use Sierra Wireless APEX 880 3G+GPS USB dongle
Basic theme, no Aero


As a conclusion, simple switching to power saving mode doesn't magically give 4W'ish power usage. I even restore the power saving mode to default setting, still I don't see much improvements. However, I did update my GMA500 driver to 2024, and flash to the 10.1 (RC6 or was it a public release already), if those contribute something.


By the way, curious about the battery capacity of the L battery of you guys. I see 33590mWh reported under the battstat, which is more than the officially claimed 31Wh!


UPDATE: I find the battstat isn't reporting the power usage changes instantly, so sometimes I still see light web surfing up to 7w on balanced mode as well as some 5.7w on power saving mode. Still no where near the 4.xW.

 

Your experience is very similar to mine pigcat. Thanks for the report. BattStat is a nice little app. It reports CPU temperature as well as power consumption. I've run it constantly on every laptop I've had.
I can live with the power consumption of the X with the L battery - but it goes to show that you should never believe the advertising hype from the manufacturer!

 

change the update frequency to 2 instead of 5 seconds...

at 5/8 brightness, processor stays most of the time under 800Mhz
all wireless off: 4,8
wifi, browsing this forum: 5,8-6,2
3G browsing this forum 6,8-7,1

 

You're always going to get low power consumption with wireless off, but what's the point? I always run wireless. I guess it's good to know that if you really need to save some battery, you can turn it off and go down to 4-5W consumption.

 

being on an airplane and working is quiet often for me... I dont need connectivity there!

 

Wow, I'm as mystified as you guys as to why I'm averaging lower power, and that's with Wifi on. Trying it again today, I'm averaging 4.2-4.6watts (a bit higher than yesterday) with light websurfing (this forum and a few others tabs open, but no streaming video!). Here are some more ideas/specs:

- Standard factory Windows 7 HP with all Sony bloatware, can't recall uninstalling anything, possibly disabled Vaio updates
- Running what appears to be a Basic theme: specifically, the result of selecting an Aero (Landscapes) theme, and when switching to PowerSavermode, color is reverted to 16 bit, so that seems to turn off Aero (or at least revert to something that is, well, less than Aero -- I don't know if it's Basic per se, but for example, transparency effect is gone)
- I have the 111KX model -- U.S.-based with 64GB SSD. Is it possible, then, that the 128GB SSD with PATA to SATA adapter requires more power? That is my best guess...
- I have WWAN (Verizon) but it is turned OFF (I rarely use it). Bluetooth turned OFF. Only Wifi on
- I use Chrome exclusively, which I've generally found to be much speedier than IE and Firefox
- I'm in a cool air conditioned environment (~70 F) -- could this be helping? CPU temp under BS is showing as 29 C and CPU load fluctuates from 8%-37% but mostly hovers around 15-20% (at 804MHz)
-again, LCD set at 3/8
-Battery is close to full (97%). Running only on battery

When I streamed a Youtube video (360p), it jumped up to 6.5watts (max) at 2.00GHz. That seems comparable to what others are getting.

Btw, my L battery, too, is reported as 33590 by BS.

I don't know what else to suggest, but I hope this helps. Maybe it's that Chrome draws less power. Or I'm seriously wondering if it's not the SATA adapter causing the difference...does something like that even draw power?

 

Thanks for the tips and your results (although I PM'ed you about it but I got the answer nonetheless and it benefit others by posting here).

Gee, I have an idea for my X. Since I'm using WWAN-less model cause my country wan't bringing in the X128, I'm thinking of ordering the parts necessary to have the WWAN - antennas, gobi module, perhaps the daughter board (US model, so no SIM slot I guess) too since soldering sim card slot isn't too difficult but messing with power supply/USB circuit isn't going to work for a total circuit noob like me. But I'll wait for a little longer since it's still under warranty...

My best bet is the 64GB SSD, even before you posted it. I read somewhere that highend SSD is consuming even more power than regular 5400rpm HDD, so that also explain SSD isn't necessary have the same power consumption class.

And the other is perhaps the google chrome, I'll definitely check it out!

Talking about <10w of power usage, VAIO X is sure green for the environment!


PS to all: Still checking out some codecs to play 1080p smoothly, PureCodec seems to be a better choice than the K-Lite stuffs but still stuttering although not until the extent that it looks like slideshows. If it works, I'm definitely downgrading to XP!

 

I rather post here, than use PMs...

Try corecodec...it works pretty good with HD.

 

Thanks laser! Going to try out later tonight...

 

One more question, did you guys update the GMA driver to the latest 2024?

 

I'm running 2024, have been for a few weeks now with no problems. But coincidentally, looks like there may be a new 2026 driver out just today:

 Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator Driver for Windows 7* 32 (zip)

I haven't tried it though...

 

Yes it's the same reason why Lenovo puts only VGA in their X series Thinkpads. Unfortunately these machines are designed around the business traveler and many companies don't update their presentation equipment as often as we consumers update our displays. I have never failed to find a projector without VGA in anywhere. While I would personally prefer HDMI, I understand why they picked VGA.

 

2026 would not install it gave me some message saying that it is not validated for this hardware and to contact my computer manufacturer for updates.

 

Uninstall the previous version, restart, install new version.

 

Just got my Vaio X 128GB with WiMax on Friday. Performance is better than what I expected. Screen image is bright, start up stme is great and connects to my home wireless network in a snap. I get 5+ hours with my L battery and 10+ with my extended batery. It also works with my Verizon USB dongle for when I travel. Streming and watching movies work without any issues. I attempted to watch a BluRay movie but was not able to, screen just froze. Any ideas on how to get that to work. I already tried to use the Intel Media Driver 2026 but that did nothing but make my fan run all the time.. I uninstalled it.

 

Hi fellow X users,

I suppose you will confirm there is no chance the vaio x internal card reader
will be able to read sdXc cards? (these are the thew sd cards with >32 gb, up to 2 tb)
thanks
matthias

ps thats so stupid. usb sticks are readable >32gb afaik, and there are usb sticks smaller than sd cards. just doesn't make sense that you get stuck with old intenral sd reader hardware.

EDIT: found thias on german golem IT news:

Zwar laufen SDXC-Karten nicht in Kameras, die für SDHC ausgelegt sind, im Falle der Cardreader hat das SDA-Konsortium aber vorgesorgt: In vielen dieser Geräte lassen sich die neuen Karten lesen und beschreiben. Eine Rückfrage beim Hersteller ist dabei ratsam. Auf Seiten des Betriebssystems muss ein Treiber für exFAT vorhanden sein, Windows 7 und Vista bringen ihn bereits mit, auch für Linux und Android gibt es inzwischen einen Treiber von Tuxera. Er ist allerdings nur Geräteherstellern gegen Lizenz zugänglich, weil Microsoft Patente an exFAT hält.

translation: some old sdhc readers might be able to read sdxd, but check with the producer first. so let's find it out! please post your findigs, so will I. You cannot count on sony support unless they explicitly say it CANNOT work because it's explicitly incompatible. yippie, there's a chance we might get 2 tb in the x!

 

on monday i received my VAIO X 128GB SSD 2,0 GHz + UMTS.
The performance is really good. playing SD Youtube and 720p youtube flawlessly, 1080p youtube is jittering but wmv hd 1080p is running without any dropouts running driver ver. 2024. Only thing i have to complain about is the fan kicks in really fast and the thing is getting a bit hot , but thats OK.
Anybody knows how to Test the GOBI 2000 GPS Module? I dont have any GPS Software ( is there any tiny freeware software out), do i need to use custom drivers, for it ? Do i need a SIM Card to use GPS?
Thanks

 

Yeah you know what I've been running 2026 since it came out and it's not going great, HD video in Media Player Classic Home Cinema is as smooth as ever, but flash-based video and especially flash video running inside apps such as Feed Demon are unwatchable. Also wasn't sure if the high running temp was just down to the recently warm weather, but perhaps not if you seem to think the fan is running more often as well.

Back to 2024 for now, generally better.

 

What is the best rvmb player you guys have used? My realplayer hung up on me...

 

anyone using kmplayer? i have problems playing mkv files using kmplayer with default settings viz. no additional codecs installed.

problem is video plays slower lagging behind the audio resulting in lip-sync. why use kmplayer you may ask. reason is i need a player that supports multi subtitles.

 

Hi There,

I have decided to get VAIO X series, before this laptop I had VAIO Z series. Although Z series have strong config but the have a main problem which irritate me! because of their fan, when you are typing you always have sense of vibration. Now I am wondering to now Do X series have vibration feeling? besides, do they get warm?

Thank you

 

No vibration that I notice. The fan rarely ever comes on (I actually wasn't aware there even was a fan).

 

Thank you,

So you mean when we are working with vaio X series, we never notice heat or vibration stemming from fans?

Regards,

 

No, I mean that *I* never notice vibrations. I cannot speak for anyone else.

 

Thank you for reply anybody else have opinion about this issue? I mean vibration and getting hot when you are working with VAIO X series?

Thank you

 

In Feb 2010 I purchased a VPCX115KX/B, which I really like. I was thinking of buying another one for my daughter at university, either giving her mine or the new one.

The only differences in the hardware that I can see is:

VPCX115KX/B (old)
- 128 GB SSD SATA

VPCX135KX/X (new)
- 128 GB SSD PATA

and the price is $1,599 (new) vs $1,499 (old)

I am surprised to se so little change and it seems like a step backwards ( PATA vs SATA ). Are there other changes that I am not aware of? Which one should I keep?


Thanks guys

 

The warmest I get from VAIO X is about a warm cup of coffee, which you might not want to have it on your lap for too long. It seems to never get warmer than that unless you try to stuck it in a bag running some CPU intensive tests.

Absolutely no vibration, if you see the laptop in person you'll understand - you can't possible stick anything larger in it!

Fan doesn't turn on often, even if it does, it'll only produce a whispering "weeeeee" kind of noise, pretty quiet though might annoy some sensitive ears. Other than that, it's DEAD silent.

 

hello,

i own a x11:

- no vibration (because of ssd), if the fan is off you don't even notice that the system is running
- fan is probably not big enough to cause vibrations
- in direct sunlight, the x gets a bit hot, but no problems so far

But if the fan kicks in, i recognize it and sometimes it's annoying. Because it must be a very small fan, the "weee" noise is high-pitched. My Desktop has big 120mm fans, which make a "smooth deep" sound. That noise doesn't bother me that much.

dreaming of a fanless X

 

I have noticed a few posts about overclocking the X using setfsb. Can anyone provide me with the exact version of setfsb I should use for for the x?

 

For those who are interested, I had no trouble upgrading to a generic Intel 5300AGN half-size wireless LAN module in the X today (a drop-in replacement using the installed two antennas, as there really isn't space for the third antenna of the 5300). It was a simple swap, and Windows detected the 5300 immediately (and hence, the 5Ghz network in my apartment!). Only, the VAIO Smart Network utility didn't detect it (it can be turned on or off using the hardware Wireless switch).

 

Thanks dimension6, just what I need to know, can you tell me how to open up the case and also was there room or a slot for WWAN. I would like to put in a WWAN with GPS if possible. I have done a search and found lots of fragmented and contradicting info so your help would be appreciated. P

 

You might not be able to add WWAN without purchasing and installing an antenna. I'm not sure if the non-WWAN models come prewired. I used the instructions here to figure out exactly how to open the X (sorry, it's in Japanese). It wasn't too difficult. The only tricky part was actually removing the bottom casing; you have to bend it a little to remove it.

I have an unlocked WWAN chip from my old Z (Option Globetrotter) that I'm thinking of putting in the X (Gobi 2000, locked to DoCoMo), but I currently have no real use for the WWAN.

 

My X127 isn't pre-wired with WWAN/GPS antennas. I never open my X, but you can definitely see how many wires from the hinge area (there's a gap). On the right hinge (above the "backspace" key), I see only a white cable, which should have another 2 black cables for the antennas but it's missing, so it's most likely that the antennas are not there.

I assumed the X was packaged like the P - models without WWAN will have different circuit board - missing PCI-E, missing USB/power supply circuit, obviously also with missing sim slot. If you want WWAN on your X, buy the model with the WWAN - it isn't awfully more money to spend but you won't disturb the warranty, avoid the risk of damaging your X, AND you get full driver support.

 

I am planning to buy a X series at Sonystyle China with the WWAN, but it was advertised with EVDO support (China Telecom bandwidth), I am wondering if it will support WCDMA (China Unicom Bandwidth). I read that Gobi 2000 will support both, but I am not sure if I have to update the software or firmware to make it support WCDMA sim. Can someone advise on this please... Thanks.

 

I gave this a go earlier this week, I followed the instructions here (applies to both Vaio P and X).

I downloaded the free version of setFSB, and changed the clock generator to ICS9UMS9610BL.

After that, you just increase the slider and click "Set FSB" to overclock. It remains overclocked after setFSB is closed and even after a reboot (as far as I can tell).

I overclocked my 1.86Ghz CPU to just a little over 2Ghz and everything seemed to work fine although I wasn't happy with running temperatures; the bottom of the X seemed mad hot, the fan was running almost constantly and the temperature reading in Coretemp was way up at about 50 degrees a lot of the time, where previously I was around the 35 to 40 degree mark.

So I've overclocked it just a bit less at about 1951Mhz and the temperatures are more acceptable.

One thing to note: every time you change the FSB you need to restart Core Temp (or whatever you use to guage CPU level and temp) otherwise it will not report correctly.

Honestly can't say I've noticed that much of a difference with overclocking; would probably need to leave it at more than 2Ghz to really notice a difference but I don't want to risk damage to the X. Do users with the 2Ghz processor regularly have temperatures around 50 degrees??

 

If your place is close to hongkong, just travel to hongkong and buy the X128 which support the GSM (with some tweaks it works with EVDO too according to one of the taiwanese forum).

China version is basically the same as US version - the gobi will only works with EVDO and even if you can get it to work with GSM, you need to solder a sim slot. Not sure about the GPS though, but the hong kong version which just like the singapore version will not include GPS function and you need some tweak to get it to work as mentioned few pages ago.

 

Thanks Pigcat for the clarifiction, but I have the user manual on China, Hongkong and US version, they all have the sim slot (UIM slot for China model). I have contacted the sony sales line to confirm that there is a UIM slot on Chinese model, now comes back to my original question: Can the slot on the Chinese Model take normal WCDMA 3G Sim card? (Which Taiwanese forum has the tweak detail?)

Also, the reason I want to buy the Chinese version is because it seems that it is the only place you can buy 256G SSD with the 3G Chip built in.

 

Thank you so much. This will really help me out. Does the clock generator stay the same if I have the 2ghz version?

EDIT: Nevermind

 

Yeah same one.

By the way I noticed the overclocking is "forgotten" when resuming from sleep, but not apparently when rebooting.. weird.

 

Any way to fix this?

 

Activate GPS in European version VPCX11S1E SmartWi from the US site works according to page 60 in this thread, but consumes resources. By using MinWi from MinWi - SmartWi replacement - Page 4 - Pocketables Forum
I got a small and reliable program to activate the LAN, WAN, BLUETOOTH and GPS.

 

Anyone has any expectation or has any rumors on the next refresh timeframe for X-series? I think it hasn't had a real update since it was introduced in 2009.. do people expect to see an update later this year?

 

So one thing I was happy about today is to see that the new Firefox Beta has GPU acceleration of rendering and our machines could really benefit from that boost given our relatively weak processors. So far it seems quite a bit faster.

Also Google Chrome Beta I believe has the GPU rendering enabled.

This trend of using the GPU to accelerate things is very positive for us especially since I think we are on the forefront of more efficient computing with our Vaio X machines.

 

I would hope so, however it seems to me that the Vaio X is one of those Sony "projects" that they embark on once every few years. Like the crazy SCD-1 or the crazy CD Transport/DAC they made a decade or so ago these sorts of products seem to just come out to prove an engineering point. I hope the Vaio X does not fall into the that category and that they just take the ball and keep it rolling.

Seeing a Vaio P refresh was a really good sign. So I hope Sony realizes that machines like this are the future. This thing murders an iPad. It makes the iPad pointless.

 

Thanks for the tip!! will try

 

Unfortunately this isn't working for me in any of the recent Firefox 4 betas. I've followed the steps to enable direct 2d acceleration, including disabling most of the addons, but it's just not kicking in. I think maybe the driver support needs to be there (I'm using 2024 rather than 2026 which had performance issues).

Anybody else have any luck? I'm hoping IE9 will work better with direct 2d acceleration on the X.

EDIT: Goddamn IE9 beta won't use the GPU for acceleration either. The blame falls flatly at the doorstep of Intel and their crummy drivers. The GMA500 is like a relatively good car that's been fitted with slightly oval wheels.

 

I don't know if mine is enabled or not, in fact I'm not entirely sure how to check. The "use hardware acceleration when available" box is checked.

Also I just wanted to use this opportunity to point out what needs to be in the next version of the Vaio X:

FINGERPRINT READER
BACKLIT KEYBOARD


I hope someone from Sony is reading this and will make this machine even better than it already is.

 

Hi Friends,

I am considering buy Vaio X131 KX, could you please let me know whether this netbook get hot? and are you satisfied about performance or anything you think is useful to know?

thank you