Do you own a VAIO SZ? yes, then check this out.

This is the interview with VAIO SZ developers, us who own one of this brilliant machine, should really read this, see how those people coordinate together to build this machine (art of computer). compromise all those contradictory that other companies can't attempt.
http://media.sonystyle-europe.com/sz1/szdeven.html

 

Thanks m8

 

Just saw this too (posted in the SZ5 thread). Good read, you wouldn't expect things like the camera to be something so special.. Is this a new trend in Japan, developers interviews?

 

This quote begs the question; how do you turn off "Sound Reality" when you want to conserve the most battery life?

Mizutani: For the user who really wants to minimize power consumption on this model, we make it possible to switch the Sound Reality off: picking "super stamina" from the VAIO's power-saving settings will turn the chip off. In addition, individual users who really want to extend battery life can directly turn the chip off if they want. So someone working solely with business applications — someone who doesn't need sound and wants to get as much as possible out of the battery — can switch off Sound Reality and enjoy a longer battery life.

I looked in power settings and control panel and could not find the Sound Reality "off" button.

BJ

 

That was one of the idea to optimize power consumption before they came out with the dual graphic card switch solution. And still you can turn the audio device off completely in the VAIO Power Management devices option. That it will turn both modem and audio off at same time.

 

Well thank you very much wuruoyu!

One question though: If I turn the audio device "completely" off for a flight across the country, that means that I will get no audio at all when watching a DVD via the headphone jack, right?

If so, I'm assuming that my only battery saving best option for audio is to use "stamina" mode. Is that correct?

BJ

 

I m glad I owned the SZ4, it is simply the best laptop in its class!

By the way, in the article, the engineers said that the sound chip can be turned off to prolong the battery life, anyone knows how to do it? I look in the power management settings, but I couldn't figure it out.

 

Oops! I think someone ask this question before me

 

How come my power options screen looks different than yours?

I can't find the same options you have shown on your screen shot, mine looks totally different. Where can I get that setting screen? I have no clue

Here is mine:

 

On the Power Management screen (shown) click the little link for "Advanced Settings" and up will come that other screen with all the "+" signs on it (shown).

BJ

 

I did!! But nothing like WURUOYU, i have no such options like iLINK port, CPU Fan Control, Audio/Modem, etc

Mine looks totally different

 

Ah, if I'm reading his post (above) correctly, lots of those were addressed in one fell swoop by the addition of the second graphic card. Seems you and I have later model SZ's that have the second card whereas original SZ owners don't. As such, we just slide the slider to "stamina" and we don't have to worry about many of the other power saving tweaks.

For the record, I get about 2:10 of battery life in regular mode, 3:40 in stamina. That switch makes a marked difference in battery life, and from what I've learned here, should always be used unless you're gaming. Oh, and stamina makes the notebook as cool as can be. Barely warm to the touch even when running several apps at once.

BJ

 

The battery life you mentioned sounds about right, I got similar results too. I hope I can pull a bit more during stamina mode (can I have 4:30 hrs?)

But still, my screen is totally different than what WURUOYU shown. Looks like he has an SZ450 too...

 

installing SOAWSU-01290607-UN.exe
Power Management Utility

i don't remember the link, but it will show up all the function after you install it.

 

I went on SONY Support site, I looked thru the updates, I can't find the file you are talking about. Where else can I find it? Or do you mind to email me the file?

Thanks

 

ftp://ftp.vaio-link.com/pub/OS/Vist...anagement_2.0.00.12190/SOAVPM-01298010-UN.exe

try this, i think it's even newer version.

 

It works now!!! Thank you

 

Does this file do anything to get greater battery life? Or is it just for diagnostic purposes?

BJ

 

I think the new power management utility is very useful, you can turn off the audio/modem, iLink, DVD drive to save battery. Plus, you can preset the CPU fan speed (i guess it will change the performance of the CPU too) to maximize the battery life. You can also preset the display quality (16 vs 32 bit) to save even more.

I tried to set display to 16 bit, turned off audio, iLink and DVD, and set CPU to level 1. My preliminary experience is around 4.25 hour. Not bad at all.