First Look of the The NEW 2012 SB series (S13?)

what makes you say the gpu is only slightly better?

 

In raw performance, mostly going off of GT640m reviews and estimating from there, it should be not much more powerful than the outgoing HD6630m.


However, if Sony is using nVidia's Verde driver program + Optimus, than, the new drivers will >world peace>>>>>>>>>solving all illness>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>everyone goes to hell>>the old setup. No exceptions. No if, and, buts, NOTHING. Just superior in every way possible. That's how bad the old drivers are (it reworks all perspective and relative scale). The workarounds to upgrade the drivers break other functionality, and the old drivers just have horrid performance in some games (along with bugs).

 

yeah, they looked like intake vents to me too. i was replying to Topper59's comment that he could not feel any heat from those vents, so i tried to imply that they were intake vents. i guess i was not very successful!

 

Heh


Hey, look at the bright side, at least - in theory - the right hand side of the laptop *shouldn't* get as hot as the old SA/SB/SC did, since the intake vents draw cool intake air across all the hot components, unlike the old model

 

I'm interested in the S13A, however I'm not really digging the gold. If it only was silver...

 

Yeah, I'm just looking for Silver, too I like this color.

 

The older models were discounted heavily as far as I know in order to move out old stock in for the new.

I spec'd out a similar S and S13 on the canadian cto site, not much of a price difference from old to knew when both were new initially. When I think back that my FW cost me 1700, it hurts.

I think only the S13 has the silver logo, the S13A is the gold one to differentiate it I guess.

 

They weren't able to tell me anything. It's most likely typo from the original source though, that has spread out to DK/IT/CH and everywhere else.

The S13 seen in the wild only have the LE. But then again: one of the hands-on I read had an SSD drive. This was not even an option when I chose custom components, so I had to settle with a 7200rpm drive. It might differentiate on the GPU as well? Meh, time will tell.

I rather like the gold, which is weird, because I only dig neutral tones.

 

I just ordered the new S13 Premium from the Sony phone sales team (who kindly called me back today).

Got the i7 version (3520M) / 500gb 7200rpm drive / 8gb RAM / W7 Pro / 2gb 640M LE / 3G HSDPA card (£99) / Black carbon fibre / 1600x900 (their sales guy said this was their top end screen and was improved contrast/brightness from the last model and also anti-glare - I don't think he meant matte, sadly).

They told me to go from that HDD to a 256 SSD ("3rd generation" in their words) drive would cost an extra £650 (!!!!!!).

Total cost incl. tax and delivery was £1,179. 30 day return/refund policy. 2 year warranty. Should be with me in 2-3 weeks, possibly earlier.

If, for example, I wanted to replace the HDD with my own SSD drive (void warranty!!), how would you go about doing this given Sony don't supply a W7 install disk (I asked, they don't)?

Petrov.

 

Just download the iso from digital river. You will have to call and verify to activate, but it's no issue. I'd keep the HD around for awhile in case there are warranty issues...

 

The screen on my SA isn't really matte either, it's possible to use it as a mirror but it is much better than a glare type screen. More matte than glare = anti-glare perhaps?

Yeah it is wiser to replace the HDD with a cheaper SSD oneself.

If you can get your hands on a Windows 7 install disk you have a valid product key on the bottom of the computer. It should be possible to use the recovery disks (that one have to burn oneself :/) even if the SSD is smaller than the HDD AFAIK.

 

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but what's the recovery disc for, if you already have a genuine W7 install disc?

After reading the few previous comments, I tinkered with the idea of putting an SSD in there myself. I thought it'd be as simple as switching out the HDD's before even booting it up (leaving the original disc untouched), then use the key to make a clean install from disc, without any of the preinstalled <strike>mal</strike>sponsor-ware.

Am I missing something obvious?

 

I think what you'd be missing is the drivers for the various bits of Sony hardware - to the extent they are not the default MS drivers on the Win 7 install disc. You can typically get the Sony drivers from their support webpage anyway (although I'm guessnig they're not posted for the new S laptops yet).

Petrov.

 

Does anyone know who has seen the laptop in person or owns a new one, how easily accessible the hard drive is? From the photos on newegg of the S15 it appears that a large panel can be removed if 2 screws are removed at the bottom.

 

Let's say I can't get hold of the drivers by themselves, and I'm forced to install on the new disc from the recovery disc I've created. What would I then need a W7 install disc for?

 

Nothing, unless for some reason your SSD spacks out because the recovery disk is based on a different size/format of your old HDD. I think this is unlikely with the newer generations of SSD, but I won't hold myself out as an expert.

Petrov.

 

Same as the old S so yes, very easy access to HDD, RAM and WiFi card. 2 screws for the panel, 4 screws for the HDD/SSD bracket.

 

Sorry if I was unclear. If you have a Windows 7 disk already you don't need the recovery disks. If one doesn't have a installation disk then the recovery disks can be used instead AFAIK.

 

Does anyone know, or can guess, if the new S premium supports the 7mm or 9.5mm SSD? I suppose the 7mm, but not sure...

Petrov.

 

Aaah, it is as I thought then. Thanks! I think I'll actually install an SSD, probably with a clean Windows, if drivers are available.

 

What do you think the chances are that we'll be able to overclock the 640M LE back up to close-to 640M levels...hmmm.

Petrov.

 

Hey everyone, just a quick heads up, I ordered a new Ivy Bridge S15 with the new Docking Station that has HD built in yesterday.

I called into Sony Sales to order it and got 10% off for going through a rep online (including my small educational discount) and express shipping. It's already being built.

I plan on upgrading memory on my own and Im throwing in a Samsung 830 SSD 256GB Hard Drive.


Here's what I got:

Product: US-SVS151190X-LBOM
Component: 3rd gen Intel® Core™ i5-3320M processor (2.60GHz / 3.30GHz with Turbo Boost)
Component: 4GB (4GB fixed onboard + 1 open slot) DDR3-1333Mhz
Component: Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Component: NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 640M LE (2GB) hybrid graphics with Intel® Wireless Display technology
Component: 15.5" LED backlit Full HD display (1920 x 1080)
Component: 640GB (7200rpm) hard drive
Component: Internal lithium polymer battery (4400mAh)
Component: Black
Component: Blu-ray Disc™ player / burner


Total Price: $1,108.70

Description: VAIO 15.5" S Series Custom Laptop
Ship Method: Express
Estimated Ship Date: 06/15/2012
________________________________________
Product: VGPPRS35 - VAIO S Series Docking Station

Total Price: $153.89

Estimated Ship Date: 06/07/2012
________________________________________

Subtotal: $1,262.59

Shipping Charges:$0.00

 

This makes no sense, in the US you can get the 2GB video card with hdd, while in canada you can't, you need a ssd, .

 

From what I've seen currently there are only i5 version in the store.
My local store said that i7 version will hit the shelf next 2 week.

I wonder why it takes more time to produce i7 SVS15. Perhaps difference screen ? Any ideas?

PS. I still can't bear the truth that this amazingly light and quite powerful 15 inch laptop have such a bad screen for photo-editing.

 

is it worth paying 150 dollars for the wi-fi card thing? I can't decide if I want that. But if I can add this later if I wanted?


2) Does Vaio S support 16 gb ram?


3) What about the Optical drive? Since it's slot in, how would that work with changing it?


4) The Gun Metal color... has anyone tried a sony product with this? does it actually look like the mesh on a weapon? I imagine it being stanliness steel?

 

Probably there's just a smaller stock of i7 chips. Just the distribution of die defects.

 

If you restore from an image of a hard drive install you will not have TRIM and other SSD options enabled. Turning these on can be a pain which you avoid if you do a "clean" install. Of course installing drivers can be a hassle too.

 

Yeah, probably something like that. The i5's are expected to the be main breadwinners for Sony, so priority has been given to them, first. Not to mention, different mobos are used, since the CPUs are soldered onto the mainboard, so it's not just a simple drop-in.

 

Yeah, I can only imagine the cluster* it would become, installing from a recovery disc of the original HDD onto a new SSD. I would also still be stuck without a clean install, and would have to call MS to to unlock the OEM key to top off the icing (as far as I can tell?).

I was hoping to avoid it all together by just putting an SSD in there before booting it up or the first time, if the drivers are available at that point in time. There's of course the slight chance that I'll become royally screwed, if I discover faulty hardware, after voiding the warranty?

 

replacing the HDD with an SSD will not void your warranty. are you sure the recovery disks won't work correctly though?

 

A recovery disc will probably work, but I'd rather have a clean install without all the sponsor software.

It won't void my warranty??? I got it from this previous post, on Sony's online support:

It might be a different't ballgame with the Z's, if the HDD's are soldered into those machines?

 

Yeah nothing's really upgradable on the Z. The SSD is soldered there, may be an accessible RAM slot, but I thought that was soldered too? Anyway, the S has more play. But in case, I would keep the sony parts around.

 

That clears everything up, thank you. People have been immensely helpful in here!

I've looked around a bit, and like HKINGS, I think I've decided on a Samsung 830 SSD. It looks to be solid performance and quality for the buck.

What I gathered from this post, you should be safe with a 7mm. But remember to make sure the spacer is included, if it turns out the S series uses 9.5mm. As mentioned above, I'm probably going for a Samsung 830 SSD, and apparently the spacer isn't neccesarily included.

 

They're finally available from the UK Sony site - not impressed with the pricing! Base config for the S premium comes in at £789, add a 128GB SSD and that is £1100. Compare that to the Z which starts at £1000... I know which I'd rather get!
Another note for UK buyers: I spoke to a sales rep regarding after-market upgrades and he concured with a previous poster.

"the only component of the laptop that can be upgraded after the purchase is the RAM and this must be done through VAIO Link, it will invalidate your warranty should you undertake any work yourself"

....disappointing.

 

I believe the Z doesn't come with a PMD at that price and you need to spend 370 in order to get it. But you don't need the PMD at all, then the Z is the better buy of course.

 

That is true. I suppose you're getting an optical drive and much better graphics with the S, but I find it astounding that they can charge ~£300 for a 128GB SSD upgrade. Ridiculous.

 

anyone see the new s13 screen. How is it?

 

The 1600 x 900 anti-glare display is quite nice on the 13.3. Good colors and black levels. The 1080p on the 15" is likewise quite pleasing and reminded me a bit of the Z3 in terms of quality.

 

This comment resonated in your voice lol. Thank you for all the amazing reviews.

 

I called around Toronto, however there doesn't seem to be a S13A on display yet.

Does anyone know how the gun metal version looks like? If I get the A model, I'm thinking of removing the VAIO letters and spray painting it flat black or something like that. I really dislike the gold lettering...

 

Try the Sony Store attached to the Sony Centre for Performing Arts by the lake. That is where I saw the S15 but it wasn't actually on display yet. They said they were receiving the new models this week so they should be up by now.

 

There is a coupon for $ money off depending on how much you spend and when I tried it it didnt work, I was supposed to get $100 off($999 or more) the new s13. Its for canadian customers and when I use it says its temporarily unavailable, has anyone had success with this coupon "SONYVIP".

 

im really stuck between the vaio e14(14 inch 1600 x 900,i5 3210m, amd 7670m,$985 otd) and s13($1121 otd,1600 x 900 13.3 in, i5 3210m,gt 640m le).

 

7670m is just a rebadged 6650m whereas 640m LE is Kepler-based and supposedly faster. i don't know about the display quality in E14 though.

 

I'm blushing Thanks! And stay tuned for more. The Vaio T review will be coming very soon and probably the Vaio S.

 

On the italian store Sony has increased the price of S13A serie (CTO)... just today!
Is it happened elsewhere?

 

Given I've now got a shipping date for my new S series, I've started a new owners thread for the 2012 S versions (including the Premium) - both 13" and 15". Link here:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sony-owners-lounge-forum/669429-official-2012-sony-s-series-owners-thread.html

Petrov.

 

Yup, same here in Holland.

I was still waiting a bit, but I was sure to order it at the previous price, yesterday the base price was € 1019, now it is € 1119, crap!

It seems like they've just repositioned both models as the S13 series has become cheaper. Add in the Geforce card, the 1600 x 900 display, silver / black color, and 8 GB ram and it's only € 1039.

It even says it has the Premium display, so I assume that is the same.

So what are the other differences between S13A and S13 BTW? Just the gold Vaio logo and the slightly thinner chassis? Build quality?

 

The S13A is built in carbon, the S13 in aluminum, magnesium.

 

Only the screen lid differs if they are like the old SA.

Have anyone tried the touchpad yet? That's one of the more important things for me as I'm almost exclusively using that instead of a mouse.