I'd buy a sony s5 (s580) but I'm scared

Hallo,
as I told you in another post http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?p=1239185#post1239185 I am looking for a new laptop.

One of my best option is a Sony vaio s5m (aka s580 in the USA ) (I found it for ~1500E in Italy)

But I'm very scared by the forum reports of overheating and loud fan issues. Plus a lot of other rumors about giggling batteries and ultra-short battery life and sub-standars screen (you can only see it point blank)

Do you have an s5? Can you tell me how loud|hot is this laptop (after the bios updates, maybe)? Would you reccomend it?

Extra questions:
Would you buy and extende warranty?
Can I install an internal bluetooth card without voiding the warranty?
Did you get linux working on it?

Thanks a lot in advance,

Emme

 

overheating is addressed with the newest BIOS, but the fan is kind of loud, but I don't really notice it in an open environment with my S560. The only time I notice it is when I'm in a quiet place such as library. but it doesn't really bother me.

Regarding the jiggling battery, it doesn't really bother me either. it's not a prefect fit, but to me it's very minor. This is the part where I don't get why people are bothered by it. It's a minor rattle only when I shake my laptop. In addition, you can put some tape on it to prevent it from jiggling.

Battery life is about 2.5-3 hours for normal use with standard battery. I'm not sure if that is considered ultra short.

Regarding the screen, It's good enough for me. I heard it's not the same ultrabrite version as in another vaio laptop, but it's bright enough for me. There might be some light loss towards the edges where it appears darker. But it's definitely not "sub-standard". And I don't understand what you mean with "point blank". I can see it just fine under normal use distance even at brightness level of 3 (out of 8?), even from an angle.

For the extended warranty, yes I will get it. This is a good investment for an expensive laptop. The only thing is how good the service is, which is usually sub-par. I have the extended warranty from Bestbuy here in the US, and they replaced the motherboard of one of my laptop, and it still worked flawlessly even after several years. however, on my other laptop, it took them 3-4 months of multiple repairs (3) from which the problem is never solved. But in the end, they honor they policy and credited the total amount I paid for me to get a new laptop.
I'm not sure about Sony's extended service since I have heard both positive and negative response to it. It's also the same with Bestbuy's. There are positive and negative responses to their service, and I guess I'm lucky the local store seemed nicer compared to others.

Regarding installing anything, I don't really know. Some might put stickers or marking inside that can indicate it has been tampered. But in my S560, there's no such thing. I usually replaced any upgraded products to the original ones before I bring them for service.

Don't know about linux, I have read somewhere that the HD serial ATA connection might be a problem.

I hope that helps

 

Ive got a S460

No problems with heat or fan

Can't say bout the battery life, although theres a very good programme to undervolt the cpu NHC/CHC

Battery wiggle is annoying for the cost of the lapotop (seems cheap and nasty for such a highly regarded company) but not a reliability/user problem just whack a bit of tape on it

The screen is terrible for watching DVD's my 5 year ibm does a better job, the viewing angle is ok although it goes noticebly dimmer when you stray even a little off centre, its the colours that really let it down and blacks are very pixelated

Bluetooth install, look around the forum but i belive in the USA its ok not sure bout the UK but be careful Sony will bin your warrenty if theres a Y in the day

Lastly Sonys customers service is absolutey appalling and don't expect to get your laptop serviced /repaired if you decide to travell to a different country with your expensive portable notebook, Sony (international company) suddenly becomes a cheap and nasty market stall

 

Heres a link to installing Bluetooth on a S360

http://www.notebookforums.com/showthread.php?t=88730&highlight=bluetooth+guide

 

Hehe, I know it's a typo, but I just imagine giggling batteries That would make a notebook indeed quite annoying

 

OMFG LOL!!!!!!!elevenoneeleven!!!!!!

 

A quick question I forgot:
Does the fan start up when you are doning nothing for a long time?
I will sometimes leave the laptop on for a long while (acting as a server) with minimum or no load at all. I would really appreciate if it made no noise at all in this state (with power managment set to "max batt life").
Could any of you try a quick test and see if the laptop makes any noise in, say, 15 minutes of idleness?

 

On my S560 which has the older BIOS, the fan speed cycles up and down every 30-60 seconds while the computer is idle, even with the max battery PM setting. It spends most of the time at low speed, which is quiet but not silent. You can certainly hear the fan spin up periodically, but I wouldn't call it loud. As you start loading the processor, the fan will spin up more frequently and for a longer time. It's not loud enough to bother me, but I wish Sony would improve the fan control to make the fan speed more constant. I'd prefer it stay at medium speed rather than cycling up and down endlessly chasing the CPU temperature.

 

A correction -

What I thought was the sound of the fan running at low speed is actually the sound of the hard drive. I should have said that the fan cycles on and off every 30-60 seconds.

 

i don't understand why so many people think that a computers fan will not come on when it is idle?????

that is the draw back of having a processor that is up to speed, and hardrives as well, anything electronic innevitably gets hot as long as it has power, i would rather have my computer keep itself cool and hear the fan instead of having the computer be damaged by excess heat build up.

and most laptop fans are not that loud.

CRT tv's however, good god those things buzz like madmen.

just get a fanless Fujitsu P series if you don't want noise.

 

Easy, because the fan drain current (thus shorten the battery life) and is noisy, if you are in quite environment (say, a library) this can be annoying.

I have a question about undervolting:
what is the idle temperature if the proc has been undervolted?

 

i am around 46 degrees celcius normally...

 

Mines sitting at 38/39 but its also on a notebook cooler