My Two Months VAIO S Review

I have the European Black version with Core i3 and HD graphics called VPCS11X9E.

I ordered the VAIO S as soon as it was released in Denmark, I actually wanted the Z, but it's too expensive for me, I did some changes to my VAIO S to get at least some of the screen quality from the Z to my S (read below):

1. Great build quality, no flex anywhere.
2. It's basically silent during surfing and light office work. The fan will turn on only under stress.
3. Keyboard is excellent. It's actually the best keyboard I have ever used, I love it. Makes me want to write more than I should.
4. Lots of connections, HDMI, VGA, Card Reader, 3 USB, everything I need.
5. Integrated DVD-drive, few 13" actually have this.
6. The screen is by default not very good, but I did 2 things that really helped a lot. First I purchased a Vikuiti ARMR200 screen protector , which turns the VAIO S glossy screen into a matte screen. Second (and even more important), I calibrated the screen using Spyder3 Elite from Datacolor (download my current calibration below). After this, the screen is excellent, the viewing angles are still not that good, but at least the screen is good enough for me to my webwork with proper colors, I would have prefered a little higher resolution, 1440x900 pixels would have been perfect.
7. I also have the matching dockingstation called VGP-PRS10, again great build quality and I really like the idea of not having to plug in all the cables when working from the desk, just note that the HD graphics version that I have, does not support DVI out on the dockingstation, don't ask me why.
8. Btw, after re-installing Windows and doing a clean install of Windows 7 Ultimate, the notebook is blazing fast, I have no speed issues at all, amazing.

Just post, if you have any questions.

Windows Experience Index:

Processor: 6.2
RAM: 5.9
Graphics: 4.6
Gaming Graphics: 5.1
Harddisk: 5.9

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcsFHNnJNd4

Video showing in full HD streaming, which the VAIO S with integrated graphics does perfectly (please note that this video was recorded before I got the screen protector and color calibration).

Color Calibration File

 

I allow myself to add here my updated Sony Vaio S short review, so that it is easier for other users to read concrete information and impressions about the Sony S.
Please pay attention that I have a slightly different version - VPCS11V9E, which features a dedicated video card (Nvidia Geforce 310M) and i5 520M CPU:



Likes:

* The amazing backlit keyboard - it is a pleasure to type on it - silent and convinient! The backlight really makes it a state of the art product! Love it!
Update --> The space bar, as well as the Enter and Back-space keys started making tiny squeaking noises every now and then, as some other users have reported too! Nevertheless the problem could be solved for less then 10 minutes with some lubricating oil
* How cool it runs - it hardly gets warm and not even as nearly as hot as what I've used in the past
* Nice design
* Light weight
* Optimal size (and I am using it as a prime PC)
* Some wouldn't agree I guess, but I do think the auto brightness (dimming) function is doing a decent job. I also find the screen bright enough!
* Quite stiff construction from what I can tell. I have 3 literally broken laptops behind my back and this was the reason to look for a robust business oriented one. I must admit that the base and the hinges leave a very stable impression, the LID cover is metal too (which unfortunately has some disadvantages as well as mentioned below)


Dislikes:

* The loose battery (the solution below)
* The loose Optical Drive cover (managed to fix it already)
* The LID cover can very very easily be pushed down to the back of the screen when pushed in the middle!!! It is metal, yes... but metal material is also more flexible then plastic and it really takes almost no force to curve it - just put something on top of it and it is already down to the screen... So IMO the screen is hardly protected from the back side! I take extra care what I put in my bag next to the laptop... - I consider this the biggest disadvantage of the notebook.
* The relatively large charging adapter - this is the biggest one I've had... don't really know what made them go with such a big thing for a relatively small notebook.



That's it I think, at least so far. Anything I haven't mentioned in any of the sections is somewhere in between. I on purpose did not put the screen quality anywhere, as IMO it is not as bad as some describe it! Maybe if you downgrade from a more superior one it makes a difference, but it is definitely an upgrade for me and for many others, I am sure. The viewing angle is OK with me, the brightness is better then I expected, the colors... well still haven't had a chance to calibrate it. I am used to work on reflective screen and I also use it indoors only, so that doesn't bother me at all - I even find glossy screens better.

A few words about noise - the S is quite silent... The fan can hardly be heard when running... what I don't like that much though is that it goes on and off quite often... say every 2-3-4 min (even on idle) and emits a more noisy "burst" when starting... In a completely silent environment it is more or less noticeable - could even irritate if you concentrate on it. So for noise I'd give 7 out of 10 with 10 being the highest. If the fan could go on somehow more gentle, without that "burst" I'd have given a 9,5.
I should add here that I am sure there is a noticeable difference in the FAN behaviour, compared to the model without dedicated GPU! It is actually the GPU that triggers the FAN as it gets worm no matter what you do! So if you don't really need a dedicated GPU - it might be better to go for the more silent one with integrated graphics! Whenever I use the PC actively (multitascing, browsing, downloading, chatting, office applications, etc., etc it is not an issue, as the FAN needs to be workign constantly anyway so it is not noticable!

Other then all mentioned I have no idea what the initial idea behind the 2 Hot keys (VAIO and Assist) has been, but they are definitely useless and as far as I know not programmable... the VAIO key mutes the sound (although you can do it with Fn and F2 as well) and ASSIST starts a Sony application that I haven't used yet and don't think I will ever use.

The notebook comes with a lot of crapware, but this isn't worth mentioning, as it is easily removable

If I think of something else I'll add it here
Generally talking - I don't regret the purchase! Hope to be able to say that in years as well!

Windows Experience Index:

Processor: 6.7
RAM: 5.9
Graphics: 4.9 (sometimes shows 5.0)
Gaming Graphics: 5.9
Harddisk: 5.9

updated:

!!! The ultimate solution to the loose battery issue !!!​

As I promised, I am sharing my solution to the loose battery issue we all have by default. I've tried out a few other ideas, but this one is the best - both visually and practically!





(bigger pictures here)

This is a "Tesa" product which "prevents objects from slipping and muffles tiresome noise". The size of that thing is so perfect that not only the battery isn't loose at all anymore, but it also needs small force to be removed It also sticks perfectly.

So... good bye loose battery!!

P.s. I could take a pic of the package of the product if you are interested. It costs € 2,99 here for 28 of those things.

 

Thanks Gracy, by the way, when you don't have the Datacolor program installed, I believe you can manually add my color calibration file into Windows under Color Management, take a look.

 

Thanks for sharing this useful file with us!! Two questions about it:

1. Did you use a Colorimeter (spider) for calibrating it?
2. How does one effectively apply the color settings file to Windows 7?
I found out that double-clicking it just adds it to the available profiles in "Color Management", but I'm not sure I managed to really activate it or at least I did not feel a difference... !?

Thank you in advance

P.s. I would suggest this thread to be only about short and specific questions regarding (parts of) the posted here reviews!! For anything else (general questions about the model), please refer to the Official S owners thread

 

1. Yes
2. I believe you can manually add my color calibration file into Windows under Color Management, take a look.

The difference is huge, but please note that all screens are different, best result will always be to calibrate the screen using the hardware.

 

Thanks, Wii!

By the way, the colour calibration file can be loaded in linux too, using the xcalib tool. Just unpack the zip archive in your home directory and run

Code:

xcalib VAIO-1.icm

At least, I assume the profile is loaded correctly. In my installation it looks less cold than the default setting, is it correct?

EDIT:
Doing so the profile doesn't load at every bootup. Open a text editor ad copy this:

Code:

#!/bin/bash
xcalib /PATH/TO/FILE/VAIO-1.icm

save the file as loadicc.sh
make it executable (right click -> properties)
make the script load at every login (in systemsettings -> advanced -> autostart if you use KDE*, system -> preferences -> sessions if you use GNOME)

*or copy the script in ~/.kde/env/ to load it before the desktop starts

 

I wish Sony would offer a higher res better display for this model as a CTO.
The latest 13" MBP with a 320M integrated card appears to get better gaming performance than the 310M dedicated card.
It also gets better battery life to but you do lose out on a whole load of connectivity options which are pretty much essential to me.
The Intel integrated card would suffice for me though.

wii thanks for taking the time to write this.

 

Well, I considered waiting for a Macbook refresh before purchasing my S, but after all I'm happy I didn't. The only thing I miss is the battery life, but the lack of standard video connections was a BIG turnoff, to say one.

 

The C2D is disappointing that the MBP uses.
It seems to get about 4600 points in 3DMark 06 so it still does well regardless but well if i was purchasing now i would want at least a i5 540 processor for a desktop replacement which is what a 13.3 would be to me.

Apple claim now that the mini display port can transmit audio and video with their cable adapter but i haven't seen this tested yet. If true it is not as bad as before where you had to get another cable for the audio, this was not an elegant solution at all.

Of course you can overclock the 310M but i don't think you can do that on the 320M as it is an integrated card.

An improved display would be good enough for me. The display on the S series is decent but i've been spoiled with the TT and i would like at least a 13.3 notebook with a very good display.

 

The 310m has poor overclocking abilites for me , i barely overclock more than 25mhz of the stock clock before it gave in,using badaboom converting as my test. The screen is definitely little disappointed, i wish it should have a higher screen resolution and better contrast and colour.

 

Yes, in the correct calibrated screen, the colors are clearer, the contrast is better and the blue-ish screen is gone, the screen is not perfect though, if anyone needs something better, the only way is to upgrade to a VAIO Z.

 

I really don't know what you guys want to have higher resolution for... maybe if you use it as a netbook - just from time to time and not as a prime-PC it makes some sence, but I stay in front of my S 3-13h a day... and I certainly don't need/want higher resolution in the name of my eyes...

Of course I did change the taskbar and icons size in Win 7 to "small" as they are way too big by nature. Once this is done - everything has the perfect size for daily use. The resolution is spot on for me.

 

I am ok with a 1366xXXX display. The thing is if we want this model to have a better display then realistically i can only see Sony doing that as a CTO higher res display like they've done on some other lines like the CW. A 1400x900 on a 13.3 would be fine.

I know the S series might compete with the Z series but i think that there are enough differences to differentiate between both of those lines other than the display. I really do prefer a 13.3 also.

I think this could only improve the sales of the S series.

 

Many netbooks on the market have better quality screens than the S series. A netbook these days go up to 12.1 inch size now and have better viewing angles and exhibit far better colors than the S series, even with the same resolution. Windows 7 allows proper dpi scaling so it would improve the S series greatly if it had a higher resolution because it seems Sony uses the better LCD's for their higher resolution screens. And if it is difficult to read text, increase dpi, and then everyone will be happy with their personal preferences. But for real, a cheap netbook with a better screen than a Sony VAIO S series ? Sony has to fix this.

 

I should also admit I noticed the same wii did - once some settings are touched - the screen becomes way better and above average IMO. I just increased the digital vibrance from NVIDIA Control Panel when I got it and... "wow, hello screen"!!
So I really think it is actually not set up very well by default and not so much that it is a bad screen. About viewing angles... I looked at so many notebooks before I bought it and hardly did I notice a big difference in the viewing angles... There are of course better, but it is absolutely ok with me.
I use Lenovo T400 on regular basis at work and I really, really prefer the S' one! The Lenovo's is so dull, the colors are soooo washed out... I never noticed it before I bought the S, but now it shocks me every time!

 

Gracy, now you just need the matte screen protector as I use, with this and the color calibration the screen is above average, but it's still not quite as good as the VAIO screen, but ok, it's half the price for our VAIO S, I'm quite happy too

 

I wish there was a way to test the screen protector before buying it... or to see it live.

 

Hmm, my camera is out of town, but next week I can make a video of it, so you can see it in action.

 

I'd be thankful if you can take a close up video / photos of the screen. I'm curious how grainy it is - I've noticed many non-glare screens seem somehow grainy...

 

I will try, you could say that the matte scren adds a little grain to it, but considering getting rid of the mirror and be able to use this outdoor, it clearly outweights the little grain.

Here's a review of the screen protector I'm using:

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Review-Vikuiti-ARMR200-Anti-Reflexion-Coating.1325.0.html

 

Will read it in a minute, thanks!

The thing is I don't use mine outdoors at all and I barely ever have anything reflecting in it.... so it probably isn't worthy at all.

 

Well, it improves the screen, at least that's my experience with the protector.