Vaio SA Fan Noise?

Hi guys,

I am looking to a Vaio SA with the i5 2430m and ATI 6630m. After extensive research, it appears that the majority of concerns about the laptop arise from screen quality, hinge build, and the fan noise.

I am not as concerned about the screen quality since to me, the Series 7, which many say has horrible viewing angles and contrast, appears just fine. My main concerns are the hinge and the fan noise.

As for the fan noise, some reports say that it is very quiet, nearly inaudible when in light tasks or in idle. Others, mostly those with an i7, say it is loud even on a light load. The general consensus is that it loud during gaming. I don't plan to game much on the system, but the 6630m is certainly nice to have. Since my model has an i5, would the fan noise be closer to quiet during idle or light task?

My second concern is the hinge, which given the reports appears to have some wobbling? I understand it is made so that it can be easily opened with one hand,but from pictures it does look a bit flimsy as if connected by a single, thin piece of material. What exactly is this wobble that people are describing.

In addition, would the magnesium alloy and the chrome be prone to scratches? I don't abuse my electronics by any extent, by my OCD does pick up on these blemishes.

Thanks for looking at my rather lengthy questions. Look forward to joining the forums!

 

Fan noise has mostly been resolved with the latest bios updates, which have helped a lot. I have the i7, and whilst previously I did find the laptop a bit loud, now its not so bad. Right now, I have quite a lot running, including about 25 tabs in chrome, and the fan is a mere whisper. If you have a hdd rather than an ssd, the sound of that will drown out the fan easily. However, the new bios's have removed sata3, which might might matter to you.

The hidge: I think other than it partially covering the rear exhaust vent, its quite well designed. its loose at lower angles for easy opening, but tightens up as you get to the normal angle it will be at while in use. I cant really see how it would wobble while in use. any angle past 90 and the hinge itself is reasonably stiff. The screen itself is quite thin, and I think this, rather than the hinge, could cause what some people see as wobbling. If you flick it, it wobbles back and forth a few times, but the "hinge" doesn't move. I dont think this is a problem.

Scratches: I have a few small nicks on my lid after 4 months or so of use. However, these are probably caused by my carelessness with sharp cables, the surface itself seems more scratch resistant than the typical plastic.

Hope that helps!

 

the bios update is on the sony website? or is performed via a special program on the computer to update the bios?

 

The official bios update can be downloaded from sonys website, Sony eSupport - VPCSA390X - Support
is the best link for the latest updates
A modded bios with added menu options is available here, enables ACHI in particular http://dl.dropbox.com/u/45117524/bios-mods.com/Vaio_R2085H4__Advanced_ByCamiloml.exe

 

Awesome, thanks for the feedback. It sure is a tough choice between this and the Elitebook 8560p. I love the portability that the Vaio SA provides, but the solid build of the Elitebook is just awesome...

 

There is very negative review about latest BIOS update for SA model posted at sony on-line store website for VPCSA3BGX model. It describes the issue where with fan noise decrease the laptop performance is also descreased.

I have spoken to sony tech support about it and they CONFIRMED this issue is present.

So my Sony SA is going to run on factory bios until case is resolved. I expect max performance from my laptop fan noise is secondary issue.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk

 

So certain models throttle themselves to slow down the fan? The one I am looking at is a VPCSA3AFX. Would that be affected as well? And do you have a i7 or the i5? Thanks.

 

No. At STAMINA mode, the CPU is throttled to a max temp of 75C, more or less. In SPEED mode, the CPU and GPU are both allowed to go as fast as possible, with no throttling, even with some GPU overclocking. The SA's exhaust system may not seem like much, but it sure can move out the hot air when it wants to. Also quieter than a m14x, I might add...

 

My SA (i5) is silent-to-whisper-quiet, even in speed mode, 99% of the time. The only times I've heard it get loud was once when I ran a benchmark test, and on the day I received it, when it installed 42 Windows Updates at once. The other day I nearly maxed out my 4GB of RAM with too many applications running, and it was still quiet.

As for the hinge, yeah, it feels flimsy, but I don't think it actually IS, if that makes sense. I think it's designed to have more play at certain angles. It makes it easier to adjust it with one hand. If you don't grab it by a corner of the screen and try to carry it around like that, it should be fine, IMO, and I'm pretty rough on stuff.

I have not yet managed to scratch the magnesium case. Actually, it seems fairly scratch resistant.

 

^^ this this has been mentioned many times before, however:


since the SA arrived after the SB and SC, AND because the SB/SC have linear resistance hinges.... the only logical conclusion is Sony deliberately engineered the hinges on the SA to have some play at the ~60-100 degree range.

 

I am glad it is whisper quiet, since my FW sounds like a jet most the time and it is kind of annoying.

 

It is i7-2640m 2.80GHz(3.50). For detail spec go to store.sony.com and enter model number I mentioned in my previous post.

Now, my SA runs 99% of CPU performance 80% of the time because I use it only for video post processing. I have separate Lenovo for browsing, doc processing and email. So yes, fan does make a lot of noise most of the time and Stamina mode is out of the question. Performance is what I expect and for this I can live with the SA noisy fan. That is a trade of for super compact but powerful laptop I can take anywhere with me to do the job.

That is why I am not going to risk updating BIOS to some version that was confirmed as buggy by Sony.

I did not purchase this laptop to write emails after all.

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk

 

hello
i've open this thread : http://forum.notebookreview.com/son...ance-balanced-mode-annalysis.html#post8901541
fan noise is really important in sony vaio when you are in "performance mode", this is because windows 7 is set to a maximum processor state to 100% and this lead to force the turbo boost (for ex my i5 2.5ghz will run at 3ghz).
you have to set a max of 99%.
best setting is : sony vaio set to "balanced mode" and windows 7 power settings to "normal mode".
having stamina or speed button will only affect the ATI/Nvidia graphic card beeing on or off
with those settings, no more fan noise! just a little whistle.... :thumbsup:
cheers