Very dissapointed with the new F model

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs...52921666069165&categoryId=8198552921644692000

They cramp a keypad with a 16.4" notebook which means they would have to shrink the size of each key to make it fit and they would have to move the touchpad off center.
If you want 1600x900, you can only have ECO screen.
If you want 1600x900, you can only have GeForce 310M GPU which is much slower than GeForce GT 330M GPU.

Why do they have to downgrade the screen and GPU for lower resolution? Not everybody wants FullHD with a 16.4" screen. If only they offer HiColor with GeForce GT 330M GPU at 1600x900, I would have bought it.

I will pass!

 

Actually, when I was looking at the "old" F-series today, it seemed to have plenty of room for a non-existant number pad. I doubt they had to shrink the keys much at all, if any. A 16.4" 16:9 is about as wide as a 17-inch 16:10, which traditionally have had number pads.

The GPU changes don't make a whole lot of sense to me - according to Notebookcheck, the 330M is the same as a 230M, but with a slightly higher clock, and performs quite similarly to the ATI 4650 that Sony had before. The 310M, which is the same as a 210M, would thus be a decent amount weaker than the 4650. If anything the GPU options are a downgrade - unless you're using CUDA, but that's not very common these days.

As for the CPU, the 720M probably will be a gain for most people, but I'm surprised there aren't any high-end dual core offerings (new i5's, or the i7 620M, that is). They use less power and can Turbo higher, so it can make sense to use them instead of the 720M.

On the whole though, I agree that I'd rather have the old one than the new one.

 

I lol'd at the battery life: "Up to 1 hrs. DVD playback!"

 

Memory moves from DDR2-800 to DDR3-1333 in the new F-series.....that should be FAST !

 

Soon after I purchased my FW490 six months ago, I wondered if I would regret not waiting a few more months for its successor. I don't.

That's not to say it's a bad successor, it's just not substantially better than my FW.

 

I quite like the clean design, in particular near the display hinge where in the past there is a curved in 'shelf' to collect dust, but now it's one flat surface.

multimedia keys (like play) are slightly bigger now and it would not hurt your fingers to press (unlike the FW).

but where are there no separate keys for volume control?

 

i like it, not sure if i like the keypad though

shoulda put some cool new-age tech in the missing space instead, like touch volume controls or just some other eye candy

 

Man, I'm disappointed with all the new Vaio models. Last year's models had clean flowing lines. This year, the laptops look like a mashup of different design cues.

First of all, the new palm rest design SUCKS, it doesn't look nice at all. It looks like it was glued on top of the laptop. Last gen's palm-rests were edge-to-edge and it made sense.

Secondly, the new barrel design is horrible. Yes, the FW had weak barrels but that could have been fixed differently, not by "molding" the area over the round barrels. Again, it looks like a cluster of different design cues.

Thirdly, F-related. Why would they stick a number pad. The laptop is supposed to be a media laptop not a business one. The keyboard on the FW was perfect! It honestly did not need changing. There was absolutely no need to squish in the number pad. It made sense on the AW since that laptop is massive but not on the F series.

Fourthly, I guess Sony fully switched to Nvidia graphics. I'm curious to see how the cooling is like on the new F series but I'll be honest, I would NEVER buy a laptop with an Nvidia card. I don't understand why they didn't stick with the safe ATI cards.

Out of all these, the Y and Z series look the most interesting. I'd get them in black to hide some of the ugliness. Though, I wouldn't consider Z because of the Nvidia card but I'll try out the Y in stores to see how it handles.

Lastly, people who kept on moping about i7 CPUs, well here they are... Vaios with i7 CPUs, faster RAM, faster GPU. Knock yourselves out, I'll happily keep my underpowered FW for a while (yes, I do care more about looks than specs).

 

actually I'm very happy they switched back to Nvidia and added the backlit keyboard. I'm returning my Dell Studio XPS 1645 for sure.

 

You know, AW is no longer on SonyStyle...maybe that's why they stick keypad in the new F. I personally like to have keypad if space allows, and F is wide enough to fit, but it does make F looks crowded.

On the other hand, nothing wrong with caring about looks more than specs. You look at the laptop every waking moment, even when the power is off, but you (and most people) don't use the full power of the specs all the time...

 

I just ordered the new F-series....I was contemplating between the Z and the F but finally decided on the F, since the new F has solved quite a few of my pet peeves with it, which were the slow DDR2 RAM, lack of bluray burner (for the past month or so) and some other minor things.

This model solves the minor gripes I had with the prior FW and decide to flip the switch (i7-820QM, 8GB DDR3-1333, Windows 7 Ultimate, 500GB 7200, 1920x1080 screen with 1GB NVidia card etc.)

 

It always subconciously bothers me when people say they don't buy a notebook for looks, but am not sure why. You nailed it.

 

And the looks of the new F-series were an additional factor that helped me to flip the switch, since I really like it. Just goes to show how subjective are preferences, when it comes to things like looks.

 

I think I’m going to go ahead and go for it as well. I’ve looked at all the new models I could find from Dell, Gateway, Lenovo, HP and Sony and the F Series seems to have most of what I want. I was hoping for a 15” notebook with longer battery life and high performance AND very good slim looks, but I guess that’s not reality yet. The HP Envy 15 Beats Edition was a close call for me but it prices out at about 1k more than the F Series. Also the Envy seems to have major heat and battery issues.

I decided to get all the options that aren’t an easy upgrade down the road:

Intel Core i7-820QM processor (1.73GHz) with Turbo Boost up to 3.06GHz

Genuine Windows® 7 Professional 64-bit: No need for me to pay an extra $50.00 for options that I have no need for.

320GB Hard Disk Drive (5400rpm): I'll be upgrading to a Hitachi TravelStar 500GB 7200RPM drive for $100.00. It offers a very nice feature called Bulk Hardware Encryption. I’ve been using it for about 2 years now on my Vaio AR series notebooks. When you turn on the BIOS password, then the Hitachi Bulk Encryption is activated and all contents of the hard drive are encrypted with no performance loss that I have ever been able to detect. Should your notebook be stolen, it remains encrypted unless the correct password is entered in the BIOS start up screen. If the drive is removed/ separated from the BIOS, then there is no way to decrypt the data on the drive. It’s all very simple yet very powerful. And of course I back up all my data in case my notebooks motherboard is destroyed, which leaves the hardrives data encrypted for good.

4GB (2GBx2) DDR3-SDRAM-1333: I can upgrade in a year or 2 if I still have this notebook.

Blu-ray Disc player/burner

16.4" VAIO Premium Display (1920x1080) with NVIDIA GeForce GT 330M GPU (1GB VRAM)

Keyboard Backlight: Note sure why they have this as a 25.00 option and not just standard.

Total: 1,700.00

 

That's very true, it also depends on what you are comparing to. I like the current FW look more than the new F, but if I am to buy today, I will probably pick the new F for the better spec, keypad, and a look that, I think, is still better than any competitor. Same thing can be said about the new Z, too.

Oh well, I'll just keep using my FZ and Z like nothing happened.

 

First post (so please be kind... )

I have to agree with the negative comments re the new F. Had one all set up on the Sony site, but kept going back to the FW. Couldn't wrap my head around the new keyboard (if I need a number pad, Logitech makes a wireless model for $25) and wrist rest. I'd also rather have an ATI 1GB over an nVIDIA 512MB (I don't need the HD screen). Would have liked the backlit KB, but that's about it.

Just ordered an FW550F from CDW for $1100 shipped (should be here tomorrow) - P8700, 4GB, 320GB HD @ 7200, ATI 4650 w/1GB, ECO screen. With the Win7 Pro unlock key (want to run some VT stuff), I'm still saving over $200 and getting a (IMHO) better looking laptop.

Wonder how hot the F's i7 chip is going to run; Laptop Mag measured 110º on the bottom left side near the vents - a little warm for true "laptop" use...

 

I'm not so sure that the keyboard is "cramped" because the F's dimensions are a bit wider than the FW's and the FW had lots of space between the keypad assembly and the sides (part of its elegant design, of course).

As for warmth, yes, indeed, those i7s are hot and reviews of other manufacturers which beat Sony to market with it have had heat problems. If you flip over the F and the FW you discover that the F has more venting holes and it is also a thicker machine, likely for more air circulation.

My guess is that the refresh of this model which, if Sony is true to form, will appear in about three or four months, will have worked out a few of the kinks, and will likely introduce a better GPU, not to mention the possibility that the U.S. model will get the display light sensor that's on the European models -- and whatever screen advancement comes with it ;-).

 

Mine is the same specs as yours but Bluray read only , 500GB and add Large Capacity Battery.

Total $1,681 (Price for student)

Very cheap compared to others brand with the same specs

 

The new F is butt-ugly compared to the old FW. The brown FW was a sexy, sexy piece of gear.

I'm annoyed they force you to upgrade the screen resolution to get the GT330M; I'm annoyed they even used the GT 330M! They should have put a GTS 360M. What good is a beefy quad-core Nehalem processor without an equally beefy graphics card? Seriously.

Putting the GT 330M in the Vaio Z was a great call. Definitely good move there. It also should definitely be an option for the CW; though personally I'd prefer seeing the GT 335M in the CW (plus make the CW's graphics switchable between the Arrandale on-chip IGP and the GT 335M).

Damn you Sony, you did so well last generation and you screwed up bad this time.

 

I don't understand how people are saying that the FW looks that much better than the F. The only differences I see are the hinges, and the curved keyboard of the FW. Personally, I'd exchange that design to get the backlight feature and better cooling. Look at the Macbook Pro.. it's the sexiest laptop out there, and it has a flat backlit keyboard, not a curved surface.

I would also take NVIDIA cards over ATI any day, unless you're comparing the xbox 360 and ps3 (ATI of the XBOX360 wins here). NVIDIA is much more efficient than ATI in HD movie decoding and produces better colors (read any unbiased review online). I was skeptical that NVIDIA GT330m would be worse than ATI's 4650 for gaming, but based on the review over at laptopmag, I was pleasantly surprised that the gt330m actually outperformed the 4650 in 3dmark06.

The addition of the newer core i7 processor won me over the FW instantly. Laptop processors are not too difficult to replace either, so the F should be easily upgradable when future core i7s are released.

Ultimately, I'm satisfied with my purchase already, even though it hasn't been shipped yet. I'm upgrading from an Inspiron E1705 that I purchased in 2006 for $2,000. It still runs solid for most applications (core duo T2500, 7900gs, 2gb ram) but I felt that I needed the HDMI port and core i7 for HD multimedia playback.

 

These are a couple of things I like about this model

i) The gray color that's dark from the external and bright from the internal is so good looking

ii) The way it has been designed attracts my eyes especially with the gray color

iii) The performance and graphics are very good for me (since I only play World of Warcraft on PC and the rest of the games are on my PS3 and PSP)

iv) The price is very fit in my opinion with the performance, graphics and looks

 

Yes the price sounds very good, even better for you . I've gotten so used to paying a lot for Vaio's over the years.

 

Could anyone tell me how that 16 inch screen works? I mean, how it displays web pages...I read in other threads a while back that the display is totaly different and that games for example don't come into full screen unless you adjust the resolution and stuff...?
Eventhough i'm a bit disapointed about the graphics, there's no other laptop like this, since the dell xps 16 tend to overheat anyway due to their bad constructed fan opening.

 

How did you get the student discount ? I know its a dumb question, but every time i attempted to click the link for the student store, it just opened up a new window for the store. I know you don't save much, but any penny helps.

 

again uk gets left out

Sony has left out the option for backlit keyboard and 820 processor in the customize options

 

But the UK has the matte screen with ambient light sensor which the US doesn't have.

 

gloss is better!

And who needs an ambient light sensor? Just turn the screen brightness down and up yourself

 

Cross-check the F Owners' thread for testimony from U.S. owners who claim that the glossy U.S. screens have a light sensor which functions for the display and the keyboard when they order the backlit keyboard feature.

The U.S. Sony ads say nothing about the display brightness adjustments made by the sensor (only touting the backlit keyboard) but forum members are saying that their models do both -- and that the glossy U.S. screens interfere with the proper functioning of both the display brightness and the backlit keyboard light.

There's a lesson there -- but we won't know more until some forum members in Europe get these putative matte screens with light sensors into their real hands and before their very eyes.

 

Does this laptop come with the OS disk when you bought it from Besbuy?

 

What I notice is that the screen brightness and the backlighting are both factoring in the presence/absence of ambient light. If someone wants the backlighting to come on, all they need to do is to wave the hand in front of the light sensor, which is located right above the keyboard.

Waving the hand in front of the light sensor (which probably fools the sensor into thinking that there is no light), does 2 things:

a) dimming the screen proportionately
b) turning on backlighting

 

No, it does not. Nor does the CTO models from Sony, come with the OS disk.

 

Can you buy them?

 

Am I the only one who thinks 4 usb ports is a must for a multimedia laptop? 3 is the absolute minium and the F offers 2 ...

 

Yes, it offers 2 USB ports, 1 eSATA/USB port, 1 HDMI port, 1 IEEE port, 1 expresscard slot - in addition to the ethernet port etc.

 

No idea. We are supposed to make our own recovery disks, after we receive the laptop. I have yet to make mine and it has been 2 days already.

 

You can make recovery disks when you receive the laptop. Sony doesn't ship OS disks with their laptops, and as far as I know, no other laptops come with a complementary copy of Win 7 (or whatever OS that is installed on the machine). If you don't make recovery disks and you find that you want to restore your computer to it's original state, you can buy a copy of Win 7 and install it on your laptop, along with the drivers on Sony's support website.

 

I know the subject is about Sony but I just want to make a clarification, all Apple computers ship with full versions of their OS on a DVD for recovery, wipe and even Windows drivers for Bootcamp. But you're right, most companies don't do this anymore but it's because they are being cheapskates.

 

You can also restore from the recovery partition on the hard drive.

 

How many disks does it require for the F series?

 

So, I was in the SonyStyle store here (Columbus OH) and tried out the F for a little bit. Now, I don't own one but I did not feel the keyboard was cramped at all. The keyboard and the 10-key numberpad seemed pretty good spaced / sized. Yes, the touch pad is 'off-center' if by off-center, you mean relative to the whole laptop. But, it is centered under the keyboard itself which, I think, is the important part.

I realy like this machine. I have a T400 now and, while I like it, I am looking for a bit more screen real estate and processing/memory power. I am using Vista Business 32. h

 

It just might be that the Europeans will be surprised to discover that their Premium HD screen comes with a backlit keyboard, just as Americans who order backlit keyboard are surprised to discover they have an automatic brightness feature for the display. We'll just have to wait for forum members in Europe to post.

But that matte-screened F picture thread is pretty hard to dismiss, given that everything in the States shows a semi-gloss screen. It just might be that the European screen does have a Duraview scratch-resistant coating -- and might even be an LED (since that has generally been the sine qua non for the Sony Duraview coating).

After all, U.S. and Canada (and Mexico, too, I believe) are 110V-land and Europe is 220V (like the rest of the world) -- so it is entirely possible that a surplus of older FullHD screens is being "used up" in the American markets and that newer screen technology won't appear in the States, etc. until a refresh.

 

The Australian model does not have backlit keyboard.. battery life for Australian model is also worst than USA model.. 1 hour normal usage as opposed to 3 hours normal usage for USA.. 20 mins DVD Playback as opposed to 1 hr DVD playback for USA..

very dissapointed with Sony giving Australian market the junk...

 

dude thats very funny.have you ever compared nvidia and ati cards side by side.i will say that ati and nvidia are on par with colour quality and ati's hd video decoding is just as good.some might even say that ati has better colours and ati has always been known for better colours.and the sony fw's hd 4650 is a little bit slower because of the lower clocks.you can safely overclock the hd4650 to higher clocks and it definitely beats the gt330m every possible way.just look at the transistor count dude