Official VAIO FW Series Owners Thread

[SoundsGood]

Anyone know what might be wrong or what to check?

Anyone ??

[DigitalMetal]

Hi,
Im looking for anyone who has successfully upgraded the RAM in their Vaio FW11e to 8GB,
I have searched the forum and found a few conversations about it but no success stories or failures reported.
The Sony Product webpage reports a Max 4GB of RAM in these models but i think the PM45 chipset is able to take 8GB.

I have already upgraded the CPU to a Penryn E8435 @3.06GHz and would now like to max out the RAM

Can anyone help me with some info ?

Thanks!

[tmt64]

Hi again, I took some pictures and made a little guide for disassembling the vgn-fw490. I placed the PDF on my site, where it can remain. If there is another depot for files, let me know.

Here is the link to the file:
http://www.locke.dk/docs/vgnFW490.pdf
Best Regards,
Rick

Link is down.

Can anybody upload it somewhere else?

[Derrida]

Hey guys, anyone know how many "nits" the screen has on the original FW (VGN-FW190) with the Xbrite-HiColor screen?

If so, please let me know. I want to make sure that whatever I get to replace this unit is at least as good as what I've got now.

Thanks!

Helligkeit und Kontrast [brightness and contrast]

durchschnittl. Luminanz [average luminosity]
cd/m² 357,50

Schwarzwert bei 100 cd/m2 [blackness per 100 cd/m2]
cd/m² 0,25

Schwarzwert bei maximaler Helligkeit [blackness at maximum brightness]
cd/m² 1,00

Kontrast bei 100 cd/m2 [contrast per 100 cd/m2]
:1 400,00 [1:400]

Kontrast bei maximaler Helligkeit [contrast at maximum brightness]
:1 357,50 [1:357.5]


Tests Berichte auf notebookjournal.de

Since there appears to have been only one HiColor screen in the 16.4" size ever produced (and HiColor is an AU Optronics trademark, etc.), the specs above should be accurate even though measured on a German FW of the first series. Succeeding FW refreshes can also be searched at that site and you'll see that the values are generally inferior although, if I recall correctly, the FW4 series screens came the closest and may have had a slightly higher contrast.

I haven't seen the MacBook Pro Retina screen yet, but the Sony S and E series that I saw at BestBuy literally don't hold a candle to the FW190's HiColor screen. Mine now has some damage: a one+ inch vertical band of distortion but, luckily, the white background for text in most email clients and word processing aren't affected (white is the default or something?). I have no idea why a drop produced such a solid band of variable type of color distortion (although mostly in blues). Strange.

But I ,too, am concerned about being able to get a screen as good. How sad that Sony doesn't respect its American customers enough to give us the good screens it has provided in Europe, some of which have been RGB LED, etc. Once Sony phased out its contract with AUO, it has been giving us inferior screens in the States for years....

Europe now has an E series with a 17.2" screen where there is a choice for a superior screen. We don't have anything from the E series in the States except the 13.3" and the 15". Funny how Sony never learned a thing from the popularity of the 16.4" screen in the F and FW in the States -- making us wait for a successor and in the meantime giving us inferior 2D screens.

[Derrida]

Link is down.

Can anybody upload it somewhere else?

Here is a YouTube video on opening up an FW190: Opening up a Sony Vaio FW series-Part 1 - YouTube

Not all refreshes are identical, however. I recall a Sony tech telling me that the keyboard in the FW390 series was wrapped in differently from in the FW190 series. But this link should help.

Several people have posted photos to this or other threads at NBR concerning their opening of an FW from different series. So doing a search of the NBR site with keywords might locate them (although I'll admit that I can't find all of my own postings using keywords, so this might be trickier than it seems).

If anyone knows where my postings with the original part numbers for the Sony HiColor screen are, do let me know!

Good luck.

[Derrida]

Has anyone (SoundsGood, you did!) changed their FW190 HiColor screen so that they would have the OEM part number on the back of the screen?

The only way to get a screen that is HiColor is to know that OEM. Sony uses various OEMs for the same part order number, and there are several after-market dual-lamps out there which may not be HiColor screens (with the excellent luminosity and contrast which do NOT characterize the Sony F line's screens at the 1600x900 resolution or even the one at the FullHD higher resolution.

I hope someone can help.

OEM PART NUMBER NEEDED FOR FW190 HICOLOR 1600x900 SCREEN.

Thanks,
Derrida

[SoundsGood]

Has anyone (SoundsGood, you did!) changed their FW190 HiColor screen so that they would have the OEM part number on the back of the screen?

Hi Derrida. I received your other PMs but have been away from home with only my iPhone, no computer. Sorry, but it looks like I no longer have any info on the screen I replaced (it was quite some time ago). Also, I only replaced my screen once, not twice. But yes, it was quite a challenge to do. As I mentioned in my PM to you, my FW died not that long ago. I think it might be the power supply, but I'm not sure. All I know is that there's no power going to the laptop, period. Anyone ever come across this problem? If so please let me know.

Derrida, I'll double check your PMs to see if I missed anything!

[Derrida]

Hi Derrida. I received your other PMs but have been away from home with only my iPhone, no computer. Sorry, but it looks like I no longer have any info on the screen I replaced (it was quite some time ago). Also, I only replaced my screen once, not twice. But yes, it was quite a challenge to do. As I mentioned in my PM to you, my FW died not that long ago. I think it might be the power supply, but I'm not sure. All I know is that there's no power going to the laptop, period. Anyone ever come across this problem? If so please let me know.

Derrida, I'll double check your PMs to see if I missed anything!

Wow. You really threw away all the information on what the original screen actually was? After all the people in the forums who underscored how unique the screen was, better than anything Sony had sold in the States? Like it never occurred to you to save the info in case the problem occurred again? Are we really supposed to believe you're that disorganized? ;-)

Do you remember checking if what you bought was identical to what the HiColor was? I mean, it would be useful to know whether the manufacturer and/or Sony dumped any on the market or whether the original was only available from Sony.

As for the power supply dying: I have a vague memory that someone put up a video on YouTube changing a Vaio power supply but not an FW, if I recall correctly. Your biggest question is: Does Sony still have the part available? Start with Sony at SonyStyle and ask the chat rep to search for a part and get the part and OEM number.

Das wissen-Sie schon, oder?

- Derrida

[SoundsGood]

Wow. You really threw away all the information on what the original screen actually was? After all the people in the forums who underscored how unique the screen was, better than anything Sony had sold in the States? Like it never occurred to you to save the info in case the problem occurred again? Are we really supposed to believe you're that disorganized? ;-)

Keep in mind that it was 3 years ago. Also, it was expensive enough that if the replacement screen also broke I would just get a different computer. I wasn't about to pay for yet another replacement screen.

If it helps, I just looked up my old posts (in this thread) and found the eBay seller that I ordered the screen from:

http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Smart-Mi...__W0QQ_armrsZ1

To answer your other question, to my eyes it looked like the exact same high quality screen that originally came with the FW. At least I couldn't see any difference (and I looked pretty closely). It's possible that if you contact that eBay seller they might be able to help. Worth a try at least, right?

[Derrida]

Keep in mind that it was 3 years ago. Also, it was expensive enough that if the replacement screen also broke I would just get a different computer. I wasn't about to pay for yet another replacement screen.

If it helps, I just looked up my old posts (in this thread) and found the eBay seller that I ordered the screen from:

Other LCD items in Smart-Micro USA store on eBay!

To answer your other question, to my eyes it looked like the exact same high quality screen that originally came with the FW. At least I couldn't see any difference (and I looked pretty closely). It's possible that if you contact that eBay seller they might be able to help. Worth a try at least, right?

Yes, I had already found that post and contacted them. They don't have anything right now for that screen at all but might have something in a month (not necessarily promising for being old stock, now, is it?). They sent me also to another online reseller who told me that the OEM part number is essential because Sony like most other laptop manufacturers uses several different OEMs under the same part number. The F series successor to FW had dual-lamp screens that were disastrous: try reading the forums on that model where the problems with that model are so vast that there are multiple owners' threads for the F -- yet part numbers were sometimes the same as for FW screen of later refreshes than the 190 (I researched and posted them on F threads). Screens sizes/specs that on the FW's were fine, although less luminous than HiColor, on the F model, had inversion issues that were occuring all the time, for example.

[SoundsGood: Please see my earlier private message for additional unanswered question.]

Only reason for my "going public" on this is to instruct fellow readers to GET THE OEM NUMBER ON ANY PART YOU TRULY WANT TO REPLACE.

You may indeed have gotten an identical part but it's difficult to tell without a side-by-side. I once had a side-by-side of the FW 190 and the 390 screens and contrast was nearly identical but the HiColor had an edge on luminosity. Now, with the market dumps of the defective F screens, all bets are off on what you might get unless you have the OEM part number. Sigh.