Official Vaio Y 13.3 Series Owners Lounge

[Gracy123]

...

I am not an Y owner, but as my S is the second laptop with dedicated GPU I own, I can tell you one thing - there is no such thing as Laptop with dedicated GPU and FAN off )

The GPU is what triggers the FAN, as it is always getting warm, no matter whether you browse the internet or just stare at a photo. I have i5 + Nvidia and my FAN is on 95% of the time as well and to be honest - I hate it when it goes off (usually when the PC is still cold... up to half an hour after starting it), as this way the permanent on and off going of the FAN is far more noticeable than a constant background airflow!! If I can't have it OFF for long periods of time (say half an hour), which is impossible with dedicated GPU, I'd rather have it run on its slowest speed all the time!

[Gracy123]

Dear Y owners

as I plan to order a few accessories for my S, which are advertised to fit on Y, I need your help to compare the LID size of the Y to the S.

I'd appreciate if any of you would take out a measuring-tape and accurately measure the following 5 dimensions and write them down for me!? Number 5 is not marked - it would be the length of that small panel on top. Thank you very much in advance!

[chickenlover]

I am not an Y owner, but as my S is the second laptop with dedicated GPU I own, I can tell you one thing - there is no such thing as Laptop with dedicated GPU and FAN off )

...

Thanks for the feedback! Indeed it seems there is no way out, and I agree with you that the most annoying thing is the fan moving along its off/on/hardcore stages.
While the Y doesn't offer many options to control our power settings by default, there is a slight difference with the 2 different video card settings (power saving/performance). Still, with the latter the fan stays on almost permanently, which is a bit less annoying that the intermittent on/off.

[Rachel]

Have you checked in the vaio control centre under power plans to see what power plan it is running on? I'm not referring to W7's in built power options. There should be three options, silent mode, balanced and high performance. Other Sony models with dedicated graphics have these options so the Y should have them also. I would leave it in balanced mode on AC power but i guess you could experiment also with the other settings.

Hey guys, another slightly frustrated Vaio Y owner here regarding the fan/noise. I've noticed both, people praising it's quietness, and others complaining from its loudness. I guess this is due to the different hardware combinations.
I got mine (i5/ati combination) 2 months ago, and I'm a bit annoyed with the fan issue. 90% of the time the thing is on.
And no, I don't have any cpu-sucking processes running, just some mild firefox browsing. If I leave it alone for a while, it stops, but as long as I start doing something or switching tabs, it comes back again.
Temperatures seem reasonable (~40° C), I can post a screenshot of the cpu/gpu temps if u think it would be relevant.
I am guilty of using the laptop in bed and soft surfaces sometimes, and must say that my room is a bit dusty. But... come on! it was like this since week 1.

For those with a similar configuration: should I give up, and learn to live with it? Has anyone found a reasonable solution?

cheers

[Gracy123]

There should be three options, silent mode, balanced and high performance.

In my experience they make ABSOLUTELY no difference! They have small influence over the CPU clock, but it is not the CPU that triggers the FAN, but the GPU!

I keep mine on "Performance", at least I loose no power this way

[ascariss]

yup even on balanced or power saver, the fan still turns on, and when watching hd movies or flash video the fan is always on sadly.

[Gracy123]

yup even on balanced or power saver, the fan still turns on, and when watching hd movies or flash video the fan is always on sadly.

No other way! Those 3 mods in Vaio Control just limit the CPU... but as I said it is the GPU that gets hot and triggers the FAN, so those mods are only applicable and of any use to models without dedicated GPU.

But FAN constantly ON is fine with me - I barely hear it. I just hate when it goes on and off every 20- seconds - this is far more noticeable. My S does that when I switch it on in the morning and is still cold... for about half an hour. After that it rarely switches off the FAN and that's perfectly fine.

P.s. I am still looking forward to those dimensions I mentioned above!? Could someone help please!?

[chickenlover]

No other way! Those 3 mods in Vaio Control just limit the CPU... but as I said it is the GPU that gets hot and triggers the FAN, so those mods are only applicable and of any use to models without dedicated GPU....

Don't know about the S with the Nvidia card, but the Y includes an "Ati Power Play Setting" which lets you choose between Maximizing battery life/performance. So indeed, we do have some way of controlling the GPU. Not sure exactly the impact, haven't tested it at all, but I agree it is not enough to survive without the help of the fan.
Anyway, I don't really care much. I only switch to power saving when I'm on battery. The important thing what I wanted to know was that there was nothing particularly wrong with my laptop

BTW, only tomorrow evening I could help you with the measurements, in case still need it. Don't have a measuring tape right now.
cheers!

[jalapar]

Hey everyone, just out of curiosity would anyone know if there is a 12 cell battery for the y series?

I was searching a replacement for a VGP-BPL2 battery and found a 9 cell and 12 cell and found a few. I know the VGP-BPL2 is the 9 cell battery but I might get the 12 cell if it will work on my y series laptop as it is advertised as a replacement for the VGP-BPL2.

Any input on this would be great.

Thanks!

[Gracy123]

Dear Y owners

as I plan to order a few accessories for my S, which are advertised to fit on Y, I need your help to compare the LID size of the Y to the S.

I'd appreciate if any of you would take out a measuring-tape and accurately measure the following 5 dimensions and write them down for me!? Number 5 is not marked - it would be the length of that small panel on top. Thank you very much in advance!

Guys, I still need the above dimensions!! Is it really so hard? If you ask a question about CPU specification or RAM compatibility you get 10 replies in a minute... but if you ask for a simple measurement it takes days??

Not cool!