Official Sony VAIO F Series i5/i7 owners thread *Part 5*

[ZPerf]

Okay so I managed to remove the heatsink and fan.
…
The heatsink area for cpu and gpu both had thermal compound. The cpu itself was covered by compound. The gpu was mostly 'shiny' though. Not sure what this means.

‘Shiny’ chip surface means that the thermal compound was not applied correctly. Can also mean that the thermal unit is not fitting (laying) correctly on the chip’s surface. If there is only a very small gap because of mechanical positioning than thermal pads can help, otherwise the thermal unit must be changed!

If you have enough thermal paste to experiment, after the first try and running the notebook to heat up the chips (CPU,GPU) take it apart again and check if the paste was spread correctly and in a thin layer. If the layer is thick, that can be an indication for a gap. If the thermal paste was not spread correctly try to do it manually as described for example here.

I hope this will help to solve the heating problem!

[ahmadka]

Also, I had a question regarding the display ... Is it recommended to maybe get the 1920x1080 Premium display for an extra $100, or would the standard 1600x900 display be good enough ..

I personally normally watch Hi Def movies quite regularly on my current HP laptop, which has a full 1920x1080 display, but I dont really know if having this full HD display is really beneficial or not ..

[ZPerf]

No overclocking. Standard speeds and voltages.

I'm going to do a full reinstall bloatware and all with no devices connected and run Furmark. If the problem is still their its definately hardware related.

As jpride already mentioned, we saw that drivers and some applications can push the temperatures to max and keep it there, but this doesn’t mean that they can push it ‘over the edge’, so if you are no over-clocking or you didn’t change the GPU voltage, than you can stop trying to find a software cause for this problem.

I know that the laptop has had a new motherboard fitted last year. It was installed by a 3rd party (Tech Guys, UK) and not Sony. Does anybody know if this would have involved them fitting the gpu or would the replacement motherboard have come with it fitted? I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to laptop hardware. If so then there is a possibility they could have installed the chip badly ?

Even if it is possible to change the GPU by de-soldering and soldering a new one (see my previous post), it is very unlikely! I think is more a cooling problem issue (thermal pad/paste, thermal unit, …).

It seems strange that the cpu and gpu are connected to the same heatpipe assembly which is connected to the one fan and yet the fan is able to control the cpu temps but not the gpu.

If the heat is not transferred to the thermal unit due to the incorrectly applied thermal compound or mechanical gap, the heat pipe will not transfer it.

The only other thing i can think of is there maybe a really bad connection between the faces of the gpu and the heatsink. The gpu chip is tiny though compared to the heatsink

See my previous post.

Well you raised some good points there ...

Okay, well my primary need of getting a bluray writer is because I too have large amounts of data to write, about 30 GB ~ 35 GB at a time (meaning I expect burning DL BDs), and this happens once every about 4 - 6 month ... I might occasionally write some HD video content too, but nothing much ... I expect to maybe use the burning capabilities at max around once every 3 to 5 weeks ..

Also, one thing you mentioned which has gotten me thinking is if I get an external BD writer, I would still probably need to have at least a BD reader in my laptop so that I can read the data without any hiccups .. Also, I have a small collection of bluray movies which I occasionally play on my current HP laptop sometimes (my current HP laptop has a BD reader, and it works just fine!) ....

So with this being said, what would you suggest .. Buying a BD reader and an external writer would probably be too expensive for me at this point, but provided the right reasons, I CAN buy both if this proves to be the better option .. Also, the extra load of moving around and plugging in and out of an external writer seems discouraging, considering there's an option to maybe get an internal writer ..

The reason why I'm not in favour of external drives is because I currently own 2 1TB external drives ... One is portable (no power adapter needed), and this seems slightly better .. However the other one I have is a desktop 1TB drive that not only is fat and hard to 'carry around', it also has the extra fat power plug for its own power, and because of this I never really detach it from my workstation as its too much hassle .. I imagine the same thing bothering me if I get an external BD writer .. Having to find it first (my room is quite messy!), then attaching the cords, then starting the burn, etc ...

Reading your concern about finding, connecting and using the external units, reminds me about my external 5.25” USB 2.0 DVD writer which stays in its box since ~2 years now, because of this extra hassle to use it. I didn’t use it, then I packed and put it away, then you need to find it, unpack, connect, … . Instead I transfer the data using an external HDD and burn the DVD disk on the other computer with the built in burner (even if the built in burner is slower). So even if the infrequent use of the drive might suggest that an external drive is more appropriate, in these conditions an external drive is not necessary better, nor brings the usage comfort you might expect.

I know there are a few 5.25" enclosures out there that are completely USB powered, but sometimes burning stuff through them isn't recommended because the writer may not be getting all the power it needs ..

This depends on the writing speed and drive size (actually motor consumption). Faster writing speed needs more powerful laser and the motor also consumes more.

But I dont want to get an internal writer if theres a high probability of it going to be problematic .. I don't mind slightly lower write speeds or something .. I just want something that works and does its job effectively and without errors, whenever I summon it .. Lower speeds dont bother me, as long as I get what I'm paying for ..

So far the “Pioneer BD-RW BDR-TD03” burned correctly all Blu-rays I tried:
BD-R DL: Sony 2x;
BD-RW: Sony 2x;
BD-R: Sony 6x, Verbatim 4x, TDK 4x, Verbatim 2x;

I hope this helps!

Also, the external solution I was talking about is this:
Drive: Newegg.com - LG WH10LS30 10X Blu-ray Burner - LightScribe Support - Bulk - Blu-Ray Burners
Enclosure: Newegg.com - macally CM-S525U Plastic 5.25" White USB 2.0 Optical Drive Enclosure
The total cost for the external solution is actually around $130-$145, depending on which enclosure I get ..

The LG drive’s specification is very nice, but the USB 2.0 enclosure will ‘cripple’ the capabilities of this drive. On USB 2.0 you can have a maximum transfer rate around 32 MiB/s, while the 10x Blu-ray drive needs more than 42.92 MiB/s. Which means that the USB 2.0 enclosure limits you to speeds under 7x Blu-ray speed (if we consider the overhead too)! Instead look for an eSATA or USB 3.0 enclosure for this drive (see for the speed details here).

Also, I'm hearing talking of these '3D compatible' Bluray drives .. Whats that all about ? Isn't this relating to software rather than hardware (in reference to optical drives, not 3D displays, etc ..) ?

'3D compatible' for Blu-ray drives (not Blu-ray players) means only that the drive must be capable to read any Blu-ray disk at a minimum of 4x speed (anywhere on the surface!). In other words, because the data quantity is doubled for 3D, the data read from the disk need to be read twice as fast (for non 3D Blu-ray the required speed is 2x).

For example, the LG UH10LS20, in the datasheet shows:

TRANSFER RATES - READ
BD-ROM(SL/DL) : 10x / 8x CAV
BD-R (SL L to H) : 6x CAV
BD-R (SL/DL) : 10x / 8x CAV
BD-RE (SL/DL) : 8x / 6x CAV
BDMV (AACS Compliant Disc) : 4.8x CA

.

Thanks for your help ZPerf ..

You are welcome!

[ahmadka]

Thanks for those points ZPerf ...

By now I've said a lot and you know what my requirements are and what I want, etc ... So based on all this, and based on what you've seen through your experience, and everything else, what option do you think is probably better for me here ? Would you say that I should still go down the external enclosure road ? or would you say that its probably safe to maybe try the internal BD writer option ? .. Like which option is better from my perspective ?

[_Wolverine_]

Ok, so I did two things. The "no preset" benchmark test at default settings and a 15 minute burn in test at default settings. The defaults are for Furmark version 1.9.0. I wasn't running any other programs except HW Monitor and GPU Shark and I had Paint open to Paste screenshots. To be clear, I didn't disable any processes or my normal start-up programs but my point is that I was not running anything to stress the CPU or additionally stress the GPU. The laptop was sitting on the glass part of my coffeetable during the test. I'm posting my Furmark and HW Monitor screenshots. First is benchmark - score 502 and max GPU temp 65C - and then Burn-in - max GPU temp at 71C.

I did the same test as you ("no preset" benchamark) with my overclocked 425m
max temp is 72C

i could push more but im happy with the results
what do you think

[Fishon]

GT 330M 1GB Not using my overclock settings max temp 64 degrees.

[mw8t]

Thanks guys

That confirms in my mind that my temps aren't normal.

I have now developed another problem though!

It seems that my left and right buttons on the trackpad have decided to stop working but the trackpad works fine.

I have tried doing a fresh install and also a clean install - still not working. Have I managed to do this by opening the laptop up? Incidentally they don't work even when pressing F10 to enter into recovery centre.

I'm getting really frustrated with this now.

[ZPerf]

Thanks for those points ZPerf ...

By now I've said a lot and you know what my requirements are and what I want, etc ... So based on all this, and based on what you've seen through your experience, and everything else, what option do you think is probably better for me here ? Would you say that I should still go down the external enclosure road ? or would you say that its probably safe to maybe try the internal BD writer option ? .. Like which option is better from my perspective ?

Welcome ahmadka!
I can’t make a choice for you, but my reasoning would be: Now that you know, that you want an internal Blu-ray reader (at least), the price difference we talk about is +$80 and not +$150. Assuming that you care about your data and you will not use cheap media (disks), than I would personally take my chances and go with the built in writer. It offers the comfort you expect and it is less hassle to use when you need it. If you don’t like it, you can still swap it for another model later. These units sell quite well on the eBay from what I saw (keep in mind, on the professional notebooks line they charge ~$500 for them, so many people want to upgrade after notebook purchase). If everything goes well, you may have another blu-ray drive (this time a writer) which satisfies you as the one from the HP you mentioned! Now it is up to you if you want to purchase it from Sony, and have the chance to get the Pioneer drive, or buy one of the other ones from eBay or … and swap the DVD writer.

It is just my opinion, and as I already mentioned, I’m happy with my choice, and the “Pioneer BD-RW BDR-TD03” Blu-ray writer from my F13 (CTO) works well!

… the upgrade costs are as follows:
CD/DVD reader/writer -- base price
Bluray reader, CD/DVD reader/writer -- Add $70
BD/CD/DVD reader/writer -- Add $150

[ahmadka]

Yeah I think thats what I'm thinking too, that I'll give the internal writer a try ..

A question though, how long was Sony's turn around time when you sent in your laptop for BD Writer replacement ?

Also, I posted an earlier question regarding Premium displays .. I'll quote it here for your convenience:

Is it recommended to maybe get the 1920x1080 Premium display for an extra $100, or would the standard 1600x900 display be good enough ..

I personally normally watch Hi Def movies quite regularly on my current HP laptop, which has a full 1920x1080 display, but I dont really know if having this full HD display is really beneficial or not ..

[Fishon]

Personally I would only go 1080 for any personal usage monitor from now on. But many here fully enjoy their 1600x900 and tell us their viewing is just fine. Not sure what else to say. Get up close a personal with both and make your decision. To me $100 is a reasonable price for the upgrade.