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My Sony VAIO AR170G Review - Page 3

post #41 of 90
7/10/06 at 6:47pm
Thread Starter 
Well i ran some more benchmarks today, and here are the results:

HDTune


SuperPI


I also took some pictures of the RAM bay and the HDD bay for those of you who are curious about upgrading:

Single 512MB 533MHz (factory)


Two sticks of 1GB each at 667MHz


RAM and HDD Drive doors open
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post #42 of 90
7/11/06 at 1:48am
Hey, you were able to get 667 to work? Mine crashes when I tried to use 667 instead of 533. And also, the recovery utility won't work correctly when using 667, ie. not all software will be recovered.

I would like to change the HD to 7200rpm however, wonder if it will work.....
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post #43 of 90
7/11/06 at 1:53am
Re-Amemiya - forgive me if I overlooked it, but I didn't notice any commentary on the build/transit time for your custom notebook. I'm looking at the AR too, but the one that I would want would have to be one of the configurable ones...I don't want to wait weeks and weeks for it to be built though. Also, do you have any idea what your "premium casing" is? I know i've read they are made from lightweight magnesium or something similiar...i'm wondering if the standard resolution screen with the non premium casing has a plastic housing/chassis instead.

Thanks in advance...and thanks for the great pics and review.
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post #44 of 90
7/11/06 at 9:24am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by tom2517
Hey, you were able to get 667 to work? Mine crashes when I tried to use 667 instead of 533. And also, the recovery utility won't work correctly when using 667, ie. not all software will be recovered.

I would like to change the HD to 7200rpm however, wonder if it will work.....

My 2GBs of 667MHz work without any problems. Pop them right in and the computer boots up. I don't know why your 667 RAM isn't working.
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post #45 of 90
7/11/06 at 9:32am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by kgbeezr1
Re-Amemiya - forgive me if I overlooked it, but I didn't notice any commentary on the build/transit time for your custom notebook. I'm looking at the AR too, but the one that I would want would have to be one of the configurable ones...I don't want to wait weeks and weeks for it to be built though. Also, do you have any idea what your "premium casing" is? I know i've read they are made from lightweight magnesium or something similiar...i'm wondering if the standard resolution screen with the non premium casing has a plastic housing/chassis instead.

Thanks in advance...and thanks for the great pics and review.

No problem kgbeezr1...it's a long review and i can't imagine too many people actually reading it...but in the first line of the second paragraph i said:

Quote:
Originally Posted by RE-Amemiya
I ordered my VGN-AR170G on a Tuesday, got free ground shipping, and received it the following Monday.

I ordered a custom config AR170G and it only took a total of 5 business days including the day i ordered it and the day i received it. But keep in mind, although i ordered it with free ground shipping, they shipped it via Fedex Standard Overnight on Friday, that's how i got it on the following Monday.

I still have no idea what premium casing is. The only thing that i can think of is if they use a different material because of the video card. It's possible they needed more cooling with the 7600GT as opposed to the 7600. But maybe a call to a sony rep would help clarify what they mean by "premium casing."
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post #46 of 90
7/11/06 at 10:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by RE-Amemiya
No problem kgbeezr1...it's a long review and i can't imagine too many people actually reading it...but in the first line of the second paragraph i said:



I ordered a custom config AR170G and it only took a total of 5 business days including the day i ordered it and the day i received it. But keep in mind, although i ordered it with free ground shipping, they shipped it via Fedex Standard Overnight on Friday, that's how i got it on the following Monday.

I still have no idea what premium casing is. The only thing that i can think of is if they use a different material because of the video card. It's possible they needed more cooling with the 7600GT as opposed to the 7600. But maybe a call to a sony rep would help clarify what they mean by "premium casing."

Premium casing basically means it has shinny finish instead of the matte finish. For my cover, it is a piano black/metallic paint. The side of the computer has polish steel look.

As for memory, Sony says AR uses 533 instead 667 (i checked on the spec. and it is indeed only 533). It is possible for 667 to run, but they do not recommand it.
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post #47 of 90
7/11/06 at 9:04pm
Thread Starter 
Did some GPU overclocking tonight. I just used the "Find Optimal" button which upped the Core clock speed from 500 MHz to 550 MHz and the Memory clock speed from 600 MHz to 700 MHz. I then ran 3DMark05 and got the following score:

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post #48 of 90
7/12/06 at 3:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by RE-Amemiya
No problem kgbeezr1...it's a long review and i can't imagine too many people actually reading it...but in the first line of the second paragraph i said:"

lol..wow, i'm slipping. Thanks for the reply.

One other question (and I re-read before deciding to ask) ...On the Sony website it states that part of the computer is magnesium, is this just the base of the notebook or other parts as well? There is no place locally to even go and see one unfortunately.
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post #49 of 90
7/12/06 at 1:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by kgbeezr1
lol..wow, i'm slipping. Thanks for the reply.

One other question (and I re-read before deciding to ask) ...On the Sony website it states that part of the computer is magnesium, is this just the base of the notebook or other parts as well? There is no place locally to even go and see one unfortunately.


You can't see or feel the magnesium.

Personally, I think if you buy AR, buy one with the blu-ray drive. Otherwise, for the money, you can buy a much better spec. notebook.
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post #50 of 90
7/12/06 at 2:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tom2517
You can't see or feel the magnesium.

Personally, I think if you buy AR, buy one with the blu-ray drive. Otherwise, for the money, you can buy a much better spec. notebook.

Ahh, ok. Yea I was worried about the long term rigidity of the notebook itself. I had a Sony that was 100% plastic before and after a year or so it started creaking and groaning like mad when picked up, not good.
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post #51 of 90
7/12/06 at 10:01pm

display

still trouble with yours ar's displays ?

someone for pics about it ??

thanks
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post #52 of 90
7/14/06 at 10:34am
Thread Starter 
Here is a picture from Sony's website that helps clarify what they mean by "Premium Casing" vs. "Standard Casing"

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post #53 of 90
7/14/06 at 12:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RE-Amemiya
Here is a picture from Sony's website that helps clarify what they mean by "Premium Casing" vs. "Standard Casing"

Arg! I spent literally hours browsing not only the US Sony site, but Sony Europe and Sony Austrailia...never found that picture. Thanks RE!
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post #54 of 90
7/15/06 at 5:49pm

Linux and other questions

Have you tried running any of the Linux Live CD's on your laptop ?

I'm thinking of getting one in Aug and I will need to dual boot at office.
If you run a Live CD, please let us know about any major show stoppers.

Were you able to find out if the 7600GT has HDCP ? And have you tested the HDMI port with a TV?

I know it's impossible to tell if Merom will work without issues in this, but upon opening the laptop, did you think the CPU socket was accessible?

Thanks
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post #55 of 90
7/15/06 at 11:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RE-Amemiya
well i went to the local sonystyle store and looked at the display AR190G model they had on the floor. I put the Windows XP screen saver up and i noticed the same amount of light leakage found in my display. Perhaps the US and the EU models have different problems. Maybe someone from the EU with the AR can take some pics and compare them with the ones i take. Unfortunately Sony didn't ship out my laptop till yesterday, so i won't get it until Monday. But once i get it back i'll take some more pictures.

Now that you have had the AR170 for a few weeks, would you still buy it and recommend it? I am considering an AR190G from Best Buy, they have it on sale.
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post #56 of 90
7/16/06 at 12:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ashayh
Have you tried running any of the Linux Live CD's on your laptop ?

I'm thinking of getting one in Aug and I will need to dual boot at office.
If you run a Live CD, please let us know about any major show stoppers.

Were you able to find out if the 7600GT has HDCP ? And have you tested the HDMI port with a TV?

I know it's impossible to tell if Merom will work without issues in this, but upon opening the laptop, did you think the CPU socket was accessible?

Thanks

If you have a true HD tv (1920x1020), the picture out of the AR looked stunning. And actually, the bigger the screen, the better it looks.

However, during action scenes, it is not very smooth. Sony assured me that it is a software problem and Intervideo is working on a patch to fix it.
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post #57 of 90
7/16/06 at 6:17pm
Woah more than 5500 marks... That's the ass kicking machine So I see the video card works just as I was thinking it should, so I was right again with my calculations Please tell me RE-Amemiya, do you use the drivers from SONY web site? - If it's so, > 5500 THAT'S REALLY CRAZY for some stinky notebook drivers... You can install the top notch latest beta nVIDIA drivers designed for all desktop and notebook chips with modded inf, fetch them from this site: www.laptopvideo2go.com - and I'm sure you will gain some extra 200~300 marks if not beat the 6000 marks line man Cause all those notebook drivers from notebook manufactures are garbage

When you will test the real drivers from laptopvideo2go please let us know And as I saw on the photo the notebook was made in USA - am I right?

Thanks! My congrats to You, RE-Amemiya.. AR really rocks... cause I know what MCE notebook is (I work in ******* hyper market) and I spent some hours testing new TOSHIBA Qosmio G30 with practically the same specs: 17 inches glossy, Go 7600 not GT or GS, 1Gb DDR-II 667, and dual 100Gb 5400 hdds in RAID 0, and all that MCE stuff like TV tuner S-video output etc... - 3DMark 2005 score at standart settings of free version, 1024x768 with noAA/noAF - 4021 Marks.. But it really doesn't matter how much marks it has - the machine itself really rocks.. But the AR is defenitly better designed and power-equipped than Qosmio

BTW here is other test results from hyper market:
3DMark 2005 1024x768 noAA/noAF, Standart settings

Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo 1536 Core Duo with ATI MR X1400 - 1668 Marks
SONY VAIO SZ (don't remember the model) Core Duo with NV GFGO 7400 - 1804 Marks
TOSHIBA Qosmio G30 Core Duo NV GFGO 7600 - 4021 Marks
Desktop System based on AMD Athlon 64 3500+, 1Gb DDR-II 533, NV GF 7600GS - 3902 Marks

Going to test some ACER and ASUS machines soon..
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post #58 of 90
7/17/06 at 11:38am
I got 5016 for my AR. No OC.
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post #59 of 90
7/17/06 at 12:14pm
I tried the xtreme-g driver and the modded nvidia driver, It works with my AR, but it does not work if I want to play DVD. Said my hardware is being used by another program.... or overlay is not working. gaming and normal use is ok, just cant play dvd... anyone knows how to fix it? and why? This is also happening with my sz too
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post #60 of 90
7/17/06 at 11:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by benzman
I tried the xtreme-g driver and the modded nvidia driver, It works with my AR, but it does not work if I want to play DVD. Said my hardware is being used by another program.... or overlay is not working. gaming and normal use is ok, just cant play dvd... anyone knows how to fix it? and why? This is also happening with my sz too


Well, supposely you can roll back to the older driver. Have you tried it?
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