Update: The so-called “high-pitch noise” is different than the driver fix available at esupport.sony.com and requires the VAIO F to be either sent in for repair or end users can leverage Sony’s in-home servicing. Contact VAIO support today.
According to dozens of forum users at Notebookreview.com, owners of the new Sony VAIO F Series VPCF112FX/B, VPCF11JFX/B, VPCF11MFX/B and VPCF1190X CTO were experiencing an odd high pitched whine or buzzing sound (aka whining) while using the laptop. The issue caused several consumers to call Sony for support, but they were unable to provide a fix over the phone – this led to several of the laptops being returned, exchanged, and so forth. Things got even more confusing when the VAIO F was no longer available to purchase on SonyStyle around the world. Then the CTO model disappeared, leaving many to speculate that there was issues with the i7 processor, manufacturing issues, and every other conspiracy theory under the sun. We initially wrote a story about the whole situation, providing a temporary fix for those annoyed by the sound.
We spoke to Sony and they cleared up the confusion – a Sony representative has informed us that they “received reports from the market that some F series end users were experiencing a pitched noise under certain conditions. As a result, we decided to halt shipments momentarily while we conducted in-depth investigations. The matter has now been resolved, corrective measures have been applied to our manufacturing process and the F series is shipping again. For those end users who are experiencing this pitched noise level, a on-site solution will be deployed in the coming days.”
I’m personally very happy to hear this news that it wasn’t a larger issue, as I think this is one of the best laptops Sony has offered to date – the price and features (especially that i7 processor) is very hard to beat. We also noticed that the VAIO F is back on sale at SonyStyle USA.
