A rant against Sony computers
I had purchased a used Sony Vaio PCG-F270 via ebay in December. A couple of months after I began using it, it started to develop a major problem: it would work fine for hours, then suddenly shut down without warning. During the past month, this problem was getting more and more prevalent, with the computer increasingly powering down within minutes of turning on.
I browsed around Google, seeing if anyone else had the same problem, and it turned out that this is a well-known problem with Vaios: as described here and here, the problem boils down to the fact that when the Vaio was originally designed, the fastest processor was 166 mHz. When faster processors came along (the F270 is 333 mHz, for example), Sony never redesigned the Vaio to handle the increased heat which the faster processor generates in its components, and their capacity to disperse heat degrades with time. Also, the particular Intel chip used in Vaios of this period, the Mobile Pentium II, comes with an internal heat sensor which shuts the computer down if it detects it to be overheating, which it does sometimes even if the computer is still relatively cool. Combine the two, and you get a computer which shuts down without warning.
By everything I've been able to read, despite the widespread awareness of the defect, Sony has never admitted there is a problem. Intel notes that the thermal sensor in the MPII is problematic, but that it is Sony's responsibility to correct it. My computer was out of warranty anyway, but (a) the fact that there was such a defect, and (b) worse, than Sony has never tried to correct the problem, leads me to write off purchasing any Vaio computer in the future.
In the end, I sent my computer off to a fellow in Arizona who specializes in fixing this problem by replacing specific components with more heat-resistant ones. I'm happy to say he fixed it quickly and professionally, at a minimal cost, and its working better than ever now. So, all's well that ends well, I guess. Still, shame on Sony for stonewalling on admitting to the problem & not correcting it.
I browsed around Google, seeing if anyone else had the same problem, and it turned out that this is a well-known problem with Vaios: as described here and here, the problem boils down to the fact that when the Vaio was originally designed, the fastest processor was 166 mHz. When faster processors came along (the F270 is 333 mHz, for example), Sony never redesigned the Vaio to handle the increased heat which the faster processor generates in its components, and their capacity to disperse heat degrades with time. Also, the particular Intel chip used in Vaios of this period, the Mobile Pentium II, comes with an internal heat sensor which shuts the computer down if it detects it to be overheating, which it does sometimes even if the computer is still relatively cool. Combine the two, and you get a computer which shuts down without warning.
By everything I've been able to read, despite the widespread awareness of the defect, Sony has never admitted there is a problem. Intel notes that the thermal sensor in the MPII is problematic, but that it is Sony's responsibility to correct it. My computer was out of warranty anyway, but (a) the fact that there was such a defect, and (b) worse, than Sony has never tried to correct the problem, leads me to write off purchasing any Vaio computer in the future.
In the end, I sent my computer off to a fellow in Arizona who specializes in fixing this problem by replacing specific components with more heat-resistant ones. I'm happy to say he fixed it quickly and professionally, at a minimal cost, and its working better than ever now. So, all's well that ends well, I guess. Still, shame on Sony for stonewalling on admitting to the problem & not correcting it.