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2 out of 2 people found this review helpful
2.0 stars
"Same issue with Vaio VGN-C290 re: noise"
Pros: Nice aesthetic design, runs Vista OK.
Cons: Emits high pitched whining sound when on battery power.
Summary: I am experiencing the same issue as johnvs1. (I regret not seeing your review sooner, but there is not a Sony Vaio VGN-C290 review on CNET at this time)
From a functional standpoint, the computer runs OK. However, the noise described by johnv1 came apparent once I took the computer off of the AC adapter and onto battery power.
When using the computer (on battery) for essential non-wifi purposes (ie. MS Word, Excel, Adobe Acrobat, etc.) the computer was flawless. Unfortunately, once I turned on the wifi and opened the web browser (both IE 7 and Firefox 2.0), the motherboard started to emit a high pitched whining sound. I have also experienced the noise issue when viewing DVD's while on battery power as well.
The sound appears to emanate from the rear of the computer, either side of the battery slot, just below the LCD screen. The sound varies from non-existent to a relatively irritating level of noise. This is totally unacceptable, as I use my laptop for meetings, which often take place in a conference room where the participants are miked at their seats into a public address system. (You can imagine how irritating this could be to other people in the room)
I have gone through all of the hoops with the Sony Customer Support call center. After several calls, I was finally authorized to return the unit to their repair center in San Diego for inspection.
Originally, before I sent the computer to the San Diego repair center in an overnight FedEx box sent to me by Sony, the intention was to "swap out" the motherboard for a new one.
To my dismay, after the computer was inspected by a technician at the repair center, I was informed that the noise was "a characteristic of this model (VGN-C290)" and would be considered "within acceptable performance standards".
The computer was returned to me from the service center, and I am now stuck with having to go through a return and exchange through Sony Style. Apparently, the technical support staff is not authorized to do a return and exchange, which has further delayed resolution of the noise problem.
Having owned many Sony products over the years, this experience is very disappointing.
If Sony knows of this technical/design flaw in the motherboard (they admitted that to me in a phone conversation), they should come up with a fix, rather than trying to pass off the noise issue as "acceptable".
