Inside of a Sony Vaio Flip 15 (in case it's of use to anyone!)

Thoughts:

Total of 10 screws to remove from rear of case (4 visible, 2 under riased rear feet, 1 per side - different screw size so keep them seperate, 4 under front rubber grip bar) Front rubber bar was easily removed by pushing a small flat head screw driver underneath it along the length and slowly teasing it off. Comes away without much issue and tape remained on the rubber strip for re-application. The rubber feet have raised plastic support within their depth, I removed this by turning the laptop upside down (front edge facing you) then slowly pushing foot towards you so it twists off, this required more force than the strip but it eventually gives without issue. Tape remained in position (some above screw) so needs slight cleaning once screw was removed but not a big issue.

RAM easily upgradeable, both slots instantly accessible
Hard Drive probably upgradeable but more difficult due to fragile wires than need removing prior to removal
Battery easily changed
CPU should also be upgradeale if supported Haswell CPUs become available

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...129_171718.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...129_171435.jpg

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Originally Posted by cptwhite_uk

Thoughts:

Total of 10 screws to remove from rear of case (4 visible, 2 under riased rear feet, 1 per side - different screw size so keep them seperate, 4 under front rubber grip bar) Front rubber bar was easily removed by pushing a small flat head screw driver underneath it along the length and slowly teasing it off. Comes away without much issue and tape remained on the rubber strip for re-application. The rubber feet have raised plastic support within their depth, I removed this by turning the laptop upside down (front edge facing you) then slowly pushing foot towards you so it twists off, this required more force than the strip but it eventually gives without issue. Tape remained in position (some above screw) so needs slight cleaning once screw was removed but not a big issue.

RAM easily upgradeable, both slots instantly accessible
Hard Drive probably upgradeable but more difficult due to fragile wires than need removing prior to removal
Battery easily changed
CPU should also be upgradeale if supported Haswell CPUs become available

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...129_171718.jpg

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...129_171435.jpg

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It is useful to me since we are selling some of these at work so It is good to know unlike some laptops it is somewhat easy to get in to.

Just wondering about something here, on the Sony Canada site, the Flip 15 (Fit 15A) is listed as having 3 options for RAM. This is copy paste direct from their website:

4GB (4GB fixed onboard x1) DDR3L-1600MHz
8GB (4GB fixed onboard x1) DDR3L-1600MHz
12GB (4GB + 8GB) DDR3L-1600MHz

It's confusing because in your image, clearly there is NO fixed, onboard RAM slots. You've got two very accessible slots. Even more confusing, is that your RAM is 1333 it seems, and yet this site is showing 1600...EVEN MORE confusing, is that the indication showing PC12800 means it's 1600MHz, yet the label says 1333!

I'm just trying to make the best decision possible. I absolutely need a machine with 16GB RAM, and an SSD. Canada's site does not offer 16GB RAM, and America's site does not offer an SSD with the 16GB RAM model.

What I'd love to do is simply buy a Canada model with bare minimum RAM and HDD, and then replace them myself...but their site showing "fixed onboard" memory has me really stumped.

Also just curious, but have you attempted removing the HDD in that Flip 15? Wondering how easy it is/isn't.

I did try removing the hard drive, but didn't have much success pulling out the connections for the ribbons above it. Since I wasn't actually replacing the hard drive I gave up potentially damaging it. However I did remove all the cage screws without issue. If you look to the bottom left corner of the drive there's 4 screws in an L formation - you have to remove the two upper most screws and the some grey piece of metal comes away as well as a miniature fixing bracket.

I get the feeling while quite delicate and fiddly with enough motivation and patience the hard drive shouldn't be too difficult to replace.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cptwhite_uk

I did try removing the hard drive, but didn't have much success pulling out the connections for the ribbons above it. Since I wasn't actually replacing the hard drive I gave up potentially damaging it. However I did remove all the cage screws without issue. If you look to the bottom left corner of the drive there's 4 screws in an L formation - you have to remove the two upper most screws and the some grey piece of metal comes away as well as a miniature fixing bracket.

I get the feeling while quite delicate and fiddly with enough motivation and patience the hard drive shouldn't be too difficult to replace.

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Cool, thanks for the info. Much appreciated.

To "cptwhite_uk" - Hi.. Thanks a lot for your post. It will be very helpful for many people. I think to buy this model and would like to know how much is it upgradeable. Do you know something for the 13 inch model?

To "LorneK" - Hi.. In the United States Of America's web site of "Sony", there is options to customize 15 inch model with 16Gb "RAM" but only with 256Gb or 512Gb "SSD". With 128Gb "SSD" there is only up to 12Gb "RAM". I can not understand, why this is like this. I examine the United States Of America's web site of "Sony" every day and few times I start an "On Line Help Chat" with "Sony Customer Support" and every time thay told me that the "RAM" of "Sony Vaio Flip" in fixed, not removable. And something else.. I am not 100% sure, but near 95%, before few weeks I saw in customize options of "Sony Vaio Flip 15" an option to choose between 2 "Wi-Fi" cards - one with "N" support and another, with "AC" support. Now, there is no this option :(

You should treat all 3 versions of the Vaio flip as seperate machines. I believe the 13" has fully soldered RAM, the 14" might have access to 1 removeable RAM slot, the 15" as you can see can access both. Personally I would just buy the 4Gb and upgrade yourself if you plan on getting the 15

To "cptwhite_uk" - You are right.. I am from Bulgaria and here the price is crazy. A Friend of mine is now in United States Of America until February 2014 and I wondering to ask him to bring me the "Sony Vaio Flip 15" from there. I will have not Guarantee (there is one year Guarantee but only for United States Of America) and I can upgrade quietly after this one year :)

Cool whereabouts in Bulgaria, my wife is Bulgarian :) Family is from Ruse, but I have also visited Sofia and Varna

To "cptwhite_uk" - I just send you message on "Skype". I hope you do not mind :)

No problem with you sending but I've not received anything (cptwhite1 on skype?)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cptwhite_uk

You should treat all 3 versions of the Vaio flip as seperate machines. I believe the 13" has fully soldered RAM, the 14" might have access to 1 removeable RAM slot, the 15" as you can see can access both. Personally I would just buy the 4Gb and upgrade yourself if you plan on getting the 15

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I was getting all sorts of conflicting info from Sony about this, and after looking at prices on Newegg, their 16GB RAM upgrade wasn't terribly expensive in comparison, saves me from voiding my warranty, and saves me from making sure I've bought the correct low voltage DIMMs with the correct specs...because even the memory modules are confusing to me. In your shot, it says PC12800 AND 1333 at the same time. That is a big contradiction since PC12800 = 1600MHz.

Anyway, I just wanted to avoid the headaches even if it means waiting until I'm in the US to get my laptop.

You can buy the RAM sticks off ebay from people who has removed them from new systems, just search for M471B5173QHO-YKO

It's definitely 1600Mhz, not sure what the 1333 on the stick is in reference too.

To "cptwhite_uk" - Hi.. Yes.. I just send second message to "cptwhite1" on "Skype". Damn "Microsoft" - they will ruin "Skype". Try to find me. My name in "Skype" is: "w"w"w.tuningmania.o"r"g" (without 6 quotation marks) (like my web site, that is not working from few years)..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cptwhite_uk

Thoughts:

Total of 10 screws to remove from rear of case (4 visible, 2 under riased rear feet, 1 per side - different screw size so keep them seperate, 4 under front rubber grip bar) Front rubber bar was easily removed by pushing a small flat head screw driver underneath it along the length and slowly teasing it off. Comes away without much issue and tape remained on the rubber strip for re-application. The rubber feet have raised plastic support within their depth, I removed this by turning the laptop upside down (front edge facing you) then slowly pushing foot towards you so it twists off, this required more force than the strip but it eventually gives without issue. Tape remained in position (some above screw) so needs slight cleaning once screw was removed but not a big issue.

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Could you describe the steps you used to pry up the cover after all screws are removed? I'm having trouble with both hinge areas, and with the area between the power button and the headphone jack.

How much force is needed to pry up those areas? Should I be pulling out as well as up? Are there clips in particular spots that must be released?

About the headphone jack in particular: is the ring visible from the outside attached to the cover or to the motherboard? In other words, does the cover need to be pulled away from that ring, or is the ring part of the cover? (I can't quite tell from your photo.)

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Yes the left and right hinges at the rear were the last bits to come away and like you I was a little hesitant. I used a thin flat head screw driver to lift (like you do with most of the sides) and pull out (i.e. using the screw driver as a "see-saw") one of the sides till it came forward of the ports/inputs nested within it. I can't remember which side but check them both out, it's the one that seemed like it required less work. This eventually unhooked and lifted fully. Once this was released the base easily slid the other way removing the plastic collar from the ports on the opposite side. Be gentle and patient but this method worked for me.

Here's the screw driver size I used:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...222_101007.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cptwhite_uk

Yes the left and right hinges at the rear were the last bits to come away and like you I was a little hesitant. I used a thin flat head screw driver to lift (like you do with most of the sides) and pull out (i.e. using the screw driver as a "see-saw") one of the sides till it came forward of the ports/inputs nested within it. I can't remember which side but check them both out, it's the one that seemed like it required less work. This eventually unhooked and lifted fully. Once this was released the base easily slid the other way removing the plastic collar from the ports on the opposite side. Be gentle and patient but this method worked for me.

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Thanks very much for the quick reply. Just to make sure I have the right picture in my head: when you say one side "lifted fully", do you mean the whole side, including the hinge, lifted clear of everything? And at that point was some force still needed (either lateral or upward) to free the ports on the opposite side, or did the cover just slide freely away?

The way I remember it one the front edge and sides have been seperated the two final areas to remove snap fits from are the curved rear hinges. Once one has been freed the other comes away easily.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cptwhite_uk

The way I remember it one the front edge and sides have been seperated the two final areas to remove snap fits from are the curved rear hinges. Once one has been freed the other comes away easily.

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That worked, thanks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cptwhite_uk

I did try removing the hard drive, but didn't have much success pulling out the connections for the ribbons above it. Since I wasn't actually replacing the hard drive I gave up potentially damaging it.

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Have you seen that type of ribbon connector before? If I knew what it was called, I could try to find out how to disconnect and reconnect it. I'm reluctant to use trial and error because I can't tell how it works exactly - which part to prod in which direction to free the cable.

Again, any suggestions would be appreciated.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cptwhite_uk

The way I remember it...

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Just letting you know that I did manage to finally get the cover off - thanks for your help!

If you're interested, I posted some thoughts on the tricky bits of the whole procedure here:

forum.notebookreview.com/sony-owners-lounge-forum/734539-official-sony-vaio-fit-multi-flip-pc-owners-thread-113.html#post9503279

Thanks for the teardown. Only 15 Flip teardown I could find. In case others find this page like I did, here is my experience upgrading my 15A Flip.

first of all I tried 1.5V memory and I can confirm it doesn't work.

The HD is upgradable but the thickness of the drive is less than the 9.5mm Intel 330 SSD drive that I wanted to use. It looks like the drive might have physically fit but I would not have been able to screw the mounting bracket to the chassis. My solution was to remove the top of the SSD drive, essentially cutting the drives thickness in half. The open face points "down" towards the keyboard and the SSD's circuit board touches the plastic surface of the chassis. Of course this violates Intel's warranty but according their site the drive only generates 850 mW during full usage and can operate up to 70C.

Removing the drive was not too difficult. The two ribbon cables have to be removed by gently prying up the while/beige connector. The HD connector that attaches to the laptop prys off easy, but when reconnecting it, it took a little bit of careful effort to line it up and push it back down. The drive and sata connector are taped up which could possibly tear when peeling off. I tore off the tape on the bottom only because I didn't want it sticking directly on the SSD circuit board.

I also had issues with right speaker not working at all (left in OP's photos). I disconnected the speakers from the circuit board (near headphone jack) and reconnected it and that seemed to fix the problem (at least for now).

Another tip is to use a pry tool to open the laptop (after removing screws) and to pry open the ribbon cable connectors. They are soft plastic but have a sharp edge and are normally use for opening smart phones. You can find them on ebay for a couple of bucks.

Overall not a bad laptop/tablet and the SSD really speeds things up.

Hi, I'm the market for this same model, the Flip 15A, and was wondering what you guys had to say about this teardown I found on Sony's blog of the laptop:

blog.sony.com/2013/10/sony-vaio-flip-pc-gets-the-teardown-treatment-now-available-for-pre-order/

The HDD appears to have a different orientation from OP's configuration. I thought maybe manufacturing could have been re-tooled since then OP purchased their laptop. It looks like the ribbons have been moved under the HDD. The reason I ask is because I want to get that model and put my own SSD in it. I became uneasy about being able to do that since I've seen OP's pics, however after seeing Sony's own teardown I don't know what to think, thoughts?

Thanks!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cruzz563

Hi, I'm the market for this same model, the Flip 15A, and was wondering what you guys had to say about this teardown I found on Sony's blog of the laptop:

blog.sony.com/2013/10/sony-vaio-flip-pc-gets-the-teardown-treatment-now-available-for-pre-order/

The HDD appears to have a different orientation from OP's configuration. I thought maybe manufacturing could have been re-tooled since then OP purchased their laptop. It looks like the ribbons have been moved under the HDD. The reason I ask is because I want to get that model and put my own SSD in it. I became uneasy about being able to do that since I've seen OP's pics, however after seeing Sony's own teardown I don't know what to think, thoughts?

Thanks!

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From what I have read on other forums, the Sony teardown is of the 14 inch model. I just bought my 15A weeks ago and it is the same as the OP. The SSD upgrade was relatively difficult for a laptop upgrade but not impossible. Make sure you get a thin ssd. I believe 7.5 mm is the right size. Read my earlier post for more details of my ssd upgrade experience.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DeepSix

From what I have read on other forums, the Sony teardown is of the 14 inch model. I just bought my 15A weeks ago and it is the same as the OP. The SSD upgrade was relatively difficult for a laptop upgrade but not impossible. Make sure you get a thin ssd. I believe 7.5 mm is the right size. Read my earlier post for more details of my ssd upgrade experience.

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Ohh, I see. Thanks for the info! :)

Are you sure the CPU is upgradeable? I thought it was soldered to the board

hey, i need some informations, who did change ram or HDD ?

i buy one sdd evo 500gb, i input this SDD in computer but i can't install windows... boot for pen drive isn't work.
second i buy 16gb corsair vengeance 1600, i change this memory but computer not work only original memory, i'm not change configure to bios.

who help me in this situation... ???

:wallbash::wallbash::wallbash::wallbash:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 0Louis0

Are you sure the CPU is upgradeable? I thought it was soldered to the board

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I didn't check but I think you are right. AFAIK all ultrabooks are soldered.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tcosta

hey, i need some informations, who did change ram or HDD ?

i buy one sdd evo 500gb, i input this SDD in computer but i can't install windows... boot for pen drive isn't work.
second i buy 16gb corsair vengeance 1600, i change this memory but computer not work only original memory, i'm not change configure to bios.

who help me in this situation... ???

:wallbash::wallbash::wallbash::wallbash:

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The SecureBoot needs to be disabled in the bios to boot from different HD.

Is the memory 1.35v ie DDR3L? It won't work with 1.5v.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DeepSix

The SecureBoot needs to be disabled in the bios to boot from different HD.

Is the memory 1.35v ie DDR3L? It won't work with 1.5v.

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Hey, man thank you very much. I see the bios, i change the UEFI to Legancy and disable secureBoot. this work now..

About memory, i see in official site Corsair spoke "If your notebook uses a 4th Generation Intel Core processor, you should use one of our 1.35 Volt Vengeance memory kits."

Thank's DeepSix o/

Hi

Thanks for this thread it was helpful. On the questions about replacing the hard drive, the ribbon connectors for the ribbons the run over the drive flip up very easily with the little plastic flaps. One can use a screw driver to get under the plastic piece or even a fingernail. Then the ribbon just comes out. What a compact design, very nice. The drive bracket is partially a sticker believe it or not to save space. Also there is a sticker that wraps around the SATA connector. Just peel them off carefully and re-use. I took my time and the drive swap went fine. I used image software starting with an F on a 30 day trial and windows fired up just fine- windows 8.1 after imaging the existing drive. Only issue was my mathematica software flagged the new drive and I have to call customer service for a new activation key. Good luck out there, with patience this can be done without too much risk. It was delicate enough to make me sweat a bit, not like a full sized laptop for sure. The drive height is 7.xmm, keep that in mind when buying the replacement. With the SSD this computer really "pops". I like it. Not sure if I'm allowed to drop names on this site but I got a ssd which has slick software that optimizes the operating system for the SSD so I don't have to google it for hours on end, awesome. And it shows you how much difference the settings make with a benchmark, and it was huge. Kinda cool.

Hi,
Thank you for a helpful thread. I successfully upgraded the memory (to 16GB) and replaced the wifi card (with intel ac version). Links to purchased parts from Amazon below. I am working now on upgrading the HD with Samsung EVO 840 1TB...

Unfortunately the board does not allow posting of links before making 5 posts!!! any one interested e-mail me..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by hmo

Hi,
Thank you for a helpful thread. I successfully upgraded the memory (to 16GB) and replaced the wifi card (with intel ac version). Links to purchased parts from Amazon below. I am working now on upgrading the HD with Samsung EVO 840 1TB...

Unfortunately the board does not allow posting of links before making 5 posts!!! any one interested e-mail me..

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I don't have your email, but would like to see what ram you purchased. Was it the 1.3v? Could you give the item name or part information? Thanks, best buy has these refurbished for $1049 right now and I can upgrade to 16gb for less than the original price.

cptwhite,

You are right. To pry open the bottom cover, its necessary to try the surroundings beneath the laptop to locate the area of "weakness".

I managed to change the SSD and the ribbons are quite easy to loosen. If you guys need help, drop me a pm. Basically, you just need to lift the white clip holding down the ribbons going over the SSD. Lift it like lifting a poker card. Something along the same lines.

At the same time, I replaced the original 8 gig ram with 16 gig kingstons. Its the low voltage ones. KVR16LS11/8k. Shouldnt be hard to get. I'm from Singapore and I got it off Sim Lim Square (Singapore's IT mall). My 15a's model number is SVF15N18PGS, if its useful for anyone to know.

Happy modding.

PS: thanks guys for posting up the instructions. It made a big difference!

Thanks for the info vesfreq, you're welcome :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cptwhite_uk

Thanks for the info vesfreq, you're welcome :)

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Cptwhite, you are the man. :clapping: