13.3" Samsung NP900X3C with Ivy Bridge CPU

After using my 900x3c for two weeks it gave in. Battery went empty last night at around 8pm, and i didn't try to recharge it before 8am this morning. Now it wont charge it seems, the charging light wont show any activity. The weird part is that the charget is glowing, and seems to be working fine. Any idea what the problem is? Should i return it and ask the store to fix it? Anyone with the same problem/solution?

Thanks in advance
Burn3

EDIT: The pc wont start at all, just to clearify.

 

For the record, a thread for each review gets started in the news / reviews forum

If you make the drivers / software backup using Samsung Recovery Solution as I described here (last part) then you choose which items to install using Easy Software Manager. If you don't make the backup disk then I think that everything can be downloaded except the Cyberlink package (which includes the webcam driver).

The real test is whether the Rapid Start works properly including hibernation. Does the computer take > 10 seconds to wake up if left overnight?

Have there any power consumption analyses for i5 versus i7 Ivy Bridge. I used to believe that the extra cache on the i7 might slightly increase the idle power consumption but don't know if this still valid. On paper the Ultrabook i7 CPUs would need to be more efficient than the i5 in order to sustain the extra speed within the 17W power envelope.

John

 

That's still the np900x3c we're talking about?

 

Yup, in the it's the NP900X3C-A04US in the US. See The Samsung Site.

A NP900X3D version would be a newer design. There's already a NP900X4D with (according to John, who seems to know everything) magnesium alloy. Not sure if that'll come to the 13" too. I guestimate the E revision will have the 4th generation Intel Core iSomething chips from Intel next year.

I really wonder what they'll improve in that one as I can't find any complaints about the system yet (except for the specs - esp memory)

 

First hold down the power button for 30 seconds. Then, if that doesn't work, with the power supply disconnected try the battery reset by poking the end of an unbent paperclip into the hole in the bottom then wait a couple of minutes and plug in the power supply.

John

 

Still nothing. How long should i hold the paperclip in the hole? and what does it do?

Thanks for reply.

 

We think the paperclip disconnects the battery from the computer. It will reconnect when the mains power is connected. So you should only need to press in the hole for a short time. However, something to try, if you have not done so already, is (a) disconnect the battery (b) hold down the power button for 30 seconds (c) reconnect the mains and try to start the computer. Holding down the power button with no battery connected can sometimes reset a confused BIOS.

If that doesn't succeed then contact Samsung support.

John

 

Engadget posted their review today:

Samsung Series 9 review (13-inch, mid-2012) -- Engadget

Benchmarks:
PCMark Vantage: 8,624
3DMark06: 5,155
Battery life: 7:02

 

I had trouble with that on my machine, too. It took several tries.

 

How did you get it to work? Did your charger light show when you inserted the AC adapter?

 

The Engadget review leaves me wondering, has anyone run the PCMark tests after installing the mSATA SMART 6G SandForce SSD yet?

 

I think after trying the reset thing 3-4 times, it finally started working after I plugged in the AC.

If you have tried to reset it via the pin hole, then plugged in the AC then is seems all you can do. I just remember having to do that process several time before it "took" and powered up. Scared me to death.

 

I can't comment on the Smart but changing my X4C from the 128GB U100 to the 256GB Crucial m4 boosted the PCMark Vantage score from 8412 to 11482. That benchmark seems to be very susceptible to SSD performance because even components that aren't related to SSD get a speed boost (perhaps increased capacity is also a factor).

PCMark 7 jumped from 3892 to 4386 while 3DMark 06 went up from 5463 to 5565 (the extra 4GB RAM on the X4C probably accounts for the better graphics score than the X3C).

John

 

I recently replaced my u100 with the Crucial M4 256 GB. I just ran PC Mark and got a 9521. I'm guessing the 4GB of ram is the major contributing factor in the low score. However, I am experiencing much better performance with the M4 compared to the u100. No more choking. Its nice and smooth with fast transfers, fast application load times, etc. The u100 actually has slightly faster sequential read/writes and Engadget's review mentioned how good it was. That's obviously not the full story on the u100.

 

dont trust the engadget review. 7h battery life for the S9 2012 is impossible while looping a movie. Would be nice if someone could repeat that test (65% brightness). The 4:20h on the S9 2011 model seems to be more realistic and more in line with other reviews. There is no rational for explaining the 2:40 more battery life in the 2012 vs 2011 model, that still comes with a 40Wh 4-cell battery (source: samsung).

 

What's the average battery life while browsing and doing other small tasks?

 

the battery is 40Wh. lets calculate: wlan on, 65% brightness on a 400 nit screen with 40/7=5,7W.....sure. Normally I really like the Engadget reviews....but this one is pretty poor...

 

Depends on screen brightness, of course, but on a full charge with the Samsung "super-saver" (whatever it is called) power plan it quoted me about 4hrs, 12 minutes of battery life. Have not tested it.

The Engadget 6+ hour "we have a winner" review is ridiculous.
No way in the world can it get that battery life as stated.

 

It should be slightly better than I reported here for the X3B.

John

 

A bit more than 4h real usage ( not idleibg around) is something I believe. However, thats still poor for a mobile device. 200g more weight putting in 2 more cells would have been nice....

 

hi john,
link doenst work for me. how many hours did you get with the x3B?

 

I think the capacity is dictated by the design - they wouldn't want the computer thicker at the front than at the back.

Fixed it. It's best you read the test conditions which are representative of light usage.

John

 

http://www.samsung.com/us/system/consumer/product/np/90/0x/np900x3ca03us/series9_dimg.jpg

Anyone know where I can get this wallpaper? The one on my X3C is slightly different (more green than blue, doesn't have the "Series 9," doesn't fill the screen as much).

 

Well the A04US was released just in time for me. I was at the last day of my return window and ready to pull the trigger on replacing the SanDisk. A02US went back and A04US is on order. Hope it ships soon!

 

From where? And what's the ticket price?

 

Specs - Series 9 NP900X3C | Samsung Laptops

NP900X3C-A04US

But is it for sell yet? i7 and 256GB, 4GB memory :-(

 

I've seen the spec page - I was asking him what seller and what price.

 

I had my procurement group at work order it since it wasn't available from Amazon or anyone else showing it in-stock. Most likely they went through Insight or similar. They said our price was $1699, which may not be the cheapest out there, but they stick with their normal channels.

 

Gotcha. Cheers!

 

From what I have been able to determine, this model is 3-4 weeks from delivery.
I hope I am wrong!

Unfortunately, we know that the Sandisk U100 is available in capacities up to 256GB, so this could be another U100.
Again, hope I am wrong.

 

It could be but so far we've only heard of Samsung and Liteon 256GB SSDs in the Series 9 (IIRC the Liteon was reported in Hong Kong).

John

 

the battery life has been amazing for me.
i have been easily getting 7/8 hours.
but you have to remember this is highly dependent upon
the level of demand you are putting on the system.
for me, i have the screen turned down low,
the screen is set to turn off after 5 minutes of inactivity,
the screen is set to dim after 1 minute,
and i basically set it so it never goes to sleep.
the main activity is checking email,
occasional browsing,
and occasional working with an outline program called keynote.
so anyways, that this computer can achieve this kind of battery life
despite weighing 2.6 pounds is a miracle.
i can leave my ac adapter at home when i go to the coffee shops
and library.
one other thing that will help you get longer battery life
is to have a clean system,
meaning getting rid of as much unnecessary programs as possible
and making sure there is very little programs and processes
running in the background.

 

Thanks for sharing. I was hoping 2 weeks but I suppose that was wishful thinking. I'd still be willing to wait a month though.

That would be a big let down. I'll remain optimistic for now

 

if only they came in 8gb ram =[

 

Yep, the report from Hong Kong, that's me.
Attached is a CrystalDiskMark test from the Liteon LMT-256M3m on my X3C i7 3517U (1700$).

Just for interest, Sandisk just brought out a new fast flashdrive: SanDisk Extreme USB 3.0. A 16GB was tested here:
Which is the Best Flash Drive? 18 Drives Reviewed @WhoRatesIt?

I bought a 32GB (45$) to use for bootable image recovery for my system and programs (I deleted the Samsung recovery partition in order to create C: for OS and programs, and D: for data). Is faster than 16GB. See attached CrystalDiskMark test.

 

Where was the Sandisk Extreme located when you tested it? The numbers don't look very good.

John

 

The SanDisk Extreme flash drive was on my USB 3.0 connection.
I thought the values that I measured were good, because they were better than the USB sticks measured on the website.
Which is the Best Flash Drive? 18 Drives Reviewed @WhoRatesIt?

So what numbers are not good and what would be a good number for a USB 3.0 32GB stick?

 

OK, my mistake, I was thinking it was a small SSD. That speed is very good for USB 3.0. Too early in the morning here.

John

 

Coffee.

Or in our case, one more shot of something yummy.

 

I am pretty much decided on the NP900X3C-A04US. All that remains is waiting until it is available, and checking that the hardware plays well with Ubuntu.

Any tips on the best way for a Canadian to order a laptop from the states? I don't want the bilingual markings of the Canadian version, and won't mind paying a bit extra to sort that out.

Series 9 13.3” Notebook (NP900X3C-A04US) | Samsung Notebooks

 

Questions: FastBoot AdvancedSettings & Defragmenting

I now finished the Windows installation the way I want it. Next step is virus scanner and Office.

In Samsung Easy Setup, I activated the fast boot up modus. In the FastBoot AdvancedSettings, programs can be activated or deactivated. Which ones should be activated/deactivated for fast bootup? (See attachment)

I decided to use Norton Antivirus. But standard setting in Norton is to defragment the drive during idle time (Idle Time Optimizer).
I always thought defragtmenting should be deactivated for SSD's. Correct?
Then besides deactivating this in Windows, I should also deactivate this in Norton?

 

It is funny:
The benchmarks for any SSD are always a mixed-bag.
There has never been one SSD that wins every test.
This LiteOn looks very fast in many things, the A-DATA
MDMS-SFIII-256 is fast, and the Samsung 830's are fast.
They are all miles ahead of the U100 - that is for sure!

 

Frankly, I would use Microsoft Security Essentials, AVG or anything other than Norton.
Norton (and anything by Symantec) is just a giant pain.
Turn off their defrag or uninstall Norton.
Then go to START- (and type) SERVICES and set Disk Defragmenter to DISABLED.
You don't need anything from Adobe loaded at startup, just when you need it.
Not sure about the rest, but I think you can take care of all of this in MSCONFIG
under STARTUP.

 

I leave only the programs that I consider are essential to getting the computer started quickly. Some of the entries that get listed are unnecessary processes created by other programs. First deleselect them from this list and then use msconfig to stop them from starting at all.

Yes. TRIM is meant to sort out SSD defragmenting. Anything else causes unnecessary wear. Norton was the first thing I showed the exit, although it was reluctant to leave.

John

 

I got my 900x3c last Friday and was happy with it till I tried to listen to music. I plugged my headphones in and the sound still comes from the notebook speakers. The music is only coming from the headphone if the plug is not completley pressed in. :-(

 

Linux works ok on my 900X4C, should work the same on the X3C. Graphics work like a charm, so does the trackpad, wifi, bluetooth, ethernet, suspend to RAM, suspend to disk, the headphone jack, tge internal mic, and both the external monitor adapters (even combined together).

The only things that do not work out of the box are:
1) Suspend when lid is closed, though suspending through the power menu works beautifully (in fact, lid state changes are not recognised at all for now)
2) AC plug/unplug ACPI events are not working (which means that your powersaving script have to be manually activated, since the laptop has some issues trying to understand if it is on AC or on battery).

These two points are minor issues, that I believe will be ironed out with time. Overall, I find the Linux experience to be very satisfactory.

 

I am not quite clear yet what to do in Speedboot advanced settings:
- deselect or select the program in order to prevent startup?
- what is the effect of the option "adjust the device startup time"? Select or deselect this option?
- I am not a specialist and do not know what some programs are for in the list: BLEServices, HotKeysCmds, IgfxTray, ISM-UpdateServices, Persistence, RtHDVBg_SRSSA etc... Deselect or select in the list?
-

 

However the mouse pointer over the description of each entry and it shows the folder, which gives a clue for some of them. eg BLEServices is Bluetooth. HotKeysCmds is, I think the driver for the Samsung hotkeys so I give that priority. IgfxTray and Persistence relate to Intel graphics and aren't necessary (and have to be disabled if you tr to use a custom display profile).

My understanding is that any entry selected in the Easy Settings list is given priority in the boot process. If not selected here then they are loaded later unless disabled completely using msconfig. The Fast Boot is a bit of an illusion. It looks like Windows is ready to run but while the left trackpad button works, it's some time later before the right button brings up a menu.

John

 

Hello bigblackwolf,

does the SanDisk Extreme flash drive fit into the USB3.0 port of the 900x3c when the power adapter is pluged in?

Thanks,
Ralf

 

going to be available in silver now: Samsung adds silver option for 15-inch Series 9 laptop, 13-inch to follow | The Verge