13.3" Samsung NP900X3C with Ivy Bridge CPU

This might sounds strange, but the more I look into it, the more I am considering getting an A01US and swapping out the hard drive. The quote or shipping to Canada (couple of pages back) is now no longer applicable - the salesman got in touch with Samsung to ask about the SDD and they told him off for exporting. That is, he's not allowed. He can't even ship to a US address knowing it's bound for Canada...

Sooo... What next?

 

Indeed, and if they are out to actively enforce it, I will pass on their product.
I will await John Ratsey's reply as to if he saw any hidden stickers, seals or other stuff when the cover was removed that Samsung might possibly be using to detect opening.

There is no "warranty void if cover removed" sticker on the outside, that I can say.

Like you said, their support is so weak that there is no one that could be talked to who could confirm that this is not enforced.

 

Is it really that bad?

I am seriously considering picking one of these up, as it looks like the XPS 14 is not for me, and I am concerned about support on the Asus Zenbook. It seems like I can't win on this one >_<

 

PC support is pretty bad all over.
Asus is the worst - I put a motherboard in for recycling that was well within warranty and bought another to avoid their RMA process, and I was eligible for advanced replacement!
Asus is rated like a less than 1 out of 10 for support!! Yes, that bad.

Dell - well....
HP - well....
SONY...yechhh!!

Lenovo used to have good support through IBM in Atlanta.

Apple is good, but if you ask for a question to be addressed that affects few people, they seem to "escalate it to engineering" which is to round-file your question. Also, they promise to call back and do not (my experience anyhow). They are good for replacements and AppleCare.

There are others, some better, some worse, most are poor.
Samsung does not have a good reputation.

Best option is to buy a product that never needs service or support!!

 

The only thing I will add is that team running Samsung's Twitter account was impressively responsive. You might not get the answers you want, but at least they're quick and helpful.

(No, this does not indicate RMA effectiveness, but I thought it was of note!)

 

What you're referring to is the Magnuson Moss warranty act, which I encourage you to Google and read up on. It's very clear in stating that you can't invalidate an entire warranty for using third-party products or components. It's most often applied to cars, but it actually applies to all consumer products including laptops.

MAGNUSON-MOSS WARRANTY IMPROVEMENT ACT

United States Code Annotated Title 15 Commerce and Trade Chapter 50 Consumer Product Warranties15 Section 2302

No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumer's using, in connection with such product, any article or service (other than article or service provided without charge under the terms of the warranty) which is identified by brand, trade or corporate name; except that the prohibition of this subsection be waived by the commission if:

The warrantor satisfies the Commission that the warranted product will function properly only if the article or service so identified is used in connection with the warranted product, and the Commission finds that such a waiver is in the public interest.

Essentially, what it says is a company can't condition the validity of your warranty upon using parts of any particular brand or company. Therefore it can't void your entire warranty if you choose to make modifications or use third-party components or parts. According to the Magnuson Moss act, Samsung can't simply invalidate your entire warranty for opening the computer, or even for swapping out the SSD. They can only deny warranty coverage for issues with the third-party components (in this case, the SSD) or any problems resulting from that third-party component or the installation of it.

However, as you can see, if you install a third-party SSD and have a problem with your computer, it would be very easy for Samsung to claim the problem was caused by the SSD or by something you did while you installed it.

To fight this, you'd potentially be entering into a complicated legal/arbitration battle that ultimately wouldn't be worth it. As the Samsung representative and website state above, it's pretty clear Samsung intends to push forward with its "Don't touch anything or your warranty's invalid" policy. This is technically not legally enforceable, but very few people would ever challenge it in courts or arbitration.

As a result, unfortunately Samsung (and many other companies) are going to get away with pushing this type of threat. Most people will be frightened away from doing anything that would potentially get them into trouble.

 

You might consider the XPS13 refresh if you can wait till fall. It's top of my list unless samsung ups to 8GB. Dell's service is fairly decent. Yes, I'm sure someone has a horror story to share...

 

Hmm...well, I've been very pleased with my experiences with Dell over many years. However, from reviews I've read, the XPS 13 has significant fan noise. I wasn't able to really test the fan noise, but in person I found the display maybe OK at best. It was a fairly nice notebook otherwise, though. My impression so far is that the Samsung is the superior notebook by a significant margin, but if support is terrible that would definitely give me pause in getting one.

 

Pretty much exactly as I stated, without knowing the name of it.
I would not be interested in arbitrating with such a company.
If you want one of their laptops, buy it with an AMEX card, which covers you
for one year beyond the manufacturer's warranty.
If you are then being screwed over for legally changing an SSD, AMEX
will cover you.

 

To those who own a 900X3C, how's the build quality of the touchpad? I found this video and it looks flimsy to me.
Samsung Series 9 2012 TouchPad Noise - YouTube

 

I have come across no seals or other stickers en route to the inside of either my X3B or X4C.

I would take the view that the user is responsible for any damage they cause while getting inside but if one proceeds carefully then there will be no no obvious signs that would cause a service technician to stop their warranty repair on the grounds of user damage. I somewhat doubt that the service manual's first step is to check the computer with a magnifying glass for evidence that the computer has been opened. If we get, for example, floppy hinges then whether or not the bottom has been opened is irrelevant.

That looks to be normal - it's by design. You can press most of the pad so it clicks like a button.

John

 

Sorry for such a stupid question, but what exactly are the differences between the 900X3B and 900X3C besides Ivy Bridge? And is it true that the 900X3B says "Samsung Notebook" rather than "New" on the upper left (just curious haha)? And how significant are the battery life gains?

 

The difference is the Ivy Bridge platform. Samsung got bored waiting for Intel to hand over Ivy Bridge chips to they released the new version with Sandy Bridge. I would assume that Ivy Bridge gives 10% better battery life. The CPU might be 20% more efficient but it uses only half of the idle power.

John

 

The casing is also slightly different on the edges. The X3B has only a small strip of the silver aluminium edging where the entire edge of the X3C is silver. There's a video from Samsung on this change, I believe.

Also, I noticed that NEW label on Samsung's site, too. I think it's just a mislabel.

 

1. I couldn't get much more shiny silver onto the edges of my X3B. The bigger change was between the X3A and the X3B.

2. My X3B says "Samsung Notebook Series 9" while the X4C has "New Series 9", both written to the right of the battery status light behind the Esc key.

John

 

Ah thanks for the correction! My bad.

 

Yeah, I heard there was an issue with the fan, but I think they put out a bios update for that. Haven't heard many complaints on their forum since. The current display is mediocre, but supposedly they will offer a 900p option in the refresh. Of course, the samsung has more than just pixels going for it. I know I'm going to have to sacrifice on something though.

 

How would Samsung have handled this situation?

 

I have a question for all 13'' users, what kind of tasks are you running and does the 4gb of RAM satisfy those needs?

 

i am loving my computer.

but the screen brightness setting doesn't seem to stick.
it seems to be auto adjusting itself.
does anyone know how to turn off the automatic brightness setting?

since i un-installed so many of the samsung programs, i am thinking i
need to reinstall one of the samsung's original software.

ok, i was able to answer my own question.
in my zeal to get rid of all bloatware, i got rid of a useful samsung program
called EASY SETTINGS.
so this is a very useful program that lets you control features on the laptop
that you couldn't otherwise.
anyways, under display, i was able to turn off the auto-brightness.

 

I'm going to keep the U100 in mine. Never having used an SSD, it's good enough for the time being.

Did everyone/most clean install Windows though? Is it recommended or should I leave it as is and just uninstall what is not needed?

 

Some people like to reinstall Windows. I prefer to uninstall the programs I don't want, starting with the Norton AV. Note that Easy Settings provides a unified access to various controls and Easy Software Manager can look for updates for Samsung software and drivers.

If you need more space then you will need to delete the recovery partition. However, before you do that make a backup of the drivers and software supplied with the computer. Run Samsung Recovery Solution, select Backup and then select the right-hand (of 3) options.

John

 

There is a promotion going on in Amazon USA, free $100 Amazon gift card with purchase.

 

I have no idea. Hence, why I asked. My experience in the past with Apple has been a mixed bag.

 

If anyone is considering purchasing this laptop, I will say it is a brilliantly nice laptop. It's blisteringly fast, the battery life is fairly decent and the screen is spectacular. It is also worth noting that the noise from the fans is minimal if that once you update the drivers. Also gaming performance is fairly good for a laptop of its size and the trackpad is a delight to use.

On the downside, the ports are fairly limited and the AC adapter is complete rubbish which is why I'll probably mod it to use a different connector..

Also, upgrading the SSD is fairly hard since it uses mSSD which is fairly expensive at the moment and also RAM is not upgradeable.

 

Regarding the SSD, there's a stickied thread that indicated the options. Not too bad in terms of price, especially when you get $100 gift card when buying the computer on Amazon right now.

Very tempted to pick up the A01US and buy the MyDigitalSSD SMART 256GB SSD as my upgrade using the gift card.

 

Just curious why you would want to replace the 256GB that comes with the A04US? Have you heard of any reports that it is shipping with a sub-par SSD?

 

Typo fixed - I meant A01US. Sorry for the confusion.

I'm somewhat still weighing the high price of the A04US and the difficulties I'm encountering trying to get one to Canada, with the much lower cost of the A01US with a guaranteed better SDD after modification. Neither the A01US nor the A04US have a guarantee of avoiding a SanDisk so I'll assume the worst. I don't really need the i5 anyway.

(Or I may just take on my computer and live with it until I can - and see if there's a 512GB available in a year or two.)

 

repost...

I'm debating between the 13.3'' and 15'' 4 vs 8gb of RAM. With my full set-up, I plan to run two external monitors(23-27'') and primary tasks will be general college things (multi-tab browsing, microsoft office, Youtube, music streaming) as well as some more intensive things like a lot of adobe CS programs like illustrator, inDesign, and dreamweaver.

 

So I realize I'm somewhat repeating myself, but I just want to get clarification. Do you guys consider it a seriously risky proposition to buy one of these, on account of Samsung's quality of support (in the US)? This laptop looks essentially perfect for my needs, and my alternatives are all inferior in terms of specifications and arguably overall design. However, I will probably own it for quite a while so I'm pretty worried about support.

 

What is your complaint about the PSU? My biggest complaint with my X3B's PSU was that the DC plug is straight but Samsung fixed that by providing an L-shaped plug with my X4C. The simple change is a major improvement because it is much less vulnerable to damage and the cable now runs to the back of the computer.

Prices on the mSATA SSDs are dropping as supply increases. My Crucial m4 mSATA cost no more than the equivalent 2.5" SSD.

Anything graphics can need a lot of RAM to run smoothly. Do you have a current installation where you can check RAM usage of your programs using Task Manager?

If the build quality is good then you shouldn't need to trouble Samsung support. If you do encounter a problem then there are two steps: (a) persuading Samsung support that it's a problem that they need to fix and (b) entrusting your computer to an authorised repair centre.

I would assume that majority of people in this forum consider that the benefits of the product out-weigh the support not being industry-leading.

John

 

Good news -A04US arrived today! Bad news - I am out of the office this week.

I had someone check the SSD though and it is a LITEONIT LMT-256M3M. I was hoping for the Samsung but at least it is not the SanDisk. I know others have posted about the performance of this drive so will need to re-read.

 

What was the price? ~$1750?

 

Yup, we paid $1,700.

 

Windows Experience Index for A04US.

Processor: 7.1
RAM: 5.9
Graphics: 6.4
Gaming Graphics: 6.4
Hard Disk: 7.9

 

Thanks for the info - where did you order from?

Also: I was looking to order the A01US from Amazon today for delivery to Point Roberts, WA. I just noticed I get charged state tax and delivery, and will also be paying BC tax when I cross the border, playing double tax. I expected to pay the border tax (12%), but are there any online retailers that will ship to WA without state tax? (Apologies if this is a somewhat stupid question.)

 

I noticed there is a NP900X3C-A04UK available - but it doesn't come with any changed specs as far as I can see, just the i5, 128GB SSD and 4GB ram. Anyone has any explanation as to what IS different?

BTW for those looking for a high-end Ultraportable with a bit more horsepower, the new Vaio Z has slightly less batterylife and almost the same weight as the S9 but a normal voltage processor (for over 2K USD you can even get a quadcore i7 - imagine, a 2.1 ghz quadcore Ivy Bridge in 1.15 kg of laptop, claiming up to 330 minutes of battery life).

The build quality of the S9 makes it still a superior choice for what I do but the Z is quite configurable incl 1080P screen, 8GB memory options and 512 GB SSD (2x256 GB in raid) and if you're a programmer-on-the-road it might be a better choice.

 

Hi guys,

Long time. I've been enjoying my NP900X3B for several months. So, when I got mine I had dead pixels that would show up after a couple hours of use. They've never gotten better.

I tried returning it to Amazon but they were never back in stock, and then my return period was up. I didn't want to go w/o it so I kept it hoping the pixels would go away (tried the software fixes, etc).

So I contacted Amazon, I spend a lot with them, they agreed to let me return it and get the newer model. So I'll save $100 and get the $100 gift card; losing out on the Samsung SSD possibly. What do you guys think? Worth it? I don't think I'll change out the SSD I'm sure it will be plenty fast. But anything else I am losing out by moving to the newer ivy bridge model? I'd think battery would be a bit better and the screen is the same great screen, right? Thanks!

 

I think there was talk about a silver model for some markets. If there's no noticable change in specs, it'd be my best guess. (But just a guess.)

I think Amazon treats you well, and that it's always worth a free upgrade of a great product.

I think most of the guts are the same from what John mentioned earlier.

 

The actual connector on the power supply is absolute rubbish.. its too frail and seems to come out on its own. Thats why I'm gonna magsafe the barsturd by following this guide.

 

I can't disagree with you there!

 

The Verge reviews the NP900X3C-A01US at Samsung Series 9 review (13-inch, mid-2012) | The Verge

 

Bah! I disagree with Sean on most of his reviews.

 

You have to remember these guys all use Macs. His reviews are usually short overviews of the machine for the day. Some of his points are right on the money. The screen is excellent. You would have to be blind to not to see that.

Keyboards are subjective and compared to the Mac or Lenovo chiclet keyboards, the SS9 isn't as good. But it isn't terrible either.

He gave the ELAN trackpad the credit it deserves.

His analysis of the heat seems incomplete. It's possible there was a fan issue on the eval unit and he didn't identify that. Who knows.

He did take some good pictures of the SS9 and the gallery is pretty nice. That's always cool for a prospective buyer.

There's other stuff he didn't cover but it's par for the course with The Verge. I'm sure their pipeline is huge.

 

Is there anyway to turn off the auto-brightness feature? There is no option to disable it in Easy Settings.

 

I'm pretty sure this is an option in Easy Settings under display. I don't have mine in front of me but recall turning it off because it would go crazy when watching TV.

 

Open Easy Settings - Click on Display tab - scroll down to "Screen Brightness" and you'll see an area with "Use the auto brightness control depending on the ambient illumination". Uncheck the boxes next to Plugged In and Battery.

 

I've received my NP900X3C-A02AE and I have the exact Performance Index!

 

Does the L-shaped plug of the X4C fit the X3B do you know John or are they incompatible PSU's?

 

Is it possible that the -a04us and -a02us use a different ssd than the sandisk u100?