13.3" Samsung NP900X3C with Ivy Bridge CPU

They are interchangeable (I've cross-checked between the X4C and the X3B). The PSUs look identical except that the new one is a Rev 1.5. Perhaps Samsung took note of my comment in my X3B review and gave the UK the first batch of the new ones - I see that the X4C in notebookcheck's review has a straight power plug.

The L-shaped plus is a big improvement: One of those little details which Samsung should have realised before it ever went into production. It feels much less fragile because it is shorter and slightly reduces the congestion in the port area (but still blocks any wide flash drives).

Which PSU plug do you have? Straight or L-shaped (Rev 1.5 PSU) as shown below?

What is the make / model of your SSD? (Device Manager will reveal). That isn't a Sandisk U100 score.

John

 

It has been confirmed in this thread that the A04US is shipping with a LITEONIT LMT-256M3M SSD, not the u100. The A02US is the 128GB version shipping with the u100. Salehwar has a NP900X3C-A02 AE ... not a US model. I believe that particular model has the same specs as the A04US.

 

So after reading about the battery wear issues on the X3B, I decided to check mine out here before I exchange it for the X3C. Interesting find... 28% in 3 months, similar to what others have seen.

I did a battery calibration last night, no improvement. More glad I am exchanging it out. Not sure what I could have done except put the battery charge limit on 80%. I don't keep it in charger very much and I don't let it sit dead. I use it, charge it, use it repeat....

 

If I understand you correctly: Charge battery until full; discharge until empty; repeat (twice daily?); then that's a very challenging life for any battery. Most of the wear is at the full and empty ends of the charge range.

Why not charge the battery until full and then leave it plugged in until you are working away from a power socket? That's the way I operate my X3B (normally with Battery Life Extender enabled unless I know that I may need the full capacity) and it's still at the same 3% wear as when I received it. In the days when Nickel-based batteries reigned supreme then they benefited from being operated through the full charge range, but that changed with Lithium based batteries.

John

 

A01 here. My PSU plug is straight as well, a pity really. It's not a huge deal, but I would have preferred to have it at an angle. I might see if I can find another PSU with an angle. First things first though: a new SSD. My U100 is even worse than it should be.

 

According to Les at The SSD Review, those Sandisk mSATA drives are close to being the worst drives on the market.

Why pay a premium price for an inferior component in the Samsung Series 9 notebook?

It appears Apple is getting the Samsung SSD components using gumstick form factor drives in the Air, Macbook Pro Retina, etc. I guess Samsung thought nobody would notice.

Stop giving Samsung your money until they change this.

 

So basically I should use it, then top it off/charge it whenever I'm done, no matter what the battery level is at? I hate having to "think" about it but if it saves my battery guess its worth it.

 

i ran my samsung easy software manager.
it told me there was a new BIOS available so i installed it just now.
the bios is dated 7-12-2012
so this must be the newest one available

 

Is there any way to avoid receiving the U100, among 128GB models, or do all of them have it (or is it just luck of the draw)?

 

Luck of the draw. Blind box, if you will.

 

Yes, the less the overall discharge / recharge that the battery incurs then the longer it should last. If you don't normally need the extra ~ 1 hour of run time provided by the full charge then use the battery life extender to keep the charge at 80%. Squeezing in the full 100% charge causes extra wear.

There's also an update for the X4C (essentially the same platform) with the same date. Note that the BIOS update turns off the Samsung Fast Start and the Battery Life Extender so you will need to re-enable these features if you are using them.

John

 

I've decided to keep the S9, and returned the UX31a. I'll write a comparison review shortly.

I'm not very computer savvy, but how do you delete the hidden recovery partition to gain 20gbs of space? If I ever need to recover the computer, I could use the provided recovery disc to return it to factory settings, right?

Its worth mentioning that I'm planning to upgrade to Windows 8, and I'm also planning to upgrade to a Crucial M4 256gb SSD. So should I even bother?

 

Here is my experience with the Upgrade:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/8679262-post32.html

 

I hear ya. What's the next best thing other than a Mac? (I just can't handle the non-Windows keyboard)

 

Ooooo... Thanks for letting us know about your choice - I look forward to your review.

 

What program is used to check the wear rate? Batterybar? HWmonitor?
Do these programs measure the wear rate relative to the condition when the notebook is new, or relative to the condition when the program is installed?

 

Just ordered an A01US from Amazon.com. I may end up getting double taxed (WA and BC), but I got so fed up with retailers not willing to ship to Canada, or CS representatives not knowing what they're talking about.

 

The provided recovery disc allows you to install Windows. It does not recreate the recovery partition. Note that you should use the backup facility in Samsung Recovery Solution to make a backup disc of the drivers and software supplied with the computer. You may be able to delete the partition in Disk Management or Diskpart (I usually use Acronis Disk Director) or look for a free partition manager.

I'm currently using the battery properties in HWiNFO. I think that wear is calculated as (design capacity - fully charged capacity)/ design capacity.

John

 

hi John,
Thanks for the info. With HWinfo, do you have to decharge to 0% and charge to 100% so that HWinfo can calculate fully charged capacity and wear? Or do you just run HWinfo in any charged condition?

 

The charge data are stored in a chip in the battery which HWiNFO reads. Something updates the fully charged capacity during normal operation. A battery calibration does the same more accurately by first draining the battery and then measures the amount of charge until it is full.

John

 

Hopefully the Lenovo X1 Carbon won't suck.

 

^^
Ditto for the XPS13 refresh. I think the X1C might be a wallet buster.

 

That's what I'm waiting on. If not, it might be the Samsung.

 

I got the X3C today in to replace the X3B. First thing I notice is the keyboard feels like a different keyboard. Doesn't feel as shallow and feels more springy than before; a rather nice feeling. I thought the keyboard on the X3B was just fine, but for some reason this feels way better.

Sadly, it's an A01US so I lost my Samsung SSD and now have the Sandisk. :\ Bah.

It has the new L-shaped charger cable, also has a rather nice "click" when you plug it in all the way. It's very secure.

Picking the unit up with one hand, to the right of the touchpad, does not feel as solid as the left side or as my X3B was. I can feel it, most of the time, but not all of the time. Right now it's a non issue.

 

Anybody here with the ivy bridge 13" model can test for me how need for speed hot pursuit runs under native resolution? Thanks.

I am torn between the 13" Ivy Bridge S9 versus the 13" 2012 Mac Air. With the Mac Air I can get 8GB ram, use OSX and BootCamp for my gaming needs. I already have an iMac and have Thunderbolt adapters and SSDs readily available to use. But I kept getting dragged back into the sexiness of the S9 and it's beautiful screen.

I like having the option of OSX, being able to use TB devices, and 8GB of ram. But time and time again I gravitate towards the S9. If only it had 8GB in the S9 in the 13" form factor my decision wouldn't be so hard.

Right now I am wondering how capable it is in running:
NFS HP
Just Cause 2
SSF 4 AE

Last night I saw Tigerdirect was advertising the 15" Ivy S9 for $1379 but by the time I realized it was already all sold out. How much worse is the display on the 15" S9 versus the 13" model? Bad enough to avoid? I've played around with both instore but failed to pick up any difference in visual quality.

 

Lenovo won't put enough money into a display to provide a good one.
The X230 with the premium panel is the best they have done in the past
many years, but the X220 I received had bad backlight bleed.
There is no indication that the X1C will have a really good panel.
There is a foreign video on YouTube right now that shows the viewing
angles and they do not appear to be good. Yes, this may be a pre-production
sample, and yes, the shipping version could have a good panel, but my money
is not on it. The display will be the likely weakness of the unit.
Hope I am wrong.

Also, the Lenovo video product announcement stated "early 3rd quarter" as the ship
date for X1C, which is not late August, early September.

 

Hi All-
I have been considering a UX31A for a while now and just this evening have been looking at the X3C.

Has anyone held both in their hands/ does do you have an opinion on which you prefer?

Also, is the memory situation the same as the UX31A (soldered to the mobo so no chance to upgrade)? I went back a while in this thread and didnt see it specifically mentioned.

 

laidback has gotten his hands on both and promised a comparison soon. Also, yes, the memory is non-upgradable like the UX31A. However, the hard drive is replaceable, though it may invalidate warranty if Samsung discovers you have popped off the lid.

I was in the same boat for over a month, between the SS9 and the UX31A - I placed my order for the SS9 yesterday.

 

Q on removing recovery partition on Samsung Series 9 NP900X3C-A01US

Hi Folks,
I've had mine now about three weeks. Thanks to folks here and other reviews, it's pretty much as I had expected, including it's weaknesses such as keyboard, IMHO. Net though I am very pleased. I bought the 128G version as 256 was not out yet. I know John has kindly posted how upgrading to 256, but I would prefer now just to remove the hidden recovery partition to get back 20G or so.

Can I do this without re-installing Win7?

Also, is the recovery boot disk that comes with the laptop, is it a full version of Win7? Or does it need the recovery portion, so that if I wipe out that partition I will not be able to reinstall Win7 correctly?

Thanks for any help. I thought I had done a Bing search before and found instructions on how to wipe out the recovery partition w/o doing a clean install b4 I bought this, but now I can't find that w my searches

Clarence

 

I think you need to use diskpart. Look into delete partition override. You must run diskpart in an elevated cmd console.

CAUTION: Make sure you have a full backup of your data in case you make a mistake.

 

Hi,
i am seaching a sleeve. Small.
For the NP900X3A I used the BookBook Air, was very beauty.
But for the X3C it is to large.

PS: Can't use the search function from germany in this forum, getting error.
"Could not find phrase 'invalid_search_query'." when I enter "sleeve"

 

Deleting the recovery partition will not break your Windows 7 installation. However, you may find that the hibernation partition is between your Windows installation and the recovery partition so, to use the extra space, you also have to delete and recreate the hibernation partition. See here for some tips.

The Windows recovery disc is a standard Windows installer tied to the Samsung hardware. It does not include the drivers and software supplied with your computer and stored in the recovery partition. You can make a backup of these using the backup option in Samsung Recovery Solution.

Diskpart has been mentioned but isn't very user friendly. I used Acronis Disk Director, which is friendly but costs money. However, there are other free partition management programs.

After spending money on more expensive and less suitable sleeves, I found this delightfully cheap but effective sleeve.

Re your PS, today you need to use Google (site: notebookreview.com search string). Tomorrow, when the forum returns after a major update, we are assured that the forum search will be working.

John

 

This free one is very good:

MiniTool Free Partition Manager Home Edition.

 

Just had a play with a display set in Singapore (Challenger store). This is the first time I have seen one in person and I have to say the display is such a breath of fresh air compared to all the glossy displays and poor semi-matte screens on the Sony Vaios available here.

The form factor is perfect also.

There is only one model available here, the NP900X3C-A01SG:
- i7 Processor 3517U (1.9-3.0GHz)
- 128GB SSD (Liteon model!)
- 4GB Memory
- Windows 7 Professional
- International warranty!

Interestingly, it's the Liteon SSD here and not the Sandisk one. I asked a staff member if I am guaranteed to get a unit with the same SSD... had no idea but did say I could return it if it wasn't the same.

Costs S$2188 ($1743 US inc. 7% tax here in Singapore). Tempted but will probably wait a while longer

 

I have never touched a X3B, but I do have the X3C and a 2012 Macbook Air. I have noticed a lot of comments saying that the MBA has the superior keyboard, but in my experience, the keyboards are very similar and on par with each other. Perhaps many of those comments are from X3B users and not X3C users?

If you failed to pick up any difference in visual quality, then you'd probably be totally fine with the 15". To me, the 15" S9 display looks like total garbage compared to the 13" S9. But of course, some people just want/need the bigger screen and the S9 is in a league of its own at that size.

 

It's so sad Samsung screwed up with the SSD - al reviews I read complain about it and in not just a few cases it's the one and only thing keeping reviewers from giving it the complete thumbs-up/gold award/"best in its class"/etc

 

A new model for the 13.3 900X3C is going to be released, the A04US, i7 1600x900 and 256GB SSD

The news came today from here Samsung Series 9 13-inch lands 1.9GHz Core i7, 256GB SSD edition for the power user set -- Engadget
More specs here Specs - Series 9 NP900X3C | Samsung Laptops

Almost the perfect ultrabook, but lacks FHD, plus another USB port and most important, memory isn't upgradable...
Yesterday I bought the 900X4C and today I almost got a stroke, until I saw that the memory was still not upgradable...

 

Are there any major retailers that stock these (or the X3B?), such as Fry's, Walmart, Best Buy, Microcenter, etc.? I'm wondering if it's possible to see one of these in person before buying, and also maybe buy in-store. Or, is it pretty much mail-order only (or whatever would be the appropriate term)?

 

Not "going to" but "has been". Someone has one.

John

 

You decline to mention the price: $1,700.

- A Vizio CT14-A2 has the same i7, same display resolution, same 4 GB RAM, and same 256 GB SSD for $1,199.

- The Aspire S5 has the same i7, 4 GB RAM, and 256 GB SSD but a lower 1366 x 768 display for $1,399.

- The Asus UX31A-DB71 also has the i7, has a full 1080P display, same 4 GB RAM, and same 256 GB SSD for $1,499.

- Even the Macbook Air has a quicker i7, almost the same 1440 x 900 display, same 4 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD, all for $1,599.

- Hell, even the Vaio Z has an i5-3210M processor, 1080P display, 256 GB SSD, and 8 GB RAM for only $100 more at $1,799.

Obviously there are intangibles as well, and it's not all about specs. I love the look and design of the Series 9. But the price on the A04 is just astronomical. How do you justify that price premium? $500 more than an identically-spec'd Vizio CT14? $300 more than the Asus with a far better screen (according to reviews)? $200 more than the Air with its great design, keyboard, and touchpad?

I've seen the 15" Series 9 in person at my local Best Buy, no 13" though. Not seen them anywhere else yet.

 

Does anyone have direct performance comparison between the 900X3 B vs 900X3 C? I believe the only difference is the ivybridge processor vs sandybridge processor. I'm thinking there is not much difference between these two processors. However, choosing the older X3B will probably get you a faster samsung PM830 SSD compared to the crap sandisk SSD in the X3C.

Main reason I'm asking about processor difference is because there is a crazy sale on the older X3B for only $800 , but it would also be nice if I had the latest and greatest processor. But that's a $500 difference, and I don't think just the processor change, with a slower SSD is worth the savings.

$800 Buy Samsung Series 9 900X3B-A02, 13.3 inch notebook PC, Intel Core i5 processor, sleek design, HDMI - Microsoft Store Online
(coupon code SUMMERPC2)

vs.

$1300 Amazon.com: Samsung Series 9 NP900X3C-A01US Ultrabook 13.3-Inch Laptop (Mineral Ash Black): Computers & Accessories

I've been debating between zenbook prime vs samsung S9 for 2 months now, but at this price I think I'm going to pull the trigger. Good things comes to those who wait . How is the return policy for microsoft store?

 

For raw CPU performance the X3C should be about 18% faster (not noticeable except in benchmarks) but, as you note, has its shoe laces tied together by the U100 (very noticeable when the SSD chokes with too much queued I/O). I would save the $500.

John

 

In some very rare cases, I hate not living in the USA. This is one of those moments.

Correct me if I am wrong, but this is offer is not available in the UK !?

 

nice. does anyone know where to find such offer in europe? need a german keyboard. microsoft store germany doent seem to offer hardware.

 

Shame, it doesn't seem that the MS store accepts Canadian billing addresses, which I'm afraid makes the decision for me.

It's funny how I was considering shelling out over $2000 for a A04US and am now half-considering going back to an X3B for less than $1000. Thanks for the tips, all.

 

I am a Samsung Series 9 notebook owner again.

 

Folks, thanks alot for the responses on the disk management and the need to create backup disk for the drivers! Cheers

 

Don't forget there is also the graphics difference between sandy bridge and ivy bridge!

 

I know this is an X3C thread, not an X3B thread, but...
Will the B version power up and boot Windows as quickly as the C version?
If not, how much slower is it?

Edit - I believe that it does - I am happy to say that the search function is alive now !!

 

Wow. Great price. Anyone know how long this deal is good for?

And... what are the negatives about this unit that I might not be aware of?

Thanks...