13.3" Samsung NP900X3C with Ivy Bridge CPU

I keep mine as a backup should I hit a problem with the replacement (too many memories of Windows falling over every now and again). Alternatively, you can either sell it to someone who wants to run an mSATA SSD as a boot drive alongside a hard disk for storage (some notebooks can hold both) or put it in a mSATA to 2.5" SATA adapter and then into a USB enclosure to use as extra storage. At the moment I can't find a direct mSATA to USB adapter with enclosure but I expect it will appear. If kitted with a USB 3.0 interface that could be like an oversized flash drive but much faster.

John

 

John, how difficult would you say it is to replace this particular SSD?

Thanks...

 

As described in this thread. Carefully remove 10 screws, wiggle the hooks along the back edge to get them to separate, then swap out the SSD. And don't strip the heads of the screws when you tighten them again. A size 0 Philips screwdriver in good condition is essential. Get one with a big handle because you have much better control than with the little jeweller's screwdrivers.

John

 

Thank you!

 

So now one has found one of these? I'd also be interested, but since there's no spring action it could be risky getting stuck, still 0.5 cm less so it's flush would be nice.

 

There was a post some months back, possibly in the X3B thread. However, I would also point out that whatever chip Samsung uses for the SD card slot (it shows up as a USB device) is slower than most modern SDHC cards. I measured better speed using a 2+ year old Sandisk SD to USB adapter than I could get through the built-in card slot.

John

 

Rats! I bought at the same time as my S9 a very fast SD card as a relatively easy and cheap way to supplement the 128SSD. Looks like I wasted money, oh well

 

Am I completely out of luck if I deleted the recovery partition? Easy Software manager won't work no matter what version I try (US site, global site, xp versions, etc...)

 

You are unlucky. What are you trying to do? I have no problems with ESM and also have no recovery partition. It should automatically look on the internet for the latest updates.

John

 

Well I wanted to create a separate partition for everything but my windows install. I delete the hibernate and recovery partitions thinking I won't ever need those.

Next day I say to myself, since I don't have my recovery drive I should probably make a recovery disk. Didn't think things through obviously. I fired up ESM and that won't work at all. I get the "Unsupported Model" error message stating the program won't work with my model or operating system.

I'm scared that if I ever re-install windows I won't be able to get everything set up properly without a recovery disk with all the drivers and whatnot.

 

The nearest thing I've found (& it looks good!) is HWTOOLS SSDMB mSATA SSD to USB3.0 ADAPTER for SATA-IO | eBay

 

Yes, that's what I was thinking of. However, it's a bit over-priced and, for portability, needs a short USB 3.0 cable (which are thicker and heavier than the USB 2.0 cables).

John

 

Yup, can't disagree with any of that - hopefully, in time, someone will construct a USB 3 key which you can just plug a mSATA drive into.
That would be the holy grail of portable storage

 

No, you don't need the recovery disc to reinstall. I made one, but never used it. All you really need is the wifi/ethernet driver and ESM, both are downloadable on samsung's site. As far as ESM not working, you may want to uninstall/reinstall.

 

Found it. I think I'll pick one up and try. Just need enough speed for live tv buffer

 

I'm also getting the unsupported model error, and reinstalling ESM didn't help unfortunately. Guess I'm out of luck on that front :/

I have a question I'm hoping someone here can answer: is anyone having problems with the touchpad drivers not loading immediately at startup? I can still move the cursor around, but right clicking and multitouch gestures don't kick in for a good minute or so. I'm finding that the Samsung fast boot mode is using a considerable amount of battery life as well, so perhaps something isn't quite right with it :/

 

1. I would try installing the version of ESM supplied with your computer. It's on the backup disk you (should have) made using Samsung Recovery Solution.
2. Are you confusing Samsung Fast Boot (which only applies to the boot process) with the Intel Rapid Start Technology, which improves sleep / hibernation / resume performance. Samsung's implementation of the latter is imperfect and it needs tweaking as discussed in this thread.

John

 

FYI I have a fully loaded Samsung Series 9 13.3" for review ... 256GB Lite-On SSD, i7-3517U processor. Love this thing so far. If there's anything specific you would like to see mentioned in the review, please post and I will see what I can do. I have a week or so to evaluate review units but obviously that's not as much time as some of you folks have spent with it.

I think this is my favorite Ultrabook so far though. Expensive ...that's about my only complaint.

 

Wow. Lucky you! Did it come with 256GB or was it upgraded after-market?

Also, what's your second fav

EDIT: By the way, I finally found a 13" S9 to play around with just yesterday (finally!!). It's quite impressive. Text size was a teensy bit small for my eyes, but better than I had feared. I'm kinda sorry that I didn't jump on that $799 blowout that the Microsoft Store offered a while back. But then again, I think having only 128GB of ram would have bothered me.

 

Agreed it is a fine machine and I'd argue the best ultrabook. My minor complaints:
1. No 8GB option (common with ultrabooks but still)
2. Sandisk SSD on 128GB X3C.
3. Somewhat weak wifi.
4. No displayport, proprietary vga dongle not included.
5. Power adapter is nothing special. Not magsafe, thick cord.

 

Welcome to the Samsung forum. Lucky you didn't get one with the Sandisk U100.
I assume it's the blackish color - see how the color changes depending on the lighting. Aspects worth checking for include:

• Display quality
• Boot time
• Is the Intel Rapid Start Technology working correctly? (see here)
• Battery wear, type (there seem to be both 4 and 6 cell batteries in circulation) and run time (note that the usual NBR test using 70% brightness will mean that the display is brighter than full brightness on most other notebooks)
• Temperatures
• Keyboard and pad usability
• WiFi signal strength and performance
• Check the weight

Does your PSU have the straight or L-shaped plug?

John

 

Good question. After having an L plug on my Sony I'd hate to go back to a straight plug.

 

Straight plugs make sense for a socket on the back of the notebook but L-shaped is much the best solution when the socket is at the back of the side (as it is on the X3 and X4). So the Rev 1.5 Samsung PSU has an L-shaped plug. Perhaps someone read my X3B review and decided that this change was worth implementing because it didn't require retooling the whole production line.

John

 

First off, Magsafe is an Apple patent.
Have you seen Magsafe, or any magnetically attached power cord on any notebook other than Apple?
Samsung and Apple are already locked in one of the largest lawsuits ever.
Do you think Samsung would like to add to that by introducing the "Mag-happy" connector?

The "thick" power cord is a standard power cord.
Just get one that is a higher gauge (thinner) with a desired length, and you will be good.

 

The standard power cord is earthed, which adds to the bulk. I use a 2 core (no earth wire) cable with a Fig-8 connector plus one of these adapters when I'm travelling. There's no telling how near (or far) the power socket will be from a desk so I want a thin-and-light cable to got with the thin-and-light notebook. Samsung's solution for reducing the weight is to bundle a short mains cable.

John

 

i just picked up this laptop yesterday from the microsoft store and so far i'm loving it. i had the asus ux31a but i didn't really like the lcd bleeding. the samsung lcd is much brighter than the asus.

 

Thanks, I'm aware magsafe is apple property, as are 7" tablets though they've yet to produce one and any number of future technologies they will expropriate from companies with inadequate legal departments.
Still, the air is probably one of the only notebooks than can even compete with the S9 so it's worth mentioning. At least the brick is not too big, but it would have been nice if they went with a thinner cable and a L plug that I can attach to the brick.
Again, I have very few gripes with the product, even though I have a B with the straight plug

 

I also have an XB with a straight plug, in fact even the XC
I had came with a straight plug. In fact, not sure even how to order an
adapter and be assured a right-angle one. Don't see a source
that specifies v. 1.5 anywhere. Checked Samsung Parts.

 

I would love to see how Windows 8 performs on it - any chance of installing and giving it a run?

 

Have you others found the Samsung video camera to require much more light than others to work well? I had the opportunity to try someone else's Samsung Series 7, and it was the same. Unless the room is quite bright, the video is dark, can't really see faces well. By contrast, my past Lenovo and my iphone and ipad all have no problem using Skype in an indoor room w/o bright lights. I tried the camera settings but could not adjust anything that made the video camera more usable in moderately lit settings

 

Did you find the Cyberlink YouCam control panel? One of the controls is Enhance Video Image and the Advanced section includes automatic low light compensation. However, it's not easy it fit a good webcam into the thin space available.

John

 

Ooops, I forgot about that guy. It's not downloadable, but should be on the recovery disc correct?

 

Yes. It will be on the drivers / software backup disc made by Samsung Recovery Solution.

John

 

A quick heads-up so people don't partially break their machine like i did -

both my girlfriend's np900x3b and my np900x4c have become so worn on the micro HDMI port that it takes 30+ seconds of careful adjustment to get the TV to hold the signal. We use our laptops to watch Netflix in the living room, so it is certainly a slightly harsher wear situation than a normal at-desk-with-laptop-staying-in-one-spot setup, but i did want to give people a warning!

also, I've been designing custom things for people over at xda-developers. so if folks have any tech accessory dreams shoot me a pm!

 

This is most disturbing. I was planning on using mine as an additional tuner when football season starts. How many times (roughly) have you plugged/unplugged from the mhdmi port? Are you sure it's not a faulty cable/tv input? Has anyone else had this problem?

 

Does the 13" and the 15" hae the same type of screen (IPS or PLS)?

I just came from the Microsoft store and I was surprised to notice a difference in the quality of the screen. Not talking about bigger pixels (expected), but worse viewing angle on the 15", both up and down and side to side. Also, the black level was worse on the 15. Was it just poorly calibrated?

 

Nope, the 13" is PLS, and the 15" is a regular TN.



Sorry for being a total, clueless idiot, but I was wondering if you guys could give me a quick procedure for setting this baby up. The last time that I tried deleting a recovery partition and extending the main, I wound up destroying boot.ini somehow. Further, I've never done a clean install before; I can find a basic guide on that, but I was wondering where drivers and stuff should be found (as someone asked earlier, is Samsung's website reliable, and what do I *need* to reinstall?).

 

Trying to decide between the 3b vs. 3c. I can bet either with about a $200 difference although if you take tax deductible into account it is more like a $140 difference? Either way do you think it is worth it for Ivy Bridge, in terms of battery life, performance or any other differences?

 

I chose the x3c especially for the newer integrated GPU which is quite a bit better than the older GPU.

 

x3c is probably worth the extra cash, but i will say that the x3b runs extremely well.

i went with the 15" so i could put 16gb of ram in

i'd estimate i've unplugged/plugged in the hdmi cable 2x per day each day for the last 3-4 months

i made a special port saver dock thing for the x3b, it will fit the x3c as well

check it out and lmk what you think. i made a site for all my latest tech creations (mostly for samsung products here

also, i have tried other cables. it is the port.

 

That does not sound like excessive use of it at all.

At what point did the port get finicky, was it just recently, or right from the start?

Have you considered a warranty-fix attempt from Samsung?

Also, have you read anywhere of anyone else having this issue with the port?

 

Just got this laptop a couple days ago and really like it. I am having an issue with the ambient light sensor though and the backlit keyboard now turning on unless I manually press the increase backlight brightness F9 key. Is anyone else having this problem or know how to fix it? THanks

 

Kind of weird question but has anyone done anything about the fingerprints on this? Is there maybe some kind of solution we can rub over it to make it look better?

 

The backlight control is on Easy Settings > General and you can probably fix the ALS problem by disabling Auto brightness control on Easy Settings > display.

It's not been as issue for me but a wipe using a damp cloth with a drop of liquid detergent should clear most of the muck. That's my standard cleaning method for notebooks starting with the display.

John

 

Hey all, long time lurker on this thread, first time posting.

I've been deciding, like so many others on here, between the Asus Zenbook Prime and the SS9. The Asus is nice, and cheaper, and has a higher res screen..but the SS9 is prettier (IMO) and doesn't seem to have the same manufacturing problems. I've seen Asus manufacturing issues in other places as well (TF101 Transformer backlight bleed), so I'm not surprised.

Anyway, performance matters a lot to me. I plan to use this for at least 4 years, and I do everything from programming to gaming to geospatial data analysis.

That's why this caught my eye:

This sounds like the elusive NP900X3C-A04US. I'm probably going to get this model.

My questions to you:
Does the extra money to shove the i7 in the 13" seem worth it? Does this baby scream?

We've heard plenty about the U100 128gb SSD, how is this 256?

Is it possibly worth considering getting the 15" instead for the 8gb ram and cheaper price?

Thanks! Any input is appreciated.

 

and on the comparison note, what do people think about the samsung 900x3c versus the new lenovo carbon X1? seems like the low end X1 has the same specs as the 900x3c, but you add on a little weight (3 pounds versus 2.56 pounds) in exchange for a 14 inch screen.

 

with the point being that on the lenovo website the low end one sells for $1250, so a bit less than the samsung.

 

You're on the exact same route I was on: SS9 X3C-A01US or Asus Zenbook Prime... Oooo, look! The A04US!

My advice from weeks of decision-making: get the A01US and (eventually) replace the hard drive. I'm going to wait until next year to see if a good compatible 512 mSATA shows up and shove it in. I very nearly went for the A04US, but decided to save the $500 extra. Three weeks in and absolutely no regrets- I'm not missing anything.

The Asus has specs going for it, but with many reported issues and a cheaper build quality... I've met both the Asus and the SS9 before buying and in terms of feel and function, the SS9 is the far better package. Solid, strong, stylish, and damn impressive.

I'd say pass on the 15" - the screen isn't as good. It's a noticeable difference.

 

Thanks for the advice. Saving the $500 does make a lot of sense--I guess I'm mostly concerned about the core i5 vs i7. According to CPU Benchmark, the i7 scores about 38% faster. I'm not positive that I -need- that extra speed, but will I still be able to do some fairly computational intense processes in four years? Obviously this isn't meant to be a workstation, but with that sort of power it could be pretty close.

 

First, like chicgeek stated, the 15" is a no go, it is not a PLS screen, just a regular TN panel, big step down.

As for the Zenbook, the screen is higher resolution, but it is nowhere near as bright and sharp as the 13" Series 9, and the whites are not very white (sounds like a laundry commercial, but you get the picture)!
The screen is stellar on the S9. I just came from comparing the S9 to the Zen side-by-side tonite.

The weight and form factor is much better on the S9, between the size and weight of an 11" and 13" Air.

The U100 in the S9 is unfortunate, but an easy fix with a standard mSATA.
Most of the 256GB models seem to come with a LiteOn SSD which is quite fast.

Samsung support, like most, is weak.
ASUS support is the worst, the absolute worst.
I buy their motherboards, I have for 15+ years, but I sell them as defective rather than even consider an RMA. I would NEVER, EVER consider sending anything back to ASUS for repair. Why bother?

The X1C screen is not going to compare to the S9 13" screen.
No way. Lenovo does not put any money into displays. The X1C is going to have a decent TN panel with ok viewing angles, but nothing special, way more dim than the S9. The S9 has stellar viewing angles, very, very bright. The white is white and the black is pure black. The greyscale and color accuracy can be debated.
The X1C will win on keyboard, may win on trackpad, but not certain.

Also the S9 has a standard mSATA SSD that can easily be upgraded. The X1C has a proprietary SSD. If you want a larger one, you can only get what Lenovo will sell you (at least, at this point true).

I also very much considered an Air with Bootcamp.
The drivers are much improved for their Windows 7/8 support, but the battery life and hibernation and boot times are way slower for Windows than OSX. I needed a pure Windows laptop, otherwise I would have gone with the Air.