13.3" Samsung NP900X3C with Ivy Bridge CPU

I tend to get an extended warranty for peace of mind if the price is reasonable although, statistically, it would be better to put the money aside. we don't know whether ultrabooks will develop problems (eg floppy hinges).

I use a bootable flash drive made by Acronis.

Something is tending to leak power. Have you got the USB charging enabled?

John

 

I apologize for going off-topic. But a quick thing, it shows my CPU bar as green then yellow as a task requires more of it, so I'm assuming no throttling. Because I never seem to use more than 50% of my CPU I'm assuming that I wouldn't notice the difference by going to an underclocked i5 Ivy Bridge.

Does anyone have any specs on how the Samsung 13 inch heats up while watching a movie or something on your lap or your bed (I heard the Asus UX31a might be better at cooling, though not sure)? My current laptop usually idles at 50-55 degrees Celsius and can rise 5-10 degrees Celsius. This is one of the reasons I'm trying to upgrade my laptop.

And I do indeed have an HDD and am looking forward to significant speed increases in daily usage when getting an ultrabook.

 

I'm good at helping go off-topic! Yes, you have no throttling. I suspect that swap file on HDD may be a factor causing slowdowns.

My X3B CPU would stay below 80C during stress testing which is quite cool compared to the T420s which would reach 95C and start to throttle slightly. It's worth noting that the 13.3" Series 9 has two cooling fans which are effective and quiet, unlike the 15" version which has only one fan. External temperature measurements under stress testing are shown in my X3B review. Temperatures when movie watching will be much lower.

John

 

So did anyone get around to installing Windows 8? I get the pro version through school, but at installation it says that Easy Settings, Easy Software Manager and Intels PROset/Wireless bluetooth software aren't compatible. I actually stopped there and cancelled the installation because on top of the non working software, I've heard that it's hard to change power settings. Something I suspect I would find quite irritating on my laptop.

 

See this thread.

John

 

Thank you kindly

 

A couple notes from a new a01us owner:

I had long looked at other options (see my previous post) like many others on here, such as the zenbook prime and the 15" ss9. I've seen all of them in person now, and the 13" SS9 is by far the best. Personally, the 15" was too big, and the screen really is not great. The zenbook is similarly thin and nice, but the sharper edges don't make it feel as premium in your hand. The SS9 feels and looks perfect.

That said, the screen doesn't really live up to all the hype for me. It is very nice, but it's just not as crisp as the FHD on the zenbook. I do find the window and text size to be appropriate, however.

I do still have the U100 in mine. I do have to say that things aren't quite as snappy as my 5 year old Core 2 Duo desktop that has a really nice newer SSD in it. The initial Windows updates also took like 2 hours to perform--very slow. I suspect this is due to slow SSD I/O. I think I should have gotten the A04US. It's about $400 more, but you get a faster SSD that is twice the size, and the i7 is 38% faster (by benchmark) than the i5.

John: I am also going to be doing some GIS analysis and development on this laptop. It's mostly for this reason that I think the A04US would have been worth it.

I would like to see a comprehensive guide of many of the great tips throughout this huge thread. If anyone wants to work on this with me, I have some servers and tech sites available for use.

Final word: If you're considering the NP900X3C, get it. You won't find a nicer laptop.

 

You may find that it is improved by my calibrated display profile.

Are you planning to change the U100? It temporarily crippled the performance of my X3B when it concurrently tried to load data and dump some RAM to the swap file. The CPU results at notebookcheck show the i7 performance boost to be nearer 10%.

John

 

Hey John, thanks for your response sir!
USB charging is NOT enabled and the problem still persists.. Do you have any other suggestions?

 

How do you live with that awful clacky space bar? I almost took the thing apart to find a way to silence it. Type more than three sentences - I type articles - and I have to put ear plugs in my ears. What a stupid fail on such a magnificent product. How do you all live with this?

 

dumb question but how do you use the calibrated display profile? and what will it do? another question, do others here notice he bottom right corner of the screen is brighter than the rest of the screen? this is only really noticeable when the screen is black like on the startup screen. not a big deal but not sure if this is a defect or not

 

Thanks to everyone for their help in this thread, particularly John Ratsey. You guys are a great resource.

I'm having a problem with an intermediate flicker (every 5 -30 seconds, irregular) on an external monitor connected by HDMI. Seems to happen more when a video is playing. This doesn't happen when using another HDMI capable computer, so its either the cheap microHDMI cable I bought or more likely the computer. Any ideas what might be going on and how to fix it? I've already tried updating the video drivers but so far no luck...

 

Check if there is any battery drain when you turn the computer off and leave it unplugged overnight. If none /negligible then it points to the Intel Rapid Start Technology not running properly so you might want to try reinstallation (perhaps first disable it, do a couple of reboots and reenable).

See here about using calibrated profiles. You will also need to disable igfxpers.exe using msconfig. Some unevenness in backlighting is normal - it's a big technical challenge to get it uniform. Notebookcheck reviews including backlighting measurements.

John

 

This may seem like a silly question, but can you guys open the lid with just one finger, or do you need to hold the base down while lifting with the other hand?

 

No solutions but to try to investigate the problem further: (i) Are you playing on both the internal and external screens at the same time, or only on the external one? (ii) Are you running on mains or battery? Whichever it is, try the other power source.

It's a two-handed exercise. If you run a steel object along the top display bezel you can feel the magnets that hold the display shut.

John

 

Yes, I always open the lid with my thumb, don't have to hold down the base. Maybe Samsung made some changes between iterations.

 

I really hadn't noticed. I suppose it is louder than the other keys, but it still seems a lot more quiet than most desktop keyboards I use.

 

hey all - i tried a thread search, but couldn't find what i was looking for.

I just picked up my X3C-A01 from Futureshop - what's the best way to remove unwanted bloatware?

seems silly I know - but is it as simple as just going through the programs list in Control panel? or is it worth reinstalling W7?

Thanks in advance.

 

Use Samsung's Easy Software Manager, which should also tell you if updates are available (note that you may need to run Samsung's BIOS update program to get any BIOS updates).

Before you remove anything, use the backup option of Samsung Recovery Solution to make a full backup of the supplied drivers and software.

John

 

Thanks John, I always appreciate your thoughts...

 

Can you let me know if your backlight works? I bought the same laptop from bestbuy and I had to return it due to the backlight not working.

Thanks.

 

Mine arrived today. I am typing on it now. It came with the U100 SSD as thought. Will have to make some decisions regarding that. So far "out of the box" and first "few minute impressions"...
I am so far impressed. I don't mind the keyboard at all and the screen is working out just fine. But all in all, I've waited so long for a Ultrabook that I'm just going to take my time getting to know this sleek one.
The sleeve I ordered is to big, but it will do for now. I am thinking I am going to order a ShaggyMac screen/keyboard protector. Right now they have free shipping and with a 10% savings code it is a decent deal. I have one for my XPS 1647 and they do a great job protecting the screen from scratches, etc. You can also use the cloth for wiping your screen clean & also your keyboard.
Not sure if I'm going to do a clean install just yet, either. Being so new to the Samsung side of things coming from Dell I'm a tad nervous and I just want to make sure I do things right.
I guess I need to download the latest drivers? Any other suggestions?

 

Hey John,

Thanks for your response. I'm using both monitors at once and extending the desktop. I've tried both powersources and unfortunately that doesn't seem to have made any difference. Any ideas?

 

I am happy to hear you are so pleased with your new 900X3C and i applaud you for planning to take your time assessing its pros and cons for your particular needs and preferences. I too fell in "heavy like" with my 900X3B when I got it about 3 weeks ago. After concluding that it might be a great "near miss," I procured an RMA from the MS Store for a return.

Why, with much hesitation, am i returning the S9? First, I am having some serious reservations about the current 4GB RAM limitation on all current 13" models. That doesn't seem to limit or severely slow down much of what I use presently, but I see problems down the line with even modest video and photo editing. More importantly, I feel that this is a lot of money to shell out for a computer lacking any headroom for "futureproofing." Software programers have a tendency to make use of as much resource as they believe future products (particularly next-gen) will have and, in this case I think that means today you should at least have the capacity for 8GB RAM (preferably 12-16GB) and a quad core IB cpu. If Sony can handle the thermals of a full mobile quad core i7 cpu in its miniscule case then Samsung should be able to do the same. I'll even settle for a dual core i7, but not a ULV. I would also point out that if the Z22/SVZ13 can manage 6 hrs base battery and 10-12 hrs with a svelte and relatively light weight sheet battery, that should be the standard. Now, the Z has a number of shortcomings relative to the current S9 13" models including keyboard, touchpad, audio and, for some, the now-defunct option of a 900p screen which, in the Z's case, not only has far superior brightness and contrast, but the cat is out of the bag now that Sony no longer possesses bragging rights to a FHD 13" display (thank you, Asus!) that 900 p is more than sufficient resolution and for many the smallest font size that can be read by mortals over 40 without constant re-scaling.

Or maybe i just can't stand the sound of that clacking spacebar. I hate to have to admit this, but I honestly believe this is what put me over the top on the 3B and 3C (never tried a 3C but have been told the spacebar clatter is the same.)

2 questions:

1) Why do I seem to be about the only person who this bothers much?
2) How can Samsung design a laptop that is as close to "perfection" as many come and leave this series and ignore the one thing that makes the owner and all those around feel like they're using a Commodore 64
from 1982?

3) Anyone have an idea for a mod to quiet this down?

Anyway, thanks for listening. I have edited and mostly cut away this post from its original book length to what you see here. I find there are many, many people in search of the best choice in a 13" Ultrabook or ultraporatable and vassilating between the S9, Asus UX, Sony S (screen: fuggedabouudit!) and Sony Z. The progress that's been made in the past year bodes well for the future, but in my opinion the current "state of the art" of this form factor is such that you have to accept some significant tradeoffs among all of the lead players and, IMO, are best off sticking with what you already own for now if you can do that, and if not pick one of the outgoing SB models at clearance prices, use and enjoy it for 6 mos. to a year and plan on getting the machine that will do you proud for 2-3 years sometime between Christmas season and the intro of haswell processors.

 

First use the backup option of Samsung Recovery Solution to make a backup of the supplied drivers and software. Then use Samsung Easy Software Manager to do the updating and remove anything you don't want. You may need to separately run the Samsung BIOS updated to find any BIOS update.

What happens if you use only the external display? If the problem goes away then it might point to a graphics driver issue (the hardware has plenty of capacity) and if the problem is still there then I would try another cable.

John

 

How come Samsung made these gorgeous laptops, but didn't put the ability to lock it up on it? I'm going to be living in a dorm in university and the last thing I need is to have someone steal my laptop because it's sitting on my desk unlocked!!! Could be a deal breaker for me.

 

So I did all that you recommended above but still see a significant loss overnight (~8%). The computer does return from hibernation (after a 30 minute sleep) which is a good sign but 8% seems a little high.

 

Where do people keep their tablets? One big advantage of the Intel Rapid Start Technology is that it is very quick to shut this notebook and put it away somewhere secure and almost as quick to get it out out, open it and be back where you were (resume from hibernation in ~ 10 seconds).

1. Is there anything plugged into the computer? 2. Can you check in Windows Event Viewer System log to see if anything has happened between the time you put the computer to sleep and the time you wake it up?

John

 

No offense John, but I don't think that there is a place in a university dorm to "put it away somewhere secure".

This is a feature that comes with laptops and imo should have been added.

 

OK, but I would have expected somewhere to be provided to keep small valuables. There is no spare space around the edges of the Series 9 to put a security slot.

John

 

nothing plugged in for the sake of testing purposes. from what i can understand from windows event viewer, there is nothing that happens overnight.

 

Thanks. Event Viewer shouldn't have naything but it's worth checking in case somehow something was waking up at night. Do you still get the power drain if the computer is turned off overnight, rather than hibernating. If so, this suggests a hardware problem (I just checked my X3B which I put away a couple of days ago and there was 1 or 2% power drain so 1% / day may happen naturally).

John

 

Nope, not in my university dorm in Canada.

That was my point, they could have designed a security slot for it.

 

While I agree that some unevenness is normal, it sounds like he is describing light bleed. The unevenness reported in the notebookcheck review is not extreme enough to be visible from the black screen on startup.

My X3C exhibits absolutely no visible light bleed upon black screen start up. However, I have been selling some used X3Bs on ebay and a few of them did exhibit significant light bleed in the bottom right corner. These items were Best Buy returns and its possible they were returned for that very reason.

Others may call me crazy, but I personally think my X3C keyboard is better than the handful of X3Bs I have sold on ebay. I don't spend a ton of time with them, but I do reimage and verify performance, so I've spent a good 15-30 minutes lightly typing with each one. My X3C space bar does click a little bit, but not as much as the X3Bs I've used. Overall, the keys on the X3B's I've encountered are much looser than my X3C. Maybe I just got a really good X3C and it is definitely possible that I'm just plain nuts, but the X3B keyboards I've used just don't feel the same. All that being said, I've never been overly annoyed by the X3B's space bar. In fact, I'm much more annoyed by the X3B/C's loud clicky trackpad (but I can live with it).

 

I will try that tonight and check in tomorrow. Could it be perhaps a battery calibration issue? I recently updated all my drivers, but I'm not sure if it would have anything to do with battery life.

 

What software is really necessary to be installed? I want to keep my installation as clean as possible for reasonable performance.

I just finished a clean install of windows on my NP900X3C, and have installed many of the necessary drivers, etc., along with other applications I use frequently, and the system seems reasonably responsive. However, some of the programs on the list offered by Samsung's Easy Software Manager seem like things I might not really want to install.

I deleted the "recovery" partition since I prefer to do my backups and system images onto an external Hard drive instead of using space on the internal SSD. It seems to me that Microsoft's Backup capability built into Win 7 is more flexible and useful (?) than the Samsung Recovery Solution 5. Is that a reasonable conclusion? and should I therefore omit the installation of Samsung's Recovery Solution?

I also wonder about the following: (which Software Manager classifies as Essential)

Intel Wireless Display version 3.0.12.0 which is described as used to support HDMI on a 2nd display using a wireless connection - A capability which I don't plan to use.

TPM Host SW - Don't plan to use this, partially because I think only Win 7 Pro supports Bitlocker, so why install the TPM Sw?

.Net Framework 4.0 - do I want or need this?

Silverlight - same question?

I have installed all of the other "essential" programs, but might need to delete Easy Software Manager so it won't nag me about not having some piece of "essential" software.

Other programs on Samsung's list that aren't essential are on my questionable list (that I might install sometime in the future if I need the application) include:
Skype (likely will install)
Samsung AnyWeb Print ?
Samsung Universal Scan Driver ? Why not just the drivers for what I have?
Samsung Universal Print Driver ? Why not just for printer(s) I have?
AllShare2.1 - useful if sharing media with DLNA devices (maybe)
Easy Support Center ?

I know there a lot of questions, but would be interested on hearing other opinions on this.

Ben

 

Hello Can someone please answer!!
I received my x3c today and it's stunning. Problem/question: Audio seems to only come from the right side. Whether its system sounds, music, or youtube, I only hear sound coming from the right side of the laptop, from underneath. Is this normal? Thank yoU!!!

 

.NET and Silverlight aren't "essential" but you'll probably want them. It's like not installing flash or Java. Chances are installing some software or browsing to some website will require one of them at some point. There's also no reason not to have them. Windows update will probably install .net framework anyway.

 

To my knowledge, none of that is essential.

 

There's a speaker at each side so the sound should come from the middle of the computer. Reinstall the audio driver in case it's a configuration issue but I suspect that someone forgot to connect one of the speakers.

John

 

Forgive me for loading down this post with quotes from the notebookcheck.net review to which you refer, but I know many will not click on it and it is an interesting test. Clearly, the PLS screen on the 3B/C is exceedingly bright but it does have very uneven lighting, measuring from a low of 390 nit (lower left) to a high of 508 (top, center) with lots of variation in each of 9 quadrants measured on this very small screen. screen. Still, NBC gives them a pass on this issu e. Not ent irely sure I agree but it's still hard to argue that subjectively this is not close to the best overall 13" panel on the market.

455 cd/m² 508 cd/m² 430 cd/m² 419 cd/m² 456 cd/m² 413 cd/m² 390 cd/m² 399 cd/m² 402 cd/m²

Information Gossen Mavo-Monitor Maximum: 508 cd/m² Average: 430.2 cd/m² Brightness Distribution: 77 % Center on Battery: 456 cd/m² Black: 0.52 cd/m² Contrast: 877:1ICC File (XRite i1)

"Distribution of brightness
​

Samsung proudly advertises the SuperBright Plus display with a backlight capable of producing 400 nits of illumination, something that we can confirm in our tests. With the Gossen Mavo-Monitor, we recorded peak brightness of 508 nits on the top center quadrant of the screen with an overall average of about 430 nits throughout all nine quadrants. This is about twice as bright as most mainstream notebooks and handily outperforms other ultrathins like the Aspire S3, XPS 13 and 2011 MacBook Air 13, although the Asus UX31 can be marginally brighter than the Samsung in review. Brightness distribution could still be improved, but with a screen this bright and a contrast ratio this high, it is only a small and forgivable shortcoming."

The biggest surprise for me was the very mediocre color gamut coverage of the S9. (NBC's words were overly kind: 3B/C in league with many $500 laptops - but solely in the area of color gamut. Subjectively I found the color more than acceptable on the S9 3B. Thus my takeaway from this measurement: color gamut width is a highly overrated spec. on an ultraportable laptop and 60% of sRGB would appear to be more than sufficient for everyday viewing, even of high quality video. I don't think many serious professional graphic designers do their work on a 13" laptop screen. When I compared my (now returned) 3B side by side with my FHD Sony Z (96% Adobe RGB gamut screen, far more than 100% of sRGB) I was more taken aback by how dim the Sony was than by any color inadequacy in the Samsung :

"With the XRite i1, we recorded a total gamut volume of about 63 percent of the sRGB standard. This is a bit lower than what we were expecting as most typical TN panels found in midrange or budget notebooks hover around the low 60 percent mark, too. Regardless, color reproduction is about equal with other Ultrabooks and should be satisfactory for all users save for professional graphic artists demanding workstation-level color accuracy."

First of all, you're crazy (just trying to get it over with since you suggested it!) Oh, and I don't think you are "just plain nuts;" if you are nuts at all, its in a very special, far from ordinary way

Seriously, your observation has brought me hope that by trying a 3C I may find that two of my major objections to the 3B (clacking space bar and weak performance) are eliminated. This said, the 4GB limitation is still something hard to swallow in a $1,300 laptop.

Does anyone know if Windows 8 is more/less or equal to W7 in its use of system RAM? I am finding it hard to believe that so many UB makers are not offering 8GB when it's pretty hard to imagine that most - the S9 being the only possible exception, and still not likely - couldn't find a way to fit another 4GB in the chassis. In fact, the Asus UX31A and HP Spectre 14 came out with only 4GB options but have since added 4GB more to the options list without any re-engineering. Do I smell a marketing/pricing strategy at work here?

 

I wonder whether notebookcheck test the panels at full brightness (appropriate for measuring the maximum brightness not representative of actual usage conditions. I found that full brightness is dazzling and 5/8 about right for indoors use. Maybe that's why my Datacolor Spyder 4 Express put the gamut of my X3B at 71% of SRGB.

Regarding the RAM, for some reason Samsung opted to provide two fans, which gives exceptionally quiet operation but uses space that could have been given to more RAM. The 15" S9 has two SODIMM slots but only one fan which is quite audible when it has work to do.

John

 

Hi,

I would like to know if there is a difference between the Samsung Serie 9 900X3C-A03FR and the Samsung Serie 9 900X3C-A01FR.

Thanks in advance.

 

How about A01FR = Win 7 Home Premium, A03FR = Win 7 Professional. The hardware looks to be the same although it's possible that the make of the 128GB SSD is different.

John

 

Hey John,

So after shutting down and leaving it overnight, it actually gained 4%. So now, i'm in the process of calibrating my laptop. Will check back.

 

Also has a TPM chip I believe.

 

Having tried both a 3C and now a 3B, I will say that there is zero difference to the "clacking spacebar" as you coined it.
However, I do think that there is a sample-to-sample variation in the firmness of the keyboards on both the 3C and 3B's as they come from the factory. There may even be more than one keyboard supplier, who knows?
Generally, the spacebars do make a bit of a racket compared to the other keys, but the Series 9 are not alone in this. There are usually 2 or 3 switches under the spacebar of all keyboards, desktop and laptop compared to just one switch under the other keys, so inherently the spacebar will be louder. The Macbook Airs I tried had louder spacebars than all the other keys by a good margin.

Could the spacebar be modded, with a mylar or other stick-on or some such mod?
Perhaps John knows if the spacebar can be pried up and lifted up like on the Air??

I think you must be correct (that NBC tested the panels at full brightness) since they reported such high nit numbers, there would be no other explanation.

My eyes do not, in any way, detect uneven lighting on the 3B I have here. Nothing of the kind.

Also, I am no photographer, so I can't speak for color gamut, but I have put this unit side-by-side with a SONY Z2, and the 3B is much brighter, with much purer whites and blacks, better color purity and much sharper looking text than the Z2. So, I don't know about a comparison to the older Z1 with 1600x900, but to me, it was a much nicer display.

Having compared the 3B also side-by-side with Macbook Airs in Bootcamp as well as OSX, the same applied. Perhaps the Air had more contrast, but again, sharper text, better blacks, whites, color purity and far more brightness on the 3B.
By the way, I tested the 3B against both the 13.1" IB Air with Samsung panel, and the 13.1" IB Air with LG panel! The 3B won each time, although the Samsung and LG panels on the Air are decidedly different.

On both the Z2 and the Air, just doing simple tests like Dead Pixel Buddy where it puts up pure screens of white, black, red, blue, yellow, etc. were highly favorable to the 3B.

So, I don't know how this 13" PLS panel could even be compared to lesser TN panels of this size. Again, forgetting about photographic color accuracy, since I can't speak for it, the PLS is a far superior panel.

Perhaps others that have a 3B or 3C can chime in?

 

I see Samsung pushed out new sound drivers. Wonder if all these updates are to better support Windows 8.

 

I'm not planning to try to mess with my space bar. Your theory that there's a lot more plastic to be pushed down (and automatically bounce up again) could well explain why it's inherently noisier than the other keys. [BTW, I'm keeping an eye on the left shift key of my X4C which sometimes seems to be a little slow at popping back up.]

The 13" PLS panel is in a different class to the TN panels. My 15" X4C display looks OK until I put the X3B alongside, then I see what I'm missing: Better contrast, richer colours, better viewing angles.

John

 

I have a small issue that's been annoying me. I'm using Samsung optimized power setting and like to set brightness at 80% plugged in and 25% on battery. I save those settings after which if I unplug and plug it back again, display brightness doesn't go back to 80% from 25%. If i check the settings, it shows 25% brightness for both AC and on battery. Don't know why this setting is being changed automatically. Not sure if Intel setting are overriding the brightness settings.