13.3" Samsung NP900X3C with Ivy Bridge CPU

I'm pretty frustrated with Samsung as well. I'm thinking of getting the mbp with retina, bootcamp, size the mac os partition to ~ 20gb and go from there. I get a student discount on apple products as well... -$200 for over $2000, -$100 for under. And $100 app store gift card.... It's too bad my budget was $1700 after 12% tax.

 

I think I might snag one of these MBAs. My first Mac ever.

 

This is one of the things that always held me back from going to a Mac... but I think it's time to deal with it.

 

Agreed. They must be spending too much time (with too many models) fighting apple on the cell phone front. I know that's the bigger money sector, but how hard would it be to match the MBA's specs. Just have one board with i5 4GB and one with i7 8GB that will cover most customers. I don't like the bezel on the MBA and the design is feeling very dated now, if I could get it in black though...
Windows on the air works, you lose about an hour of battery life compared to OSX, but still will have more than the S9.

edit: Sorry, my mistake. The mba gets terrible battery life with W7 in bootcamp, about an hour less than the 13" S9. Of course that was the old model, but I suspect little has changed on that front.

 

Except aesthetics and screen from the MBA is inferior to this Samsung S9.

 

If internals & ports were the same then I would go for the Series 9 as well. Prefer the styling and the screen. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, Samsung shot themselves in the foot with this.

MBA 2012 has everything I need (except the display): more ram, better ssd, thunderbolt/displayport (can't believe Samsung decided to put a mini-vga in their flagship model. Stupid!), and is actually cheaper as well here in Singapore.

Only issue for me is that you can't seem to choose the 128GB SSD with the upgraded cpu. Have to spend a little extra but at least I get something for it.

Going to buy in July sometime so will see what the options are then (X1 Carbon, the new Fujitsu models etc) but MBA looking likely.

 

Very few people would pick the Mac over the 2012 Samsung Series 9 on looks alone. Or even feel for that matter. The Samsung is seriously sexy in that regard. Yea, I love the look.

I also love the 13.3" 1600x900 PLS screen. It could be better on color coverage but it's still an excellent screen in my book. I like the matte over any glossy screen.

However, the MacBook Air 16:10 1440x900 is perfectly fine to me. I agree the fat bezel on the MBA looks odd now. Although the MBA has a glossy screen, it never bothered me in the 6 months I used one. The MBA screen colors seem richer and deeper than the Sammy.

I think we'll see some new machines from Apple before Christmas. Will Apple move to a 16:9 screen on the MBA? Will it be a thin bezel 1600x900 Retina? Will they out a 13.3" MacBook Pro Retina model that is slimmer than the current MBP? Does it matter? Will the Lenovo X1 Carbon have a 1600x900 IPS screen and take the world by storm? What will Samsung do about it?

Stay tuned...

 

I could be wrong, but I don't think apple will ever go to 16:9. They have a sort of phobia about it. They will probably put "retina" on the MBA at some point, what resolution that corresponds to is up for grabs. I would think anything higher that 1200p would be pretty taxing for HD4000. It might need haswell.
If you need 8GB at 3lbs or less today, you have a very limited selection:
1. MBA
2. Sony Z
3. Toshiba Z830
I wager ASUS matches RAM first. One thing samsung has going for them is the 15" S9. There's still nothing to compete against it, probably why it got more attention in the refresh. It still needs a high quality 1080p panel though.

 

The Asus UX32's will have 6GB, possibly upgradeable to 10GB (since 2GB is soldered onboard). They're just over 3lbs and have a great screen.

I agree about the 15" S9. It's a unique option, and once Samsung offers an IPS/PLS panel, it will get even more attention.

 

You're right ASUS has got the specs, but I love the design of the S9 so much more.
Looks like there's an X4D now (just a color change). Let's hope there's an X4C with a spec upgrade.

 

The silver model finally broke cover in the USA. See Gallery - Series 9 NP900X4D | Samsung Laptops for the 15".

Now we just need a silver 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD 13.3" model.

 

It's called a MacBook Air.

 

I just bought the 13 inch 900x3c in australia, and went to get the intel turbo boost monitor, but it says my computer doesnt have turbo boost.

Does the australian version not have it?

 

Very nice, but I don't see the point in a 15" if it doesn't have more pixels than a 13". I see an extra USB 3.0 port, thats about it. Ohh yeah, a 15" MBP has dual thunderbolts ha

 

You can't really compare the MBP to the S9. They use different processors, there's a 1-2lb weight difference and a significant price jump if you go with retina. That's why the 15" S9 is in its own class, not that the macbook is a bad machine, though solid data on heat dissipation is needed. If apple had come out with a 15" air you could make a comparison, but clearly they didn't want to make people choose between that and the pro.
edit: You are correct the 15" S9 should be bumped to 1080p though.

 

HWiNFO will show you what's happening to the CPU speed. It does have turbo, effectively what it says here for 2 cores because it is rare to only have one core doing any work.

John

 

I agree with this. I'm ready to give a Macbook Air a try thanks to major curiosity, but the 15" S9 has almost everything I was looking for in a laptop. Gotta give credit where credit is due.

 

A bigger screen is just nicer to look at. It's the same reason most people prefer an IMAX viewing to a standard movie-watching experience. It's not necessarily that a 'standard' cinema projection is poor resolution, it's that it's nice to reduce peripheral distractions- to fully immerse yourself in what's on the screen.

The last 2 laptops I've had were both 1920x1080 resolution. A 17" dell xps then a 15.6" dell 15z. I have 20/15 vision (better than normal), and to be honest, 1080p on a laptop is actually not a very fun experience. You have to mess with the text display settings to make text not a pain to read for many things, and it never works out that well. This was the case for me with Windows 7. I don't mean to start a fight/argument, I just mean to report my experience as a young (20-something-year-old) guy with very good vision having used 1080p laptop screens before.

OMG that silver is f'in gorgeous. I kind of want to return the new np900x4c I just got!! Naww, the gunmetal matches my car.

But that's a tough one.

 

I think I could make due with 1080p on a 15". But you're right, you would have to get the scaling right and many applications don't scale well at all in windows. It's really about the quality of the display. A higher quality 900p panel like the 13"'s would be fine as well. It's just the current one is pretty marginal. Hopefully it works for you though.

 

I was just comparing it to the 13" S9, it should offer more pixels than the same model at 13". I have never used 1080p but we could at least see a bump to 1680x1050 on the 15", that's what I've been using for years and is 16:10. Of course 1920x1200 would be ideal but I don't see that happening. I'm not sure what the MBP can actually display since the retina is for specific apps.

 

If Samsung produces a NP900X3D-A02US in silver, I will buy one for my permanent notebook collection. The model number I made up but it would be close to my dream machine.

8GB RAM
256GB Samsung Series 830 mSATA SSD
13.3" PLS screen
Silver chassis

I wonder if it will happen before Apple releases a 13.3" MacBook Air with a Retina style IPS screen.

 

Put me down for one too. But I prefer the grey.

 

Ok I didn't really understand your comment. My point was just there is clearly a good market for the 15" since there is no 15" air or anything else. And this is probably why the 13" has been neglected. Don't think we'll see 16:10 on the S9, even though there's room on that bottom bezel. But 1080p would give similar ppi to the 13"s 900p. Doesn't matter to me as the 15 is too big for my tastes, i.e. it won't fit in my travel bag. 13" is the perfect size, I just need a spec bump. MBP is 1800p, which is overkill unless you do photo editing or something else really fine.

 

I’m a first time poster, but have been lurking on this board for a few weeks while I made an ultrabook decision. I finally have the Samsung Series 9 in hand and wanted to write my opinion for those who may want a view from a pretty typical user. First off, I’ve only ever owned one other Windows machine. All my other computers have been Apple (iMac, Macbook, iPad) and I would safely consider myself a fan of what Apple produces. That said, I’ve grown a little weary of Apple’s current way of doing business (patent wars) and so decided to try something different this time around (not that Apple or anyone cares, but I’m voting with my money). So, I started reading about ultrabooks about a month ago and decided that one would be in future. I researched a lot of different options before deciding on the SS9.

The computer arrived from Amazon on Saturday. First off, it looks and feels great—better than the Macbook Air in my opinion. It’s smaller, lighter, and has a better form factor than the Air. The display is really lovely. Again, higher resolution that is better than the Air, so a winner in my book. It looks really gorgeous to my eye. I, admittedly, am not really picky when it comes to displays. I wanted a higher resolution than the standard, but I’m not a graphic designer or photographer. I’m finding that at a resolution of 1600x900, text is already really small. I’m in my mid-30s, but honestly think that any higher resolution would be too much (especially considering the scaling issues that I’ve read about with Windows).

The keyboard takes a little adjusting to, but works beautifully. I don’t mind that it’s shallow (I don’t really notice). What I do notice is that the keys feel really “tight” to me. That’s probably a good thing in terms of build quality, but requires some adjustment when typing. No problem for me after a few days with it.

I’ve read a lot about the concerns about RAM and the SSD. First off, for a typical user, everything I’ve read would suggest that 4GB RAM is plenty. My uses are: Internet—email, YouTube, blogs and forums; Kindle books; Picasa (just to view a few photo albums that I like to keep with me); iTunes (to occasionally watch a movie/TV program while traveling); occasional use of Word and Excel. I have a work computer and personal desktop for heavier lifting and storage. For what I do, I doubt 4GB RAM will ever present a problem. I get how this may be an issue for some. But again, I want to provide perhaps a more typical use case than I tend to see on forums.

My thoughts about the RAM are similar to my thoughts about the SSD. If you do a lot of intense work, then the Sandisk may very well be a disappointment. But, I don’t see how it will ever matter much for a “typical” user such as myself. I am disappointed that Samsung didn’t use their own superior drives, but I think the thought of it bothers me far more than the reality ever will.

I’ve never once heard the fans kick in, nor has the computer ever been hot.

The computer has been fast and responsive. It’s been a pleasure to use thus far. I actually have to get accustomed to using Windows on a personal machine, but as I’ve sorted that out, I’ve loved the computer more and more. I’m really looking forward to getting Windows 8 on this machine!

My only major complaint thus far is that I’m already at less than 60GB SSD space. I hate the recovery partition and the amount of space that it requires. I don’t know Windows systems, so am hesitant to attempt to delete it, but if it becomes an issue, then I’ll give it a try. At some point, I may decide to replace the SSD with something larger (which would also give me the opportunity to upgrade the quality). The cost is high, but not prohibitive (and inline with what Apple and other companies charge for an upgrade of 128 to 256 GB).

Anyway, those are my thoughts. I consider myself a pretty average/typical user, with a strong bias toward Apple and Mac OS. Given all that, I’ve been tremendously happy with this machine so far. I’d love for Samsung to continue to develop this line and would love to see higher spec 13 inch models in the future. But, for my anticipated uses (and probably the uses of most/many), this machine is pretty awesome!

 

hey guys,

I have been tinkering with a docking combination (power+hdmi+usb) port for the Series 9 and changed directions a bit. I'm curious what you all think.

I call it the dockbox. It adds 32-256GB flash storage, USB ports, and hookup to HDMI (all cables includes).

I have enough supplies to make 15 of them, pm me if you'd like one~ anyone from these forums will get a discount Just please give me some feedback!

How many folks plug theirs in to an external monitor or keyboard/mouse when at home? Is it just me?

I also updated my blog with photos comparing the 13.3" s9 to the np900x4c.
dockbox & np900x4c vs. 13.3"

 

hey MG, glad you like the ss9

check out my previous post, I was running out of space too! the dockbox I made comes in 32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB

with other ultrabooks I used to solve this problem by leaving a 64GB+ SD card permanently in the slot, but unfortunately it sticks out with the Series 9 so you can't really leave it in permanently

lmk what you think!

 

Like others suggested, using a high-capacity SD card is an option to increase your storage. I don't know much about the recovery partition's use of space either. But it would be interesting to know if it's possible to use an SD card for that backup, which would free up SSD space and put your recovery option on a separate physical backup.

 

Nice. It's definitely one of the coolest machines on the market.

When I was testing mine, I totally wiped the drive before re-installing Windows 7. Therefore I started with 119GB. The recovery partition idea is kinda lame if you ask me.

I also turned off hibernation and restore points.

As a result, I recovered quite a bit of data storage space over the default configuration.

 

I'm pretty sure we've gone over this. But is the battery replaceable? I have a feeling not, which certainly puts a limit to longevity.

 

Does anyone know when/if the NP900X3C will be available in Canada? Samsung Canada doesn't list any online or retail stores at all. Even in the US it seems to be available only through Amazon. Is this only temporary?

Thanks.

 

The dockbox looks good! Unfortunately, I don't think I need all the other ports. Like you and others have suggested, the solution may end up being a high speed SD card. Right now, I really don't need to take any action. It's more the principle of the matter that bothers me. In current practice, I don't need any additional space. And since it's not my primary machine for storage, I may never need the extra space. I just don't like buying 128GB and having a little over 60GB right out of the box! If it becomes a problem, there seem to be a number of ways to address it.

 

any word on why thick NP900X3C was completely removed from BestBuy's online & retail stores? Returns or defects abundant maybe?

 

I rather doubt that. They had just begun selling them and I don't think they even have the 13.3" in the stores yet. Only the 15".

Pulling the SKU from the online store would be pretty normal if they can't get the supply.

 

It's actually available at Future Shop. It's not on the website yet, but the two local stores near my place have them (in Montreal). And you know what? If you buy it before June 21st, it comes with the free XBOX 360. Amazing deal hehe.

I'll probably grab one of those...

 

Watch out samsung, you've got a competitor. With a 1080p screen, but 0.5lbs heavier.
VIZIO Thin and Light High Resolution Ultrabook - Coming Soon | VIZIO

edit: whoops this belongs on the x4c.

 

Seriously doubt this. Looks like a supply issue.

 

Just reciewed this machine, and quality is excellent. It makes the asus ux31 and apple air look like big, very old boxes. Keyboard travel is ofcourse less than the dell e6420 i use to work on, but typing is fast. The only problem seem to be the clicking noise from the keyboard.

The computer is absolutely silent btw for normal office use even staying on the laps. Trackpad is excellent imo. Screen is just like a screen should be. One could use some oled blacks, and higher res, but for my age win7 can not be smaller than this.

Its amazing stuff, what is the heigh without the rubber feets? like 1cm lol. And it have two fans within.

Anyone knows someone who work with Samsung production technology?

 

You can do away with a lot of clicks by turning on one and two finger tapping with the trackpad. Helps immensely.

 

I think he meant click noises from the keyboard when typing.

 

Are all US models of the X3C seriously shipping with the Sandisk SSD?

 

does anyone know if the RAM and/or SSD is upgradeable? Also is titan silver the only color this product is offered in? I'm basing all of this from looking at amazon; i'd really like to get one in a sleeker black

 

Oh. Usually people notice the click noise made when using the bottom left or bottom right portions of the trackpad.

Can't help with the keyboard.

 

Thanks a lot for pointing out the XBox, wasn't aware of this. Made the decision even easier, so I just picked the NP900X3C up for CAD$1299 + tax at FutureShop in Montreal and can confirm the XBox 360 deal. It is the 4GB model, worth CAD$199. I read somewhere online at FutureShop that this deal only applies to students but in the store I had the impression that it was available to any buyer (I'm not a student).

In any case, it seems to be a great laptop and once I've sold the XBox, the price can't be beat either.

 

It appears they are all black, regardless of what Amazon and the product page says. I'm not sure that they are actually making Titan Silver at the moment. Pretty sure that whatever you order (and regardless what color Amazon lists), it will be black.

 

Mineral Ash Black is an interesting finish. In some lighting it looks black. In others it looks like it has a blueish teal tint. It's very unique.

 

1. Ram is soldered to motherboard, so No it's Not upgradable
2. You can replace the msata SSD with a different brand/model that will fit on your own, but Samsung is not offering an upgraded 1 from the factory much to our dismay.
3. Most folks are reporting black color NP900X3c's and actually I also prefer the darker color.

 

Hi all
lm @ bangkok and i just saw the np900x3c at display !
and first thing i noticed is that the screen is wonderfull, with a wide viewing angle and better color and contrast than most ultrabooks.
and this is coming from a guy who owned booth the vaio z116 and the ips LENOVO X220

 

This looks like a steal compared to the price at Amazon. $935.99 with free shipping. Anybody knows them?

Samsung Series 9 NP900X3C-A01US Ultrabook 13.3-Inch Laptop (Titan Silver)

 

Wow, that is a great price. But that is one low rent site. I don't trust it.

 

Do not buy. Initial intuition is that price is too good to be true. Then when you look up the site on resellerratings.com, they don't even exist.

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