New Samsung Q210 / P210 notebook (12.1")

How does this look? http://www.flattelly.co.uk/shop/samsung-q210as04uk-core-226ghz-npq210as04uk-p-3569.html

 

Personally, I prefer Intel graphics because I don't need lots of 3D rendering power. But that link is probably as good as you can get with nVidia graphics + P series CPU.

However, I've never heard of that retailer.

John

 

According to the spec , it only has DDR2 667mhz installed? , also they cannot add up, does it have 3gb of memory or 4gb?

* Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 / 2.26 GHz ( Dual-Core )
* RAM - 4 GB (installed) / 4 GB (max) - DDR2 SDRAM - 667 MHz ( 1 x 1 GB + 1 x 2 GB )
* Hard Drive - 320 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm
* Operating System - Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium
* Screen - 12.1' TFT 1280 x 800 ( WXGA )
* Optical Drive - DVDRW (R DL) / DVD-RAM with LightScribe Technology
* Graphics - NVIDIA GeForce 9200M GS - 256 MB
* Bluetooth - Yes
* Notebook Camera - Integrated - 1.3 Megapixel
* Warranty - 1 year warranty

 

Good point about the specs confusion. They might even have listed the wrong CPU: Googling for NP-Q210-AS04UK indicates that model may have the T6400 CPU, which uses more power then the P series.

John

 

Yes gents, well observed. I'll contact the vendor to confirm spec.

Why do you say only has DDR2 667MHz ? (Forgive my ignorance)

 

It`s better to have faster DDR2 800mhz than the slower DDR2 667mhz

Your link above for the "NP-Q210-AS04UK" is a totally different spec than the page you linked to, I would be warey of this retailer.

 

They confirmed the processor to be the T6400 not the P8400 as advertised, however, they confirm 4GB ram. see attached email.

Do you consider this still to be good value?

Might just take a drive up the M1 to the showroom in Huddersfield tomorrow.

 

I think it`s a bit pricey for an T6400 , did you find out if it has DDR2-800 or DDR2-677 memory

If you don't play games i would re-consider your first choice with the INTEL X4500, as you will get better battery life.

 

Found these guys based in Coventry http://www.ballicom.co.uk/notebooks/7-to-14-inch-display/q210as02-core-2-duo-p8400-226ghz-vista-home-premium-121-wxga-nvidia-geforce-9200m-gs-256mb-shared.p378106.html

What do you think?

 

It`s out of stock , but laptopdirect has the same one for £579.97 but they are out of stock to.

http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Samsung_Q210-AS02UK_NP-Q210-AS02UK/version.asp

EDIT : Dabs.com say it`s discontinued so maybe Samsung dont sell it anymore.

 

Nexus Thirteen say they have 2 of the -AS02UK in stock.

That's the model to get if you can find it.

John

 

This machines like rocking horse ***t to find.

I've requested availability confirmation from Nexus Thirteen. Failing that it'll have to be the T6400 model.

 

Another option is the NP-Q210-FA01UK which has the T3400 CPU and Intel graphics. This CPU has a slower FSB but the performance difference isn't noticeable except in benchmarks.

John

 

Thanks John.
Been having a major rethink about my requirements and swatting up on options.

Conclusion is that when travelling (which is the main reason for purchasing) I really don't require the relatively high spec of the Q210, albeit I really like its aesthetics.

Having read up on the NC20 thread and other reviews I'm leaning toward that machine. Cheaper, lighter and does all I would require.

Just need to see one in the flesh.

 

The NC20 lacks the built-in optical drive, which might be an inconvenience and the single core CPU is less suited to multi-tasking. But if those aren't on your list then, as you say, it is cheaper and lighter.

John

 

I can't envisage the lack of an optical drive being a serious issue and I'm no power user, although it might be worth considering a RAM upgrade. I'll see if I'm happy with the supplied 1GB.

You guys' input has been very much appreciated.

 

Can anyone who has the P210 or the Q210 tell me what the screen is like when using it outside?

I'm assuming that the P210 will be better as it has a matte display but would love to hear from owners of both models what their experiences are outside.

Many thanks

 

I use to have an Q210 , although i did not use it outside , it is extremely bright on max , a lot brighter than other notebooks i have used.

Although i thought the contrast and colour were lacking, at least on my one.

 

The brightness is good but I'd agree with Tinderbox about the contrast and colours. I enabled 'digital vibrance' in the Nvidia control panel to get some more colour saturation though and at low levels it can give some nice results but ymmv.

I used the q210 outside last weekend as I was building a shed and reading from a pdf guide in doing so. It was fine even with the brightness backed off to a low level in a bright but overcast setting.

 

Many thanks for the suggestions regarding using the screen outdoors. I have just ordered my Samsung laptop and will alter the 'digital vibrance' in the Nvidia control panel when I use it outside.

 

The digital vibrance setting is more for colour saturation. I think you'll have no problem with the screen outside in general though as the q210's top brightness level is quite high.

 

Do you get scratches on q210 easily?
I did bought a q210 2 days ago and it have already scratches on the glossy top and around the touchpad/keyboard. But the scratches are very thin and is only possible to see in strong light.
Besides the easy scratches the laptop is fast and stable.

Its funny, on the Swedish official Samsung website it does say something like:
"The computer has a rugged housing that is not likely to be scratched or destroyed. Now your computer can see new and fresh out year after year."

 

Just wanted to check what temperatures people have when idle and when running a browser?

Also should the fan be on constantly?

I think my Q210 has begun overheating, I swear it used to run completely silently on idle and even when doing fairly intensive browsing, now the fans are constantly on and the GPU is always above 45.

Any help appreciated. I have already sent this for repair but received it back on Friday and the problem is still present (they also broke the microphone in the process of repairing it - digicare sucks!).

Cheers

 

I've got a Samsung Q210 and have noticed that when the power adaptor is plugged in, the fan is always on, it gets annoying and noisy. When running on battery, it seems fine (so far)

Borrowing it from a friend, it had vista on there, but as I wiped it and installed Windows 7 x64 RC immediately. I can't remember how it behaved under Vista.

Could this be due to the windows 7 or possibly a fault ? What is the best software to monitor the temperature

 

There may be an option in the BIOS to alter the fan rules, while Easy SpeedUp Manager (Fn+F6?) gives some control over fan activity.

HWmonitor is good for checking system temps and you may want to look into RMClock for undervolting the CPU (see the undervolting guide in the hardware forum, but I don't know how well it works with Windows 7).

John

 

In my wisdom, I updated to the latest bios, before installing windows 7 x64 (System BIOS/MICOM (ver.09LE)System BIOS/MICOM (ver.09LE))

The bios does not have any options for fan control. I have found that some of the samsung software does not install on Windows 7, easyspeedup, easy battery manager (errors = kstartmem startup failure unknown 1275).

I installed HWmonitor, as soon as the charger is plugged in, the fan is on constantly, its irritating but so loud enough to be heard over the TV for example. The temperature doesn't change at all. Its just hot air blowing from the fan vent

To be honest I dont want to go down the road of undervolting, was wondering if anyone had similar experiences with the q210 or similar model with Windows 7.

Because I wiped the notebook as soon as I got it, I'm not sure how the Q210 behaved with a different OS. Does anyone have similar experiences when using the Q210 with XP/Vista ?

BTW Will Samsung be releasing Windows 7 compatible software anytime soon ? I cannot install/use much of the samsung software including the touchpad device properly. I have been lucky in getting all drivers to work.

 

So what kind of temps are you getting on HWmonitor on idle? , post a screen shot.

 

screenshot attached

 

The Cpu is a bit high at 52c , I was getting 32-36c on idel , also you chipset is 46c a little high, I got 40-42c on idel , your GPU is fine at 50c

You should run Task Manger and see if you have any software using your cpu on idel.

try the program below Glary Utils, it has a startup-manager and a process manager, and is a great util.

http://www.glaryutilities.com/

 

First things first.
I am new to both the Q210 and this forum, what a pleasant and helpful bunch you all seem to be!!
Anyway, I have the FA01UK version of this computer - It has the T3400 processor. When I bought this laptop it said on the spec sheet that it was bluetooth enabled. On inspection it would appear there is no bluetooth in sight, highly bizarre.
Could anybody shed any light on this

 

It most likely does have bluetooth but it does not have a key to turn it off and on like wifi.

Do you have a bluetooth icon on the task bar , bottom right of the screen.

 

Thanks for your reply - No it doesn't have a bluetooth icon. My bet it has been disabled.

 

The hardware should show up in Device Manager.

You may need to run the Bluetooth software to get it working. It may not be installed by default because some models don't have Bluetooth.

Somewhere in this forum you will find the BTonoff software which creates a tray icon for turning BT on and off. Alternatively, it may be enabled / disabled with the same control as for the wireless.

John

 

The build in bluetooth device of the Q210 should be detected by the Microsoft Bluetooth driver and stack with no problems. It is not necessary to install any additional software to have operational bluetooth. But it may be necessary to install 3rd party Bluetooth Software if profiles are needed that are not supported by the MS Bluetooth stack.


I experienced the followed with "BTonoff":
The "BTonoff" software that John Ratsey adviced works under Vista only if it "runs as administrator". I had problems running it with UAC since registry settings in HKLM were changed that need hightst access rights.

 

Had a trawl through the Device Manager and it would appear that there is no Bluetooth module?
I think Ive been done. Just looked again at the specs on the Staples website and it clearly says it has Bluetooth. An e-mail to them I think is coming on.
Thanks for all your helpful replies chaps.

 

This site shows that the Q210 FA01UK does not have Bluetooth.

See what you can get out of Staples for the misleading advert, then get one of these.

John

 

Thanks for the reply. As I suspected the bluetooth module is either not present or has been disabled. Have contacted Staples twice already but had no reply. Wonder if its worth taking this to Trading Standards?

 

I expect that there is some small print which tries to avoid liability for errors in specifications.

If you are not happy then your best threat is to return for a refund.

John

 

To be fair I'm not that bothered about the bluetooth as I dont really use it. The issue I have is that they can just ignore e-mails etc and you feel pretty helpless.
On a different note I really, really like this laptop and am well pleased with my purchase.
Thanks a lot for your replies.

 

You can get one of these and keep it in the bottom of the bag for the few occasions when you might want to use it. Then, for the rest of the time you know it is not leaking any power.

John

 

You are a good good man John - It makes a really nice change to find a genuinely helpful person on an internet forum - many thanks for your help.

 

Thanks for the feedback, but NBR does have a substantial number of helpful members. Stay around and share your experience and you can become another.

John

 

Having a bit of a problem with my Q210 AS02UK: whenever I try to change OS (tried this between XP, Ubuntu, and Windows 7 on the HDD and a few linux live disks via USB) the system resets once a few seconds after the OS starts loading - then it boots the OS without resetting. This OS then will boot fine until I try switching again which gives me the same issue.

This was more of an annoyance than an issue before I put Windows 7 on it which insists on performing a 10 min HDD scan every time it happens.

Any one else have the issue/a solution.

Latest FW btw.

Jon

 

I can confirm this is happening to me too. I am dual booting Windows XP and Windows 7 x64 and I too am experiencing the rebooting. I think it is probably down to the BIOS incorrectly detecting the correct state of the AHCI when set to AUTO mode control. I have set mine to Manual mode and disabled it for Xp and enabled it for 7. This seems to prevent the reboot issue that you have identified. It's a bit of a pain if you are switching between Xp and 7, but I suppose installing the AHCI drivers for Xp should resolve the issue.

 

Thanks for your help, that does indeed seem to be the issue. As far as installing AHCI drivers go I presume I need to update the drivers for the "ICH9M/M-E 2 port Serial ATA Storage Controller 1 - 2928/292D" Devices?

 

Correct. You need the "32-bit Floppy Configuration Utility" for Windows Xp available from Intel under their Intel® 3 Series Chipsets section. It should be item #7. Unzip somewhere on your harddrive. Do an advanced install using the iaAHCI.inf file and select the Intel(R) ICH9M-E/M SATA AHCI Controller. Reboot and set the BIOS to enable AHCI. Windows should redetect everything.

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/Product_Filter.aspx?ProductID=2842&lang=eng

 

Cheers, you're a star. Rep added.

 

Just got round to doing this - as you can see from the hardware pic is posted I don't have the Intel(R) ICH9M-E/M SATA AHCI Controller listed. Also what do you mean by an advanced install?

Thanks again,

Jon

 

Sorry, I thought you might have known your way round Windows. My bad. Here's the long winded version :-

Unzip all the files from the Intel zip to install folder say C:\ahci.
Open Device Manager
Right click over ICH9M/M-E 2 port Serial ATA Storage Controller 1 - 2928
Select Update Driver
From the list, select Install from a list or specific location (Advanced)
Click Next
Select Don't Search. I will choose the driver to install
Click Next
Click Have Disk...
Browse to C:\AHCI
Select iaAHCI.inf
Click Open
Click Ok
Untick Show Compatible hardware
Select Intel(R) ICH9M-E/M SATA AHCI Controller
Click Next
Click Continue Anyway
Click Finish, when driver installation completes.

Ignore any requests to restart PC.

Repeat for ICH9M/M-E 2 port Serial ATA Storage Controller 2 - 292D

Reboot into BIOS and set your AHCI to Manual / Enabled.

Start up Xp.

Windows will now redetect the hard drive and DVD drive

Job done.

 

Thanks, it turned out to be a bit more eventful than that but it is updated fine now. (BSOD after updating the second driver then restarted with AHCI mode, windows dectected the controllers and prompted for the updated drivers).

Thanks again for the instructions.

Jon