Samsung 15" Series 9 NP900X4C with Ivy Bridge CPU

Have you tried hitting F10 after pressing the power button? That brings up the boot drive selection menu on my NP900X4C, and from there I can select the USB hard drive

 

Yep. Tried it. The USB drive is listed, but if I select it the machine just boots straight to Windows

 

The key travel is more limited. The issue that is catching me out at the moment is that the row of navigation keys down the right side effectively offsets the rest of the keyboard to the left. I'm often hitting one key to the right of what I intend.

You need to remove 10 screws to get the base off (but be careful with the edge between the hinges which is actually two plastic parts clipped together (the plastic is around the antennae). The the battery is held in by 7 screws. Remove those, pull out the power connector and it is free from the computer. I took mine out in order to weigh it out of curiosity (035kg).

Note that unless you need to use to full capacity of the battery then enable the Battery Life Extender in Easy Settings. This limits the charge to 80% and should reduce the wear.

John

 

I too had this issue. But I would get used to it over time.

 

The silver model you ordered is being positioned as the business version of the Series 9. Companies will amortize an asset like that over several years and they want a warranty to be in force during that timeframe.

I don't know if the silver finish will remain a business model only offering.

 

Thanks, found it. You start diskpart as an admin, then you do "set disk 0", "set partition 4", and finally "set ID=07", which is what makes the partition visible. I then formatted it and gave it a drive letter in the disk management console, and I was all set.

 

I have found that the only way for me to get the machine to boot from a USB stick is to disable the FastBoot option in the BIOS (under "Advanced"), which is what enables "Legacy USB Support". To be on the safe side I also disable the SSD in Boot Options, so I don't need to worry about hitting the function key fast enough.

 

You could have just extended the primary partition depending on how the original partitioning was done.

 

That's not possible, since the hibernation partition is sitting between these two. Of course, it should be possible to relocate that partition, but I think Intel's Rapid Start stuff uses some direct mapping between addresses in that partition and RAM to do part of its magic, and I just didn't feel like figuring out how to reconfigure IRST. From what I read here that seems to be a real hassle...

 

I just recently purchase a T430s and am in the process of returning the product. I had the chance to use it for a week and I must say that it was a pleasure typing on it. That said, I am having difficulty adujusting to series 9 after switching to it.

Aside from the usual short key travel with the samsung laptop, I'm used to having the \ key beside the 'enter' button not above and I find myself accidentally hitting \ when reaching for 'enter'

Probably a matter of time before I'm used to the keybaord, but it is still annoying at the moment.

 

What computer do you have with the \ next to the enter key?

A clean install will fix all of this.

 

ahh sorry I meant the other way around... I prefer the \ key above the 'enter' key so its a longer rather than taller enter button. . most computers I use are like that unlike the the series 9.

 

For me, the double row enter key is normal: I've just looked at three other notebooks that I have to hand (Dell E6410, Lenovo T420s and Toshiba R500) and they all have a double-height enter key. All these and my Samsungs have UK keyboards. The US keyboard may be different.

John

 

As an aside, does anyone have the S9 and an infinitv tuner (or other cablecard setup)? If so, are you able to view pay channels on the display?

 

Thanks, but I've already tried both of those. I disabled FastBoot from the beginning. When I disable the SSD, the computer just shuts down immediately. For some reason it just refuses to boot from USB. Unfortunately I don't have an external DVD drive right now so I can't try that. But this is immensely frustrating. And quite scary, because if anything goes wrong with my system I can't restore or reinstall at this point.

Sounds like no one else is having this problem though. It's very strange, and definitely somehow related to UEFI. If I enable UEFI, the system will boot from USB--I'll a GRUB menu--but it won't boot once I make a selection (for example, Clonezilla says "entry. error: no suitable mode found. Booting however" and then stops there). If I disable UEFI--which is what the settings were on when it initially booted from USB--it just ignores the USB drive completely, even if I select it in the F10 menu.

 

I've read you tried the USB stick in another PC but, have you tried another USB memory? tried both USB ports (AFAIK there are USB 3.0/2.0)?

 

Wow I feel stupid. Glad you suggested this. Tried another stick and it worked. I guess that first stick just doesn't talk my Samsung for some reason. Weird. Thanks though--I was just obstinately trying the other cause I was convinced it couldn't be the stick.

 

Note that Samsung posted a firmware update for USB 3.0 on 20 June. You can find it here (under the driver downloads). it is not picked up by Easy Software Manager.

John

 

Hey guys,

had to registrate just for this question cause it's killing me and can't find the answer anywhere.

So, can I connect my 2560x1440 monitor to this and use it in full resolution? I'm struggling whether to buy this or MCB retina and I really like this one but I just have to have the option to use 2560x1440 external screen.

Thank you in advance!! Cheers.

 

The micro-HDMI port spec is limited to 1080p (see the specs). And I doubt if the VGA port would like such a high resolution.

John

 

Thoughts on HDMI :: Manufacturer :: HDMI 1.4 :: 4K Support ?

Seems like it should be possible but the challenge is likely the ports on both ends, and the cable in between.

I couldn't get it to work with my Dell U2711 but if someone ever figures this out, I am all ears on how.

 

The micro-HDMI port is part of the overall HDMI 1.4a spec. I think the 4k support is for the full-sized connector. Perhaps they didn't anticipate ultrabooks when they wrote the spec - micro-HDMI was envisaged for smaller mobile devices.

John

 

Does anyone who has the IB S9 15" have any opinions on the keyboard? I looked at it in-store and thought the keyboard was fairly uncomfortable with little travel (which I know is a sacrifice with a such a thin laptop) but I'd love to know what people who actually own it think. I'm currently trying to choose between a few different models/manufacturers for my next machine (SS9, HP 14" spectre, zenbook prime, sony Z, etc).

 

I find the keyboard to be quite usable in spite of the fairly limited travel. My biggest issue with the X4C is that the keyboard and trackpad are offset to the left.

John

 

I think the keyboard is pretty good, the offset (as John mentioned) is taking some time to get used to and I do sometimes find myself hitting the wrong key a couple of times in a row until I realign myself (the little bumps on the f & j are quite low on the keys and I find myself missing them).

The one bonus of the offset they I do appreciate are the dedicated keys for home, page up, page down, and end which I believe are missing on the 13" model, I do a bit of coding and moving about documents and I don't think I would cope with having to push the Function key to access them.

Cheers.

 

Could you please confirm where you ordered your machine from that it included the Samsung SSD instead of the slower Sandisk one? Was it Amazon.com?

I have now read multiple reports of the NP900X4C-A03US coming with 256GB Samsung SSD unlike the A01 and A02 models which seem to all come with 128GB Sandisk U100.

At least that would certainly explain the price difference between A01/02 and A03 of c. $400 which can not only be the processor.

Thoughts? Confirmations? Contradictions?

Thanks
macmatt43

 

All of the A03US models come with a 256GB SSD; that's in the specs. As far as I know the SSDs in these are all from Samsung (model 830 hardware). And of course it doesn't matter where you buy them. They are built this way by Samsung. I got mine from Amazon.

 

The extra cost covers (i) the i7 CPU; (ii) the larger capacity SSD and (iii) Windows 7 Pro instead of Home Premium.

I would point out, however, that the presence of a Samsung 830 SSD in one batch of the A03US does not guarantee that a subsequent batch will have the same SSD. I recall someone in Hong Kong recently reported getting a Liteon 256GB SSD in their Series 9 (but the test results indicated that it was a match for the Samsung, unlike the Sandisk U100).

John

 

Hi there,

Some updates, particularly for those of you interested in Linux.

1) I confirm that the laptop can run two external displays at the same time, provided that the laptop's one is off (i.e., two, not three, at the same time)

2) Under heavy load, the laptop gets quite hot. I believe that such a slim profile is not built for extreme CPU intensive tasks.

3) It appears the all the hardware is working perfectly under Linux ...

4) ... except some problems with booting through UEFI. Particularly, when booting using the kernel EFI stub there are times when I can't get past the BIOS loading screen. This happens randomly, and I believe that it does because the UEFI firmware is kind of buggy or because the boot process is too fast. When it works, I get to the login screen in what I believe is less than 5 seconds.

 

Thanks Pirx and John! Yes, I fully understand your point around lack of guarantee that all 256GB SSDs in the A03 NP400X4C are made by Samsung. However, turning this on its head, have you (or anyone) experienced/heard any reports of a Sandisk SSD in the US A03 model?

I'm currently very keen to order an A03 from Amazon but with a current 3-5 week lead time, I want to at least understand my chances of getting a non-Sandisk SSD. (Unless anyone knows of a quicker way to buy the A03 model? Bestbuy and Newegg don't seem to have it and a few other websites only on pre-order...)

Thanks
macmatt43

 

I'm not sure I understand the issue here. If you get an A03US with a Sandisk SSD (extremely unlikely, I think; at least I haven't heard of anyone seeing such a thing), simply return it. Also, the longer you wait, the higher the probability you'll get a machine from a different batch, with perhaps a different SSD.

 

I had ordered on Amazon.com from Amazon on June 13 with a target shipping date of July 13 to July 23. I gave up about a week later when they changed all the specs on the A03US model online and couldn't answer any questions when I called about why. I canceled my order.

When looking back on Amazon.com to see if they had updated, I noticed you could buy on Amazon.com from J&R (major computer retailer out of NYC area) for the same price and it would ship sooner. J&R's site also confirmed they would be shipping on July 3 through July 5. I took a shot, placing that order on June 28. Sure enough, I got a notification today that it had shipped from J&R.

It's strange; J&R seems to get stock and then their link becomes live on the Amazon.com page to purchase through them as the primary purchaser. I'd check back occasionally (or check J&R's page here -- Samsung NP900X4C-A03US Series 9 15" Notebook PC - Titan Silver in PC Notebook Computers | JR.com) and when they have them, they should be listed...

My order should arrive July 9 through July 12. I'll update when it does, but I already got a UPS shipping notification today.

 

How are people finding the WiFi on their X4C? I was prompted by the post here to take my X4C to the other end of my house from the router and found that the WiFi performance is disappointing and inferior to my X3B. Even close to the router it can't match the X3B's WiFi connection speed although both are variable. Either Intel got something wrong with the 6235 (and I tried the possible fix of turning off Bluetooth) or there's been a step backwards with the antennae arrangement. Examination of my photos of the insides of both the X3B and X4C show that the antennae units are very similar, but not identical. (For those who don't know, the antennae are at the back of the chassis between the hinges).

John

 

Well after a good 6 month wait I couldn't wait any longer for a good laptop. Ordered a 4C uk version from laptops direct.

No doubt a version with larger SSD will come out soon

It's arriving tomorrow I cant wait. Hopefully the screen won't disappoint. I think I can live with 128gb for now and should I need more space in the future I can upgrade.

Fingers crossed

 

If it's like mine then the shipping people just put a label on the Samsung box so everyone knows what you are getting.

The display is tweakable and can look OK provided you don't put it alongside the 13.3" S9 but if the 128GB SSD is the Sandisk U100 then you may find it causing some unexpected slow-downs.

John

 

Hey John

I though all the uk versions of the 4C were sandisk? Is there a chance I might get a Samsung drive in there?

 

There's a chance but I suspect that all the current X4Cs are the same batch.

John

 

My 15" A03US is arriving today!

Of course, I've waited until now to consider a case. Any recommendations out there from current owners? Wondering if cases designed for the MacBook Pro will fit this as well.

 

If you are talking about slip cases and sleeves, yes. But Keep in mind the NP900X4x is much thinner than the 15" Macs. On a zippered sleeve it should not be a problem, but you might need to be careful about the open end on slip cases.

Hard shell clip around cases obviously won't work.

 

Thanks was thinking about a couple of them, but not sure on the sizing. Don't want something banging around in a zipper case inside my backpack.

I'm intrigued by the one I found on Samsung.com's site, but of course, their site is a complete waste of time with one picture and no specs on the unit. Available several places, but no information. Anyone buy this one or know anything about it (or use another one they prefer better?)

15" Protective Carry Sleeve for Series 9

Do you have a case, Thor? What works well for you?

 

not sure if someone answered this yet, but disable fast boot and disable the SSD from boot options by highlighting it and pressing shift 1

also try a different USB port

 

I've got one of these, more for protection against dirt and scratching without adding significantly to the size. Look for 15" size but you may find that a big 14" sleeve would also fit.

John

 

I've had the 4C for two days now. and it has the sandisk! i am keeping it as i just dont have the luxury of waiting anymore and even with the compromises i prefer this to anything else out there right now (same size and price ranges) My thoughts are below

- The screen isn't all that bad. If like me you come from an average oldish laptop you will actually find it really nice. Horizontal angles are great its just vertical angles this lacks so you have to adjust from time to time. not that big a deal for the average user
- keyboard travel is shallow but doesn't bother me one bit and i can type as fast as normal
- build quality is fantastic. really solid. really uniform and understated design.
- its really quiet, fan hardly ever comes on
- WIFI is great no problems
- mini connections are going to be a pain.. just ordered the samsung mini hdmi to vga dongle from ebay
- battery is way better than anything i have experienced, i think i can get through the most part of a day
- Plays full HDMI movies no lag at all. I haven't really stressed the processor I hope it can handle big spreadsheets with lots of formulas!
- Samsung easy settings just works and i find it very useful. function lock is very useful.

A few questions
- Any way to control bluetooth on/off from function keys?
- any good recommendations for laptop bags (not sleeves) with pockets for this laptop? something that can take all the extra dongles and power adaptor

 

I have been bouncing between 13.3" and 15" machines for the past couple of months.

I use Microfiber Script for MacBook 13 / MacBook Pro 13 for the 13" machines.

I use Microfiber for MB 15.4 for the 15" machines.

The are good microfiber universal cases.

 

You are lucky. In my experience these are two of the less good features. Have you tried (i) running the wPrime 1024 benchmark and (ii) gone far enough from your router that the signal strength drops?

For bluetooth on/off you need to go to the bottom of the wireless page in Easy Settings. I've got a Samsonite bag that looks to be an older version of this. It's nominally for 14" notebooks but the internal width fits the X4C nicely (but not much space to spare). The bag is also not very heavy - I don't like bags which weigh as much as the computer.

John

 

Thanks John

No not tried any performance tests

I have taken the laptop to the attic which is two floors higher than where the router is and I still get 4/5 bars. That's probably the furthest I can get from my router in the house. I do have a billion router which I have found to be very reliable and excellent!

I have also noticed sometimes things slow down I assume this is the Sandisk but this is more rare

 

Can someone please check my findings on fan noise: Run wPrime or similar as a CPU stress test and HWiNFO or similar to watch the temperatures. On my X4C the fan switches to noisy mode once the CPU exceeds 70 or 71C and stays there until the temperature drops to nearer 60C. And noisy mode is, in my view, quite noticeable (disappointing compared with the twin fan X3B). Even running a single-threaded task (set wPrime to one thread) is enough to get the fan noisy.

If my temperatures / fan noise are abnormal then I need to consider repasting the CPU.

John

 

I ran some tests on my X4C-A01SE with an ambient temperature of around 25 degrees celsius.

- Single thread: Never got the fans to speed up to top speed. Ran the entire 1024M test and the fans were noticeable, but far from annoying. I had some other ambient noise in the room though. Maxed out at 71C.

- Multithreaded: Took about 15 seconds to reach full fan speed which kicked in around 73-74C

I also find the fans quite noisy when they're at full speed, but I haven't noticed it happen too often. Mostly when I compile large projects. Never happened while watching HD video or HD smooth streaming where it probably would be a bit annoying.

 

tested wPrime with HWinfo

62C low fan, 66C medium fan, 71C high fan noise

once the test is stopped/complete it quickly drops to 50s and fan reduces from high fan noise quickly (seconds)

 

For those in Canada, the A03US is the same as the A02CA.