Samsung 15" Series 9 NP900X4C with Ivy Bridge CPU

I hope they will be sympathetic. You can say that you wanted to remove the base in order to investigate the fan noise but never succeeded in getting the base off because of the stripped screw head.

John

 

The technicians I am speaking to on the phone insist that there is no fan noise. How can they say such things when I can distinctly hear a buzzing noise in the fan and can feel vibrations in the metal? I keep telling them that this was not the case for several months, as this is a more recent issue, but they are just dismissing my claim. It seems like they are just going to send back the same unit with no repair. They said they opened the base, however, so I am hoping they at least had the courtesy to replace the stripped screw head. Overall, I am extremely disappointed in Samsung's service (NJ branch).

 

The perception of noise depends on the environment. My fan seems quiet in a normal office with background noise (sometimes I can hear when it is running at maximum speed) but when I'm in my study at home I can hear the fan at medium speed. The workshop is unlikely to be a completely quiet room.

John

 

I called them and the boss says their workshop is very quiet. He insists there is no problem with the machine. However, he promised to replace the stripped screw head. If they ship it back today I should get it by tomorrow.

 

Hi,
I'm new to the forum and to this thread so I'm sorry if the issue I write of has been already posted.

I have an issue with the fan in my 900X4C-A02 when I power on the computer the fan cracks for a second and resumes to function normal the same thing happens when the fan spin ups when the temp rises.
Anybody encountered this in his 9-series?

Cheers
K46

 

Have you guys updated your touchpad drivers? I updated mine today (for windows 8- maybe 7 as well) - the new ones are much better in my opinion. Inertial scrolling used to be terrible in chrome - now it works really well.

 

What version did you get and did you get via the SW update application? The latest drivers don't seem to be listed on Samsung's site anymore.

 

Yeah, I got it through SW update - its version 11.7.8.5

 

I have windows 7 and it doesn't show up on SW update. Instead, I downloaded it from here: ELANTECH Drivers
Chrome/MS Word inertial scrolling is much improved. However, the scrolling it way to sensitive on Adobe reader (XI) for some reason.

 

Just an update: My machine's fan is still making a grinding sound when the fan is running. Tech support did nothing. The fan is actually not rubbing against the base. I am beginning to suspect if it needs to be oiled. There is a thread regarding this but there is no conclusive evidence on how to lubricate the fan. Anyone know how to do this? A video would be very helpful.

 

Hi John, I did what you said, and right after I have installed the 2 updates in the Windows Update section, they are displayed back again and says they are ready to download again
Then I checked the update log, and it shows the same files being updated over and over again. Very odd. I guess all along I have been updating the same 2 files, but they remain there to still be updated under the Windows Update tab
I installed the updates I waited until they were both completed

 

I don't think that the fan is designed to need maintenance. A possible cause of the noise is that the fan blades are touching the housing. Does the problem increase / decrease when you hold the computer at different angles? A careful examination of the fan might reveal if there's a little bit of plastic sticking out somewhere that's left over from the production process.

Thanks for confirming that this is a Windows Update issue. Such problems are not unknown. Try this fix. If it doesn't work then Google for other answers.

John

 

Thanks again John for your concern.The grinding fan noise is almost completely eliminated when I tilt the computer either towards or away from me, to a point that I believe is the original fan noise state of the computer. Moreover, the unpleasant buzzing sound is non-existent when I have the machine turned upside down. I have opened the computer several times to look for an obstruction but could not find any. Can you provide more specifics regarding what to look for? Should I disassemble the fan? If so, how many screws require removal, and what is the proper procedure to do this?

Also, should I invest in a Philips size 0 to prevent stripping of the screw heads? Just want to make sure of the correct size. A million thanks, and I hope this fixes the issue.

 

I have an similar issue but I hear a grind only when powering the laptop on or when the fan turns on when the temp rises. I did disassemble the fan not removing the blades and started the laptop and didn't hear any noise. But when I put the laptop back in one piece the same happens I hear the grind...

Will samsung replace the fan under warranty?

 

The fan noise you describe is abnormal and should be fixed under warranty in my opinion.

 

Do you continue hearing the grinding when you are plugged into AC power? The fan is usually off when on battery power. If I am running on battery, I hear the grind for a second when I turn on the computer then it goes away because the fan turns off. I sent it for repair under warranty but they didn't do anything.

 

I wouldn't dismantle the fan but I would check (i) if there are any grinding noises when turning the fan by hand and (ii) whether there is looseness in the bearings that allows the blades to move other than spinning. If the latter exists then the fan could touch the the casing when the computer is at some orientation but not at others. If, for example, the service people checked the fan with the computer open and upside down then the blades might not touch. I'm a little surprised that they didn't replace it. The cost is relatively small compared to the shipping and labour.

Philips size 0 is what works for me for the screws fixing the base but other screws may be a bigger size so you should have a range of tips (a size 1 as a minimum). Someone had a hypothesis that the screws were actually Japanese JIS sizes but those screwdrivers are rare and expensive. I find this screwdriver to be a convenient size to use and not very expensive so once the tip gets damaged I use another.

John

 

Greetings Fellow Series9 users. I've been quite last few months on this forum just reading posts and thanking my lucky stars I've had no issue to write about until today.

The Fast Boot mode or more precisely sleep mode when I shut the lid of my laptop (configured in Windows Control Panel\Hardware and Sound\Power Options\System Settings) is supposed to go to sleep, but I can feel that it is warm when I put it into my backpack, and when I leave it closed on my desk - if there is a portable HDD connected to it then that is still active judging by the portable HDD activity light.

So today after 6 hours of travelling with the laptop 'asleep' in my backpack I went to turn it on and it was dead. For a second I thought it had buggered itself, until I plugged the external power supply in and it started properly and the battery level was a 5%. It was 80% charged (battery extender setting) when I left home 6 hours earlier.

Any ideas?

When not connected to mains - I love just being able to close the lid of the laptop and resuming a few hours later, but that seems to have changed recently with the battery going flat while the lid is closed. I'm a bit confused - think some setting has changed.

 

I would first check your lid close action settings in Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Power Options\System Settings.

 

If that's not the cause then I would check if Intel Rapid Start Technology has got corrupted.

Or it may be that some program refused to go to sleep. Event Viewer's system log might have some clues.

John

 

I set mine to shut down when closing the lid and then after a while noticed it was no longer happening. I think one of the updates reverted the settings back to default. I changed it back again and has been fine ever since.

 

Has anyone lost any of the rubber feet/pads on their laptop? One of mine came off last night and won't clip back in. It's annoying because without all four it no longer sits flat on the table.

 

In response to the other posts I've checked the close lid preference for both battery and mains power - it is set to SLEEP. The only other options are "Do Nothing" or "Shutdown".

John - I will try the Event Viewer System Log experiment when I get some more time on the weekend.

New question - does anyone else notice that the sleep/rapid start mode with lid closed only lasts about 4-6 hours? I.e. you close the lid, take the laptop travelling and open it up and it 1) feels slightly warm 2) battery is almost flat even though it hasn't been used for 4-6 hours.

Cheers

 

Does anybody know if the Allshare cast dongle made for the Galaxy S3 will work with the SS9? I´m buying something to team up with my old 720p samsung TV that does not have WI-FI. A guy at a store showed me the Allshare cast dongle, and that would be nice, to kill 2 birds with one rock, or whatever the saying is.

 

They are glued on. I once removed one from my X3B and then refixed it with glue (I think I used "UHU") and it has stayed on.

I wonder whether it is not sleeping at all. 4 to 6 hours represents a 10W to 15W power drain if the battery was full (higher drain than I get with light usage). The system log will have the answers. You should see a Kernel Power entry showing that the computer is going to sleep and then no other activities until you wake the computer up. It won't take you very long to search through the log to the last time you put the computer to sleep.

It may be that Intel Rapid Start is either broken or disabled (in (Easy) Settings). See this thread about possible IRST problems.

John

 

That'll be why it won't clip in then! Thanks John, I'll give that a go.

 

I shipped it off to Info Care that does all the work on samsungs computers in Norway.

23.01.2013 17:00 I reported it via mail and 29.01.2013 09:20 It says the "repairs" are done.

Remember that there was a weekend in there, so I lost two days. I expect to be able to get the comp tomorrow or the day after. I'm pretty happy with the level of service. Within an hour of reporting the error I got a mail with a prepayed adress "sticker." Sorry not sure what word to use there

And it took them four days in total to fix it. Thats ok!

The problem with the comp? ... it says: Refitted RAM, tested ok. Sigh, so a loose ram chip(?) well well

Hopefully the comp works now...

Ulrik

Edit 14:48. There came an sms that the comp is delivered! I expect to get it on the door any time then! Yay!

 

Thanks for the update.

Reseating the RAM would normally be on my list for investigating failed boot problems (BIOS starts and lights come on, can't address the RAM properly, BIOS stops and lights go off), but officially we users aren't meant to take the bottom off our Series 9s.

John

 

yup checked it it grinds for a second when powering on the laptop and when the fan comes to speed when temperature rises the AC or battery power doesn't change it.
spinning the fan by hand gives me nothing it's silent like it should be...
I will try to get it replaced under warranty.

THX 4 helping

 

Anyone have a good experience with Samsung customer service? This fan noise is extremely frustrating and they did nothing last time I sent it for repair. I really need this to be fixed or replaced under warranty.

 

We have one (I think) happy customer further up this thread. I think most problems have been resolved satisfactorily.

At the moment I would work on the principle that the service workshop who looked at your machine may be quiet by workshop standards but noisy compared to yourself working in a study with only a ticking clock for company (that's my situation when at home) so fan noise is much more noticeable than in a room share with others but the people in the workshop couldn't hear it. I suggest that you try to talk to Samsung technical support / customer services and see if they will agree to the fan being replaced. If you can managed to record the noise it should help, but I'm sure that will be difficult.

John

 

Do you think I should disconnect the fan, then turn on the machine without the fan, and see if the I hear the noise? Would this isolate the problem to the fan If I don't hear grinding? If so, I may consider replacing the fan myself. From the link you provided previously, it would cost me about $35 (including, shipping plus tax) to replace the fan. Last night, however, I removed the 2 screws on the fan and could not see any thing wrong with it upon further examination.

Does the wire to the motherboard simply need to be clicked out of that white plastic sheath? Also, is it ok that tha battery is still connected to the laptop even though the power is off? I do not have experience removing the battery.

fan: BA31-00131A - FAN-CPU

 

You could do that test very briefly - don't want to let the system overheat. It should be a simple matter of releasing the connector.

You can disconnect the battery using the provided switch. With mains power unplugged, poke an unbent paperclip through the hold in the bottom of the computer next to a symbol which is a rectangle with a cross in it (see the manual). It will automatically reconnect when the mains power is plugged in.

John

 

I will try that. Would you recommend me replacing the fan myself if I don't hear the grinding with the fan out? I kind of lost faith in their customer service.

 

I would first give the customer service another attempt. If you fail to make progress then replacing the fan yourself is an option. If is the Samsung part then the change won't be obvious should you need warranty service for another problem.

John

 

At this point, I am heavily leaning towards replacing the fan myself. If I send my laptop for repair and they do agree to replace the fan, it will likely take them 2+ weeks as they do not have the fans in stock (they told me). Could the grinding sound be caused by the cooling assembly and not the fan? I just want to make sure is a problem with the fan. If it is, I will be more than happy to order the replacement and put it in myself. I can always put in the old fan if I need more warranty service.

 

I would first do the start with the fan disconnected in order to confirm that the noise on startup is caused by the fan. The next step would be to try to record the noise (using a mobile phone?) then email to Samsung support. If you can get it agreed that there is an unusual noise then the replacement fan can be ordered and the computer send for service only when the fan is in stock. If you don't have time for polite persistence then DIY is the alternative.

John

 

Hi Guys!

Long time lurker, just bought a new NP900X4C-A01US. Any great tweaks to tune this bad boy? I love the screen and the light/thin profile, performance seems top notch.

 

I would not tweak anything day one. First, I would backup your new machine. After that, I would just get used to it before I would start tweaking anything.

 

Then check for any BIOS updates and run SW Update to see if updated drivers / software are available. Also study the options available in the (Easy) Settings program. And read the User Guide.

Once you have done that you can try loading a calibrated display profile. Three's a link to one in my X4C review.

If you are running Windows 7 then see this thread about Intel Rapid Start Technology.

Then, if you conclude that 128GB SSD leaves you insufficient space and/or you have the Sandisk U100 SSD then see this thread about mSATA SSD upgrades.

John

 

I took out the fan and the laptop made no noise whatsoever. I am ready to purchase a new fan and replace it myself. Will update when I do so.

 

Really? Who woulda thunk.

 

So what do you think, will the grinding noise be eliminated when I replace the fan?

 

Yea, I'm sure based on what you have logged in forum that you are on the right track. I am hopeful you'll get a replacement fan that resolves the issue. And you should send an invoice to Samsung for your time, parts, etc.

 

I still think you should try to find someone sympathetic in Samsung. Unfortunately you can't tell them that you did the fan disconnect test. If no joy there I would go the DIY route.

John

 

Thanks for the help! I just got done updating the BIOS and drivers, but how do I check my rapid start technology settings?

Also:
1. Anyone find a great sleeve or case for this laptop?
2. Anyway to change the touchpad settings? (i.e. enlarge left click area, sensitivity, etc)

 

IRST is only relevant to Windows 7. Microsoft implemented something similar in Windows 8. The IRST thread is here.

See the Series 9 accessories thread.

Did you find the pad control panel at Control Panel > Touchpad? The sensitivity adjustment is under Settings but you can't change the pad layout. There are many more options in the registry. Our main discussion about the Elan pad is in this thread.

John

 

Thanks John, I see the STM vertical small shoulder bag is a popular idea. In regards to the touchpad, I found the control panel option, but my main concern is even after updating my drivers, the right click does not always register on the touchpad. Any similar problems?

 

Are you doing a single click on the button at the front right of the pad or a two-finger tap on the pad?

John

 

The 2013 FH 13 series 9 is now out on Swedish websites:

SAMSUNG 900X3E CI5 1.7 4GB/256 SSD FHD 13.3" W8 | Dustinhome.se

Still only 4gb RAM, but 512SSD option!

Anybody who knows anything about the 15 FH series 9? 900x4e would be the name i guess.