Samsung 9 Series laptop (ZX310 / 900X3A) unveiled

Can you give us a link to this sleeve? thanks!

 

it would be great if someone can guide us on how to change the wifi card...

 

Not sure if this will work with everyone, but I played around with the settings on the adapter. In the end, I changed two settings that appear to be more compatible with my home and school wi-fi.

For the Broadcom 802.11n Network Adapter Properties,
1. changed Bandwith Capability to 11 b/g 20/40 MHz
2. changed Channel # to 6

You will find these settings under the Advanced tab for the adapter.

Different routers might need different settings, so YMMV. You might write down the default settings and then play around with the advanced settings to see if changes makes any difference.

I know for me that the default channel of 11 on the adapter encounters interference in my home and that my router is set on channel 6. I thought that these channels changed automatically, but setting the laptop channel on 6 made a big difference in the page loading time, so I left the adapter on 6. Obviously, every environment is different, so that might not work for you.

 

To all that are wondering how to take you beast to the next level. I upgraded my WIFI to the (Intel Ultimate N 633ANHMW IEEE 802.11n (draft) Wi-Fi Adapter - Mini PCI Express - 450Mbps)..I found it on Amazon for $34.00 and an extra antenna for another $7.00. Two small skews at the to of you the card come out with little trouble or locktite. I placed the third antenna a few inches below the 1st antenna with the white wire. I am now reading 230MBps from 80-100ft. While in the same room as router it bounces between 350 and 450MBps.

I also upgraded my RAM to two sticks of 4GB DDR3 PC3-10600 1333MHz 204 pin SODIMM.

She is running like a champ. All were farely straight forward installs. I'm just a lowely Marine and did it in under an hour.

 

Thanks!

I tried that, but my tests showed similar speeds at different channels. The only thing that helped was when I forced my router to accept only 'g' signals, and not a / b.

 

If this works, then the laptop should also support WiDi, since this card is Intel and WiDi compliant (as already are for the CPU and the graphics card).

 

So I have ordered the card. Did it come with drivers? Did you download them from Intel? Was there any trick to installation of drivers?

 

It will come with a disk with drivers and software... run the disk before replacing the card. will make life much easier.

 

I believe that for a 1700 dollar laptop, one should be doing all these tweaks and upgrades...there is definetly a hardware problem in regards to wifi...
I also was at the local best buy yesterday and they saw in the system that the laptop delivery was put on hold / canceled, the sales rep suggested the possibility of a recall on these machines...similarly, ithe 4-6 weeks amazon wait times would seem to be another indicator that these notebooks are either selling like crazy...or being fixed / recalled due to a major defect...

I will put my purchase on hold for now and hope samsung will do something with the problematic units out there...

 

Reaching out for help here - I got my Series 9 on 4/18 but the touchpad was broken. Samsung customer service is dragging their feet and after saying they couldn't repair it they agreed to send me a new one, but now they're saying it will ship ground in 7-9 business days, which means I probably won't get it for at least 2 weeks.

Anyone dealt with Samsung Service before and have any tricks for getting expedited? This is maddening!

 

I think they are having a hard time keeping new ones in stock.

 

Where did you buy it? Personally, I think the best method would be to simply order a new one (from Costco if you are in the US) and return the old one. Honestly, given the price and return policy (90 days no questions asked) I can't think of any reason to buy from anyone but Costco. Express shipping is minimal cost, and mine arrived at the US address within about three days before I had it forwarded to Singapore.

As for the wifi issue, still zero problems for me in multiple locations. Fast speed, stable and quick connection. At some point, I may switch the wifi card, but that would be to enable Widi rather than any wifi shortcoming. I also have had no problems with the trackpad; I love it after an adjustment period of a few days.

Based on discussions with others, I believe this laptop is selling very well, so I believe the lack of stock has more to do with brisk sales than any potential recall.

 

do not deal with best buy! They don't stock to well and the information given by the rep is completely wrong. I wasted time with best buy and decided to instead buy from an online retailer instead. The nice thing is that I got it $50 cheaper.

No wifi issue as of yet. I use it mainly at home and work.

 

What/where did you buy this "extra antenna"?

 

Amazon.com: Tyco Wifi & Bluetooth Antenna: Everything Else

 

I want to love this laptop - great size, good looks, and runs pretty fast. I was about to return it, though, because of terrible wi-fi performance. But I found a glimmer of hope in windows updates.
I performed the Samsung updates program/installer, and also upgraded to IE9, and played with the Broadcom device settings without improvement. I had not done the dozens of windows updates until this am.

I compared the series 9 against another current model samsung laptop that I have (that has an intel wireless device).

Hardware:
Sammy 13.3" series 9: 900x3a-ao3
Sammy 15.6" RF511-S03 (windows 7 updated)

Internet: IE9 32bit on both computers, Comcast
Wireless:
Lynxsys E3000, 20ft away in same room versus 30ft away up one flight of stairs

Reference: 900x3a gigabit ethernet wired- 9-15Mbps (comparable to my desktop)

wifi Problem :
Download speeds with the RF511 on speedtest and internetfrog were between 9-12.5Mbps consistently on many regional servers; whereas the 900x3a got 0.8-3Mbps (and rarely as high as 7). Both laptops had wireless icons 5/5 bars, and pings of 30-45msec. No difference with varying the laptop position. Upstairs, though, the 900x3a internet was noticably sluggish - about .4-1.5 Mbps.

WINDOWS UPDATES:
After installing all the windows updates- requiring several restarts- and rechecking for more new updates each time- (about 60-70 until finally getting the fully updated message); the wifi now is working the same 9-12Mbps on both computers-- when in the same room as the router. Upstairs, however, where the RF511 has no loss in download speed; the 900x3a decreased to 3-4.5Mbps

Upload speeds were the same- about 2-3Mbps in all cases (even when download speeds were <1.5Mbps), both laptops.

Conclusion: Windows updates helped to improve the 900x3a's broadcom download speed, but a noticeable degredation occurs when upstairs which did not occur with the RF511. This laptop should have flawless wireless internet.

Has anyone called yet, or any other similar experiences to share?
While neat that the broadcom can be switched out for an intel+antenna; I don't think I'm going to go there and will just return it.

 

Thanks so much for this post, Switch. I bought a 900X3A a couple of weeks ago at Micro Anvika in London and have been plagued by slow WiFi. I've changed my router to 802.11g only mode, tried every conceivable band setting and finally just given up and resorted to connecting a USB WiFi dongle. I love this laptop and don't mind spending an extra £25 to make it perfect, so I ordered the Intel card today. It looks like the card comes with an aerial so I'm guessing you simply plugged the 2 existing aerials + the new one into the Intel card?

I'll take some nice pictures of the upgrade process if anyone is interested and keep you posted on my progress. It was so stupid of Samsung to effectively hobble this gem of a laptop with a POS WiFi card.

 

Just FYI, I got my replacement laptop today. I highly recommend going after @SamsungService on Twitter. They got it resolved for me very quickly. Why they're helpful and phone support is useless is beyond me.

 

Thanks Kwanying. Now my battery is charging full.

 

Hi,

Does anyone know how the Kensington Lock Port on the right side at the back works?

What lock do you have to buy?

It does not look like a standard kensington lock will fit in either of the two small holes.

 

I have sent my computer back, so can't do any repeat testing, but: I DID notice that my upload speeds were just fine on the Series 9, compared to my other computers. Download speeds were sometimes lower than my upload speeds. This is just a FYI for any engineers out there who might be trying to trouble shoot this problem.

 

Am looking for a spare A/C adapter for this laptop. Anyone had success finding one?

 

No. I contacted Samsung parts department and even they do not have the AC adaptor in stock yet.

 

If you replace a crappy Broadcom Wi-Fi module with suggested Intel Centrino 6300 you will loose Bluetooth connectivity in your laptop.
If you don’t want to loose it, go with the Intel 6230 module: it’s same size, comes with BT on-board and doesn’t require to order and install 3rd antenna.
If you do want to have the questionable best 450Mbps connectivity with 3 antennas and don’t need a Bluetooth – go with 6300.
I ordered and installed 6300 to find this out. Still waiting for a third antenna to connect it and measure the speed of the new MIMO 3x3 Intel card. If it’s gonna be average, I would probably replace it with 6230.

P.S. 6300 with 2 antennas shows good 300Mbps connectivity around the house (and it’s big!), but the actual speed of transfer is significantly lesser than on my 3YO Dell 1330XPS with Intel 4965AGN: 2,5 Mb/s vs 7 Mb/s correspondingly at 5Ghz “n”. Hopefully, 3rd antenna will do the boost.

 

phil 1980, thanks for this detailed info. Interesting that transfer speed is less than a 3yo XPS, and puzzling- wonder if it really is just the card, or is the processor the bottleneck, or case interference (but the case would prob affect the connection, too). Would be interested to hear how things turn out with your mods.

I contacted Samsung, and was referred to tier II support who I still need to get in touch with.

 

I still hope it’s because of a missing 3rd antenna. I’ll post an update as soon as I’ll get it (probably, later this week).

I’m pretty sure it’s not a CPU – I can playback 1080p videos on Series 9 with less than 50% CPU load. My XPS 1330 with Core 2 Duo 2.53Mhz is barely able to smoothly play those (85-95% CPU load). The Windows 7 performance rating of CPU is also higher than in my XPS (also with Win7 64-bit and 4Gigs).

As for the Samsung, it’s the worst Technical Support I’ve ever dealt with. First of all, before purchasing my Sammy I called Technical Support to check what kind of wireless adapter is installed in NP900X3A-A02US (since it supposed to be “Wi-Max Ready” compared to A03US model) and does it support Dual-Band connection. I was assured that A02US will support 5Ghz bandwidth. Next day I called Tier 2 Support and was told the same. I’ve placed an order. When I got the laptop I found out it’s equipped with the same obsolete Broadband single band chip. No 5Ghz! No Wi-Max!

I’ve called them again and described the situation. They insisted that it SHOULD support 5Ghz and created the Service request for me (I was told that there are 2 different wi-fi chips for this model and I probably got the older one). They wanted me to ship my recently received laptop to their Service, but at that moment I already felt something wrong and asked about the service location close to my home in order to go there in person. I was given one.

When I got there and showed the rep my laptop his eyes became wide open. First of all, he told me that they never dealt with this model before. They only saw it at the exhibition :smile: Secondly, he checked the system and told me that they would not be able to install/change anything in this laptop because they don’t have any part numbers available for this model. I was astonished! How about the RAM upgrade – I asked with irony? The answer was “NO”! We wouldn’t be able to install it either because it’s not in our system. You can probably try a Geek Squad at BestBuy or any other computer retailer.

The company that I bought a laptop from does not accept returns of Samsung laptops (they told me I should refer to Samsung directly because of a manufacturer’s requirements). When I called Samsung, after more than 1,5 hours spent on the line (mainly on hold) I was given their final answer: We would not be able to exchange or refund the laptop because it works as it should. We do understand your frustration, but there is nothing we can do for you on this matter. What about the incorrect information on the product that I was given numerous times by company’s reps before I made a purchase? – I asked. The answer was: Our representatives use technical sheets that according to the manufacturer’s note might be changed any time without further notice. What about advertised “Wi-Max ready” functionality at your technical sheets which is missing in my product? The answer was the same. WOW!!!

Conclusion: Samsung creates great products, but you should know exactly in advance what are you going to pay for. All the information from Samsung hot lines might be 100% wrong and later they would not take any responsibility for those tales.

 

In past years I have had some contact with their UK support people and I understand your frustration. I also suspect that the support people are similarly frustrated. They probably haven't had their hands on the computer you are using. One cause of the problem may be the interaction (or lack thereof) between the marketing people who tick the boxes on a list of factory options and then prepare the sales literature. What happens if they have misunderstood something? A further challenge is for the support people to relay the problems to the people nearer the production line. You might find you get a better response if you can show some empathy for the support people.

John

 

I agree 100%!!! There are no bad feelings for Support people – it’s not their fault. I really empathize with them. It’s Samsung’s fault. The company should be responsible at least for the information provided by its official representatives (which presumably are doing their work according to company’s guidelines).

On the other hand, during my pre-purchase “investigation” one of the Tier 2 tech support reps told me that they do have one of these laptops, and it is used by their manager. He told me that the manager was away at his lunch and he will find out as soon as his manager would come back. Next day I called them again, and he confirmed the 5Ghz connectivity.

Finally, if the company states “Wi-Max Ready” on one of the models and the customer receives the model without it, isn’t it a good point to at least try to work with this customer and find the way to make him happy instead of referring to manufacturer’s footnotes? It’s like ordering a color TV and receiving a b/w one because of the manufacturer’s defined changes in specs.

How many people would change Wi-Fi module in a new premium very expensive laptop by THEIRSELF? I believe less than 1%. How many would be disappointed with the connection quality, later – with the tech support, and finally - with the company?..

 

Hi, just considering buying the 900x

Do you think I would lose warranty if I replaced the internal wifi with an intel 6230 taking the laptop apart like it's mentioned here Upgrade RAM on the Samsung Series 9 Laptop | Hedonistica ? And does this notebook have a whitelist in the bios like HP or Lenovo?
Could it be possible that the Intel card would make problems? Anyone tried it already?

Thank you very much!

 

You don't have to tell Samsung that you are changing the Wi-Fi module. Since upgrade of RAM does not void your warranty (and you have to open the laptop in order to do that), I don't see any problems here. In case you would have to send your laptop to the service in the future, simple swap your Intel card with original Broadcomm to be on the safe side.

No, this notebook doesn't have a whitelist in the BIOS (at least, for wi-fi). Just install the new card, get the drivers - and you're done.

Good luck.

P.S. You don't have to totally remove 2 large rubber feet. The screws are located closer to the edge of the laptop (where the laptop screen hatch is), so you can slightly fold back the rubber foot from that side with the tiny flat screwdriver and remove the screw with another tiny Philips screwdriver. In that case you wouldn't have to worry to loose it in the future or push them back with an extra glue.

 

Hi!
This is great news/info

Thanks a lot!

 

Is the little rubber foot in the middle toward the back of the bottom of the case coming off anyone else's laptop? This thing is less than a week old! Come on samsung!!!

 

That little foot is sticking out so if you are dragging across your lap or taking it in and out of a bag/sleeve it's gonna come off.

I wouldn't worry about it but that's just my .02

 

I’ve finally attached 3rd antenna to Intel 6300. Performance improved, but not significantly. XPS1330 with Intel 4965AGN still outperforms Sammy throughput by about 30%. I think it might be the metal case issue.

Nevertheless, it’s a huge improvement in stability and speed compared to stock Broadcom adapter.

Verdict: Intel 6230 is a better deal unless you would like to invest in a future available 450Mbps router and 100% sure you don’t need a built-in Bluetooth.
P.S. If anybody installed Intel 6230 in Samsung Series 9, please report whether you are able to squeeze 7 Mb/s or higher speed out of it. There are rumors that in some configurations 2 antennas setup might be better than 3.

FYI, I measure the speed by copying over the air a large (~5Gb) file to and from the NAS connected to my router via Gigabit Ethernet. Speedtest.net is not the best tool for it…

 

I installed 6230 and the Intel drivers but the wifi and bluetooth is not working. When I checked the device manager I saw the generic drivers installed but it shows it is not working properly. I tried 2 times by unistalling the drivers, removing the card and installing again but still it is not working. I think the message it said was "Network Controller not installed properly". When I put back the Broadcom card everything works fine with out me doing anything.

I checked whether driver update is needed using the Intel Utility but it says Current driver is installed but it also says to contact OEM for more specific drivers. Am I missing something in installation?

 

Just wondering if anyone else has some information about the above. Mine scores the same as the 2nd post listed above - 5.1 ish. That's on ac power (it won't do it unless you're on ac power) and on either samsung balanced or maximum power settings. I'm thinking there might be a speed setting disabled somewhere (like turbo boost in bios or something?). More feedback on this would be greatly appreciated. I'm worried my machine is hamstrung somehow....

 

After reading TONS of forums on Intel latest wi-fi modules during the last week it appears that there are a lot of counterfeit, relabeled or simply fake Intel adapters on the market. Where did you get you card from? Can you post (or PM) a zoomed picture of your card?

P.S. Meanwhile I’ve made some additional tests to find the reason for the throughput and range drop with the top Intel Centrino 6300 compared to an old good Intel 4965AGN: tried to swap antenna connectors on the card (no difference); checked the wireless performance without the bottom laptop plate (not a significant difference, so now I’m pretty sure it’s not the case issue). It’s a pity that 4965AGN is not available in half-mini card form factor – I would install it for sure.

I assume it’s either the drivers issue (Intel web site is confusing: PROset/Wireless ver. 14 is only available if you search for Centrino 6200 series cards (i.e. 6230) software while search for 6300 software shows ver. 13.5 as the latest – don’t know if it’s a mistake or not; PROset/Wireless pack 14.0.0.2 installs older drivers than 13.5.0.2 pack) or a card itself (I’m pretty sure it’s original – may be some design flaws?!). Will keep you updated on my endeavors…

 

I have 6.3! Try going to Power Options, select “High Performance”. Then click “Change plan settings” next to “High Performance”, select “Change advanced power settings”, select “Processor power management” and make sure that both Minimum and Maximum processor states while plugged in are at 100%. Apply changes and try to rerun the Windows benchmark.

 

Ahhh i was sure this would be it, because i remember changing the max processor state to 100% in the samsung balanced profile for when the system is plugged in, but when i checked the max power profile, the min and max processor state when plugged in are both 100% Any other ideas? This is most strange. It can only be either a bios or power management setting. I'm assuming you have an i5 and not an i7? I've heard mention of an i7 version but i thought it hadn't been released as yet....

EDIT: Ok, just ran it again and got 5.9, but all i did was double check the min and max cpu state options - i didn't actually change anything. Still not 6.3 though....

 

I got it from cost central. The adapter came inside on small transparent plastic box. It did not have any Software CD. Soon I'll post the picture. Any suggestion where to buy?

 

Hello 9 series owners,

Just wondering, does the 9 series actually have internal fans? My biggest pet peeve with laptops is fan noise. What's the heat management like?

Thanks if anyone can contribute

 

It does have a fan (see internal photos earlier in this thread), but it is very quiet. I have experienced no major heat issues. Reviewers have said that the keyboard gets warm, but I have not noticed a problem.

 

anyone else struggling to get up to 6.3 on the CPU part of the windows experience score? anyone who was stuck in the 5's managed to figure out what the problem was and fix it? I'm really concerned im not getting the most out of this system...

 

I got mine from them too Looks very original (with brown carton box, Intel notes inside etc.) Well, can you try to install it in other laptop? It might be DOA...

 

I would check how fast the CPU is actually running. HWiNFO32's System Summary display has a graphical display of CPU speed. Running the wPrime benchmark will give more time for you to observe what is happening (and can also compare the results). [I know from first-hand experience that the Toshiba R700 throttles its CPU for thermal reasons.] HWiNFO32's Sensor page will also show the CPU temperature. If the CPU is not reaching its full potential speed then the constraint may be temperature and cooling. There may be a power management option to adjust the cooling preferences and enable more CPU speed at the cost of more fan noise.

John

 

It's called "Silent Mode" and located in Samsung Control Center App available through Fn+F1. It's off by default.

There are also "CPU Power Saving Mode" and "Fan Silent Mode" options in BIOS Setup. Mine are set to "Enabled" and "Auto" correspondingly.

 

I'm getting 4.6. Would be interested to find out what is causing this.

 

The 4.6 is your graphics score. The overall score is the lowest of the individual scores, and graphics is the limiting factor for this laptop (mine is 4.7).

However, what others are concerned about is the CPU score. Your CPU score was 5.9, while mine was 6.2 and many seem to get 6.3.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about a couple of tenths difference, but a CPU score close to 5 might be cause for concern.

 

I played around with the various settings. I also get a 4.7 for graphics with Windows Aero turned on. It goes up to a 5.3 with it off.

 

Have you done any upgrade? Memory?