Samsung 9 Series laptop (ZX310 / 900X3A) unveiled

I had changed no power settings and was getting 5.2 for my CPU score on "Max Performance" with the laptop plugged in (of course).

All I did was look through the power settings in control panel / Hardware and sound / Power options / Samsung optimized / advanced settings, and suddenly 6.3 for processor! And that was on the samsung optimized setting! Aero graphics is the slowest thing now, and even it has gone up to 5.5.

I think there was a disconnect between the numbers shown in the power management options and those that the computer was actually using. Looking through the settings and pressing "save" forced windows to actually use the correct numbers.

One other guy on this forum had the same experience, but I couldn't find his post - he was the one that gave me the idea, so thanks, whoever you are.

 

I posted this on this Samsung forum & have had 54 views & no replies so will try here:I purchased my 900x3a series 9 notebook from Amazon and I noticed on the Amazon data it shows that my unit has built-in 4g wimax I checked Samsung tech & they confirmed that all series 9 's has it & the big question if it what benefit will it be for me & how to use it? In posting this I am showing how little I know. but thank you for any replies. jimjoh

 

The same thing happened to me, but i can't remember if i wrote it down in a post or not....I'll happily take credit though!

Trouble is, in my case it increase the performance score to 5.9 not 6.3. That said, i was using the max perf preset, not samsung optimised, so i will try again this evening using the latter.

 

Maybe nobody has the answer. Wimax is a form of wireless broadband as described here and has been rolled out in a few areas. If your notebook has got WiMax then I would expect it to show as another network adaptor in Device Manager.

John

 

Amazon data is based on OEM data. And Samsung's data is incorrect.

According to Series9user:

So, if you do have a Bluetooth in your laptop it means that your laptop isn't equipped with Wi-Max. In case of Wi-Max, the laptop should probably come with Intel Centrino 6250 wireless module.

Did anybody get Series 9 with Intel wi-fi preinstalled?

 

Dear All,

Tomorrow (on Tuesday) is the last day for me to apply for a return of my Centrino 6300.

Could those of you who changed the stock Broadcom adapter in your laptop to Centrino 6230 please post wireless speed results (with network file transfer, not with Speedtest.net) 1-2 feet from router, 50 feet from the router, who has a space - 100 feet from the router also without any obstacles? I'm most interested in 5Ghz wide bandwidth (40Mhz) results, but 2.4Ghz would also be appreciated.

 

Strange. I'm still getting 5.9 for CPU.

 

I think samsung had plans to include wimax but for some reason decided to back out. From what I read is that both models have the Wireless broadcom which has bluetooth. Yet on the technical specs the A02 is still listed to include wimax but i'm sure that the reps are wrong and just reading of it.

This is the only difference between models if i'm correct.

Samsung 9 Series [NP900X3A-A03US]
Windows 7 Home Premium

Samsung 9 Series [NP900X3A-A02US]
Windows 7 Professional

 

latinracer I believe you but after your reply I contacted the Samsung chat & in no uncertain terms was told that all Series9 has wimax & I insisted that I be told how to confirm it on my unit I was told to contact level 2 tec at 800 726-7964 so I called them and was also told by them that it was a fact that all series9 had wimax also but there is no way I can confirm this. To me this is serious. There are many web sites other than Amazon saying it ha wimax. I need a doc saying it does not jimjoh

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/sam...-900x3a-unveiled-post7454849.html#post7454849

Wanna try that out for yourself?

 

FYI. Compsource.com has 15% restocking fee for return.

30-Day Return Policy
Any part returned for credit or replacement must be made within 30 days of original invoice and accompanied by an RMA#. All items returned for credit or replacement must be returned in a resellable condition and with all original unmarked packaging including blank warranty cards, manuals driver disks, etc. Any item returned with a damaged box will be charged a $35 rebox fee. Products returned for refund will be subject to a minimum of 15% restocking fee. There is no restocking fee for products returned for replacement within 15 days of the original invoice. CPU’s, memory, hard drives and select other items are not refundable but available for defective replacement only. Some items may have a refer-to-direct policy; the manufacturer is imposing this. Refer to the site for a listing or click here. Shipping charges, software, and custom configured systems are not refundable. CompSource Inc. does not guarantee compatibility.

 

I can confirm you 110% that I don't have wimax. What they said is incorrect and like I mention earlier they are just reading from the technical documentation and have no idea of what they are saying. I don't blame them at all. It seems to be samsung that screwed up.

 

I just upgraded my synaptic drivers from Drivers | Synaptics and it include a cool feature called scrybe.

Use - SYNAPTICS | Scrybe

 

I know. And in case of Samsung they will refer you to Samsung directly. I wrote "price wise", not "policy wise".

 

In an earlier post I included an excerpt from the service manual (you can order it from Samung Parts for $18). It indicates that Samsung ran into a problem in including both bluetooth and WiMaxx, and the A02 specs suggest that it comes it two varieties: Broadcom WiFi and Bluetooth, or Intel WiFi and WiMaxx.

 

just upgraded the firmware to version 04HL but I can't find any information about it. I wonder if it has any improvements.

 

Where did you get it? Samsung support only offers 1.0.0.1

On May 11 Samsung placed an Intel WiDi software on the support download page. Does it mean they start to ship the units with Intel wireless? Or they simply don't know that WiDi only works with Intel wifi? There is no Intel wi-fi drivers on the page...

 

Samsung

Download the firmware utility and open it. It should tell you if you have the latest or not and give you the option to update.

 

Made it. I have the latest (was preinstalled). Thank you anyway.

 

Hmm. Another puzzle. My current Synaptics drivers version downloaded through Samsung Update utility is 15.2.17.3. The one that is offered on a Synaptics web site is 15.2.7.0 (according to web site) and 15.2.9.0 (according to file itself). When I tried to install it I was told that my current version is newer. On the other hand, I don't have Scrybe in it.

Although I find Scrybe pretty useless, I would like to have the latest version of the software in order to minimize all glitches (two-finger scrolling feature turns off and on sporadically, and it really bugs me). What is the device driver version and date after you installed the pack from Synaptics web site? Mine is 15.2.17.3 dated March 16, 2011.

 

See they are coming out with a Series 9 with 256GB SSD and 8Gb standard. Its too bad the 11.6" is only capable of 2GB installed...what a waste of a sweet laptop.

 

As a competitor of Sammy, X1's engadget review is disappointing: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 review -- Engadget. Battery is 1 hour less than Sammy. Screen is very glossy. Price is no cheaper ($1800 for 8G mem and 160G SSD). It's also heavier, thicker.

That leaves me with no choice. I have to stick with Sammy but my wifi is not satisfying

 

Where? and how much?

2G is not bad because you can add it later for much cheaper.

 

You can't, according to the specs it's 2GB max (!!). I don't see how they'll sell that, given the competition.

 

Lenovo's usually discount 10-20%. But yes, that's disappointing. I was prepared to cancel my Sammy order, but now I'll get it and see how it goes. If I can't live with the wifi, the updated Airs should be out by the time my return period ends.

I'd probably go with the X1's tradeoffs - great construciton, keyboard, ports -if it weren't a pound heavier, also with a bigger footprint. It's not the thinness that makes these things so portable. As it is the X220 is more attractive than the X1, but I'm looking to replace my 'big' machine right now.

 

See also the NBR X1 review.. The X1 footprint is almost as big as my T420s and the weight is the same as the T420s with optical drive removed. Thin doesn't necessarily mean light.

John

 

I returned my Samsung today. I couldn't accept the weak weak WiFi and I was not interested in replacing any part myself.

Hopefully Samsung will find a solution to this and replace the WiFi cards without cost for those that have stuck with the series 9.

Too bad, I really liked the look and feel of the machine.

 

It's no worse than the Air IMO. Not that the Air isn't rubbish at Wifi reception, but still.

 

I'm still in demi-rage over the S9's design, and the X1's battery life as thought is clearly not adequate, and seeing as Sony isn't bringing anything to the table I think it's going to have to be the X220 for me. I'll stick with the Samsung for another week, see how I feel and if it's the same I'm going to leave it in the office for one of my minions to use.

 

Can you seriously not upgrade the RAM on the 11.6 version? Yikes. Might have to skip it then...

 

I have a 1900 sq ft home and my 900x3a shows 4 bars everywhere inside. In the garage it shows 2 bars but also streams netflix there just fine. I took it to the Senior Center where I have been conducting computer classes using a HP and it showed 4 bars there which is better than the HP so I am ok with it. jimjoh

 

Looks like there are 2 new models coming, more storage and an i7:

NP900X3A-A05US
PROVANTAGE: Samsung NP900X3A-A05US SERIES9 I7-2617M 1.5G 6GB 256GB 13.3 inch WL W7HP 64-Bit with 3-Year Warranty

NP900X3A-A04US
PROVANTAGE: Samsung NP900X3A-A04US SERIES9 I7-2617M 1.5G 8GB 128GB 13.3 inch WL W7P 64-Bit with 3-Year Warranty

Price is getting insane though. The A05 is what the A03 should be for $1599.

 

That's what Samsung's specs say:

Features and Specifications - Samsung Series 9 Notebook | Samsung Office

 

Any idea when these will hit the market?

 

Why insane? The base-model Air is $1650 with Applecare and 4Gb.

 

Thanks for the links eSanto.

6GM mem? How can they put unbalanced mem in a duo core system? I'd like to have 256GB SSD and 17W i7, but with $400 more? Not sure...A03 is powerful enough for me.

 

That's the first thing I thought, 6GB mem?. Plus, for the top of the line model at $2K, the least they could do is max out the memory for you. I'm still considering the A03 as well.
Maybe once these new models come out the A03 will come down a bit (can hope anyway)

 

To be honest, I wish the 3 yr warranty was an option. I'd be perfectly happy with 1 year if the price was $300 less.

 

I also find the price reasonable, considering the hardware. SSD's are bloody expensive, no way around that, so a bump to 256gb will be costly. Spec out any lightweight laptop with SSD and the price quickly climbs skyward. The A04 and A05 should DEFINITELY have Win7 Pro, however; putting the Home version on such high-end models is ridiculous.

Overall, I am not especially tempted by these configurations because the limiting factor on the laptop is not processor speed (nor RAM, for that matter), it's graphics, so the i7 will likely reduce battery life slightly without any material real-world performance improvement. Extra hard drive space would be beneficial to many, but is not an issue for me. Experts feel free to correct my logic.

As and aside, I am still ambivalent about the Series 9 in many ways, but one thing is now certain: cost be damned, I will never buy another laptop without a SSD -- it makes a huge difference to the overall experience.

 

I agree with what you said. I'm also not tempted since i'm already happy with the A03 model. It would have been nice to have the option for larger ssd in the beginning but i'll deal with it.

 

I wish we could figure out this wifi prob... I switch off my router and then tried only G on both no diff in any case. Everything I have done tells me its the metal exterior but somehow there are people who are completely happy with the wifi which goes against this completely.

Considering that I can remove the bottom cover and watch the wifi reception bump from 1 to 15Mbps, I have to believe that the problem does not lie in any interior components.

 

I think you should exchange your laptop. The question is, where's the best place to buy. Not price-wise, or policy-wise, but batch-wise. Whoever has A03 with wifi speed higher than 20Mbps constantly, can you please let us know where did you get your Sammy? I only know best buy had some bad Sammies.

I also noticed that there's no complain about wifi from any owners outside of the US. When I called Samsung tech support, the guy said he never heard of any complain about the 9 series wifi! Is it just us who have wifi problem?

 

Although everybody ignored my suggestion on how to test the speed...

20Mbps constantly - what do you mean? What distance? Any obstacles? How do you measure it?

 

I know it sounds ridiculous to ask for 3MB only, but mine never exceeded 15Mbps on speedtest.net no matter how close it's to the router. Lan speed test showed similar result. I used speedtest.net because it's easy for everyone to use. How about we say 20 feet (6 meter) from the router with at least one wall? And use the Lan speed test software:
LAN Speed Test - Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET Download.com

Constantly means you get about 20Mbps 5 out of 5 times you tried. Each time rotate your laptop a bit. Horizontal, vertical facing the router, 30 degree..., well, 3 positions should be enough.

And there are ways to confirm that the low speed is not caused by between the speedtest server and your router - use another computer to see whether you get a higher speed. You will normally get the limit of your router as long as it's lower than 54Mbps.

Phil, I think your Sammy is a good one. At least you can get a card to make it as fast as the card claims (so no problem with the construction of the laptop). I'm worried that some of ours have such problems, then no matter what PCI card we use, the speed will not go up.

 

I'll take the challenge on my day off (thursday-saturday) and do all the test. I'll also try transferring 2-5 gig by wifi and report the results.

I might post up some real time video on youtube.

We hit the 100 page!

 

You know the wifi problems have many angles. Where I live the most I can have is a reported 3mbps but the speed test always shows about 2.8mbps. Well I noticed a slow down on my units last week & it tested .8mbps. I spent a 1/2 hour on the phone with the wireless router tech and made all kinds of settings change & it only checked at 1bps so they said it has to be your provider. I called AT&T tec and after another 1/2 hour it was discovered that static had built up in the modem. Unplugged the power from the modem and then reconnected and whammy back to the 2.8mpbs. As I stated before in this thread my series9 even though only has 2 bars in my garage the speed tests shows the same speed as if was sitting next to my router with 5 bars. jimjoh

 

It does seem that some units are defective, but while the Intel card replacement seems to help them, it doesn't make them as good as they could be. I still wonder if it isn't some sort of connection problem with the antenna wires (not at the card, but wherever they go).

Laptopmag reviews test the wifi, with good results on their unit:
The Broadcom wireless N radio inside the Series 9 delivered a strong throughput of 43.3 Mbps 15 feet from the router, but only 17.1 Mbps at 50 feet. That's a pretty steep drop, especially for a notebook meant to go anywhere. The average throughput at 50 feet is 19.7 Mbps.

For comparison:
The ThinkPad Edge E220's Intel WiFi Link 1000 802.11n radio provided modest transfer rates of 24.4 and 16.6 Mbps at distances of 15 and 50 feet from our router. That's a bit below the category averages of 33.5 / 19.8 Mbps, but faster than the 20.6 / 8.6 Mbps offered by the Toshiba Portege R835 and about on par with the Dell Vostro V130's 25.6 / 15.7 Mbps rates.

And the X1:
The Intel Centrino Advanced N 6205 wireless radio provided speedy transfer rates of 48.5 and 21.5 Mbps at distances of 15 and 50 feet from our router. Those rates are well above the 33.5 and 19.7 Mbps category averages.

 

I've tried 6230. The result is the same as the broadcom one. With or without back cover does have impact on the wifi speed by 50% difference (no cover, 17Mbps, with cover, 8Mbps). My guess is that the antena is not connected correctly that the back cover can block wifi signal. While in Phil1980's case, the back cover doesn't affect the wifi speed at all.

The speed is got from speedtest.net. I tried copy large files from a home computer, the speed is even worse, which topped at 1Mbps...I tried to connect to another laptop too but got the same speed.

I also used the Lan Speed Test software and I got consistent but slightly better result compared with the speedtest.net. That's far slower than the Lan Speed Test i tried on other laptops.

The bluetooth worked but I didn't test it intensively. I didn't test widi because I don't have a receiver.

I will return my unit but probably keep the 6230 card. I'm still inclined to buy a 900X3A but only after the wifi issue is resolved. FYI this is my second unit already. My first one has even worse wifi reception. Totally not usable (below 1Mbps).

I'm very sad. Maybe I won't buy anything and going back to use my 6 years old IBM.

I'm still looking forward to some good batch suggestion for 900X3A though. Please share where you bought if it's a good one without any wifi issue. There's a date on the back of the laptop. Mine is March 2011, and it's a bad one. Can you also share yours?

 

Mine was built in March 2011 too, and I think you're onto something about there being some units that simply can't achieve good Wifi, no matter what card is inserted.

I had absolutely abysmal wifi with the stock broadcom card, so I swapped it out for the intel 6300. That definitely improved the speed a but it's still slow and flakey. Before the upgrade I couldn't get the speed above about 1.5 MB/s, which was not enough for streaming HD from my NAS. After the upgrade, and in exactly the same position (maybe 6m from router through 1 wooden floor), I got 3 MB/s. Oh, and that's on a large file transfer over 802.11n as per Phil's suggestion (see, your words didn't fall on deaf ears, Phil ).

I would call that a marginal improvement, and it's still not enough to stream HD movies. I noticed something strange after that - if I plugged in the power then suddenly the wifi signal intensity increased. Samsung balanced power settings were choking off power to the 6300 on battery. Changing that helped a little, but I still have a really flakey wifi connection. I can't transfer large files as the connection frequently drops out.

As I'm writing this I'm wondering if the naked aerial soldering where it's connected to the main board is making contact with the aluminium back and detuning the radio... I feel a little electrical insulation tape coming on... Will report back later...

 

Here's a new review that focuses on the wifi issue (interesting comments on the SSD too). It should make Samsung take notice, if nothing else does.

The Samsung Series 9 900X3A-A01CA Laptop Review – This May Be a Work of Art… Almost | The SSD Review