Samsung 9 Series laptop (ZX310 / 900X3A) unveiled

Can someone tell me whether the S9 has BIOS or UEFI?

And also, has anyone tried installing Windows 8 on it? What are the experiences?

 

Anyone know if bestbuy will price match that price? I don't have a Microsoft store near me.

 

Yep, I am picking up mine tomorrow. It's an awesome deal.

For those who are looking to pick one up from their B&M store, make sure to ask for a model number that ends with B06US. Have them bring it out and verify the box label yourself. It appears some Microsoft retail stores still have the older A02US model in stock which has the 2x2 antenna WiFi module (I believe Centrino 6230).

Not sure what their online stores are shipping these days. While their web page shows NP900X3A-B06US, who knows what actually ships from their warehouse. If you do plan on ordering from the online store ($999 - still a decent deal), I would try to follow up on that transaction with a live agent and demand it is the NP900X3A-B06US and not the NP900X3A-A02US model.

 

Long time lurker, first time poster as I have been wanting one of the Series 9 and have been waiting for them to ship out newer models with upgraded Wi-Fi. I just bought one today at the Microsoft Store and it was the B06US version with the upgraded WiFi listed on the box (3x3). So far at my house no problems with the WiFi range.

One note on the 25% discount, it's only on purchases $1,000 or above. Since the Samsung was $999 they would only offer me a 20% discount as they said the 25% did not kick in until you got to $1,000 or more. Since we were only talking about one dollar it seemed kind of anal to me.

The cheapest thing I saw in the store was a mouse for $30, so I decided to buy the 2 year accidental protection plan for $200 which also included a copy of Office 2010 so not a bad deal alltogether.

 

Same thing happened to me, I bought an audio extension cable for $7.50 (after discount). It's worth $1.00 but hey whatever.
Alternatively you could buy a 4gb RAM stick, which I might go back and do. Not sure what their install fee/service is, but it would save a lot of work on this particular laptop..

 

Following up on my earlier post, below are screenshots of the B06US model that I picked up from Microsoft Store this afternoon. As the images show, B06US is definitely the model to get - at least in the U.S.

Outer box label:


Back cover removed:


Centrino Ultimate N-6300 with three wires:


AC Adaptor base:



AC Adaptor tip:



AC Adaptor label:


Power inlet on the chassis:



Also, the AC adapter pin fits in firmly with a noticeable click. I don't have any experience with earlier models so I have no point of reference, but I feel good about this one. I'll update my impressions if things change after few weeks of use.

 

Is this thing still a major fingerprint magnet? Just curious...

 

Yes. I think that's a 'feature'

 

I know it's silly, but I think the fingerprint thing would really bug me!

 

I don't mind. Gives me a reason to take a break and baby it.

 

Someone had asked about the WEI score on the B06US model. Screen capture attached.

 

What RAM configuration do you have? The memory score suggests two modules but the desktop graphics performs as if you have one. Can you rerun the assessment?

John

 

Ah, my apologies there. I failed to mention earlier that I did have the extra 4GB RAM module installed as a part of the back cover removal.

 

Wbacon Thank you for posting the pics

 

wbacon,

Yes, they definitely have a fix in for weak WiFi. It's probably still not going to be as good as competitors (because of the Duralumin case) but it'll be much better than the previous models.

I'm disappointed to see that Samsung has chosen not to fix the power adapter and connection on the laptop though. As I posted previously, the Samsung technician said that the MOST common repair is the for the power connection (on the laptop). So Samsung is DEFINITELY aware of this problem and have been repairing laptops for many months now...

Enjoy it. I still think the Samsung is better than the current Ultrabooks.

 

I don't think many people have a Microsoft store near them I'm in the NYC area and never seen one. I think that they expect you to buy it online.

One thing to note is that BestBuy's return policy, although not great, is not as restrictive as Microsoft's. (I can't believe that I'm actually recommending BestBuy over another store).

BestBuy is unlikely to price match as they "conveniently" have a different part number.

 

Hi

I've been lurking here for quite a while, but am lusting after the Sammy. Reading that the latest model "fixes" the WiFi makes me eager to pull the trigger and drive up to Seattle (I'm in Portland)

Brian5, your post made me think twice, as the commute would cost me about $110 and ease of return would be a major factor in my decision.

Can anyone confirm that the BestBuy model is identical to the one sold by MS?

 

Brian5,

Hopefully my wife will be extra careful when the power is plugged into the laptop. Especially when there are kids running around the house.

Also, I'm not sure if the cable shielding on the power adaptor is better than the original. From what I understand, the older model's shielding is inadequate causing the underlying wires to break open over time. But I've never seen a photo or one in person to compare. Perhaps someone can chime in with the old model and compare that against mine (see photos few posts back)

To play it safe, perhaps I'll strengthen it by using a heatshrink tube. I understand some folks used electrical tape, but I think that makes it look fugly!

I'll swing by Home Depot or Radio Shack sometime to pick some up. For those not familiar, it's a pliable plastic tubing that shrinks when you heat it. It looks like this or this. Even after it's shrunk, it stays soft enough like a hard silicon skin. In fact, I just convinced myself to do it as I type this sentence. For a couple of bucks, it's a sound investment that will provide an extra piece of mind. For those doing it like me, make sure to bring the power adaptor with you to get the correct tube size. It needs to be wide enough to slip over the plug end while it's small enough to shrink-fit on the cable and plug boot. I'll post pictures when I get it done.

 

wbacon,

I still have a Samsung power supply (that I need to sell) so I could compare to your picture. It looks exactly the same.

Definitely strengthen it with heat-shrink tube or self-fusing silicone tape!

FYI. I never had any power adapter issues with the three Series 9's that I had . After 5 months of frustration, I gave on Series 9 because of the WiFi issues that they refused to officially acknowledge and did not have a fix for.

 

I just reran the WEI test for the first time since the summer, and found that my WEI processor score has dropped from 6.0 to 5.2. Everything else has the same score.

Any ideas what could have caused that, and how I could get it up to speed again?

 

removed as not valid

 

Is it the desktop graphics? There seems to be an element of pot luck with that part of WEI. Try re-running the assessment again.

John

 

Brian5,

I definitely feel your pain about the wireless issues. I've had major, and I mean MAJOR connection issues with ASUS' UX31 series. I went through 3 of them and finally gave up on it. I'm convinced there's a fundamental hardware issue that a software solution simply will not fix.

The laptop was for my wife, and all she asked for was a functional, reliable, and light laptop. She couldn't care less about the processor speed, SSD or the graphics performance. UX31 failed miserably primarily due to the wireless issue. It just randomly disconnected even with full signal strength from the wireless router. None of our other wireless laptops and gadgets have ever had this problem...until the UX31.

Keyboard accuracy was another issue for her, but wireless really broke the last straw for her. It's very unfortunate because the ASUS had a lot going for it. She really liked the esthetics of it. Hopefully their next model fully addresses many of these issues that are widely discussed in the ASUS forum.

Going off tangent a bit, I think there's a reason why their new Tranformer Prime covertible tablet had a last minute delay due to wireless performance issues. Incidentally, the industrial design on the Prime and UX series laptop shares the same concentric-patterned aluminum chassis. From what I understand, Prime now has a 3x3 wireless solution on all shipping retail models.

So, here I am with Series 9. I researched the Series 9 beforehand and made sure it had the best wireless solution. So far the B06US model doesn't disappoint. We've only had it up for 8+ hours since yesterday's purchase, but it's been a sheer joy from the comfortable and accurate keyboard, beautiful screen (albeit lower resolution than UX31), and most importantly, solid wireless connection (and 5GHz N connection to boot). Wife is thrilled so far.

For now I'm personally sticking with my Dell XPS 15Z and wait for another hardware refresh cycle to get a second, ultrabook class laptop for travel use.

 

DBronx,

I'm not sure about the BestBuy model, but I may have a solution for you regarding the Seattle store B06US model. PM me if interested. I couldn't PM you due to your 'new forum user' status.

 

my understanding is that it is fixed in both. But you could just buy the microsoft one online for $900 (technically $1000 plus a $100 giftcard for a future purchase... a good use could be RAM, xbox games etc)
Microsoft Store Online - Samsung Series 9 (13.3-Inch)

It's $1050 at Bestbuy so it's still cheaper at Microsoft

 

So for the sake of users of the old model it would be very interesting to find out where the third antenna goes.. I wonder, if the existing laptops can be modded in a similar way? Screw the guarantee, who cares for it when the service is so poor and refuses to see clear and obvious faults - I just want to make my laptop work. From the picture with disassembled S9 with 6300 it seems that the black wire goes into the corner where the display is attached, but how do they patch the wire through to the display base then? On my S9 the plastic just on the bottom of the display occasionally gets loose and needs to be snapped in place.

 

I bought Best Buy model (B01UB) for 1000$ (some time ago it was cheaper). Probably it's the same model. For sure the same processor, RAM, SSD drive, etc. Also the WIFI is 3x3 model Intel 6300. The power connector is the same as in the pictures some posts earlier.
I think that the only difference is the code name and the price

I'm very happy with my Sammy !

 

Hi wbacon,

I tried to PM you but I couldn't find a "send email" button on your post (nor anyone else) or a link in my user CP - perhaps that's because I haven't posted enough here?

My email is set to visible, so I'm not sure what the problem is, or how to fix it.

Any tips.?

 

Hi DBronx,

I'm not sure why I cannot see your information on your profile, but you should check to make sure the messaging is enabled on your DBronx user account. (Go to Edit Options –> Messaging & Notification)

 

As per Notebook Review Forum requirements " You will need at least 5 quality posts to have access to the Private Messaging (PM) and signature system. This is to stop spam created by bots." You currently have 2 posts...

 

Now that makes sense. It's one of those "RTFM!" moments. I am guilty of that too!

 

dam it i just ordered the NP9003XA - A03AU which is the i7version with 8gb and 256 ssd but has only 2 antennas, i should of read all of this thread before ordering.
I didnt realise that there was a fixed version over here in australia which is NP9003XA - B03AU which has the intel centrino ultimate 3x3 antenna.....i could of gotten that one but i bought the crappy one on ebay a day ago..

Anyone got any advice???? Shud i just try it out and see how it is or shud i try to resell it or something then buy the fixed one??

Im so sad now

 

Many people didn't have a problem with the 2 antenna WiFi solution. If the price is good I would try to live with it (there's also the work-around if using a USB WiFi adaptor).

John

 

Guess I should start flaming somebody


Oh wait, you said "quality" posts.

 

Thanks for the response. No, the graphics are fine. It's the actual processor speed - so it shouldn't be changed by any altered drivers. I also have 8 GB RAM.

I recall some people having low scores at the beginning of the thread, but I never had that problem. I just don't understand how it could drop like that - could it be something strange with the turbo mode?

 

DBronx, got you email; reply sent

Back on topic. For those of us in the U.S., has anyone successfully registered their Series 9 13" laptop through Samsung's US website? I tried to do this for my wife's laptop yesterday, but it doesn't list any of the 13" models. They only show upto the 11" models (NP900X1A and NP900X1B).

 

Do you notice a constant high cpu utilization when using the laptop? If not, then why worry about it? As long as you are able to run your applications and they aren't tying up the cpu then I say you're fine.

 

Make sure that the power profile is set to something that gives CPU performance on demand then run HWiNFO32 and watch the CPU speed while running a CPU benchmark such as wPrime. You should see the CPU go into turbo mode.

John

 

I run some trading apps that at times are very processor intensive, and I've noticed they seem somewhat sluggish lately. That's why I reran WEI.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. Running HWiNFO64 on its own, it seems to show at least the first processor going into turbo mode regularly (even when seemingly not doing anything).

However, wPrime reports an error and hangs up whenever it tries to read my hardware. When I ran the test anyway, HWinfo immediately froze the processor speeds at the nonturbo rate (and they never changed afterward). The score was over twice as slow as the CPUs reported on the wPrime site.

I then tried PassMark. Again HWinfo showed the processor speeds freezing at nonturbo speed. The cpu Mark was 1644( Passmark 744).
According to the site, this cpu should score 2439 (Passmark 332).

So there appears to be something strange going on...

 

I agree. How to understand what is causing this behaviour?

Is there a 'quiet' option for the fan? This will limit the maximum CPU speed. Easy Speedup Manager?

John

 

I had to chat online with one of their customer service reps to get it registered.

 

Thanks theorbo. It just seems absurd that Samsung doesn't have the 13 incher in their product registration database. Given how long the laptop's been out on the market, perhaps it was there before but somehow got removed for one reason or another. Oh well...I'll give 'em a call today.

 

So I just picked up a series 9. The wifi works great with the 3 antenna 6300 in my house. I'm going to pick up another 4gb stick of memory to put in it after the holidays. The only thing I dont like about the laptop is the stupid power cord, would it really have killed samsung to release a 90* plug instead of the straight out one.

Any recomended bloatware to be removed? I pulled out most of the wild tangent games, the best buy program, the manuals and other welcome to samsung stuff, and norton. Any others I should wipe?

 

someone knows if the new version np900x3A-B01 has fixed the wifi issue?

 

I just picked up a B01ub from BestBuy here in the states yesterday and it has the centrino 6300 with the 3 antennas. No problems with wifi in my house with the router in the loft 2 floors away.

 

Great to hear many confirmations about the 3x3 Centrino 6300-equipped units trickling out of U.S. retailers.

So far Microsoft Store's B06US and Best Buy's B01UB (wonder if the UB stands for "U.S., BestBuy" SKU) are confirmed to have the new Intel wifi card.

My wife is also super happy with her B06US model. It's been absolutely flawless. DBronx, hope you get yours early next week. You will love it!

By the way, Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays to all!


Sent from my HD7 using Board Express

 

and which more differences we have between NP900X3A-A01 and NP900X3A-B01

because actually i own the first and i'm thinking in selling it and buy the second.

in spain recently arrived the NP900X3A-B01ES and i saw that it has intel core i5 2467 instead of i5 2537
but i dont know if they also fixed the problem with the charger and other things

merry christmas to everybody from spain!

 

There is a quiet option, but it's turned off. Easy Speedup Manager just manages the boot process.

I reran WEI and saw the same performance: turbo functioning fine with graphics etc, but stopping as soon as the cpu test started.

I checked the website for updates, but the only relevant one might be the chipset driver. When I downloaded it, however, I got a message saying my current one is newer, so I didn't proceed.

I suppose I'll have to try Samsung support, though I don't expect much from them, given other people's experience.

 

Thanks .. yes I AM chomping at the bit!

Happy Holidays to everyone here, as well.