Samsung NP930X5J / NP940X5J ATIV Book 9 (2014) 15.6" Haswell announced Jan 6, 2014

The ATIV Book 9 2014 seems like a laptop that I'll love, but overpriced and its specs are keeping me back from it. I'm actually looking for a laptop to take with me for when I move into the university during the fall. The Elitebook Folio (256SSD, 8GB Ram, 1.9 i7 Dual Core Processor, and HD5000 GPU for 1,900 sounds much better to me) thing is I'm not really a business laptop fan but it seems good because of the Next Day Help and warranty the business lines have... Looking at these features its a bummer for me to see the ATIV 9 to be priced this way. And commercial product consumers have to deal with crappy help service so I stand ain a puddle of what the hell do I want haha

 

Anyone who own the 930 knows how do I access the lossless audio feature? I don't see any applications called SPlayer...

"The ATIV Book 9 2014 Edition comes equipped with the pre-installed SPlayer+, an exclusive lossless audio player that works in conjunction with high performance Wolfson DAC chip."

 

I'm really unhappy with the reflective screen. Honestly I see business notebook like the HP Elitebook Folio 1040 and it has superior specs for the same price, which is tempting because I'll be moving into the university campus in the Fall. But, yet it isn't my taste, yet business lines have Next Day Service which commercial lines don't. Its a really complex situation for the PC lines. The MacBook Pros are a solid line of laptops, but OSX isn't my taste and doesn't utilize the programs and needs I'll be looking for

 

The "Elitebook Folio (256SSD, 8GB Ram, 1.9 i7 Dual Core Processor, and HD5000 GPU for $1,900" looks good, but it is only $95 cheaper and has an 14" screen vs. the 15.6" Samsung. What about it "sounds much better" to you?

 

Good job getting it back to Win7. It is silly that SRS5 won't boot properly just because a newer OS is installed on the Windows partition (though it's probably the bootloader on the MSR partition that confuses it). I think Samsung should have put the newer SRS6 on these models as it is generally a much better Recovery platform.

That said, I remain convinced that Win8 or 8.1 can be brought to work with full functionality (including Fn-keys) since it works on other Samsung models -- including those NP930/940 models sold in other countries with Win8.1 pre-installed. Now, whether a user prefers one or the other is a different matter.

As for installing Win7, while I normally recommend avoiding the old Microsoft's USB creation tool for Win8 models with UEFI enabled (using Rufus or manual creation instead), the Microsoft tool can actually be used on these Win7 models which have UEFI disabled.

 

The Intel HD5000 GPU, the matte screen, and next business day service, which is vastly superior from regular consumer ones. I do however like the 15.6" screen at the ATIV. However the extra storage can be compensated with:

Transcend 1 TB USB 3.0 External Hard Drive - Military Drop Standards (TS1TSJ25M3):Amazon:Computers & Accessories

Or a 256 GB SSD version that's in the ATIV but well have to wait for Samsung to sell it... Can fit if it does have the 2nd slot.

 

I believe the 940X5J comes with touchscreen, preinstalled and optimized for windows 8.1. I did not want a touchscreen laptop because of fingerprints and studies show touchscreen use more battery. I wouldn't have upgraded to 8.1 if I knew Win7's longer battery life. On my other preinstalled Win8.1 PC I bypass the start page completely and use ClassShell. And somehow Win 7 just seems more suitable in a professional environment. Although I think the SPlayer+ app for lossless audio only comes on the 940 version where Win8 is preinstalled, because right now I don't even know if the 930 even has the lossless audio feature.

 

Glad you found what you were looking for!

 

I understand. Certainly different users have different preferences for Windows versions. It is my impression that Samsung in many (or most) countries deliver both the NP930 and NP940 with Win8.1. That is why I was convinced that it could be made to work with 8.1, Fn-keys and all.

 

Thanks Bry78!

Everyone,

I get what all of the fuss is about and honestly, I was looking at either this, the ATIV 940, or the new Razer 14. Basically it was a powerhouse up against something ultra portable but the battery life really sealed the deal for me. Realising that more often than not I wouldn't be playing games on this or using it for movies (have a TV and Desktop, sorry university students), it became a natural choice to go for something that can run more of a marathon (both were portable) but would still manage on the lowest settings. My current macbook pro now has a short battery life and I'm gearing towards something more for work (ergo professional looking) so this became the natural choice.

With the above in mind, this clearly is not a budget laptop. There are many viable options around the $1K range but this has a considerable splurge factor.

Hope this helps.

 

HP Elitebook Folio 1040 is great laptop,but Samsung Ativ Book 9 line is Apple quality ,also ativ Book 9 has at lest double battery life over HP Elitebook.Whats even more interesting predecessor of 1040 has better battery life.
Only thing that stopping me from buying Ativ Book 2014 is way to much reflective screen.For storage I have desktop PC.
If you want performance + battery life for affordable price you should look Lenovo Ideapad 530.
But like I said Samsung is something other,Lenovo section of forum is just to active.

 

Just make a full disk backup with clonezilla beforehand.

The W7 key is easily extractable, just write it down before you install W8.

 

^ Yes. Maybe the Product Key is even on a sticker under the bottom or on the PSU, as it used to be with Win7 laptops.

I would point out what superj89 confirmed, that once Win7 is back, Recovery can be used again to restore the factory installation. Very possibly, just restoring the bootloader on the small MSR partition (which can be done from Win7 Setup, without doing a full install) is enough to get Recovery working again.

Note that image backups made with other tools will lose Recovery once you restore them (because they don't understand how Samsung Recovery Solution works). The same is true with clonezilla backups of just the Recovery partition. It has to be a full disk backup.

For users who want to be on the safe side with regards to backing up their Recovery, you can follow steps (2) in this post.

 

I didn't have to enter Win7 key during setup, I just checked the box for "activating later". When it went to desktop I immediately restarted to go into F4 recovery. After I clean installed 7 only the keyboard worked, no touchpad, wifi, low resol etc.

 

It was very fortunate the W8 setup didn't completely brick recovery so you were able to restore. Yes, you would need a few drivers to make W7/W8 work well. You can get these through software update beforehand if you wanted to do a clean install. I would certainly make sure I could always get back to recovery as warranty issues are not uncommon.

 

There are 2 available on Amazon at the moment
Amazon.com: Samsung ATIV Book 9 2014 Edition 15.6-Inch Laptop, Solid Black NP940X5J-K01US: Computers & Accessories
Amazon.com : Samsung ATIV Book 9 2014 Edition 15.6-Inch Laptop, Solid Black NP940X5J-K02US : Computers & Accessories

The difference is
NP940X5J-K01US = 128 GB SSD, i5 1.6GHz CPU $1,499.99
NP940X5J-K02US = 256 GB SSD, i7 1.8GHz CPU $1,899.99

Am I better off getting the NP940X5J-K01US and replacing the 128 GB SSD with a 512 GB SSD?
e.g. this for $335
Newegg.com - Crucial M550 CT128M550SSD4 M.2 Type 2280 128GB SATA 6Gb/s MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Alternatively, is the CPU upgradable?
i.e. can I get a quad core processor in there?

 

^
According to those Amazon links, they're both i7, 4200U and 4500U, respectively. I think that may be a mistake, though and it's really i5-4200U.

I would personally do what you say, and spend the price difference on an SSD upgrade. OTOH the CPU is not upgradable, so if you need the extra MHz (during the usable lifetime of the computer) you have no choice but to go big.

 

All accounts I've read seem to indicate that the difference between the i5 4200U and the i7 4500U is negligible.

I think I'll do the same thing... Get the cheaper version and add an extra SSD or replace the 128GB with a 256 or even 512. Hopefully another vendor besides Amazon will also carry the new Book 9 and let you use a discount coupon or at least cashback.

 

We're also forgetting the fact that some of these other SSDs can drain the battery life of the ATIV Book 9. And substantially get rid of those "14 hours"

 

Yes, the Samsung SSD is much more power efficient than the Crucial M500 and M550, especially in idle!
I added a Crucial M550 to my NP930X5J. Nevertheless, I still get pretty good battery life!

M550 idle power consumption is about 2 Watts in Sa... - Crucial Community
What is the idle power consumption of M500 480 in ... - Crucial Community

PS: I bought my NP930X5J from PConnection 2 weeks ago. PConnection is out of stock already.
http://www.pcconnection.com/product...ore-i7-15.6in-display/np930x5j-s01us/16820370

I suggest to order yours before the reviews come out (which will be RAVE!). It may be out of stock very quickly..

Interesting that the Touch NP940X5J is $40 cheaper than the non-touch NP930X5J
http://www.pcconnection.com/product...15.6-touch/np940x5j-k02us/17320166?cac=Result
Perhaps it is because the non-Touch NP940X5J comes with Win7 (incl free upgrade to Win 8.1)?
..

 

So would waiting for a Samsung SSD compatible with the NP940+930X5J lines be the best approach?

 

That depends on you. One can wait forever for the next best thing. I wanted it now so I bought it right away. I have not regretted it. It is the most powerful 15" PC you can get right now that weighs less than 4 lbs.
Once a better 512 GB SSD comes out, I will get it and sell my Crucial SSD on eBay. Unless of course the idle power bug for the Crucial M500 and M550 SSDs gets fixed with a Firmware Update.

 

I think it is more likely because Intel and Microsoft contribute co-branding for Win8.1 touch models. Win7 non-touch models don't qualify for that. Samsung targets these models at businesses and users who are particular about their needs -- and they are expected to pay.

 

Power consumption is something that manufacturers give you best they can ,right from the start . Sometimes they can squeeze a little bit of performance with new firmware, but I never saw lower power with new firmware.I saw only increase in performance and always increase in access times(ridicules) that's way I even don't update firmware any more.
While Samsung EVO has 0,30W power draw in idle ,Crucial has hole W.Also you need to consider "busy time" -time that SSD need to finish your order .and then compare all =busy time + power draw.
Some SSDs have low power consumtion,but they also have high busy time ,so when you put that together you definitely don't have winner.
For now it seems Samsung is winner in power consumption.You have Plextor M6e with 0.5w in idle but Plextor keep prices from 2012.
Did somebody saw position of sata port 1?.Is it under motherboard?

 

Not sure what it means but both those links aren't valid anymore and the search is also not coming up with anything.

Does anyone know where else these can be bought in north america? And more specifically in Canada if anyone knows

 

My guess would be the touch has a 1 year warranty and the business model 3 years.

 

Anyone know when we are likely to see these in the UK? Been waiting since Jan for some news on release dates and have heard absolutely nothing ever since, despite multiple searches.

Also curious if the non-touch version has much better battery life? I read this was the case on another laptop when comparing touch to non-touch. I don't really see a need for touch on a standard laptop when you are going to need to use the keyboard most of the time anyway so I would probably rather haveextra battery life. Of course if the 2 models have virtually no difference in any way, might as well just get the touch version.

 

It is already out-of-stock at most retailers in the US:
Samsung ATIV Book 9NP930X5J 156 LED Notebook Intel Core i7 i7 4500U 180 GHz Black by Office Depot
Newegg.com - SAMSUNG ATIV Book 9 Plus NP930X5J-S01US Intel Core i7 4500U (1.80GHz) 8GB Memory 256GB SSD 15.6" Ultrabook Windows 7 Professional

MacMall has 2 units left:
http://www.macmall.com/p/Samsung-Notebook-Computers/product~dpno~9949848~pdp.ifgcggg
and CDW also shows "in stock":
SAMSUNG ATIV I7-4500U 8GB 256GB W8.1 - NP930X5J-S01US - Notebook Computers - CDW.com
Hurry!

 

Check out my earlier post with photos:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sam...ll-announced-jan-6-2014-a-26.html#post9642957

 

Just received the NP930X5J from PC Connection. First thoughts:

HEAVY >4 pounds (especially compared to NP900X3B and NP900X4D both of which we own)
LARGER - by about an inch, which makes it look and feel much larger than the NP900X4D
GLOSSY - the box says low reflectance - the screen is glossy - turn up the brightness to avoid problems

IMO, this is not the sleek, slender, top-notch versions of prior years. Samsung is holding to their promise of no further development of PCs... I wish I had just ordered another NP900X4D.

Battery life initially not so great - at 56% remaining after 3 hours of use this morning. Hoping this is just new system workload...

 

Like I said ,only way we can now exact battery life is if somebody mimic notebookcheck wifi test everything else is ...guess
900X3G have lower battery life then i7 900X3C in wifi test(surfing all the time).Somebody here said two different person made review for these two notebooks,but that doesn't matter because notebookcheck wifi test is standard for all reviews;
•WiFi mode: the possible battery life while surfing the Internet via WiFi with medium brightness (~150 cd/m²) and power-saving options ("Power Saver" mode) switched on. We measure the run time by letting the device run an automatic script, which picks a mix of websites and switches between them every 40 seconds.
Test-Criteria
With similar test I come to conclusion that Windows 8 is better in battery life then Windows 7 for about 1 hour and Windows 8.1 for about 30 minutes.I drained my battery 6 times to confirm this.

 

Thanks for your impressions. It's good to have someone compare it to the previous version. You're not alone in wishing Samsung had simply upgraded the display on what was an extraordinary 3.5lb 15" notebook. Let us know if the battery life improves.

 

Are you sure you ordered the NP930X5J ?
HEAVY??? >4 lbs???? The P930X5J I received from PCConnection weighs 3.96 lbs I just weighed mine on Starbucks' food scale.
(the extra 0.06 lbs must be the 2nd SSD I put in .
LARGER - Yes, the screen is 0.6 inches larger than the X4C (which I also own) - but that's a good thing no?
GLOSSY - Yes, it is not matte. Same as MacBook Pro (see my earlier photos of X5J next to MPP)
Build quality: same high quality as X4J.
Battery life: I consider 6 hours of heavy duty workout sufficient.

 

Please send me the script and I will run the test for you on my X4J

 

Looks like Amazon (US) has ran out of their pre-order stock on the i5 and i7 touch. That's my guess at least, clicking on the links goes to an Amazon web page unavailable.

Looking for something?
We're sorry. The Web address you entered is not a functioning page on our site

Go to Amazon.com's Home Page

 

Amazon still has some NP930X5J listed from another seller, with no specs of submodel or components. But they'e accepting orders for $2,000

http://www.amazon.com/ATIV-Book-NP930X5J-15-6-Notebook/dp/B00IEH3WZ6/

 

Interesting! I guess I got lucky? I had added to my cart but didn't actually purchase it. I just went back and it was still in my cart even though I couldn't look at the product page. I was able to still purchase it.

 

Sorry I don't have script.
What I did is install "refresh page add-on" for the browser you use and then open main page of notebookreview forum and set up refresh add on to refresh page every 40 second.You can run test only for two hours and then see what is left.The main purpose of this test is to wifi adater work and work and work.
I think that notebookreview forum page is pretty active in US time so it need to reload new page every second time.
But please ,you don't have to do it because of me.
If you still do that test,turn off adaptive brightness and set brightness to half which is about ~150 cd/m² .Am I right ,or does Ativ book 2014 have bigger cd/m² ?

 

I've been waiting for some solid information about this laptop for so long! I finally found this thread, this is awesome.

All I'm looking for is a laptop that is comparable to or better than the MacBook Pro. I need a good laptop because I'm a graphic design student and will be using the Adobe Suite, but I hate Apple.
I can't have anything with a QHD display because Adobe programs don't scale correctly, causing icons to be tiny and unusable. For example, this Dell is perfect, but the resolution is not.
The Dell Online Store: Build Your System



The ATIV 9 15.6" is appealing but I'm confused about the variations.
One version has the faux leather like on the Galaxy Note 3: We go hands-on with the Samsung ATIV Book 9 Ultrabook at CeBIT 2014

This is the version that huberth bought: Buy Samsung ATIV Book 9 : 1.8GHz Core i7 15.6in display Notebooks NP930X5J-S01US today at PC Connection
I'm interested in just ordering this one, but I'm wondering if Samsung will release other models when the official release date is announced? I read that the speculated date is the end of May (29th-ish).


I'm already seeing different variations like:
Matte display for Germany? http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/747020-samsung-15-6-fhd-notebook-ativ-book-9-style.html
I live in the US. Why would there be a matte version in Germany but not in the US?


This is all very confusing. If anyone has any thoughts, please do respond Thanks

 

Hello Cbehba
Ativ book Style is also 15,6 inch but without backlit keyboard and probably lot lower quality when it comes to whole notebook.
They said for 930x5j it would be low reflective , I say its enough reflective to call it glossy screen.
So I wouldn't hope Ativ book Style be any different.Ativ book 9 touch ,under number 940x5j would have same screen maybe even more reflective.That is the one that will be avalible in May.
Grab that 930x5j before its sell because I don't expect any new models from Samsung.

 

Also, I want a nice spec'd laptop, price really doesn't matter to me. Do you think that Samsung will release an option with better specs at a later date than this summer for the ATIV 15.6" ?

 

Yes i7 version always show up after.I tought you meant on other models.
http://www.pcm.com/p/Samsung-Notebook-Computers/product~dpno~9949848~pdp.ifgcggg
If you think on bigger SSD then you have option to install second one in this notebook.

 

Yeah, I meant: is Samsung going to offer better/different versions of the ATIV 9 15.6" after its initial release date?

 

is there any i7 touch models announced yet ive only seen the i5 touch but not the i7

 

The NP930X5J (non touch) with Core i7 is available in Germany (1600 € with VAT) :

Samsung ATIV Book 9 NP930X5J-K01DE 2014 Edition | Samsung | Ultrabooks | ARLT Computer

and also, at a cheaper price, in Italy (1065 € with VAT) :

SAMSUNG BOOK 9 2014 EDITION - NP930X5J-K01IT - Notebook - Cytech.it

I still can't believe the price difference between Germany and Italy...

 

1499 US Dollar equals 1090.50 Euro.

The price in Italy is the best I have ever seen of the i7 256GB model. I hope it is not a mistake!

EDIT:
"Tastiera retroilluminata: No
Materiale chassis: Alluminio + Plastica"

means that it does not have a backlit keyboard and it is made of Aluminum and plastic

 

its costs 2282 dollars or 1658 euro in sweden

 

Are you referring to the NP930X5J-K01 or NP930X5J-K02 ?

 

Samsung 930X5J-K02SE the i7 model

 

Don't forget that in Europe the tax is included in the price. Not so in the USA:
My 930X5J-K02 was $1,978.12 + $10.71 shipping +$139.22 tax = Total US $2,128.05 from PCConnection (USA)