Samsung Q45 (12.1" widescreen)

I've not noticed any heat in the Q35's palm rests and I have used the Q35 in a hot climate where the X60 plus's palm warmer starts to get a little uncomfortable. In fact I'm surprised to hear of the left palm rest getting warm. Under it is the PC card slot, which normally contains a filler, and below that the wireless module. Does the Q45 have a different layout?

The only reason I can think for which would make the left palm rest warm would be a power-hungry module in the card slot which was generating some heat.

John

 

Ordered one today - a bit fazed by the eastern european card payment system asking for 997 Slovak koruna.

I think they will get more business once they get payment via Paypal sorted out.

BTW is there still a need from anyone for a single page review or has the drip feed of info been sufficent?

 

The more info about the Q45 the better. Do you have any more feedback on the battery life. eg DVD playback time on medium brightness.

Are you the Q45 owner who could rise to the challenge of doing a proper review? (You do get paid!). The length and level of detail of the review depends on the time and inclination of the reviewer, but it would be very useful to get all the info into one place. PM me if you want more guidance.

John

 

i think... a proper review for some owner of Q45 will be really usefull... anyone from you who has bought it can please do the review so that i or anyone else can compare it properly to other product... cause it will be a lil bit difficult if the info is scattered in one thread cause not so many like to read thru the thread...

as john willing to help how to write the review, i guess that should be a really good opportunity cause i really love how John wrote his review... at least till now...

btw... regarding the palm rest... like John wrote already... is the layout for Q45 different from Q35 where the left palm rest has only the card slot... ?

 

Long time no post, so im sorry for that, but have been doing my finals (fingers crossed).

I am now using the Samsung Q45 continually, and I can report a very positive experience. I agree the gloss of the screen is very reflective, so I do have to position myself carefully in my room (its double aspect so very bright!) but the size and portability makes moving about easy!

It was very easy to adapt to the shift key being so small but still taking some time to get used to the fn key. They travel on the keyboard is excellent and really satisfying to type with.

The left wrist rest area of my Samsung is definitely warmer than the right, though not by much and it is certainly not "hot" imo.

Right now, the battery is displaying about 5hr 40mins on a full charge under "Samsung optimised" power plan. Though this keeps fluctuating up and down between 4hrs 30mins and 6hrs 10 mins. This is all with Bluetooth turned on (or at least I havent gone to any efforts to turn it off), though the laptop is set to be non-discoverable (I dont know if thats the same as turning it off...)

Other than that the only problems I have had are using Vista and firefox together, but multiple patches and scripts are slowly sorting that out.

 

6hrs 10 mins with bluetooth on... thats really nice of the battery life... eventho like you said its fluctuating, but still... that a lot of battery life with bluetooth on.... i suppose you will get around 7hours + with bluetooth off rite...

 

awesome, a sub 10W notebook. Is the GPU a X3100 ?

 

Yes, the Q45 currently on sale in UK has the Intel X3100. The 8400M G is listed in the general specs as another GPU for the Q45.

Down around 10W is plausible and consistent with what the Q35 can achieve (with a dim backlight). This low power level is why the forecast running time fluctuates wildly since a little intense actvity can push the power drain temporarily up by several watts, which has a big effect on the calculation.

It definitely appears that Intel succeeded with its power management tweaks which have made the power drain of the Santa Rosa platform now worse (and possibly a little better) than the 945GM chipset.

The next question is: Does the fan come on at all when running on battery under light load? If it does come on with Fn+F8 set to "normal", does it stay off when Fn+F8 is set to "silent" mode? (The Q35's fan usually comes on intermittently).

John

 

The X3100 however has quite some 3D potential(unlike all previous mobile GMA from Intel), so this seems to be quite a capable model yet consume not much power with light load.

 

Do you mean "noT worse"? Please confirm.

Seraph

 

Well spotted. Yes I meant "not worse". My fingers don't always type what my brain is trying to say.

And it is possible that the 965 chipset is a little more power efficient than the 945.

John

 

Insight UK is now listing two version of the Q45:

NP-Q45A002/SUK Samsung Q45 T7100 1.8ghz 2gb 160gb Dvdrw 12" VHP

NP-Q45A003/SUK Samsung Q45 T7100 1.8ghz 2gb 120gb Dvdrw 12" Wvb Bth

The latter is slightly more expensive with a smaller HDD, Bluetooth? and Vista Business.

John

 

Not sure how useful this is, but I just received the Q45 Data Sheet (attached), so I thought I should upload it and we have all the specs in one place.

Seraph

 

That is very useful although the first page doesn't have much information. If only these sheets were available for all the Samsung notebooks.

I think the X3000 graphics is actually the X3100.

John

 

Hi,

I'm a very new member. I was looking for a laptop and recently discovered the Samsung Q45 and have completely fallen for it!!

I've shopping around and although I manage to bargain the price in most of the Tottenham Court Road computer stores I went to, I'm quite dubious of their customer service and warranty.

John, you said that you bought it in a John Lewis store. I went to the one on Oxford Street but they didn't seem to know anything about this model. I also rang High Wycombe but they didn't have this model either.

Can you please tell me how you managed to get yours? Was it from the main store?

Many thanks

Louisa

 

>Ordered one today - a bit fazed by the eastern european card payment system asking for 997 Slovak koruna.

What size did you order? The 12" sleeve doesn't seem to be big enough for the Q45.

Tim

 

I'm using the 13" becase sleeve with my Q35 as stated in my review. It is slightly loose (which makes it easy to get the computer in and out). The same size should be good for the Q45. I await to see whether I can squeeze the Q70 into that sleeve.

John

 

Hello Louisa

I would go for John Lewis: not only it is a co-op, but they do have excellent customer service and (I think) good offers for 2/3-yr warranty (but check with them).

I have definitely seen the brand new Q45 (and the new R20) at JL in Newcastle. I suggest you go to your nearest and ask them to check their orders to find out when it is arriving there. If they don't know what you are talking about, ask them to give a ring to the Newcastle store: 0191 232 5000

Computing staff at JL are usually helpful and on the know, so they should be able to help.

Seraph

 

I use 13" sleeve too for my Q35... n it fit just well together with the battery... cause the battery seem to take extra space... so i would suggest to get the 13" sleeve... it can be the becase like john said or the neoprene... i use the neoprene which give me just nice cover for my Q35

 

Hi Seraph,

Thanks a lot for your reply. I wanted to buy it from JL for exactly the same reasons. They offer 2 year guaranty. I went to the one on Oxford st but they didn't kmow anything about the Q45. Yesterday I phoned their High Wycombe store but no success there either.

I'll keep trying.

Thanks again

Louisa

 

I bought one today from JL Peterborough, only one they had but the model is on display. Any questions let me know

 

This place offers the Samsung Q45 with:

Intel® Centrino™ Duo, 12.1" WXGA Screen, Windows Vista Home Premium Edition, 2048MB RAM, 160GB HDD, DVD Rewriter, Integrated Graphics

http://www.saveonsamsung.com/product/id/221507/NP-Q45A002/SUK

for £750... best price i've seen....

 

Yes, if you could tell us what laptop you had before and how it compares (mainly in terms of screen reflection and weight, my interests) that would be great.

What I need to know: is Q45 the kind of laptop you would not think twice packing with your things and take with you to a short break? (not talking about holidays here, obviously or would you feel it's a burden?

Seraph

 

Hi All,

First post here! Well I've been looking for the holy grail, an ultralight long battery life laptop. I've been looking for the last two weeks and had decided on the Asus U1. Then Sony announced the TZ and I was in love but could not justify the price (come on Sony you kit is good, but not THAT good). I then came across this thread yesterday afternoon and was amazed at the spec of this little Q45. Ok its not ultralight, but its £800 compared to the Asus U1 £1200 and the Sony TZ £1700 and I can't resist a bargain. Went to the JL in Southampton and one was on display, played with it for a while and bought one, none in stock but one is being shipped to my home from Bristol.Just wanted to say thanks to all the posters on this thread for the useful information that helped me make my choice! Will let you know how I get on when my new shiny, shiny turns up!

 

PS it cost me £799 from JL and nothing for them to ship to my home address. £50 pound more than an onlline store but you get that extra 1yr JL warranty.

Also I saw the screen when they were checking stock and there were 3 at Cheadle and 1's and 2's elsewhere so don't be put off if they say there are none in stock.

 

Thanks Adam. It is not available in any of JL stores in central London but I have finally managed to reserve one in Kingston.

I really appreciate your help. I will probably have more question when I bring it home.

Many thanks again.

Louisa

 

so seems so many bought in already this model.... anyone care to take some times to write a full review?

 

I feel I ought to. Not because I think it will be particularly good, but because I know how much I wanted a review before buying. And I know how useful I found John's Q35 RED review.

Of course the ideal would be someone who had a Q35 comparing the Q45 directly...

 

I bought mine in John Lewis Milton Keynes. Sent the MK store an email (through the JL website - do a search for a specific store and an web email box will appear ) - they emailed back saying as it was the last one they had reserved it for me. I called the call centre phone number in the email to confirm I wanted it and to pay, and then collected it from the store 45 minutes later.

 

I ordered the 13" on the advice of the gang in here. I have confirmation its now en-route so I should have it next week.

 

the comparing can be done later on... so i don't think it really matter... cause other can compare it too as long as the data is there... only the feeling n so on is not there... but that can be skip...

so please do continue with your review if you insist on doing that... ask John is you have anything to ask or need an advice for that

 

Most definitely not a burden. The Q45 is probably about half the volume of many 15.4" notebooks and, becasue it is smaller, does not need its own bag. The convenience is being able to take the smaller notebooks on short trips is one of the main reasons for buying them.

John

 

Nor is the Q45 ultrathin, but this means it can pack in a decent size fan which isn't noisy. At present there isn't much other choice in the 12.1" size with the new hardware. The new Intel GPU is a significant improvement on the old one while still being economical on power.

It seems that the Q45 is a little thicker, perhaps because they have increased the travel on the keyboard. This would be easy to check from side-by-side comparisons. Otherwise, there is much about the Q35 in my review. OK, that's not the final Q35, but is probably the best for comparison.

Yes, I can help and other Q35 owners may also be able to comment.

What do people want to know about the Q45? My first question is what does it actually weigh (rather than what the specs say - surprising the R20 came in 0.1kg light) and second what are the real dimensions? Third is how long does the battery last?

Reviews are a very helpful resource for people making buying decisions. However, I find the reviews at Trusted Reviews tend to be a little superficial and lacking in detail.

John

 

>My first question is what does it actually weigh (rather than what the specs

According to our digital Kitchen scales my Q45 weighs 1905g.

Dimensions, including the battery, which sticks out are 300 x 240 x 40 (including the feet).

Can't comment on the battery life yet.

Tim

 

Thanks.

So the weight may be a little more than the weight (1.86kg) in the Samsung specs. Usually, the digital scale are pretty close, but can you check a big bag of flour or sugar (should be slightly over the stated weight to allow for the bag). Another check could be to weigh a known volume of water.

The 40mm thickness is the same as the Q35. Someone had previously reported a slightly bigger thickness. The width is the same as the Q35 but the front-to-back on the Q45 is slightly more owing to, I suspect, the bevel edge at the front.

John

 

Hi,

I was all set to get a Q45 tomorrow from John lewis, but I thought i'd do one last recon in store. The ticket next to it said it had a 8400M GS, but upon inspection I found that it actually only had the integrated Intel graphics

Does anyone know when I can expect the variant with the 8400M to be available? I phoned Samsung and they said there was no staggered launch - that both variants should be in the market. John Lewis couldn't tell me if or when they expected this variant either. I love everything else about the Q45, but I won't be buyng it with the X3000

 

>Usually, the digital scale are pretty close, but can you check a big bag of flour

I just weighed a 500g bag of flour and that weighed 509g. A 500g pack of spaghetti weighed 505g, so probably fairly accurate?

Tim

 

I was wondering whether it was possible to run the laptop (or any Samsung ones) from the mains, without having the battery present?

From what I know about batteries this would reduce the wear, and increase battery life while out-and-about, right?

 

Of coz you can put off the battery... but with samsung battery charging program which only start when it is 97% if i am not mistaken... the battery will be stay at it state while we are on main power... so the percentage about the battery wear will be reduced for this matter...

I was asking the same question too before...

 

Thanks. So that's about right, allowing for the weight of the bag, and measn the Q45 is a little heavier than advertised.

That is also my understanding. I notice my computers do a top-up charge once ever few days.

John

 

Samsung UK has finally got round to adding the Q45 to its website.

Clearly the 8400M GPU is an option.

John

 

Dear all,

I have finally bought my beautifully Q45. As much as I cherish it, Vista (probably) is causing much grief! Since I bought it (last Sunday), I keep having problems. The last and recurring problem I encounter is the following display driver error: "Display driver stopped responding and has recovered. Display driver igfx stopped responding and has successfully recovered."
Basically, my screen goes black for a few seconds and then this error messoge appears. I've looked it up on the internet and apparently this is a problem occured by many people using Vista, especially gamers. I'm not a gamer and have only used Windows Media Player.

I also tried to get an update for the driver of my display adapter, which is by the way "Mobile Intel 965 Express chipset family"-not exactly what was on the specs-but no success.

Please help.

Many thanks

Louisa

 

Okay so I ended up buying it anyway - didn't fancy the stronger graphics card drawing more power and ruining the battery life

How do I disable bluetooth to get more battery time?

 

Did you try running the Samsung Update plus? However, I'm not sure where it checks for new drivers.

The latest graphics driver on the Intel site is 15.4. It says it is the initial release, but it may be newer than the driver on the Samsung site. It's worth trying since you have a problem.

If you don't need Bluetooth, then it may be best to disable it in Device Manager. Unfortunately, the BT tray icon in Vista doesn't have a start / stop option (it's there in XP - so much for progress). However, a month back someone posted a little program called bt_on_off. I have attacted it. The zip file contains two programs: devcon.exe and bt_on_off.exe. You need to run devcon.exe first (I'm not sure if you have to do this each time you start Vista) and then run bt_on_off.exe as Administrator (right click on the file). You will then get two buttons for on and off. It seems to work.

First see what battery time you get with Bluetooth enabled. Then try disabling it.

John

 

I don't think we had previously picked up a Korean review of the Q45.

There is an excellent set of photos and illustrations which more than compensate for the difficult translation. We can now see that the second RAM slot is under the keyboard.

It is in two parts: Part one and part two.

Enjoy!

John

 

Thanks for this, John

One of my concerns with Q45 is the 2MB L2 Cache of the T7100. I can see on the Samsung specs that they have plans for a full range of 4MB L2 Cache (all the way up to the most recent T7700 @2.4GHz! Any idea how a 4MB L2 would affect the battery life, compared to the low-spec T7100?

Seraphim

 

The Samsung UK website specs always list more hardware options than the end users will ever see.

I am sure that 4MB cache does reduce the battery life compared to 2MB cache simply because there are a lot more transistors available to leak power. On the other hand, the various CPU sleep states progressively turn off parts of the CPU when it is inactive so I think the difference in power consumption when running light usage on battery will be quite small.

Unfortunately, Intel give one set of thermal and electrical design data for all the T series CPUs so it is not possible, without measurements, to determine the difference.

Unless you are running CPU intensive applications, the T7100 has sufficient power, particularly if combined with 2GB or more RAM. The T7300 may be 15% faster for those occasions when you have the CPU under load.

What hardware options actually appear will depend on the specifications selected by the Samsung country office.

John

 

My First Post!

Happy owner of new Q45.

2 points to bring into the discussion:

1. Lots of references to the Nvidia higher performance graphics card (including that on the Samsung site) mention EXTERNAL video card.

2. Back left hand side I have an unknown, and undocumented port with an unrecognised symbol printed over it. It looks like a round rubber plug about 6 mm diameter. I haven't tried to remove it.

Any one care to comment on these?

Cheers

Scott

 

Welcome.

1. The Nvidia graphics option is not an external device but a separate chip on the motherboard. It remains to be seen if/when this will appear in the UK in a different version of the Q45. It would be a step up in performance relative to the Intel GPU which you have got, but that Intel GPU is a big step up compared to the previous Intel GPUs while, at the same time, having excellent power saving features. The possibility of plugging in another GPU is 0.0.

2. That undocumented port at the back left is where the DMB antenna would fit on the Korean version. Go to this page, click on the Location of Controls and then scroll down to look at the pictures.

John

 

Hi there,

Well I now have my Q45 from JL. Charged, half of the "helpfull" software removed and now loving it. 6 hours from a charge with BT and WiFi off so pretty happy with that. Not so happy with the placement of the Windows key, also, event though it's in a lappy bag there are already some minute scratches to the top surface. Its not going to stay shiny shiny for very long, but thats not the reason I bought it..I'll upload some picture I took last night as I unwrapped it and if anyone want any details just ask.