Samsung Q45 (12.1" widescreen)

I have tried most of this. The all modes display gives a resolution 2048x1546. It just does not contain 1680x1050. Damn annoying as this is the res of most 20" and 22" monitors.

 

This is very frustrating. Two potential culprits come to mind: The Intel driver and the LG .inf file.

You can get the latest Intel driver here. While you are at Intel, also download and run the latest INF update utility.

The LG disc should have a file ending .inf which contains the monitor properties. I've just looked at the master LG monitor driver file and it doesn't include your monitor (in fact there's nothing in that file newer than mid-2006). Do you have the right file on your CD. One of those lines should contain the maximum resolution.

I've just tried plugging my Q35 (previous Intel graphics) into my 1440 x 900 monitor and it offered the 1440 x 900 option once I had set the monitor to be the only display device (otherwise it refused go go above 1280 x 800). This was without needing any device driver file. Device Manager reports the monitor as Generic PnP Monitor. It is using the generic monitor.inf file, but that file does not contain any mention of 1440 x 900 resolution, so it must be reading the resolution from the monitor. Does your LG monitor have any options in its setup? I Googled and found this page with a reference to this page.

See if this helps.

John

 

The latest drivers cause me problems. I end up with about half a dozen warning boxes when my lappy boots. I think I will wait for the next lot of drivers. Thanks for your help so far!

 

This is a Request For John Ratsey - hope it posts in the correct place.

Hi John
Regarding your suggestion to disable Bluetooth in Device Manager.
When I look in device manager I find 2 entries under Bluetooth Radios:
1.Generic Bluetooth Adapter
2.Microsoft Bluetooth Enumerator
Then further down in Network Adapters I find 2 more entries:-
1.Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network) #3
2.Bluetooth Device (RFCOMM Protocol TDI) #3

I'm not too sure which one (or all) that I should disable.
Rgds
Todger

PS John Lewis deivered my Q45 yesterday and I'm just getting used to it and Vista.
All takes a bit of getting used to as I spent the last 5 years tampering and dismantling my Sony GRX 315MP
running XP.

 

Welcome. Yes, you've come to the right place.

First check if there is a stop option when you right click on the Bluetooth icon in the system tray. If there is, then that's the easy fix.

If there isn't, you may want to try the attached BT on/off utility which one member provided a while back.

Finally, I would try disabling the Generic Bluetooth Adaptor. I think that is the real hardware and the others are software extensions.

You may want to check the effect: Start > run > "perfmon". The add a %C3 time counter. Is there any difference battery / mains power / Bluetooth on / off. On battery the %C time should be 80 - 90% when the computer is idling along. It may/ may not be when on mains. (C3 is a low power sleep state).

Hope this helps,

John

 

Hello,

can somebody tell me how long the batterylife is with windows XP (and installed battery / displaymanager for XP)

I know that the batterylife without these tools is 2-3 hours and i wan't to know if these tools increase the batterylife under XP to more than 3 hours

JOat

 

Just a quick update on my monitor problem. It turned out to be a dodgy VGA lead! Working fine and dandy now.

 

Thanks for the feedback.

John

 

Hi John, Thanks for the quick reply.
Firstly I'm not very familiar with Vista - couldn't even find the "Run" command so had to resort to using the command prompt and opening perfmon that way. Also didn't really understand this bit quote" The add a %C3 time counter" unquote - I assumed a typo to mean Then add .....
I looked thru all the things you could add under File/Add Remove snap ins but couldn't find any mention of a %3C time counter.
Also I downloaded the file but it wouldn't unzip -kept getting errors. It did unzip ok on my desktop pc running XP.
Any chance of a bit more explaining to help a right dummy.
Thanks
Todger

 

First (easiest?): The BTONOFF Bluetooth on/off. You need to get the Bt_on_off.exe out of the zip file. Maybe Vista is blocking you (the nanny state mentality has spread to Microsoft). I am assuming that if you double click on the .zip file then a window opens with a line saying "BT_ON_OFF Application ". Click on this name and drag it onto the desktop or the Quick Launch area of the taskbar.Ricght click on the icon and select Run as Administrator. Then click on Allow. You should now get a little window with On and Off buttons.

Second: The %C3 time. This is getting a little technical. This is short hand for the proportion of the time the CPU spends in the C3 state (which is a low lower state). It can be grabbing a quick nap of a few microseconds here and there while still appearing to be working, but saving some power at the same time.

You should have a run option in the start menu which brings up a little box where you enter a command. Find the little box and type "perfmon". You will then need to confirm to the User Account Control (Microsoft's nanny) that you want to continue. This should bring up a window with some pretty graphs.

Go to the menu on the left side of the window and click on Performance Monitor. The graphs on the right side should change to one big window where a red line will be progressive drawn. Look at the bottom of the window and you should see this is %Processor time.

Right-click on the graph window and select Add Counters. Another window should appear. Click on the + at the end of the Processors line. The click on %C3 Time and press the Add button. You will now get a second line on the graph. However, it will most likely be also red, so go down to the row at the bottom, scroll down, right click and select properties then change the colour.

I attach some screen dumps which may help you see what is happening.

John

 

Hi John
No, the zip file keeps coming back with an error. But I copied the unzipped folder from my desktop (xp) - it also contains a file called devcon.exe???
So I ran the BTonoff file as admin and got the on/off box. Clicked off and got an error box telling me
" an unhandled exception has occurred in your application - if you click Continue the application will ignore this error and attempt to continue. if you click quit the app will close immediately"
I tried both but the BT icon stayed in the taskbar - is there a way to tell if BT is actually off or on?

On the positive side, following your instructions, I got the %C3 meter up, changed the colour to blue but didn't actually get a blue trace (loads of red as before) perhaps I'm not getting down into a "low" state.
Yours Dummily
Todger

 

Did anyone actually get a Q45 with nvidia chip in it ? I spent days hassling sales reps who promised that they came with it.. but in fact turned out nobody in the uk actually had one.... Samsung said there was no uk model with nvidia available... Ended up getting pissed off and ordering an M1330... what a great change from one frustration to another !!! meh

 

22 pages and not a proper timed battery life figure?

If somebody wants to provide one, that would be very nice.

 

http://www.tech.co.uk/computing/mobile-computing/notebooks-and-tablet-pcs/review/samsung-q45

This review gives it 4/5 stars, yet the text is quite critical. I don't think much of it considering the text does not even discuss how small the system is, or the battery life.

 

Unfortunately, no one has risen to the challenge of doing a full review. Reading between the lines, I believe the Q35 should manage at least 4 hours with a dimmish backlight and now wireless or Bluetooth. It may get nearer to 5 hours. I managed 3 hours on the Q70 which has the same basic chassis but the 8400M G GPU (a source of power drain) and a bigger display.

I see a grumble about the 2W speakers. Wattage is almost irrelevant since speakers can have varying efficiency. The Q35 / Q45 / Q70 arrangement of the speakers under the keyboard actually gives surprisingly good quantity and quality for a notebook.

If looks and battery life are a priority then go and get the red Q35 while there are still some on sale. It remains to be seen whether Samsung comes up with alternatives to the all-black finish of the Q45 and Q70.

Did you read the Trusted Reviews Q45 review.

John

 

I get this error if I don't set the apps properties to run as administrator. I have a Q35.

 

Thanks - think I've got it working now.
How do you actually know if BT is on or off? Can't rely on the Icon.
I don't always have the icon showing on the task bar, then I'll plug in a usb memory stick(for example) and the BT icon will pop up as well and I just assume (without really knowing) that BT was running all the time.
Also came across in in Device manager/Bluetooth Radios/Generic thingie/Properties/Power Management - an option to allow the computer to turn BT off to save power ????
Anyone aware of or know anything about this.
Brgds
Todger

 

Do you use Bluetooth? If not, keep it permanently turned off in Device Manager?

John

 

Yes I read that, but as usual with their reviews, lacked depth.
I prefer the looks of the Q35, but the Q45 is the same price with a superior processor, more HDD and more RAM (and Vista - though whether that is a pro or con is yet to be decided).

Is there anything else in the price range which can compete in the small form factor, I see the new 13" Dell has delivery issues - which is a shame.

 

We are getting a little OT here, but did you see the Rizeon S37 (E = X3100, S = 8400M G). They are expecting stock in early August. It's an Asus S37 barebones. It was on my short list.

I did hear a rumour about Samsung thinking about having a more colourful version of the Q45 to replace the red Q35, but I will believe it when I see it. The Q35 needs a 2GB ram module (which will work) to give it a useful boost.

John

 

I see you are choosing a Zepto - is that an ultra portable? Why are you replacing your Q35, you always seem very fond of it in discussion?

Does the Q45 (and 35's) 160GB HDD use perpendicular recording? I believe that technology puts 5400rpm on a part with 7200rpm?

The Q45 is a great system for the price, but the entirely black finish is somewhat staid, perhaps they are targeting business users more with this iteration?

My primary concerns of course are portability and by extension, battery life.

 

I like my Q35, except the display is a little small for my old eyes, so I thought moving to 13.3" would be a good idea. My few days with the Q70 showed that the bigger display was better. The Zepto is definitely not an ultra-portable. It is an attempt to see if one medium-sized computer can adequately cover the functions of both a smaller one and a bigger one. The Zepto 6024W is similar in size to the R20, see here sitting between the Q35 and the X60 plus.



A 160GB 5400rpm HDD has a similar data transfer rate to a 100GB 7200rpm HDD due to the higher data density (the fact these and higher capacity HDDs use perpendicular recording is incidental) although the access time is slightly longer for the slower HDDs. I am now using a 250GB 5400rpm HDD in my X60 plus.

The Q45 is part of Samsung's current black family style. First the R20, then the R70, then the Q45, the Q70 (although it has the dark grey brushed aluminium palmrest to relieve the monotony) and it looks as if the X22 will be in black as well. However, as I noted previously, I got a hint that Samsung may reintroduce a bit more colour.

As you have already commented, we don't have firm feedback on the Q45's battery life but I think it may be struggling to match the Q35's 5 hours or more. If you value the battery time then you could do a lot worse than get a Q35. It's possible that its price may drop a little further as people try to clear the last of the stock.

John

 

Hi John - I was beginning to think the same thing myself - although I do use a BT phone and PDA - but I guess it's easy enough to switch it back on again if I need it.
Do you think that the option to let the computer turn BT on and off is any good?
Is there actually a way to tell if BT is on or off - as I said in an earlier post the icon appearing in the taskbar doesn't seem to be a good indicator - but what do I know......

 

I got my Q45 yesterday, but since I am staying with my girlfriend for the week not got much chance to fiddle with it - no undervolting etc. My time has mainly been spent trying to understand Vista.

IE - How can I adjust how much battery remaining is left before Vista shuts down... this option was easy to find in XP.

 

Right click on the power icon in the system tray then select Power options. Then, for each power plan you want to change, go to the Advanced Settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the list to Battery. The two settings you are looking for are Low Battery Level and Critical Battery Level.

You need to set these for each Power Plan. I found that the Samsung Optimised power plan is as good as the Power Saver and didn't leave you with the problem of the CPU being stuck at the lowest speed.

You will probably find that the Fn+? to go into silent mode changes the fan operating temperatures and selects the Power Saver plan.

John

PS: I'll be interested to see what battery life you can manage. At the moment my Zepto 6024W can't get to 2.5 hours.

 

When I return from my girlfriend's at the weekend, I will be writing a comprehensive review, but from initial findings 4-5+ hours seems easily feasible considering I have Aero on and haven't figured out how to optimise just yet.

 

Anyone know of anyone selling the Q45 with the 8400M GS in the UK?

Coz that's probably my ultimate one laptop.

 

John (or anybody else), how do you get RM Clock to work with Vista's power management. On my previous system I used RM Clock to manage my battery, and it worked very well.

 

I've not seen or heard of this yet, but there's no technical problem. The Q45 and the Q70 use the same mainboard and the Q70 has the 8400M G. I'm sure it could handle the GS since the cooling system is quite generous. The problem lies with what the sales people in Samsung UK choose to order from the factory.

RMclock does work with Vista. See the RMclock forum. However, at the moment it doesn't work properly with the new generation of Santa Rosa CPUs because it doesn't handle the 800MHz state.

John

 

Weird, it handles 800MHz HT fine........

 

I think we are talking of different things. The Intel CPUs with 800MHz FSB have an operating mode of 0.85V @ 800MHz, then 1.2GHz and 200MHz steps up from there. RMclock can currently handle the faster steps (and undervolt them OK), but not the slower end.

John

 

Hm, any idea when the lower end fuctionality will be added?

 

Judging by this thread in the RMclock forum, the developer first needs to a notebook with the new chipset / CPU so he can understand what is happening. I will have to do some tests to see whether the current RMclock has any adverse effects on battery life on my Zepto.

The alternative CPU management utility is NHC. I have only tried this briefly and it seems more complicated than RMclock, probably because it includes more functionality. Also, the current version pre-dates the launch of the Santa Rosa chipset.

John

 

Another new issue:

When connecting the Q45 to my Dell 2007WFP monitor (via VGA) I get an extreme flickering/distortion of the image. It is unusable so I am using the internal screen. Is this a Samsung issue, or a known issue with Vista?

 

It is not a problem which I recognise. The GPU should be able to handle that monitor but not as a concurrent display. The last monitor problem we had in this forum proved to be a dodgy cable. However, this looks more like a resolution issue.

Did you try rebooting the computer with the monitor plugged in to ensure that it is properly recognised? (although this should not be necessary).

Switch over to the external display and then check the resolution is correct. Also check whether the monitor itself has any facility to lock onto the input.

John

 

I appear to have fixed it now.
Should it be possible to give the X3100 GPU less memory?

 

The graphics memory requirement depends on what you are doing. It's quite possible that Vista / BIOS are allocating only 64 or 128MB as the mininum, with more available, depending on how much RAM is on board.

John

 

Whilst writing the review (should be up soon) I thought you might like to know that the Q45 lasts for 5hrs 10mins with wireless on and bluetooth off at min screen brightness.

However, the Q45 at min brightness is more like 1/3-1/2 full brightness on many other systems I have used - I find it TOO Bright in low lighting even on minimum.

 

> 5 hours! That's double what I'm currently getting with my Zepto 6024W. It looks like Samsung have done a good job with the power management.

John

 

I've actually created my own plan which basically turns everything possible off, and running Aero Basic. I heard Aero Glass eats battery so I downloaded a nice little tray program which switches between the two automatically when on power or battery.

 

New problem:

When I plug in headphones, the speakers remain on. Unless I mute the whole system, they continue to play (yet leave the headphones with music). However once I do that, I can no longer adjust volume.

 

Weird! Headphone sockets normally contain a simple mechanical switch which cuts the circuit to the speakers when a plug is inserted into a socket. Can you try different headphones / external speakers to see if the problem is caused by different sizes of what should be a standard plug?

John

 

I have many pairs of headphones... I am a bit of a headphone junkie. The scenario is the same with all of them, all 3.5mm jacks. I assume the switch is faulty.

 

It happens; I have a similar problem with my VAIO laptop: some times I remove the headphones, but the speakers remain quite, so I have plug/unplug the earphones a couple of times until it works. I always assumed it was a soundcard problem, but the switch explanation is more plausible.

Mind you, my VAIO is 3+ years old, so you expect these things to happen

 

Well, I think you had better get onto Samsung support. I fear it might need to go back. The Q45 might be new enough that you can send it back and get an immediate replacement (ie "dead on arrival") rather than have to wait for a repair.

I've got a Samsung TV / monitor which has the opposite problem. About once every 3 months the speakers go off. Plugging in and removing some headphones gets the speakers working again! I can't be bothered to try to send it for repair.

John

 

I don't know if I could face the hassle of sending it back and having to redo a week's worth of tweaking and file organisation.

It is possible to get it to work in a fashion, it is just a clumsy method.

 

Hi, new member here, just bought a Q45, based on the very useful info in this thread.

Is there anyone who has set up XP successfully here? I thought I'd got everything done, but I've found that I can't fade the screen, and in Graphics options, the power save screen is greyed out. I've installed all the driver software for XP. Do I also need some extra software?

Cheers

 

Has anyone found the inbuilt GPU or the 1.8 ghz processor limiting? I'm hoping to run some games, only things like Counter-Strike source and Civ IV at the most demanding.

Thanks in advance for the info.

 

Why not just image it before it goes......you've bought a new machine, and it should perform as such

 

hello,

i have a "strange" problem, i can't use any software which uses OpenGL so i can't play games or use googleearth (only if i change them to use DirectX / Direct3D). after some time (10sec up to 5 min) the application freezes and i have to turn off the laptop.

i'm using XP and i have tried the drivers from the samsung page and the drivers from the intel page.

any idea?