Samsung R20 notebook (14" widescreen)

The discharge rate still around 25000mW, but the fully charged capacity has gone down even more now - 22200mWh (when the designed capacity is 38480mWh - which is about a 42% decrease in capacity randomly. I'm pretty sure I haven't done anything wrong with it to make it like this.

Is there any way at all I can get the fully charged capacity higher? Surely it can't just forget that it has that much extra capacity and just not use it...?

 

The only way you might get some of that capacity back is to disable the critical battery action and run the computer on empty until it stops. If there's a calibration problem then this should reset the calibration. Otherwise it's time to phone Samsung technical support and persuade them to send you a replacement battery.

25W is also a relatively high discharge rate. It should be possible to get below 20W but it is difficult, from this distance, to see what tweaking you can do apart from try the Samsung battery saver power profile.

John

 

Don't get below 5%, this will damage the battery (as far as I know). Let it run until it turns off automatically and charge it. This could help if you do it sometimes, but don't let the battery go too hot.
My R20 needs ~20W, I turned off Aero and I use NHC for controlling CPU speed.

 

I tried the battery calibration again from 100% (did it from 10% last time, so I thought it might not have worked) and it's even worse now.

So I guess it does damage the battery. But it doesn't tell you that anywhere. I would've thought the whole point of a battery is to be able to use it - but apparently I have to put it back on charge when it gets down to 40%...

So now my wear is up to 50%, and I'm going to have to hassle Samsung for a new one. Thanks, Samsung, for not warning me... and giving me a rubbish 4-cell battery when every other laptop I've seen has at least a 6-cell.

 

Some months back I was advised by Samsung support to do the deep discharge in Windows when the wear on the battery of my X60plus shot up. A couple of deep discharges got the wear down to something reasonable.

If you don't want to spend time on the phone then use their electronic messaging system which you will find at the end of the FAQs. In my experience someone responds within 24 hours.

John

 

Thanks for your help John - I emailed them last night and I got a reply this morning saying that is was probably a faulty battery considering the wear and the stuff I've already tried. So they said to give them a phone (I'll get the actual number from saynoto0870.com ) and give them my address, etc. and they'll send me a new one.

 

New BIOS/MICOM version 15SH, but no changelog

 

happy new year guys!!

does anyone have any idea of the performance of the ATI HD2600?or what Nvidia graphics card can it be compared to?

I've got an R20 and currently thinking of getting a second laptop.

Thanks

 

See the list at notebookcheck. The HD 2600 is at No. 28, just below the 8600M GT.

John

 

By the way, there's a new R20 BIOS (15SH) dated 19 Dec 07, but no indication of the changes.

John

 

I wonder if anyone can shed some light on an issue I had with my new RAM...

After I installed the RAM ( Crucial 2x1GB) it would occasionally restart without warning (except for a blue screen, doing a memory dump).

Also, whenever the system went into hibernation due to a low battery, it would never come back out of it because it would give an error about a file being missing or damaged. This only happened when the system went into hibernation itself due to a low battery - whenever I asked it to hibernate it would be fine. One day when this happened, it wouldn't even restart and no matter what I did, nothing would get it working again, so I had to reinstall Vista.

It wasn't too bad after that (still a few random restarts), however in the first couple of hours of 2008 (a coincidence, I imagine!) it was restarting almost as soon as I got into Vista (if I got into it), and a lot of the time it didn't even get to the login screen before it restarted. I got a similar error to the hibernation one, so I tried a Basic Restore in the Samsung Recovery, but that didn't work.

In the end, I shut it down (out of its restart loop) and replaced the RAM with the old sticks that I got with the laptop - which is what I'm currently using, and no longer have any problems.

So, I need to find out what was wrong and if it can be fixed. Before it went into the restart loop, I got into Vista a couple of times for a couple of minutes before it restarted, and the Problem Reports and Solutions feature popped up to ask if I wanted Vista to check what went wrong, which I did. When it came back with the solution, it said something about the ATI graphics card/driver/software. I tried updating to the most recent driver/software version for the card, but that didn't help.

My questions are...

1) Can a certain type (or size) of memory clash with a graphics card?
2) If so, is there any way to fix that except buying different RAM?
3) Could this be fixed in the newest BIOS update, and I just don't know about it?
4) Do you think buying new Samsung memory (2x1GB) would be the best option?

Thanks!

 

XP used to have a bug which would cause the symptoms you describe when the RAM was increased to 2GB or more. I wonder if it carried over into Vista? If so, it has probably been fixed by one of the many hotfixes which aren't automatically installed by Windows update (which tends to concentrate on security issues).

The easiest way to get all the Vista patches is to download and install SP1 RC. It seems to be quite robust - I've been running it for about 3 weeks without obvious ill effect. Alternatively, you can work down the list and get anything which remotely touches on your problem (I can't see anything which fits the exact description).

Your other strategy would be to get an ISO file for Memtest and burn it to a CD. You can then thoroughly test your RAM outside of Vista.

John

 

My laptop is running at 71c right now!

I've only had it since November. It doesn't look clogged with dust? What do you suggest? Could it be a defect?

Thanks,
Matt

 

Is the 71C under full CPU load or on idle? It's OK for full oad.

If you think it is on idle then is the CPU actually going to the lowest speed and voltage or is some errant application loading the CPU?

The monitoring page of RMClock provides a good way of watching these aspects with CPU speed, voltage and temperature all shown together.

John

 

It's always running under high CPU load. Around 60-70 even when idle.

It could be a program. I have tried looking in task manager to see whats using the CPU load but I can't find nothing. The laptop runs fine its just whirling around like crazy.

Anything abnormal in this pic?

Thanks

 

Any specific reason you're still running version 2.15? Get the latest version and check if your CPU/OS load figures still look like that.

Check task manager/Process Explorer for CPU hogs.

You should be able to undervolt your processor, my T2350 (Core Duo, Yonah core) is perfectly stable from 0.95v @ 6x (800MHz) to 1.0v @ 14x (1.87GHz).

I should also note that RMClock's "Core temp." seems to be 15°C off in my case... try CPUTempWatch which reads the temperatures directly from CPU registers.

 

Processor is running at this now.

I don't know if it's normal or what. I will get some more data from 2.15 too

 

Looks ok to me. My R20 idles at 38-44°C (battery) resp. 41-45°C (on AC power -> processor won't reach C3 power state for whatever reason) - undervolted to 0.95V with an ambient temperature of ~22°C.

 

Okay, Thanks.

Does anyone know is its possible to upgrade graphics cards on this laptop?

 

Not really. Wi-fi works fine so does graphics card.

 

The issue you described pertains to the wrong PCI Access Mode method used by Linux kernel. You need to configure your kernel to use "DIRECT" PCI Access Mode. If you have some experience in configuring, building and installing the linux kernel grep your current .config file like this to see your current kernel settings:

The actual location of your .config file MAY differ. You must know where it is located. If this is not the case consult your distribution documentation or any other valid source of information.

Then reconfigure your kernel with menuconfig or whatever method you prefer, build and install it.

Note, you might find out that "DIRECT" PCI Access Mode will not work for you (this is unlikely but I'm just letting you know that you might have to choose another PCI Access Mode). If my memory serves me well I had have to use "BIOS" PCI Access Mode with Linux version 2.6.22 and "DIRECT" with the currently set up Linux version 2.6.23.

I would first try to set DIRECT. If it doesn't help then chose other methods one after another and see what works for you.

 

Interesting, thank you. While I have compiled custom kernels in the past, I have to admit that I'm starting to get lazy about things like that. Any chance newer kernel releases will "get" this automagically, or is this Samsung doing wonky stuff in their BIOS (i.e. "whose fault is it?")?

 

I'm not sure about who's fault this is in particular all I know is I had to tinker with the mentioned options in order to figure out what works best for my computer.

Note please, that while I was able to run system quite stable using MMCONFIG/ANY (in fact, ANY chooses MMCONFIG PCI Access Mode if availabe first) I had quite long, annoying system start up pauses (linux saying PCI ROOT BRIDGE... blah blah blah) and WiFi device not detected correctly.

BIOS access mode simply made system unstable causing various usage glitches including system freezes.

DIRECT works just right. System runs stable, WiFi device is detected correctly (and actually works only if DIRECT PAM is used).

Building a custom kernel isn't a big deal at all. If you want I can share with you my .config file for >= 2.6.23 kernel version that is customized right for the Samsung R-20 I've got so you could easily use this configuration file in order to build your own custom kernel. My .config has only essential stuff to provide all the drivers for the R20's hardware: Bluetooth support, card reader, ethernet card, WiFi device, SMP for cpu etc.etc. Everything is built in (Y not M) unless linux forces to use modules. This IS the great outset for a custom kernel build geared towards the specific machine, i.e. Samsung R-20 we both own.

If you're interested drop me a message via PM message system in this forum.

I wonder now that there's a recent BIOS update for R-20 if the BIOS PCI Access Mode will be working as good as DIRECT and not render system unstable as it currently does for me. I still run the default BIOS version, i.e. 09SH for my device, so this could be the reason why BIOS PAM didn't work as expected.

Can anyone confirm that the latest BIOS version and Linux kernel BIOS pci access mode work correctly for you?

 

Anyone know if you can expand the graphics on the laptop?

Thanks

 

Look for utilities for tweaking the ATI GPUs such as ATITool and ATI Tray Tools. However, don't push the GPU too far.

You can also, at your own risk, tweak the FSB using ClockGen or similar. This will speed up the CPU but it does not have any significant effect on 3D graphics.

John

 

I believe the question was if it is possible to upgrade the video device in order to acquire more megabytes of RAM and more powerful GPU.

Yes it is possible but only if your notebook was designed such a way that you can replace its graphical video card. This is not the case with Samsung R-20 since it has got integrated graphics processor (on-board chip) and not the standalone graphics device.

 

i found this model laptop in PC pro and soon after found this wonderful thread.

Just wanted to know if any of you guys have this model: NP-R20FY02/SUK
Samsung R20 Plus Core 2 Duo T5500 1.83 GHz, 2GB 667mhz ram, 200GB HDD
all for around £90 extra. Does any have any experience with this model and is it worth the extra money.

Its currently available from jon lewis and laptops direct. For just under £600

 

Let's compare the NP-R20FY02/SUK with the NP-R20FY01/SUK:

CPU: T5500 (1.83GHz C2D) against T2330 (1.6GHz CD). Might be 20% to 25% faster in CPU activities but not likely to be obvious in normal use.

RAM: 2GB vs 1GB (but this may be relatively slow PC4200 RAM). You can upgrade the 1GB to 2.5GB for about £35.

HDD: 200GB vs 120GB. A definite gain, if you need the space now. Otherwise you can get a 250GB HDD for about £90 (and will be cheaper by the time you fill the 120GB).

It would be a tough call at a price difference of £90, but what I am seeing is more like £150, in which case the NP-R20FY01/SUK scores much better on value-for-money.

John

 

£27.99 delivered at Play, with another pound off via Quidco.

 

For some reason Play's Kingston module is shown as for the Mac, which might put some people off, although there's a couple of reports of it working OK in other notebooks. Has anyone tried it in the R20?

John

 

I must admit I haven't, though I've been tempted to go for one.

 

Thanks for the advice guys
Hard drive size is important as i will be using the laptop as my main PC
and if possible triple boot vista, linux and OSx86 if possible.

I constantly use many applications at once nothing to heavy but the extra processing power will come in handy. I use virtual machines quite a bit as well

Ideally i would like a core 2 duo as close to 2.0 ghz as possible, for around £500 - £600, ram and hard drive i can upgrade myself.

Is there any difference between between the R60 and R20 other than screen size.

 

The key internal hardware is very similar (same ATI chipset) but the R20 is a size smaller and lighter (helped by its smaller battery). The R20 is a good choice if you are carrying it around between power sockets. I downsized from 15.4" to 14.1" for better portability (see my Zepto 6024W for some comparisons).

John

 

I've got a question about RAM types. Does this notebook work with recent SO-DIMM DDR2 PC-6400? How to figure out if a computer supports a specific RAM type (like in the situation described) or not?

Specification sheet says that

PC-5300 is the limit but is this really so?

 

PC6400 RAM will run at PC5300 speed (667MHz). Depending what timing data (SPD) are built into the modules, the RAM may or may not be slightly faster than normal PC5300 RAM. There is more in the threads here and here.

However, the timing parameter which matters most is the CL (clock latency) value and that seems to usually be 5 at 667MHz. If you can find some RAM which is genuinely CL 4 at 667MHz, let us know. There have been reports but they are usually caused by misreading the specs and using the CL value (usually 4) for 533MHz in the context of 667MHz RAM.

John

 

Can anyone tell me there vista experience rating once they upgraded to 2GB of ram, also whether they were using 533Mhz or 667Mhz ram. My theroy is as the intergrated graphics chip uses system memory, the faster the ram the higher the rating for graphics. Am i correct or does this vista experience rating change that much.

I would like to know if the CPU rating varies between differnet configurations. As my C2D 6420 running @ 2.13GHz has a rating of 5.1 the same as the C2D T2250 1.73GHz.

 

Vista's Windows Experience Index is a bit of a questionable benchmark, but since you ask, some WEI results for the R20 with T2250 CPU.

As supplied (2 x 512MB PC4200 RAM)

Vista Experience 3.8
Processor 5.1
Memory 3.9
Graphics 4.4
Gaming Graphics 3.8
Hard Disk 4.8

With 2 x 1GB PC4200 RAM

Vista Experience 3.8
Processor 5.1
Memory 4.5
Graphics 4.4
Gaming Graphics 3.8
Hard Disk 4.8

In fact, the graphics stayed at 4.8 / 3.8 for a range of hardware configurations.

PCMark05 showed a slight increase with more RAM and a much bigger increase when I overclocked the CPU.

John

 

thank for that John Ratsey

i do believe that faster ram would increase the graphics performance
i am still struggling with whether to buy the R20 or save some more and buy a macbook, if only i could get osx86 to run on the R20. i would be a very happy bunny. lol

 

I see. That means there's basically no reason to buy PC6400 RAM for use with this notebook.

I will let you know guys in case I find genuine CL4 at 667Mhz but I seriously doubt that will happen. However, I'll keep my eyes wide open. Just in case, you know.

Thanks for reply and clarifications John.

 

i ended up getting the R20 with a t5300, 1GB of ram and 120Gb HDd for £400 brand new on ebay.

 

I bought a few days ago two 2GiB RAM modules too. No luck finding CL4 so I went for Apacer PC-5300 667Mhz CL5.

A lot of RAM rocks big time.

 

quick question
as 32 bit os's can only use 3GB, with the shared memory for graphics can you use this extra 1GB. Or would it be taken from the 3GB it can see.

 

I did test 4GB in the R20. Vista said 3070MB free. With 1GB on board it said 765MB free, which suggests that the graphics RAM is in addition to that used by Vista.

However, I have 3GB in my Zepto (Intel GPU) but Vista is reporting 3061MB on the Performance page of Task Manager. Maybe it starts by only giving 8MB to the GPU and then dynamically allocates more RAM as needed.

John

 

thanks for the reply

I may try and get a 4GB kit.

 

First off all, I run Linux. So, things are different for me. Then, frankly speaking, I noticed that 'htop' reports the total value of RAM as 3040MB but I was pretty sure that Linux makes use of full 4Gb of RAM. When I built my custom kernel I read a corresponding explanation to the "High Memory Support" option and it clearly stated that Linux can make use of 4Gb of RAM but I never got into details concerning this issue.

So, to answer your question I had to dig for more information and a quick Google search lead to this:

This explains it all.

 

I have 256Mb reserved for GPU and htop reports that I have 518(used)/3040MB (total free) memory atm.

 

Hi everybody!

I was reading specifically this thread because I own an R20... ;-)

Please excuse me for my long post... I will be grateful for any kind of useful information.

Details:
R20-Aura T7200 Deva
NP-R20F001/SEG
(bought in Germany, end of March 2007)
BIOS: (before 07SH and since yesterday... ) 14SH

OS: Ubuntu Gutsy Gibbon (AMD64 version)

My story: I just want to get 4GB RAM running on this machine!

* According to the technical specifications for this model, taken from the official German Samsung web-page ( http://notebook.samsung.de/produkte...spx?guid=b6d39af0-3d89-4196-b363-7665168224b7) this machine supports up to 4GB RAM.

* So I bought 2 "MDT (c) - 2048MB, DDR2-667, CL5" modules for 105 EUR. These modules are each a EURO more expensive than Kingston and are considered to be "good".
(MDT Techonologies: http://www.mdt.de/eng/index.htm)


The Problem:

[Before updating the BIOS]
a. Combining the 2 2GB (=4GB) MDT modules won't let the machine run properly

b. Each of them runs perfectly as a stand-alone module build-in (conclusion: none of them is broken). I even tried them on a friends laptop to be sure.

b. No combination with 1GB (original Samsung DIMMs) with any of the 2GB MDT modules let the machine run either

--> I called Samsung Germany and a very helpful guy told me to upgrade the BIOS and if no luck then it probably relies on the memory (?)

He guided me to http://www.samsungpc.com/products/r20/r20_bios.htm and told me to follow instructions. So i did.

No I have BIOS version 14SH.

OK...

...no results :-(

a. 4GB won't work.

b. The good NEWS is that now 3GB work!!!

After combining a "1GB" with a "2GB" boot, enter with "F2" in "BIOS" (...it takes a while but once you are in you can read the 3GB present in the system) just "Save & Exit". Reboot and that's it.

c. The strange thing now is that I managed to enter the BIOS with 4GB as well.

I enabled the BIOS diagnostic and BIOS summary options with only wearing 2GB RAM. Save & Exit. Shut off the machine.

Built-in the 4GB RAM and "launch".

A memory counting process is to bee seen in the monitor (!!!) but I press "F2" to enter the BIOS (it takes a while). I "Save & Exit" as usual and then I reboot...

...well I managed to reach the grub menu (the boot menu) once! But it freezes...

I even try to play around with the Graphics shared memory... to discover "hidden" conflicts. No luck.

So, I call Samsung Germany again... and this time a "tough" guy told me that it's impossible that somebody from Samsung told me to upgrade the BIOS... bla bla... we do not certify products other than Samsung.... bla bla...

OK.

Now what?

Has anybody of you hardware experts a reasonable explanation?
Does anybody own the F001/SEG model with 4GB?

Sorry for this long post... Hope it is useful to other R20 owners.

Cheers,

Nikos

 

There's a BIOS version 15SH, available here. No changelog though, so it may not fix any memory issues.

I'm using MDT RAM in at least 4 machines (including 2 1GB sticks in my R20), never had any problems.

 

Thank you for your response Nebelwand.

This version is unfortunately NOT available as an ISO to create a boot-CD and do the job under DOS (which is the safe way). I don't have Windows ;-) and even if I would, I would NOT try it...

Imagine what can happen if your system crashes during BIOS-updating.

(BTW, which version of R20 do you own?)

 

Do I understand correctly that with 4 GB and BIOS 14SH you have got the computer to boot but Linux crashes?

Does a Linux Live CD boot OK? If not, run Memtest, which I recall is on the Ubuntu Live CD.

I recall, when trying some different RAM combinations on the R20, that one combination proved to be to which module was put in which socket. However, that will not be an option with two identical modules.

John