Samsung R20 notebook (14" widescreen)

Hello bluesyrio. To answer your wuestion:
1. The touchpad as a little rough but i prefer it cos it gives me more control over the cursor.
2. The buttons are quiet and nicely springy. Again a tad rough butits not bad rough its good for your fingers so they dont slip.
3. I had a problem where the scroll did stick but its been cured with the latest BIOS update.
All in all it the most comfortable I have had with a notebook (come to think of it with a desktop keyboard as well!) Hope this helps!!

 

Well I was looking around at buying my first laptop (was considering a black Macbook) when I discovered this laptop tonight and have been reading about it nonstop since (this thread has proven very helpful!)

Consider me sold on this. Looks and sounds great for what I'm going for. My only question is when would one of these be available stateside? And any chance for 2ghz? Has anyone here from the states ordered these from a UK supplier? Isn't 1.66ghz kind of limiting the longevity of this for personal use? I don't do anything that's too intensive (no gaming, etc), but at the rate that technology is advancing I don't want something that will be crawling at a snails pace in 6 months!

Thanks

 

I too have been watching this thread since it was a few posts old and have ordered an R20 a few days ago. I just wanted to let folks in UK know that comet are selling this at £480 including delivery for the mid spec model - 1gig of RAM, 80 HD, Intel core duo processor at 1.73 mhz, the F001 variant. I'll post impressions and feedback on battery life, not many people seem to be mentioning that! To be honest it's my only worry about this machine.

best, grib

 

Battery life says up to 3 hours. I would imagine roughly two hours of battery life on a power saver setting with light useage and wireless.

 

Yes batterylife isn't that good. I thinkit is like with the x11. Thats why I asked about the 8cell batteries, and especially the nonbrand (same as the ones for x11).

 

Samsung have different power plans you can adjust your pc to. Im on the samsung premium setting (not exact name but close enough) and it lasts 2 hours. The good thing with this laptop is looks beautiful, runs like a rocket and is build very sturdy. The only thing i would say i that it could have done with being 2gig however is i have mentioned earlier in this thread the memory is dual channel and you can add a 2 gig memory card for readyboost. GET ONE!!!! I dont regret it!

 

I think the battery life is around 2 hours for what I use it for. But I have never turn the lcd screen brightress to its lowest setting. I just use the "normal" setting in the samsung battery management software.

Normally, my machine will not have the battery plugged in anyway. i just needed a machine that I can move around the place. ie move around the flat and sometimes take to the office. So battery life doesn't really affect me since I didn't buy this laptop for its "on the road" use.

 

1. It would be very informative if you could run some benchmarks such as PCMark05, 3DMark05 - 06 and the Sandra memory bandwidth for different RAM configurations. Also record what CPU-Z reports as memory timings. As I have commented previously, it is possible that the ATI chipset does a better job of using the potential bandwidth of dual channel RAM and this would be confirmed by running Sandra with the standard RAM configuration. I'm getting 3000-3300MB/s with the Intel chipset.

John

PS: As I have put in the Samsung news, the R40 is being upgraded with the ATI 1250M graphics.

 

Merck, thanks for your comment on the touchpad.

For those interested in a higher "specked" R20 I believe in Germany there are online stores that will sell them to other countries in Europe (including a keyboard in your language on specific request). I dunno about US.

 

If you have any recommended stores then please post them in the where to buy Samsung thread.

Thanks,

John

 

Thanks for the suggestion, but the one I know for sure that will sell in those conditions is already listed in that thread: notebook.de.

I don't have purchasing experience so I can't really recommend it, though. If I do buy something from them, I will surely share the experience here.

 

One unanswered question: What is the rating / part number of your R20 PSU?

Samsung's specs list it as AD-6019 (GM Model) Output Power 60Watts Input : 100V - 240V, 1.8A Output : 19.0VDC / 3.16A .

I ask this because when I enquired why people are not stocking spare 60W PSUs, I was told that the 90W PSU is less expensive (I'm not convinced). The 90W PSU adds about 0.15kg to the travel weight.

John

 

Has anyone found a UK based reseller with a DC2 @ 2GHz?

 

Not at the moment. I'm sure it will come (with a price tag to match). Just look at the way the R40 models have changed during the past few months.

The nearest to 2 GHz C2D, at present, is the Comet model R20-F002 with the T5500 (1.66GHz). However, unless you really need 64-bit capability, the T2250 version (1.73GHz) will deliver almost identical performance at less cost.

John

 

I'm having trouble trying to get my laptop to recognise 2GB sony pro duo memory stick. Im using a sandisk memory stick duo adapter but r20 won't recognise or find stick when inserted into multi card solt reader.
Is r20 not compatible with pro duo or am I using the wrong adapter?

I'm really lost on this one.

 

The R20 specs list the memory slot as: 6 in 1 card slot
Memory Stick / Memory Stick Pro / SD / XD / MMC / MMC Plus.

There's no mention of Memory Stick Pro Duo so I fear you may be out of luck and will have to fall back on a USB adaptor. You could contact Samsung support for a second opinion. (Blame Sony for not future-proofing their original design specification for the Memory Stick.)

John

 

When i put my memory stick into my PSP and connect it to my laptop via USB i get the option to use readyboost. Thats just a nuisance though, having to turn my PSP on everytime!

 

P50 of the user manual:-


'using a memory stick Duo,Mini SD and RS-MMC

Since the above cards are too small, you cannot insert the cards into the slot directly.

Insert the cards into the dedicated adaptor and then insert the adaptor into the multi slot.

Hovever,the memory stick duo may not be recognised properly depending on the adaptor status'

 

Adaptor status?

 

I think the status in windows EG. if vista recognises the card. Its not clear in the manual.

 

Ah i see. Looks like i'll be needing to upgrade with that corsair ram.

 

buy a 2 gig memory stick USB and try that. I got one and used it and it does work ok.

 

I have one but apparently it doesn't meet the requirements for readyboost. Its data exchange rate must be too low i guess

 

Has anyone done any tests to show if readyboost makes any improvement?

John

 

Can anyone please confirm if the R20 is expansible to 4GB RAM? I think I had read so initially, but most sites where I've seen lately the notebook don't mention it or mention just 2GB.

 

I will quote from the Samsung specs :

Memory / Max. Memory 512MB ~ 2GB
(Technically can support max. 4GB with 2 channel when 2GB Module is available)
Memory type PC2-4200(533MHz) / PC2-5300(667MHz) DDR2 SODIMM
Memory Modules 512MB / 1GB SODIMM (2GB Module is not yet available in market)

Prices on 2GB modules seem to have dropped by about half in the last couple of months. I am thinking about buying one of these Transcend modules for my X60 plus (and will test in in the Q35) when I am next home (provided the price doesn't go back up again).

As far as I know, 32-bit operating systems can't handle more than about 3GB.

I am still waiting to see a Sandra memory bandwith result for the R20 to see whether the ATI chipset is achieving proper dual channel operation. Could you do this? Sandra lite from here will do the necessary. The Intel mobile 845 chipset usually gives between 2800MB/s and 3300MB/s.

John

 

Just a question to you merc2k6 - does the gloss lid scratch easily?

 

Thanks. That's nice to know, especially because if I buy the notebook I won't be upgrading the RAM before 2 to 3 years from now and only if I feel it is really required for better performance.

 

lukealexander: To answer your question, it scratches easily if you don't use a lint free cloth to get rid of finger marks. (like I found out with my PSP and now my laptop as I have very faint hairline scratches on it). Generally I haven't really road tested it out and about but it seems to take a bit of punishment.

 

Hello Guys, this time I need some advice. I was running my laptop last night for about 4 hours and decided to try to intall C&C 3. The installation took about 20 mins and ran the laptop's hard drive pretty hard! It made quite a loud crunching noise which I remember my presario making.

I powered it down as it was running hot and now today I switched it back on and the noise is still there but a bit quieter. You guys who have owned lots of laptops, can you tell me if this is a normal noise for a laptop to make when the hard drive is being used?

Thanks and I will give Samsung tech support a ring as well!

Merc~

 

Some hard disks make clicking noises caused by the head movement or head parking. However, I don't recall any healthy HDD making crunching noises. I suggest four actions:

1. Use MobileMeter to monitor the HDD temperature (it will give you other temperatures as well). My X60plus's HDD is currently ambling along at 39°C but this can rise about 0°C under sustained heavy use. The Q35's HDD is similar. These temperatures are reasonably cool. The HDD in my Asus W3A ran around 10°C hotter.

2. Use Sandra Lite to check your HDD SMART data (Hardware > Physical Disks). This includes an entry for temperature. Mine currently says:

S.M.A.R.T Data
Raw Read Error Rate (01) : 0 (Threshold 51; Worst 100; Maximum 100)
Spin-up Time (03) : 3008 (Threshold 25; Worst 253; Maximum 253)
Start/Stop Count (04) : 737 (Threshold 0; Worst 100; Maximum 100)
Re-Allocated Sector Count (05) : 0 (Threshold 10; Worst 253; Maximum 253)
Seek Error Rate (07) : 0 (Threshold 0; Worst 253; Maximum 253)
Seek Time Performance (08) : 0 (Threshold 0; Worst 253; Maximum 253)
Power-On Time Count (09) : 33241 (Threshold 0; Worst 100; Maximum 100)
Spin Retry Count (0A) : 0 (Threshold 0; Worst 253; Maximum 253)
Calibration Retry Count (0B) : 22 (Threshold 0; Worst 100; Maximum 100)
Power Cycle Count (0C) : 379 (Threshold 0; Worst 100; Maximum 100)
TBB : 0 (Threshold 0; Worst 253; Maximum 253)
TBC : 0 (Threshold 0; Worst 253; Maximum 253)
TBE : 39 (Threshold 40; Worst 61; Maximum 53)
TBF : 11182 (Threshold 0; Worst 99; Maximum 99)
Power-Off Park Count (C0) : 30 (Threshold 0; Worst 100; Maximum 100)
Load/Unload Cycle Count (C1) : 4401 (Threshold 0; Worst 100; Maximum 100)
Drive Temperature (C2) : 39 (Threshold 0; Worst 61; Maximum 53)
ECC Corrected Count (C3) : 10159 (Threshold 0; Worst 100; Maximum 100)
Re-Allocated Data Count (C4) : 0 (Threshold 0; Worst 253; Maximum 253)
Pending Sector Count (C5) : 0 (Threshold 0; Worst 253; Maximum 253)
Un-Correctable Sector Count (C6) : 0 (Threshold 0; Worst 253; Maximum 253)
CRC Error Count (C7) : 0 (Threshold 0; Worst 200; Maximum 200)
Write Error Rate (C8) : 0 (Threshold 0; Worst 100; Maximum 100)

I interpret the worst as meaning the design upper limit and the maximum as maximum recorded. So, if your maximum temperature is around 60°C then it is running undesirably hot.

Look also at the Error rate data. These are an indicator of problems, particularly if the error values are steadily increasing. The idea behind the SMART data is to warn of HDD problems before it dies. Active SMART monitors the values and gives predictions.

3. Run CHKDSK to check if any files were damaged by the power off.

4. Look on the HDD manufacturer's website for a diagnostic utility and run it.

If all the above give a clean bill of health then you might have to do a sound recording. You might also want to compare your problem with that reported by chocobo1104.

John

 

What about Linux support?
Any problem with WiFi, graphics card ...?
Thanks!

 

Thank you to all contributors who have help make this thread into the most viewed thread in the NBR Samsung forum. The score was 9,082 at the last look.Google currently thinks well of this thread.

Keep the information and comments flowing: There's a long way to go to catch up the RTHDCPL.EXE thread which has collected over 20,000 views in one day.

John

 

hey guys,
can anyone pls tell me if the r20 can play hi-def videos?i've seen some trailers on yahoo movies that can be played in hi-def.

thanks

 

What is HD? According to Microsoft, there are two standards: 720p which is 1280 x 720 resolution; and 1080p which is 1920 x 1080 resolution. The R20's display is 1280 x 800, so it is right width for 720p but there would be black bars at top and bottom similar to what already happens with widescreen DVDs.

John

 

thanks for the help.so it should be able to dispaly in 720p.i just placed my order for the R20!!!after much thought,i think its got the best to offer espacially at the price.its running the most advanced intel integrated graphics so it should be able to run some games quite well.anyone heard anything about graphics card solutions for laptops?

 

Just thought I would update people on my day. After posting about my laptop, I phoned Samsung Technical support that were really helpful. The guy I spoke to said that if the drive is making that type of noise don’t bother with any diagnosis and just package it back up and we’ll take it back.

I obtained a ref no. from Samsung who said that I can just exchange it for a brand new one! (providing I give Comet the ref. no.) No repairs nothing…. Reeling from my shock I rang Comet who said that indeed I can have a new one! Here comes the tricky bit…..I live in Cardiff and have 2 stores in proximity and NONE of them had an R20 in stock. They eventually found one on a retail park about 25 miles away from me so myself and my wife went up there this afternoon armed with my receipt (on my USB key as I don’t have a printer) and the code Samsung gave me. (also on my USB key).

It tool me AN HOUR to finally get the bloody thing as Comet’s staff who couldn’t be bothered to serve me plus the code apparently wasn’t accurate (I needed another code!!). Anyway I finally got the laptop after much arguing and I am now setting it up again!!!

Good service from Samsung!

 

ejadaddy: the Radeon 1250 chip is really good. You can even at a push play C&C 3 although I wouldn't recommend it.

 

can you play older game like fear,halo2 comfortably on the R20?

 

Just so no-one gets too carried away by the capabilities of the Radeon Xpress 1250 graphics, Hexus did a review of a desktop motherboard with the same integrated graphics chip. The gaming benchmark results are here. The majority of £500-ish laptops have the Intel 945 video adapters and the R20 looks to be far better, but by the looks of things it's still not comparable to something like a Radeon X1400.

 

The 1250M is an improved version of the ATI 200M. If you have got time and inclination, work through the 200M thread and you can be confident that anything playable on that GPU will play better on the 1250M.

Interesting link. I agree that the 1250M isn't as good as the X1400, but it is in a different class to the Intel 945 / 950 IGP. Two people have reported 3DMark06 scores of about 470 for their R20. This compares with 106 for the Intel graphics in my Q35 and 1831 for the X1700 in my X60plus.

John

 

thanks john!very helpful.i'll just stick with my R20.if i need extreme gaming,i'll just do it with a desk-top or maybe someday,they'll figure out a way to attach better graphics cards on laptops...

 

It's been figured out and is called the Asus XG Station. However, I don't think is has reached your local shop yet.

John

 

Good news to hear that you managed to get a replacement within a day (a lot less hassle than send the computer away).

I hope the replacement R20 does not make any unusual noises and you will be able to find time to run the Sandra memory benchmark. I'm still curious to know whether the ATI chipset does a better job of using the potential bandwidth of dual channel RAM than the Intel 945 (typical bandwidth 2,800 to 3,300MB/s).

John

 

Cheers John, I was really impressed! The new R20 is running sweet and as soon as I can I will run sandra.

 

It would nbe gret if you try some benchmarks: Sandra, PCMark05, 3Dmark 03/05, Some games (HL2, Quake4, Battelfield2...). Thanks

 

john,

which part of sandra memory test result do u wanted to know?

Anyway on my HK speced machine using Sandra Lite 2007.4.11.22 under winxp

the chart shows, 3319 and 3324

 

Thanks very much. These are similar to what I am getting on my X60 plus with the Intel 845 chipset so the ATI is not doing any better in this respect. While the RAM is nominally running in dual channel, it is not achieving potential dual channel performance. I would, therefore, not expect that changing only one RAM module to reduce the overall RAM performance by disabling dual channel mode (as I have commented elsewhere, CPU-Z reports that my Q35, with 1GB + 256MB, to be in dual channel mode, so confusion prevails).

It would still be appreciated if someone can do more benchmarks on the R20, particularly PCMark05 and 3DMark05. We already have a couple of results for 3DMark06.

John

 

3dmark 2005 - 1292

 

That is more than GF6400 or ATI X1300
(I can't believe it!)

Edit:
I want to say that it's an incredible performance, not that I can't really trust what you said, of course!
And thanks ssgg!