Samsung Series 9 15 inch - Confused by different versions - Which do I pull the trigger on?

UK Lawyer here.

I have need of a 15" ultrabook and after much research have settled on a Samsung Series 9.

The problem for me is that there are so many versions announced/in the pipeline and it's a HUGE question what, when, and even if the UK are getting. There are some great laptop variants of various brands that the UK just don't get.

Basically I want this:-

Series 9 15
(That's the i7 256GB silver magnesium alloy variant NP900X4D-A02US recently announced in the US.)

Basically, my choices are these:-

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-Ser...I4XY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345379383&sr=8-1
(That's the i5 128GB black aluminium variant NP900X4C-A01UK)

or

BT Business Direct - Samsung 900X4D-A01UK Ci5-3317UM 8GB 128GB SSD 15" LED HD+ W7Pro (NP900X4D-A01UK)
(That's the i5 128GB silver magnesium variant NP900X4D-A01UK basically identical to the X4C above, just with a silver magnesium body and Windows 7 Professional rather than Home)

Any ideas on where when and if I pull the trigger?

I have been waiting for months really for an i7 256GB variant, but I honestly doubt if we will see that spec released in the UK for this model. (Anyone have any further thoughts on this?)

So I'm tempted to give up the wait and just pull the trigger and do my own aftermarket Crucial m4 SSD mSATA 256GB upgrade.

I have also heard the i5 is actually superior to the i7 in some ways and therefore preferable? Anyone have any further info on that?

Final question I promise, given that the specs of the X4C and X4D I posted above are basically identical (apart from silver colour and W7 pro for the X4D) what are the differences? It seems strange to me that the next model up would be so identical - is there something I'm missing?

Unless anyone has any information that shows the X4D to have further enhancements I'm not aware of I'm tempted to pull the trigger on the X4C (I prefer black)

Thoughts very much appreciated. I have been waiting for some time to pull the trigger on this one!

Kind Regards

 

There's no telling if / when Samsung will introduce the i7 and/or 256GB into the UK. Usually some etailers start to list these products well before they arrive and I find no hint of new versions. So you either have to wait for an unknown amount of time, or accept a compromise. Note that if comparing prices your BT Business Direct link is price without VAT so the X4C is cheaper. However, the X4D appears to be eligible for a 5 year warranty and £100 cashback (but so is the X4C). Alternatively, this will extend your warranty to 3 years. So the two decisions are whether (i) you need Win 7 Pro (eg any need to use XP mode for old software?) or (ii) you have preference between that very dark blue or silver. The X4D may be fractionally lighter due to the magnesium metal.

The alternative is to import one from the US. I was in correspondence with this company (I bought a couple of Fujitsus from them nearly 10 years ago) but they couldn't get what I wanted in my timescale. However, you would need to research the SSD type to make sure you avoid the U100. For myself, I prefer the blackish colour and, while I would have preferred the i7, the speed difference would not be noticeable in normal use.

Hope this helps,

John

 

Many thanks for the help.

I agree that the silence on the higher spec models hitting the UK and samsung's reputation gives a good indication that Samsung are targeting different specs for different markets.

Is that really all the difference is between the X4C and X4D btw, the colour and windows 7 pro? From everything I've read it certainly looks like it, but the price difference of around £200.00 has me wondering whether there is something else? I've read reports that the X4C can have wireless issues - I wonder has the X4D been tweaked in this capacity also?

Personally I prefer Black to Silver so I'll be pulling the trigger on the X4C I think.

Any more thoughts on the i5 vs the i7? I have read reports somewhere that the 15 supports hyperthreading where the i7 does not, and therefore the i5 is preferable in an ultrabook?

 

I'm 99.9% sure that the internal hardware in the X4C and X4D is the same. I doubt if there is any difference in the Wifi performance (I'm not sure who apart from myself has noted that WiFi is a potential problem but in everyday usage, rather than in testing, it hasn't been an issue). Win 7 Pro + the offer of a free 5 year warranty can account for the £200 price difference - this is obviously targeted at businesses who, after buying notebooks, expect the users to keep using them until long after they are obsolete).

The i5 and i7 CPUs are very similar except the latter has a little more on-chip cache and runs slightly faster. You can see the differences at notebookcheck. In CPU terms my X4C is slower than the T420s I was using last year but it's fine in everyday use.

John