Series 9 Owners: Third party mSATA upgrades

So, you are actually saying that these are in the reverse order of performance, correct?

 

So, simply: I can't get it from NCIX right now.

 

I should clarify: No 3 is faster than 2 that is faster than 1.

If they don't list the right part number then I would conclude that they don't have it.

John

 

Hi folks, just a warning in case you reach this thread in strange ways. Samsung US has indicated that swapping out the SSD invalidates the warranty of the SS9s.

Important: If you upgrade the hard drive on the X360, NF310 and Series 9 laptops you void the manufacturer’s warranty on the computer because you must open the notebook to access the hard drive.
From SAMSUNG US​

Also, recent conversation with the @samsungsupport:
https://twitter.com/SamsungSupport/status/223865444593975297

This is not to say you can't swap things back and pretend nothing happened, but their official stance is that you're not covered if change the SSD.

 

I understand Samsung's philosophy of discouraging owners from delving inside their purchases because it is easy to cause damage. However, my recommendation is (a) proceed cautiously with the right tools (a Philips size 0 screwdriver and a spudger) and ensure that nothing gets broken; and (b) keep any replaced parts and put them back to restore the computer to the supplied condition prior to requesting service.

At the moment the omens look fairly good for the durability of Series 9. Aside from a few cracks in palm rests there have been few reports of problems with the X3A which has been around for over a year.

John

 

Having seen a S9 opened, what do you need the spudger for, and if you do need one, do you want a plastic, composite or metal one?

 

The one part of the opening that I feel needs a bit of care (other than stripping the screw heads) is unclipping the plastic joint along the back edge between the hinges for which a combination of some bending and levering seems to be the best approach.

John

 

Here is a screen shot for the AS SSD Benchmark of the 256GB ADATA SX300 and the Crucial M4 tested on the same NP900X3C


THE ADATA




THE M4

 

Those results are in line with the results for the results here and shows the m4 as being slightly faster. Could you also run the PCMark Vantage benchmark for the ADATA and look at the HDD suite results to see how it compares with my m4 result here (the hardware platforms being effectively the same).

John

 

Sorry, the SSD is already fixed in a Lenovo X220 and not with me at the moment

 

Hmm the important part is the 4k, and there's hardly any difference between the two. I don't think spending a few hundred for very little gain is worth it. Thanks for the benchmark results

 

Note that here we are comparing two different options for mSATA SSDs upgrades, most likely to replace the Sandisk U100. See here for a comparison between the U100 and the m4.

John

 

Is this them?

Memory upgrades from Crucial.com - Search Categories

Courtesy of slickdeals....

 

Yes. And also on the Crucial UK site. There's a small price premium over the 2.5" SSDs.

John

 

Scan in the UK (did) have the Crucial 256GB the cheapest (reliable) retail that I've seen. Ordered today with next day delivery, but I think I got the last one!

Crucial M4 256GB - Solid State Drive - CT0256M4SSD3 - CT256M4SSD3 - Scan.co.uk

 

Apologies if this has been asked before, but can the Samsung - 13.3" Series 9 - 4GB Memory - 128GB SSD NP900X3C-A01US be upgraded with the following parts:

More RAM~~~> Kingston 8GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 Laptop Memory Model KVR16S11/8 Newegg.com - Kingston 8GB 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 Laptop Memory Model KVR16S11/8

SSD~~~> SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC256N/AM 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) Notebook Upgrade Kit Newegg.com - SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC256N/AM 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) Notebook Upgrade Kit or is it too thick? If this SSD won't work, what's the next best option?

 

dupe post.

 

No. The RAM cannot be upgraded and the notebook will only take mSATA drives. mSATA drives are about the size of a postage stamp.

 

Thanks for the reply!!!

 

The 2011 version of the 13.3" Series 9 (NP900X3 A) has upgradeable RAM. The 2012 versions (NP900X3B to X3D) have 4GB of soldered RAM which is not upgradeable.

You need an mSATA SSD. If you don't know what one looks like then look at the photos here. It is much smaller than a standard 2.5" SSD.

John

 

I was wondering what to do with my old 128Gb SSD & thought I'd try one of these - HWTOOLS SSDMB mSATA SSD to USB3.0 ADAPTER for SATA-IO | eBay

Yup, works well & my SSD is now a USB 3 mini drive

 

I have Asus UX31E with Sandisk U100, on that test, its has poorly performance again Crucial M4.

In real life usage, for works, browsing, etc, does it has really a significant performance different between those two?

If it does, and if it is possible, I might replace Sandisk U100 with M4 in my UX31E.

Thanks and regards,
incendio

 

The U100 works fine provided you don't have a lot of RAM-hungry programs open that necessitates use of the Windows swap file on the SSD (ie virtual memory). My experience is that the U100 chokes if Windows is simultaneously trying to write to the swap file on the SSD and load more data.

John

 

I've recently purchased the NP900X3C-A02UK and instantly purchased the
256GB Crucial m4 mSATA 6Gb/s SSD with the intention of swapping the hds as soon as the laptop arrives.

I saw the previous posts about the hd cloning process and wondering if there is an easier method? Could I not install windows 7 with the same serial number to the new ssd and use the driver update software from samsung to install all the relevant drivers? (i have never used the recovery partitions, so not fussed about keeping them)

 

You can reinstall Windows if that is your preference. Before you remove the existing SSD I would recommend that you make a backup of the drivers / software using Samsung Recovery Solution. Also, disable the Samsung Fast Start in Easy Settings (or you can do in the the BIOS setup) before you put in the new SSD and you may need to press F10 at the BIOS screen in order to get a one-time boot menu from which you can select the device containing your Windows installer.

John

 

Yes. There are tools to capture the current product key. See the prep steps in http://forum.notebookreview.com/len...de-clean-installing-windows-7-thinkpad-2.html

You can also use the key that came with the machine. Samsung sticks the key sticker on the AC adapter. I took that off and put it on the inside of the bottom cover.

 

Has anybody tried this drive:

Mushkin Enhanced Atlas Series MKNSSDAT240GB-DX mSATA 240GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Where does it fit in as far as performance goes? I'm looking for the fastest drive I can get when I upgrade in the next week or so. Thanks!

Patrick

 

Have a look at the conclusion at Mushkin Atlas 240GB mSATA SSD Review - The SSD Review . It's a good performer but seems to be over-priced at present.

John

 

Great, thanks! It looks like they just lowered the price to $239.95 so it is basically the same price as the other drives. Now I have to decided if the slightly improved speed is worth losing 16Gb of space... Any thoughts?

 

You are looking at CT256M4SSD3 - 256GB, mSATA Solid State Drive , from Crucial.com as well? It's currently $225 USD.

 

Will be updating my np900x4c, 15 inch beauty to a larger Crucial 256GB msata drive. Reading thru this informative thread, I am hesitant due to some plastic clips that need to be "leveraged" to open? Can someone elaborate on that step a bit more - after removing the screws, how to remove the cover effectively? thx

 

I'm curious about this too. My new drive should be arriving tomorrow hopefully!

 

It's difficult to describe how to do this, but I'll try. First remove the 10 screws (Philips size 0 screwdriver held firmly to avoid any slippage). The put your find in the flap for the SD card slot and rotate the base a little about the back edge (which is held together by the plastic clips. (These clips are hooks in the edge of the base that fit into holes on the back edge of the chassis.) I then use a spudger (but any other levering tool should do) at one side of the back edge to prise gently and hopefully separate the first clip. Then work along the back edge. There may be an optimum angle between base and chassis that will help the slips to disengage but I haven't found it. Don't bend too much or you might break the clips. For reassembly I make sure that the hooks are lined up with the holes before replacing the screws. I then squeeze the back edge together.

John

 

I recently upgraded the SSD to the crucial 256gd drive and when doing a clean windows 7 install, I get to the part where I select what drive to install it and receive an error. There is only one drive listed and I get the following error:

"Windows cannot be installed to this disk. This computer's hardware may not support booting to this disk. Ensure that the disk's controller is enabled in the computer's BIOS menu"

I cannot find anything in the BIOS menu that may have any effect on this error. Fast BIOS mode is disabled and AHCI mode is set to enabled. The drive is recognized in the BIOS in SATA port 1 as M4-CT256M4SSD3. I am installing Windows from the recovery disc that was provided with the computer with the image of the disc copied to a bootable USB stick.

Any help would be greatly appriciated.

 

This is usually an error thrown due to a problem with the source media. How did you create the stick from the media? The simplest way is to use a verified Windows .ISO and the utility at microsoftstore.com.

See Microsoft Store DVD USB Tool.

 

I installed my new drive yesterday (all though I haven't had time to install W7 yet. I just wanted to let you all know it was very easy to get the back cover off. I was extremely concerned about the bending and twisting but mine popped off pretty easily with very little twisting.

I wouldn't be nervous about doing it again at all.

 

Not sure if this the right place to post this, but i thought it might make for an interesting read for the followers of this thread!

Intel has decided to standardise its SSD specifications for its Ultrabook platform .....

Intel standardises SSD specs

 

Hello Guys,

I took also the Samsung PM830 into account. Sorry for asking again, but which one is the fastest?

SX300


PM830


M4


Mushkin Atlas


Thank you,
Chris

 

Based on the weighted score on the bottom line I'd call it a tie between the Samsung and the Micron C400 (which is the same as the Crucial m4).

John

 

I just wanted to say that I got the Mushkin Atlas drive based on "The SSD Review's" review of it and I'm extremely happy with it's performance and price.

 

Hopefully they'll come out with some 512GB drives by the end of this year.

 

This report mentioned 512GB. However, they will need some higher density chips. Whether we will be able to get our hands on them this year remains to be seen.

John

 

I purchased the Samsung NP900X4C 15 inch from the Microsoft Store yesterday. They didn't have the 13 inch NP900X3C in stock; however, they said that if it does go in stock, I can return this and get the 13 inch. I've read through this entire thread and I came to a conclusion that on the 15 inch, the RAM and SSD is upgradeable. While the 13 inch, ONLY the SSD is upgradeable. Can someone double confirm this? Also, I didn't realize that the 13 inch uses a PLS while the 15 inch uses a TN. Is it worth getting the 13 inch for the screen even if I do lose one USB port and the 4GB of RAM? How manageable is the 4GB of RAM?

 

The X3C RAM is soldered and non-upgraeable. You can, if you wnt, put 16GB in the X4C. Most of the answers to your questions are in my NP900X4C review which makes comparisons with my X3B (the same as the X3C except for the CPU). Your considerations should include: (i) What size of screen you are comfortable with and (ii) are you a heavy user who may fill more than 4GB RAM. I spent a few weeks using the X3B and when I got the X4C realised that I had been sitting much closer to the display because of the smaller pixel size. I've now decided that the X4C is a much better match for my needs (and often use all 3 of the USB ports). Another factor is that the X4C has a 50% larger battery so it can run about 35% longer (eg about 10 hours instead of 6 to 7 under equivalent conditions).

John

 

Thank you again for your replies!

 

Hey

Possible newbie question; Will OCZ SSD Nocti m-SATA 120GB work? It says
3gb/s and all the other drives mentioned here I see is 6gb/s.
Actually tried one today but I think it was DOA. Windows reported
some errors after some hours of use and finally it was not even
visible in the bios at all.

As everyone else I want the M4 but its been pain finding it
In stock here in Scandinavia.

The ocz seemed at lot faster the little time it worked.
Think it got 7.7 in the win exp rating and the u100 is
around 5.7 if I remember correctly.

Thanks in advance

 

The Nocti seems to be SATA 2 (300 MB/s interface) but your Series 9 should be backwards compatible. I'd suspect the SSD (OCZ have more than their fair share of compatibility problems). The U100 in my X4C scored 7.5, not that WEI is a good indicator. 5.9 is HDD territory.

Can you order direct from Crucial? Then just put up with the U100 until the M4 arrives. It's not so bad that I would spend money replacing it with another SSD of similar capacity.

John

 

Thanks for the quick feedback

I think I`ll try to order it from the EU website of Crucial. Is there some way of knowing if its actually in stock there? Kinda tired of trying to order it different places and they never have a confirmed delivery date for me (think I`ve tried 3-4 different webshops so far)

Thank you

 

Got ahold of Crucial by webchat. Not available at EU website at the moment. Maybe I`ll order it from the states then - will give it some time first. They promised me an email when it was available.

And a few hours later it was available - placed order Great followup from Crucial UK

 

Could you please provide instructions on how to clone the hdd?
is there a software to completely clone the drive onto a new bigger ssd or must the parition be manually specified etc