The 2012 Samsung Series 9 13.3" (NP900X3B)

You guys are killing me! In search of the perfect Ultra I gave up on the Series 9 last year after almost throwing it out more than one window because of the wifi issues. Actually, I went through four before giving up. Right now, I have a Lenovo U300, 11 and 13" Zenbook and my main traveler is the Toshiba Z830 which I swear by up until....

I give myself a week. After all, this new PM830 256GB Samsung SSD just has to go somewhere...

 

None of those machines compare. They are all wannabees.

 

I'm kinda surprised you haven't tried the Dell by now.

 

Square trade will cover your battery... and anything else up to the purchase price of your S9. There are several 30% coupons out there floating around; slickdeals posts them regularly.

Their accident protection on a laptop or notebook is pricey though; $299 for the S9. I never dropped my tablets, don't think it will happen to my S9. *knocks on wood*

 

How long after the initial purchase date do you have to purchase a Squaretrade warranty?

 

Per the SquareTrade website: Warranties on Retail items can be purchased within 90 days of item purchase.

 

I don't think I've seen anyone link to this review yet.

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/laptops/373525/samsung-series-9

 

^ yup, back a few pages!

 

i've never seen the logic of being careful with a laptop battery. you dont want the battery to wear out as it won't last as long, so you don't use it. as such whats the point in keeping it in good nick if your only using it for 3 hours anyway?! lol!

 

Is it just me or is it a bit odd that the machine comes with a sandisk SSD instead of samsungs own?

Not that it really matters though I wonder how it compares to their own 830?

 

Starting from the Vaio G2, I try to keep my laptop batteries max at 80% (that laptop, it would still last me about 8-10 hours, hehe), and recharge whenever. If possible, recharge at 20%. Once in a while, I would charge it to 100% and discharge. I don't know if it the new battery technology or not (that extended battery did cost me $300), but I kept a note of the available capacity on an excel and it did NOT lose the normal 20% a year (using some battery monitoring softare), only a few percent. My previous Vaio V505 would lose around the 20% per year. I think there is a benefit to keep at 80% also found on these Samsungs.

 

The Sandisk SSD is slower than the Samsung model and so far it's only the UK models which come with the Sandisk SSD. AFAIK all the US models have a Samsung SSD (the "old" slower model though, but still faster than the Sandisk one).

 

Thanks for the information. I'm REALLY wanting one of these and am about to pull the trigger. Have a friend that ordered the dell and waiting to see it before i commit.

 

I think I may have passed that rumor because I read the model number incorrectly; the Samsung is the current model, not the older one.

 

Hey guys, how warm or hot (or cool?) does this thing get on the bottom after it's been running for a few hours?

Thanks.

 

I haven't noticed much heat at all with mine for daily tasks.

 

You're right, my fault

 

Samsung Series 9 900X3B review - Laptop - Trusted Reviews

here's another review

 

Great review. I'm starting to lean back towards the S9 and away from the Dell. Now the only question (for me) is which size? -- 13.3" or 15".

It would be a much easier decision if the 13.3" had 1440x900 instead of 1600x900. That would make it 127 ppi (instead of the 138 ppi it currently has) which is closer to the 122 ppi on the 15" at 1600x900. In fact if it did have 1440x900, I'd be done, since I'd prefer the smaller footprint. But it doesn't.

Decisions, decisions...

 

Why would lower resolution have a smaller footprint? That won't affect the screen size, would it?

I like the high resolution 1600x900. Keep in mind if you get the 15", you may be getting a subpar screen compared to the 13.3".

 

I haven't noticed any heat or excessive fan noise from mine, when the fans are running you can barely hear them. I think its only kicked in once or twice in the 3 days I've been using it. I had a Macbook before this and long bouts of video playback would make resting it on your lap a painful experience, I have not had the same experience with the S9, quite the opposite actually. I'm loving this thing.

 

1440 x 900 would be 16:10 with proprortionately less width and more height, which is what many users prefer - much better for working with documents and web browsing.

John

 

Yes, but if you have two 13.3" screens, one with 1600x900 and the other 1440x900, how would the "footprint" be smaller. Shouldn't the footprint be the same? It is the same size screen no? Just more or less pixels in the same amount of space. I must be missing something.

 

Look at a photo of the 13.3" S9 and you will see a big bottom bezel and some unused space at each side of the keyboard. A 1440 x 900 panel would have more height (0.5") and less width (0.3") than a 1600 x 900 panel. This would use some of the space occupied by the bottom bezel (oversized in order to get the lid to match the chassis depth which is controlled by keyboard + touchpad) while allowing a narrow machine. The result is an overall smaller footprint.

I've got my task bar placed vertically on the left side of my screen but I still find it difficult to make full use of the wide screen, except for the occasional movie watching.

John

 

The physical screen (Height and Width) can be different and still have a 13.3" diagonal line. The Mac screen is slightly more square for the 1440x900 native res. The SS9 screen is more of a rectangle. So you end up have the same vertical resolution but another 160 pixels of horizontal resolution for the all important email preview pane. Or columns on a spreadsheet. Or property pane and toolbox in an IDE.

 

OK, I think I understand now. Thanks for the inputs.

 

Actually guys... I just meant that I prefer the smaller footprint of the 13" S9 over the larger footprint of the 15" version. But since 1600x900 on a 13" screen is probably too much for my eyes, I wish the resolution was 1440x900 instead, which would make things a little easier on my eyes (due to a lower overall PPI). The way things are now, I might be forced to go with the 15" model since I'm fine with 1600x900 on a 15" screen. Does that make sense?

I also happen to prefer a 16:10 ratio over 16:9, but that's a separate issue.

Sorry for the confusion.

 

FWIW:

1440 x 900 @ 14.1" = 120 ppi (pixels per inch)
1600 x 900 @ 14" = 131 ppi
1600 x 900 @ 15" = 122 ppi
1440 x 900 @ 13.3" = 128 ppi
1600 x 900 @ 13.3" = 138 ppi

1600 x 900 @ 15.2 is approximately 1440 x 900 @ 14.1" with an extra 1.1" added on the side (and 0.12" less height).

Good quality displays with bright backlights are usable at higher ppi (a bit like having good lighting helps to read the small print in a book).

John

 

I have been able to get around the smaller font sizes by fiddling with all my apps so that they are zoomed by default at 110% - 125% (I know this doesn't work for you, SoundsGood, with two different monitors). Still there are plenty of labels, etc. that don't zoom, and I'm finding it surprisingly easy to read the tiny print on this screen, so Ratsey is definitely right. I regularly have two documents side by side, and the wider screen is fantastic for that.

My HDD is the Samsung, and my HDD WEI is 7.9.

As for heat: my dell was running between 55 and 60ish all the time with modest web browsing and word processing (hence the constant fan noise-- fan would kick in as soon as I got over 60). For about two days I had an MBA that got hot on my lap and ALSO had fan noise like a hair dryer from time to time. This thing is almost always under 50. Stays cool in my lap. When the fan does go, it's hard to hear (and I'm not sure how many times in a week that I have heard the fan), and when it does get "warm" it's hard to tell that it's warm. Just last night I was marveling at it-- what did they DO to keep it this cool? There's a Samsung ad that claims they put 20,000 hours into engineering this thing. I guess they must be telling the truth.

 

Anyone know if it's possible to reverse the direction of the trackpad scrolling?

Screws me up now that I've gotten so used to scrolling on my mac.

Just a note for another couple of bugs: Last night after waking from sleep my Cntl key was stuck in the down stroke (but the key itself wasn't stuck) I pressed it a few times and all was normal again.
Also my wifi signal dropped to one bar for 5 minutes then back up to 5 (20 feet from the router).

 

I think 19,000 hours went into fixing the original wifi problem.

All kidding aside, I really hope I can find a way to live with 1600x900 on this 13.3" screen AND deal with my 24" monitor too. It sounds like an amazing machine.

Truth is I'm probably better off just going with the 15" version (it might be perfect for me) but I can't pull myself from liking the smaller size/footprint of the 13" model.

I guess we'll see what happens...

 

I forgot to ask... Which apps have you successfully tweaked to zoom by default to 110%-125%?

Thanks!

 

I use chrome, which has default zoom settings, and a writing program called scrivener, which I love, and open office. I'm a plain vanilla user.

Found the Square Trade warranty discount, and can't decide if I should pay the $140ish dollars for a three year warranty. In general I don't, because I can fix my computers myself, and I'm a control freak. This warranty covers me for up to two years because of my Visa extended warranty. I guess if I don't get it, I'm banking on the hope that by 2014 somebody will have replaced the battery on this thing, and the part will be available on ebay. Any thoughts?

 

I'm in the "no extended warranty" camp. I almost never need one so I've saved a lot of money over the years by NOT buying them. But it's certainly a personal choice.

 

In fact, no point buying because your notebook computer will be worth only half the original price in three years time.

 

But it's worth even less if it breaks and you can't get it repaired.

John

 

Is the VISA warranty you mention automatic on all purchases? Where can I read about this?

Where did you see a coupon code for a SquareTrade Warranty?

thanks!

 

Does American Express still offer an automatic extended warranty?

 

I want to hear some comparisons on the Asus UX31. Anyone have both laptops want to share some insights?

 

Warranty Manager Service | Visa Signature
You should call and make sure your card qualifies for the benefit, which doubles Manufacturer's original warranty up to one year (so if you have a three year warranty it gives you one additional year).

Official SquareTrade Warranty Discount Codes Thread - No Begging Please
Go to end of thread. Several different codes, all of which worked for me, none of them amount to more than a $30.00 discount.

That said, I'm going to forgo the square trade warranty, assuming that, if there's a manufacturing catastrophe it will reveal itself within the first year, as it did with the xps m1330.

Amazon page is still dead, which is really starting to bug me. I'm going to send Jeff an email. Will report back.

 

Thanks very much. I registered my VISA Signature account.

FYI, I managed to discover a bit of a backdoor into Amazon via Google search and ordered the 13". I had some money on my account from Christmas so I wanted to use it. I'm not so sure Amazon took the page down on purpose. It looks like a bug to me. They have inventory.

I looked at the second gen machine at CompUSA yesterday. Looks killer and I like the color.

My SS9 should be here tomorrow.

 

Send me the info, please? Thanks.

 

Fair enough, but the bug has been reported to them several times now over the past three weeks. How many Amazon web-helpers does it take to screw in a light bulb?

I hope you enjoy yours as much as I enjoy mine.

 

I don't have one, but from what you can read the Asus UX31 is better in perfomance. Design is a matter of taste. Build-quality seems to be equal, perhaps a bit better for the S9. The screen from UX31 seems to the main downturn vs. the S9. S9 seems to have the best screen, perhaps Z and MBA/MBP are equal or better.

So if you are ok with glossy less contrasty screens and like the design of the UX31 better than the S9 this would be your laptop, also in terms of performance.

regarding the 1600x900 resolution on a 13" inch notebook. I have a Z, and it's 13,1". Perfect for working, reading, browsing. Even better when you are using Photoshop or Lightroom. That's was the main reason to choose this laptop. I wouldn't go lower than that anymore, I was also considering getting a 1080 screen if possible.

So don't hesitate to get a notebook with that resolution. You won't regret it!

 

Yes it still does. All Amex has 1 yr extra warranty.
and spg Amex even has Purchase Protection which gives you full refund within 90 days from the purchase date.

 

All I did was search for "http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-NP900X3B-A01US-13-3-Inch-Laptop-Silver" on google.com. The first link after the sponsored links worked.

That ended up being Amazon.com: Samsung Series 9 NP900X3B-A01US 13.3-Inch Laptop (Titan Silver): Explore similar items

 

Do you run it at more than 100% dpi, or do you tweak any settings? Or do you just run everything at 100% and all default settings ??

 

default settings...

 

I contacted Amazon too about it "missing" from their site and they just said it was out of stock. Heh.

 

Thank you for bringing up the AMEX 1 year extended warranty! I re-ordered through Amazon, used my points to pay for a portion, Amazon gift card, and will get the 1 year extended warranty. Brilliant.