The 2012 Samsung Series 9 13.3" (NP900X3B)

[John Ratsey]

If someone had to send an S9 back to Samsung, what would be acceptable:

Also, I am totally removing their installed OS and recovery partition and using Windows 7 Ultimate or other OS, so those would or could not come into play either.

After wiping the disc you can put back a basic Windows installation. If you have not zapped the recovery partition then you can use Fn+F4 (IIRC) to boot into Samsung Recovery Solution and restore the factory image.

Another topic: What percentage of battery charge should a 13" XB lose per hour, or in a 12 or 24 hour period with the lid closed in sleep or hibernation?

No power drain in hibernation and about 1% per hour if sleeping.

I've been looking at the Samsung Series 9 as my first ultrabook (and laptop) and I've decided to go with it. As I've never had a laptop before, I'm wondering if I have to charge it for a long time as the first charge out of the box (perhaps 24 hours?). I have read the thread and it seems like fully charging/discharging isn't necessary now, but I'd still like to make sure.

They always recommending charging the battery before use but it comes about half charged so I just plug it in and start using it. Note that there is a battery life extender switch in Easy Settings. You should enable this unless you need maximum battery time - the life extender limits the charge to 80% which is better for battery longevity.

John

[karaholics]

They always recommending charging the battery before use but it comes about half charged so I just plug it in and start using it. Note that there is a battery life extender switch in Easy Settings. You should enable this unless you need maximum battery time - the life extender limits the charge to 80% which is better for battery longevity.

Thanks, I didn't know about that feature. But I was more specifically asking if there was anything I needed to do with the new laptop battery, like fully charging it before using the laptop.

[undoIT]

Is there any update at this point whether or not an 8GB model will be available? 4GB max soldered RAM is a deal breaker for me. Even the new Macbook Air has 8GB available as an option.

[trifthen]

Yeah, I don't get it either. Windows 7 takes up a quarter of the memory on these things. It would be nice to have some RAM for actual applications. There is no reason not to have more memory options except sheer laziness.

Even 16GB wouldn't be out of the question. It's late 2012 for crying out loud.

[go45cvi]

Is there any update at this point whether or not an 8GB model will be available? 4GB max soldered RAM is a deal breaker for me. Even the new Macbook Air has 8GB available as an option.

The 13" uses a DDP memory module that is only available in 4GB ATM. The 8GB package is due Q2-Q3 2013. I wouldn't expect an update till then, perhaps with haswell. Not sure if the X1C has or XPS13 refresh will have the option. The toshiba and sony can go to 8+ but are otherwise vastly inferior. I give apple credit for pushing the spec (other manufacturers will follow), the air is a slightly larger machine though.

[SoundsGood]

The X1C has an 8gb model. Another option is the 15" Series 9, which also has 8gb.

[superflysocal]

I am trying to clone my hard drive. I am using Acronis True Image HD. I tried booting from an external cd drive hooked on the usb3.0 port, changed the bios boot priority, but it still always boot to windows.

Then I made a bootable usb flash drive with Grub4Dos and put Acronis iso on there. I verifie it works on an old dell laptop. This still will not boot. I have tried 2 different flash drives.

Also, when going from ssd to ssd, does the destination ssd need to be pre-aligned?

Lastly any links on dissassembling the series 9 to get the ssd out?

[chicgeek]

Just a general question:

I come from the old school of removing your HDD when sending in a computer or notebook for service.

If someone had to send an S9 back to Samsung, what would be acceptable:

1.) Totally remove the SSD from the S9?
2.) Backup and then totally wipe the entire SSD before sending it in as unbootable?
3.) Other method?

You will want to check with samsung if you do have to RMA. They may see it as warranty voiding if you have removed the SSD. If you use bitlocker, your data is somewhat safe. It is a little difficult to completely wipe a SSD, need to do multiple overwrites. Another option is to buy your own SSD (a good excuse to upgrade) and save the oem while your warranty is in effect.

I lose maybe 1% in hibernate sleep in a day, I have it set to 3 minutes.

Thanks.

I was fortunate enough to get a fast Samsung 830 mSATA 128GB with my XB, so the only real upgrade would be a larger drive. I do not, and won't use bitlocker, but I would have no trouble wiping the drive decently enough that I wouldn't worry about it. Even removing the partition would likely be adequate. My main concern would be if Samsung would be unhappy with receiving it unbootable?

Thanks for the hibernate information.

Just a reminder that if Samsung suspects you've cracked open this model, it voids warranty. They are not advertising the SSD as user-replaceable. That is, restore the original SSD with the recovery partition before sending it in - they likely won't service the laptop if it has a different or no SSD installed.

[MainEvent]

Windows 8 promises to be less intensive on system resources and improve battery life on notebooks. I'm tempted to upgrade just for those reasons hoping I can stretch out the 4GB max.

However, my month old model now has 19.7% wear. Wow. If I RMA does Samsung replace the battery or do they just send me a refurb model, or replace with the same exact model, or can I luck out and receive the new generation model?

[aamsel]

Just a reminder that if Samsung suspects you've cracked open this model, it voids warranty. They are not advertising the SSD as user-replaceable. That is, restore the original SSD with the recovery partition before sending it in - they likely won't service the laptop if it has a different or no SSD installed.

I understand, and did read that link you posted awhile back in the X3C thread. It is more than curious that Samsung put no statement or sticker on the bottom of the case stating "warranty void if"...(the cover, sticker, etc. removed). Why didn't they? SSD manufacturers do it all the time.