2013 Ativ Book 9 Plus owner's lounge (NP940X3G)

The Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus was previewed at the Samsung show in London on 20th June, and delivery of pre-orders started in mid-September 2013.



NP940X3G-04 i5/4GB/128GB

NP940X3G-03 i7/8GB/256GB

The Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus (AB9+) has the highest resolution laptop-screen on the market by the time of its release. It sports a 13.3" PLS-screen, with a whopping 3200x1800 resolution.

It comes packed with 4th gen. Intel Haswell CPU with the new, improved integrated HD 4400 GPU You have the choice of Intel® Core™ i7 Processor 4500U (1,8 GHz up to 3 GHz, 4 MB L3 Cache) paird with 8 GB DDR3L System Memory at 1600 MHz (on BD 8 GB) and a 256GB SSD, or the lower spec Intel® Core™ i5 Processor 4200U (1,6 GHz up to 2,6 GHz, 3 MB L3 Cache) with 4 GB DDR3L System Memory at 1600 MHz (on BD 4 GB) and a 128GB SSD.

Initially it seems Samsung is using Toshiba or Samsung SSDs which use the M.2 format.

The performance of the Toshiba SSD And the Samsung. As reported by users on this forum.

Prices in september started at 1399 for the lower spec model, with reports of 1799 for the i7/8GB/256GB model. Some people who pre-ordered it through Amazon got it for as low as 1200, as found in the general discussion-thread of the AB9+ http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/722548-samsung-ativ-book-9-plus-haswell-new.html

There are at this point, some reviews of the AB9+, but the bigger sites and reviewers are still to post theirs. Here are a few so far:

Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus review | Expert Reviews

Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus 13 inch - specs, price and features reviewed

Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus review - Laptop

Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus Review | Windows 8 Laptop Reviews



I will continue to edit this post and correct it (spelling ^^) The links leads to the Swedish Samsung-site at the moment, since the .com site does not have the i7/8gb/256Gb model.

 

Does anyone know if PCI-E based SSDs like the Samsung XP941 will be supported by these laptops?

Mine, the NP940X3G-K03US model came with the SATA based Toshiba SSD.

 

UK NP940X3G-K01UK spec here:
ATIV Book 9 Plus 13.3

And on Amazon here
Samsung ATIV Book 9 13.3-inch Touchscreen Notebook - Black (Intel Core i5 4200U 1.6GHz, 4GB RAM, 128GB SSD, LAN, WLAN, BT, Webcam, Integrated Graphics, Windows 8): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

 

I thought the screen is PLS and not IGZO as I dont believe Sharp has been involved thus far.

 

I will reserch that. In the beginning it was said that it was giong to be energy efficent IGZO-panels. But I know the demo modells used Samsung screens.

 

Samsung is definitely using PLS panels in these monitors, they are very similar to Sharp's IGZO panels though in terms of power efficiency. I will see if I can find the original statement by Samsung detailing this from several months ago. Sharp's IGZO panels have pretty much been exclusive to the Fujitsu Lifebook UH90/L so far. The Yoga 2 Pro will probably use an IGZO panel but could very well be a PLS depending on who they contracted with. We will wait and see on that one.

 

On the Swedish Samsung site for the 8 GB model it says something about 600 nits with "Outdoor mode". Is there such a thing in the current 4 GB models?

 

@paulreedsmith: Excellent, thank you for creating this Owners Lounge. It is a great service to our community.

To repeat what I wrote here in the Haswell pre-release thread, the Owners Lounge is for posting and exchanging actual experience between owners (and prospective owners). We ask members to please keep speculation and off topic chatter in that other thread.

Owners who already posted reviews and observations in the pre-release thread are encouraged to re-post highlights or summaries here (with links back to those original posts) so that new participants can use this thread to read up on the NP940X3G, without having to go through the 140+ pages in the pre-release thread.

Thanks again

 

Hi everyone,

I purchased my ATIV 9+ at microcenter last Saturday. So far I am enjoying it. A couple of questions/thoughts:

1) The thing is a fingerprint magnet! Maybe it's cuz I have sweaty hands but I feel bad when i smudge the laptop since it's so pretty.
2) Has anyone noticed a significant drop in stated battery life when you switch the wifi adapter power settings to maximum performance when on battery? I was watching some stuff on twitch and the stated battery life dropped to like 2.5-3 hours.

 

Hi pjj5001, welcome to NBR. And congrats on your new machine!

There is no doubt that higher WiFi adapter power settings will use more power. A weak signal reception will also use more power than a strong signal.

I understood from this post that the antennae run along the screen in the NP940, which hopefully should make for better reception. So maybe you can get away with reducing those WiFi power settings from the max (both in the Power Profile and in Adapter settings) without losing connection.

We actually have a thread dedicated to WiFi issues and remedies (linked below) but information such as this, which could be unique to the NP940, is great to have here in the Owners Lounge.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/727499-wifi-remedies-samsung-laptops.html

 

The Series 9, since the x3b, have been known for beeing fingerprint-magnets. And they are hard to get off too. You´ll need a damp cloth. Howerver the AB9+ is a little bit better than the the older ones I think. The color is a litte bit brighter than the old ones too. More blue if you ask me.

 

Great questions. I have the Toshiba SSD as well and after searching for a week cannot find a definitive answer. From what I have read it seems as though the M.2 form factor has the controller onboard the drive, allowing either a PCI-E or MSata drive to be connected, but I still cannot verify this. Anyone else ???

 

Use the moninfo program to see who makes the panel.

John

 

Thanks!

I haven't had any issues really with the wifi. I was just kind of startled from how the stated batter life went from 7 hours to 3 hours just from that one change. Just wanted to know if that's normal.

 

I agree with the comments on fingerprints and on the color - definitely a lighter shade than the X3E AB9. Back to the fingerprints, I think the AB9+ is much better than the Yoga I used to have, fwiw.

 

Yes, yes, I got that. My point was that, if you had increased those WiFi power settings (which was necessary on previous Samsung models to ensure WiFi performance and stability), that maybe it isn't necessary on the NP940 thanks to it's improved antennae routing. I agree, from 7 to 3 hours is a steep drop in battery life.

 

Thank you for making this thread!

Would it be fitting to include the information from this post about the Firefox resolution work around in the OP? I, for one, found it very useful, since Chrome doesn't cooperate with the resolution very nicely just yet.

 

The M.2 connector is physically wired by the Samsung Motherboard to a SATA controller. Whether Samsung used the on die SATA controller in the Haswell CPU or an external controller is unknown. Regardless, unless Samsung has jumpers on the motherboard that could connect the M.2 connector to PCIe lanes, you will not be able to use a M.2 PCIe SSD.

We still are looking for confirmation on the length of the M.2 SATA SSD, as well as if its double sided or single sided.

 

If you remove the drivers and reinstall, please give an update whether the battery life gets better or not. I might do it as well then.

How are the battery times for others?

I'v got 87%, Energy Saving Mode (Network card high performance), ET 5 hours 17 min.

Keep in mind though, that lithium batteries get better after a week or so. So, I guess my ET isn't very accurate.

 

That ET is telling me now, at 66% = 1 h 57 m. But at 95% it said 10h 00m.

I will do some more tests when I find the time. My first test was not very positive. 2h videoplayback with wi-fi on and connected, 50% sound/brightness used 32% when using Samsung-optimized Power plan.

I left the computer in sleep this night at 77%. Opend the lid 10h later and it was on 74%. Intel asked me in the beginning if I wanted to sync during sleep, but checked no on all of that.

 

Ahh, I guess PCIe SSD support is unlikely then? I guess we'll have to wait for confirmation on that and the length, etc. Thanks!

On another note, I noticed that when using 3200x1800 res the laptop stutters when switching between opened applications after a little bit of use. This is with Skype (metro) opened in background, Firefox with 3 tabs, IE with 3 tabs, Netflix (metro) in the background and not in use and the Music metro UI app playing.

I suspect that since there is only 4gigs of memory and it's being shared between applications and the HD4400 (with many of the things in Windows 8 being GPU accelerated and with higher resolution content to push), that it may be stuttering as it's trying to flush/fill new data to the memory based on what's active?

Someone from the other AB9+ thread also mentioned this recently. Has anyone else also noticed this?

For comparison, I originally bought the Acer Aspire S7-392-6411 and it was able to handle a lot more than this without any stutter, but keep in mind that it was running at 1920x1080 and had double the RAM. (I returned it due to a defective SSD and touchscreen issues).

I just wanted to add that the stutter is just a half a second at most when switching between applications, then when the application is loaded everything is fast and smooth again.

 

That's pretty terrible
I wonder if it's not better to go for the db9 with ivy bridge, the haswell cpu's doesn't improve performances by much and the 1920x1080 screen is more than enough on a 13" screen. Plus of course the price is much lower for the DB9, about 500$ in Switzerland.

 

Anyone experiencing brightness bugs? Currently, screen brightness doesn't change below 50%. Fixed with a restart, but still.

EDIT: Might be that I just couldn't differ the lower settings in the dark, will try again tonight.

 

There are a couple places that you should disable the auto-brightness settings to see if it resolves the issue:

1) In the Power options, for the profile you have selected click Change plan settings and go to Advanced settings then go to Display and turn off Enable adaptive brightness.

2) In the Intel Graphics properties, under Power, you can change display power settings for the slight brightness changes you may notice during regular use.


Also, it looks like there is another review by TechRadar released (not very detailed though):

Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus review | Laptops and netbooks Reviews | TechRadar

Review 4.5/5:

For
◾Incredible touchscreen
◾Thin
◾Light
◾Great battery life
◾Powerful

Against
◾Relatively expensive
◾Resolution tricky in desktop mode
◾Bloatware

 

Power consumption during sleep is one area where Haswell was expected to make significant improvements over Ivy Bridge or Sandy Bridge which, typically, drain the battery at about 1% per hour when sleeping.

However, I've had enough bad experiences with windows and sleep to offset improvements in power consumption. Apart from the risk of the computer waking up in a bag due to some scheduled check, I've had the display go black on me when waking from sleep. Hibernation is much safer and more robust.

John

 

For those of you whom are no longer following the prerelease thread, Amazon has listed the AB9+ 8gb 256 SSD i7 for 1645.00. No release date avail and it is listed as temporarily out of stock MSRP appears to be 1799.00. Interesting but still too expensive and too little too late for me.


Amazon.com: Samsung ATIV Book 9 Plus NP940X3G-K04US 13.3-Inch Laptop (Mineral Ash Black): Computers & Accessories


Edit: Forgot to give credit to Doonce for the link. Thx!

 

YES, pre-ordered!

 

I received my AB9+ on Wednesday and have been playing ever since. Since this is the owner's lounge I don't need to tell you how great the screen is! Just WOW! I'd decided that the ssd is just too small and am planning to exchange it for the one on my husband's laptop (250gb) that I just recently installed. He will never use that much space as he mostly uses it for internet browsing and online games. I may wait a couple weeks for doing it though just in case.

I went back through several pages of the new release thread and did not find much on read/write speeds from new owners so thought I'd post mine here. The few I did see were a bit slower than mine. I compared it to my HP dv7 (750gb hybrid) and it just blows it out of the water. I'm posting both just for comparison sake.

AB9+:


HP dv7:

 

You may have a difficult time. It's unlikely they have the same form factor. I don't know if anyone's found a 256GB AB9+ compatible SSD in retail channels.

 

Yeah that's one of the reasons I'm waiting a couple of weeks, so much back and forth about what type of drive it is and such. Figured I'd wait until someone else tried it and got it working. If I have to buy a new one, I'll just tell my husband that I took his and he'll never know the difference. If he notices that he still has a lot of drive space I'll just tell him I "compacted the data and optimized the disk". He'll have no idea I'm full of it

 

Ditto.... now to test the MS store return policy. (have the4BG/128)

edited to add: return process was a breeze. Money will be refunded within 15 days of return.

 

Cant wait for the i7 in denmark!

 

Has anyone tried to connect an external monitor yet? I've got a 30 inch HP monitor with 2560x1600 resolution that I'd want to use, but I'm not sure it is possible?

 

Check kitepumping's 4K test here in the pre-release thread.

He did 3840x2160@30hz on a 4K TV. I'll be interested to hear if you can do 2560x1600@60Hz -- which I would assume you can, but it depends on whether the monitor accepts that res through HDMI or only through DisplayPort.

 

Thanks for the input Dannemand. Sadly the monitor I've got (HP ZR30w) only support DisplayPort and Dual-Link DVI, and then I think I'm left with some converter dongle from HDMI that more than likely won't work.

If the monitor had HDMI I think maybe even then it would end up at 30 Hz or something like that, and I'm not sure if that is a good enough solution.

This is the one thing I think will stop me from buying. If only it had a DisplayPort, Samsung would have my money already!

 

As far as supporting that 2560x1600@60Hz on an external display through the Micro-HDMI, I think there is some chance that it DOES support it (although I cannot guarantee, of course). kitejumping's test hints that Samsung broke the 1090x1080 Micro-HDMI resolution limit -- though he did 3840x2160i30, which is less pixel clock than 2560x1600p60. So we don't know for sure until someone does a 1600p60 test. But with an internal resolution that is much higher, they've already got the clock generator to drive it.

That 1080p Micro-HDMI limit is overdue for an update. Admittedly, it's still there on hdmi.org. OTOH HDMI 2.0 was just released this month, supporting 3840x2160p60, but not mentioning changes to Micro-HDMI (Type D). But then, HDMI 1.4, which introduced Micro-HDMI back in 2009, doesn't mention that 1080p restriction either.

Edit: Forgot about the HDMI-DualDVI converter for your monitor. Even if the AB9+ should support >1080p through Micro-HDMI, I agree it's doubtful that you can find a MicroHDMI-DualDVI converter that supports 1600p -- given the traditional MicroHDMI restrictions and all. I am sorry

 

I have a old Dell 24" monitor that I connected through a Plugable USB 3.0 Docking Station. It is only 1650 x 1050 and I did have to use a dongle that was included with the docking station using the DVI port on the monitor. Works well but I keep wanting to touch the non-touch screen :rolleyes2:.

I had trouble when I first connected with the AB9+ changing resolution every time I closed the lid, turned off and on the monitor, looked sideways, stood up, etc., but after a restart (and reselecting my settings), it kept my new settings even after unplugging, shutting down, etc. Seems to be working great now. My new ergonomic Sculpt keyboard and wireless touchpad just arrived so I need to connect those. I'm like a kid at Christmas!

 

@TWhiteInCO: Up to 1920x1080@60Hz absolutely should be no problem. That's what was always supported through Micro-HDMI (using a fullsize HDMI converter or a micro-fullsize HDMI cable). The challenge for Tony1974 is the high resolution, which has not been supported through Micro-HDMI so far.

@Tony1974: I was going to suggest you take a look at the Ativ Book 7 instead, which as a full size HDMI port. But after a little study, I see that even that may not work, since none of the HDMI-DVI-D adapters out there support active splitting into Dual DVI for the higher resolution. I also couldn't find any HDMI-DisplayPort adapter (only going the other way, for Mac users connecting to HDMI monitors). Check member steviejones133' excellent post here -- and that entire thread.

What you need is of course a laptop with DisplayPort. But unfortunately, Samsung doesn't have that on many models, except the large 17 inch ones.

 

All, I am seeking information from other owners in relation to the screen flickering issue I first reported on the other thread (before this one was created).

First, the background: My problem is with the display flickering at unpredictable times. This happens about 3-4 times per week, and the only remedy is to put the machine to sleep using the Power button. Once I awaken it, thngs are fine again. The flickering is a bright white to normal (and maybe to all black), at a fast rate, almost as if windows was trying to rescale continuously. Others have confirmed similar or identical issue.

Now, an update: Today, I chatted with Remote Support who immediately claimed it to be an "issue caused by driver collision and LCD issue" and that it could not be handled remotely - I would need to take it to a local sevice center for inspection. I then called Samsung USA support and they had me look under "Display Adapters" in the Device Manager. Along with the Intel Graphics, there was a driver installed under Mirror Driver or Mirage something, but it is from a manufacturer listed as Demo Forge and supposedly performs display mirroring. I uninstalled that through Device Manager driver Properties. The support tech from Samsung USA believes that may have been creating the conflict causing the flickering. I still wonder if that was installed this whole time or if maybe it was installed when I allowed Remote Support remote access to my desktop earlier.

Finally, my question for other owners: Can anyone else check to see if this device driver is installed on their X3G?

I will report back if the screen flickering ocurrs again

 

FYI, I am looking at my Samsung ATIV Book 9 right now and it has a micro-HDMI interface, just like the AB9+. If you meant the older Series 9's prior to the X3E AB9, that might be a different story, but I don't think they had the "ATIV" name.

 

No, it was a typo on my part, I meant the Ativ Book 7 (series 7 Ultra). In an odd case of timing, I just corrected it in my post above literally seconds before you posted your response

 

Ahhh, thanks for the clarification - that makes sense

 

I have been forced to disable left-edge swiping on the touchpad because of the strange ability for me to scroll through recent applications without intending to - I think this happens when I try to move from typing position to accessing the touchpad in some other way, but it might simply be from stray/accidental touches with a thumb or a finger. Has anyone else experienced this and taken similar steps?

I did not have this issue during my time with the AB9, but I believe it is related to the positioning of the AB9+ trackpad, which is 1/2" further to the right in relation to the keyboard, on the AB9+. I I think this puts the left-swipe area in the way of stray touches that are interpretted as left swipes, and it is very frustrating in my opinion. But since I can left-swipe the screen, I suppose there is no real need to be able to left-swipe the touchpad. I am curious about others' experiences, though.

 

I noticed that sometimes, when I'm moving the mouse in the left area of the touchpad, the application randomly switches to one of the recently (another currently) open application. I'm not sure if that's what you mean? Happens randomly even though I didn't swipe in from the left to actively want to switch it, I didn't really make much of it, I just switch back to the previous application but I can see it being annoying if it happens a lot.

 

I have not had any screen flickering (knock on wood) and do not have the device drive you mentioned. I just have the Intel HD Graphics Family driver. I hope the removal of the driver fixed the issue for you.

 

I have experienced the same issue on multiple occasions when using the mouse cursor. It def has been a bit of an annoyance. I will try leftbrains solution and see if that helps. Any other suggestions out there?

 

I have had the display flicker problem happen just once, and I've been using my ultrabook for about a week now. I checked under Display Adapters, and I only have one option, the Intel HD Graphics Family one. I know it only happening once is a relatively good thing, but it's still probably not the answer you were hoping for.

 

Is this one of those Windows 8 gestures that you can do with the touchpad, perhaps?

 

I had the same issue. Just disable "left edge swipe" from the touchpad options in control panel and it will stop. It's actually a cool feature, but I found I do it by accident too often so it wound up being more of an annoyance.

 

Wondering how everyone is handling battery/charging. When you're at home with the charger nearby, do you usually keep it connected, or do you just connect it when the battery goes down?