A very detailed Series 9 review ② Revealed to the Bone

Today we have guest blogger CDMAN writing about his experiences with the Second Generation Notebook Series 9.

 

This is the second installment of the detailed review of Samsung’s Second Generation Notebook Series 9! In the first episode, we focused on the exterior of Series 9, and now we will look inside at the internal board composition and conduct several performance tests.

 

 

Exquisite Board Design

  

 

The disassembled Series 9 NT900X3B-A74 exhibits excellent board design and superb production. One possible improvement would be to split up the battery for a thinner version, but the battery itself boasts a hefty capacity.

 

 

In the picture above, colored arrows indicate several key features. The red arrow points to the CPU. For your reference, a HD 3000 GPU (graphic processing unit) core is in here as well. Moving back from the red arrow, two heat pipes branch outward. The blue arrow shows the location of the local RAM. The RAM part drops in performance if heated by the heat pipe, so the silver shield visible here creates a buffer between the heat pipes and local RAM. The yellow arrow denotes a PCH (Platform Controller Hub) chipset.

 

 

Two Fans Run Independently, Allowing Stable Usage without Noise

 

Please understand that the narration is in Korean, as CDMan is a Korean blogger.

 

 

Two fans are included on this model, but usually only the fan that runs is the one for the heat pipe on the CPU side. That is, the fans operate independently. When it gets too hot, both fans begin operating, but that rarely happens. Of course, that’s in Normal Fan Mode. It’s interesting to note that in silent mode, neither fan will turn on. Interestingly, the fan does not start running while surfing the web or watching 720P videos. No fan, no noise. 

 

I noticed that the aluminum at the bottom panel naturally radiates heat to help keep things cool. So, there is less need for fans, less noise and less dust in your system. All in all, a quieter system that will probably last you longer.

 

(Also in Korean)

 

I ran a vaccine and played videos on YouTube at the same time on the Series 9 NT900X3B-A74, while raising the room temperature, to test when the fan would start to run. It did not. I think this proves that it can be used stably despite a certain level of CPU usage. This is good news for those who want some performance as well.

 

The video below shows the measurement of fan noise while playing video on the new Series 9 laptop. There is no noise as the fan doesn’t run at all in Silent Mode, and this clip explains that. The narration is in Korean, again, so please take note.

 

  

In the test above, you can see the performance drop due to clock adjustment in Silent Mode, but there was no issue with watching the video even without the fan running at all. It should be perfect for library use.

  

  

It uses about 14.91W at full brightness for back light during video playback. With the back light decreased, it consumes about 10W. In my opinion, this is probably a great choice for a machine in regards to video playback.

 

 

Network Guide Band Measurement Result

 

 

The wireless LAN used is Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6230. It features two antennas.

 

 

There was some issue with the wireless signal in the 1st generation product –the aluminum casing used in the Series 9 was accused to interrupt the signal wave. The network guide band of Series 9 was measured. The iperf server was opened at the desktop and the wireless bandwidth of Series 9 was measured right beside the router. The result was Transfer 42.8 Mbytes Bandwidth : 35.8 Mbits/sec.

 

 

After opening the iperf server on the desktop, I left the room, closing the door, and took measurements from a distance. The total distance was about 9 meters in length, and measurements were through a concrete wall and closed door. I measured the wireless bandwidth of the new Series 9. It resulted in Transfer 41.9 Mbytes Bandwidth : 35.1 Mbits/sec.

 

Compared to the closer distance, there was next to no performance drop, so the network signal strength would not be a worry as long as you stay within relatively normal distance.

 

 

As the control group, the measurement for Samsung Series 5 at a remote distance (same distance) was Transfer 43.7 Mbytes Bandwidth: 36.6 Mbits/sec. Compared to Series 9, the difference was within the margin of error.

 

 

The SSD (solid state drive) used here is a m-SATA type. Samsung produces a fairly high-performance SSD operating in S-ATA3 of 830 series, and thus a fairly high-quality SSD was equipped. Depending on the model, it features 128GB, 256GB or such varieties.

 

 

  

This is the detached bottom panel. Aluminum is used and the inside is all painted as well. In Silent Mode, you feel the bottom part warming up overall, which is characteristic of aluminum cases, offering proof that the heat is being released through the bottom part.

  

By the way, during disassembly, it appeared that a thermal tape to conduct heat in the middle CPU part would be a more efficient solution for the heat to be drawn to the bottom of the unit. Just an idea.

 

A very detailed Series 9 reviews:

① the solid single shell-body

② Revealed to the Bone

③ Function and Performance Test

 

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*The content on the blog is based on individual opinion and does not represent the position, strategy, or opinions of Samsung Electronics.