2013 Series 7 chronos / Ativ Book 8 15" owner's lounge (NP770Z5E / NP780Z5E / NP870Z5E / NP880Z5E)

I figured it was about time this laptop has it's owner's thread since the discussion thread was getting a little bit too big.

This owner's thread will be for the 2013 new series 7 chronos and ativ book 8 15 inch versions:

NP770Z5E - matte, silver
NP780Z5E - touchscreen, silver
NP870Z5E - matte, black
NP880Z5E - touchscreen, black

This thread is mainly for problems, questions, news and sharing experiences.

Some useful links
- Official video from samsung
- Samsung UK download page
- the discussion thread
- My review on the NP770Z5E-S01FR
- Trackpad thread
- Wifi Remedies thread( Dannemand)
- Bloatware List ( Dannemand)
- Driver suggestions ( Dannemand)
- http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/723676-linux-series-7-2013-a.html( Lekkerkerker)
- How to fix Metro Apps problem ( MENTAL1ST)

Drivers/updates

WARNING: This section has not been updated since 2014

- BIOS
Newest BIOS Version: P05ABU (install through SWUpdate) confirmed functional

- Graphics
If you have low framerates on drivers later than 13.10, try unplugging your laptop in-game for a second. I don't know why but it helps a ton in some games.

Pretty important for everyone who needs to unplug in order to have decent performance on AMD 14.x:
install machater's tool for applying leekm's enduro fix. It fixed it for me!!!

Link: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sag...7800-7900-8500-8600-8700-8800-8900m-gpus.html

- Newest Samsung driver (12.9 on windows 8/13.3 on wndows8.1) (not recommended, very slow): install through SWupdate
- Newest working official beta driver windows 8.1 (14.6 beta)(not recommended, many bugs): http://www2.ati.com/drivers/beta/amd-catalyst-14.6-beta-v1.0-windows-may23.exe (only works on windows 8.1 after installing windows updates. Supports mantle.
- Newest working official beta driver windows 8 (14.4 beta): AMD Catalyst 14.4 (14.100.0.0 March 27) Download
- Most stable, not performing as good as post-14.4 (13.10 beta): AMD_Catalyst_13.10_Mobility_Beta.zip - Solidfiles (for install step in installation guide below: unzip file and run setup.exe)
- Recommended Newest whql driver (14..4 whql): http://www2.ati.com/drivers/14-4-win7-win8-win8.1-32-dd-ccc-whql.exe

Installation guide:

Spoiler

How to upgrade to official non-samsung drivers:

1. Update your intel HD4000 drivers through SW update if they are not up-to-date.

2. Go to programs and features and run AMD Catalyst install manager. Check "Express Uninstall all AMD software" and run it.
Reboot after it's done.

2.b Only do this step if you're usig LeekM's drivers: disable driver signature enforcement and reboot. Explained by LeekM himself here: LeeKM's Modded Drivers: How to disable the ‘Driver Signature Enforcement’ on Windows

3. Download the AMD drivers from the links above

4. Install them.

5. Reboot.

FAQ

- How to fix WiFi-Problems?
Thanks a lot to DamoUK for this very good guide:

Spoiler

- How do I force a program to use the dedicated gpu?
Press the Windows button and look for the switchable graphics app. Than you can search for any program and set a power profile for it.

- My notebook seems to underperform in intense programs?
Is your notebook plugged in and did you make sure the program uses the dedicated gpu? If that doesn't help press Fn F1 for the samsung settings and go to the General settings >silent mode. Disable it if enabled. Fn F11 works too.

- My battery won't charge fully (stops at 80%)?
Press Fn F1 for the samsung settings and go to the Power Management settings. Disable Battery life extender if you want a fully charged battery. Enable it if you want your battery to wear out less.

- I can't close the laptop without a reboot.
Deinstall Intel HD4000 Driver and reinstall it with the drivers from SW Update (thanks j4bsteR)

- How to install an SSD?
(only you are responsible if something happens to go wrong)
This is Black83's awesome tutorial :

Spoiler

Tutorial by Dannemand on USB Recovery backup and re-imaging an SSD:

Spoiler

- Why is my RAM usage so high?
Samsung pre-installed a program called intellimemory. This uses your RAM for cashing. Some may find it usefull but to me it just eats up too much RAM.
You can uninstall it in the control panel > uninstall a program.

- Why won't my browser fully load my webpages?
This is a windows 8 bug.
In Chrome, go to history (ctrl+h) and click delete browser history. Select delete "from the beginning of time". You only need to delete browser history and cache. So check those 2 and click delete. This fixes it for a few days, although you'll have to repeat it every now and then when it happens again.
Firefox has the same bug apparently. (thanks Phelan for the info). Wiping cache should fix it.
Update: uninstalling samsung support center should also get rid of the problem. (Thank you Billain)

- Why is my screen so dim, even at maximum brightness? (How to disable adaptive screen brightness?)
Left click on the battery icon. Click on more options. Next, click adjust power plan settings next to the power plan on which you have the problem. Click on the advanced settings and go to display. Click on the adaptive brightness settings and turn it off. Your screen will now only change if you adjust it yourself and you will always have the option to set the screen brightness to its maximum. Even in complete darkness.

- Why does everything on my screen look less sharp than it should?
For the best sharpness go to control panel> Appearances and personalization> Display> Make text and other items larger or smaller and set it to 100%.

Additional tutorials

- How to overclock past 850/1250

Spoiler

1. Download MSI afterburner, install and search for MSIAfterburner.cfg. Open it with notepad.

2. Set these values from 0 to 1:
UnofficialOverclockingEULA = 1
UnofficialOverclockingMode = 1

3. Save and close the file.

4. Search and run regedit. This is the registry editor. If you fail to find it it should be in this folder: C:\Windows

5. Do a backup of your registry in case something goes wrong. You can do this with regedit. Click file>export and save it where you'd like to save it.

6. Go to this folder: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Class\{4D36E968-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}

7. You should see a few folders with the names 0000,0001,0002 (maybe some more).

8. Open the first folder of these and look for EnableUIps. If it's there, double click it and set its value to 0. If it's not there go to the next folder. Repeat the steps to change EnableUIps's value to 0 in each folder until you have gone through all folders with 4 digits within the {4D36E968-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} folder.

9. Close regedit and Reboot without opening msi afterburner.

10. Remember that overclocking is at your own risk and that it can damage your parts if not done cautiously!!!

I'd recommend to slowly build up the clocks and do tests like 3Dmark11 and games to check for stability. Also remember to monitor your temps. It's best to keep the back of your laptop lifted a bit to prevent overheating.

To prevent GPU throttling, even at stock clocks, put the power limit at +20%.

11. Have fun!

- How to perfom a clean install.
Thanks you Obyboby

Spoiler

Thanks you Dannemand

Spoiler

- How to make your laptop boot with Num Lock on

Spoiler

1. Search and run regedit. This is the registry editor. If you fail to find it it should be in this folder: C:\Windows

2. Do a backup of your registry in case something goes wrong. You can do this with regedit. Click file -> export and save it where you'd like to save it.

3. Go to this folder: HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Keyboard

4. Go to InitialKeyboardIndicators, double click it and set its value to 2.

5. Close regedit

- How to disable ATI GPU when it is broken (BIOS unlock)
Thank you @tqbinh

Spoiler

- How fix brightness control
Thank you @Pipic12 (quoted below) and @faeterov who first mentioned this fix here

Spoiler

 

I'll start with my questions:
Did anyone get newer graphics drivers to work? If so, how?

I'm getting this bug in chrome that webpages won't load fully and look weird the first time I go to them. Anyone else having this?

 

Great
Maybe make it for the 880z5e/870z5e as well
I don't think we need a separate thread for the s01ub, as almost all of the problems that will arise will apply to both of the models.
17" is quite different and does need a different thread, IMO

 

Agreed, but are we sure that everything will be the same except for the colour?

 

Great initiative, pranktank

I agree with that.

I am a bit split on this. My first instinct was the same (it's quite different). On the other hand, many issues discussed will be covering both 15" and 17" models -- and so we end up repeating the same questions and answers in two different threads.

Since the large volume of discussion posts was already taken care of in the original pre-announcement thread, I wonder if a combined "2013 Series 7 Chronos Owners Lounge" thread couldn't work for both 15" and 17" models -- and still remain manageable in size.

Just a thought. I don't own either (though I'd love to have the Z7E) and should leave that decision to actual owners

 

Someone has pointed out that the 870Z5E/880Z5E shares the same platform.

It may be appropriate for the 8870m AMD graphics family on Samsung notebooks to have its own thread. I anticipate a significant amount of discussion on that subject which may be hard to find in more general threads. The Series 7 WiFi thread is an example of the benefit of keeping a specific thread.

John

PS: It would be appropriate for a graphics thread to be started by someone who has this notebook and a strong interest in the graphics performance. They can then keep the first post updated with the latest information.

 

Good point, John.

 

I ordered my NP7705ZE-S01FR (since I'm French) yesterday ! I just can't wait laying my hands on the beast, and your review didn't help in that regard.

If I'm right, you're planning on replacing the slow 1 To HDD 5400rpm by a SSD soon. I'm probably going to do the same, but I want to experience Windows 8 before I decide whether to install W8 or W7 on the SSD. I'm not sure all the drivers will perform as they're supposed to on W7 but I'm confident people on this forum will be helpful to me in many ways

I'll probably come back for help when starting the HDD -> SSD replacement process (or before that if I happen to run into some trouble).

 

Hi guys

I've had this laptop for 2 weeks now - NP780Z5E (8850m, Core i5 version with touchscreen)

I absolutely love this thing...

The first thing you notice about it is the stunning looks and the build quality. It really feels like a premium product in every way and it's like a different world compared to my old laptop.

The screen is also fantastic. The colours and sharpness are amazing and I find the touchscreen to be very responsive and easy to use.

Next up the keyboard. I have to admit it took me a few days to get used to it because the keys are pretty spaced, but now I have it's a joy to type on.

The same with the touchpad - it's great after a little getting used to. My only criticism is that it's off centre and a little to the left of the laptop. I would ideally prefer it to be in the middle of the latop because I sometimes find myself right-clicking when I want a normal click - but I'm sure I'll live with it.

The battery is fantastic - I've never used a laptop with such great battery life! I use it mostly for web browsing, graphics and word processing and the battery will last for around 8 or 9 hours.

I'm also impressed by the speed. I've yet to do anything where the response hasn't been instant.

I did have a couple of issue with the software when I first got it but these are to do with Windows 8 rather than the laptop itself (e.g. I had a issues with Office 2007 icons showing properly - but I resolved this quickly)

Somebody above mentioned that they had an issue with Chrome not displaying web pages correctly and requiring a refresh. I had this exact issue (and also with Firefox) but after reading some advice on another forum I uninstalled the Samsung Support Center and the issue has gone. Sounds like you have the same issue so I would recommend doing that.

All in all I love it.

I paid £899 at PCWorld but the price has now gone up to £999 so feel like I got a decent deal too.

Dan

 

I'm a pretty fast typist, normally getting around 100wpm on wpm tests
I did the same test yesterday and got 127wpm
I love this keyboard!

 

For all other people interested in gaming performance: When I receive my 770z5e in the next days, I will hopefully be able to test following games:

Battlefield 3
Far Cry 3
Crysis 2
SimCity
Tomb Raider
Bioshock Infinite
Anno 2070
Sleeping Dogs
Assassins Creed 3
GTA 4
Mass Effect 3
NfS Most Wanted

Any other games You're interested to?
Best from my steam library: http://www.lambentstew.com/webblog/miniproject/steamanalysis/steam_time/delpiero223

(Posted it here, because there aren't many days left between me and the 770z5e )

 

Hi Guys ! I'm about to buy this beast and I'll change the 1 TB Hard Drive with a SSD drive. But I'm not sure how to disassemble it, because on the Samsung website gallery of this model (NP770Z5E), looking at the bottom, there's no sign of screws to be removed...Any ideas? I'll have to remove the bottom lid by hand ??

 

One question, are the AMD drivers 'locked' to specific Samsung versions or can you just use reference Catalyst drivers? I'm asking because my old Sony didn't allow for that with its nvidia card, and after Sony stopped updating the drivers it was a PITA to install/find newer ones.

 

I'm now a proud owner of this laptop

First imperssions... very good build quality. But the trackpads left and right click are a little... flimsy though? It's probably just me, but it seems like they could give way quite easily over time? The keypad does take some getting used to but like everyone else, I'm sure I'll get used to it.

 

In this thread we could start updating first post with several guides about how to put an ssd both with recovery and fresh install...

 

From what I've seen, the whole backplate has to be unscrewed and separated from the computer with something that won't scratch or damage anything. Check these out (I believe they are displayed in reverse chronological order) : Nouveau Samsung serie 7 CHRONOS [Topic Unique] - Page : 61 - Ultraportable - Ordinateurs portables - FORUM HardWare.fr

 

Right, I'm sorry if I'm embarrassing myself here... but how do I create the recovery image for when I install the SSD? I've got a 16gb and 32gb memory stick(s) on hand... where do I go from here?

edit: figured it out... the factory image is 16758mb if anyone's interested. So yeah, you will need a 32GB usb stick.

 

Good idea. I did not upgrade to an SSD myself so I'm not able to do the tutorial myself.


I want to add the ativ book 8 (NP870Z5E and NP880Z5E) to this owner's thread like some suggested but I can't change the title.

 

I've done it for you, although the title is starting to get a bit long.

John

 

Great, thanks John. It is indeed a bit long but I wouldn't know what would be the best to leave out.

 

I did the HDD swap to an SSD. I used the short tutorial of black83.

I used a soft plastic card and started with the front right corner (stickers). I opened till the 2nd usb 2.0 port. Then i did the front, then left side complete, then backside. At the end i openend the left backside (Series 7 Chronos JBL).

 

Nice move, we definitely needed an owner's lounge thread for this notebooks.
I also believe that we will need a Drivers thread soon.

 

I'll try to keep the first post updated on drivers and such. I just updated my bios through SWupdate, not sure what it helps for. Drivers are impossible to install directly from AMD for now.

Btw, I added FAQ. Tell me if I missed a faq.

 

Pranktank can you please tell the hw rev. of your display?

 

Do you mean hardware ID? This is the ID: MONITOR\AUO9003

 

Plz add the Problem, that you can't close the laptop without a reboot. Solution is: Deinstall Intel HD4000 Driver and reinstall it with the drivers from SW Update.

 

Never mind Im stupid

 

True, it's useful for everyone who does a clean install

Sent from HTC HD2 with Tapatalk

 

Thanks for all your effort on this, its really appreciated.

I am personally waiting for the NP880Z5E and hoping for a configuration with SSD out of the box and possible 16GB of RAM, to jump on board. Once I am in, I will post any feedback necessary.

I hope the graphic driver situation will get better, I am really hoping for vanilla support, meaning download the GPU drivers as it is released from intel.com and amd.com and just install/update.

I had the Envy 17 which required an HP signed driver for the GPU and it was a disaster. I do not want to go over the same hell again...

Speaking of the Envy 17, any of you moved the the new Chronos from an Envy 17, Pavilion DV7 or Envy DV7? Any comments and feedback will be very welcome.

 

Congratulations! I agree about the trackpad, it does feel a bit flimsy on the clicks, but I think it will be robust enough to last a good few years - if you've got the touchscreen, you shouldn't need to use the trackpad too much - and actually, look at all the other PC's with a similar type of trackpad, and they all feel the same - it's better than the lenovo y500 equivalent! Key travel on the keyboard is low, but is similar to all other island type keyboards that I've ever used, it just takes getting used to, and when you do, you'll be fine - the only thing I find, specific to this laptop, so far, is that you have to hit the keys fairly centrally as you type, otherwise, sometimes they don't quite register properly - again, it's just a matter of adjusting your typing to this keyboard, though!

A question for the owning community:

Is anyone's install of Adobe Photoshop Essentials 11 licensed or is this just a trial install (and therefore deletable bloatware)? It sounds, from reviews of the previous version of the Chronos, like this used to have a license key, but mine just pops up with the "Enter a valid key or choose the 90 day trial" option - can't find a key in the paperwork with it. It seems a bit stingy not to include this with a license (I have CS5, so it's not really an issue, just an observation). PS If anyone tries this and gets an error, you need to run as administrator the first time you run it - pull down the icon on the start menu and choose the run as administrator icon - even if you are the administrator/only account - I know it's stupid!

 

Guys, the driver on this thing is said to be from the 27th of november 2012. How is that even possible? This is outrageous.

 

Thats probably because its the Microsoft/AMD Generic driver.
Hopefully when AMD releases the official driver with the 8XXX series support, we will be able to download it and install it directly from amd.com

 

AUO fits with the previous info that it is an MVA panel. Perhaps this technology.

John

 

Just received shipping information from Amazon.de #

Will hopefully be delivered tomorrow, even if it says, 28th

 

Here is the link http://auo.com/?sn=149&lang=en-US&c=34 to the product page, and actually they claim the fullhd panel to have 300nit.

 

Think that should actually be THIS LINK, looks like part of yours is missing as it keeps defaulting to the Taiwanese home page!

 

pranktank, you could also name the latest Bios Version: P03ABU, or maybe make a list of all the latest driver versions. (maybe with links?) I know thats lot of work... dont hurry.

and big thx for posting my name in faq!

 

Guys I did some throttling tests in far cry 3. I played BF3 first for about 40 minutes and then Far Cry 3 so my system would be warmed up. In-game cpu never throttles thermally, not even when I overclock the gpu. Cpu almost never exceeds 72 °C. It does however throttle 2 cores most of the time.

So is this psu throttling? Or is HWINFO64 wrong when it says no core is thermally throttling.

Gpu randomly goes from turbo clock 775mhz to normal 725mhz and below. This makes the framerates costantly go up and down and jump randomly.
EDIT: Gpu never exceeds 68 °C on stock. And GPU utilisation randomly drops to 64% sometimes.
EDIT2: Gpu fan never exceeds 35% speed either.

I wanted to post these results in the test thread but I'm not entirely sure what the results mean.

In the .zip are 2 logs. One stock, one OC.

Thanks for your help!

 

The throttling could be managed at the BIOS level to keep within the system power envelope.

I would see if the GPU behaviour is different if TurboBoost is disabled. I think you can do this by changing the maximum processor state to 98% in the power plan (that's what works on my X4C - your CPU may behave differently). Reducing the maximum CPU speed (and power consumption) may allow the GPU to run more consistently.

John

 

Going to pick up an SSD today. Read some reviews and it seems, in real world use, there isnt really any noticable difference between the samsung 830, 840 and 840 pro. If this is the case, I'll probably go with whatever I can get the cheapest?

Thoughts?

 

Hi, I have question. The NP700 previous model had problems with wifi. It was unstable and poor reception. This model, the NP770 has the same Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6235.... Has anyone tried wifi performance in this new model? Sorry my english is very bad xd

 

As far as I know it's 840 Pro > 830 > 840, but differences are not too big in normal use.

Handschriftlich von meinem Note 2 gesendet

 

A new driver dated 19 March has fixed some of the problems with the Intel 6235.

However, driver issues aside, the 2012 Series 7 (and Series 9) suffer from a relatively weak WiFi signal due to the antennae placement. I haven't seen complaints about the WiFi on the 2013 Series 7 but, if anyone opens their new Series 7, I would be interested to see a photo of the antennae.

John

PS: I've just come across the photo posted by black83.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/att...new-series-7-chronos-amd-hd8870m-img_0455.jpg

I can see the antennae wires going into the left hinge so they must have put the antennae in the display.

 

Nowhere had the 830's in stock, so being a cheapskate I opted for 250gb regular 840... now to install it... :/

 

My 770z5e is here, so it's time to test now :thumbup:

Handschriftlich von meinem Note 2 gesendet

 

Have a look at the latest post in the discussion thread. I quoted black83's tutorial there. I'll probably put his tutorial in the FAQ.

I'd buy a regular 840 too. The 512gb is by far the cheapest 500+ gb SSD while still being good.

 

Do You know, what's the best program to test fps in Games? I think, interesting is: min. fps, avg. fps and max fps

edit: Found out, that this is also possible with Fraps

 

First benchmark - NFS Most Wanted 2013:

Settings: high - 1920x1080px
min: 24 fps
max: 43 fps
avg: 35 fps

Settings: medium - 1600x900px
min: 28 fps
max: 55 fps
avg: 40 fps

settings: low - 1366x768px
min: 27 fps
max: 61fps
avg: 43 fps

settings: min - 1280x688px
min: 36 fps
max: 62 fps
avg: 55 gps

 

Someone with screen calibration hardware here? Screen looks very yellowish to me in standard settings.
Currently I've set blue brightness to +15 in Intel settings, looks more like my Eizo monitor but I can't reach the white level it has with this notebook

 

So the 8770m gpu on the touchscreen model from best buy can be used to play games now or we are stuck with intel hd 4000 until proper AMD or Samsung comes up with a driver for 8 series?