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

I got 2271 score with the ativ book 8 and 8770M card and 13.251 drivers.

 

So, I'm having a bit of trouble with my Ativ Book 8; I recently installed an SSD. I followed all of the instructions on here and everything was going swimmingly for about a week. Now, whenever I go to boot, the Samsung logo pops up, but no spinning dots. After about 5 seconds, it just shuts off. I swapped back in the HDD and its working just fine, so it's obviously the SSD, I just have no idea what it would be. Thanks!

 

I think I've got the AMD drivers working, but take a look at this:



Random top score from on the left, and my scores to the right.

The first three graphics tests seems to be on par, but what happens in test four and especially the physics test? Something is way off.

RAM, heating or power issues maybe? Any ideas?

 

Did you run 3DMark 11 at 'Performance Mode (1280x720)' or 'Extreme Mode (1920x1080)' ?

Benchmarks are normally done in Performance Mode.

 

The free version only runs in 720p. That's the one I used. I think the CPU in the Book 8 is oversized compared to the video card. I ran the test in silent mode by accident where the CPU speed is maxed out at 1.2 GHz.
Then I reran it with the CPU allowed to turbo to over 3GHz and I got about the same score. Remember, I have the 8770M and not the 8870M that the other person showed in the screenshot.

 

Sorry that this will come across as rude:

As far as i know this is currently the only laptop that is powerful and has good battery run time. There are other machines out there that meet the needs for those who don't need the GPU.

 

You must go into Windows Registry to fully disable superfetch and prefect, I did it on my ATIV Book 8 and it boots SOO much faster on the 5400RPM drive.

Here is the link: Disable Superfetch & Prefetch for SSD in Windows 8 | 7

It Says SSD, but i used it for my HDD and notice much less random disk usage.

 

If you installed Windows on the SSD by cloning from the HDD or with a bootable Factory Image on a USB stick, you could just install again and see if that solves the problem.

 

Thank you very much!

I'm glad someone found it useful. For me it was life-saving!
I can now enjoy fanless movie viewing and 6hrs of battery life (video viewing) or around 10hrs web surfing.

 

After some monitoring and ThrottleStop experimentation, I now realize that there never was any GPU driver problem. The problem is the CPU overheating. All those wasted hours and reinstalls.

The CPU easily reaches temperatures of 95 degrees after a few minutes of playing (temps being 50 degrees before launching the game).
ThrottleStop seems to work for a while, giving me FPS rates of 70-90 (where it should be all of the time), before plummeting down to 20 and finally 10. The CPU throttles down from 3,4GHz to 1,2GHz to 800MHz.

I contacted Samsung's customer support to see what they can do for me regarding the obvious heat spreading fail.

For the meantime I've ordered a new desktop PC to take care of my gaming needs. i7-4770 with HD4600 should make World of Tanks playable whereas the 3635QM gets throttled down to 800MHz and 10FPS.

 

It's probably a badly mounted cooling system. Too much thermal paste or maybe none at all. Or a dead fan.

Anyway, let Samsung fix it.

John

 

l can't seem to find a certain answer if this laptop (NP770Z5E) supports mSATA drives such as this - Lite On Plextor M5M 0.85-Inch 256GB mSATA Solid State Drive (M5M 256GB):Amazon:Computers & Accessories
Could somebody help me out?

About the guy who was asking for warranty because of a dead pixel and image retention - you shouldn't worry, I had image persistence as well and they replaced my screen with a new LCD so no troubles there

 

This laptop has no spare msata connection. That's what killed it for me.

 

Grrrrrrr, I have the 770Z5E version of this laptop and I'm finding it almost unusable.

The two main issues are the trackpad and Chrome browser. Now I know that others have been having problems in these areas but I'm at my wit's end with mine.

The trackpad seems to have a mind of its own, sometimes working flawlessly and at other times either not responding or seemingly performing an entirely different operation to the one I attempted to input. My drivers and BIOS are up to date. I have cleaned the trackpad, but without success.

I know that there is a known issue with this laptop and the Chrome browser whereby pages sometimes don't render properly. The solution to this seems to be to erase browsing history and the cache and this will solve the problem for a while. I find I have to do this several times a day, and even then the problem sometimes still manifests itself. Pages also seem to load ponderously, although that is an entirely unscientific observation. I have a much lower spec Toshiba laptop which displays none of these symptoms via the same broadband connection.

Any suggestions as to what I can try next?

 

Thank you for your quick reply, looks like I'll be buying Samsung's EVO 840 in that case.

 

Ok guys, so I have win 8 and if I'm not mistaken, beta 13.8 (or 13.20!? see attached prtscreen - it's old, I'm guessing that from july or august 2013!)

Back then I surfed on another thread (guess its 13.10...) and I got this really cool feature of amd overdrive working where I could oc'it on the fly and everything ran great since

My question is: these latest drivers that apparently fixed a bunch of issues....can I get the amd overdrive working as I have it now or do I have to going around changing registry stuff?! Also, back then I remember that installing my current drivers was a no-brainer, just unisntall completely the previous ones reboot and install these . with these, isn't the process more...tricky? Are they worth installing? do games like Cod Ghost, BF4 etc benefit?

Cheers

 

Anyone tried the Graphics Driver update offered through Windows Update? I tried it and all i get is a black screen an am forced to do a hard power cycle. Should i attempt to uninstall the old drivers before attempting the windows update version or just forget about it all together? I have the NP880Z5E-X01UB with a solid state hard drive and windows 8.1. I was hoping that the new windows update driver would help with the issues i've been having running skyrim but it appears like I will have to stick with the old drivers for now

 

Hey all, so I have the np780z5e-s01ub model with the newest AMD Drivers and when I play BF4 I am able to reach up to 60fps in medium settings, but when I play COD Ghosts the FPS fluctuated from 50 fps to almost as low as 20 fps with the settings set to LOW. As a result the game stutters which is really frustrating. And it doesn't take a genius to know that BF4 is much more demanding than COD Ghosts. Hell I can even play with the settings set to high on BF4 with an fps rate of 40 sometimes. I've read through some other forums and tried their suggestions but none of them seemed to fix the stutter.So my question is does anyone else have this problem or is just me? And if anyone has found a work around for this I'd really appreciate some feedback.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

Hey,
Iam considering to upgrade my memory (RAM).

AFAIK I need "8gb ddr3 pc12800 so-dimm"
But what's about CLS and Voltage?

I would be glad if someone is able to give me an advice.

I have the 770Z5E-DE-S01 Edition

 

Use Radeonpro to tinker with the GPU clocks and other settings..

 

These are the specs of my 8GB RAM:



To install new ram is really easy. Just unscrew the back panel labeled 'Memory' (pic below), unclip and remove the old ram, clip in the new ram, screw on the back panel....and voila.....

 

what about following following steps? I had same problems as you. later figured it out that these are written on the manual. 1. Right-click on the Desktop and select Configure Switchable Graphics from the popup menu. 2. click the Browse button and register the software and click the Apply button. 3. some of the functions of the registered program that require a high graphics performance will run with the external graphics chipset without additional configuration. hope it would be successful

 

very interesting. thanks. unfortunately, i'm running windows 7. not sure if anyone has experience with that. it is so, so frustrating.

 

Thanks for the reply! But I've already done this and there weren't any noticeable differences. Fortunately after further research, I found a fix that completely got rid of the stutter/low fps. All I did was set the shadows option to OFF and it suddenly stopped the stuttering and it stopped the sudden FPS drops. I can now enjoy the game stutter-free. If anyone has this issue, I'd suggest turning off the shadows.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

Thanks for the advice fat_boyz!

I checked my RAM as you did with CPU-Z. It says that the memory is powered with 1.5V. So in my opinion I should order a module with 1.5V instead of 1.35V. The soldered memory runs probably also with 1.5V, so I shouldn't mix them.

Do you agree with that?

regards

 

Hello, everyone! I'm new to this forum and recently got 870Z5E laptop, and I must say I really love it, but there are some things that bother me. First of all, laptop screen is great, but there are some slight difference (very slight) in the color near the metal frame a few mm (I checked the laptop in the other shops and they had the same thing), I'm not much of a laptop user mainly big PCs, is it okay? And the other question is - while playing The Witcher 2 at medium settings, 1920x1080 the laptop gets quite hot, and what gets hot because of the cooling system is the lower frame with Samsung logo. Won't that spoil the screen? Seems that the heat flow is winds just in the screen. Thanks in advance, guys! Anyway the laptop is amazing and I'm happy I got it. I tried buying Dell Inspiron 5737 but it was very poorly made and the screen was just... dunno the word... disgusting... haha):hi2:

 

hm, thx, but if i recall it correcty, I installed radeon pro in about half a year ago and it bricked my laptop.....

 

Thanks for the reassurance. My laptop will be collected for repair on Monday. A stuck pixel alone was not enough for them to accept it... they have a 5 dead pixel policy! However, they will repair (replace?) the screen due to the image persistence problem.

I put a Samsung EVO SSD in there at xmas and will remove it before sending it in. I still really like my laptop, it will be even better when I get it back.

 

Why did that kill it for you? You can still put in an SSD if you want, and the fact that it will take a proper SATA3 device means that you can get larger SSDs than are typically available on an mSATA card. If you need the combination of an SSD with a large storage capacity, you can always go with something like the WD Dual Drive solution.

 

I haven't had the trackpad issue, and I just quit using Chrome (and all Google products) altogether. FireFox seems to be a better browser these days anyway.

 

So if you want to overclock the 8870m Radeonpro is a better tool then Msi afterburner? but what about the powerlimit 20% thing?

 

All LCD panels get hot, but I'm not sure if the heat added by the fan exhaust will be detrimental or not. Overtime, sure heat will shorten longevity of just about anything, but so long as it stays within the acceptable operating temperature range it will be fine. Samsung also seems to have very good thermal engineers (for their phones especially) and my laptop never gets excessively hot and the screen gets warm when gaming, but not hot. If you are seriously worried just tilt your screen back.

As for the differences in colors, that only happens for me when I first turn on the laptop and the screen is not warmed up (all LCD screens need time to warm up), and the LEDs tend to brighten the edges more than the other parts of the screen. Also, all screens will have some recordable (not always immediately noticeable) differences from the center of the screen. Better screens will be more uniform from center to edge and in-between, the screens in these laptops are of great quality (at least from what I've seen), even better quality than my Dell U2413. Part of the reason of why this laptop is so pricey may be the screen and the amount of panels Samsung rejects from AUO. I have 0 dead pixels no visible bleeding/uniformity issues and little to no black crush as seen on other MVA/PVA panels, which leads me to believe the quality control for this laptop is pretty high.

Edit: For anyone interested in the Dell U2413, you may read my review on Amazon Permalink

 

Hi,

Is there already any information on why the Audio Driver fails to properly install when using SWUpdate on Windows 8.1? I already found 2 other people on the thread with the same issue, but I don't think I found any possible solutions or work arounds.

Cheers,
Kenzo

Ps: I also posted here like 2 months ago about issues I had with my NP770Z5E that it didn't want to restart or sleep/hibernate anymore but always just freeze and heat up. I send it in for repair and after 6 weeks got the laptop finally back and it's working fine now. From the description it looks like to replaced the whole interior of the laptop, motherboard, RAM, cooling .. I guess they also didn't know what it was, but replacing everything fixed it at least. After getting it back replaced HDD with SSD again and succesfully running it now with Win 8.1 except for the Audio driver issue. Default SWUpdate Video drivers also work fine for me btw. My 3DMark 11 score isn't as high as the one posted a few pages ago, but only a little bit lower, so not complaining at all.

 

Hey everyone, I am currently in Germany and would like to send in my computer for warranty repair regarding the screen image retention problem. I was wondering if it's recommended to put my HDD back in and keep the SSD with me. Luckily the HDD still has the windows boot partition so that's no biggie, but I really don't want to open the laptop...

 

I would put back the HDD. Otherwise Samsung could be difficult and claim that you have invalidated the warranty even though the storage device is unrelated to the image retention problem.

It also means that your personal data on the SSD doesn't go near the service centre so there's no risk of it getting deleted (or copied).

John

 

Sadly I now use the original HDD as backup drive so a lot of information is actually only there oh well, it's better than doing nothing considering that the image retention in my unit got pretty bad lately...

By the way, I bought my laptop in the USA when I was there so it's the bestbuy version with touchscreen. I'm not sure if the German models have any touchscreen version, and I'll try asking technical support, but do you think it's possible to replace the touchscreen with the matte version? Would Windows automatically detect that it's no longer touch?

And related to that, are any image retention problems reported for matte screens?

 

I had to send my first 870Z5E back because of heavy light bleeding at the edges of the screen which got worse with time.
I got a new unit which still has a small amount of light bleeding, but it's a LOT better than the first one.
At the same time in my first unit only one of the four processors would reach turbo frequency. In the new unit, all four are happy to go max. (QC issues maybe...)
Thankfully no image retention issues here, but it's not the first time they are reported in the almost.... 1000 page long discussion history of this laptop over here. However, they are rare.

And don't even think about sending your unit back with the SSD installed. They will deny any repair under warranty. Be very careful about this. (I had to install, uninstall and re-install an SSD and I understand your reservations... )

 

Does anyone know if the ATIV Book 8 (NP880Z5E-X01UB is SATA 3 or just SATA 2?

 

The primary storage bay (the only one on this model) will be SATA 3 / 600MB/s.

John

 

Thank You sir, was wondering before i order this 1TB SSD

 

Hey, thanks for the input, one question. You say you got a new unit? Like, completely new? I ask because, as I say, there are some files that I only have in the HDD. I'll put it back in the laptop before sending it, but I need to have it returned with the same HDD.

 

Please, make a backup of these files, you may get the same disk back with your files, but they might also reimage the disk and all will be lost.
An external usb drive is not that expensive...

 

I'm looking into buying a 770Z5E (no touchscreen) but I can't find one ANYWHERE. I don't want the 780Z5E because it seems like the battery lasts 3 hours shorter than the non-touchscreen.
Am I going to miss the touchscreen? I hate Windows 8, I have it on one laptop (no touch), and have Windows 7 on the other.

Is there any explanation for the battery difference? Should I wait around for the 770Z5E rather than the new Ativ 8?

Thanks!

 

Yes, completely new. I was covered by the return period of the shop I bought the computer, so they just directly gave me a new one, after confirming the huge light bleeding with their eyes Best servicing experience I ever had in my life!!!
As others suggested: make a backup of the data. It is absolutely imperative, because you don't now what you'll face in the service. As others suggested there is a high chance of the disk being re-imaged, so act accordingly!

 

Well that's far from convenient... The price isn't really the problem, but I don't need yet another hard drive, I'd end up having one internal and two external hard drives. A lot of you may argue that I should always backup on at least two external hard drives but I'd rather avoid it, at least for now. Anyway, I'll figure something out. Thanks.

 

If you can't find the model you want then it means that the stocks have run out although it's worthwhile looking for a refurbished or open box unit at a nice discount.

I don't think the touchscreen would make such a big difference in the power consumption. Several hours difference is likely to be the result of different testing methods. Even a standardised test method such as Battery Eater needs testers to use the same backlight setting (the backlight potentially being the biggest power user under light usage conditions).

The Haswell Book 8 is arriving and the model number suggests it doesn't have a touchscreen.

John

 

the 770Z5E is completely the same like the 870Z5E. They just renamed it, because of the Ativ 8.
SO currently the 770Z5E=870Z5E
the 780Z5E=880Z5E!
So u need to search for the 870Z5E on the web!
But there will be a refresh with Haswell 4702HQ and a nvidia 750m instead of the AMD card, soon!
The new one is called 870Z5 G
So maybe u want to wait.
But keep in mind the AMD card is around 15%+ faster than the nvidia card.
I hope this helps!

 

Win 8 (actually 8.1) isn't that bad, but the 'Modern' interface apps are made for a touch screen, so I would say if you have win 8.1, get the touch screen. Win 7 is more trouble these days now that the drivers are all being made for win 8.1.

I'm not sure about the battery life question. I haven't seen any real data about that. Some people claim the battery life was reduced just by upgrading from win 8 to 8.1, but again no proof. I have the 880z5e (Ativ Book 8 w/ touch and Win 8.1). The battery is a 91Wh which will provide 91Watts for 1 hour. I use the Samsung 'Settings' app that show the power usage in real time in Watts. At idle in 'power saver' power profile and adaptive screen brightness, it shows about 8-10 W. That will give you about 91/8 = 11.375 hrs, so about 9 - 11 hrs. When browsing or watching a video (assuming you use the intel hd4000 for videos) I see about 15W, so 91/15 = 6 hrs. When gaming with X-com or CoH 2, I see about 65W and the fans go crazy because I'm using the 8770M. So 91/65 = 1.4hrs. Without actually timing it, I would say these numbers are fairly accurate.

If you can't find the 770 now, how will 'waiting around' make it any better? I would say get the 780 and win 8.1 now, but only for the right price. I got the 880 for $200 less than MSRP last month. The versatility of it is great. It can be whisper quiet and sip power, or it can get loud with modern DX11 games. It's light enough to carry, but big enough to see and use touch without a stylus.

If you wait for the new Ativ Book 8, I bet you won't see any until fall. It will have a 'Haswell' CPU and Nvidia 750M, but I bet they cut down the battery to 6 cells and it might get one of the slower 'U' low power CPUs.

All you'll get is the same battery life and performance, but it will be a bit lighter and quieter and cost full price, and you'll have to wait.

 

A couple of points that will reduce the estimated times: (i)Windows will always shut the computer down (or hibernate) with several percent charge left in the battery; and (ii) there are invariably some spikes in the activity with increased power consumption which don't have the corresponding negative spikes. These factors may take 10% - 15% off the run time. Nonetheless, battery capacity / power consumption is the way to make a reasonable forecast.

Samsung's specs for the Swiss version of the NP870Z5G show it has a 8 cell 91 WHr battery (and hochentspiegelt means anti-reflective). I expect others to be the same. And, given that it is showing up in Europe now, I don't think you will need to wait many months for it to appear in other countries.

John

 

I set my 'high performance' power profile to warn me, but do nothing at 10% (low batt level) and to shut down at 5% (critical batt level). I'm not sure if I can set the critical level to below 5%. I have to run programs in windowed mode so I can see the 'settings' app's power numbers. It only shows real time data that's not updated very often. It doesn't have a logging feature, so I can't do an average, or statistical analysis, so the calculations are ballpark estimates. The amount of variables and assumptions in reviews or manufacturer tests for battery life make them about or less valuable than my results. I should use a stop watch and actually time it to do my own study, but I can only compare situations I might see, and not to other people or laptops because I'm only one person with one laptop. I don't know why anyone uses mAh (need the voltage, or number of standard voltage cells) or cells (need the voltage and mAh, or Wh per cell) to tell battery life. Power is in Watts and is the only 'unit' that should be used to talk about battery size (power capacity) and battery life (power consumption rate). No-one should complain about a laptop that has a 91Wh battery especially on the Ativ Book 8 with it's versatility and power consumption options.

With a big international company like Samsung, the marketing gets a bit crazy from country to country. I don't know how Europeans deal with that. Imagine if it was different from US state to state. The Swiss version might have a anti-reflective touch screen. Spec lists don't mean much until some reports come in from actual owners. God only knows when and with what specs we'll see in the US. Also, wait till Best Buy gets a hold of it. They have been known to change the specs. I get stuff from BB for the 18mo. same as cash credit. Who has $1000 laying around for a cash purchase? Credit with interest sucks too, especially for tech items. I'm not so sure about the showing up in other countries theory. How many people in the US have the 870 version with the 8870M card and black color? If they do, what pain in the b. did they go through to get one?