Ativ Book 6 vs 8?

I know that the 6 is basically thinner and the 8 is basically what the Chronos turned into, but are there any other major differences to consider? Does the 8 handle heat better because of the size?

 

I believe that they are the same size.

The key differences are discussed here.

John

 

Thanks for the quick reply John. The ATIV Book 6 being sold on Newegg and in the microsoft store has a 1080p screen. So it doesn't seem to have many major differences with the other ATIV book other than physical style.

 

Different size battery Ativ 6 has 57Wh where as Ativ 8 has 91Wh.
I asked myself the same thing and found this information out when comparing the two in Samsung's website.

 

So it's just the battery with the model on Amazon having the same specs as 8, which means that 6 will be lighter ? I was about to pull the trigger on 8 at Best Buy, but I like the black keyboard better. Also is 6 plastic vs aluminum of the 8 ?

 

Ativ 6 Dimensions and Weight according to website: (L x W x H, Inch) 14.75" x 9.84" x 0.97" 5.38lb.

Ativ 8 Dimensions and Weight according to website: (L x W x H, Inch) 14.80" x 9.84" x 0.89" 5.6 lb.

Also I read somewhere that they are both aluminum, well besides the bottom piece.

Ativ 8 is supposed to last up to 8.6 hours, and Ativ 6 is supposed to last up to 4.7 hours

And as long as the model in amazon is a NP680Z5E-X01US then the info should be correct.

 

Yep same model - Amazon.com: Samsung ATIV Book 6 15.6-Inch Full HD Touchscreen Laptop (Mineral Ash Black): Computers & Accessories

So confused now. Ther are both the same price. I have to decide if I want color or battery and slightly thinner.

 

Someone better buy the Book 6 so we can find out whether there are more differences than can be easily discovered by comparing the specs.

Even if there is a 1080 display version, it might be a standard TN panel and not have the same viewing angles as the Book 8. However, this may be an acceptable compromise if the price is right.

John

 

You are right, which is why I'd be wary of buying it at the same price as 8.

 

Speakers are also different between the two models:

ATIV Book 6 has JBL Stereo Speakers 2W x 2
ATIV Book 8 has JBL Stereo Speakers 4W x 2

 

Another difference I'm thinking is that in gaming the book 8 may be superior because it's bigger, the thinner book 6 might throttle from the heat. That's my experience with my acer m5 anyway.

Yeah so anyone saying all the differences are out there no offense but I don't buy that because the new ativ book is so new. John I don't think the research you posted is at all relevant.

 

It seems that the Book 6 specs can vary between countries. The Netherlands model has a low res display. Nonetheless, there must be a standard Book 6 chassis with some key differences from the Book 8 that normally put it lower down the price range. Smaller battery can't be the only distinguishing feature.

As I said above, someone needs to find one that fits their needs at the right price and can then update us.

John

 

I just thought I'd throw in my albeit limited experience -

I picked up an Ativ Book 6 yesterday (NP680Z5E-X01US). I spent a couple of hours tinkering with it, but ultimately wasn't satisfied -- it was slow.

I returned it this morning and ran over to Best Buy and picked up the newest Ativ Book 8 (on the shelves for less than a week now). So far it's running like a dream.

Now, considering that so much of the hardware is identical, I am quite surprised at the apparently stark difference in performance. But I thought I'd just mention it.

 

Nice enjoy. What is your model number of your Best Buy Ativ Book 8? Black or Silver color?

 

I thought Best Buy only sold silver Ativ 8 ?

 

The quad core CPU should give zippy performance. RAM of 1 x 8GB won't help performance due to single channel but the 5400 rpm HDD is the equivalent of asking it to run with its shoe laces tied together. That model might be a good choice for anyone who is planning to install an SSD and have more than 8GB RAM.

John

 

Can you run some games on it and see if it heats up (for example on the keyboard) or throttles? I know best buy has been selling the 8770m version, did it update or something?

 

Thank god I found this site/thread, I'm also deciding between a Book 6 and 8. I'm really torn on which to get. They look virtually identical to me, but from what I'm reading here the 8 has a better display (although they're both 1080p) and has a better battery. It'd seem like a no brainer to get it over the 6, but I'm a bit confused as to why they are the same price.

Amazon.com: Samsung ATIV Book 6 15.6-Inch Full HD Touchscreen Laptop (Mineral Ash Black): Electronics

Samsung ATIV Book 8 15.6" TouchScreen Laptop 8GB Memory 1TB Hard Drive NP880Z5E-X01UB - Best Buy


Also, any reason Amazon isn't selling the 8?

 

At the moment Best Buy seem to have got the only USA Book 8, Perhaps because it isn't the top GPU that the notebook is sold with in some countries. However, at Book 6 pricing who is going to complain?

John

 

So you're saying the 8 is the way to go if they're both the same price?

 

From what I've read the Book 8 has more battery capacity and a known good display sold at a reasonable price because of Best Buy's exclusive model.

John

 

They are sold at the same price in the US. Other than a few reviews on Amazon and Newegg's site I haven't seen anyone vouch for the 6, right now it just seems like a thinner 8. Almost like they've merged all the Chronos models. They might've though to make one 14 inch..

 

Do we have any additional info on this comparison? I am really wanting to avoid the silver of the ATIV 8 available at Best Buy. I think I can live with the shorter battery life of the ATIV 6 if it is identical in most other respects (as it seems to be from the stats I can find).

 

I am very surprised to see this question hasn't been answered properly anywhere yet.
There is a significant difference between the Ativ Book 6 and the Ativ Book 8, for the normal (i.e. not Best Buy) versions at least.
The Ativ Book 8 has a Radeon 8870M, while the Book 6 has a Radeon 8770M. The latter is much weaker, especially when it comes to gaming. It will perform ok with recent games, while the HD 8870M can run most recent games on high and many even on ultra settings. Don't get Best Buy's version of the Ativ Book 8; it has the weaker graphics card...
As has already been mentioned, the Ativ Book 8 has an 8-cell battery as opposed to the 4-cell found in the 6, making there be a big difference in battery duration (the 8 will last roughly double as long as the 4-cell).
In addition, in some countries the Ativ Book 6 comes with a lower resolution (like in Belgium), and is slightly fatter.

To some it up, if you want to have a laptop that will perform well in games but is also very mobile, durable and stylish, get the Ativ Book 8!

 

I haven't found a non-Best Buy version of the Ativ Book 8 in the US. Is there even one?

 

Hmm... I can't seem to find the 8870M version in American online stores either. That's odd.
In Europe and Australia the Ativ Book 8 comes by default with an AMD Radeon HD 8870M. Don't know why the us version is different...

 

I really don't think there is. I've searched and searched (I'd rather buy from some place other than BB right now) and haven't found anything beyond BB and Samsung.com, but neither have the 8870

 

At this time Samsung' SW Update program lists the Series 7 NP770Z5E-S01UB / NP780Z5E-S01UB and the Ativ Book 8 NP880Z5E-X01UB. The UB at the end indicates they are all Best Buy models. One has to assume that Best Buy negotiated a special deal with Samsung which includes a period of exclusivity.

John

 

I don't believe anyone would know, but how long do those typically run (exclusivity agreements) if there is one? Would it also be better to wait out a possible Haswell refresh next month (I have the ability to wait a bit longer if needed)

 

So I am in the market looking for a good laptop. Ive done a lot of research on other brands and found this looking for a samsung. I cant really believe that Samsung does not ship a TOUCH SCREEN laptop with SSD yet!! They have the best in class SSD and Touch screen technology and yet cant come up with a combo that can give others a run for their money?

They could easily build a laptop with 500Gb SSD for around a 1000 bucks and people like me will not hesitate at all.

 

NBR has just published a review of the Ativ Book 6.

The reviewer had problems with the touchpad.

John

 

No one would hesitate because they wouldn't do that.
The ATIV Book is ~$1200 and a 500 GB SSD is ~$350, so they can't bundle them together for only $1000.

And don't expect all these laptops to come with a SSD. It's always cheaper and better to get your own and install it yourself.

 

Hello zapwall, welcome to NBR

As Bitech indicated, you're not likely to see any laptop of this class (Ativ Book 6 or 8) with a 500GB SSD for $1000. You have a fair point that they probably could do it technically, and I am sure they will some day; but as long as there are plenty of people willing to pay more for lesser specs, then that will keep prices higher. Again, you can always swap in a large SSD yourself.

 

Hello All,

I am new to the forums and am heavily looking into the ATIV Book 8 (Series 7 Chronos), but recently happened on the ATIV Book 6. It seems like the only diff based on Samsung's specs is the battery and as someone here previously mentioned the speakers.

To me the Book 6 honestly looks like the Black Book 8 sold in Europe with a couple of downgraded components. I do prefer the Black color of the Book 6 though.

Also, even though the Book 8 says it has a 16GB MAX RAM, with 4GB on board and only one slot you can only go up to 12GB. But I happened to talk to a Samsung representative at a BestBuy store recently and he told me that I could call up Samsung directly and order the Book 8 with 16GB memory.

I am also awaiting some sort of news of a Haswell update...although, I don't know if I can wait for that.

Does anyone else have anything else on their differences?

 

If you are looking at the NP680Z5E-X01US then the specs say that it has 8GB on board (other versions may be different) so 16GB is possible (and it would be sensible to add at least 4GB so you can get dual channel memory access. That version of the Book 6 also has an FHD display (some versions of the Book 6 in other countries are being offered with lower resolution panels).

At the moment there is no information about a Haswell version of this or any other Samsung notebook except for the NP940X3G Book 9 Plus. Perhaps there will be an avalanche of new models just in time for Christmas. Or maybe Samsung will carry on shifting Ivy Bridge machines until Broadwell arrives sometime next year.

John

 

Right. I was looking at the US model with the FHD display. Whichever I get I would MAX to 16GB and throw in an SSD.

Good point on Broadwell. Now I am wondering if I should wait.

Thanks for the quick reply

 

Can you wait a year for Broadwell? it could be a year before it is in widespread use. Intel won't be pushing it until the Ivy Bridge and Haswell inventory have been substantially cleared.

John

 

Got the ATIV 6 from Microsoft store for $729 on Cyber Monday. Just updated to Windows 8.1. I am going to add memory while SSD will wait for the price to drop further. With tax and cash backs, my out of pocket cost is around $700. It is a steal for this config.