Introducing The 2013 Series 7 Chronos with AMD HD8870M!

There is not glossy screen model for 17", because there is not touch screen version!

He wants the 17"

 

Yes, sorry I realized later that they were talking about the 17" model.

Personally I'm only interested in the 15" - hopefully the 8870m throttling issue does not turn out to be even worse.

 

Interesting, it seems that you pay 300€ just for Windows 8 pro
Also they have written wrong specs for example 3610QM and same specs for S01 and S02, so maybe they are not so accurate in what they write.

 

And switch to 128gb SSD.

 

As you can see there is written 1TB for Both S01 and S02.

 

There is also written i7-3610QM, why not the 3635QM?

 

Maybe it's just a typo...

Inviato dal mio GT-I9100 con Tapatalk 2

 

Placed an order for the best buy version after reading all the helpful reviews and experiences of owners of the model. Even though I live in canada, i will have a relative ship it to me. Thought it was best to make advantage of the current promotion best buy is having, and I couldnt wait for the model to be released in canada, especially since samsung is all hush about it.

 

Hello everyone!

I'm new on this board. I am really looking forward to the release of the these new Series 7 Chronos with 8870M graphic chips. I've started reading the thread, but I don't know if it's me, but I couldn't find any informations on release dates (I live in Canada).

Cheers,

Alexandre

 

No, you haven't missed anything, there are no release dates really published for any of these yet. The 8770m gpu model just started appearing at best buy last week.

 

A random comment on battery life... This morning I decided to perform the exact same battery test I did earlier on the best buy model of the chronos (which got 6:18) on my vizio ct14-a0 ultrabook with 128gb ssd. The vizio normally lasts me between 4-5 hours doing light spreadsheet and desktop publishing tasks but in this test it only got 2:46. So im guessing under the same light load conditions the samsung should get at least 8hr.

 

Pop what tabs?

You do realize that the TN Panel is ONLY in the 17 inch version? The much more desirable 15 inch version has the beautiful PLS panel. Calm down.

 

removing the back panel requires you to take the screws out and pry off the tabs all along the outer lining border, if you break those, theres a good chance it won't feel as solid when you put it back together.

also after changing to a samsung 840, i really dont know if this is accurate or not, my computer is showing at 98% i have 12.4 hours of battery lol...

its probably close to 8-9 of light usage at best.

before i switched the drivers i was average 5-6 good hours of solid medium usage.

 

Test Samsung Serie 7 Chronos 770Z7E Notebook - Notebookcheck.com Tests
this is for the 17inch version
the 15.6 inch version has a mva display or rumoured to have it
Samsung New Series 7 Chronos & Series 7 Ultra at CES 2013 - YouTube
omg it looks so great , cant wait for an official release and credible reviews

 

MVA panel.

 

Still...very good.

 

How would one "pop those tabs"? I really wish someone would make a video haha. I plan on putting in an 840 pro just like you did.

 

Are the tabs easy to identify or or is it just as likely you will break one. Also, how did you install the OS? use the recovery partition? copy data from the existing drive to the SSD? or just do a clean install and use the samsung update program?

After everything was installed do you still have thinks like the keyboard backlight and silent mode working?

The SSD should buy you about an hour of extra life so the 12.4 isn't out of the question for an idle system.

 

As long as he installs the drivers, of course he should.

 

I think that you are wrong considering that SSD is a big improvement in battery life.
Traditional HDD and SSD are practically on the same level regarding power consumption:
In the follow links you can watch the reviews of Samsung 840 Pro and Samsung Spinpoint M8:
Samsung SSD 840 Pro Review | StorageReview.com - Storage Reviews
Samsung Spinpoint M8 Review | StorageReview.com - Storage Reviews
As you can see they have a very comparable result on the power consumption in real world.

 

It's a Chi Mei display, propably it IS a MVA.

 

It's the Chronos. Said it plenty of times. Box even says Chronos

 

I don't see any mention of a touch screen on the FRY's model and the canada computers one says that it has a lower resolution.

 

MVA is way better than IPS for a multimedia laptop, alot less ghosting thanks to the way faster reaction time over IPS whislt maintaining good color but somewhat smaller viewing angle that you won't even notice unless looking at your screen at a 175° angle is mandatory for your work ahah, I believe MVA is supposed to achieve 150 to 160, a little less on the vertical. I can notice it in RTS games for example simply scrolling over the map is blurry and ghosty because of the low reaction time of IPS on my asus UX32.

 

Why none read neither the last 1/2 pages?
That is series 5, so no touch screen!

Inviato dal mio GT-I9100 con Tapatalk 2

 

Will this work with the Chronos? I plan on using 8gb here and there other 8 somewhere else.

Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800) Laptop Memory (CMSX16GX3M2A1600C10):Amazon:Computers & Accessories

 

Yeah, NP760Z5E appears twice in 2186 comment thread.

1 - Your post where you speculate that the Canadian model NP760Z5E may be a Series 5. Your first comment is " Major difference are 8770m vs 8870m". Which as we now know, the 8770m is in some Series 7 Chronos. Regarding the Canadian model, you are likely correct

2 - Is here. No context.


If you had read my post, I also linked to the Fry's 8770m computer in response to an inquiry regarding Fry's. The Fry's computer with the same model number (NP760Z5E) as the Canadian (NP760Z5E) however has different specs. A 1920 x 1080 display for example.

 

The Chronos available now from best buy only has ONE memory slot for memory so buying 2 8gb parts is a waste, you can only use on.

 

Fry's Touchscreen - In the red letters at the top "Samsung NP760Z5E, Intel Core i7-3635, 15.6" TOUCHSCREEN Screen Display,Notebook With 8GB Memory, 1TB Hard Drive, Windows 8 "
FRYS.com|Samsung

Well Fry's says it has a touchscreen. At the top in red letters

And the Canadian NP760Z5E also says it has a touchscreen. " with Touch Screen Panel"

 

In the picture is showed a series 5 that hasn't any touch screen variant and as you can see in the pictures there is not glossy glass screen that a touch screen must have.
So or images are wrong or instead the specs are wrong.


Inviato dal mio GT-I9100 con Tapatalk 2

 

Another Unboxing and review.
Unboxing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la6noScS3x0&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Build quality review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oPrFOvwZng&feature=youtube_gdata_player
First Impressions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjxZ5P0IA08&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

What picture?

The Canadian site says " Sorry image not available" and the Fry's site has a thumbnail.

 

I suggest you to do some research with Google for Samsung NP760Z5E, so you can see that almost all the online store that has it says that chassis is ebony black (just series 5), also is very likely that the Canadian sites have published wrong specs that seems strangely equal to NP780Z5E with 8770m.
Of course you are free to not believe me, but for me this OT about series 5 is ended (there is a specific thread about that notebook ).

Inviato dal mio GT-I9100 con Tapatalk 2

 

Canada computers' 780z5e model is the s02, not 01.
The specs are probably correct, given that they told me that they had a shipment incoming from Samsung

 

We were speaking of NP760Z5E...

Inviato dal mio GT-I9100 con Tapatalk 2

 

i said the same thing, and honestly just like phones, i have a GS3, and my thought was in order to keep the battery fresh was to cycle it all the way down as much as possible before recharging and rely less on outlet power as much as possible

its day 2 on the 840 and im seeing give or take about an hour more of battery life vs the 5400 1tb harddrive.. i also dont get to hear the annoying spinning sound

 

Cool. I'm thinking about going that route as well and either getting an 840 or a Crucial S4. Just wondering how much of a pain it will be to open the case on this without breaking anything and what to do the install from to get everything working again.

 

no you cant see the tabs, once you lift the TOP LEFT + TOP RIGHT corners you will see wedges in middle those wedges are easy to pop out, you can hear them click

but the TOP LEFT + TOP RIGHT CORNER took PRYING EFFORT, there are horizontal springs that the hinge covers over if you looked at the angle

once you get the top left and top right corners off, everything else is easy, you can slowly go along the edges and pop them out

its the hinges that freaked me out, believe me you wont get them out just trying to nip it.. I was extremely gentle, didnt wanna sratch the plastic paint and it worked out great.

yea after the issue with clean install, i managed a copy of windows 8 core from a buddy. Clean install all the way, and installed samsung update, i installed everything but intellimemory and yes everything works including keyboard backlight silent mode camera.

one of the best thing about clean install is, it removed TONS of SAMSUNGS metro bloatware that it came with. Clean install only have windows regular tiles and thats it

the 12.4 number is just from light browsing. The actual numbers i'd say honestly are between 7-9 depending on use.. but it definitely is a major upgrade.

theres one thing i need to clarify is, is our bestbuy model a MVA panel? and not the PLS?

how can you tell? im looking at this from all angles and it looks more PLS than MVA.. is there any tools to display what panel it is?

mva or pls, i can say this is probably one of the best looking screens on a laptop ive witnessed

comparable to the thinkpad carbon i've seen a little while back

 

Are you the one that said it looked grainy, etc?

Mine is starting to not look so sharp, so I wasn't sure what it was or how to fix it. Especially on white, it's really grainy.

 

what... i just said this was the best notebook display i've witnessed.. LOL

 

Haha damnit, maybe it wasn't you.

Something is up with mine. Looked great before, now I don't know what happened lol

 

If you made a video showing your process of removing the back cover, you'd be an actual hero. Haha seriously, you should do it. All you have to do is show how to carefully take it off, we can handle the rest of the swap perfectly

Damn, you guys are all making me so excited. I wish I could be right there along with you, removing the bottom and swapping an SSD in and reinstalling a clean copy of Windows and all. But, alas, I must endear the painful, painful wait for the 8870m....

Pubbypaws/Alchemist, a huge service to the community you guys could easily do is get on Samsung chat right now and ask them if you can get a copy of the Windows 8 install ISO that that Customer Service rep on the Q&A's was talking about. To see if that can actually happe, if they will actually give you a copy of Windows 8.

Live Chat

That's the live chat link. Open 24/7 I feel like they'll ask for your proof of purchase, then they'll give you some link to download Windows 8.

 

Turn off adaptive brightness?

 

It's been off. It's weird, it's only on white colors.

 

go for an exchange, my brother bought one and there was hair + dust underneath the glass

i wouldn't settle for anything less than perfect if you're spending this kind of money

turn the brightness to max with adaptive display off and open up some sort of color calibration program, if it remains grainy, maybe you got a lemon

you got 30 days, cant settle for anything less when you spent almost 1200$+ tax

 

How do I do a complete system restore to try and fix it?

 

to clarify, did current owners have minor issues after switching to an SSD or after a clean install on the same dirve.

 

Well, I just had a chat with Samsung support. It wasn't the best of conversations... after a long wait and confirming that I can swap in an SSD, his solution for installing the OS on the SSD was to buy a new copy of windows 8 from microsoft. That didn't go over so well with me. Here is a transcript of our chat and links to doc on using recovery to backup the drive. I'm guessing I could plug in an SSD using a usb-->sata and use the restore app to backup the factory setting to that drive then swap them and see if it boots correctly. That sound workable? Anywhere here is the transscript and links:


Sinclair: Hi, thanks for reaching out to Samsung tech support. How can I help you today?
Visitor: Hi Sinclair. I recently picked up a new chronos np780 from best buy.
Sinclair: Okay. Please go ahead with the issue.
Visitor: Love the machine, great screen, processor, gpu etc. only slow spot is the hd. so im looking into swapping it out for an ssd.
Visitor: If i got an ssd with data migration kit, say a samsung 840. Can I somehow use the recovery partition on this unit to format that drive and install it to factory specs.
Sinclair: I understand that you want to replace your hard drive with SSD. Am I correct?
Visitor: then i could swap the drive to the ssd and be good to go.
Visitor: yes. thats what im considering. I thought about taking it back and waiting for you folks to release one with an ssd but no idea how long that will take so thinking about swapping it myself.
Visitor: also is there a link to an online manual for this model somewhere?
Sinclair: Thank you for confirming.
Sinclair: Could you provide me with the model and serial number of the unit? You can find it on the rear of the unit.
Visitor: Model #: np780z5e-s01ub. don't have the the computer with me right now so can't get the serial number. Its the edition you are selling through best buy.
Sinclair: Would you mind being on hold for few minutes while I get the information for you?
Visitor: sure thing.
Sinclair: Thank you.
Sinclair: I am sorry; this is taking more time than expected. Can I have a few more moments?
Visitor: sure
Sinclair: Thank you.
Sinclair: Thank you for holding.
Visitor: no problem
Sinclair: As per our resources, you can replace the hard drive with SSD.
Visitor: great. my main question is how to get the Operating system and everything installed on the SSD since the machine doesn't come with any disks or even a windows serial number (im guessing thats embedded in the system somewhere).
Sinclair: You need to purchase it from the Microsoft.
Visitor: that doesn't make any sense.. I bought the computer with a license for windows 8 just this week. I should be able to use recovery disks or have installation media sent to me. Otherwise this computer is going back immediately since I would be unable to maintain it in the future if I need to reinstall the operating system.
Sinclair: I do understand your concern. However, as per our resources, we do not have the recovery disks for Windows 8 and you need to purchase it from the Microsoft to install in your SSD.
Visitor: A user I was talking to over at notebookreview.com said he chatted with samsung support and was told you could get installation media from samsung or use the recovery partition to create media somehow. which is what led me to you now.
Visitor: Well... then your computer is being returned, and I will forward this information to the notebookreview.com forum where there are 221 pages of posts about this laptop. This will be a deal breaker for alot of people. The idea that a laptop comes with an OS but no installation media or means to reinstall the operating system is obsurd... even for a $300 notebook let alone at $1200 notebook.
Sinclair: You can create the recovery disk using the SRecovery.
Sinclair: Please access the link below for details to copy your hard drive using SRecovery:
Sinclair: How To Create A Copy Of Your Hard Drive Using Recovery my samsung
Sinclair: Please access the link below to create a factory image:
Sinclair: How To Create A Factory Image In Recovery my samsung
Sinclair: Are you able to access the above links?
Visitor: yes. thanks.
Sinclair: You're welcome. Is there anything else I can assist you with?
Visitor: so after i make a factory image for example. if i had to wipe my drive. how do i use the factory image to restore the drive?
Sinclair: First you need to back up your hard drive to restore it.
Visitor: ok. so I guess my question is... if i create a factory image and cut it to a disk. is that disk bootable to reinstall on a wiped drive?
Sinclair: Yes, you are right.
Sinclair: Do you have any questions for me to answer?
Visitor: no. that should do it. thanks.
Visitor: thanks for your help.
Sinclair: Thank you for chatting with us. If you have a minute, please click on the blue “X close” button to receive a transcript of your chat and fill out a brief survey to help us serve you better. Have a wonderful day!
Follow Samsung Service on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Sinclair: Have a great day ahead!
Visitor: you too. thx.

 

So I decided to have a chat with Samsung's Support. It turns out that switching the HD for and SSD WILL NOT VOID your warranty! However, Samsung says that they WILL NOT send you a copy of Windows OS even if its within the 30 - day purchase window. Here's my conversation:

Please wait for a Samsung Agent to respond.

You are now chatting with 'Zion'. There will be a brief survey at the end of our chat to share feedback on my performance today.

Your Issue ID for this chat is LTK56402686279X

Zion: Hi, thanks for reaching out to Samsung tech support. How can I help you today?
Visitor: hey! I just wanted to ask you Im interested in purchasing the new Samsung Chronos series 7
Zion: Thank you for your interest in Samsung notebook.
Visitor: I was wondering about a few things - if I change the HD for and SSD will it void my warranty?
Zion: Sure, I'd be glad to help you with the required information.
Zion: Please check whether you are referring to Series 7 Chronos 14” Notebook with model code /NP700Z3A-S01US that can be seen after clicking on the
Zion: link below.
Zion: Support - Notebooks NP700Z3AH | Samsung Laptops
Zion: Sorry for the typo.
Visitor: Im actually referring to the new touchscreen model that is available in Best Buy in the United States - the NP780Z5E
Visitor: No problem
Zion: Thank you for the information.
Visitor: I haven't been able to find any information about the new model on any of Samsung's sites though
Zion: Would you mind holding a few minutes while I gather the required information for your request?
Visitor: SAMSUNG COMPUTER 15.6" TouchScreen Laptop 8GB Memory 1TB Hard Drive NP780Z5E-S - Best Buy
Visitor: thats the link to the actual laptop
Visitor: Sure no problem!
Zion: Thank you.
Zion: I am sorry; this is taking more time than expected. Can I have a few more minutes?
Visitor: NO problem but I have a few other questions - should I ask them now?
Zion: Thank you.
Zion: Please let me search for this information then I will answer the other questions.
Visitor: okay thanks.
Zion: You are welcome.
Zion: Thank you for holding, you have been very patient.
Zion: Yes, you can change or upgrade the HDD to SSD on this model notebook and it will not void the warranty of the notebook.
Visitor: Great thank you for that!
Zion: You're welcome. Is there anything else I can assist you with?
Zion: I don't mean to rush you, but I am waiting for your response.
Visitor: My second question is: I am aware that the model I have given you is available at Best Buy with a graphics card with and Radeon HD 8770M, but I am also aware that the model with the Radeon HD 8870M is available in Canada and other countries such as Germany. Do you have any idea when the one with the 8870M will be released in the US? And if so will it come out with an SSD option? Thanks!
Zion: I understand your concern.
Zion: However, I am sorry to tell you that we do not have information about about upcoming models.
Zion: If the notebook is released with the updated information in future then it will be updated in the Samsung website.
Visitor: Okay thank you. My last question:
Zion: You are welcome.
Visitor: I saw somewhere on the Samsung support site that if I do switch the HD for an SSD, I will be able to contact Samsung support within 30 days of purchase and receive a copy of Windows 8. Is this true?
Zion: I am sorry to tell you that Samsung does not ship recovery disc for Windows 8 operating system.
Zion: The unit needs to be shipped to service center to re image the operating system.
Zion: As indicated in the warranty statement, Samsung does not warrant uninterrupted or error-free operation of the product. Product performance is affected by system configuration, software, applications, customer data, usage and other factors. For this reason, issues with any of the following are not covered under warranty:
Zion: •Operating System
Zion: •Drivers
Zion: •BIOS
Zion: •Any software, including Samsung Recovery Solution, other Samsung software or 3rd party software. If a unit is serviced for any of these issues, then you will be responsible for a re-imaging fee of $39. This will apply even though the unit is in warranty.
Visitor: I understand that Samsung cannot send a recovery disc, however I found something on the support site (written by a Samsung associate) that if a new copy is required, they will send us a key to redeem a copy online
Visitor: I will look for the link if you hold on for a few minutes
Zion: I understand your concern.
Visitor: Samsung samsung : questions, answers, how to, FAQs, tips, advice, answers, buying guide
Visitor: Found the link.
Zion: However, I am sorry to tell you that product key for Windows 8 operating system will not be available with Samsung as the product key will be embeded on the flash and needs to be verified from the Microsoft server.
Visitor: So is what your other associate said true? Or will we not be able to receive a copy of Windows OS once we switch the drive to an SSD?
Zion: I am sorry to tell you that Samsung will not be able to send a recovery disc or Windows product key for Windows 8 operating system.
Visitor: Okay. Thanks for the clarification. I advise you to tell your person in charge to ensure that your other support associates tell other customers the same information. It could cause confusion.
Visitor: Thanks for the information

 

Wow...typical Samsung support...totally clueless.

Samsung samsung : questions, answers, how to, FAQs, tips, advice, answers, buying guide

That is the link where that customer service rep said we could contact Samsung for a copy of Windows 8 reinstallation media. I should have sent it to you before you chatted with him so he could see...

I'm lost now on how I could install Windows 8 on an SSD swap..

I have two copies of Windows 8 Pro and the fact that I wouldn't be able to use either of them is baffling to me.