Laptop Alternatives For Series 7 Owners Who Refunded Their S7s

OpenGL works just fine, just not with the more powerfull Ati GPU.

 

Doesn't work at all in stock drivers in after effects.

 

There's not really any suitable alternative that stacks up against the S7.

I've been looking for ages, all the alternatives have some flaw, usually a crap display. Closest matches would be XPS 15 but it's quite bulky and heavy or a MBP but that's an apple and real expensive.

At this stage I am considering waiting for an Ivy Bridge ultrabook as the integrated graphics should be a nice upgrade over the SB chips. Would be completely different than S7!

Open to suggestions, I'd prefer not to have to wait months to get a new laptop.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

Macbook pro also has problems with graphics card switching when using windows. AMD needs to step up.

 

So Vegas uses the AMD graphics card then?

Also, are the problems watching HD videos on youtube on Chrome fixed?

 

Ummm in windows mbp only uses discrete so I wouldn't call that a switching problem. Simply a fixed gpu in windows. Mbp IMO is best alternative.

 

Yeah so it kills the battery life, creates intense heat problems, etc.

No thanks, way too many issues running windows 24/7 on mac laptops.

 

^not to mention the price of buying those MBPs

 

Try the ENVY15, i7 SB quad + HD7690M with the FIXED BIOS, with IPS 1080p Radiance. (It does have a flaw - red orange colours, but if you don't need very accurate colours, the display is one of the best.)

 

Envy15 is a GREAT laptop if you don't mind the loud fan and heavier build

 

Its also more expensive, and i dont think they sell it here in the UK yet

 

For Singapore, it is the same price as the Series 7 @ SGD1999.

 

Very bad vertical view angle.

 

You seriously expect to find something better in a cnsumer laptop? You need an IPS screen for that...and IPS screens are expensive. You can'ta have it all at that price.

 

i would be glad to pay 2 or 3 hundreds bucks more for a very good screen on chronos.

 

If the Envy 15 was for sale in the UK i'd buy it straight away! What second hand laptops do you recommend if we wait for the Series 5?

 

I have Vegas set to "High Performance" which I understood means AMD. Runs like butta.

I have not experienced any video playback issues in any application. I use chrome and I've watched videos on Facebook, Vimeo, YouTube, SmugMug and various other sites which I shouldn't mention here I even went to YouTube just now to watch an HD vid and had no issue (Chrome).

 

You would buy it, many people aren't prepared/can't afford to do the same, so for them the screen is an advantage as it makes it affordable.

miniflyer - latitudes are reliable and you should be able to resale it for at least half the value after you don't need it anymore. Something like this - eBay - The UK's Online Marketplace

Or old ThinkPads...For 150 you can't expect much but as an interim solution, it's OK.

 

I don't think they would put a top of the line, best of the best screen because the average person don't even know that much about computers and wouldn't even be able to know the difference.

 

Ah, thats nice to hear I don't know why but over here in the UK John Lewis have completly taken away the page for the samsung, im just waiting for them to put it back in stock!

 

Am I mistaken or does the UK model lack backlit keyboard? I thought the Chronos came with it, but was at PC World today and the keyboard was a normaln non-backlit one (I think?). Also, I hate the trackpad - my RF has a much better one. Hell, even 3 series ones are more comfortable to use than Chronos's - and much more responsive, too! I have a feeling I am going to like the S5 much more than the S7!

 

I believe that NP700Z5A is backlit while NP700Z5B is not.

 

could be that then. I was sort of shocked as I wanted to see how the laptop is. Tbh with this trackpad, I am not sold on the design - far from responsive and stable enough for my taste.

 

I would really like to return my Chronos 7 and get a better laptop, problem is I can't find any better windows laptop..

 

You all seem to want MBP with all the benefits and none of the negatives at 1/2 the price. If you are not happy with it, return it, double your budget and get MBP if you want "perfection". S7 is far from perfect but for the price it isn't bad. Give Samsung (and AMD!) some time, they might fix most of the bugs.

 

The pcworld/currys/dixons one is crippled. No backlight on keyboard, no ATI graphics card and a 768 screen.
Annoying that Samsung even make something that crippled for them without putting the model number and details on their website. I bet 90% of people have no idea it is cut down, including the numpties who work at PC world.

 

Lower res too!? ...why would anyone buy this!?

I didn't take notice of the res, lol. That's a really crappy version then...

 

The details here say its a 1600 x 900 screen. It also has a dual core, not quad core, CPU, but that's fine for most users. If it had the backlit keyboard I would recommend this for people who don't need extra graphics oomph.

John

 

Yes, the specs does say 1600x900. That is what surprises me, I actually recommended the laptop on another forum expecting it to be 1600x900. I might have screwed the untechy girl with crappy res (obviously she wouldn't know that probably but still...). Are you sure it is 1366x768 screen?

 

Hmm. I thought it was. Maybe it was just the missing graphics card. As you say the specs say it is 1600x900, so if it isn't you can return it anyway.
Sorry, I probably got that one wrong. Still pretty shocking they can take the ATI card out though. How many people must that catch out who read reviews and check samsung website. They did the same with the NC10 a few years back, where they only had a 3 cell battery instead of 6.The main point of netbooks is battery life.

 

For me, who finds the intel graphics enough for my needs, leaving out the ATI graphics is an improvement. But I would want the backlit keyboard. It's a feature I miss on my Lenovo T420s. Lenovo like their ThinkLight, but it's a bit like typing using moonlight.

John

 

When you see the price difference and consider how crappy the ATI switchable graphics works, it is a bargain with the HD Graphics. Omitting the backlit though is pretty big miss. Especially as it isn't clarified very well on the net.

 

Just go back from Holiday. The shop have had my Chronos for 10 days. They have antother 2 weeks to fix before they have to by law give me a refund.

Will be checking this thread out if I get my money back

 

New Envy 15 Review from PC Magazine:
HP Envy 15 (2012) Review & Rating | PCMag.com

I'm still not sold. I'm just going to wait for the next Chronos release which is rumored mid-February. I'm expecting fixed graphics switching and a resolution to the wifi problems & trackpad issues.

 

I hope it will come out fast. This likely means Ivy Bridge?

 

You will not be seeing any Ivy Bridge notebooks in mid February...

 

Got a new 15" MBP as a replacement for the S04US. Will install ssd/windows later. The first thing I noticed in the MBP was the screen. I hadn't realized how lacking the samsung screen was in terms of the color reproduction/black gray separation. The same videos look so radically different on the macbook that I can finally understand the previous concerns of the screen on the Series 7 being of subpar quality. The macbook is heavier and perhaps not as sleek when compared to the series 7. I personally don't miss the numpad, but people who use excel/data applications would. Also, the keyboard on the samsung could do with a quality upgrade, the spacebar could be improved on, and the sharp edges on the palmrest could be dulled down.
The macbook isn't really an alternative, unless you actually double your budget+add cost of windows. It is a very nice laptop though, and the build quality, as well as qc is brilliant. Also, in case of a future malfunction, you're covered by apple care, which is one of the best that I have come to experience. You pay more than you would for a windows laptop, but again, you get what you pay for.