New Samsung Series 7 NP700Z7C-S01US Laptop i7 3615QM 650m Review!

That laptop was actually on my list of laptop to buy along with the samsung, but what was an immediate deal breaker for me was the black and red thing on the front cover. I just plain out think it makes the laptop ugly and unprofessional.

 

I think that you might find a fairly biased opinion on this forum but I also am interested if anybody has some insight about these two laptops and how they compare. The samsung seems really nice but the heat issues and wireless problems are making me very weary.

 

Did you refer me to that post as a joke??? I don't see why showing me an application with even crappier setup as funny.

 

I think ke got the wrong link. Try this one.

John

 

Anyone comment on how the screen compares to the HP Envy 17" Currently have an Envy 15" and the touchpad is going south quick and the keyboard flex is really starting to bug me so still have 2 weeks left in my return window.

I do like the Samsung S03 as it is thinner vs. the HP which is huge. Just curious if the Samsung screen compared favorably to the Radiance screen which at least on the Envy 15 is gorgeous minus the ed/orange issue.

thanks

 

Lol yes why have samsung ed up the touchpad controls so bad. Did run the original exe and everything was fixable!

Now if i want to use the expresschace only as a 2nd storage, do i need to install drivers for it? I have not installed drivers for it right now and i can see one unidentified hardware in hardware manager called SM-busscontrol unit, can this be the express chache?

 

Call me seriously puzzled.

First, that wasn't a joke. I don't make fun of people on forums. It was a referral to a much better configuration program.

Second, as far as I can tell, John's link points back to the exact same post that I linked. Now I will admit that Firefox has been acting mighty strange for me, but when I click on the link I posted, and the link John posted, I get the same page. Weird.

Sorry for any misunderstanding.

-Matt

 

The Envy 17 has a better screen than the Samsung. It does not have the Orange issue that plagues the older 15" Envy.

 

So what do people think about the comparison between this samsung and the MSI I posted earlier? I'm talking about performance for price, screen, heat, and wifi. Idk if this is even the place to post this lol

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/MSI+-+17.3"+Laptop+-+8GB+Memory+-+750GB+Hard+Drive+-+Black/5764147.p?id=1218691612333&skuId=5764147&st=Msi&AID=10597222&PID=3640576&SID=skim525X832X98d36090b34a0c28e1a115d4cc1cdfd9&URL=http://www.bestbuy.com/site/MSI - 17.3" Laptop - 8GB Memory - 750GB Hard Drive - Black/5764147.p?id=1218691612333&ref=39&CJPID=3640576&loc=01

 

Has anyone ever seen any rebates or coupons for Samsung laptops? This appears to be my dream machine, but it's a little pricey. I'm also concerned about the WiFi issue. I see nothing about it in the Amazon reviews; and Samsung denies any knowledge of it. Could it be just a couple of people having problems in particular situations?

 

Your correct Sir, I checked out of them today. Best Buy had the Samsung and Frys had the HP Envy 17. Interestingly enough the Envy 15 touchpad onthe display model was far better than mine-which is going back tomorrow. I decided on the Envy 17 over the Samsung which itself did have a great screen,thinner, better feeling keyboard, and key backlight.

Just the screen on the Envy 17 was better with deeper blacks and contrast. The reds actually looked red, as you stated. I also liked the 2nd HHD bay for my 240gb Corsair, Blue-Ray, and overall looks. The Samsung lid had a lot of flex if pulled down from either side. I'm sure it is a quality unit, just the feel of that gave me the jibbies. Both good laptops.

 

There will probably be discounts/coupons during the fall/winter. The laptop is still fairly new and is still in demand, so I doubt they will discount it more than $1400.

 

Hey guys, does the notebook have separated jacks for microphone and audio or is it combined? On notebookcheck it's combined but on amazon it's separated
Thanks

 

Sadly they are combined, not that big of a deal but still a nuisance.

 

Does anyone know if Samsung's planning on releasing this laptop version (Series 7 17'') in Canada?

 

Just a quick pro/con list, take this lightly if you're not a hard core geek.

Pro's:
>Extremely beautiful design if not best around
>Matte screen reduces glare/reflection(also a con, see below)
>1920x1080 Full HD screen with geforce gt650m ddr5 2gb graphics card(high end card)
>Very Slim(design)
>Good Battery life(roughly 5hrs)
>Keyboard(design)
>The JBL speakers and sub-woofer have the best sound I have ever heard in a laptop, even better than the beats audio.
>Hardly any bloatware. (Cyberlink and Norton) Get rid of Norton to speed up system.

Cons
>Very Poor Wifi strength that causes slower speeds/dropped connections due to design, mostly with physical locations as well.
>Touchpad does not work nearly as well as the apple touchpad they tried to replicate(mainly due to poor software) You will be forced to get use to it and it will still annoy you.
>The design actually has a lot of flex, screen is quite flexible which is why you must move it from center.
>Matte screen doesn't have deeper blacks or strong contrast.
>Exhaust vents are behind the speakers and move the heat directly onto screen, absolute fail. This will eventually damage the screen, just like gateway did some years ago.
>Slot loading drive is loud, not like the apple drive they tried to copy.
>No dedicated volume keys or eject key.(FN keys only)
>Plastic palm rest areas will begin to fade/lose color with wear.
>No right angle adapter and the cord is a little short.
>Pricey.

Summary
If you are all about design, then this is the system for you. If you don't care that much about design, there are better systems with even lower prices.

 

Awesome summary of this laptop. This laptop seems beautiful I am just worried about the wifi issues. Does anybody have any comparisons between this laptop and competing laptops? I would love to see how this stand up to the MSI GE70 and Dell 17" inspiron.

 

I have the model NP700Z7C-S02PT.
What tests do I need to run to find out if the wifi is weak or not?

 

Hm, how is that a con? Nope the matte screens doesn't have deeper or stronger contrast, it's the same as if the screen were glare.

So you get the same blacks/contrast as a glare screen(as long as it's the same maker and model), but it's matte, so you don't get all the reflections.
Seems like a win-win to me.

The rest I agree with. Wifi being the worst deal breaker.

 

Run the tests in my sig (under Samsung -> Wi-Fi Antenna issues + More) links while being at least one wall away from the router.

 

I just bought this laptop and i confirm for the wifi issue. But i didnt figured out how to disable the wireless-N. can somebody explain it to me?

 

From 2 walls of the router I get an average of 1ms, with spikes of 12 at times, sometimes give me 97ms but rarely.

But it is subjective, I guess there are too variables to consider. Maybe my pc is from other batch.

 

I've had 3, and all had the wifi issue. All were manufactured march 2012.

Maybe samsung has improved this in later productions.

 

Can you please post when your laptop was manufactured. Also, it could be that your walls are much thinner walls. But, if we could possibly get an understand of which models have the problems and which don't we can form a pattern.

 

Mine was manufactured in May 2012, at least its what is saying on the back.
The model is NP700Z7C-S02PT
Maybe the S01 are the only ones with the problems.
Does the S03 also has this problem?

Edit: Tried with 3 walls and it gets worse but I guess thats normal because no other device catches wifi from that location. I get 2 bars of signal and lose 6% of packages and with an average ping of 18ms.

Overall I think it has a good wifi signal and it performs well. Loving the laptop so far.

 

still cant decide which 17" inch laptop to buy... I'm a big fan of quiet laptop but i also use alot the wifi

why dont you guys put a micro wifi usb chip to get over the issue ?

@oc-freak, i follow all your post and we are looking for the same thing in a laptop, what do you have right now? did you return all your NP7006ZC ?

 

I assume that's with normal ping, not specifying 65500 packet size.

That's still bad.

The problem will be amplified if you do the second test, with the -l 65500 option.

 

isnt there a way to prevent the heat from going onto the screen because of the vent placement fail??

 

I think this is subjective. The screen on the Envy looks better because its the glossy type and Samsung screen is the matte type. I hated the Envy screen with a passion because the only thing I could see in there was myself and/or the things behind me. I could not use it outdoors or near any window of any sort. Definitely, for me, Envy 17's screen sucked big time! I love the Samsung screen because its as good as the Envy screen under all conditions, not just when you are sitting in a dark room in the basement.

 

Right now I'm "on the fence". I sent the last 700z7c to samsung repair centre to see what they have to say, doubt they can fix it, but it's worth a shot.

I am looking at dell inspiron 17", but it's not as "classy", but it's a lot cheaper (inspiron 17" = 1300USD, samsung 700z7c = 2000USD here). The screen is good (not as good as 700z7c, but still good), same GPU, backlit keyboard, looks good and seems well built. But it's thicker/heavier, has weaker battery, worse speakers (but still decent speakers). But it has 2 HDD bays, which is handy.

My "old" computer is an asus N55SF, which apart from horrible keyboard and poor trackpad surface has been great and still is. Screen, sound, cooling system etc is top notch.

 

You sent in the laptop to samsung? What did you tell them was wrong with it? the wifi?

 

Open Device Manager, Click [>] next to Network Adapters, right click Intel Centrino Advanced Wireless-N 6235, Properties. Go to "Advanced" and select 802.11n Mode, and Disable it.

Not sure you'd want to do that though, since you paid for a Wireless N notebook.

 

Just got my laptop today after having it ordered and shipped out to the Philippines and I have to agree, the only disappointing thing about this is the wifi. I'm coming from a 2007 macbook and my office is two walls away from the router and I've had no problems whatsoever before. Even my Galaxy Note can pickup wifi without dropping out. Now with the series 7 my workspace has become a dead spot, it just refuses to connect even if it picks up the signal. Anyone managed to find a solution to this? I know it's hardware related but you guys might have something up your sleeve.

I am just extremely disappointed with samsung This was supposed to be my notebook for the next 5 years

BTW is there a way to make a three finger drag and drop like in mac os x? Any special software or whatever?

 

Severe WiFi problems here also. I have Dlink 655 router at home and none of my wireless devices have had any problems with it. This laptop drops the connection periodically and I've had it since May (when it first came out here) and this only has gotten worse. I've tried different tricks including updating the drivers and turning off N-mode but to no avail. The strange thing is that the signal strength and the reception seems to be fine, only it drops the connection (quite oten now) and I have to disconnect and connect again.

I like the laptop otherwise but the problem with wireless is very annoying. Can anyone suggest a small good USB3 plug-in wireless card?

 

Thanks for you help. but it's not a problem for me since i only have a wireless-G router.

 

This is just making me cry, I've been holding out on an extremely good laptop and finally pulled the trigger on this before people started raising the issue I do hope samsung has a fix for this.

 

The wifi range and signal quality yes.

 

Just learned that dell inspiron doesn't have backlit keyboard and can't be delivered with bluray in my area, so that goes into the trash bin as an option as well.

 

Envy 17 is actually cheaper than the Samsung machine... but is better.

The only con is the weight.

 

Is there anyway to have defferent mouse movement speeds on external mouse and touch pad. I have 8200dpi external mouse that i set down movement speed on extremely low but then when i unplugg it the touchpad must be adjusted way upp it is anoing as hell. Windows should know if im using external or touchpad.

 

Anyone here ever returned a laptop to amazon?

Thinking of returning this to amazon but from what I understand I get only 50% of the original cost? Plus I have to return it with all the boxes and original packaging?

 

If you can prove to them that the machine is defective (which it is, with the Wi-Fi issues and all), and you pack it all back up in the original boxes and packaging, you should get a full refund no problem.

 

I just received my Z7C-SO1US and my first impression is very good. Coming from a Dell E6500, I'm enjoying everything about the laptop - especially the trackpad and multitouch.

I also purchased a Samsung 830 SSD but before going through the hassle of swapping out the HDD, I wanted to see if the reported WiFi issues would be a problem. Thus far, I haven't been able to detect any delays or WiFi drops in using the laptop at a maximum distance from my router (3 walls and ~60') I get 3~4 bars (just slightly less than the Dell.)

Side-by-side PING tests yield the following,

The Dell averages 29ms with a 37ms max - No packet losses
The SS7 averages 63ms with a 120ms max - No packet losses

Speedtest results were,

Dell - 20ms, 18.4mbs Down - 2.75mbs Up
SS7 - 41ms, 26.4mbs Down - 2.73mbs Up

I'm not sure how to interpret the results. I don't play any games on this device, so I'm hoping the wireless wont be an issue.

 

It's not the speed (nor latency, at least for me). It's that the WiFi disconnects from the router periodically. If I hadn't read about wireless issues here I'd assumed my unit was defective. But seeing how many here have various problems with WiFi I think it's either the drivers or the design of the antennae that's faulty.

 

I've only had this for about a day, but so far, other than the latency - it's been perfect. I've had no disconnects and it's much faster than the E6500 in every way (including up and down bandwidth.) For me, the latency difference largely disappears when I'm within normal working distance of the router (40' max.) It averages ~32ms, virtually the same as the Dell.

Once I get the SSD installed, I'll do some testing in my office which if further from the router.

 

Samsung Series 7 17.3" vs. HP Envy 17t-3200 17.3"

Thanks to MacHater's comments, I decided to compare these two machines even though I already had an Amazon order pending for the Samsung. And then two days ago I decided to go with the HP Envy (customized) for the following reasons:

In HP's favor:
1. Worried about Samsung's wifi issues due to poor antenna placement; very important
2. HP's 17t-3200 CTO comes with a full two year warranty (note: pre-configured HP Envys come with one year warranty)
3. All HP Envys come with "Concierge Service" - meaning only US trained and US located 24-hour support specialists with priority service (competing with Apple's renowned service?)
4. 21 day "no questions asked" return policy, including shipping, for full refund
5. 33% discount coupon available which yielded a price approximately $200 lower for the HP vs. the Samsung (until July 19 - coupon code: NBP9668) - with same processor, hard drive, wifi card, graphics card, etc.
6. Full version Norton's Internet Security for two years included
7. Full versions of Adobe Photoshop Elements and Adobe Premiere included (which I was going to buy in the next month anyway)
8. Access to hard drive and RAM via easily opened panel on bottom of laptop; upgrading to an SSD will not void the warranty (on Samsung, the entire bottom must be removed which will void the warranty immediately according to Samsung's website and verified during phone call to Samsung)
9. Design almost identical to Apple's MacBook Pro; it definitely does not look like older generations of HPs
10. Better keyboard lighting and design
11. Two hard drive bays

In Samsung's favor:
1. Thinner and one pound lighter
2. Sleek design
3. Possibly quieter fans
4. Non-glossy display

So for what it's worth, I want to thank everyone who takes so much time to update entries in this forum. I appreciate it greatly.

My HP will be delivered in about ten days; hopefully it will live up to my expectations. Otherwise, I'll return it and move on to the Samsung.

 

Thanks for the comparison Joel. I also considered 17" Envy. In the end, my decision to go with the SS7 was that I just couldn't accept the glossy screen. My office and home study are all windows - I'd be cursing the glare and reflections.

 

Is Samsung wifi really that bad? My CISCO E1200 wifi router is place on ground floor & I am using my wifi on HP DV7-6b00 at 3rd floor & still getting fully signals & latency is constant 3ms with maximum 5ms for just one time, else it's a constant at 3ms.

I am running
ping -t 192.168.1.1

 

Yes it really is, you'd have to be in the same room with your router for you to work productively. I'm perplexed this issue was discovered only after this thread had a 100 pages

 

HP envy is not sold here. (and if it was it would be way overpriced, alot more than the samsung I bet)
Screen is not matte
Speakers are poor.
It has AMD gfx which has a lot of issues with graphic switching (enduro) compared to nvidia optimus.

But beside that, yes it's an decent option