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

Ok so after lurking this thread for 2 months, reading the full 150 pages, cursing laptop brands for not beling able to make a machine work flawlessly in 2012, i eventually purchased the NP700Z7C.

Im really glad i did so and regret i didnt do it sooners. It really is the best laptop i ever owned, by far.

I was scared about 2 things: wifi and silence (which was a priority for me)

First boot, i was a bit angry at the noise, when its not on quiet mode it is loud, too loud for me, but after installing a SSD and turning on the quiet mode, it's SILENT, NO NOISE AT ALL ! you know the sound you hear when it's so quiet around u ? i can hear that sound when the laptop is turned on. After having a dell studio 1737 and the unbearable noisy fan, i feel blessed with this laptop

Then the wifi, i was a bit scared aobut that issue and thats why i didnt buy the samsung sooner, eventually i decided to go with it and buy a usb micro wifi chip if it wouldnt work. GUESS WHAT ? After disabling bluetooth, wifi N, and other tricks mentionnde in this thread, I'm downloading at my maximum speed though keep in mind i live in france and my cap speed is 1,4M/s. I had 0 disconnections in a room at a level under my adsl box (I had wifi problem too with an old dell machine in the same room)

so to sum up:

PRO:

BEAUITFUL DESIDGN
REALLY LIKE THE SCREEN
EXCELLENT KEYBOARD
QUIET MODE
SAMSUNG PROVIDES A CD TO DO A FRESH INSTALL
GOOD BATTERY

CONS:
QUIET MODE RESETS AT EVERY RESTART
HDD REALLY SLOW AND NOISY ITS NOT USABLE EVEN AS A 2ND HDD TBH, HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO PUT A SSD
KEYBOARD KEYS ON THE LEFT ARE HOT DUE TO HEAT
TOUCHPAD IS TERRIBLE, I HAD TO DISABLE IT BECAUSE A PART OF MY THUMB TOUCH IT AND IT S THINGS UP WHEN IM TYPING (i really hate every touchpads and use a mouse though)

If you want a 17" and money isnt a issue go for it, i wish i had done it sooner

 

So.. you're okay with paying for Wireless N, but getting G speeds? For the price you're paying for the laptop, I would expect something as simple as Wi-Fi to work as advertised.

 

what??? HP?

 

Has anyone noticed this?

Newegg.com - SAMSUNG Nike NP700Z7C-S02US Notebook Intel Core i7 3615QM(2.30GHz) 17.3" 8GB Memory DDR3 1600 750GB HDD 7200rpm DVD Super Multi NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M

It says S02US and it states that it has an NVIDIA 640m but it's actually more expensive than the S03US. I can't find the S03US on newegg.

 

The driver links are to Intel's web site.

By the way, how does Wi-Fi performance on the Macbook Pro Retina compare to the Samsung?

 

I meant, why are you linking HP drivers on a Samsung thread?

The MPR wifi is only about 40% better than the Samsung and still not as strong as my acer, but it doesn't suffer with latency issues though.

On another note(Samsung), if I bring up my status window for my wireless connection I can watch the wifi speed dance all over the place while my acer holds steady at 54Mbps on this random (G) AP that I'm connected to. I think the river I was crying is over flowing, lol.

Oops, I think I moved my Sammy so this connection might get cut o...

 

Well i use wifi exclusively to connect to the internet and as i mentionned in my review i get my maximum speed so the fact that i dont get N speed doesnt touch me. Maybe when ADSL2 will be available in my neighborhood i'll get tilted about it but as far i'm concerned i'm really happy with the laptop, it's the best i had and the best i can get, yeah it's pricey but i dont care about the price im rich ahah.

I would have looked at the HP if it were available in FR/GER but it's not and HP told me they do not have a release date

FWIW, in my perfect laptop quest I even considered buing a macbook pro retina but the fact that it has an apple OS and only a 15" inch screen was a deal breaker.

IMO this laptop is on the standards of the 17" inch mackbook pro and it costs less!

I can't comment on gaming and heat issue while gaming though, only game i play nowadays is online poker and it doesnt need much CPU

 

Samsonite Aramon NXT 15.6 Inch Laptop Sleeve first barely fits but then loosens up and will be perfect

FRYS.com|SAMSONITE

 

I just got my 700Z7C and like most others am having wi-fi connection drops with my DIR-615 router. Otherwise I am extremely pleased with this laptop. FWIW, I was finally able to get a reliable and consistent wi-fi connection by setting the D-link to transmit G only. I think I will pick up the belkin micro usb wireless n adapter (Belkin F7D2102 N300). It is well reviewed and will hopefully give me a N connection for a total of $26 at Amazon.

Can someone please tell me how to create system recovery disks on this computer? It is not clear to me which application to use and which option to select to create these disks.

 

Maybe we should send a petition to Samsung about WiFi issue. I believe they could provide all of us with a free WiFi external adapter to cope with that issue. I love my laptop for the perfect screen. I have no troubles with WiFi right now - I use my laptop as far as 2 feet from a router.

 

I got so fed up with the wifi, even though the micro usb wifi adapter I have works well in most places at home it just wasn't adequate for long range so I ended up getting the Hawking high gain usb adapter. That adapter has me picking up stuff in my neighborhood I never knew existed, WOW! I only use it mostly when out and about, it also maintains my 300Mbps speed about a quarter mile away, I was picking up my jaw!!! It doesn't stick out too much and I lean the antenna down a bit but I have no words for how much I love it. I'm not saying I piggy back or hack into other peoples networks but with this thing you can be on the other side of the neighborhood picking up your network, lol.

I know, I went a bit far getting a wifi adapter with that much power, but I love the rest of the computer except for the heating issue and touchpad so much that I went all out on it.

 

wow nice, thanks for the headsup lynucs

i wish it was available in france, any chance you know something with the same power by another brand?

 

There are a few others:

Edimax Ew-7612UAn
Edimax EW-7711UAn
D-Link DWA-127
Intellinet 300n High-Gain USB Adapter (525206)

I haven't tried any of those but they are of the same strength/size and if you want even stronger(more range) there are plenty more although much larger and really meant for hackers. I chose this design because its not very big.

 

thanks for your replay but it is unfortunately not available in germany :-(

edit:
ok it wasnt available on amazon germany but found it on the homepage of samsonite.
im wondering about the size of the sleeve.
in a test the 700z7c has a width of about 40,57cm.
the case actually has a inner width of 37cm.

maybe you can send me some pictures of the laptop inside the case?

thanx anyways

 

Hi,
I think that any 16" sleeve would fit. Take your laptop to local store and try some.

Anyway, did you bought the 700z7c-s01DE or s02DE version? Because there is aprox. 100€ difference between them. The only diff which I found is the OS (W7 pro vs. W7 home premium) and so I hope there isnt something else, maybe some hardware.

 

i will carry the notebook next weekend to the local stores and try if a 16" sleeve will fit.
i have the 700z7c-s01DE (not s02DE) and everything i found is it what you found too. win7 pro instead of win7 hp.
i bought my model at samsung4campus - Bertram Daten- und Netzwerkmanagement GmbH - Ein Angebot von www.samsung4campus.de - SAMSUNG 700Z7C S01 /3615QM/17.3"HDWUXGA/N2G/8D3/1TB/BC/W7P - for 1399€ and 4 years warranty.
so everyone who haveenlistet in a university or know at least someone (thanks sister ) should have a look at this offer.
in germany the cheapest offer i found...

 

I just picked up a Asus G75 with the 670M.. any compelling reason I should return this and pick up this Samsung instead? I understand the 650m is Kelper and the 670m is Fermi.

I'm just wondering if the 650m can be overclocked to be better than the 670m.. But if the 670m can be overclocked (albeit, not as much due to running hotter) it might make it so the 650m can never touch it in performance.. Decisions, decisions!

 

No, you are wrong 650M is Kepler

Take a look here
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M - Notebookcheck.net Tech

 

You're right, I simply mixed the two up, but obviously I followed up with the correct info that Kepler run cooler and are thus more efficient.

 

You can OC 650M to reach GTX670M levels, but it will run hotter. And 700Z7C is already running hot enough stock I'd not recommend it.

 

Yeah thanks I will try it. I'm studying on university, but I live in Slovakia, so maybe its not possible. Could you please take picture of your keyboard? I am planning to buy that laptop from germany and then place slovak keyboard layout, its the only way i can get that laptop...in my country is only 15" version available.

This is slovak layout

 

Hi, where did you get the layout? I might do similar thing (though i got promised multi-language keyboard), but i would want czech layout.

 

Hi, I bought this great laptop a week ago and everything was fine, but lately I have had lots of problems trying to eject the discs from the DVD unit. I have used the Fn+delete and the windows 7 menu eject disc command with no luck. Any ideas on how to solve this problem?. Thank you very much guys.

 

And the Asus G75 went back and grabbed the Series 7 instead.. way nicer LCD and much nicer built laptop.. it's really light for a 17".. I didn't test out the gaming perf of the 670m but I doubt it's much better than a overclocked 650m.. Right now i'm clocked at 1100mhz/2500mhz on the GPU and it handles it with no problems.. Laptop isn't really that loud running fullblast during games.. Much quieter than my old Macbook Pro with 6750m going full bore.

The screen is so nice that I could sit behind this for gaming instead of an external monitor. Diablo3 runs at max settings at 60fps+.. Amazing unit for the price!

I'm still considering upgrading to the Gamer 7 but the fact the 675m is Fermi based is meh.. And nobody offers the 680m in off-the-shelf store bought laptop (and probably never will) unfortunately.

Unless they release the 7970m version i'll probably end up keeping this nice Series 7!

 

ill post a picture this weekend ok?

 

here is the layout of the 17" german version. sorry for the bad quality.
if u want i can send u better quality pictures next weekend.
the numpad of the 15" model looks like the keys are smaller than on the 17" version...

edit: sorry i dont know how to delete my earlier post

 

Go to my computer --> right click on the disk drive--> eject

 

I was at Best Buy today, looking at the Z7C and the Z5C side-by-side, and I JUST WANT TO SAY: do you guys realize how lucky you are to have that awesome screen!?!?!?!? I'm praying that Samsung sees the writing on the wall, gets their act together, and starts installing a comparable panel in the 15" model. Sheesh, can't the little guy get some LCD love?

-Matt

 

thanks for the reply. I have tried that as well and it didn´t work. Are there any tricks (I have read something about using a paper clip) to eject the disc manually?.

 

You can try to boot into BIOS then eject using the keyboard combo/hardware key. Worked for me on every slotload optical drive I've dealt with. Good luck.a

Sent from my EVO using Tapatalk 2

 

Today I finally got mail regarding my 700z7c that I sent to samsung for repairs (wifi range/quality). The error can't be fixed so I get my money back.

This means samsung agrees it's a problem, but that it can't be fixed. Meaning it's poor design rather than hardware faults.

Ordering an Dell inspiron 17R SE instead, which is heavier, has worse battery life and no backlit keyboard (backlit keyboard seems to be for US models only, not scandinavian). But beside this it offers much of the same performance and has good matte screen etc.

 

Thank you guys for the info. I have tried the Bios option and it didn´t work either. I think is a hardware problem. I´ll take for servicing to see what happens. Thanks for everything. Cheers

 

I just bought my new Samsung Series 7 NP700Z7C-S01US and im loving it, it's so beautiful!!!

 

it fits perfectly but will take 1 week to stretch

 

I ran the crucial scanner on my sammy today and it says it has 4 memory ram slots? is this correct? thanks....

Rob

 

There's only two. And only one is accessible.

 

Whats the maximum ram we can install? and i appreciate your answer, crucial scanner is really wrong... thanks....

Rob

 

1x4GB fixed on board.
1x4GB extra, you can replace it with 1x8GB

So, total will be 12GB & that's max.

 

Has anyone had the importunity to compare the audio of the Z5C and the Z7C yet? The screen and the audio were the two disappointing points of the Z5C I tried. I've heard many people saying the screen of the Z7C is far superior, but nothing on audio quality yet.

 

The sound is the best I have ever heard on a laptop. It is pretty good, not as good as my klipsh s4 headphones, but not far away from it either.

 

Well that all hinges on what laptops you've heard.

 

Haha, Dell inspiron, tobisha satelite, and a couple hp laptops (none with the beats sound system in them).

If you have a best buy near you, you should see if they have it so you can check it out yourself.

 

I've only got a Futureshop (Canada), and as far as I know, nowhere in Canada has the Z7C for sale (yet).

 

700Z7C speakers are very good, just slightly below asus n series with bang & olufsen icepower.

 

Does anyone here have a problem when turning on the cybercam? looks all grainy?? not enough lightning.

 

If there is not enough lighting it will be grainy and also if you need to change the resolution in the settings to 1280x1040 to make it clearer.

 

thanks buddy!

 

Pozri si tú foto čo som sem dal, to je česko/slovenská klávesnica, napísal som do servisu samsung a tam by mi to vymenili.

It's slovak/czech layout...

 

Hey guys,
I'm on the hunt for a new laptop since mine was stolen a couple of months ago, yes I know its a tragedy especially since it was a Sony. I've been reading this thread about the 700Z7C and I think I want it lol. I know the wifi sucks, there's minor heat issues, and the 5400rpm HDD is not fast enough, but these are all flaws that can be fixed if you throw enough cash into it. Get the wifi USB adapter, a laptop cooler, and switch out the HDD with a SSD. Right? Except the price is way over my limit right now, especially with the add on fixes. So I know some of you have mentioned the wholesale sell site being a scam, but for 824$ its hard not to hope its real. Is there anyone that has bought from this site and lived to tell about it? Samsung - 17.3 Series 7 Laptop - 8GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive - Silver Wholesale samsung laptop 17.3 Series 7 Laptop [1305]- US$826.00 - Best Sell - Computers, Video Games, TVs, Cameras, Appliances, Phones

Did a bit of research and found this...figures
Bestwholesalesell.com Scam Report - Tun Trading Co.Ltd. Scammer - Wholesale Forum

 

Hey im interested in this laptop and have scoured this whole thread. I just returned a Sony S15 because of the orange red issue with the screen. Has anybody run DPC latency checker on this thing? Any spikes? I'm looking for a laptop for audio production and graphic design. Thankx in advance