Samsung 2012 Series 7 Chronos (NP700Z3, NP700Z4 & NP700Z5 series) Owners Lounge

I reinstalled Easy Settings from Easy Software Manager and everything seems fine but several hours later Easy Software Manager is telling me that an update is available. It's telling me that I have version 1.1.0.25 but 1.1.1.2 is available. I don't know why it wouldn't have installed the most current version in the first place. Now I'm nervous that trying to update is going to screw things up again so I thinking about leaving it the way it is.

Does anyone know if 1.1.1.2 is a problematic version or if it's the fix for the common problems that people are experiencing? I've read that quite a few people have had problems with updating Easy Settings but most haven't posted which version they had problems with.

 

What a great intuitive design by Samsung

4 business days until my laptop! So excite to move on from this dysfunctional Dell i6000!

 

does anyone has ve np700z5C version? i am thinking of buying that laptop. Is it worth to buy it knowing there are other cheaper laptops with same specs?

 

I'm sorry I went from 1.1.0.25 to 1.1.1.2. If the system is working for you, leave it as is. see http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/667936-samsung-chronos-series-7-easy-setting-issue.html

Does it happen when using battery or only when plugged in?

 

In that case, I will leave it alone. Thanks for the info and the link!

 

I think the hard drive clicks no matter whether it's plugged in or not. Mostly I use this plugged in and most of the time the clicking comes and goes during light office work (i.e. not under heavy load). It's a unordered series of sharp click/clang type sounds. So far everything's working ok though.

Do you think it's something I should be worried about?

Ok, it's clicking again, first time for today.

It's doing it roughly every 5 seconds. Unplugging it does not affect and the clicks are not in sync with hard drive light flashing.

 

you can use HD Tune to read the hard drives health information:

HD Tune website

 

Hi, do do guys know if these models are compatible with the i7 2630QM?

In my country it comes with the i5 2450m. I know it is compatible with 2675QM, but if the bios doesn't have support to the 2630QM, it is not going to work.

EDIT

Nevermind, it is soldered

 

Pretty much you can throw any core i3, i5, i7 2nd generation into those boards, but you cannot replace with any first generation or third generation. However, to be able to buy and replace are another things. You can follow the guide to disassembly the laptop and change the CPU. I don't really know if eBay or other vendors now have the 2nd generation core i chipset in stock.

 

Idon't think I can, looks like the cpu is soldered

 

Did you open the cover yet? Pretty much old laptop can switch the chip easily.

 

The chronos series has CPU soldered onto mainboard, can't upgrade it.

 

I'm on the verge of buying a full price NP700Z5C-S01, when I came across a deal on a refurbished 7 NP700Z5B-S01UB.

As far as I can tell, the only difference between the "B" and the "C" is

CPU "B": Intel Core i7 2675QM(2.20GHz)
CPU "C": 3rd Gen Intel Core i7 3615M

Video "B": Super Multi AMD Radeon HD 6490M (512MB)
Video "C": Nvidia GeForce GT 640M (1GB)

There's about a $490 price difference (slightly less, since the 5C comes with an xbox), and the refurb only has NewEgg's 90 day warranty.

Are there any other major differences between the 5B and 5C? Is there some horrible "gotcha" with the B that I'm overlooking?

Thanks!

 

Does somebody know if there have been some bugs fixed with the new ivy-bridge lineup? I want that NP700Z3A which is currently avaible with ivy bridge. But the issues with the touchpad, wifi, linux and the bad screen are holding me off.

 

Added
http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/670287-samsung-np700z5c-screen-upgrade-attempt.html

 

Have recently started experiencing a very frustrating problem with my NP700Z5A (UK, bought from John Lewis) related to the trackpad and hotkeys (FN+F2/F3 etc) and startup/resume from hibernation - the trackpad won't respond to anything other than left and right clicks and function hotkeys dont work for a few minutes after the OS is up and running.

I hope I'm not alone, and apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere - I have spent sometime looking through threads and other discussions, but didn't find anything.

Any help would be very gratefully received.

 

Try reinstalling the Trackpad drivers.

 

Thanks - will give it a go. Would you recommend doing it through the Easy Software tool? Never know how reliable that thing is

UPDATED: Reinstalled the Elan driver software from the Samsung site and after a reboot can happily report that my Trackpad works right from boot now - major frustration removed! Don't know why I didn't think to try that myself, but really appreciate the help.

I also reinstalled Easy Settings, and while the hotkeys still take a minute or two after boot to kick into action, they do seem to be a bit quicker.

Today is a good day

 

In lack of some solid info on the New Ivy Bridge 700z3C model
(C=Ivy bridge cpu/chipset) (700z3A = Sandy Bridge previous gen. )

I went ahead an ordered one unit two days ago - Delivery tomorrow.

The config.
NP700Z3C-S01SE
Intel Core i5 3210M / 2.5 GHz (3.1 GHz at turbo)
6 GB ( 4+2) SDRAM DDR3 1600 MHz
1 TB HDD (8 GB flash-5400 rpm (will be swapped With my 256 Vertex4 SDD)
NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M - 1 GB GDDR5 SDRAM (With optimus)
14" LED 1600 x 900 ( HD+ )
Bluetooth 4.0
Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6235

Comments: I dont want to wait for the Core i7 that might come later (and i guess it would not give me as much battery life as i5 3210 will bring)

As With 6gb ram (i might upgrade later on.. but feels 6gb is enough for me at this time)

Im really excited to see if the nvidia GT 630 chip is of the New 28nm kepler (GF117) and NOT the 40nm - Firstly due to battery longelivity. I will be hugely dissapointed i if it proves that the "old" 40nm kepler is still beeing shipped With Ivy bridge. (22nm cpu With 28nm gpu will give a Nice boost of battery life compared to the fist gen 700z3A series.)

Benchmarks: I will prime the pre installed 64 bit Win7 installation that comes With the 1000gb hdd and then post the the Windows Performance index for your convenience.

BUT then i will replace the HDD With my Vertex 4 SDD 256 and install the latest 64 bit Windows 8 Release (Release preview ) clean install.

I will then post Windows Performance index numbers and maybe some other benchmarks - And bring you some info on NOISE, Battery life, screen quality and last but not least THE TOUCHPAD

I Guess ill have this info to you guys in about 20 hours.

PS. IF anyone have any hands on info on the 700Z3C then please feel free to post info/links.

 

Does anyone know what the cheapest option is to connect a VGA monitor to a series 7 with that stupid mini-VGA port? I don't really feel like paying $40 for a dongle for something that should be included with the computer

Edit: will his $10 adapter work?
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=798339&Q=&is=REG&A=details

 

I have the Z5C, how do I verify that the GPU is working properly?

I'm getting a graphics score of 5.3 for Windows experience (should be 7+)

It's got a NVIDIA 640 GPU but after I ran the latest driver from NVIDIA (301.42),
the installer said " could not find compatible graphics hardware"

What should I do?

EDIT: just found out NVIDIA won't provide direct driver support for mobile GPUs, they make you go through the manufacturers so I have to get it from Samsung

 

Ok so I re-installed the stock NVDIA drivers supplied by Samsung with the laptop. I went to the NVIDIA settings from Windows Control Panel and set the PC to use the dedicated GPU only. I re-ran the Windows Experience test and still got 5.3 for Aero. Rebooted, got the same thing. So I went back to the NVIDIA control panel and individually changed all the options to maximum performance, ran it, rebooted, ran it again, still 5.3 each time.

Is there a good GPU diagnostic test I can run?

 

Hello, if anyone can help me with my Easy Settings issue I will truly appreciate:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/sam...wont-load-my-np700z5a-stuck-using-13-cpu.html

Thanks!

 

At that price it is worth trying. It's hard to see whether the mini-VGA plug on that dongle will fit Samsung's mini-VGA socket but they look similar.

John

 

Hey Blake, first off I'm wondering if you ended up buying the dongle and if it worked? Second, I ran through the same routine as you, trying to get WEI to give me a score on the 640m. But I think I end up reading somewhere that even though you "force" the card with the NVIDIA setting, WEI only sees the integrated HD 4000. If so, it makes sense because in fact what happens when you're "using" the NVIDIA card is you're actually prepping frames on the dedicated card, and then handing them off to the integrated card to display. Perhaps that's why WEI can't see it?

As far as benchmarking your system, you can try Futuremark but keep in mind that their free products have limited functionality. Or maybe I misunderstood -- if by diagnostic you meant "see device info" you can also give HWiNFO64 a try.

-Matt

 

My friend is looking to get the 14" series 7 NP700Z3A-S03US, but was wondering if the huge problems were fixed. Mainly did they ever fixed the wifi problem (changed to broadcom wifi), and if the switchable graphic works with all games? If it still does not switch to discrete GPU properly with all games, then at least does it work with Starcraft 2, diablo 3, and HoN? He doesn't care about any other games, as long as these 3 games works with discrete graphics. And can D3 max out on the native 1600x900 resolution?

Currently there is a crazy clearance price for only $600, and they are selling out fast. I need an answer fast if there is still problems with the switchable graphics, or if they fixed it already. Thanks in advance.

Walmart.com: Samsung Silver 14" NP700Z3A-S03US Laptop PC with Intel Core i5-2450M Processor and Windows 7 Home Premium with Windows 8 Pro Upgrade Option: Computers

 

No, there is no change in Sandy bridge series as you mentioned.

However. there are few changes in Ivy Bridge series. Ivy bridge series has Nvidia GPU's now which is better than AMD & do automatic switching

 

Thanks for the reply. I scored the last one at my local walmart. The pickup counter associate tried to charge me $800, but I clearly showed the online price was $600 on the email invoice I printed out, and she honored the online price .

Now I just hope it doesn't give too much problems about switchable graphics. Going to upgrade the SSD for him right away too.

 

That's a great deal! If you have any problems with graphics switching, refer to page 1 of this thread for the download link, and install driver version 8.940: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sam...s-push-samsung-implement-fixed-mode-bios.html

 

Hey guys! The 7 Chronos looks very good, but there is one issue I'd like to get some insight to.

How good/bad is the screen? I found this thread and became a bit worried. The thread is from 2011 though. I was hoping they'd released a better model by now.

The screen is one of the most important components in a notebook. Is the Chronos as bad as some reviews suggest? How does it compare to the N56VZ and Vaio S-series?

 

I just bought a NP700Z5C-SO4US, and I plan to put a SSD in and do a clean install of windows, but i was wondering what all i need to back up before I do so.

 

Hey Matt, if you pop in a DVD-R or DVD-RW and run Samsung's backup/restore program (you can also boot into a simpler version of it), just navigate to the "Backup" options and you'll find a button there for writing all the device drivers and stock software to the disk. Really easy, and all you have to do is put the disk back in after you're done with the Windows install.

-Matt

 

Okay thank you! Does this include all of the Samsung software such as easy settings and the software manager?

 

Yep, both the device drivers and all the great utility apps! When you put the driver/software disk back in, the first thing it will do is run the software manager. I especially appreciated that it didn't request a restart after each driver was reinstalled.

-Matt

 

hey all,

i own a 700Z5A-S07AU, and still seem to have problems resuming from standby occasionally, ie, i open the lid, the fan starts, the power light is on, but all i get is a black screen, which requires me turn the laptop off completely. anyone else having the same problems and is there a solution for it?? Also, it occurs when the laptop is plugged in or running off the battery

 

I never had a problem until I had to re-install easy settings. Afterwards I had frequent problems resuming from standby resulting in lost data so I disabled standby and haven't used it since. If anyone has found a solution I would appreciate hearing about it as well.

 

I consider buying the 700Z3A with 6GB Ram and 1TB hard disk.
Can someon please clarify if the Express Cache can be upgraded?
(Any pictures where the Express Cache sits on the MB? Soldered or not?)

If possible I would like to go with 64 or 128GB...

thanks in advance!

 

I'm pretty sure Express Cache is simply an 8GB flash memory module "nailed" to the motherboard -- I assume it's the same for all models. Given the price of flash RAM, it's a shame Samsung didn't use more. Perhaps they'll double it in the next product cycle (wow, another $1.00 in materials cost!) to make it look like a major improvement?

EDIT: my answer was informed by "Yano's" review at Amazon:

-Matt

 

The express cache drive is soldered on, so up to you if you want to try and replace it, but thats beyond my ability/knowledge. You can always swap out the hdd for an ssd if your looking to have a larger ssd.

Orrr if your looking for both thr hdd and ss theres this guide on how to swap out the dvd drive for an ssd/hdd:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/626915-hard-drive-caddy-series-7-a.html

 

I'm thinking of buying this model 15.6'' NP700Z5A

I've read about WiFi issues, anybody have any?

 

If anyone is interested in the S04US model ( Buy Samsung Series 7 700Z5C-S04 - 15.6 inch notebook PC with Intel Core i5 processor, HDMI, and Intel Wireless Display - Microsoft Store Online), the Microsoft Store has a deal where you get 20% off any purchases over $1,000 so it would make the laptop $960 before tax. This is in-store only.

 

Got the Samsung 700Z3A-S06US from Microsoft Store in Atlanta with 1 TB HDD and 8 GB RAM for 999$. They started a 10% off right few days after i got it.

Initial impressions :

1. The screen is not that bad, it is not the best though but i can live with it.
2. Build quality is awesome
3. Runs very quiet.

I am going to put up windows 8 in this and see how it works. I am yet to go through the thread with the switchable graphics issue, i was wondering has this been fixed or not?

 

Hi!

I am about to order the 700Z3C
Komplett.se - Samsung 700Z3C 14" HD+

I am thinking of upgrading the RAM instantly so I want to buy 8 gb memory at the same time. The question is though how many pins on the memorystick the 700Z3C supports. Will this 204-pin work?
Komplett.se - Corsair Vengeance SO-DIMM 1600MHz 8GB

 

Nvm. Realised it just had to do with the memory being for laptop or not.

 

Hey there,

I know this is not really the place, but I'm currently looking for a new notebook that is portable, but still works well for gaming and photo/video editing. I have already looked at several and am torn between the MSI GE60 and the Samsung 700Z5A.

As for gaming and editing I mainly plan to use it for Guild Wars 2 and editing software such as Adobe Photoshop, After Effects and Sony Vegas Pro.
I already have quite a powerful desktop at home, but I’ll be going to Japan for 6 months so I won’t really have access to it. Still, I plan to travel around with it so weight and portability are therefore quite important. These two don’t differ much on that front though.

The MSI seems to have way better performance, but the Samsung looks more durable, slick, has the 8GB SSD Cache and a longer lasting battery.

Linking them below. The specs might be a little different as they apparently have different machine types here in the Netherlands, opposed to the U.S.

Any feedback is much appreciated. Thank you in advance!

MSI GE60 0NC-001NL (= €1099,- / $1354)
- 15.6 inch / 1920 x 1080 / TFT-LCD with LED backlight / Anti-glare
- Intel Core i7 / 3610QM / Quad Core / 2300 MHz
- 8 GB RAM / SO-DIMM DDR3-1333
- NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M / 2048 MB
- 750 GB SATA / 5400 rpm
- Wi-Fi / 1000Mbit/s (Gigabit Ethernet)
- UBS 2.0 & 3.0 (3), Numpad, (multi-touch) Touchpad, VGA, HDMI, 3,5 mm Audio, 3,5 mm Mic, SD Card reader, DVD-Player/Burner, Bluetooth, HD (1280x800) Webcam
- 6-Cells Lithium-ion / BatteyLife Plus
- 2400 gram (= 5.29 lbs)


Samsung NP7005A-S03NL (= €979,- / $1205)
- 15.6 inch / 1600 x 900 / TFT-LCD with LED backlight / Matte
- Intel Core i5 / 2450M / Dual Core / 2500 MHz
- 6 GB RAM / SO-DIMM DDR3-1333
- AMD Radeon HD 6750M / 1024 MB
- 1TB HDD + 8GB SSD (cache) / 5400 rpm
- Wi-Fi / 1000Mbit/s (Gigabit Ethernet)
- UBS 2.0 & 3.0 (3), Backlit keyboard, Numpad, (multi-touch) Touchpad, VGA, HDMI, 3,5 mm Audio, 3,5 mm Mic, SD Card reader, DVD-Player/Burner, Bluetooth, 1.3 Megapixel Webcam
- Li-Polymer 8 Cell (5400mAh Int 80Wh)
- 2290 gram (= 5 lbs)

*For the Samsung, perhaps it might be worth it to upgrade the RAM to 8GB?

 

Anyone have any luck with Windows 8 drivers? I was able to get my EasySettings working by running in Compatibility Mode (Win 7), the rest of the Samsung software doesn't work. I am mostly concerned with losing my switchable graphics capability (only seems to run on the Intel card at the moment). Curious to know others experiences.

 

Another quick question, I'm doing a fresh install of windows and I was wondering what partitions I should keep and reformat and which ones I should delete.

 

Leave the recovery partition if you want to be able to restore to factory install. Also, it allows quick installation of drivers and utilities using Easy Software Manager, reading them from the recovery partition. (Personally I prefer to download and install those individually, but it's more work).

You can delete all other partitions and create a new one for Windows during setup. Or you can format the existing Windows partition and reuse it.

If you delete the 100MB System partition, windows setup will re-create it during the partition phase. If it bothers you (say, because it takes up one of the max four primary partitions on the disk) you can go back to the partition screen (after setup informs you it will create additional partitions that you didn't ask for), delete the windows partition you created and extend the size of the 100MB system partition to whatever you like. Now you can select it and install windows on it.

Once windows is installed, you can create an additional data partition.

Regarding the ExpressCache, you can delete this partition (either during windows setup or afterwards). It will be recreated when you install ExpressCache and enable it with Easy Settings. OR you can forgo the ExpressCache software and use this 8GB drive whichever way you want.

Hope this helps.

 

I have a strange issue that started happening to my series 7 just a few days ago, have had it since january, and that is i have started getting a screen filled with what looks to be bright colored boxes with a green to red gradient, often notice it when loading websites and seems to happen at random and for vairous sites not just certain ones. They basically disappear after about 2 seconds but have been occurring more frequently it seems. Seems like it could be a video driver issue but i don't believe any new drivers have been installed recently and I have made sure that all my drivers are up to date through the samsung support application. has anyone else experienced this?

 

Well kinda already reformatted the recovery partition, should I just delete it then? I everything all backed up on an external drive so I don't think it's a big deal.