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

    Discussion in 'Samsung' started by yknyong1, Dec 11, 2011.

  1. CompUG

    CompUG Notebook Evangelist

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    What kind of restrictions? I usually stream my movies through my western digital mybook and use VLC to play them..
     
    CompUG, Jan 15, 2012
    #201
  2. yknyong1

    yknyong1 Radiance with Radeon

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    yknyong1, Jan 15, 2012
    #202
  3. yknyong1

    yknyong1 Radiance with Radeon

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    yknyong1, Jan 15, 2012
    #203
  4. outl@w

    outl@w Notebook Consultant

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    Somone do a photos of display and add it here...
     
    outl@w, Jan 15, 2012
    #204
  5. lex.ikon

    lex.ikon Notebook Enthusiast

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    lex.ikon, Jan 16, 2012
    #205
  6. jimmiem

    jimmiem Notebook Guru

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    I haven't seen anybody post about the battery saver option. Is everyone using this (sets max charge to 80%)? Are the battery life claims made with or without this setting enabled?

    I have been using it because I seem to be able to get four or five hours with it enabled which is plenty for me. Are the claims of the battery lasting three years (1500 charges) only true using this setting?
     
    jimmiem, Jan 17, 2012
    #206
  7. RoivaZ

    RoivaZ Notebook Enthusiast

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    I don't know what the alternate function is on the '0' key [maybe Insert] but it seems to default to that instead of actually typing the zero - it happens with Function Lock on/off and Number pad lock on/off. Is there a setting to just make it the digit zero at all times?

    To be clear, I just want all digits to type out correctly when the number lock is on, nothing more complicated :)
     
    RoivaZ, Jan 17, 2012
    #207
  8. yknyong1

    yknyong1 Radiance with Radeon

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    It's right click, so turn off Fn Lock key.
     
    yknyong1, Jan 17, 2012
    #208
  9. RoivaZ

    RoivaZ Notebook Enthusiast

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    Thanks - but it still does it even when I've turned off Fn Lock which is what confused me. Could there be any other reason why it won't type zero?
     
    RoivaZ, Jan 17, 2012
    #209
  10. yknyong1

    yknyong1 Radiance with Radeon

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    Have you installed any software that may alter the key mapping? If not, it may be a keyboard issue. Return it for a new set in that case.
     
    yknyong1, Jan 17, 2012
    #210
  11. sean.e

    sean.e Notebook Consultant

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    Num Lock works for me. Num Lock on:
    0123456789/*-+.
    Num Lock off:
    +-*/
     
    sean.e, Jan 17, 2012
    #211
  12. yknyong1

    yknyong1 Radiance with Radeon

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    Use the 80% setting for the longevity of the battery, especially when on AC for a long period of time. Switch to 100% to charge the battery full when you know you need all day computing.
     
    yknyong1, Jan 17, 2012
    #212
  13. hd.ticket

    hd.ticket Notebook Enthusiast

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    I bought my S7 from MicrosoftStore, LA on December 4th. Will I be able to return it now ?
     
    hd.ticket, Jan 17, 2012
    #213
  14. yknyong1

    yknyong1 Radiance with Radeon

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    Why would you want to return your S7?
     
    yknyong1, Jan 17, 2012
    #214
  15. hd.ticket

    hd.ticket Notebook Enthusiast

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    I wanna know just in case I do encounter any of the faults that you guys have.
     
    hd.ticket, Jan 17, 2012
    #215
  16. Luterin

    Luterin Notebook Evangelist

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    How is the CPU turbo on this machine supposed to work? I haven't researched it at all, and perhaps its just a bios setting or something, but even when I run CPU intensive applications (like SuperPi etc), the machine still shows as being 2.2Ghz in CPU-Z, unlike my stationaries which shows the "correct" frequency.

    Also, it seems to be staying at 2.2Ghz no matter what happends, even thou the power options have set Minimum Processor State to 5% (both battery and plugged in). Other machines i have lower their frequencey when there is no or close to no load on the cpu.
     
    Luterin, Jan 17, 2012
    #216
  17. BLOCKMONSTER

    BLOCKMONSTER Notebook Enthusiast

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    BLOCKMONSTER, Jan 17, 2012
    #217
  18. Luterin

    Luterin Notebook Evangelist

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    It doesn't actually change the frequency and it's correct that it should stay at 2.2Ghz?

    Guess its just the variable frequency of my I5-2500k on one of my stationaries that is messing with my mind. But why isn't the cpu in the S7 behaving in the same way to conserve power, or it's not needed with sandy bridge? I know my old UL30VT had it's cpu (su7300) vary its frequency depending on load.

    Been away from serious hardware stuff for too long, so not really up to date on how it works nowdays. :(
     
    Luterin, Jan 17, 2012
    #218
  19. BLOCKMONSTER

    BLOCKMONSTER Notebook Enthusiast

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    I believe so. Theres that Intel Turbo Monitor widget (useless) that will reflect when your processor "turbos" but it's useless.

    The desktop SB (especially the ones you can overclock) you can definitely tell when it's turboin'.

    SIDEBAR | I wanted to hate this S7 but I cant find anything comparable to this that dont have its share of issues.
     
    BLOCKMONSTER, Jan 17, 2012
    #219
  20. Luterin

    Luterin Notebook Evangelist

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    I just updated my CPU-Z, and now it looks better. It's at 800Mhz when no load, and it goes up around 2.8Ghz when running Orthos (old Pi program). So guess it was a CPU-Z related issue and not a laptop related issue. My bad for not checking for a new version first. :)
     
    Luterin, Jan 18, 2012
    #220
  21. kangu

    kangu Notebook Consultant

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    You will probably get store credit, as that is what I got since I just returned my S7 that I bought on 11/25.

    I returned it because all of these problems started to arise after almost 2 months of normal usage.

    I really did love the laptop, but they don't have any replacements at the MS Store anymore since its at the "End of Life" cycle now.
     
    kangu, Jan 18, 2012
    #221
  22. WeeMaan

    WeeMaan Notebook Enthusiast

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    Just installed a 240Gb Corsair Force 3 SSD, my read/write speeds with AS SSD is 210/240.
    Is it running in SATA2 or what? Dissapointing..
    Clean install of W7 with AHCI enabled.

    Edit: Nevermind, I get 500+ with atto disk benchmark.
     
    WeeMaan, Jan 19, 2012
    #222
  23. John Ratsey

    John Ratsey Moderately inquisitive Super Moderator

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    Please don't cross-post. I've just spent time responding to your other post on this subject. :mad:

    John
     
    John Ratsey, Jan 19, 2012
    #223
  24. bball1515

    bball1515 Notebook Enthusiast

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    new series 7 owner with a few quick questions:
    1. how do i tell if the powerplus 80% battery is activated? did not see it under battery options

    2. id there a keyboard shortcut to turn off the backlit keyboard?

    Thanks in advance.
     
    bball1515, Jan 19, 2012
    #224
  25. sean.e

    sean.e Notebook Consultant

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    In Easy Settings (Fn+F1), on the General page, see Battery Life Extender.

    Fn+F9 multiple times until it is off.
     
    sean.e, Jan 19, 2012
    #225
  26. bball1515

    bball1515 Notebook Enthusiast

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    thanks for the quick answers
     
    bball1515, Jan 19, 2012
    #226
  27. bones36

    bones36 Newbie

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    When i play videos on vlc it plays choppy. Any way to fix this?
     
    bones36, Jan 20, 2012
    #227
  28. Naphtali14

    Naphtali14 Notebook Enthusiast

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    That happened to me as well. I found changing VLC in switchable graphics in the Catalyst Center from High Powered to Power Saving fixed the problem ^.^
     
    Naphtali14, Jan 23, 2012
    #228
  29. bones36

    bones36 Newbie

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    bones36, Jan 24, 2012
    #229
  30. bball1515

    bball1515 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Why am i having trouble getting clean conversions from dvd to mp4 with handbrake? is this related to the chronos' video issues or is this some kind of software issue? for some reason the converted files just play all scrambled.
     
    bball1515, Jan 24, 2012
    #230
  31. bball1515

    bball1515 Notebook Enthusiast

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    nevermind, turned out to be some new copy protection
     
    bball1515, Jan 26, 2012
    #231
  32. johan12345

    johan12345 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Is it easy to do a clean installation of windows 7 on this laptop?
     
    johan12345, Jan 26, 2012
    #232
  33. WeeMaan

    WeeMaan Notebook Enthusiast

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    It has never been easier..
    Before starting, just download WIFI / LAN drivers and Easy Software.
    Then just install, and run easy software and it downloads all the drivers.
     
    WeeMaan, Jan 26, 2012
    #233
  34. johan12345

    johan12345 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Is easy software necessary? Don't they have all the drivers individually on their site?
     
    johan12345, Jan 26, 2012
    #234
  35. johan12345

    johan12345 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Samsung

    Is it the "Easy Migration", "Easy Settings" or the "Easy Software manager" software? I'm a bit confused
     
    johan12345, Jan 26, 2012
    #235
  36. yknyong1

    yknyong1 Radiance with Radeon

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    "Easy Software manager"
     
    yknyong1, Jan 27, 2012
    #236
  37. johan12345

    johan12345 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Great! And the express-cache and everything works afterwards? :)
     
    johan12345, Jan 27, 2012
    #237
  38. yknyong1

    yknyong1 Radiance with Radeon

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    yknyong1, Jan 28, 2012
    #238
  39. WeeMaan

    WeeMaan Notebook Enthusiast

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    Yes, thats also possible. I did that my first clean install, but then I realized Easy Software takes much less time.
     
    WeeMaan, Jan 29, 2012
    #239
  40. discy

    discy Notebook Enthusiast

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    Heyyy all, I would like your advise on what to do now to make the experience better, I've just got it! :). *700z5a

    First of all; a couple of problems:

    1. Youtube crashes! I solved that by keeping browser on power saving mode.. but really, what a welcoming!
    2. Is there any way to permanently disable bluetooth (and/or wireless) after a fresh boot? (for airline travelers this could really be an serious issue)
    3. Any way to keep the keyboard light off, even when bluetooth or wireless is on?

    The last one if more of a question about your experience:
    4. How much battery does the new Hybrid Sleep use? (days? hours? weeks?)

    I really like this laptop for the most! But at least to me, it does look like samsung hasn't thought every hardware/software aspect through; which could be a shame.
     
    discy, Jan 29, 2012
    #240
  41. yknyong1

    yknyong1 Radiance with Radeon

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    1. Great
    2. Use devmgmt.msc or Device Manager to disable the bluetooth and wireless.
    3. No, by design.
    4. Sips about 1-4% a day.
     
    yknyong1, Jan 29, 2012
    #241
  42. MarcinW

    MarcinW Notebook Enthusiast

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    I think my HDD is bad. Now it clicks very loudly all the time even though it's under no load, yesterday it even kind of beeped several times, span down, switched off and went back on a couple of second later. What is disappointing is that SMART does not report any errors :confused: :(

    Before I return it, anyone knows how Samsung recovery works? Is it possible to restore the partition content on a slightly different partition, later on a new laptop? I'd like to avoid reinstalling all the stuff that I have.
     
    MarcinW, Jan 30, 2012
    #242
  43. yknyong1

    yknyong1 Radiance with Radeon

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    Back up your data immediately. It seems to be failing, and may do so anytime.
     
    yknyong1, Jan 30, 2012
    #243
  44. BlakeRoss

    BlakeRoss Notebook Consultant

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    Check the BIOS settings under keyboard, there may be a way to disable the backlight.

    Also, if you're going to sleep for extended periods of time, then Hibernate is your solution which won't draw any power. Also, if you're using truecrypt or similar program to encrypt your data, sleep mode will make it possible for a theif to access your keys and decrypt the whole drive, whereas in hibernate mode the memory is dumped and encrypted to the hard drive
     
    BlakeRoss, Jan 30, 2012
    #244
  45. Ephelant

    Ephelant Notebook Consultant

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    I got the 15.6" NP700Z5A-S03CA at Canada Computers about 10 days ago. I'm very happy with it in general - great configuration for the price, excellent battery life, solid build quality, nice bright matte screen, attractive design, thin and light, and does everything I need it to do (nothing too demanding except for some gaming). Gaming performance is impressive for this price.

    The OpenGL issue doesn't apply to me and the switchable graphics seem to work just fine - although many games report only the Intel HD, they definitely run on the AMD card based on performance.

    The only minor issues are:
    Default touchpad settings are not perfect - as discussed by others in a separate topic - but are certainly not a deal-breaker after some tweaking.
    I had some sporadic wireless connectivity problems out-of-the-box, but updating the Intel driver resolved the issues.
    No backlit keyboard on the S03CA, which was disappointing.
    Black levels and viewing angles on the screen could be better, but you can't expect top quality at this price. Image quality was improved substantially using the profile posted in a separate topic.
    I have also had 3 or 4 random BSODs - no obvious cause.

    Other than that, I love this laptop and have no significant complaints - it just ticks all the boxes. If the situation changes, I'll report back here with updates.
     
    Ephelant, Jan 30, 2012
    #245
  46. discy

    discy Notebook Enthusiast

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    Would you mind telling us where these topics can be found? :)
     
    discy, Jan 30, 2012
    #246
  47. yknyong1

    yknyong1 Radiance with Radeon

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    First page of this thread, classified accordingly.
     
    yknyong1, Jan 30, 2012
    #247
  48. discy

    discy Notebook Enthusiast

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    Offtopic: Wow, i didn't even notice this great collection of threads and tips! You guy(s) did a great job creating this thread; thanks so much!
     
    discy, Jan 31, 2012
    #248
  49. BlakeRoss

    BlakeRoss Notebook Consultant

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    Absolutely, thanks especially to yk
     
    BlakeRoss, Jan 31, 2012
    #249
  50. Naphtali14

    Naphtali14 Notebook Enthusiast

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    Anyone know if this laptop could support a 2560x1600 display output through the HDMI port? I would assume so since HDMI 1.4a does. However the AMD radeon spec page on the graphics card makes it more confusing.

    Anyone have a super nice display they can test it out on?
     
    Naphtali14, Jan 31, 2012
    #250
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